Go on then I will.
This year has been all about the running, and that has been my focus, but when when Mark said BRAT club were doing a new Olympic tri in September I thought....oooh! Why not, so I duly entered (£40 a bargain for a standard distance).
I have been mixing up my training doing some swimming and biking too, and every now and then chucking in a 50 mile run just to keep it interesting. What could POSSIBLY go wrong?
Me and Mr H drove up on Saturday and stayed in a hotel ...... just slight sound of aeroplanes taking off and the new building creaking and cracking every 10 minutes. We were up at 5.15 so I could force some instant porridge down my neck and kit myself up properly. Got a phone call to announce 'IT'S RAAAACCCEEEE DAAAAAAY!' in case I hadn't remembered ;-) and set off.
Met up with Matt and Mark at the waterski venue, and I think basically we all faffed in the drizzle setting up in transistion and trying to get wetsuits onto already wet bodies (well I struggled with that bit).
I drifted through the race brief, (this will become apparent) and suddenly it was time for me to jump in off the jetty.
Now this may be where my first problem was. The water wasn't too cold I dont think but in the deep water I obviously didn't adjust my goggles properly so when we started they immediately filled up. I stopped and tried to make a seal but I just couldn't. The wave basically swam off whilst I arsed about becoming more and more frustrated. The canoeist came to check I was ok. I assured him I was and I would be alot happier 'if I could get a fucking seal' (hehe that made me giggle, he might have thought I was after a blubbery marine mammal) ........ but eventually I decided that if I didnt want my friends who were off 20 minutes after me to swim over my head then I needed to do something. So I did face out of the water front crawl!!! Blimey that is energy sapping and hurts your neck but needs must. I found myself a rythym and when I got to the turnaround I decided to try swimming properly. Turns out my eyes were used to being full of water by this time and they let me put my face in the water and actually swim fairly decently. I was passed by many people (I passed a couple or 3 girls who had swam off earlier) but I hadn't given up.
Off out to transition feeling a bit exhausted to be honest, but glad to be getting on the bike. The rain was becoming steadier but I was well prepared for this having done 1 training ride in the rain this year. My aim on the (2 lap) bike course was to go as hard as I could so I was passed by my friends as late on as possible. I knew they both had potentially better swims than me and definitely both would be faster on the bike, so the way I saw it after a horrid swim they wouldn't be too far behind.
The bike course was actually really nice, it would have been better without the rain but you cant have everything! I felt I was having a good ride, concentrating on staying on the drops and maintaining effort (i dont do tri bars) and when I saw 12.5 miles on my bike computer I was happy because I hadnt seen either of the other two pirate tops pass me by.
Then it went tits up.
I came to the roundabout where if you were doing the sprint you turned back to the centre one way or if you were doing the oly you went another. I missed all the signs, and although there was a women shouting stuff I wasn't processing it...............I thought I had to go second left but I obviously missed the first left because what I thought was left was apparently straight on..........anyway just to make it better in my confusion I just stopped and another cyclist shouted 'this way!'. So I followed him. Would've been great if he was doing the same race as me.
Anyway I happily cycled the wrong way for about 2 miles...............and turned left into transistion. I wish someone had had a camera then because the look on my face must have been priceless. I was absolutely furious with myself and wanted to stamp on the bike for taking me the wrong way. However I calmed down a bit and established that I could just turn around and go back on the course, adding a little bit more to the distance as I did so. I'm an ultra runner, miles dont phase me!!!! Anyway, spent most of the next lap on my own (but nice to see Sharon marshalling cos I missed her the first time) completely convinced I was going the wrong way and annoyed at myself because my initial target of breaking 3 hours was never going to happen. But I wasn't going to stop.
Walked my bike into transition cos there was absolutely no point in running, snapped at Mr H who was only trying to be helpful. Ran out.
After my disaster on the bike I realised I had no bloody idea where the run went or how many laps or anything really.....completely my own fault and a beginners one at that. So to make up for it I ran the first lap scowling at everybody and being not nice. Sorry.
Once I had worked out where I was and how many laps to go I cheered up a bit and got into it. I like running. It wasn't a particularly easy course with a long upslope that was a bit energy sapping but it wasn't too bad. I saw both my firends at different points and learned that they had both had their own dramas....but they both did lots better than me! Anyway they supported me loudly as I finished my last lap which was actually really nice and did spur me on. So thank you Mark and Matt, I think we all held up the Pirate tradition very well :-D
Finish time 3.14 something, ie since I last did an Oly 3 years ago I have made no improvement. In fact 3 years ago I would have looked at the race instructions and known where I had to go so I have got worse. But I didn't give up.
I wanna do another!
Welcome to 'Team Useless'
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