I finally started a triathlon this summer... Last year's Charleston Sprint series was quite good fun - apart from the baking heat - so I decided to give it a go, despite only two sessions in the pool beforehandLast Sunday weather was pretty nice, cool, with only a very slight breeze. The dog pond at James Island was it's usual mirky self - but warm like bath water. Got a reasonably decent spot on the bike rack (it's first come first serve at this triathlon) and went off to warm up. I didn't used to believe in warming up much - but I think the shorter the event, the longer you need to bike / run beforehand. I started at the back of the swim pack and my half freestyle half breast-stroke technique pretty much kept me there until the swim heroes from the next wave went through me like a dose of salts. 14 :08 for 600 yards is def. slower than any of the swims I did last year - will need to get my landlubber backside into the pool for a few sessions before the next one.
Nice to see Jenny on exiting that water - I think she was more relieved than I was to get out of there. Good steady transition then settled into the 20km bike. Passed a lot of people as usual and had a few disc-wheel-merchants pass me - Trevor, my Sunday running pal, caught me for 3 minutes on the swim, then showed me a clean rear wheel to put another 30 seconds into me on the bike. I managed 33:37 for the cycle, which is about a minute slower than my PB from last year, executed a great dismount into fast transition to running gear and out onto the 5 km run course.
My guts started aching at after about 500 yards - I hadn't drunk much fuel on the ride so slammed about half the bottle in the last mile to "give me a little something" for the run. Well - a little indigestion is about all I got. My innards were not happy at all. Reduced to a trot for the run which was becoming very painful. Took 8 minutes to knock out the first mile then it got a little easier. Happy to finish with 23:26 for the run and a total of 1:13:28 for the tri, about a minute faster than my first attempt last year - so not bad all things considered. Next tri is Sprint #3 on 2nd August. I want to take 1 minute off the swim, 30s off the bike and 1.5 mins off the run for about a 1:10:30 - Better go train....
I still have half an idea to attempt an Iron distance race this fall - I keep checking the Beach to Battleship site for entries - I feel if I could pull off that flat course in about the same time as my Lanzarote Ironman time 5 years ago, then I'm not aging too disgracefully...
