English
At the weekend I competed at the Blenheim Triathlon for the first time. I had been away in London for a few days training beforehand, my bike had accompanied me –safe and snug in my new dhb bag. We had put in quite a few’ technical’ miles and I felt very confident when I got my head down early the night before. This was the first serious outing for my 2010 Focus Cayo 105, and I wanted to do it justice by being ready!
We had a very early start from home, so early that when we arrived the gates to the Palace were still locked. Once we were inside there wasn’t much time to hang around as I was off in the second wave – there was certainly not much of a chance to ride the course beforehand. I had a look over the course and it looked really exciting, I felt slightly anxious but I couldn’t wait to get started! Had I seen the competitor list earlier I think I’d have been even more nervous – it certainly was a classy field. I was competing in the Youth Super Sprint which was a 400m swim, 13km bike and 3km run. I watched the Youth boys go off in the first wave and made my way down to the lakeside to get my hat. Behind me I could hear the flurry of activity from the elite women, some of whom had just found out that their swim was to be wetsuit free! We had been told to expect a starting delay of up to fifteen minutes in the water, but we were spared virtually any delay at all.
When the rope was dropped and the start horn blown fists started flying everywhere and I just had to get my head down and stick with the main group. After the 300m buoy we headed for the pontoon. Then it was out of the swim and up a cheeky little hill to T1 which was very tough on the legs after the swim. I had a long 400m run into transition and plenty of time to zip the top part of my wetsuit down and off my arms. Transition on to the bike went the best I’ve ever done it, I was really pleased.
I was then out on my bike on my own but I soon caught up a couple of girls and we worked off each other and I pushed myself on. This was the first time I have drafted properly in such a large field of competition.
After the bike my legs were full of lactic acid and I could feel that this run was going to be tough. Fortunately through T2, my last transition was really quick and I managed to gain yet another place. To my surprise my run felt great after I got into my stride. I think the cross-country season really prepared me for any hills, this course was perfect for me and the setting was spectacular. For most of my run I had to push myself hard as I was alone, then eventually with 1km to go I overtook another runner and found a sudden burst of will power which allowed me to kick and really go for it, sprinting in to finish in 10th position.
Would I recommend this event ? – Emphatically Yes, indeed. It is a great day out.
The setting is spectacular and the camaraderie of Triathlon at the venue is all embracing: even if you’re not in the elite race! Once I had cooled down I enjoyed a picnic in the grounds overlooking the lake and watching the elite athletes with my family who came to support me. As the sun went down over Woodstock and we retraced our route south. I realised that I was leaving my birthplace: Yes, I was born just down the road, no wonder I felt at home !