That's me there, 7th out of 12. Do you hear the pride in my voice? Did I say, this is not a kiwisport event that give-it-a-go types turn up to do? Do you know, I had so much fun today??
Once race day nerves are done and dusted, it's game face on, and setting up transition, squeezing into a wetsuit and trying to pre-navigate my way through a rabbit warren on transition entries and exits, takes my mind off the pain ahead.
The swim........ well, we all knew it wasn't going to be my strength didn't we? I managed to get through it without exhausting myself or being drowned by the rabid pack of triathletes vying for honours, that's a success in itself. I did have some scary time after rounding the far buoy and not being able to SEE the next white buoy as the sun was directly in my eyes. REgardless, I think I took a fairly straight line!
Into transition and I see Hamish, who I teach with, very carefully tying his shoes. He had a great swim time, but is so gentlemanly he hung around in transition for four whole minutes to check I hadn't drowned. (He's a primary school teacher, I can only presume it doesn't take him four minutes to tie his own shoes......) My own transition is a flawless model of a pro-triathlete. Wetsuit off, cap and goggles flung on the ground to interfere with other competitor's transition areas. MTB shoes on. Helmet on. Unrack bike. Jump on bike. Sh** - I'm not allowed on my bike until I get past the mount line. Jump off bike. Run 3 steps and realise I don't have my hydra pack. Drop bike in middle of Transition, run back for my bag. Run back to bike. Jump on bike. Sh** - I'm not allowed on my bike until I'm past the mount line! Back off my bike. You get the picture. Slick.
I cycle up the killer road climb and my head is pounding. What is it about swimming that leaves me feeling like my forehead is going to explode? I'm not sure if it's stress-related, or caused by over exertion, but I feel like shit, excuse the language. However, I push it up the hill, knowing that I need to pass as many people as possible before we hit the single track climbs which will bottleneck.
I have a ripper up Frontal Lobotomy, feeling pleased that I've being doing Summerhill racing all summer. I can ride all the pinch climbs in slippery conditions, passing lots of other riders who can't make it up. I head into Billy T with my headache fading, ready for the fun to begin. Billy T is a grade 4 downhill trail, with some technical, rooty sections with drop offs that can be tricky, especially after some rain. After a bad ride last year when newly broken fingers, it's not been my favourite trail, but I've ridden it quite a bit in preparation for this race, and I'm feeling good. The plan is to take it fairly easy, make it through and then gun it for the next downhill which is much easier.
I can't help but smile thinking about it. I nailed it. Rode nice lines, swooped the drop offs, dealt with the slippery corners. Passed a number of people who were not having such a fun time, including two ladies who held up four other riders without giving way, until one of them fell off right in front of us all. I come through the last tricky bit, beaming, then wince as I hear a yell and the sounds of crashing bikes behind me. Not everyone has been so fortunate.
As I head out on the two lap run course, my legs feel ok, not the usual jelly transition. It may have just been the excitement of being cheered out on to the course. It's a beautiful run, on a trail interesting enough to take your mind of tired legs..... but a little defeating to be passed by a number of runners. It's hard to tell who is on their second lap already, and just in another league to me, and who is starting their first lap and I'm losing places to. I settle for just being disappointed every time I'm passed, but my legs just don't go any faster.
I slow down as I pass Hamish towards the end of the second lap, to give some encouragement. A lady around my age starts to pass us, and knowing that's a potential placing, I take back off to stay in front of her. She ruined the last couple of k's, right behind me, as I ran around each curve of Blue Lake hoping to see the sandy finish stretch. She pushed me all the way to the finish line, only a few seconds behind me. Run time of 1:08:06, which is not a bad 11km time for me after a morning's work! 7th out of the runners in my division - which is also not bad for someone who is not a runner!
All in all, I'm fairly rapt. And I had so much fun, I didn't even get to that point where you go "Why am I doing this, I hurt so much, I hate it, I'm never doing this again". Tom says maybe I didn't push hard enough. Maybe. I definitely didn't swim enough! This race is a winner for next year's schedule, with a little more swim training, and a little more speedwork in the runs. The MTB is just for the pure joy of it!
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