my 2nd triathlon 500ms swim 8 mins 30 8.5 miles off road bike horrendous conditions monsoon 5 miles run up a fell to a pike horrendous couldnt see at one point due to he clouds and monsoon conditions. 40.53 mins total time 1.59.53 the time is irrelevant as they told us just subtract approx 30 mins due to the conditions it was that bad honestly horrendous 2nd triathlon 2nd drowning. I finnished wetter than when i got out the pool. 12 seconds behind my age grouper world champion.... I am shell shocked and amazed happy dayz.... now Im gonna rest recovery for 2 weeks then build it back up do some winter strength training and hit the qualifications for the gb team :)) above is the quick write up here goes for the details...... ; i was very prepared as I knew the bike course but not the run course, although I did get lost on the bike course last week ha ha.... in dry conditions it was extreme for me I have never attempted to cycle such paths or off road routes ha ha the weather was like a monsoon We got muddy very muddy just racking the bike in transition which was a run from the pool up a muddy bank to a muddy field. okay I was calm before my swim and set off at a decent pace in my group wave I started second we were timed individually but set off in my lane 1 min after another person in my lane so we were staggered, 1 min after me another person set off, then that was our group wave set off. I kept my calm swam well didnt quite time my breathing 100% all the time but did so much better than my 1st triathlon. there were 6 lanes and 6 men started 1 min before me and then the other 5 men starting with me, no woman... I overtook and lapped the men in my lane, and got out the pool 1st out of everyone :) out the pool, it was cold outside with the conditions, so I had a long sleeve run top to contend with omg it took me forever to get on as I was wet urghh, then my waterproof jacket with my number on for the bike well the zipper played up but that was it oh and trainers on for the run to the transition. transition was good, my helmet was ready and it was basically get the bike and go as my energy gel and water were on the bike ready and I was using my trainers as its my old mountain bike ( I say old, its about 5 yrs old cannondale so its pretty much like new still) off I went the start is a huge tarmac hill 400ms up it was raining so heavy a stream was coming down the road, it was hard work, i realised then my energy gel had fallen off at some point :( 2hrs with no energy gels is not good. I actually caught up a marshall cycling up the hill he commented how I must be doing a good time to catch him and he stayed with me to the top that was cool he kept me going cos my thighs were burning. then up another off road hill only small, then through and down through a field, it was so muddy it was slow going then a fast section but it had a cobbled wall that was fallen over to get over omg it's scary stuff, at this point one of the men passed me from the swim he went flying past. Then a sharp turn and up through a cow field niiiceee, very muddy twice my pedals stopped due to the depth of the muddy water i had to get off and push. a huge fast tarmac down this I gave hell for leather dangerously and there were sleeping policemen which I timed perfect lifting my front wheel before each, although when I saw another competitor on the road side, I braked and slid quite some way, but I was ok. back then and some more terrible ups trying to cycle up through a field in thick mud is near impossible, I ran it pushing my bike ha ha .... again another near impossible a bridle path with huge tree roots and rocks going steeply up is near impossible to cycle again I ran it and was catching someone trying to cycle it !! a few more ups like this then another huge up on the top of the hill, it was a sheer drop and some technical downs, a woman was walking with her bike, no way I was risking to cycle it or get passed her cycling, so I ran it sort of it was steep down, once passed her, a stile to get over with your bike ha ha already done 2 of them!! then a muddy field down and a rocky steep down for about half a mile, this was horrendous the water and stream produced by the monsoon made it so dangerous, but I risked it and went for it, screaming to myself and yes outloud not cos it was so scary although it was but my arms and shoulders were having hell with the pounding aghhhhhhhhh some more technical bits, through a farm past some more ladies... only one person passed me that was on the first down the man from my swim, I think I passed approx 15 people on the bike, these were all the people that started in the waves before my wave, which we had approx 2 mins ahead after their swim. back into transition I racked my bike, I was loving it at this point my legs werent too bad but they felt like they had done allot. I knew I hadnt had an enerby gel, although I had drunk most of my drink, I did stop in transition to drink the rest of it, then I forgot to remove my wet coat it would annoy me running, so I ran back and threw it. off I went jelly legs from the hills. back up that tarmac hill and the weather had caused a flooded road now, I couldnt see were i could put my feet and with pot holes in the road I went over on my ankle twice, so half way back up the tarmac hill then it was a sharp turn and on to bridleway tracks if you can call them that, it was like again a stream coming down the tracks you couldnt see your footing and half way up to the pike the clouds were close, so it was horrid I was on my own thinking ?i had gone the wrong way, at this point I had overtook about 15 more people just on the run which feels great:)) until I hit the wall no energy but as Ive done this in training so many times, I know if you just keep the pace going and push push push through it you will eventually die ha ha or break through... top of the pike, and the downs were excruciating, my thighs were killing me, I saw the man that flew past me on the bike, I had a bulls eye on his back a target I was gunning for him.... he got chicked big time ha ha ha ha he tried to stay with me, I was making noises ha ha urghhhh and ahhhhhhhh and omg and fat girl run came out my mouth ha ha ha lol, I was still running through the wall pain... I felt sick really sick but my mind was a machine its been so long since I felt like this in a race, no way did I have any doubts I just pushed so hard, it was a hard down run really hard, but I was focused and I chicked about 5 men all who thought they would stay with me, all that shouted encouragement when they let me go! a short up to the finnish oh yeah my legs were saying ya what you doing asking those muscles to work they are knackered and a run round the muddy field over the chip mat finnish and i dropped to the floor in the mud h ah ha and threw up yes I was done in really done in. but happy, /i gave it everything and if I had had an energy gel well maybe I might have got those 12 seconds who knows but I was really happy with my transitions for a first proper triathlon they went pretty smooth. photos to come later this week :)
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