Richard Westover: the next steps

3rd March 2012 – 8mile run / 24mile bike / 8mile run – 3hrs 7mins 31secs – 26th place overall (2nd in age category)

 
Climbing the famous Box Hill five times was not exactly an appealing proposition when the alarm went off at 5am on a Saturday morning, although this is more my aversion to early starts than hill-climbing. Actually, racing on part of the Olympic road race circuit was going to be very cool, but the cycling and triathlon communities do like to get going early.

 
It’s known as a pretty gruelling event on the 8 mile loop around Box Hill in Surrey, with the format being 8 mile run – 24 mile bike – 8 mile run with the start of every lap being at the top of the hill – i.e. the finish is one long last 2 mile climb up the hill, when your legs are about to give way from under you.

 
To get the whinging out the way first, the parking and toilet facilities at the event HQ are awful. Restricted parking means everyone has to be boxed in, resulting in difficulties leaving at the end of the race and there are a grand total of 5 male toilets for the majority 300 male competitors. I’ll let you work out what that’s like 15 minutes before the race is due to start.

 
Soon after, I find myself in the ‘transition area’ for the first time ever. This was going to be my first multi-sport event so I was completely new to getting everything sorted for when I came into T1 and then T2 between the run and bike legs. I racked my bike and tried to lay everything out that I might need to grab quickly on the way through, helmet, glasses, extra clothing, food, drink, inhaler etc. The weather conditions made it difficult to judge the appropriate clothing to go with at the start of the run which was clear from the line-up of competitors, some in simple shorts and running vest all the way through to full leggings, long-sleeved top + waterproof gillet.

 
I normally feel pretty warm when running, but cold on the bike so just went with my cycling shorts and a lightweight short-sleeved base-layer to start with. I’d then come into T1, chuck on my warm cycling jersey and gloves, grab the bike and head out again for which would probably be a much chillier bike leg with the descents, although the climbing could get a bit warm. Was the day going to get colder or warmer and was it going to rain? It was misty, cloudy, windy and cold at the top of the hill, who knew what it was going to be like in a couple of hours’ time. I guess it’s easier without the option to change in transition, normally you just get on your bike and deal with whatever comes at you for the next few hours.

 
As the gun went off, there was the traditional sprint to get to the head of the field. I had a reasonable start position and was immediately swamped. I decided it was important just to hold position, maintain my pace and let the group that was clearly faster move ahead of me. Unlike on the bike there’s no real advantage to killing yourself on the run to keep up with the quicker ones. If it was on the bike I would have tried to hold the wheel of the faster riders for as long as possible due to the big aero advantage of them towing you along at a disproportionately high speed for the effort required. Unfortunately, by the time we got to the bike, the run would have put them ahead. This was not a draft legal race anyway.

 
The initial part of the course is largely flat and then downhill, before coming round to the big hill so I knew I’d see some of those guys later in the race when my strengths would come into play.

 
Even so, it was still a quick initial 8 miles for me taking into account the 2 mile hill climb. On the way round there was plenty to note for the bike leg by way of treacherous road surfaces and narrow winding lanes. As soon as we got back round to Box Hill I immediately had a few competitors up ahead in my sights. When you get to a hill it’s important not to suddenly gun it, particularly on such a long climb. I try to maintain my pace by increase my cadence, taking shorter quicker strides, staying relaxed. The first half mile of Box Hill is probably the steepest, but then it relents into a relatively gentle incline of about 5-6% compared to the 10%+ hills I’m more accustomed to climbing.

 
The first guy up ahead came and went quite quickly and then I reached another pair further up. One fell back straight away, but the other tried to stick with me and I could feel him running alongside me, just behind. I love this point on a course, where I can use my strengths and feel confident. The more he stuck with me, the more I gently upped the pace, though still feeling relatively comfortable, I knew it was breaking him. I feel the same pain when other guys are forcing their pace on me when we’re on the flats, so I have to admit I enjoy hurting them back on the hills. Eventually he succumbed and fell back. There was just enough hill left to take one more guy before we got to transition.

