South Coast Triathlon

I’ve always liked the idea of doing a triathlon but always been put off but the swimming aspect of it – I’m just not very good at it. Although I learnt when young I never perused it and have never been quick and front crawl or breast stroke.

The running bit I’ve had plenty of practise with and I know how to cycle a bike and have the competitive nature to push myself quite hard but with swimming it’s a whole new world.

I’d have loved to have had a crack at the Olympic distance but felt the distance on the swim to be a step too far. So sprint distance it would be - a 750m swim , 21km cycle and a 5k run in the South Coast Trialthlon along the seaford seafront. Which meant a sea swim and a few laps back and forth on the bike.

I got myself signed up well in advance leaving myself plenty of time to get loads of practise in. Of course, that’s easier said than done when you’ve got ultra marathons to train for and a lovely summer to enjoy.

So I did what all serious athletes do… ( ha ) and brought all the gear – a wet suit and a tri suit and started watching videos on how to be the next Brownlie.

I also started taking myself to the pool twice a week with a view to making great strides in my swimming skills. I went from flapping around a bit in a 50m pool and to flapping around alittle less in a 50m pool but the instant improvement that I was after wasn’t really happening. I’d work on my breathing and strokes but sometimes were better than others , some sessions were a disaster. I think in hindsight an instructor and a few lessons would have been a great help.

The week before the big event I managed to find a beginners triathlon which was a shortened version of what I’d be doing – 200m swim, 12k cycle and 3k swim which I gamely signed up to so I knew what I was letting myself in for, what a great event, it was small but friendly – slightly daunted by the snazzy array of bikes racked up I set myself up and went to register. With it being a week until the big event I decided I’d upgrade the distance to match the one I was doing next week. It felt like a good plan.

The swim would be in a pool and as we waited for our call to get in spoke with other competitors, some had done loads of events, others this was their second or third but they were a nice bunch. In the pool we got, I was one of the last in but one of the last out, I started with front crawl but got put off by the other swimmers in my lane so reverted between that and breast stroke – swimming is just not my strong point. Out the pool I ran to the bike and off I went, it was a lovely country road route of two laps, a few small hills but mostly flat and enjoyable. I thought I’d go reasonably steady on the first lap and look to up the pace for the 2nd which worked quite well. Although I only saw one other cyclist on the route.

On to the run and I felt pretty good and did the 5k in 22 mins. I was pretty pleased with that considering what had gone before but it was a good education for next week, I knew I could push it much harder on the cycle. Note to self!

Race day – a friend of ours had come down from Yorkshire for the event, he’d done a few trialthons before and is a fit fellow so we were looking forward to having a good race. Steph, full of confidence in my ability told me not to bother racing him as I didn’t have a chance. Ha! Thanks Wife.

We met at the venue bright and early only to be told the sea swim had been cancelled due to a mega wind and some tidal looking waves. No way was anyone going in the sea. Slightly sad but also relieved we’d be running twice. I knew this gave me a better chance to do well and would certainly make me more competitive against Alex should I be close to him towards the end of the race.

The first run would be a 1.5k out and back to the bikes. Running in one direction was hard going with a headwind and a half but that meant the way back would be a breeze. Alex shot off but I kept pace with him and the leaders and we both jumped on the bikes in the top 10.

I’ve learnt a lot about bikes since this race, make sure your tires are pumped up, get shoes so you can clip in and raise your saddle. Had I done all of these I think I’d have been able to get a lot closer to Alex. The laps were like the run, hard going one way and easy the other x 6. Each time we crossed he was getting further ahead which was frustrating but I thought he’d tire where I’d get faster. The later was true but he didn’t slow and built up a 5 min lead – slightly confused by the distance I’d covered I stopped the bike to make sure the cycle was done before docking up and starting the run. I knew he’d beaten me now as I was never going to make up that time but pushed hard to run the best run I could. Managed a 21 min 5k which was pleasing and beat a few others on a last sprint finish to secure a top 40 position and a pat on the back from my rival.

I really enjoyed the whole experience and think duathlons might be my thing next year rather than triathlons.

Next up is a 100 mile bike ride. Time to get some serious miles in.

#running #triathlon #southcoasttri #trialrace #triathlonevent #sussexevent #cycle #swim