The triandrun Ballbuster, 13th November 2004

Categories: uncategorized

Date: 15 November 2004 12:51:48

last saturday saw me once again at the top of box hill in freezing conditions awaiting the start of the ballbuster. i missed it last year having done it the 3 previous years, glutton for punishment or what!

lack of my usual meticulous pre-race preparation as well as training and motivation meant i wasn't terribly well motivated for this. a quick spin on my bike to check it was working revelaed that it was indeed very very coooold.... i only made it to the view spot and back and already my hands were turning a strange colour.

i racked my bike and set up my transition area before heading off for a little running warm up. not much opportunity to see any of the runnersworld or tritalk peeps as you're all busy worrying about your own problems! although i did manage to spot jon (newly acquired brother in law) who was doing this for the first time, whilst he's a stonking cyclist i was hoping he'd be cack at running... apparently not.

as usual we gathered on the field (frozen rather than muddy this year) near transition for the start and funnelled through the car park onto the road. i wasn't wearing my watch, and i didn't care.. thats how unmotivated i was for this! now running i should be ok at and i worked my way through the pack comfortably in the hope of catching jon if he wasn't as quick as he claimed. i never saw him but kept pushing on telling myself i should be able to keep up half marathon pace especially on the descent.

i suffered on the this first climb back up box hill for some reason my legs just didn't seem up for it but tried my best to keep up with those who repassed me.
my fastest first run to date in 53:46 which is in fact 6:45 minute miling and faster than my half marathon PB. i resisted the temptation to walk into transition although i was feeling a little sick by then.

i located my bike, got my extra top on, helmet & swapped to cycling shoes before heading back out onto the road (i'd cunningly put my cycling gloves on on the way up the hill).

the first lap on the bike was uneventful although i struggled to take on my now freezing energy drink and there was no way i could face the energy bar packed in my back pocket. by the end of the lap my moral had sunk to rock bottom and i really couldn't work out why i was bothering. used to ignoring my brain's mental turmoil my legs kept going up the hill and i managed to deceptively flash a 'i'm enjoying myself' smile to my sister. i was expecting lisa & my parents to be at the top of the hill by now, they weren't but had they been i was quite prepared to stop and call it a day. once round running and once on the bike so an hour and 20ish into the race, that's 2 hours to go i was just so not up for it!

having mysteriously failed to pack it in i found myself on the second lap of the bike and had to give myself a good talking to. realising that i had passed people on the climb who were yet to finish the first run i decided things couldn't be that bad. after a change of attitude i managed to get some fluid down but still couldn't face the energy bar. the second lap was probably my fastest as i relaxed into it despite the painful windchill headache i got on the descents.

one more lap to go and then i could get back to running, another 8miles i knew i could deal with. releived to be back in transition i swapped shoes and abandoned the bike gear before heading out with my little bottle of flat coke.

admittedly the start was a struggle to run and not just plod, battling the usual stitch and sipping the sweet coke. a few passed me so i tried to match their pace or at the very least cadence. after a couple of miles i was in a comfortable zone, could feel my toes again and was able to increasingly up the pace, especially on the downhill sections. finally of course came the climb where my legs were instantly numb with lactic acid build up. i had to put a couple of brief walks in and was caught by a few people, i again used the tactic of trying to stay with them as long as possible to pull me up the hill.

i was gradually catching one guy who was walking and just when i thought i was going to get him he started running again. i was stil lcatching but painfully slowly and it wasn't until a couple of painful 'sprint' efforts in the last half mile that i managed to catch and pass him.

drink, sit down.. 'don't let me do this again will you'.

well organised and a better atmosphere than previous years unfortunately i can't truly say i enjoyed it this time round. speedy jon came in a phenomonal 16th, althoguh i'm pleased to say looking at the photos he was in a great deal more pain than i was.

results here

oh and at least it was a PB by a few minutes even if an extremely painful one.