 
When I got to the top, my legs felt slightly jelly like and the uneven gravel/mud/rocky driveway we had to run through to get to the transition field was prime ankle injury territory. It would be a relief to get on to the bike where I feel most comfortable, but you still had the thought that there would be another of those runs before you got to the finish.

 
In transition I lost time heavily, putting the extra clothing on, trying to get my shoes on etc. It wasn’t exactly slick. Even so, it wasn’t like I stopped for a break or anything so at the time I didn’t think it could be too bad.

 
Once we’d run with the bike through the field and onto the road it was time to get going again. Strangely I could feel a few tell-tale signs of possible cramp on the way and despite the initial part of the lap being flat it was difficult to get going. Once up to speed it was frustrating to see the guys on their TT bikes and aero helmets fly past due to their better aerodynamics, when I knew I was at least as strong as most on the bike. Although I knew I’d make up time on the hill again, they were simply going faster for less effort for the rest of the lap which makes it rather difficult to compete at the front when drafting is illegal in the race.

 
When we came round to Box Hill for the first time I can’t have lost too much ground as I went back past a few who had overtaken me down the hills earlier on. All the way up the hill I was dropping riders even when they tried to stay with me and went about putting as much time back into them. Getting to the top of the hill I stood on the pedals briefly to stretch my legs and both immediately cramped up. A real worry with 2 bike laps and an 8 mile run to go! It was strange as I’d made sure to keep my cadence high throughout, but this only seemed to make it worse. I was struggling to put the power down along the flats.

 
The road surface was also getting worse as it started to drizzle and it became apparent that there’d been a few crashes with marshals’ warnings of dangerous turns becoming more vociferous and laying down some sort of powder in patches where it was most slippery.

 
Again those on their TT bikes were coming back past on the flat, but earlier on the lap this time although my better endurance meant it was taking longer for them to get past. Every lap they got further ahead however and by the third they were too far in front for me to be able to re-pass up the hill. I love my road bike, but it simply isn’t built for non-drafting time trials or triathlons and I vowed to get my hands on a more appropriate bike before the Ironman.

The 2nd and 3rd laps were also complicated by the increased number of riders on each part of the course who we were now lapping. This isn’t the easiest thing on poorly surfaced, narrow, winding, slippery roads with a big speed differential.

 
On the 3rd cycle up the hill I pushed to make up as much time as possible before we went back on foot. If I had jelly legs before, they were nothing to getting off the bike now. I’m not used to the shorter, higher intensity rides and my legs were now about as useful as a chocolate teapot.

 
This final run was going to be a struggle to say the least. I stood up in transition from putting my trainers back on and I can straight away feel my airways restricting. I’m asthmatic, but up until the last couple of weeks it’s been under control. Suddenly it was well and truly not. Having only run a few steps I went back to my bag and had a couple of doses of my inhaler. This was about as useful as a waterproof teabag. I’d be running the 8 miles on a greatly reduced oxygen intake.

 
The main thing was just to keep moving forward and hopefully the speed would come. I expected that my legs would come back to me later in the run from previous experience. I left transition at the same time as one guy and with another just up ahead. He went off quite quickly and I only briefly attempted to stay with him before concentrating on gradually increasing my speed.

 
About 3 miles in I noticed that the guys up ahead were no longer moving away from me and although I was struggling with my breathing, my legs were improving. It appeared most of the field was in pain and it was just a battle of attrition now. Where there were a couple of short sharp inclines on the first part of the route the pace really slowed from everyone.

 
I checked behind me and there was no one in sight so I had a reasonable cushion to maintain my current position. I could relax and just keep going as fast as my legs would allow and hopefully I could grab a couple of places on the final climb.

 
Suddenly the guys in front were really coming back to me. The one who I had left transition with had now passed a runner up ahead and I was making up ground on the pair of them. No need to go all out yet, just keep it steady. Everything happens a lot slower when running compared to the bike and I had to wait to catch him. Slowly but surely I got to him and went past and we were now just a mile away from Box Hill. Soon it would be over. Still this one runner from transition was tantalisingly ahead though. Surely I must be better on the climb?

