What an amazing day. For one, the sun came out. It had been raining solidly all day yesterday so I was fully expecting to get drenched during the race. It couldn’t have been better. No wind and conditions were dry. That was a relief as I don’t think the bike section would have been much fun in the rain.
I got to the National Water Sports centre at Holme Pierrepont in Nottingham around 5am and made my way to the transition area with my bike and all my gear (far too much gear as it turned out. Not sure an extra pair of trainers; just in case, was really necessary). I faffed about for an eternity before putting my wetsuit on and making my way to the swim start. I was in Wave 2 at 6.30am, so we lined up around 6.20 on the rowing pontoon trying to avoid stepping in goose poo. I dangled my legs in for a few minutes before making the plunge. It actually wasn’t that cold, I guess the lake swim on Monday helped prepare me for it.
We all were treading water waiting for the starting klaxon. I was fully expecting it to be a mad scrum, but when the starter set us off I had clear water in front of me. It’s a straight out and back swim up the rowing lake, so it wasn’t difficult to sight the buoys. I got in to a good rhythm and apart from swallowing a few grim gulps of the lake water it went really well. Before I knew it I was on the home straight and heading up the ramp to transition.
The bike leg started off with a lap around the lake before heading out on to the roads. It was a quick course. There weren’t many hilly sections, so it was down on the tri bars for most of the time. I got overtaken by a few of the rapid aero guys, but I also overtook my fair share of people too. There were a few potholes down some of the lanes but apart from that it was a course designed for time triallers. I felt pretty good throughout, making sure I was keeping fuelled up. My trusty superfood cake was less and less appealing with every bite. I was carrying it in my cycling vest pocket so it was rapidly turning in to brown mush. Taking on bananas at every feed station was far more appealing. By the time I got back to transition I felt confident I’d taken on enough food to keep me going on the run.
Transition went smoothly, and I was off on the run. With my coaches advice ringing in my ears I made sure I took it easy for the first two miles. My main objective was to be able to run properly off the bike. I’d struggled with this in the past so I was trying as hard as I could to avoid the dreaded cramp. I felt a twinge at 3 miles, but it soon wore off. The plan seemed to be working. I also continued my banana strategy by taking on one at every feed station. I must have had at least twelve in total during the course of the run. I don’t know if you can overdose on potassium but I must have come close.
My family was there to watch the run. It was so good to hear their support. Knowing they were there watching was a huge boost and spurred me on. They’ve been on this journey with me, especially my fiancé so having them there was perfect. When I finally got to the finishing area, my two eldest daughters were there to run over the line with me. It was an amazing feeling to have them there with me.
I have to say that the race organisation was first class. Everything was so well thought through and the support around the course was fantastic. I can understand why people keep going back.
I finished in 5 hours and 20 minutes, a huge personal best for me. I’d finally managed to run the way I wanted to, so I was delighted to get a result I was finally happy with. I also managed to get another result I wasn’t expecting. I’d put the race number transfers on my arms in the morning, the ones you have to wet to get them to stick. Not expecting the weather to be any good I didn’t bother with any sun block, but by the time I got on to the run the sun was beating down. I’ve now got my race number 702 outlined on my skin by sunburn. Proper numpty tan.