A very late race report for the Ironbourne Middle Distance Aquabike race in Eastbourne - wedding preparations, training, work and everything else getting in the way at the moment!) So Ironbourne in Eastbourne was supposed to be my first 70.3 race (1900m swim, 90k bike, half marathon run), an A race in my 2021 calendar, but frustratingly 2 weeks out I came off my bike at speed and sustained road rash on my legs and arms, a bruised pelvis and a haematoma on my left buttock… People have asked how, and I am not entirely sure! All I know is I was travelling at 44kmh when I came off, according to my Garmin, and just remember flipping and ending up on the other side of the road. I think I must have hit some uneven road surface, and being unstable on my TT bars, just lost control. Fortunately, nothing was coming the other way, so I am incredibly lucky it wasn’t worse. My phone and new sunglasses ended up in the middle of the road, and they were ok too! A big concern, which any other fellow cyclist would understand, was if my bike was ok.. fortunately, it just needed the gear shifters straightening as they must have been stuffed into the floor, and that was it other than a few scratches (some on my new power pedals which was a bit sad). So, having visited the amazing Jon at Shires physiotherapy a couple of days later, it seemed as though I probably wouldn’t be racing Eastbourne as I could barely even walk without pain. I can also confirm that having a haematoma on your bum is an extremely annoying place as you can’t even sit down comfortably, resulting in me spending the first couple of days after the accident just laid on my side! After a couple of days of rest, I began gently cycling on the turbo again just to get the blood flowing and legs moving to encourage healing, soon followed by swimming (pull only) and aqua jogging when the road rash had healed. Gradually, as the days went on, I was able to go a bit longer in the pool and on the turbo, and I started wondering whether I could I do the aqua bike version (swim-bike only) of the race?? Before I made this decision, I knew I needed to get back outside on the bike and make sure I had no fears following the accident. So following on from that I went out twice, the first I was pretty slow. Initially every corner, bit of gravel or uneven road made me tense up but gradually this wore off and I ended the ride with much more confidence. A couple of days out from the race I was able to get out for 90 mins and felt much more confident that I could actually give the aqua bike a go, albeit potentially slower than I would want to. So that was that, and I headed down to Eastbourne on the Saturday with fellow participant and friend Izzy. We did a familiarisation swim that afternoon and wow I am glad I did – it just reminded me how underprepared I was for a sea swim! A last-minute crash course on how to sight and breathe in waves and how to contend with a strong current (thanks Izzy!) and I felt a little more confident for the race and that I might not end up in the next bay… Race day we were up at a ridiculous time of the morning, the same time people would be coming home from a night out, but it meant we got to head over to transition watching the sun rise over the sea – so beautiful. The swim itself was interesting. To begin with we had to jump off the actual pier! Well, down some steps, but still a good few metres above water level, which instantly filled my goggles with water as I made contact with the water. We were really lucky that the sea was pancake flat so I didn’t have waves to contend with unlike the previous day, but I certainly underestimated the current. Although it sounded as though most people had a similar problem and I wasn’t the only one to be taken off course, despite trying to compensate by swimming in a slightly different direction to where you were headed. The main thing was I had no pain throughout. Transition was a good 800m or so away from the beach, so I was slightly worried running would be uncomfortable but in the heat of the race and not wanting to waste time I started running as soon as I got out of the water and was surprised it was ok – I think the tight wetsuit was acting as compression clothing on my bum! Then out onto the fun bit, the bike. I had no idea what to expect as I had only ever done 40k in a race for the standard distance duathlon and triathlons I usually race, so 90k was a fair bit further. I also had no idea how my injuries would cope having only done 90 minutes outside on the bike since the crash, so I just set out to feel and as it was a hot day, really focused on my hydration and fuelling (trying to eat or drink every 15 mins – i.e. sip of electrolyte drink, a gel, energy drink, gel, electrolyte drink etc). Within the first ~15 minutes I had already passed a few girls which filled me with confidence and I soon found myself with another 2 guys, which ended up being really fun as we yo-yo’d for most of the course having some banter as we passed each other (whilst obviously trying to maintain our drafting distances :p) 40k passed and it was strange thinking I would normally be done, but I felt great, fuelling must have been working and my injuries were behaving so I pushed on. The course itself was quite technical, with a fast start on dual carriageways, then into country lanes with lots of wiggly corners to navigate, and then just to finish your legs off, two big long climbs up onto Beachy Head. The climbs were worth it though as it was stunning up there. As I headed back down into town, I felt so happy that I’d made it (and maybe relieved as I knew I was almost done and didn’t have to run … maybe aqua bikes are the way forwards lol). As I ran into transition the marshals shouted that I was 3rd lady and that 2nd lady was only just out and onto the run (they obviously didn’t know I was only doing the aqua bike and not the full triathlon). I couldn’t believe it! I had managed to get myself into 3rd place, which surely meant in the aqua bike competition I must be currently in a top position! I didn’t have much time to think about that though as to get my medal I had to rack my bike and then make my way down the finish straight and over the finish line. My time had stopped as I went into T2, so I didn’t have to rush, but I was still encouraged to run down the finish straight as I got onto the blue carpet – very strange! But as I crossed the line, they confirmed I was first of the women to finish in the aqua bike – I couldn’t believe it! And then to top it off, Izzy won the 70.3 so we brought home two winners’ trophies! Perfect weekend! Moral of the story – don’t give up. We might be faced with obstacles, but you might be surprised by what you can actually achieve – keep strong and keep pushing.
A massive thank you to Jon at Shires Physio for helping me with my recovery and to coach Fran for believing in me and shaping my training plan to get back to some form of race state! Now to get back running!! Hels x
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorAn everyday girl with a love of competition (and nut butter) Archives
October 2021
Categories |