12 June 2010

Tokyo Island Series Part 2 - Oshima

大島 - Oshima, the big island triathlon was another well organised, enjoyable and fun event on the Tokyo islands.
I took the night ferry from Yokohama, arriving at the other Motomachi soon after 6am and cycled the short distance up to pension Subaru for a tasty breakfast on their vast lawn garden. Nice place, I would recommend staying here if you are on the island. As I arrived early, I was able to check out the cycle course with Jerome, a Frenchman staying at the pension with his family. It was obvious the cycle would be fast, as we were flying along at almost 50kmph with no effort on the flat course due to the strong tail wind. Even better, the return road was protected by trees and inland, so we would not have to pedal so hard on the way back.
The main concern was the swim - the wind was creating quite a sea, and the waves were big enough to redirect the jetfoil, with the other Namban Rengo on board, to Okata port as it is more sheltered. The most important part of the swim is the warm up - get used to being out at sea, the temperature and the current. We could only practise a short distance but it was clear that this swim would be about survival first, having a reasonable finish time second.
I bobbed up and down in the waves, spotting several small blue fish in the clear water below, but on the return to shore crested a wave and smacked straight into an oncoming Japanese man, lucky we were not fast swimmers or we could have been knocked out and the tri would have ended here. Instead, my goggles popped apart on impact at the nose piece and I was left to breast stroke back to the black sandy beach, where I could safely put the goggles back together again. 
I started in group 1, which is ordered by age not speed, and unknown to us the organisers had shortened the course by 300m due to the conditions. Also, we were to swim clockwise, not anticlockwise as in the program again due to wave conditions. It was a struggle to get a sight to the next bouy at times, I really had to wait to be at the top of a wave to take a look ahead to make sure my direction was good. After the first lap, I found myself swimming through the back markers of the 2nd and 3rd groups, and it seemed that many people were in difficulty, being picked up by the lifeguards on their surfboard. Over 20 people failed the swim, no major problems but the choppy water was just too much for them. I was glad to finish this swim, and clamber over the rocks to get up to transition. 

So my next triathlon - I must wear my cycle shirt under my wetsuit. Here, I managed to first put the shirt on backwards, then tear the number off one corner and so have to repin it back on, and some more general fumbling before getting on the road. Every second counts in these standard distance triathlons, so next time I dont need this hassle. 
As expected, the bike was fast, up to 57.5kmph on the mainly flat road out along the coast, nice views across the lava fields and generally I went as fast as possible and managed to catch Phil on the first lap, he is a much better swimmer than me. He asked if this was my second lap, but I wasnt going that fast!

2 water bottles and 2 energy gels are my intake for these Olympic distance events, it seems to work well taking one gel after 5km and 35km of the bike. 

After T2, I felt like I was flying and having a really strong run, but I should have realised that again this was due to the strong tailwind taking me out to the 5km marker. Every aid station I soaked myself in water, it was really hot out there. After rounding the 5km cone, the brutal run home began, and the true strong runners would have made there mark on this section. It is so important to finish with a strong run, you lose so much time when tired on a run, though here I would say the headwind was more of a limiting factor than my tiredness as I ran on the brink of getting a stitch the whole way home. 

The finish area is immediately between 2 onsen, and the open air baths were free to competitors so we took a well deserved soak overlooking the ocean. 

In the end, I was pleased with my time and placing, the main area I could improve is my run time. Oh and the transition. And maybe the swim as well. And concentrate more in the later stages of the bike section.

The after event party involved lots of local seafood, especially サザエSazae, turban shells. Luckily no stinking kusaya dried fish on offer here. After the lively taiko drumming we sat out a lengthy raffle in which none of us won any prizes before drinking some more beer in the foyer of Motozo and Megs hotel.

It proved to be an early night, and an early morning for me as I woke at 3:30am to at first enjoy the England USA world cup match, but of course become increasingly frustrated at the lack of further goals and the goalkeeping blunder of all time.
Jerome and his friend Tanaka san were up for cycling to the top of the mountain at 6am, the 11km climb took us up to the crater and lava fields, and to the base of the cloud layer. Not worth hiking any further today, another day it would be nice to mountain bike down the other side of this volcano. Instead we descend to the east of the island, avoiding a 2m snake on the way down, and loop around the north of the island before breakfast. 

Nice to have breakfast with the others before they leave for the fast jetfoil back to Tokyo, but I still have plenty of time and explore more beaches, the other onsen, and finish up swimming in a very nice pool at Okata. Well worth a swim, there are cold showers above and a nice way to spend the final hour waiting for the ferry back to the mainland.

Sayonara Oshima, mata rainen.


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