 
Just before we got to the turn for the final ascent we both went past another runner. I had no real idea what position I was, maybe just inside the top 50-60?

 
I was now just a few metres behind him and there was just the 2 miles of Box Hill to go. It was suddenly very clear who had gone out a bit too hard earlier on as we straight away both went past another guy. The key on the hill was once again just to shorten your strides, stay relaxed and not push too hard too early. Soon I was leaving them both behind, finally past him and catching more guys ahead. I went past another two and was getting a bit of encouragement from a couple of cyclists (not part of the race) who were riding up the hill.

 
The last guy in my sights was about a hundred metres in front, with us now on the final third of the hill. Now it was time to pick it up. He had a friend cycling alongside him trying to urge him on so I was going to break them both. With my legs about to explode I caught them up and ran straight through in-between them trying to look as comfortable as I could.

 
There was no one else to chase and no one coming back at me so I ran to the finish with the increasing number of supporters at the side of the road near the top to give me a final boost.

 
I ran through the finish in 3 hours 7 mins 31 secs to put me in 26th place overall out of about 300 and 2nd in my age category. These were my splits:

 
Run 1: 51mins 56secs
T1: 2mins 24secs
Bike: 1hr 18mins 19secs
T2: 2mins 3secs
Run 2: 52mins 47secs

 
At the end of the race I was a bit disappointed as I know I could have gone a quite a bit faster if I hadn’t been affected by the asthma, cramp and had of been riding a more appropriate TT bike. I know it’s the rider that makes the difference and I’m not going away to get some ultra high-end TT bike, just one to level the playing field. However, my time was still ahead of the 3 hour 20 minute target time and this was my first ever multi-sport event so nothing to get too down about. It was positive to be able to pass so many on the climbs, especially the final one and there was also a lot to learn from which is really what these initial races are all about.

 
Analysing the results sheet the next day the positives were that I had one of the most consistent two run times, with most people at least 3 – 5 mins slower on Run 2 than Run 1, whereas mine were less than a minute different and without the asthma I could even have negative split this.

 
Less positive were my transition times which as it turned out were awful. I was about a minute slower than the guys I was competing with on both. If I can sort these out with a bit of practice then taking off those two minutes alone would have put me in the top 20. This just requires a bit of practice so there’s a positive in that.

 
I was surprised how tough this race was and more so how exhausted I felt for the rest of the weekend. I guess I’m not used to the intensity of the shorter course and multiple disciplines. The race was in fact won by a pro duathlete (last year ranked 15th in the world) and there were a number of DNF’s due to crashes of the difficulty of the course. I made it round and in a respectable time so overall I can take a lot from this event going forward and hopefully it will be a good stepping stone for a successful summer.

26th February 2012 – 13.1 miles – 1hr 24mins 24secs – 36th place overall

 
Wow, second day of racing this year and another day of near perfect conditions. It was bright sunshine, but cool and with almost no wind as we all arrived at the event HQ for the Tunbridge Wells Half-marathon – which couldn’t be more different to last time I did this race in driving rain and partial flooding back in 2009.

 
I can’t decide whether I prefer the conditions this way or not. Yes it’s much more pleasant to race in beautiful weather, but you lose that advantage over some competitors who fall apart in adverse conditions or when things aren’t going to plan. It can be an opportunity. Still, it’s hard to complain when the sun is shining!

 
The simplicity of going for a run was relaxing and much easier to get out the house in the morning, with minimal kit/ equipment needed. However, with over 2,000 people starting the race, in a mass start, getting a reasonable position on the start line was much more important this week and resulted in hanging around the start area for about 30 minutes before the gun actually going off. This is a bit tricky with HQ + toilets being a 10 minute walk away and having handed in your race bag with drinks/ food etc. inside.

