Cover photo: John and Coach Karl at the PHD (Audrey), Coach Niall in Video analysis session (Darroch Photography)

to the spring edition of Pentland Tri Newsletter. I

am super excited about our club at the moment - we now have two club swim sessions per week, two spin sessions and

one coached run session. Training is busier than ever. I'm particularly keen on the new spin session at Craiglockhart due

to more and better bikes. If you haven't been check it out. Zara is the instructor and she puts in a tough session. Of

course come end of April we will be hitting the roads....

I'm also really excited about our club champs this year, a series of intra club races, of different types. We kicked off with

the inaugural PT Duathlon (See below). Impressive. It was great to see so many faces out and a nice touch to meet in

the Corner Cafe after.

We are still moving forward to setting up a kids club and will let you all know when that kicks off. We are also organising

final details for the Solstice Tri - Thursday 19th June. So please put the date in your diary as we will need lots of helpers:-)

#happytraining Nicky (Club Chair)

Borders Triathlon Series Sprints

(~750m/20km/5km) http://www.bslt.org.uk/triathlon-series-2014/ I can highly recommend all the borders series

races I did (Gala, Hawick, Kelso and Eyemouth) due to the helpfulness and friendliness of all involved. I enjoyed each of

them equally being a newby to sprint triathlon. As they are run by the council they are very well organised. - Gill

Knockburn Sprint (750m swim/20km bike/5km Run) This triathlon is run at a purpose built facility at

Knockburn Loch. The Loch itself is small and very safe to swim in, you can stand up in it anywhere. The bike course is hilly

partly on the road that goes from Deeside up to Cairn O’Mount. Not a particularly fast course but some fast parts in it.

The run finally is on rolling hillside off road.

The whole facility is in a great setting in a safe environment. A good, fun, small event which a couple of years ago held

the Scottish Championships and has attracted some of the bigger names from the North East such as Graeme Stewart

and Scott Neyedli. The Knockburn Loch facility has hot showers and the race usually puts on a great BBQ post race too.

- Karl

Aberfeldy Middle Distance(1.9km/90km/21km)It is a lovely setting, you swim in Loch Tay (it can be

choppy though), the cycle goes round Loch Rannoch and over and back over the side of Schehallion and the run is an

out and back along the river. It is well organised, fairly easy to get to and it is a good place for a weekend. The only

downside for me was Husband Neil saying both times at the finish line "what took you so long"? - Seona

Looking for events to do to have fun, challenge

yourself or keep motivated? Here are some ideas!

Good places to search are the Entry central website

and Triathlon Scotland > Events.

Gullane Standard (1.5km/40km/10km) Gullane open water standard triathlon is a tough event and really

gives you something to 'conquer'. The running start from the beach is exciting, as is swimming in the sea. - Nicky

Craggy Island (1.5km/40km/10km)I completed my first open water triathlon last year and I would

recommend Craggy Island Triathlon. I'm not strong swimmer so the distance suited my ability, in contrast my mountain

biking skills which is my strength, followed by a tough fell run. It is a fantastic event for someone who enjoys triathlons but

wants a challenge with a twist. It's sprint distance but don't under estimate the difficulty of Craggy Island triathlon. –

Linda

Race the Train (14 Miles)My criteria for choosing an event are that, ideally, it should have a Vintage age group

and that it should be a bit different. So after much deliberation, I have chosen Race the Train, details are available

at www.racethetrain.com. It’s held in Tywyn mid- Wales, which is an area of Wales well worth a visit even if you are not

going to do the race.

The object is to beat the train on the narrow gauge Talyllyn Railway. You start with the train which takes about 1:50 and

to beat it I suspect you need to be able to do a half marathon in about 1:35. The route roughly follows the track up and

down the valley and includes roads, farm tracks, a field that apparently is always ploughed the night before, sheep

tracks, waist deep water - I am sure you get the picture. Most runners will start their way back whilst the train proceeds

to and stops in the upper terminus. So as the train returns to Tywyn it passes most runners and you will get a cheer from

family and friends who have taken the easy way!

