Swim 750m (Open water Loch) (13:49)
Cycle 20km (33:05)
Run 5km (19:31)
Finish time 1:07:46
Place : 11th overall.
8th in category (senior)
Today was my 3rd race of the season. A Sprint. The race was situated on the beautiful Knockburn loch, a man made loch for triathlons. Due to recent warm weather the temperature of the water was at 17 degrees, this made the swim much more pleasant. Fortunately my parents came to the race and drove me there, i carried out my warm up, drank a quick espresso (downed it) and got my wetsuit on. I was extremely nervous before the race as i always seem to be so i was in the water as soon as we were able too.
The swim was something new to me, starting in the water and a mass start, I was a bit worried at first all the hands and feet kicking and punching but when we began i was off at a good pace at the front of the group around 90 people. At the first bouy someone accidentaly pushed down on my back and for a while i couldn't breath and felt quite panicked. However i quickly recovered and set into my own race. Occasionally i had a few kicks and hits but nothing major. The swim circulated and island at around half way and after this i began to up my stroke rate. Open water swimming can be very challenging as with no lane ropes or visibility knowing where you are going can be difficult. I pushed on and soon after was out of the water.
Once out the water my wetsuit slipped off fast and i was into my cycling shoes and grabbed my bike. By this stage the adrenaline and buzz from the swim was driving me on. The cycle course was fast and relatively flat, there were some gentle rolling hills. I overtook quite a few people on the bike as i exited the water quite late from the swim. I was then on open road with no one i could see behind me and two people in front (that i could see). My aim was to catch them both, the first i overtook on a long straight where i was pushing a big gear and down on the tri bars. The second i caught on the last steep climb 3km from the finish. I was out my seat almost screaming but i wouldn't back down. I entered Transition 2 ahead of him and felt really strong.
Off the bike and into my running shoes, I began the run fast as i wanted to gain another couple of places. The run was off road, a mixture of grass, forestry and a little mud. It was two laps and contained two pretty steep off road climbs. However from training in Plymouth i am fairly used to pushing hard up the hills. After the first lap i was feeling surprisingly good. I picked up the pace and pushed on the hills. After overtaking two people i made sure no one else passed me. After the last bend i put in a big sprint finish and crossed the line 11th overall.
I loved todays race, the course was beautiful and loch great to swim in. My parents and good friend Catriona and her Mother were there so it was really encouraging to have so much support and i want to thank them for the cheering and the photos.
My stretching, hard work in training, nutrition and determination really pushed me on today. I felt strong and went fast. Im pleased with todays result for it being my 3rd ever event. I will next be racing next weekend at the Scottish Sprint Championships. This will be a real experience with around 400 compeitors. I hope to beat todays time and race a strong race. For now its time to eat rest and get back into training.
Thanks for all the support.
Pictures thanks to my family, also i will be posting a short video on my blog soon of the race.
Today was my 3rd race of the season. A Sprint. The race was situated on the beautiful Knockburn loch, a man made loch for triathlons. Due to recent warm weather the temperature of the water was at 17 degrees, this made the swim much more pleasant. Fortunately my parents came to the race and drove me there, i carried out my warm up, drank a quick espresso (downed it) and got my wetsuit on. I was extremely nervous before the race as i always seem to be so i was in the water as soon as we were able too.
The swim was something new to me, starting in the water and a mass start, I was a bit worried at first all the hands and feet kicking and punching but when we began i was off at a good pace at the front of the group around 90 people. At the first bouy someone accidentaly pushed down on my back and for a while i couldn't breath and felt quite panicked. However i quickly recovered and set into my own race. Occasionally i had a few kicks and hits but nothing major. The swim circulated and island at around half way and after this i began to up my stroke rate. Open water swimming can be very challenging as with no lane ropes or visibility knowing where you are going can be difficult. I pushed on and soon after was out of the water.
Once out the water my wetsuit slipped off fast and i was into my cycling shoes and grabbed my bike. By this stage the adrenaline and buzz from the swim was driving me on. The cycle course was fast and relatively flat, there were some gentle rolling hills. I overtook quite a few people on the bike as i exited the water quite late from the swim. I was then on open road with no one i could see behind me and two people in front (that i could see). My aim was to catch them both, the first i overtook on a long straight where i was pushing a big gear and down on the tri bars. The second i caught on the last steep climb 3km from the finish. I was out my seat almost screaming but i wouldn't back down. I entered Transition 2 ahead of him and felt really strong.
Off the bike and into my running shoes, I began the run fast as i wanted to gain another couple of places. The run was off road, a mixture of grass, forestry and a little mud. It was two laps and contained two pretty steep off road climbs. However from training in Plymouth i am fairly used to pushing hard up the hills. After the first lap i was feeling surprisingly good. I picked up the pace and pushed on the hills. After overtaking two people i made sure no one else passed me. After the last bend i put in a big sprint finish and crossed the line 11th overall.
I loved todays race, the course was beautiful and loch great to swim in. My parents and good friend Catriona and her Mother were there so it was really encouraging to have so much support and i want to thank them for the cheering and the photos.
My stretching, hard work in training, nutrition and determination really pushed me on today. I felt strong and went fast. Im pleased with todays result for it being my 3rd ever event. I will next be racing next weekend at the Scottish Sprint Championships. This will be a real experience with around 400 compeitors. I hope to beat todays time and race a strong race. For now its time to eat rest and get back into training.
Thanks for all the support.
Pictures thanks to my family, also i will be posting a short video on my blog soon of the race.
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