Beforehand
- I got there mid-morning for the sign on and debrief.
- I was issued number 159 (written on calf) and a start time of 14:20.
- Much faffing ensued between now and the start.
- Met up with Simon Lockwood, he talked me through setting up my kit at the bike racks.
- Further faffing...
- I wore a Nike Pro Combat compression sleeveless top and Altura Stream cycling shorts
- I didn't use any energy bars/gels/etc but did have an SIS Go electrolyte drink on my bike and had plenty of bananas and flapjacks before hand.
The Swim (300m)
- Wattisham Tri has an indoor swim. The pool is divided into 6 lanes, you swim up and down each lane and after 12 lengths (300m) you climb out of the far side.
- Around 14:15 I queued up by the side of the pool and waited my turn.
- I set off too quickly and tired myself out by the 6th lap.
- Plodded to the end but was overtaken on my final length.
- As I climbed out of the pool my legs were like jelly and my head was spinning (mix of tiredness and adrenaline).
- Ran/wobbled to the transition point.
- Very quick dry down
- Socks, lid and SPDs on (socks a proper faff)
- Ran with bike to exit of transition area
The Ride (20km)
- The swim had properly tired me out and for the 1st mile or so I couldn't focus on the road
- I even went off the wide clear track at one point on to the grass verge!
- The off-course moment seemed to clear my mind and I finally found my rhythm.
- The course involves 2 laps of the airbase including riding up and down the runway.
- The runway has a strong wind passing down it, so you fly along it to begin with, then do a hairpin turn at the end into a wall of wind.
- The slog into the headwind was very hard work I kept looking up and seeing a marshall in a hi-viz vest at the end but he never seemed to get any closer!
- Once back at the transition area I dismounted and ran to my transition point.
- Removed my lid
- Swapped SPDs for trainers
The Run (5km)
- Before the Tri I'd been recording my runs on Endomondo and had been getting around 24-25min times for 5km.
- According to a comment I made on Facebook I was suffering significant stomach cramps as I started the run.
- My legs struggled to do anything for the first 1/2mile.
- Grabbed water at the 1st water-stop but ended up wearing most of it.
- After the 1st lap I found my pace.
- On the final straight I somehow managed to sprint the full length of it (200m?)
In the end I was 88th out of 262 entrants or 16th out of 30 in the "35-39 year old males" category.
My split times were as follows;
- Swim + Transition: 00:08:20
- Bike + Transition: 00:38:07
- Run: 00:22:20
- Total: 01:08:48
Karen Aldis took a few pics of me.
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