Welcome to ITCH - the Ipswich triathlon club hand-out - for March 2008...

A quick survey suggested you didn't like the "news first" format I tried earlier this year, so back with the pictures!

Charlie Stannett - itch@ipswich-tri.org

The committee includes myself, Charlie S, Kate S, Steve dB, Simon P, Nik B and Adrian G. The meetings are often good fun, with some healthy debates thrown in, and I feel we're getting a few things sorted and generally making some improvements to the club and its activities. If you have any issues that you feel the committee should be addressing please do let me know.

As the 2008 race season approaches, I'd like to wish you all the best of luck and I hope you all do as well as you hope. I'll see many of you at Norwich, if not before. I'll be the club photographer (and child-minder) at the event, as Heather will be doing her first race in two years there. This year I'm bound for UK 70.3 & Monaco 70.3, all being well. Best wishes and have a great summer.

Nick

Our men's captain is Steve de Boltz

A few words to wish you all a good season ahead. The first race for many of us is soon here with the Diss duathlon on the 6th of April. I shall be there struggling round with my dodgy knees, this will probably be my last duathlon as the knees really don’t like it. I started with the intention of improving my running but It’s not working. I’m looking forward to the day someone comes up with a swim bike swim race. The 19th should be marked in your diaries for Wattisham and you can finally get an entry form via Hadleigh Hares website. It should be a good race and I’ve even talked my wife Jane into competing.

Once again a quick word on Saturday morning swimming sessions, we seem to be getting a committed group now every week and with Charlie Tovell or Ross setting us drills and coaching it has turned into a valuable workout. ‘COME ALONG’ there’s room for more people, if you can drag your lazy backsides out of bed, Woolverstone school, 9am sharp in the water.

Now the weather’s getting better it’s time to start clocking up the miles on the bike. I had the pleasure (if pleasure’s the right word) of going out on the Ipswich Bike Club reliability ride. Dave Copland, Ross Welton, John Wankowski and I all headed out on the 100km-3hours 30 mins group which turned out to be a real test as the wind was blowing quite hard. The group was 16 strong when we set off and it was a great experience to ride in such a large amount of people. I believe when they finished it had shrunk to about 6, someone informed me of this as I was dropped after approximately 40 miles and it was quite lonely cycling back from Tunstall into the wind on my own. The Wednesday evening 10 mile time trials start again next month, I have found this a really good way of improving speed on the bike and I recommend them to you all.

I unfortunately will not be about for the Norwich Triathlon which is our club championship race as I’m away that weekend, I’m thinking of doing Fritton Lake instead so if anyone else is thinking of it, come along it would be good to see friendly faces when I’m struggling round.

That’s me for another month. See you at Diss or Wattisham or Waveney or possibly even training.

dB
Steve can be contacted on 07795 564322 or steve@ipswich-tri.org

Our ladies' captain is Kate Stannett.

Well, I did it, the ultra is beaten (see my race report). I hope that I can now find the time to catch up with everyone and find out what you have all been up to.

I only recently found out that our own Barbara Tottle has been off the race circuit for ages due to a car accident but, happily, is now hoping to compete at Waveney. So good news and welcome back Barbara.

Kate
Kate can be contacted on 01206 298888 or kate@ipswich-tri.org

If you want to be on a ring round list for notification of changes at short notice then let Steve dB have your number. Steve is on 07795 564322.

"It can feel intimidating riding out with the boys and sometimes a struggle to keep up. It can feel unsafe riding on your own, and we can't do all our training on turbo trainers, so I'd be very happy to lead a club ride for female members."

Please contact Heather Collinson on 01473 620651 if you are interested.

STOP PRESS 31 March - the first of the planned training days has had to be cancelled. See below.

May 4th Junior Aquathon (swim, run) at Harwich Dovercourt pool - we have been invited to participate in a three-way challenge match against East Essex triathlon club and Harwich swimming/running club.  If you are interested in competing for Ipswich triathlon club, please contact Adrian.

At the moment Adrian is still planning to go ahead with the remaining three training days, with small numbers if required:

Saturday 10th May, Woodbridge School.
Sunday 22nd June, Woodbridge School.
Sunday 20nd July, Woodbridge School.

He may also try and organise some other events at lower cost venues like Eyke or Stradbroke if we see a demand from a "core" of people.
(Contact Adrian by e-mailing juniors@ipswich-tri.org or ring Adrian on 01379 388855.)

The current club championship trophies are looking a little bit knocked about so our treasurer has proposed that we replace them.

