6 days Joe.  Atmosphere is getting electric here, pressure really ratcheting up on my fit as a fiddle tall, lean 20 year old workmate.  He’s a top lad but if he doesn’t beat this short, stocky, bald 37 year old he’s gonna be getting a lot of stick at work.  My biking has come on leaps and bounds the last few weeks.  Did the midweek sprint tri 20k bike in 37mins on Wednesday.  Did a practice Olympic tri on Sat morning.  31(including transition)/1:23/3minute transition/50:00.  2:48 all in.  Made a pigs ear of nutrition – ie. Didn’t have any.  Was starving at the end of the bike and it really affected me hence the long transition as I went running round looking for food.  Not sure that the swim course was quite full length.  Have readjusted my aims for Sunday now:  0:30/0:03/1:20/0:01/0:48.  =  2:42.  All very doable if conditions are good and that might just about be enough to beat my workmate and kudos round the office.

It is a European qualifier and I think 4 people in each age group qualify.   last year there were only 4 people in the 20-24 age group and so we were really hoping matey would qualify.  Just looked at the entrants list and there are about 20 people in his age group this year.  They all came out the woodwork when they found out it was a qualifying event.

Well the results are in....
Horrendous swimming conditions and it really takes someone with a lot better technique and more experience than me to really overcome them.  Southerly wind meant it was really quite choppy and I just couldn't wait for it to be all over.  Was about 36 minutes I think so 6 minutes behind what I hoped after just 1 event, 2 min transition, 1:22:50 on the bike (perhaps a minuteor two slower than I hoped, was fading a little in the end cos I did the first 20k in 38 minutes, think it was 41k too) 1 min T2 and then a sub 44 minute 10k, which I was well happy with as it was absolutely peeing down at the end, meant I got round in 2:46.  Given the conditions I am well happy with that.  Just about snuck into the top 75pc.  Some pretty tasty competitors there though, was really quite daunting at the start watching them all get prepared.  I don't even have a proper tri suit.  My work mate beat me by four mins, fair enough, a good youngun will always beat a good oldun.

Very well done indeed Rob.

Cheers for your kind words Patra, Tommy and Danno.

Patra:   You are not wrong, proper hammered.
Tommy:  thank you. You are a gentleman and a scholar.  Well you are a gentleman.
Danno:  half IM late Sept, marathon(sub3:30 plan) for late oct/early nov.  Full Ironman summer 2016.   This stuff never stops.

hehehe!

Well done Rob. You saw it through to the end. Onwards and upwards. See you in Rotterdam 2017.

If someone had offered me that bike time when I started out I would have bitten their hand off but actually it doesnt really stand up compared to others,  mind you there were some absolute monster bikes out there, they kept passing me like a peloton.  compared to others my swim was actually not as bad as my bike.  All about the bike aye.  Percentages game the bike and will aim for sub 1:15 next time which is 20 mph.  Transitions werent very professional, probably another minute there.  Five minutes to be gained I reckon if the sea conditions are better.  Sub 2:30 has to be the aim.

What is happening in Rotterdam Eeternal?
Cheers Joe and good luck with your HM Capt F would love to hear about your progress if not on this thread then on another thread.  Danno's times are phenomenal btw, defo not in his class.

Age group world champs for the sprint Rob.

Did you say you were aiming for sub 2 hours?  If so you have covered four miles on pace for that, about a third of the way there.  Well done Capt F.

Keep going Capt. The thousand mile journey has already begun with that first step old boy.

Have entered Ironman Limburg-Maastricht July 31 2016.  7 of us (so far) doing it from my Tri-club, which makes it alls the more better as we can train with each other and keep each other's chins up. 11 months worth of training started yesterday.

8 miles at sub 2hr pace.  You are improving in leaps and bounds cap'n.  given that you will have a good few days rest beforehand and the extra motivation that you get on the day I reckon you are almost there.  Keep the updates coming.

This c)nt clearly sat on his fat arse whilst you mugs piled in with the money, ffs.

That is interesting Capt F, really touch and go about the two hour mark now, adds an extra dimension when you are specifically aiming for a set time?  The extra three miles shouldn't be a problem, you will do it of course, and if you don't beat 2 hours you will be very close.  Where is the race?  Good luck.  I am doing 73 laps of Preston Park velodrome in 4 weeks' time, can't wait, dont think I will beat 3:30 but hope to beat my PB of 3:42.

Capt F - All the very best for next week.
My best advice as a former (now lame) athlete is,
DON'T, DON'T, DON'T get caught up with all the other
athletes around you bombing off in the 1st mile or so.
Run your own race & your be fine.
Enjoy it & use it as a springboard for future events.

If you get a chance to scope out the course,
try to see where the "feeding stations" are.
Take your time & take plenty of water on board.

Rob - Capt f - This has been a great thread,
what these forums should be about.

Kona Ironman world champs today.  Gordon Ramsey took part but dNF.  Dont know how he got a spot, must have paid through the nose or they let him in for publicity.  Seems a little harsh as I know some super fit people who bust a gut trying to qualify but can't.  Matey did 2.4mile swim in an hour, 112mile bike in 5 hours and then a 3:15 marathon, he was still a fair way short of qualifying.

Capt

Whilst I wouldn't want to seem presumptious one free bit of advice from an old timer you can use or discard is that most world distance records are done on a negative split or close to it. Adrenaline gets you so far and then reality kicks in. If you aren't thinking the first five miles are marginally too slow you're almost certainly going too quick. Trust me. Anything you think you are losing early you will more than make up later in the race. The curse of the vast majority of amateur competitors is to go off too fast.

http://www.ironman.com/finishercertificate.aspx?race=austria&rd=20150628&bid=234

The splits I quoted were approximate, but not far off.

Austria is famously one of the quickest out there, I gyess it is flat.  Matey is the fastest in our tri club and is a long way off making the grade so a bit of a p1sser when gordon "14 hours" Ramsey gets a free spot and then doesnt finish.