IN HIS LATEST in a series of columns, last year’s Triathlon Ireland Super Series winner Aidan Callaghan will talk us through 2016.
Aidan has just returned from France, where he competed in the Aix-en-Provence 70.3. Here’s how it panned out for him.
Aix en Provence Race
My fiancee Catherine and I landed in France on Thursday evening ready for the main event on Sunday morning. Aix was a hive of activity.
On Friday morning I went for a run around the town and took in some of the course, it was pretty cool, the city has loads of old French cobbled streets and old architecture to take your mind of the pain. The course itself was three 7km loops with three short sharp hills and a run around the local park with a trail surface on each loop.
On returning to the apartment I got my first dose of bad news of the weekend.
The gels and juices that I arranged to get sent over hadn’t landed and weren’t due to land until Monday, not much use to me the day after my race! The delivery company had made a major mess of the address and they landed about 250km away from where they should have been. In fairness to Anna at Wholegreen she tried everything to get something sorted but as it was a Friday we had very few options.
[adrotate group=”38″]Off I ran to the local organic food shop to try and source something that resembled what I had been using for nutrition for the past four months during training. I’ve a dodgy stomach when competing and the usual gels and juices don’t settle well with me and leave me with cramps usually. I settled on some fruit smoothies, a few organic protein bars and couple cartons of coconut water. It was by far from ideal but I thought it would be enough.
On Friday evening I headed out to the lake for a swim and to take in the transition design and layout. The swim looked relatively straightforward, it was pretty shallow in places at the start line for the first 100 metres or so, so I picked a line I thought would give me the best chance to get moving quickly off the start.
The Saturday went without any glitches, I biked the first 45km of the course in the morning taking in the first climb, which while 3km in length wasn’t too drastic.
Saturday afternoon I registered, took in some of the famous ‘Ironman’ atmosphere and sent the bike and bike bag out to transition and did the same with the run gear.
Saturday evening I went for another light run, with some strides 5 x 100-metre intervals, and some light dynamic stretching. That was me, I was ready to rock.
Aix en provence is located in the south of France, where usually it’s a balmy 18-20 degrees at this time of year, unfortunately for myself and the 2,499 other people who turned up to race on Sunday morning this was definitely not the case.
The air temp was 6 or 7 degrees with the water temp in or around 12. Not exactly south of France weather!
The previous night when had been notified that it would be cold and too bring extra clothing for the bike and make ourselves ready for the swim potentially being cancelled.
More bad news on the way, the news that every decent swimmer in the race didn’t want to hear, swim cancelled!!. It was that cold the red cross were handing out blankets!
[adrotate group=”37″]Instead we would be sent off in groups of six, eight seconds apart, time trial style…. God help the draft busters I thought.
We were sent off by race number, I was due off at 8:55am so headed back to the car for some grub and a snooze.
I headed down to transition at 8.30am got the bike ready, had my usual pre-race dash to the jacks and I was off.
The first 60 – 90 minutes was spent going past the 1,000 people that had started before me, the road was literally jam-packed in places. The bike course itself was great, I loved it. Before the race I had read reports of continuous climbing or descending and people even saying it’s a road bike course, but I have to say I loved it.
There is a good bit of climbing in it, but it’s more rolling hills, and not much need to get out of the saddle apart for the first and last climb. The last climb especially is tough and long, it comes within the last 20km too so the legs are getting tired and the mind maybe beginning to wander.
Aidan Aix BikeThe descents coming off these climbs are good craic too, if you like that sort of thing, lucky for me I do. Although I did over shoot one of the hairpins and end up against the crash barrier on the other side of the road, much to the disgust or maybe enjoyment of the French lads in and around me.
The wind before and after the last climb was very strong, to the extent that it put one of the fellas in front of me into the ditch coming of the last climb. “Slow down Aidan,” I thought. “Keep both hands on the bars”!
[adrotate group=”46”]I came into T2 in 2.29 which I was happy enough with, considering the winds and the terrain. My avg power was 242watts and my target was 240-45 so all seemed good. I had taken all my food on-board, although probably didn’t have enough fluid in me, as my bottles were still a quarter full.
Off I headed onto the run, I had a gel after the first four kilometres and another after another four. At this point I felt good, had done the first lap in 26 minutes and was on target. Then all of a sudden mid-way through the second lap, boom. “What’s wrong with my legs, why am I getting dizzy”? I just felt like crap.
I slowed the pace dramatically and struggled to the next aid station. I filled my boots with juice, water, coke and oranges and continued this process for the remaining four kilometres of the lap. I past three aid stations on that lap and ate and drank at each of them. Waiting for the cramps.
At this stage I knew I was fudged and my target of 1.18 / 20 was out the door. After a kilometre of the third lap I started to feel better and surprised that the cramps hadn’t come yet, I tried to push on a little more. With a couple k to go I pushed and tried hard but the damage was done and came across the line in 1.25.47. Very disappointed.
That’s racing, it doesn’t always go the way you want and you will never be able to perform at your best all of the time.Aidan Run Aix
Good enough for 10th in AG and 78th overall. My target at the beginning was top 5 in AG and possibly top 50 overall. I can achieve this and on another day may have. Not to worry, onwards and upwards.
Next up is Lough Cultra Castle “The Gaunlet” on May 29th, maybe we will get some decent Irish weather here.
Aidan Callaghan is the current Triathlon Ireland Super Series champion. He took up triathlon originally in 2010 and in 2013, hired a coach.
Now 33, in 2016 Aidan is targeting the longer 70.3 and Ironman events. Having competed in Aix-en-Provence 70.3, from there he will go to race the Ironman distance in Bolton, the city in which he studied. Then, it’s onto the Irish Middle Distance Champs in Kenmare, Co Kerry.
Aidan will write a column here ‘The Iron Road’ on Donegal Sport Hub on his preparations, participation and performance. His website is aidancallaghantriathlon.com and you can follow him on Twitter, @aidan_callaghan
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