My first Triathlon
This year I have tried to push my physical boundaries a little putting myself in new challenging situations, completing a Marathon for the first time without ever running half distance in one go and signing up to the Great North Swim without training in open water.
For years I had wondered how I would perform as a triathlete. Early last year I saw Cheshire Sprint Triathlon was coming up; A 500m Swim, 20km Cycle, 5km run. I allowed that event slip away without booking it… I let the excuse that I don’t have a road bike to completely swerve the event (ha-ha) sounds ridiculous but that’s how I justified it to myself. This year was different I saw it and signed up straight away.
The moment I announced I had signed up for this Triathlon various people offered to lend me a road bike, my measly excuse of not having a racer was an obstacle I had put in front of myself to stay within my comfort zone. After all, my fitness level wasn’t too shabby, learning swimming at an early age and always hopping around on my BMX as a youngster surly set me up with a decent advantage.
I knew I could get round the course, but how hard could I push it? I felt strong on the swim at first and managed to maintain decent pace regardless of my shoulders burning. The transitions cost me a little but I didn’t let many pass me on the bike. Commencing the run was difficult with heavy legs after the bike, but somehow, I ended up finishing in the top 10% of athletes without really training specifically for this event.
Overall it was an awesome experience, I learnt a lot about the transitions and I look forward to completing the course again and shave some time off in August. Moreover, I am keen to enter a more challenging triathlon as ultimately I would like to complete an Iron Man in the next few years. The message here is to not hesitate when you see something you think you’d like to achieve. Get committed, sign up and get it done!
Total Time: 01:10:16
Position: 38/393 Males
SWIM: 09:31 T1: 02:35 BIKE: 37:20 T2: 01:19 RUN: 19:31