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Wella's first tri...

WellaWella Posts: 188
Morning all.



First tri is on Sunday, the Canons St. Albans Sprint.



Can't beleive its only 2 days away as it feels like I've been training for ages but at the same time doesn't seem enough.



Not nervous yet but I'm sure the early start will allow me plenty of time for that. Been a nightmare week work and sleep wise so not the best preparation but that can't be helped.



Anyway wish me luck as I start bike racking at 5.30am!



Wella
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Comments

  • fatmattfatmatt Posts: 145
    good luck wella, have you got any last minute questions? i'm sure we can all answer them between us,

    i'm going to try and ring them today and see if i can get a spot, it's not too far for me so might see you there

    fatmatt
  • WellaWella Posts: 188
    Cheers Matt.



    I've picked up a lot of advice from this forum in the last few weeks so thanks to everyone.



    I think my trainings done me ok actually although I could have hoped for another week as this one has't gone to well, lack of sleep basically.



    Any ideas for a pre-race meal. The race starts at 7am so I d't really want to be getting up and eating at 4am. I was going to have a light cereal breakfast at home, a banana on route and an energy gel just before the race. I've practiced with each if these so I know they won't upset the stomach. Any comments welcome.



    Let me know if you get a place.
  • fatmattfatmatt Posts: 145
    as long as thats what you're comfortable with then just stick with your normal breakky, i usually go for a small bowl of porridge and then more or less the same as you depending on the distance, i'll reply here later if i have a place, looking at doing on near ross on wye too if i cant get in

    good luck again

    fatmatt
  • fatmattfatmatt Posts: 145
    oh and don't worry if you feel a little dizzy somewhere between getting out of the swim and getting out on the bike, it's normal
  • WellaWella Posts: 188
    Its funny, I was really confident with the swim part until the last couple of weeks. Sounds strange but I found out that the pool I was training in was shorter than I'd originally been told. Only 3m but over 18 lengths it adds up to another couple of lengths. As a result its affected my confidence to complete the distance at a fast pace so I've been more cautious and my times have gotten slower and slower. Mind you I don;t want to knacker myself for the bike just to save a minute on the swim.



    Still, its my first race and as Cenzo said, just run my own race.
  • jazdogjazdog Posts: 223
    Good luck Wella,



    Don't worry about the swim.... and don't worry about the extra three metres... a really good streamlined push off will get you that distance... You've done the training... don't go too hard.. work your way into the race and you'll have a ball!!!



    Good luck

    Jaz
  • loonytoonloonytoon Posts: 673
    Good luck wella... try and relax



    one my first on the swim I was consentrating so hard on my stroke I didn't really notice it was an effort....On the bike I started to get worried as I had time to think about every little niggle and didn't dare go faster in case I blew up ... On the run I was just hanging on...



    Turned out I swam faster and ran faster than I planned and the bike was about the same (maybe a little slower) you see your head will try and fook you up but by having faith in body you have trained will see you through.. By relaxing you'll elimate all the self doubt which is only human and forget about the time as well

  • peterparkypeterparky Posts: 59
    Hi Wella

    JUST ENJOY IT!!!! I did my first one a couple of weeks ago and it was over all too quickly - mainly due to large amounts of adrenalin, sheer panic and terror. The transitions become a blur with constant thinking about what you are doing or not!

    The minute you finish you want to do it all again - well maybe not the minute - 10 minutes later.

    But what a feeling at the end - absolutely bloody amazing.

    The next day i entered everything i could find in my area on the net.

    So just have fun it will be an amazing experience and you will become well and truly hooked like everyone else on here.

    Very best of luck

    Ian
  • pacrfishpacrfish Posts: 266
    Good luck wella - keep calm and cool!



    That early start will help given the weather forecast. Remember to take loo paper cos it usually runs out!!



    Enjoy!
  • WellaWella Posts: 188
    Pat,



    That is one of the best bits of advice I've ever heard.



    Thanks to everyone else for the tips and motivation. Can't wait to get in that pool.



    Wella
  • madnursemadnurse Posts: 782
    sam - all you have top do is turn up and go home .... let your body do the in between bits ... you'll be suprised at what you are really capable when it comes down to it ...



    dream believe become etc



    phil
  • Good luck Wella, did my first one last w/e and can't wait till the next! The one thing I woudl do next time is drink loads of water in the days leading up to the race. Apprantly it takes a few days for your body to be fully hydrated!

    Porridge is good and the advice on loo paper is excellent![:D]



    Enjoy!!
  • WellaWella Posts: 188
    Cheers AB. Watched your messages last week and seems you've npw got the bug and signed up for a few others.