However, the committee is keen that we don’t lose the history recorded on the current trophies, so past winners' names will be carried forward.  We will continue to recognise Ron Bareham as the person who originally donated some of the trophies by naming the two “open” category trophies after him – and, in recognition of his long-suffering dedication to the club, the committee voted to name the male vet trophy after Simon Palmer. (Yes, Simon did abstain.)

The proposed new trophies are likely to cost in the region of £100 each so we also decided to look at the idea of inviting sponsors – and immediately received an offer of £100 for the female vet trophy.

So, although the club will go ahead and replace the trophies anyway, there is still a chance for members to “buy” either of the two supervet trophies.  Do you want to make a donation of £100? Or perhaps your company does?  If so, e-mail Nick Collinson – chair@ipswich-tri.org – or Simon Palmer.

The committee has decided to retain this system for 2008.

However it is proposed that, from 2009, kit will be sold at cost but the club will award £5 discount vouchers to club members as and when they fulfil their "volunteer" obligations at the club's open events.  A discount voucher will also be given to members who renew promptly (viz. in January), and two vouchers will be given to people joining the club for the first time.

Please remember that club kit is ordered through Heather Collinson by e-mailing kit@ipswich-tri.org or by ringing 01473-620651 - not by e-mailing ITCH. You can confirm your order by sending a cheque (payable to "Ipswich triathlon club") to Heather at 14 Spindler Close, Kesgrave, Ipswich, IP5 2DA.

As most of you know I ( together with Charlie (Stannett) and William Catchpole) had spent a lot of the winter training for my first ultra Marathon.

On the Friday Charlie and I drove up to Reading, stopping to check on a couple of places that we would be passing, so that we knew where to go. The race is not marshalled and it is up to individuals to follow maps to negotiate the Thames towpath.

At the hotel we found a few fellow runners. Ultra runners seem to be a rum bunch, It felt a little like sneaking into a secret society! However I think perhaps we have found our spiritual home- Ultra runners drink! Yippee!

We had to carry all we would need for the day so had backpacks with maps, food, extra clothes (just in case), compass, phone (we decided to send messages to each other as we passed check points) and the compulsory kitchen sink. Many people use this race as a training event for the Marathon des Sables and also carry sleeping bags, pots and pans and heaven knows what else.

Race day dawned sunny, but bitterly cold with a sharp frost covering the ground. About 180 athletes gathered in a playing field on the banks of the Thames for this very low-key event and all smiling set off at a leisurely pace.

My race plan had always been to jog easily for as long as poss and then see how it goes.

I was already enjoying myself. It is really pretty along the river. Check point 1 at ten miles passed, William was a little ahead of me and all grins as we high-fived on an out and back.

I now find it hard to remember where the notable sections were, but I had overtaken William at about 17miles and he had overtaken me when I stopped to refill my drinks at check-point 2, 19miles. Ploughing on, the field really began to spread out, runners ahead and behind, but not close, so it was peaceful and calm.

As the frost lifted, where the path was untouched footpath, it became slippery and sticky and, by gum, Thames mud is sticky and heavy, here I elected to walk rather than risk a fall or worse. Thankfully these bits were short and it often lead to amusing conversations with casual walkers wondering what on earth we were up to.

By 20miles I passed William again and sadly did not see him again until the finish. But I was swinging along nicely. At Check-point 3 I was again refuelling and said to a fellow runner- a seasoned ultra runner - that I felt that I was really wasting time at the aid stations, fumbling with my pack etc, he assured me that time at aid stops was never wasted and anyway I was doing exceptionally well, which boosted my confidence no end. Off I went, still smiling.

However, I think I hit a bit of a low shortly after. I had thought to myself, pre-race, that once I got to 30miles, I would be ready to jog/walk but know that I would be okay and heading for home. Have you any idea how long it can seem to take to run 4miles? It seemed as if I would never get out of the twenties! ( I was wearing my Garmin). I barely managed a smile as I passed handsome young men out rowing at Eton

Then as I rounded a bend in the river, PING! An absolutely stunning view of Windsor Castle. Magnificent! I saluted Her Majesty and imagined her looking out and saying “Philip, it’s those people in lycra again! Philip get my shotgun”. I my spirits lifted.

There can be a time in long-distance running when you start seeing things, I may have been there! A green parrot flew alongside for a mile or two and was then joined by others! But as the sun went down I was alone again.

I narrowly avoided following others along a wrong route after CP4 and, amazingly, still running jogged on with no other athletes in sight.

