Now,
it was our intention to compete in the Mega Manic Midweek Monster
Duathlon at Castle Combe this week as a relay team. However, due to the
distance we would
have to travel to get there after work (65.6 miles one way) it was
possible/likely that we wouldn’t get there in time to register for the
event. Therefore as a more viable alternative we decided to run a
Midweek Monster Duathlon of our own devising in the
environs of lovely Upton.
The duathlon at Castle Combe was conducted on an actual race course, which is pretty flat, and yields very quick times. Our planned course was less flat, and involved more traffic but was still chosen for speed and avoiding too much altitude change. Also, as a “monster” there were three runs and two rides in the following configuration:
2 mile run
10 mile cycle ride
2 mile run
10 mile ride
2 mile run
The duathlon at Castle Combe was conducted on an actual race course, which is pretty flat, and yields very quick times. Our planned course was less flat, and involved more traffic but was still chosen for speed and avoiding too much altitude change. Also, as a “monster” there were three runs and two rides in the following configuration:
2 mile run
10 mile cycle ride
2 mile run
10 mile ride
2 mile run
We
were hoping to complete it in less than 2 hours, although I wasn’t very
confident of that happening. We started in one of our local car parks
amongst the
truckies with Rach doing all the running and me doing all the cycling.
In the end we were surprisingly quick, finishing the whole thing in a
couple of seconds under 1 hour 47 minutes. Despite having to run 6 miles
(9.66 km) in three separate bursts, Rach still
managed a kilometre in 4.14 minutes in the final leg. My second ride
was completed with an average speed of 18.5mph (approx 30kmph) and a top
speed of over 30mph. As we were using different GPS devices to measure
distance/pace (having previously mapped the
routes on Google) Rach did have to run around the car park once per
lap, and I failed to record all the info for my first lap, but
old-fashioned timekeeping proved we finished in 01:46:58. Roughly,
because of the vagueries of my first lap, “transition” (in
which I mounted or dismounted the bike before going/sending Rach off)
and the fact I can’t be bothered working it out, I completed my 20 mile
ride in 1 hour 4 minutes, and Rach her 6 mile run in 43 minutes. For a
homemade, one-team, relay duathlon on public
roads (with many undulations and some wind) that’s pretty damn quick.
We’re pleased anyway. Today we are mostly aching. One extra benefit of not doing the official organised duathlon is that we didn’t have to pay the entrance fee. Therefore we’ve put that straight into the charity fund. Please feel free to help us support WaterAid, Oxfam, Disability Snowsport UK, Cancer Research and Honour Village Cambodia by visiting www.teamsnow.co.uk and donating what you can. Also, tell your friends about how we are mental and need help, giving them the relevant link. The 24 hour run is less than 3 months away now, and beginning to loom large in our consciousness. Hopefully all this training will go some way to protecting us from complete bodily disintegration.
Our next race is the Dirtrun on Friday 11th July, which is a 10km off-road run. We’ll update you as per usual.
A bientot.
