Another hit out

For me it has been off seson since Tjørn last weekend in august. Not much training done at all. My 2010 season starts 1st october i guess. But have not decided what races to to yet. So I have some work to do, and stuff to schedule, before i start my 2010 season.

But last thursday I did get a last(?) race of 2009. The XC-ski part of my club has organized a duathlon for several years. But they have only done bike-run, which I dont find very interesting. But this year they changed it to a 4-21-2 duathlon. Done in the XC-ski slopes and on gravel road. So this year I just had to do it, even though I`m not at my best on thesse surfaces...

From the gun my competitors ran very fast over the ski stadion, on some very wet and muddy slopes. "Damn! I`m already in trouble" was my first thought. But when we got to some harder surface, and uphills, I felt more comfortable and got back in the game. But it was hard running this first 4ks up and down. 2 guys got away from me with 30sec, so I was 3rd into T1. Had opted for my road tricycling shoes, to have fast transitions, so I overtook one guy in T1 and was 2nd starting the 21k MTB ride. 3 laps of 7k with 2 technical parts on trails, rest was on gravelroads. 1 long climb on each lap. I got company from behind on the first tecnical part (no surprise, I suck as a MTB rider) and we where 3 riders chasing the leader going out on lap 2.

I decided to play it cool on lap 2 and let the 2 others do the work to catch up to the front. It worked out well! One gouy had enough going out on lap 3, so we where now again 3 in the lead. I tried to break away on the uphill, but could not get a gap. Was a bit worried, cause 1 guy was riding in runningshoes, which would give him a very fast T2. The former runleader was in MTB cycling shoes, so I was not to worried about him. I made the decission to get out of my shoes, and ride barefoot on topp of them, before the last tecnical part heading to T2. Was a bit wooried how it would go, but managed to hold me feet on the pedals, and hammered into T2.

The guy with runshoes was quicly out, but I jumped in my Newtons and did not take time to tighten them. He was about 50m in front heading out on the last 2k run on the slopes.

It tok me about half way to catch him. And it hurt! He was a long limmed man, so I ran faster uphill, but he ran faster downhill. On the 2nd last steep hill I gave it everything, and dropped him with 10m. As I entered the stadium with 150m to go I could hear his breath coming closer and closer, but managed to hold him off by a meter or 2 :-)

First and only win of 2009:-)

Nice to have in my belt going into 2010 training.

Very windy season stopper!

Tjørn HIM in Skarhamn, Sweden, was my last race of 2009. Skarhamn is a small harbour town on the swedish west-coast. Its out on the island Tjørn. And it was very windy out there!

Traveled with my twinbrother, and we where going low budget - sleeping in a tent. Race office was at the local gym, and with a lawn outside, and entrance to the gyms showers/toilet, it seemed like a good idea. So we got the tent up, and headed out for a loop on the bike course (3 laps of 29k). Wind was prety strong, and last 5k we got pooring rain (just enough to get soaking wet shoes on race day. NICE!)

After a quick shower race organisers had a nice carbo party, and race briefieng. We could tell they where worried about the wind. And they had reason to, cause during our night in the tent it got worse. I did not get alot off sleep, it felt like tent was getting ripped from the ground numerous times. And eating breakfast in the gym reception roumurs said it was going to be a shortened swim cause, off the waves on the swim course.

And roumurs where right. Instead of 2x950m, we where to to 3x400m. Setting things up in T1 I had to laugh. Cause everythin was blowing away. Ted Ås, swedish pro and race favorite, was next to me. He had to strap his P4 (with Zipp rear disc and 1080 front wheel) to the barriers! If not, the poor light thing of a bike, would have flown away:-)

So myself I strapped my helmet and fuelbelt to my aerobars. Put a big heavy towle over my runningshoes, and my gels inside the shoes with my socks. I was ready!

Gun went off and i got a terrible start. Was way to far out on the first bouy and got angry with myself. After 400m my twin lapped on the beach with almost 10sec on me. I was detrmined to hawl him back, and lapping after 800m I was closer. But I was blocked again going ut, and did not get on his feet until we actually was finished swimming, and could get up running.

My transition started great. Got my suit off fast, but......where the f....... was my helmet?? It was gone! Could not see it anywhere. Blown away from my aerobars? New experience! Think I yelled ALOT, and finally a marshall came over. And he soon rediscovered my helmet, like 10 places down the road, hidden behind a discwheel:-) My brother was so disrupted by the frency he forgot to bring his energybars with him out on the bike:-) But he was now 40sec down the road.

3 lap bike was hard in the wind. Angry for my time loss in T1 i went out hard. STRONG tailwind out meant 53-12 spinning all I could. 60km/h :-) But turning back was hard work! Reeled my brother in after about 25k, and after 1 lap he was gone. My bike was pretty strong, but faded a bit at the end. I miss my 2007 bike legs! And going ut on the run I felt flat. IM pace was all I could do. Ran down 3 guys in first lap, but lost some places on the last lap. Had one guy just in front off me last 4k, but could not pull him back. So I finished 9th in the elite category, in 4.32 something. Pretty average day, but its refelcting my training since Frankfurt.....I`m not bether. No excuses.

So this ends my 2009 season. It`s been a fun year. And I am ready to step it up for 2010. 2010 will be interesting...and even more fun!