 
Despite the 1.5 mile incline of Fordecombe Hill to contend with about 6 miles into the route, it’s actually quite a fast course. My previous fastest half-marathon time was 1hr 35mins 35secs at the Tonbridge race back at the beginning of winter training in September ’11. So the target time for today would be 1hour 30mins, hopefully showing some progress to make all the freezing winter sessions worth it.

 
Dame Kelly Holmes set us off as has become customary for most running events in the area, and we got off to a fast start with everyone trying to get to the front. Even so, the guys going for the win and one guy in particular who was aiming for the course record today were gone before I knew it. This is a competitive field with many running clubs in attendance so I was just hoping to make it into the top 100. However, I tried not to let too many go past as I wanted to use the faster guys to maintain my pace over the course and then maybe using the hill-climb to get ahead of them.

 
After the very gentle incline of the first mile, it’s almost flat/ downhill all the way into Penshurst, with one very steep bit of downhill to bring us into the village. This of course resulted in the pace getting faster and faster, but with the knock on effect of it being quite high impact on your legs, bounding along. This, as with the bike, is one of my weaker points and a number of guys were going past me almost sprinting along. At the moment I don’t seem to have the outright speed on the flats to stay with them, but I knew I’d see them again when we started going up. I aimed to just maintain good efficient technique, keeping strides short, landing on the mid-front foot.

 
On leaving Penshurst, it’s a very gradual incline for about 2 miles before a short sharp decent into the valley and then the long climb up to Fordecombe. As soon as we were back to going up again, I could feel I was slowly making up time on the guys who had come past me and I was looking forward to using the main obstacle of the day to my advantage. This would also mark the half-way point in the race.

 
When we got there, Fordecombe Hill hurt more than I was expecting, probably due to the fast pace so far , but I went past a couple of runners early on in the hill before making up about 200m on another and passing him just as we were coming into the village. Unfortunately, just as you expect it to be over, the hill actually extends through the village and up out the other side. I know this very well from cycling it so many times though. By the time we reached the top, I was closing in on the groups of runners ahead. The remainder of the race would go back to being flat/ slightly downhill, but I managed to keep those I’d passed on the hill behind me.

 
Now that I was with the faster runners nearer the front the pace was ramping up all the time as everyone knew we had cleared the one big climb. I stuck with them through Langton along the long road back into Tunbridge Wells. This is so much further when you’re running close to your limit. Since the hill I’d been swapping positions with a runner who was evidently a triathlete, from is tri club team top. There were a couple of slight uphill parts, but nothing more than 200m on which he would immediately fall back, but then re-pass me when the road levelled off again. As a fellow triathlete I knew this was someone I should be beating. As we came back into Tunbridge Wells I stuck with a couple of faster guys who had upped their pace and managed to drop the other guy finally.

 
Sticking with these two was now going to be a real challenge to the finish, with about 3 miles to go. Just maintain good form. As I focussed on running with good technique I began to feel more comfortable running with them and got the impression they may have been struggling. I ran alongside them now rather than just behind to try to pressure the pace.

 
We were now running through Tunbridge Wells town centre with a sizeable crowd lining the road for the final couple of miles. Having the crowd there clapping and cheering genuinely makes a difference, taking your mind off the pain and giving you fresh motivation to go faster still.

 
One of the two now fell back slightly and I thought we’d now dropped him. However, to his credit he came back at us with half a mile to go and while the other guy was able to stick with him, I now knew I wouldn’t be able to go with them in the run for the line. I’d got it wrong and should have slowed slightly with him before the final push.

 
We turned left into the finishing chute with 100m to go before the line and they took off. I upped my speed, but I wasn’t going to catch them so went to hold position to the end. I thought we’d built quite a gap to anyone behind us, but unfortunately I hadn’t noticed (probably due to the headphones I was wearing) a runner closing in who I’d overtaken about 2 miles earlier). He took me by surprise and sprinted right past me so I was then 3 places down on where I could have finished with a bit more quick thinking.

 
This was a very annoying way to end the race, despite a new PB of 1hour 24mins 20 seconds at this distance, as a strong finish is normally one of my strengths and I felt quite negative afterwards. I hadn’t been concentrating and for some reason my mind had gone blank over that last mile when normally I’d have a bank of positive thoughts/ memories which I’d use to make that final push, which would normally see me finish just in front rather than just behind. Ok, at least this was just a practice really, but disappointing all the same.

