Triathlon season was 2 weeks away but looking at the calendar, I was unavailable most of the days they were on. There goes the series entry for this year, though that was an ambitious thought for the first year and only really a passing thought.
I decided to cut my teeth in the Melbourne Triathlon at Sandringham.
It was part of the Gatorade Series but I would test the waters in the Active Feet race. A shorter distance held before the main race.
It was race 4 of 7 for the series, so I entered and could possibly make the other 3 races if all went to plan.
Only a 250m swim, 8km bike and a 2.5 km run to finish. Easy stuff. I looked up split times from last year and made sure my splits were on target. They were good. All giving me much needed confidence for the race.
I wasn't overly concerned if I was last but this wasn't like runs I had completed. This was an actual race. I wanted to be a little bit competitive.
Still having around 10 weeks until the event, I kept at the training and preparation and kept busy through the Christmas season.
Race weekend came around and we headed down to the village on the Saturday to pick up the race gear and check out the vibe. It was a neat set up and good to have a look around the transition area.
I learnt this would be an important part of future events as new courses presented new challenges and surprises. This one had a painful looking steep run from the beach to T1. Something I definitely wasn't expecting. I took some mental notes and we left for the day.
We headed home for a day of relaxing, then later topped up the carbs and had an early night.
After a peaceful sleep, it was a 4am rise on race morning. A quick snack of banana and honey on English muffins and we were just about ready to head off. We packed the last of the gear into the car and set off to Sandringham.
It was a warm morning and the sun had not yet touched the sky when we arrived. I left Natalie as I went to get numbering done, checked my bike in and set up my gear for transition. I was all set up and ready to go.
We headed down to the beach for the start and Nat wished me luck as I set off for a dip to acclimatise to the water. It was freezing but I slowly got used to it and eventually appreciated the freshness.
The race waves began and I waited patiently for my group. We got called up and lined up along the beach. I stood at the back not wanting to get caught up in any rough play but would regret that decision. I was happy to sit back and run my own race and use it to find my weaknesses. Unfortunately I spent the first 50 metres getting splashed and kicked in the head anyway. I pulled back a bit and waited for the group to get ahead a bit. There was another group of us pushing along behind the main group and we turned the last buoy and headed for shore.
The first few steps out of the bay were very interesting. I could not quite coordinate my footing as I felt the effects of the "T1 Tango". The blood hadn't quite run to my legs yet and the first few steps resembled a funny sideways dance. A few seconds later I found my feet and made the quick dash across the sand and up the steep hill towards transition.
As I reached by bike I took a quick sip of Gatorade and strapped on the bike shoes. I grabbed my bike and headed down the chute to the mounting line. It was chaos with people standing everywhere trying to get on their bikes. I ran a bit further up and jumped on. I clipped in the pedals and started pumping the legs. Natalie caught my eye on the side of the road and I blew her a kiss before pushing on to find my rhythm.
It was a good feeling as I cruised along the flat flowing course towards the turnaround point. It was nice to be able to ride a good stretch with minimal hills, like the ones I have become accustomed to training on.
I reached the turnaround and started heading back. The course was on a little more of an ascent and required some pushing and grit. The dismount line was coming into view and I unclipped. I crossed the line and slid off the bike, grabbing the bike I jogged back to transition.
Another quick sip of Gatorade and a change of shoes and I was out onto the run course. Again a nice flat out and back course. I could feel a little fatigue in my legs but found some heels to follow and concentrated on my breathing. It was the longest 2.5 km of my life as I trotted along. I just kept my head on the heels in front and kept moving towards the end.
Usually with the previous runs, I have always had a little something to spend at the end, and usually sprint home the last 200 metres. Though as I reached the chute towards the line I was exhausted and happily cruised passed Nat cheering me on and over the finish.
It was a great feeling and I put my hands on my knees to take it in. However in my head I was already thinking about what I needed to improve on before the next event.
I went and got some post race refreshments and we sat down enjoying the atmosphere and watching the elite event.
Then it was home for a steamy shower and a nice big feed.
Maybe even a nap. I think I had deserved one.
ironmanintraining :)
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