    I drink 4 litres a day most days anyway so hopefully i'll be hydrated enough. Can be a bit awkward at work as you need to bisit the loo every 30min. Definately helps with the amount of exercise that we do anyway.
  • guv001guv001 Posts: 227
    Good luck and remember if you don't win then your wasting your time........(only joking of course) Hope you enjoy.
  • madnursemadnurse Posts: 782
    Sam - just in case you have a sight case of nerves the night before .. i dare you (tommorrow) to just go out there and enjoy it !!!!!!!



    tri it

    do it

    love it



    mad as ....... [8D]
  • fatmattfatmatt Posts: 145
    come on then......

    admit we were all right, you loved it???????

    fatmatt
  • WellaWella Posts: 188
    Afternoon all.



    Firstly, thanks for all the last minute wods of encouragement. Secondly, you were all right.



    What a morning!



    Up at 5pm and bright as a button, until the nerves kicked in. Got there nice and early and then found I had an hours wait until my start time which was really good as I was able to watch a few who had done it before and learn the ins and outs of transition.



    Swim went pretty well even if it was at a steady pace. Made the mistake of overtaking someone after about 6 lengths and then fact I didn't breathe for half a length doing it knackered me for the next couple. Finished the swim in 8m12s. A PB for the full distance for me. Transition was longer than I expected and I needed it due to the dizziness. You were all right about that one as well.



    Bike went really well until I hit the 20km mark and realised the finish was miles away. The actual course measured 23km which threw me a bit at first but I battled on. Finished the bike in 44m54s so not too bad with the extra distance thrown in.



    Good 2nd transition and a good run for me at 22m51s. It was bloody hot by then and I was feeling it.



    Final time was 1hr 19m 46s and I'm well chuffed. Wanted to beat 1hr 15m but with the extra 3km that wasn't going to happen.



    Really impressed with the organisation and overall atmosphere of the event.



    Boys and girls, I am well and truly hooked. Good job as I have the Spalding sprint next week.



    Thanks again for the support.



    Wella (am I a triathlete now?)









  • madnursemadnurse Posts: 782
    the dark side awaits ......



    madnurse



    ps i knew ,,, we all knew ,,,, you just had to find out for yourself
  • loonytoonloonytoon Posts: 673
    yes wella you a triathlete now



    well done

  • CenzoCenzo Posts: 91
    Wella,

    I, and dare i say all the other guys are really chuffed for you, yes you are a Triathlete :-)

    well done mate, well done all round, brilliant effort. And doesn't it feel good to be home by midday on a sunday having done a Tri?
  • pacrfishpacrfish Posts: 266
    Definitely a triathlete - very well done, wella. Glad you enjoyed it too.



    Lots more to come this year ....!!
  • Well done! It is such a great feeling, one of the best highs I've ever had![:D]

    I had to go around saying "I did it!"" for a day or so as seemed so unreal!
  • WellaWella Posts: 188
    Sunday afternoon was definately a relaxing afternoon. Had a quite a headache though as I don't think I drank enough fluid during the race. I didn't think it could get so hot at 8:30 in the morning.



    Still waiting for the results to find my finish position.



    Thanks for all the support, I feel like I'm one of the gang now.



    Wella
  • WellaWella Posts: 188
    Finally got the results. Slight difference of an extra 2 minutes compared to the time on my watch. I guess this happens from time to time?



    Based on their time I finished 81st and on my time 62nd. Either way out of about 270 competitors I finished in the top third so I'm pretty pleased.



    The winning runners 5km run time was 10 minutes something. Glad I wasn't around when he was running.

  • BonusBBonusB Posts: 279
    Thats just ill. 10 min for 5 km? One day....
  • jazdogjazdog Posts: 223
    Welcome to the club!



    Great effort Wella... glad you enjoyed it!!
  • WellaWella Posts: 188
    I know, 10 minutes!!!



    I thought it was a freak result but I checked and there were others around the 11 and 12 minute mark.



    Must check if they actually entered the swim and bike legs.
  • RobRob Posts: 209
    Wella, they wouldn't have done 10 mins for a 5k run. The world record is only 12.37. You sure it was a 5K?
  • WellaWella Posts: 188
    Rob,



    Definately 5k. I'd measured it in the car the week before and using the rout creator on runlondon.com.



    As I said in the earlier post they added 2mins to my swim time so I suppose errors in times do occur. Understandable as it was manual timing and not by chips.
  • CenzoCenzo Posts: 91
    Wella,



    You're not the only one who seems to have gained a couple of minutes, I'ce just spoken to one of the girls from my club who finished 4th lady in 1:19 something but had somehere in the 1:17's on her watch, curious!

    Also as for the run times, I'm happy to report another 1st place for Trent Park, the mens winner Brian McCarthy regularly runs low high 16's/low 17's for his 5k's, but I see this guy close up he's not human, apparently he mountain biked the course before the race for a recce & then racked his race bike for the main event - madness!!

    I'd trust your watch for the time, you've done really well mate, great 1st race :-)
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