 
Anyway, that evening the official results were released and I found I’d come in 36th place which was really way above what I’d expected going into the race and my time meant I’d taken over 10 minutes off my previous best for a half-marathon distance. Combined with a good afternoon spent out on the bike it really wasn’t such a bad day, a lesson learnt and time to move on to the next race!

19th February 2012 – 71 miles – 4hrs 3mins 57secs – 2nd place overall

 
First race of the year certainly blew away the cobwebs! The Kentish Killer was my first ever sportive when I did it in 2011 and was a tough, hilly course then, but the 2012 edition was absolutely brutal with a number of extra massive climbs thrown in. It was a proper suffer-fest to begin the season with.

 
For those who don’t know, the format of a sportive is slightly strange in that it does not begin with a mass start like a conventional race and neither is it strictly a time-trial where riders set off one by one and try to set the fastest time over the course. Instead, it’s a bit of a mix as you can’t just close 70 miles of public roads to accommodate 350 riders all starting together. So we start in waves of about 15 riders and the guy who sets the fastest time over the 70 miles wins (i.e. it’s not necessarily the first man back across the finish line who wins as someone starting a later wave may set a faster time).

 
It was a beautiful sunny day when I arrived at race HQ at Brands Hatch on Sunday, though still cold and icy. Without the nerves of it being my first year competing I took my time getting the bike ready and deciding on the correct level of clothing to go with for the day, finally lining up in one of the final waves to set off around 9.20am. Last year I completed the course in 4 hours 26 minutes to set the 15th fastest time of the day, back when I was training exclusively for cycling. I optimistically set this year’s target at 4 hours 10 minutes which would hopefully place me in the top 10.

 
The previous few months have been a bit up and down on the bike so I wasn’t really sure where I was at fitness-wise. Still, that’s what today was intended to determine.

 
Me and one other rider broke away from the rest of the group almost immediately. He was clearly very quick so I decided to pick up the pace to make sure I stayed with him – he in fact went on to set the fastest time of the day. Brands Hatch sits atop the North Downs so we shortly came to the first big descent. I’d driven up the road on the way to the start and remembered it being slippery in certain places so made sure I got a feel for the levels of grip on the way down before we got to the critical slowing down point, a tight 180 degree right hander. You come in to this corner pretty hot at over 35mph despite it being a windy lane and I’d struggled to keep the bike on the road even through the longer corners. I began braking earlier than I normally would and the bike squirmed as I tried to brake as hard as possible without locking up. There were several moments of thinking shit – I’m never going to make this corner and prepared myself for going straight off the side of the road. Luckily, I lost just enough speed to make the turn in, but the other rider with me, just in front, did not and the wheels went from under him and he slid across the road to a halt.

 
Checked he was ok and rode on. That was a serious warning of how treacherous the next 67 miles could be. Still, this was a race, and the clock was ticking. It always amazes me how different cycling in a competitive environment is to just going out for a training ride. When there’s someone next to you to beat, the risk considerations just go out the window. The same goes for the burning pain in your legs, there’s no let up to recover, you have to sit there on the limit for the full duration. Your competition won’t afford you that luxury so it’s a case of just dealing with it for the next 4 hours.

 
One of the benefits of starting in one of the last waves meant there was a steady stream of riders up ahead to catch and pass, and flying down the little lanes picking them off, picking out the passing opportunities gets the adrenaline going. The first half of the ride took a scenic route out to Ashdown Forest taking in some of Kent’s big hills; Bate’s, Carter’s, Hubbard’s, Fordecombe and upto Black Hill. Hardly a gentle introduction to the ride and with barely a moment of flat ground it was time to suck it up! This was quite a line-up just to reach the half-way point, and I could soon feel it in my legs. I hadn’t realised the additional hills that were being added this year, so seeing we were circling back round to do Hubbard’s Hill as well (unlike 2011) was slightly demoralising, but this was to be the theme of the day – where one hill would have sufficed the organisers were kind enough to treat us to the extra climbs.