The race is really well organised, friendly, plenty of water stations and lots of atmosphere, theirs always someone to

commiserate with as you run, and most finishers don't beat the train - last year only about 200 out of a 1000 finishers

did. - Ian

Photo: Julia and other competitors at the briefing for Solstice tri (Richard)

Sat 7th June: Balerno Handicap triathlon – pool swim and quiet road cycle*

Sat 7th June: Pentlands Junior

Aquathon – this will be the launch event for

our new Junior section.

Thurs 19th June: Solstice Triathlon – our

own event, so please help the club and

volunteer!

Fri 1st August: Pentlands Handicap

triathlon – open water and off road*

*FREE to club members and suitable for all. Please email nialldarroch (at) hotmail (dot) com to say if you are attending

any of these, including your age and if possible link to results of a multi-sport event or running race so we can make up a

fair handicap.

Photo: Volunteers at the 2013 Solstice Tri (Richard)

Tyre pressure (40psi). Blood pressure (135/85). Wind

speed (Beaufort scale 12). Clothes for every

eventuality (check). Shoes (check). Helmet (check).

Check helmet, shoes and clothes for every

eventuality (check).

My preparation was thorough. The evening before,

I’d pulled my mountain bike from a dusty corner of

the garage, wiped off the cob webs, chipped off

the mud and squirted some oil at the chain1. On

the morning of the event, all was running smoothly

and I set off to cycle up to Threipmuir for the start of

the club’s Pentland Hills Duathlon2 (PhD). The car

park at Redmoss was busy with club members

limbering up, tweaking bikes and discussing tactics –

how many layers to wear; gloves or no gloves; post

event bacon roll or sausage roll; HP or tomato

sauce? Thirty-two people had entered with a debut appearance for Picky Frouston3.

Heading down to the start we stopped off to set up for transition 1 and placed our bikes one after the other in a neat

line against the fence. Only after Linda pointed out I should turn my bike to face in the direction of travel (as everyone

else had done) did I realise the muppet I had been. Happily there is no photographic evidence. No one will ever know.

Down at the cold and windy start line near the Threipmuir fishermen’s hut we huddled emperor penguin style4 to keep

warm as one by one we were released on to the course in handicap order. Nicola counted us down, valiantly gripping

the timesheet lest it be ripped from the clipboard by the hurricane force wind and fly across the reservoir never to be

seen again.

I was keen to start the run (?) as it was a chance to regain normal body temperature (right). Five, four, three, two, one .

. . I was off5. With the unique running style of an emperor penguin, I started the route along the side of the reservoir. The

force 12 tail wind, however, meant I got to the bridge across the slipway with practically no effort at all. It was the

closest I will ever feel to being super-human6. Once out of the wind, I

followed the path at a more sedate pace round the picturesque route

circling Harlaw reservoir. I was competing in the buff . . . . . . . my husband

gave me a few months ago7. Now an evangelical convert to all things buff, it

was perfect for a cold, windy duathlon. A previous buff (along with a silver

survival blanket) had saved me from probable hypothermia on the Coast to

Coast two years previously.

As I approached T1, the event volunteers looked worried. After seeing the

photographs, I can understand why. I was already exhausted. The return run

leg had been hard. Battling back into the force 12 gale felt like pushing

against a super-human stopping you in your tracks with a straight arm held to

your chest. I thought cheerily of the 15 km bike ride and the second 4.2 km

run still to come, as I failed to find the energy to open the latch for the gate

leading to transition.

Once at T1, the folly of my choice of bike shoe loomed large8. Having

decided to leave my shoes with the straightforward laces at home, I now

struggled into shoes more complex and time consuming than two whale

bone corsets9. Taking the belt and braces approach too far, these shoes had

laces, ratchet fastenings and Velcro10. Losing a valuable half hour, I set off on the bike.

The first ever club Hanicap Duathlon

was a big success – Marion gives us a

blow by blow account

The cycle route set off along a muddy track, up the steep avenue of trees and in to Green Cleugh. Linda, Chris and I

were neck and neck. Race mode set in and I cycled through rutted puddles, over rocks and into mud filled dips that I

would have normally walked round. Crossing the stream at the waterfall was a bit of a challenge but I chose a good

line (by luck rather than design) and was soon whirring down the tarmac past Loganlea reservoir to Glencorse with all

the gathered mud flying off my tyres. I was chasing Chris but couldn’t catch him.

