It
is done! I have finished my 1st triathlon!
I
will start with the exciting bit – I wanted to finish it! I ended
up coming in the 2nd place in the female competition! I am very happy
and excited! Total time 00:47:59.
I
think I did the wise thing of going to Henley-on-Thames the night
before. I had a nice long walk, a lovely dinner and a good nights
sleep. If I have had travelled on the same day I might not have been
so relaxed. And all the amount of things one needs to bring for a
race! Only thing that got me nervous was the long wait in a cold
windy meadow for almost 2hrs before my race. Seeing other people
finishing, being cold and starting to get hungry, that was not what I
wanted. Start time couldn't arrive soon enough!
Amount of stuff one needs for a triathlon (bike excluded)
Finally
it was time to go to the start position! I quickly ran to the toilet.
While queuing I took my top off to make getting out of the tri suit
easier and guess what I saw in the mirror! The young boy who marked
my arm had got my number wrong. On my leg it nicely said 716 but my
arm had 616, and I had to run and ask somebody to correct it. Good
thing, it took my mind off things! Lesson learned – check what
people write on you!
Swim
time and transition 1 – time 00:06:01. I messed up my swim! The
first 2 lengths went as planned, but then when I needed to change
lanes I choked, lost the nice rhythm of my breath and started to
struggle. Never thought I could mess it up in such a short distance
but I did! Changing between front crawl and breaststroke I managed to
overtake 3 people and get out of the pool as quick as one can while
struggling for breath. I remembered to kick hard so didn't end up
with head-rush when I got out of the water! Got my bike gear on very
quickly and was on my way in the second leg!
Transition one - remembered to put my helmet on before touching the bike
Bike
time and transition 2 – 00:27:26. Trek Madone was flying and all I
needed to do was to let it! It was a bit windy but bike felt very
stable. Lost count of the people I passed by. Description of the
course was flat, slightly undulating. It was a bit more technical
than I had expected but as Ben Hallam pointed out, it only seemed so
because I was going fast. Good joke! Getting my running trainers on
proved to be a bit tricky as I was a bit light-headed. I think I
could have done my bike leg faster but I was not sure how my legs
would feel for the run, so maybe it was good I did not push myself
too hard.
Stay strong on the bike!
Run
– 00:14:32. I was aiming for 15 minutes so I'm happy. I have
never been a fast runner and is something I am hoping to work on more
now when I am doing track sessions. I thought that if I can do my run
in 15 minutes off the bike, it would be good. I was lucky as the run
was on a grass so had less impact and was easy on my tired legs!
Passed some people in the run too.
How
not to look when crossing the finish line or "don't forget to
smile"
I
was just racing myself, pacing myself and making sure I did not run
out of energy. When I managed a sprint finish, I was sooooooooooo
happy! I was happy that I finished it under an hour as I hoped for!
But I never thought I would be 2nd! I still can't believe in my
success!!!
This
was just a small triathlon, perfect for the beginners. I will have to
get better! Now just working on my swim and run, improving my bike
and getting ready for my sprint distance at the end of September!!!
"I
am in competition with no one, I run my own race, I have no desire to
play the game of being better than anyone, in any way, shape, or
form. I just aim to improve, to be better than I was before. That's
me and I'm free."
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