Sooooo....my first triathlon. Frome Sprint Triathlon 2014. Much to write about here so Ill keep it brief. I live about 6 miles from Frome and at the mo only have a little car with no room for a bike and a dog. So on the Sat eve I cycle in to Frome. Errr....this cycle also constitutes my only cycle training for the tri. I havent really been out on a bike for several months. So tho cycle to drop the bike into Frome to leave at a friends house comprises my cycle prep. In the morning I get a lift in with what turns out to be my support crew and dog-minder for the day Sara. Alf cant cycle so hes not allowed to do the tri. He can do run and swim very well...just not bike. Anyway, Im running late. I get to the leisure centre with 30 mins to spare...fifteen before the race briefing in the pool. There is so much more to think about on a tri compared to a run race. I arrive and get my envolope which contains things which need to be attached to you as you compete. They write my race number, 94, on my arm and leg and wish me luck. Race number sticker has to be attached to bike and one to helmet. Im confused...where do they go?...time is running out before my start. Kirk Latham I think is passing and says just stick it on. I look at others and their positioning and do similar. Time is running out. I also have a race number in my envelope. Where the hell does this go. Laura is there and has a race belt in her car. She gets it quickly and attaches my race number and explains that you leave it in transition with your bike and put on for the cycle with it on the back to cycle and spin to front for the run. Ace. I say goodbye to Laura and Sara and head for the bike rack to position my stuff. I position my stuff...but my neighbours have taken my space with their stuff and i dont want to touch their stuff as Im sure they wouldnt appreciate this. So I leave my stuff as near as I can to my bike. I put my iphone in my shoe with my armband as I will need this to track my 5K run and then the extra 5K after for the 10K for the day. Time is running out. 5 mins to race brief and I have everything...except...my goggles. Sara has my goggles. I phone Sara and it goes to answer phone. Uh oh!. I dont leave a message and she phones back immediately and is near with my goggles. I chase over and fetch them and head for the changing rooms. I stuff my gear in an empty unlocked locker and try to remeber the number...its 150. The leisure centre seems like a maze but I find the pool. A lady with a clipboard comes over and asks my wave time...8.51 I say. She says..its already started but Ill take you over and see if you can go. She takes me over and Andy...a familiar and friendly face is giving the briefing. I catch the end and the lady with the clipboard has gone so I presume Im OK to go even though Ive not heard a word of the briefing. Not her fault. But I grab Andy and he says hi Jim...I say...i missed the briefing...and he gives me a quick run down. The 23 other competitors in my swim wave have gone to the other side of the pool to queue for the start. I head over to join them and stand last in the Q. There are two minutes here for me to gather myself. I see the previous wave finishing and I see the gallery of people supporting and shouting from above. Its well-managed chaos. Our wave of competitors starts moving towards their lane. It reminds me of war films where they queue to parachute. Military almost. My lane is of course the furthest from the end of the q where I am...Lane 6. I squeeze through and get to my lane and Peter Lee is there as my lane co-ordinator. He is a very friendly face and I am grateful to see it! I havent a clue how this works but he explains that there are four of us in our lane and we depart in 10 second intervals from each other and I am third. He gives me the last of the lanes swim hats as you have to have a swim hat. Its pink and all the others are yellow. I make a joke about it and put it on. There is no time to mess about here. Im the last to get in the pool amongst the 24 in our wave. We are off immediately. I have no time for thought. Ive asked about over-taking though. Its explained that you generally let folk go or overtake at lane end. Depending who overtaking who. He says the word usually and i take this to mean that if clear ahead then you can overtake on the right before lane end. Im not sure though and have no desire to risk DQ. I am told to go and push off. In my first length all of this information to process gets the better of me. A rarity for me and I feel sick. The pandemonium and noise and shock of having been quiety asleep not long ago and suddenly doing this get on top of me. I wonder if I will see my two buttered crumpets again. I hold it together though. The swim passes quickly. I am overtaken once but overtake two. I only stop for a breather at lane end once. Peter puts a float in the water and I remember this means two lengths to go. He shouts at me also which is helpful as Im struggling and info is good. I get out and try to remember what is next. Im out of breath and disorientated and have to take my hat off. I look back at the pool and see that many lanes are already empty. But there are around ten to a dozen in other lanes i think. Someone points me out to the transition area and Im off. Im not sure if Im allowed to run so I walk. I get outside and see others running to their bike in the transition area and so I run. As you emerge from the pool area into the transition area its a little like when you leave the cinema from a matinee performance. A completely different environment. Yet you are glad to be out and away from the intense experience inside. Youve done the swim Jim. The bit you least like. Youve found your