The Blenheim Triathlon 2010
Seemingly, as with most adventurous or sporting endeavours, my foray into Triathlon started with a drunken bet. If I was to finish a triathlon within a year my brother would eat his hat – if I wasn’t to finish one, I would have to drink a pint of warm fish milkshake. Simple rules and a year to train. Easy. Ten and a half months later and I had done virtually nothing except register for the Blenheim (Sprint Distance) Triathlon; I had no bike, no wetsuit, no clue, and I had gone into complete denial. Ok, six weeks to get all the equipment, learn the ropes and do all my training - should be just about enough. Just about.
The first thing I did was wonder aimlessly into Cycle Logic in Helston and was very thankful to be treated extremely well. I had visions of being slightly intimidated, looked down upon and completely out of place. After all I knew absolutely nothing about Triathlons, apart from the obvious fact that they are all carried out by super-fit, athletic, demi-gods (not exactly true as I was to find out). The staff at Cycle Logic were fantastic. Shane put me very much at ease and talked me through the basics without any hard sell and plenty of sound advice. He took time to fit me with a swim wetsuit (my surf one would definitely not be suitable for the 750m swim) and I went back in a week later and bought it. I must admit I went on the internet to check prices etc and found that their prices were very competitive indeed, throw in the fact you get one-to-one service, great advice and a returns policy and it’s an absolute no brainer. If you want new, buy it in-store!
The first thing I did was change my diet. I cut out the cakes and buns and processed foods. I switched from butter to low fat spread, white to wholemeal bread, chocolate bars to carrots etc. I also made sure I drank at least a 1.5 litre bottle of water a day on top of normal intake (beer and wine service remained unaffected). The next thing I did, and the thing I had really been putting off, was the exercise. I tried to do some training every day, with a rest day every 4 or 5 days. There are plenty of training plans out there (search online or buy the magazines and books) but I kind of formulated my own. A ramp-up over 4 weeks and then a week ‘doing the distance’, before a week of taper (where you do less exercise just before the race). It involved 750m swims before work, 5k runs after work, 45 minute sessions on the static bikes and runs on the treadmill at the gym over lunch. I occasionally managed a sea swim in my wetsuit and a 10k run over the weekends.
There was a distinct lack of ‘proper’ cycling as I didn’t have a bike and haven’t ridden one properly since I was 12. I borrowed an old racer off a friend and went on a few 30 minute rides which seemed to make my knees ache. A few weeks later and I was doubling the training distances (not the 10k run!) and also trying to bolt two together i.e. 45 minutes on a static gym-bike then going straight onto the treadmill for 5k. I tried to keep my heart rate in the 130-140 range, which I think is my fat burning range (everyone’s range varies), with occasional stints in the aerobic range (to improve the bodies ability to carry oxygen around the body). Within 3 weeks I had lost a stone and all my trousers needed belts. It was time to try on Lycra.
Not all equipment/Tri clothing needs to be bought new and I found a second hand (with tags), unworn Trisuit for £55 on the internet, although Shane helped me again with sizes, and trained when I could in that. The Trisuit is a one piece suit that goes under the wetsuit and that is worn for the entire race. It’s slightly padded on the bum for long bike rides and dries out quickly after the swim. As it stays on for the race it saves heaps of times in the transition from swimming to cycling to running. With my new athletic physique, nobody pointed and laughed at my lycra clad body and I almost felt like I knew what I was doing. With just one week to go I had completed the race distance a few times, albeit in a pool and gymnasium, 750m pool swim onto a fixed wheel gym bike for 20km (with random hills) and onto a treadmill for 5k (varying the incline). At least I knew I could get round (in 1hr 50 ish).
There’s still something missing here though. The bike. Quite crucial for a cycle race. Back to Cycle Logic. This time I was looked after by Steve. The first thing he did was look at the bike I had borrowed to see if they could ‘tri-pimp my ride’ and realised that my aching knees were due to my 6ft 5 body on the 56 cm frame (not a good fit!) He didn’t have to convince me it wasn’t right. I was going to have to buy a bike. I could have trawled the net/classifieds for a cheap road bike, but I wanted it to be of some use afterwards and I wanted the advice and experience of the experts. I umm’d and ahhh’d for a few days, going in and out the store looking at every different bike under the sun. Steve took control and wanted to know exactly what I wanted out of a bike. I wanted to get fit, I wanted to be able to race in the Triathlon, but wanted to be able to use the bike afterwards on roads and trails around Cornwall. I didn’t want to get on the bike after the swim and have everyone overtake me, but I didn’t want to spend thousands on a specialist road/TT bike when I may never do a triathlon again. Steve used the ‘logic’ part of Cycle Logic and steered me towards the Specialized Tricross bikes. A relatively light but strong road bike frame, with drop handlebars and carbon forks, but with mountain bike gearing and slightly wider knobblyish tyres allowing riding on rough, unprepared tracks and roads. I wasn’t aware of Cyclo Cross as a sport, but this bike was designed for it, and seemingly for my needs as well. It would race in the triathlon much faster than a mountain/trail bike, but would be of use to me as a general all purpose bike once I completed the triathlon for family bike trips in the country. Plus they have a pretty decent resale value if it all went to pot. Bonus.
With just 4 days to go I bought the 61 cm framed Tri Cross Sport from Cycle Logic (at a great price). Gorgeous. Shiny, new and clean. I excitedly rode it round the car park. Now I haven’t really been into bikes but it was amazing. The lovely smooth gears, solid feeling frame/forks and great set-up made me feel that all my leg power was making me go forwards instead of being absorbed into the rattly frame of the borrowed racer. The range of gears was stunning (compared with the road bike) meaning that the steepest inclines could be ridden from the seat. I took it home and kept it in the front room. Every 10 minutes I would go at look at it. Sad but true.
