I am a relative newcomer to triathlon, having taken part in my first event in 2014, but I have taken to the world of multi/endurance sport like a duck to water. Well, duck to water is probably a poor choice of simile given the state of my swimming, but you get the point: I'm pleased with what I have managed to accomplish in a relatively short space of time, and with a distinct lack of formal, structured training. I am almost entirely self-coached to this point (mid-2016), though hiring a coach is pretty high on my list of priorities, given my two main aspirations: to represent GB at age group level at 70.3 distance; and to earn a place on the starting line at Kona. If you'd told me a few years ago that I'd be in this position now, I'd have laughed at you. Thanks to the wonders of Timehop, I was reminded of this episode from 2012 a couple of weeks ago: "Hate running" - who'd have thought! The run is now the strongest part of my repertoire, but it was only through triathlon that I discovered my aptitude for, and love of, running. But what was it that led me to triathlon??
I've always been pretty active, and had an interest in fitness (apart from a bit of a blip from 2008-11, but more on that another time perhaps) having played hockey to a reasonable standard, and been a regular at the gym, hitting the weights. Cardio was never really high on my agenda though; I relied on hockey for that. Then, in 2012 that loose seed was planted - I wanted to "do some kind of physical challenge", and the Brownlee brothers, SIr Bradley Wiggins, Sir Chris Hoy et al were just starting to hit the peak of their fame with their performances at London, Tour de France, etc. But that seed didn't truly start to sprout for another couple of years. It was only in April 2014 that I finally bought my first road bike. Nothing special; the Hoy Sa Calobra (the name - other than Hoy - was lost on me at the time) from Evans. A matter of weeks later, and I had decided that cycling alone wasn't enough for me, and I entered my first tri - the Concorde Triathlon - a sprint event with a pool swim. I made a gross error in estimating my swim time, but again, more on that another time. That tri, however, wasn't until August, and I'm too impatient to wait that long, so I actually entered three other sprint distance events in the gap (which was only 3 months!) until that one...nothing like jumping in at the deep end! The first event that I actually participated in was the first edition of the Brownlee 'Tri' - which in this instance ended up being a duathlon, due to water quality issues. I remember rocking up and being amazed by the atmosphere. Everyone was so friendly, and I loved the family feel to it. I have to say, I was actually quite relieved that the swim was cancelled - it would have been the first time that I had ever swam in open water, and I'm not sure I had even been to a pool to train before this one! So, we lined up, and off we went. The run was completely off road, largely grass, and I remember passing (to my surprise) quite a few people on the first run (which was 2.5k), in to transition, and out on the bike straight away, on what was a nice, but lumpy, 30km course. I learned the hard way on this about not getting carried away on the bike. I absolutely hammered it to start with, and found myself (on my basic road bike, with no tri-bars) passing loads of people in the first mile or so, which was a slight incline. Needless to say it didn't last. Pretty soon after, a stream of guys with TT bikes and full aero helmets came past (probably from the few waves behind me too!). Back in to T2, via a particularly evil finish to the bike leg - up a very steep hill on plastic matting over grass, and it was out for the second run; a 5k loop this time. Again, out I went, feeling pretty good as I was able to claw some places back. I crossed the finish line, retrieved my complimentary pint of Erdinger Alkoholfrei, and felt absolutly amazing. I hadn't set the world alight by any stretch, but managed to finish as 35th male, 7th in my AG in a time of 1:23:07. What stood out especially, were my run times: 6:50 for the 2k, and 21:13 for the 5k, which I was really happy with, given I hadn't really done much running before, and certainly not off the bike. This was a pattern that continued in the other tris I entered - I was always top 10 in the run, and managed to get my 5k off the bike time down to 18 mins. And so began my dual love of running and triathlon. That's about enough waffle for now; I'll be back to cover off some of the other interesting stories and lessons that I've picked up over the last couple of years in future posts. As for now, I've got the English Middle Distance Championships at the Grafman tomorrow, so I'm off to put my feet up, carb load and get myself set for what promises to be a great race. Laters S
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