Graham Duguid Race Report:
This event has been on my mind since Jan.To my family and friends, initially it was ‘ How far, all that then a Half Marathon!! But I am sure constantly hearing the words ‘Grafman’ must have been like toothache. But as Triathletes we are a unique breed and the mention of Grafman to me was motivating, exciting, daunting and at times frustrating. My daughter Claire was my partner in crime as it was her idea for us to do something to celebrate my 60th year……A Cruise or exotic holiday was never an option.
So ‘ Cometh the hour Cometh the Man’ (I am sure this is a famous quote). Race day, our aim was always to finish, time irrelevant but get to the end and ENJOY. As I lined up in my wetsuit …..Confidence is challenged but you have to believe in the hard work you have put in.
The weather windy,overcast and cool.
SWIM…1.2miles..41.15secs
3 waves. Total competitors approx 480.
I was in the 2nd wave of 200…as the claxon went and we waded in the water turned brown amidst thrashing arms and legs. Not being a strong swimmer ( Joshua White will testify) I held back but the first 300m there was no clear water and I was swimming heads up which was so tiring. Eventually you get into a rhythm and start to relax….sorry meant to say ‘ get your breath back’.
Transitions were never going to be rushed as the ethos of the event was to finish but 4.13 in T1 and 3.08 in T2 was snails pace.
BIKE…55miles..2.45.37secs.
I was looking forward to this as a lot of my training has been bike orientated and was looking to ave 20mph. Also I work with a Heart rate monitor and was aiming to keep it around 80% of my max.
A Tee shaped course so there was a lot of crossing over and passing of cyclists, undulating but it was windy and wet. A couple of riders did fall off on the greasy roads. I had prepared for eating and drinking but unfortunately my Heartrate was too high so could not digest the flapjacks. In total I only had 2 gels and one bottle of High 5 fluids. ( not what the experts say and would I now suffer in the run.)
RUN….13.1miles..1-57-20.
My Achilles heel as they say. Always a fear for me as I do not run between events due to calf injuries. Total run mileage for June was 3 miles. A there and back course, twice, ensured there was a constant stream of runners. The main area you passed 3 times before finishing which was good for spectators and also motivating for me. Thankfully the run was injury free. I had 2 more gels a handful of jelly beans and 2 cups of water so I did not ‘bonk’.
The finish straight was emotional and I carried my 10month Grandaughter over the line.
FINISH Time..5.31.35.
Claire Duguid finished 5.52 which was reward for the hard work she has done.
Bearing in mind our aim was to finish…..on getting my results I noticed I was 3rd in my age group. It was then I realized it was the English Champs and I had got a bronze medal……you could have knocked me over with a feather !! So chuffed and surprised.
You will be pleased to know that my relaxed transition times did not impact on 2nd place…phew!!
Great event, well organized and challenging. As with any event you learn a lot.
I was pleased that I had trained hard but could have trained smarter. Cycling definitely helped my running.
Nerves and doubts should be used as positives.
You can’t do this with out the help of family friends and club colleagues. There isALWAYS someone who has gone through this…..don’t be afraid to ask.
I can improve.
And finally I learned that Stiggers has got a loud voice…..BUT boy was that motivating when I heard it.
