Firstly, thanks to all the folks who came to see me race yesterday (amongst other things) - it's great to race with a support crew. Thanks for getting incredibly wet on my behalf!
On to the race specifics - after the series of torrential storms which managed to turn sorting out transition areas into an extreme sport, going over to the swim start was something of a relief. This was swiftly dispelled by the enormous pile of weeds which constituted the swim holding area. I think there might have been some lake in there somewhere, but it was certainly well hidden. Still, I managed to test the buoyancy properties of my wetsuit by pulling my legs as far up as I possibly could, so that's something, I guess.
Unlike last year, I positioned myself front and center for the wave start. I was prepared for flying limbs, and that's exactly what I got. I reckon that's part of the fun, mind. You have to get your head down and plough onwards, and that's what I did. Eventually, it settled down (although it always gets violent at buoys), and I managed something approaching a rhythm.
Just before the 26-minute mark, I reached the ramp at the swim exit. Last year, I was so tired that I half-stumbled, half-collapsed in a state of delirium up the ramp. This year was a great improvement - I'd kicked some blood into my legs and had some degree of consciousness. Didn't mean I could get the wetsuit off though - yet again, and despite covering my entire body with Bodyglide, it stubbornly refused to shift from my arms as well as my legs. I'm going to have to get a more receptive wetsuit at some point.
The rest of T1 went OK, however, and I wobbled off on the bike. After a couple of impromptu gear amendments (top-tube-mounted gel removed before it fell off, shoe strap retightened), I got into a groove that lasted most of the way. The biggest problem was the wind - a tailwind for most of the first section, crosswind for the (very exposed) middle section, and - just where there should have been a nice relaxing downhill section - a strong headwind coming back. Sigh. Still, I passed more people than passed me, including a bunch of folks on expensive TT bikes - nothing in triathlon feels better.
Onto the run, and I could feel tightness in my glutes. At the time, I thought it was just discomfort from being in the saddle with a damp chamois (really, not that pleasant), but in retrospect I think I'd suffered from a slightly duff riding position. I've since made amendments, and I'm going to monitor how things go. It definitely affected the early stages of the run, and it may or may not have contributed to the other muscle problems I suffered.
Still, it wasn't all bad - I managed to tag along with a friendly guy from the Army, who was setting a really good pace. He basically dragged me between kilometres 5 and 9. Sadly, I couldn't keep up with him forever, but by then I knew the end was near. And so it was that the end came into view (actually, quite late on the Ripon course), and, envigourated by the crowd, one last effort saw me across the line in 2:24.32.
And then - the pub. Obviously.
Sunday, 10 July 2011
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