Carsington Duathlon - October 2006
This will have been my last multisports outing of this season, and what a race to go out on! This is another one run by Punishing Events, this time very aptly named. It is not an easy race. I'd done it once before, a couple of years ago, when I'd found it so 'punishing' that I'd thought I was going to be sick when I reached the top of the steepest hill. So it was with some trepidation that I lined up at the start once more. It's fair to say I felt ambivalent about whether I should really be doing it at all. However, there I was, so bowing out was never going to be an option.
The race begins with a 5K run around the edge of Carsington Water, pretty pleasant surroundings, even just after eight on a Sunday morning. The race set off in two waves, with the younger men getting first bite of the cherry and the women and older gentlemen setting off about quarter of an hour later. My run went quite well, especially considering my general dissatisfaction with my current form. It was about the best 5K I've managed this season. My time was 28:00, remarkably similar to the 28:06 that I managed in 2004. I was pleased with that on an undualting course.
Then the 'punishing' bit begins. The cycle part is 30K and very hilly. Mind you, the imagination has a part to play in that too and I'd remembered it as being truly awful, that wasn't what I found this time. I'm fitter than I was a couple of years ago and am definitely more confident in my bike handling, so the large number of hills didn't seem quite so daunting. Still very hard work though. The course is basically all hill, one way or another, culminating in the climb up to Middleton Top, the bit that made me feel sick last time. I was certainly very slow by the time I reached the summit this time, but in no danger of throwing up! I was also pleased to discover that the hill practice I'd done around home had paid off and I wasn't afraid to use the descents for a good zoom, providing I could see what was ahead. In 2004 I was doing a lot of brake clutching. So it probably won't surprise you to learn that I managed to better my previous time, not by vast amounts, but better nonetheless. In 2004 I did the course in 1:16:35, and this time it was completed in 1:12:09. More importantly though, I actually enjoyed it this time.
The final 5K run is the same course as the one we followed to begin the race, but my legs didn't take quite so kindly to it second time around. I did find myself walking a few of the steeper uphills. I was just very, very tired. Mind you, that could well have more to do with life in general than the race. We've been very busy recently and there hasn't really been any time to get off the merry-go-round for a rest. By the latter stages of the race that appeared to be catching up with me. Still, I managed the 5K in 30:03, not too bad, although slower than the 29:16 of 2004. But I did it, even getting across the finish line with a smile on my face, once again enjoying the yells of my mobile support crew!
This is a hard race, but it's a well organised one and is well worth doing. I did see someone get off their bike and push it near the summit, can't say I blame them. So do be prepared for the hills, but it's a friendly race where people encourage other competitors to keep at it and where the marshalls will always be there to direct and reassure. And you sure feel like you've achieved something when it's all over! I was pleased with the experience and with my overall time, I beat my own previous attempt which is all that I'm really bothered about, that and enjoying it while I'm doing it. My time in 2004 was 2:13:57 and this time I got it down to 2:10:12. I'll certainly go back for another go.