Alnwick Triathlon

READY SET GO

I had to get up at 0400hrs today.  After a ISALean Chocolate Shake with a scoop of ISAPro and a quick nervous Facebook Live post to my Story-line, I headed out to collect my Dad (even harder for him to get up; and now trusted one man support crew).  We drove for one hour to Alnwick for me to swim 16 lengths, cycle 21km and run 5km, with a start time of 0822. Why? Because it’s always exhilarating.

SUNDAY MORNING

Some people probably couldn’t think of anything worse on a Sun morning, including the rest of my family! I suppose it’s the reason so many experiences in life are very personal and drive us in our own very unique way. However, when you get to where you are going with your goals, it’s amazing how many other like-minded people just turn up and rally around. Another little metaphor for life.

WHY?

For me, it is all about continual improvement and wondering how far I can go.  Triathlon has become a vehicle for me to stretch myself and dig a little deeper into the some of the attributes that make up who I am, and I’m still discovering them.

FOCUS ON TODAY

Today was the second triathlon of the season and I loved it. We were the first to arrive this morning and I was able to park right outside the leisure centre, which was handy. Registration opened just after 0600. It only took five minutes. I was marked up and handed a useful string drawer bag containing a bright orange fleece top, and the other bits for the event. The race number stickers were for the bike and helmet, and my swim hat was bright orange.  After the obligatory e-shot, to boost my alertness and provide a natural performance kick, it was time for the race briefing.

SIMPLE IDEAS

Today’s event had some innovative ways of keeping everyone organised and safe. The different coloured swim hats ensured we all started the swim in the correct order. They also helped the volunteers to count the lengths.  On the run, we had to complete 4 laps of a playing field and we donned ‘hair bobbles’ on the wrist as we ran past the volunteers.  They were very adept at slipping them on your arm as you past. If you didn’t finish with 4, it was a DQ (disqualification)!

NEW ROUTES

The bike course was great and was fuelled by Jelly Beans and Amped Hydrate. It was  a meandering fast route out to the coast and the small town of Boulmer, before heading North and West back to Alnwick, taking in a few cheeky climbs along the way.

RESULT

The atmosphere, weather and energy was perfect today.  There were some familiar faces from local clubs and plenty of friendly competition. I was delighted with my result. I came 55th out of a field of 155 and 14th in my age category out of 31.

NEXT MONTH

I am now looking forward to June, and the Leeds ITU.  It’s an Olympic standard distance event, with a lake swim.  It will be the fourth time I have done it and it’s a great chance to watch the professionals too.

AGE GROUP ITU

This year for a laugh, I have entered my Age Group Championship, just to see where I rank. It is much more about what I have to do to improve, and I only have 4 months until IRONMAN WALES; that will be the real win for me!

ISALIFE

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