bike and your trainers. Youve put them on. You see other competitors and follow them Your still disorientated but you can see them. Youve remebered to put on your race belt with the number to the back and youve remembered not to touch bike until helmet is clipped on. I have never worn a helmet cycling so this is again a new experience. But I do it. I get to he cycle mount area and a few folk say hey Jim!. Im so focused that I cant stop and say hi as i normally do. Someone says...wheres the dog?. I get on the bike and start to cycle. People are coming back on their bikes the other way and some say things...encourage you....and you can see folk ahead on their bikes. Something to chase now. Despite little cycling in the build up bicycles are a friend to me. I have always loved them. I know my bike isnt perfect for this...but also know I can travel OK on it and know it wont let me down. I relax now...well relax in that the swim and its complexities and madness are over and i am with my friend...George Dawes...a 12 year old touring bike with the rack still on in case I need to pick anything up from the shops on the way. Anyway, I relax. I am cycling...I turn the cog. I catch many and am caught by fewer. 14 miles to go on the bike. A guy in blue overtakes me early on but he doesnt get away from me. I use him. I follow him. He seems to know where he is going which means I dont have to concentrate on the route. Im behind him for the whole cycle and nearly catch him towards the end. During the cycle we have a bout of rain and the course is wet...but George has extra thick touring tyres and he doesnt slip. Theres rain and a few hills. I enjoy the cycle. Cycling is differen to running as even when your legs tire...well youve got to the top of the hill. You can recover and you recover quickly. I say well done to everyone I pass...especially to those who you catch who set off in the previous wave. I say thanks to the marshals out on the course in the rain. I see Annie who shouts words of encouragement. A few cars beep and there are even a few folk who seem to recognise me despite the helmet. Which is amazing as I can never recognise anyone in a cycle helmet. We get back to the transition area and i dismount way before the required line due to DQ fear. I trot to where I think my stuff is. But Im tired and im disorientated once more. I get to where I think my stuff is for transition and all I can see is the number 380 and not 94. I search all the rows in the transition area to no avail. I say to a marshall 94 and she says pityingly...Im really sorry but Im not allowed to help you. I go back to 380 and see that 380 is a sticker from a previous triathlon (they use the same racks but not all stickers are removed after it seems). There it is! Theres my sticker and theres my stuff. Phew! I rack the bike and take off the helmet. I grab my iphone and the armband and have to set the tracker as I start to run. I set it. I run. Except I cant run. I was warned about the awkwardness of the bike to run transition as its well known. But didnt expect it to be so severe. Its horrible! My legs are all over the place. But I get to the run exit and run as best can. Ahead of me I can see the guy in blue who I followed on the cycle for most of it. He is not making much ground on me it seems and Im passing many people...many from previous waves no doubt rather than my wave. But running is my thing and after a long third of a mile I am running as I can. I liken the way your running legs come back as similar to the pictures as hominid man starts to walk upright. Though a much shorter timescale obviously. The cycling has gradually disappered from the legs and I shoot past the guy in blue. In my head I know Ive done the swim and the cycle and now I am in familiar territory. 593 days of familiar territory. I run. There are more shouts of hey Jim! and I see Ted Sprules who encourages me greatly with his collie. I want to stop and say hi to him and his collie but best not. I get on. By mile 1 I am flowing in usual style. I know I am there now. Know I can do this. I pass Vanessa Redmond...great friend Vanessa who organised 10Kx365 The Last Day. I didnt expect to see her but it was an ace surprise. A lovely surprise. The run is two loops which take you through next to the finish. Many folk are shouting hey Jim!. Its encouraging as hell. One more lap and its done. I do the lap and finish and hear Jim Plunkett-Cole over the tannoy. Its done. Im done. Except...not quite. I have another 5K to do. Sara gives me Alf and I set off for my 5K to make my 10K. Tired but happy. Plantar huritng but its hurt for 200 days so not a problem. I get back half an hour later as the serious competitors are finishing. Ive also seen them out on the course as Ive done the 2nd 10K. The cyclists are awesome. Their power is amazing. They power through like motorbikes. Big legs turning a big wheel. I see some coming from the bike to run transition and its as though they dont have the same problems. But they do...I know that. Theyre amazing. I see the race winner Paul Ryman run past on his second lap and his speed is amazing. He stops for a drink of water from the water station. The triathlon builds to a hell of a finish because the more competitive competitors tend to finsih in closer proximity to one another. I see a sprint finish and it reminds me of the Olympics and the Brownlee bros. More people gather as it finishes as a result. Very different to the run races to which I am used to. I see Jacqueline and Richard and Kirk and many others who I have come to know. I feel very out of my depth...yet feel very welcome.
Posted on: Sun, 17 Aug 2014 20:36:43 +0000
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