 
However I looked at it positively; firstly climbs are where the biggest time gains can be made on other riders and two, climbing is my main strength on the bike by a long way. So every hill climb was another opportunity. And even better, I’ve ridden all but a couple of climbs on the route many times during training rides, so I knew when to eat/ drink and what gear to be in etc – home advantage was a big help. Despite this, the sheer volume of inclines sapped so much strength that the ‘milder’ undulations between the main hills were hurting as we returned from the forest.

 
And yet, I was surprised to find I could keep pushing on. There’d always be a few riders up ahead and I couldn’t resist chasing them down, bargaining with myself that I’d then sit in their draft and rest for a few minutes. Sitting behind a rider in front can save you about 25% energy from being in their slipstream. However, on reaching them I’d find I could still ride faster than them and took off again after the next group. It was good to be racing again, pushing my limits.

 
On the return from the forest we had the three biggest hills inflicted on us, Ide Hill effectively destroying my legs before still having to contend with Star Hill and Row Dow and also the headwind thrown in for good measure. Star Hill takes us back to the top of the Downs near to Brands Hatch and at just over 60 miles into the ride I thought this would be the last major climb for the day. It took everything I had to get up there, it really was a struggle. I’ve done this hill loads of times before, but never having already ridden so many hills and at such a high pace before it. I was genuinely relieved to make it to the top, I was broken. So you can imagine my horror when the route effectively took us straight back down the other side via Polhill….there would be at least one more massive climb before the day was up, and it was going to hurt. I recognised the roads we were taking and knew the only possible concluding hill to take us back to Brands Hatch. This was certainly not going to be pretty, we were going to suffer.

 
A couple of riders had managed to stay on my wheel as I went past them up Star Hill and stayed there all the way down and across to Row Dow using me to shelter them from the wind. So despite my legs feeling like they were about to explode I went for it and dropped them on that ‘final’ climb. I was also surprised to still be able to power away at the top of the hill, while others had to slow and recover I could put some serious time between them and me.

 
But now I could feel the muscles in my legs starting to twinge and really hoped for a straight-forward run in to the finish. Of course, it wasn’t, we once again descended to be greeted by a very sharp incline before we could get to the finish. This was merciless route planning from the organisers! Still there’s only one way to go up a climb – attack it!

 
Well by this point attacking the climb lasted all of 30 metres before it was a case of clinging on and just trying to keep the bike moving to the top. I did make it, just, but now when I went to go for it at the top and sprint to the finish, those twinges suddenly felt a bit more serious and I could feel the onset of cramp. Sure enough a few seconds later, with less than 2 miles of riding to go, the muscles through both legs seized up completely, both legs locked out straight, standing on the pedals. I kept trying to start pedalling again but couldn’t shake it off for almost a mile. After all those hills I thought I was now going to have to roll/ walk in to the finish. After all that pain and effort of the last 4 hours that was not going to happen. I gently rode standing on the pedals trying to build up some speed and thankfully, slowly, the cramp subsided and I got the power down and took off again riding the last mile at full speed and finally into the finish.

 
My time clocked at 4 hours 3 minutes and 57 seconds and an average speed of just over 17.4mph – way ahead of target and what a first day of racing for 2012! I’d been overtaking other riders throughout the day so was hopeful for that time to be enough to put me in the top 10.

 
I really didn’t expect it to put me in 2nd place though which feels great! Especially being much less cycle specific this year, with the swim and run to worry about in triathlon, and against a field of majority pure cyclists. However, I think this 2nd place does slightly flatter my true current fitness on the bike as the course played so much to my strengths being as hilly as it was; perhaps on a flatter route I might have finished further down the field. Even so, it was a good confidence boost to start the year and a great platform to really push on with training throughout the spring.

 
Thanks to all the marshals out on the course sat in the cold, keeping us going in the right direction. A really well organised event, which I’d recommend for 2013.