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So 8 of us headed northwards early Sunday morning for the 7.00am registration for the annual Stirling Triathlon. This is the biggest one on the Scottish calendar, 4 of us were doing the Sprint Tri (750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run) whilst 4 were having a go at the novice event (400m swim, 11km bike, 2.5km run). The race goes off in 14 heats in order of predicted swim time - first out was yours truly. I was really in the wrong heat as my swimming has much improved since I entered the race & I suffered slightly, having to lap 3 others in the lane who were rather suprisingly doing breast stroke (nothing wrong with breast stroke, maybe just not in heat 5). I got a huge swim PB (13.57) & was 2nd out of the pool in my heat. I then headed straight out onto the bike feeling good immediately. A good solid bike (36.48), again better than last year & then into transition for the run. I don't know how but my bike to run transition was 6th fastest overall & actually quicker than the winners in 34 secs. The run was ok (20.14) but felt faster than that & I really wanted sub 20. Overall 27th position in 1.12.21 & 6 mins quicker than last year.
Next in was Ben in his first ever Triathlon who was solid all the way through, finishing in an excellent 1.19.17 & placed 2nd Junior. None to bad for a 1st attempt!!
Genevieve was in next - again a vastly improved swim on last year (15.40), a bit of a tangle in transition added half a minute on but a good bike also (38.42) followed by a 25.37 run. A bit disappointed with the run but currently struggling with a breathing problem so not too bad at all. Gens final time was 1.22.24, also 6 mins up on last year and she finished 4th senior female.
Gareth was next up in the Sprint distance finishing in 1.25.59 (19.10, 39.06, 25.44) - which I think is a good performance in every category, despite getting hit on the head by a passing idiot in a car whilst he was on the bike.
A few nervous looking novices stood pool side waiting their turn, some more worried about how to get out of the pool than the swim itself. Don, Mandy, Marie & Liz had a long wait before their race started which only adds to the nerves but they all did extremely well despite this. Don was first home, he seemed remarkably calm from start to finish & came over the line in 1.01.43. Mandy was next up, getting the dreaded swim out of the way before what seemed like an enjoyable bike & a solid run too, finishing in 1.11.12.
Marie was always going to have the quickest swim & after stopping for brunch & wardrobe change in transition she cruised through the bike & again finished with a respectable run time finishing in 1.13.56.
Last up was Liz with a well paced swim, quite a long time on the bike!, but looked great coming in on the run. Liz finished in 1.26.01.
Massive well done to everyone at all levels - it was great to have so many from the club in action. I can't wait for next year when we are all there in our smashing Club Kit with even more members. An excellent day for everyone followed off by dindins for 16 of us at the Stewartfield Farm in the evening. The only hard bit was having to go to work in between the two where I was extremely tired & probably a terrible shop keeper!
2 comments:
It was all going so well for me on the swim , i could see the clock and was in the 15min time frame at 28 lengths (just) so sprinted the last 50m and attempted to get out of the pool ( 3 times ) , eventually made my exit helped by 2 lap counters .
Next holiday will include a trip to sea world to observe shamu making its pool exit for helpful tips
The worst thing is this happened last year .. and in 2006
As probably THE most nervous person attempting the novice, I can vouch for this being an excellent intro for anyone thinking about giving the Tri a try!!! Despite the nerves, the only thing I could fault about the event was the fact the poor novices had the longest wait before the start of their heats.....otherwise, it was a great experience & lots of fun. Has definitely got me hooked to train more and improve on times (which won't be hard in terms of my swimming - can't possibly go any slower) so I can give another one a go.....big thanks to Colin, Gen, Gareth and Graeme A for all their encouragement before and at the event......us novices much appreciated all their tips as seasoned Triathletes....especially the one about how to get out the pool (well maybe not Gareth's way on that one!)...
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