Setting off up through Maiden’s Cleugh coincided with the

descent of many ramblers from Castlelaw. Getting off the

bike and pushing was the only option (phew). A lot of the

ascent was wind assisted with the force occasionally

pushing me up the steep hill and over rough terrain with

such power the bike felt possessed. Side gusts were not so

helpful, often blowing the bike off course and in to the rut

or puddle I was trying to avoid. Past the kissing gate, I got

in to a big gear and tried to get up some speed on the

downhill towards the Harlaw ranger’s hut with Chris

chasing. The railway sleepers across the path caused some

moments of alarm. I cycled over some, with the front

suspension absorbing the sudden change in height and

the back wheel on my hardtail kicking up slightly.

However, the last one was higher than the rest. My front

wheel was fine but the back . . . . think rodeo, think

bucking bronco, imagine me with one arm in the air holding a stetson and you’ve got it. Just managing to stay in the

saddle I rounded the corner at the ranger’s hut for the last leg of the cycle.

T2 involved disentangling my feet from my well secured cycling shoes, having a quick drink and getting back in to

running mode. I was warm enough to finally remove an outer layer but the buff remained intact. Despite fatigue and

being overtaken by other runners (number undisclosed), I enjoyed the scenery round the run route, Black Hill, Harlaw

reservoir and a view of the East Kip/West Kip11 heading back to eventually cross the line to finish my first duathlon.

Completing the PhD took a higher degree of effort than I ever thought possible to muster on a Saturday morning (as my

patchy attendance at 07.30 swim sessions will confirm). But, it felt great to be out in the wild weather. It resurrected my

mountain bike and rekindled my enjoyment of off-road cycling. If I start calling my helmet a ‘lid’, swap my aero bars for

bar ends and my skinsuit for baggies you’ll know why. If I no longer lust after Campag components, a retro Molteni

jersey or a subscription to Rouleur magazine but enthuse about bunny hopping, big air and chilling out after gnarly trails,

you’ll know why. The Pentland Hills Duathlon. Great club event (check).

Photos: Marion, Charlotte at the start (Daroch Photography), % Winner Ross and Handicap Winner John with medals

(Nicky)

1 My MTB maintenance classes had not gone to waste; 2 A craftily named event suggesting two disciplines but

neatly hiding the fact you do one discipline twice; 3 Composite team of new club members Hocky Preedman and

Feter Nouston; 4 Shameless theft of Shona’s description of cold triathletes trying to stay warm; 5 As I often am at

that time in the morning; 6 With the exception of walking on airport travelators; 7 My favourite piece of clothing

doubling as a hat or a scarf (in case you thought the club had been infiltrated by a closet naturist); 8 UK 7, EU 41; 9

I imagine; 10 That’ll never catch on; 11 Wish I’d had more kip

Suggested further reading: “Me and my Buff”, “Famous People and Their Buffs”, “5 Steps to a Better Buff” from

‘Buff’, the bimonthly magazine.

Transition 2 (target time 5 min) I hopped off my bike and Nearly went over on my ankle

getting off the bike but was alright. I made my target (actual time: 4:39).

Run (26.2 miles, target time under 4 hours) Garmin GPS

file: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/339873713

My sub 4 hour target for the run was optimistic since I hadn’t even done that in a solo

marathons (PB 4:02) but all my training had been done at a faster pace and my walk/run timing felt very comfortable at

this speed. The run course was 2x 3 mile laps of the regatta lake then 2x 10 mile laps into Nottingham and back to the

lake. I started jogging slowly and hit the first feed station for some liquid and a High 5. I had plenty of energy but

everything felt sluggish due to the heat. I jogged out but couldn’t keep going so I adjusted my walk:run timing to

1min:3min (from the planned 1:4). I was still on lap one of the regatta lake and I remember thinking that if I could swim

this distance earlier then running it should be easy. But every time I started running I just couldn’t keep it up.

Eventually I decided just to walk and see if I could cool down and get going again. I tried doing 30 sec run then 30 sec

walk but even that left me feeling too hot. I saw Jenna on the second of the lake laps and stopped for a kiss and a

chat, telling her it was really hard. As sympathetic as always she told me that she wouldn’t let me stop! To be honest

stopping never crossed my mind, even if I had to walk the whole marathon. And that’s essentially what I did….