With just a few days to go I was tapering my training and thinking about last minute preps and equipment (travel details, race-belts/numbers, transition area layout, visualisation etc). One last visit to Cycle Logic where Shane gave me some (turns out very invaluable) tips, and I bought some more of the energy bars and anti-chaffing lube (a god send) I’d trained with. I was ready.
I felt surprisingly relaxed on race day. There were (literally) thousands of people at the Blenheim Triathlon, both spectators and competitors alike. There were a heap of the athletic demi-gods, with fancy carbon bikes and pointy helmets but also a healthy smattering of rotund sorts, squeezed into trisuits and wheeling mountain bikes around as well. There were men and women, all age groups and all types, but the common link was that they were all smiling. Maybe it was the great weather, or just the excitement and relaxed atmosphere, but everyone seemed to be having a good time and it was really infectious. I arrived what I thought was early, but early is never early enough. It was a frantic hour of getting the wife and toddler in, getting my timing chip, setting my transition area up, and getting wetsuited up and to the start line. I was super excited and raring to go. I felt prepared enough to finish, yet not worried too much about what time I was going to get. My brother and his family turned up (with hat and sauce) to support, as did my uncle and family who lived nearby. I looked around. Our wave had 120 ish people all with family support. All up for fun and a race. Awesome. After safety briefs etc we all jumped in and swam to the start. I was next to a superman I had seen earlier. He was carved out of granite and had mirrored goggles. I saw my reflection. I kind of looked like a triathlete - albeit a very nervous one. My head was buzzing and I needed the toilet. The buoys and swim finish across the lake looked miles away. And then there was a 400m uphill run to the 1st transition area. Then a hilly 20km bike ride. Then a 5k run in the searing midday sun. Oh crap.
The horn went off and I tried to start my watch and swim. It was chaos for 5 minutes. Arms and legs everywhere. Foaming water and misty goggles. I just kept powering on as best I could and made sure I didn’t zig zag too much. My previous sea swims helped no end – knowing what to expect in open water makes the reality a whole lot less daunting. I kept in stroke with one guy and settled into a rhythm. I had to tell myself to keep a steady pace. It’s my first triathlon – I have no idea what pace to go at and whether I’ll have anything left in reserve. The swim passed quite quickly and I didn’t feel too bad getting out the other side. I jogged up the hill. I passed the superman. I actually passed a proper triathlete! I passed my supporting family hidden in amongst rows of other supporters and the noise was great. The transition area was chaos, but prior visualisation helped. I did wear socks (many say don’t if you don’t want to look like a novice, but it took 6 seconds – not much extra time, unless you’re a pro, considering the comfort they provide for the rest of the race). I was on the bike pretty quickly, taking on fluid and passing a few more people. I had a real pace up and the bike felt great. A minute later and a blur shot past me. It was superman, tucked down and accelerating uphill on what looked like a bike-shaped UFO. I don’t think he stopped accelerating for the rest of the race. My bike was perfect. It made the hills easy for my spindly legs, but allowed me to power down the hills and overtake all the mountain bikes (and a few TT/road bikes as well). Thank you Steve. After the first 15k Shane came into his own as well. He had told me to watch my cadence (pedal rotation), and keep it faster rather than slower. A higher cadence in slightly lower gears is better for (beginner) endurance than vice versa. I had been trying to power high gears in training and had not lasted very well. Not in this race. I felt that I was pushing hard but not burning out. Thank you Shane. Ok, I was overtaken by the decent riders (loads of them) but I was also keeping up with, and overtaking some fit looking people on fancier bikes. When I had mooted the idea of buying a cheaper, second-hand bike, Shane had said that the difference between that and a decent bike would be that I would get off a good bike looking forward to the run – not 100% right, but 98% right; getting off my bike, I knew I had it in me to finish the run and I was looking forward to finishing! T2 went really well (I cycled in my running shoes so didn’t need to change) and I was off on wobbly legs before long. The first 500m was tough, but my stride soon returned to me and I just concentrated on maintaining a steady pace. Water stations were crucial as the heat became unbearable. People were dropping out – even in a Sprint distance. The family support around the circuit was such a motivating factor to keep pushing. I started to let myself think about the end and even began to enjoy myself. With 100m to go I broke into what felt like a sprint and the loudspeaker announced my arrival. I flopped on the deck and sucked up air. I was handed a medal and an energy drink. I was a triathlete and it felt good. Really good. I looked at my watch... 0:00.00.78. Either I had bent the space-time continuum or I had started and stopped my stopwatch in less than a second – no mean feat in itself. My wife and little ’un came up for hugs and photos and the rest joined to tell me how proud they were. I was pretty proud of myself too. The guys at Cycle Logic had told me it would happen, I said it wouldn’t, but it did; I started thinking about where I could save time and what I may have done differently. My wife told me the wave had gone off on time at 11:20… I checked the time, it was now 12:53…. minus the flopping on deck/energy drink/photo/self adulation session, that must mean I did it in around 1hr 30. Awesome. I had been aiming for around 1hr 45. The final results showed that I had swum in 00:14:46, biked in 00:40:33 and run in 00:26:37 – with transition times that equated to 01:28:15 and in the top third on a freakin hot day. Initial results showed I was 198th out of about 900 in my age group but even if I was in the top half I’d be happy. Although I suppose it doesn’t really matter where you come in your first triathlon because the sense of achievement in just finishing one is enormous. I say ‘first’ triathlon because the next day (yesterday) I signed up for the Blenheim Triathlon 2011. And now I’ve got a time to aim for.
And yes, that evening my brother ate what he could of his hat, half a straw panama, washed down with bottles of cheap, celebratory fizz.
Many thanks to
Ben Hartley
Lt RN
for reminding us all how the first one feels and keeping it real.
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