Check-point 5 proved a little taxing, I had studied the maps and read the book several times but, although I found it, I left it going in the wrong direction and ended up in a dead-end, in the dark, all alone and just a little bit scared for a moment. After backtracking and wasting 15 or 20mins I found myself with runners I had overtaken long ago. Never mind hey.

The last bit was easy, I felt great, despite having no idea how far I had to go I just kept running, and suddenly I saw two little torches ahead and cheers announcing the finish line, I had RUN the whole damned thing (well, as good as) I had even done the last mile as fast as the first!

Chuffed doesn’t quite cover it! 10hrs 50mins, 6th lady 58th overall. There was so many views that I missed or haven’t related but it was terrific, 54miles, sunshine and cold. Great blisters and sore joints but………….GIVE ME MORE!!!!!
 

[see www.thamesmeander.com for more information]
 

PS1 - I think somebody is trying to tell me to quit...

While training for the Meander, I slipped and threw my arms out to balance myself - and wrenched something in my right arm.

During the "run" itself I had the joy of overtaking a couple of Cambridge triathlon club members - a first for me - at around 40 miles. Then promptly managed to trip myself up and ended up both head-butting one of the more solid sections of the towpath and injuring my right arm again. (I ended up walking with the Cambridge guys for a while until I was happy I wasn't too concussed.)

Then a week ago, having had a tentative all-clear from my physio, I went for a riverside jog locally with Kate. She said how it reminded her of doing the Meander. I said "no, if it was the Meander, I would be falling ..." Mid-sentence, I tripped up and crashed on to the same arm!

PS2 - THE put-down

While we were waiting to start, William and I found a competitor wearing an Ironman UK finishers shirt so started chatting.
He asked if we were training for the Marathon de Sables. I said "no, I'm only doing this as a training run for this year's Ironman UK".
"Oh yes," he said. "I can't do the Ironman this year - I'm swimming the channel that weekend..."

I don't have a picture of John so, instead, enjoy this piece of art by Jacek Wankowski...

Sunday morning blearily swim into view, with blazing sunshine, a mild frost and a biting wind, I just know that it’s only an hour and a half before the start of the race. I can’t remember my own name from the night before, let alone where I left my spikes that are still caked in mud from their last outing.

I drag myself out of the house to some blasted heath in the middle of nowhere. It is now populated by suspiciously muscled, stick-thin thoroughbreds that look particularly young, keen and neatly turned out. There are a myriad of these others clubbed together in different retina searing vests, skipping, sprinting, stretching and generally looking alive and alert.

My on the other hand are wearing odd socks, I can’t feel my fingers and my warm up consists of eating a tube of deep heat, in a final desperate attempt to raise your core temperature. People wearing the same coloured vest as me seem a bit thin on the ground, and a quick assessment of those you can communicate with through Morse sent in chattering teeth are in a similar condition to myself.

When the race starts I sprint with the pack, in fear of being trampled upon by hundreds of spiked feet and at that moment I am are resurrected. The blood pumps the adrenaline surges and I dash for the first narrow squeeze that if is not reached first I end up queuing at behind other competitors.

Ten minutes later the adrenaline rush ends and I come down with the horrid realisation that I still haven’t completed the first lap. The rest of the race seems to be a mixture fear of twisting an ankle and desperation to hold on to a pace that seems too fast. Small inclines leave me gasping and the sense that you’re not as fit as I thought I was, the only small blessing is that at least I’m not cold now.

When the end of the torment is finally in sight and I can see the finish line everyone else seems to be able to escape the vat of treacle through which you are now moving. My eyeballs hurt, my lungs seer and my thighs ache. The line now stretches further away from me as I reach for it and time slows.

Suddenly its over, my hearing returns the world speeds up again and some nice person hands me a raffle ticket with a number on it that I don’t want to look at, for fear of disappointment.

I find that raffle ticket greatly heartening, it suddenly cuts out all the worries about that arbitrary idea of time and just reinforces the fact that you’ve done better than lots of those thoroughbreds. You have a magic couple of minutes where your warm in the biting wind and people around a congratulating you on a good race and how you’ve kept them going. Remember these faces if you do the league you’ll be seeing a lot these people.

And then reality… you’ve got to find a coat and somewhere warm to stretch and possibly time to cheer others with the same coloured vest as you over the line.

The races of the Suffolk Cross Country league have a special place in my heart. They seem far nicer once their over with a cup of tea in your hand, whilst hiding next to the stall that sells cake.

I just want thank a few people who deserve a quick mention over the season Steve, for organising us collecting money and the raffle tickets at the end and Simon for cheering us on and having a really big bag to put our coats in.

John