I saw all the other PT guys during the run and Frank and Hamish looked pretty strong throughout. Around mile 16 I started

having trouble keeping liquids and food down, but by that stage it was starting to cool down so I was able to jog a bit.

At mile 20 I saw Seona who was at mile 18 and looking good, I decided I’d try to make the end without getting caught.

I came into the finish to see Jenna holding James for me to carry him over the line! I got a good grip! Jogged down the

finish line to lots of cheers and people commenting on how cute James was but I had to stop and let others past to get

a nice finish picture with no one photobombing it!

The run took 5 hours 53 minutes. I never knew I could possibly take that long but it was definitely the hottest weather I’ve

ever run in. The run gave me plenty of time to consider how the day had gone and I concluded that I had mixed

feelings. I was very proud of having completed it and 13:17:22 is not a bad overall time. But taking nearly 6 hours for the

marathon was very disappointing.

The Aftermath Unfortunately the adventure didn’t end there. I felt a little faint as I think my heart rate fell quite quickly

once I stopped. When I sat down in the shower room my legs cramped up suddenly and the kind gentleman beside me

helped stretch them out. I suddenly felt faint and nearly threw up and couple of guys noticed and helped carry me

down to the medical tent – one of them going back for all my kit including my phone. I didn’t feel dehydrated and

when I did pee it was still fairly clear but they decided to stick a drip in me anyway. They asked me if there was anyone

there with me so I told them, “I don’t want to worry my wife so just call out for Ross to come to the medical tent”, which

they then announced as, “Could Ross come to the medical tent for Ryan McGuinness”! Luckily Jenna didn’t hear, but

neither did Ross and instead Frank come along. Frank kindly pulled my calf guards and socks off, later to be reminded

that they had earlier been soaked in pee during the cycle! He also got my bike from transition and loaded it into his car.

Back at the hotel, I managed to crawl up to my room when I got back only to run to the loo and empty my stomach. I

made sure to keep drinking lots and even ate some chips but keep vomiting every 20 min. This carried on until 2am

The Final part of Ryan’s epic

Iron-Distance experience

which must have been lovely for Jenna and James trying to sleep. At 2 am Jenna rolled over and suggested that I take

myself off to casualty as we wanted to leave at 9am to drive 300 miles home and that wouldn’t really work with me

throwing up all the time.

So off I went to hospital in a taxi. The receptionist in casualty said I was the 6th Outlaw that night. I later saw one guy in a

finisher’s t-shirt looking really rough and having fluid pumped into him. They

quickly gave me an injection for my nausea which felt like a miracle, within 30

sec of having it I felt almost completely better. They decided to give me

another drip at a fairly slow rate over the next few hours just to be sure and

another dose of a different anti-nausea medicine. They said it was probably

heat-stroke but otherwise I was fine. Around 7:30am my drip finished and I

decided to head off. We packed up the car and headed home, I even drove

half the way I was feeling that good. By the time I got to bed that night I’d been

up for 40 hours including 13 hours of exercise!

Photos: Into T2, and on beach at Gullane (Jenna)

Monday 7pm Swimming Commonwealth Pool

Tuesday 6:45/7pm Cycling Gillespie Crossroads/Balerno HS

Tuesday 7pm Core and Spin Energy Gym, Meggetland

Wednesday 7pm Swimming Thriepmuir Reservoir

Thursday 7pm Spin Craiglockhart Tennis Centre

Saturday 7:30am Swimming Balerno High School

Saturday 8:45am Run intervals Balerno High School

Saturday 8:45am Cycling Balerno High School Key: All Year, Winter, Summer, Term time only

Check email, FB group and Website training calendar for precise details. Join the Club members Facebook group or

watch emails for many more informal training opportunities throughout the year.

Website: www.pentlandtriathletes.co.uk

Secretary: mail@pentlandtriathletes.co.uk

Club Members Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/286476811428992/?fref=tsP

Photo: Andrew with the field compressing behind him at the Handicap Duathlon (Audrey)