My race preparation for this triathlon included spending the weekend before it in bed with some sort of chest infection (it’s still causing the odd cough three weeks later) and about two weeks with minimal exercise. On the plus side the lack of exercise meant my calves weren’t sore.

The event was organised by the Triangle Triathlon Club and based out of the Roe Valley leisure centre. Here’s the report:

Organisation / Route

I arrived at the centre about 15mins before the advertised registration time and the organisers were busy setting up the transition area / finish line. I went in to register, there were no signs but a few Triathletes who were helpful as always and pointed me in the right direction.

After I registered I headed outside, got my bike and went round to the transition area. It was well laid out considering the space available and partly on grass which is always nice when you’re going to be running in bare feet. Once set up I went inside and found a locker (the advantage of being based in a leisure centre). The organisation was a bit ropey here as lots of people were running round wondering if they and missed the briefing but it turns out they were doing it just before each wave at the poolside. As for the waves this is where the organisation shined, it went like clockwork and we started on time.

The bike ride was well signposted and marshalled/policed, it was a lot more hilly than I thought it would be and on the day very VERY windy. It was out and in so at least every hill we went up we knew we got to come down it. The return into T2 was well marshalled also, but there was quite a distance to do on very cold bare feet before I got on to the grass (the Portlouise Tri had carpet all the way).

The run was nice and flat with a slight incline out but again this meant we got to come down it on the way back. It was marshalled at every turn except one and I know I wasn’t the only one to miss this and be corrected by passers by / car drivers.

Competitors

A good mix of experience and novice people at this one. Once more there were plenty of the fitter competitors offering encouragement to this fat boy.

Supporters

There was lots of people round the pool and a good handful made it out to the entrance/exit of the transition area. Karys Wilson was there to see a few people she knew and was in great voice, hearing her in the pool, and transition was a much needed boost.

Freebies

We were promised a T-Shirt but got a CD of some local country singer instead I like free T-Shirts but I guess they didn’t get it organised in time.

My Race

Like I said I wasn’t feeling great and had through of pulling out but then realised I was actually a man so got on with it. Here’s the breakdown:

Swim - 14:47 (90th)
I didn’t feel great in the swim but was in a lane full of people faster than me so I just tried to not be over taken much.

T1 - 1:24
Once again I took too long to get my shirt on over my wet back.

Cycle - 44:11 (113th)
I crossed the mount line gingerly got on the bike and the chain came off, rather embarrassing. I didn’t feel strong on the bike either and the wind made for a tough ride. Only got over taken a few times and actually over took a few people myself.

T2 - 1:34
My dismount was much better than my mount but my feet were cold and it was very sore on the concrete (I know I’m a wouse). Got my shoes on quickly and I was away.

Me leaving T2

Run - 24:52 (122)
The first half of the run I was happy enough but not overly pushing myself, when I got to the half way stage I realised that I actually felt really good and had loads of energy left. So I picked up the pace a little and actually kept under 8min/mi for the last 2.5Km (that’s good for me).

Overall - 1:26:45 (114)
With 158 competitors I was once again in my 2/3 – 3/4 the way down the table position but I knocked 3mins off my time in the last triathlon, however I’m far from happy with it. I had been putting in good swim times and cycle times before this and would liked to have been much faster in both. After I finished I spent about 10minutes coughing but felt okay apart from that.

The next day my calves were still fine and in fact the sorest part of me was my back from the go-karting I did after the Triathlon.

The past two weeks….

Through Karys I’ve made two more Twitter friends who were doing the Triathlon @lisam75 (windymillar.posterous.com) & @austinslide (couchpotatotoironman.blogspot.com/) they are both newcomers to the sport so it’s interesting watching their training. They’ve put me to shame over the past few weeks, keep it up you two. It turns out as I was leaving I stopped to offer @lisam75 help to get her bike into the car, it’s nice to make a good first impression but the crowd at Triathlon’s are always offering each other help and encouragement, it’s a very friendly sport.

It’s been two weeks since this triathlon and my cough has cleared up but I’ve not been doing much training, I haven’t swam yet, and yesterday was my first cycle. I have ran a few times and it’s been good. I’ve done a 3.4mi @ 8.13min/mi and a 1.5mi @ 7.08min/mi.

I’m planning to hit it hard the next few weeks. I’ve the 100Km Coastal Challenge on the 20th June so I need to get a few miles in before that and I want to work on the running see if I can get the 7min/mi to last for the full 5Km or get up to 10Km without the calves going.

Monday sees the first day in the new school with pupils. We will be working on setting up computers for the few weeks. I’ll probably not get to set up or use my new 27′ iMac for ages:-(

What I’m most looking forward to is the brighter mornings and being able to cycle to work and get a warm shower when I get in. I’m also hoping to use the gym in work. Not sure how it will work but it looks good.

The main focus is obviously going to be triathlons once again. I hope to shift 3 stone this year and compete in an Olympic Triathlon. I’ve an eye on a few but will confirm at a later stage. The one solid date we have is the Quarryman in September alongside Mark and Dave there are a few Sion men joining us for that one I think both married to women I once chased so obviously I would like to beat them but they are very fit. lol Glad you boys are joining us in the Tri world.

The next week however will be focused on finishing off my uni reports. I can’t wait to get this year over me. This will definately be the last university course I do. No masters and most certainly no doctorate regardless of what my course director (and ex employer) says.

I’m posting this on my iPhone using the wordpress app. It didn’t worklast time I tried but there have been updates since to WordPress and the App and it now appears to be working. So maybe there’ll be a few more blog posts to come.

Right now I’m round at Mark and Claire’s house so I’ll end the post here and get back to the craic of planning Sunday school lessons and PowerPoint.

I got a quick catch up with Dave Allen last night as he, Stacey and the family are over for a wee trip. Was good to see them and I hope we’ll see a little more of them over the holidays.

It’s that time of year when we reflect so here’s my reflections and targets for the next year. No resolutions just targets.

Tri an Mhi 09 - Three Amigos at the finish line

The past year has been an interesting one: I’ve lost (and kept off) 2.5stone, completed two triathlon sprints, passed the first half (PGCFHE) of my teaching qualification and seen the engagements of a few wonderful friends.

The plans for next year are:

1. Finish my PGDFHE
2. Find a teaching job
3. Read my Bible more
4. Lose at least another 2.5stone
5. Complete in an Olympic triathlon
6. Improve my time for the Quarryman Sprint Triathlon
7. Spend less money
8. Redesign the @TheCastle website

n.b. they are not necessarily in order of importance. As you can see Facebook and Twitter will once again be full of updates about running, cycling and swimming but hey it’s better than the stupid random updates seen on most pages.

I’ve been keeping up some training since the summer and have thankfully got out for a cycle most weekends, and until recently at least one run a week sometimes more. Unfortunately training over Christmas will be limited to swimming and biking as I’ve to take a break from running while I’m attending physio to sort out my calves. I’ll not be on the bike for the next few days either because my calves are very tender after taking a real bashing from the physio yesterday, there’s a few bruises and lot of pain. I’m such a wouse! LOL