Hi All , firstly I used to post under SirHumphreyAppleby but I can’t recover access to the email account I signed up with so alas , I shall be the aptly named “Plodder” going forward. I just wanted to give you all my take on Valencia 2022. Firstly it was great to get the start line , had knee issues in the spring and summer and have had to really manage it since . Training was less than ideal but I did manage a 29.7km , a 31km , a 30km and a 32.5km so despite a lack of sharper midweek sessions due to longer recovery times etc. I felt I had the distance work in the bank . With regard to the event the organization was fantastic and the start and finish areas were great with finish line being particularly spectacular in the City of Arts and Sciences. Now for the race itself , my plan at the start of the year was to kick on and improve on Florence last year but given how my preparation went the goal was very much to set out at 3.20ish pace and stick with that . I started in the 3.15/3.30 pen . Once we got going the first kilometre was a little on the slow side with a lot weaving and barging going on but we eventually settled nicely after the first 2km as we headed out towards the port and the beach . The first 5km went by without issue and I went through this section in 24:01 . The next 10km were all out in the north eastern part of the city these kilometres went by at an average pace 4.44 per km . The water station at km's 10 and 15km were particularly messy lots of bottles going everywhere but hey ho . The next 5km saw us swing back in towards the centre of the city, we passed the Mestalla before going back out towards the port and then coming back on ourselves in towards the city centre . I passed through the half way mark in 1:40:23. Following the half way mark we move in towards the centre on a long stretch , my pace was holding steady and the legs felt good . After the water station at about 26.5km or so I took a gel and I think this is were the whole day unravelled very quickly . Six or seven minutes later my stomach was killing me and it was time for the bathroom . I found a portaloo that had seen a lot of action at the water station at 28/29km and I made use of the facilities . After a few minutes in there I was adamant I could get going again . I put a couple of 5 minute kilometres together as we went through the nicest section of the race . At 30km or thereabouts I was completely finished and new that any time I was aiming for or anything else was completely out of the question as I felt quite weak . I was very tempted at 31km to pack in and go into my hotel which was a very enticing prospect but thankfully I decided to dig in and go with the “one leg in front of the other” tactic and reassess kilometre by kilometre . From this point on it was really tough going and I’m not sure I ever suffered like this before . It was extremely disheartening to watch everybody going by you . It was like being a tractor on the motorway . From about the 20 mile marker everything was beginning to tingle , the hammers , the quads, the calves , the achilleas . The whole thing just became about getting through it . I did the 5km between 30km and 35km in 28.37 . After 35km the only moment of dark humour on the day arrived as we all passed a big sign urging us to “break through the wall “ I watched about 4 people simultaneously stop at it . I think I would have laughed had I not been so fu*ked at this point and also that I was certain that the wheel of karma would turn sharply against me once again and I’d collapse in about 50 yards . The 5km in from the western part of the city back into the centre was among the grimmest I have ever put down . At around 40 km I had to stop for the first time due to cramping lower calf/ achilleas . After a quick stop I hobbled on . I put down these kilometres in 28.29. At this point and as was the case for most of the course the support was phenomenal and I think for the first time ever I really got a lift out of it . In the final two kilometres we went past the main station and swung east onto the long stretch down into the City of Arts and Sciences . The support here was incredible, it was like one of those Tour de France Mountain stages when the spectators encroach on the road and make as much noise as possible . Obviously its not good for pro cycling but I took an awful lot from it . At this stage I knew I was in total meltdown and didn’t know what was going blow but you knew it would be something . The final 2.2km was covered in 13.08 . When all was said and done I crossed the line in 3:40.11 and would describe it as a disaster but one I am immensely proud of.
