Sunday 2nd December saw Dan, Chris and me standing somewhat huddled against the wind and rain on the start line for the Helly Hanson Hawley Winter Wonder Adventure Race. The weather was the worst seen so far in the year with warnings up and down the country for high winds and rain, and here we were about to race out in it.
The race was pretty much the same format as before - 'Warm up' run, two lap bike circuit, a short kayak section and a final run (or waddle...). Had the weather been better, I have no doubt the scenery would have been stunning, but as it was my main memories were of sticky yellow sandy mud, stinky slippery black mud, gloopy brown mud, tree roots and water. It rained so hard at points that I don't think I could have been any wetter sitting in a bath, but at least I would have been cleaner!
Anyway, enough sounding like it was a horrible experience, because it wasn't - we had a great time! It was very challenging, at times rather cold, definitely wet and muddy, but otherwise fantastic! On top of which we came 51st out of 222 so again in the top 1/4. Now next time, I will try to train before hand and maybe we can knock 20 minutes off! I have a feeling that we can get into the top 20 or so places...
It's an odd thing, but when working hard my mind tends to wonder - maybe it's to take itself away from the discomfort of it all - and I came up with a number of observations that I am now going to share with you, like it or not!
- Go through the puddle not around it. You're going to end up wet and muddy anyway
- The route through the puddle is usually less slippery than around it however be aware of unseen obstacles in the water!
- Follow the route most travelled. Human nature is such that it will naturally take the most efficient route. Plus, they are compressing down the mud so somewhere at the bottom of the sticky morass is traction!
- Don't ride to close to the guy in front - he is about to do something unexpected: fall off, stop, slip, turn, spray you in the face with mud...
- Getting into a kayak after 2hrs on a bike is going to give you cramp. Shit happens
- Wear lycra shorts - they don't get water logged and chaff. Now there's a painful lesson to learn
- Wear padded underwear - not only does it keep you warm, but 2 hours on a mountain bike is a long time. The annoyance of the pad when running is nothing compared to the bruising...
- Finally, remember you are meant to be having fun!
It looks like that's the last adventure race for the year, and the new season doesn't start until spring. It's been an interesting few months and I think I've found a sport that really suits me.
Roll on 2008....
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