Going long – Bedford Middle Distance Triathlon

My 1^st triathlon of the year and it’s a long one. I decided that if I was going do this I had to do standard to middle distance to have any sort of chance of being competitive as my swim and run is just not fast enough. As you can guess I’m a tad too competitive to actually do this for enjoyment.

Putting both my two previous attempts of triathlons behind me (late for the swim on both occasions) this race was going to go like clockwork. So I thought!

Woke up at 5am, stuffed myself full of breakfast, loaded the car and headed over to pick up Daz. Drove to Priory Park Bedford, registered and then got our stuff sorted. So far so good, we have plenty of time before the start. Daz goes off to queue for the portaloos and I wandered down to the water edge to see what we needed to swim. Water was still as a mill pond, air was cool and fresh I was pretty relaxed, although seeing the first buoy in the distance was a shock to the system as I struggled swimming 400m  only 2 weeks previous.

Made the walk back to transition and joined the queue for the portaloos. At this time I was conscious that time was ticking. Thinking that #turnertime would be ok I continue to wait patiently.  Finally got my turn and upon exiting noticed the race briefing had already started. A moment of panic kicked in and I legged it back to transition passing the masses all ready, hats on and listening intently. I get to my stuff, strip off, wetsuit flies on in record time and people are looking at me as though i'd mistaken the getting ready bit as the first transition. By the time I am ready I actually miss the whole race briefing and was also able to distract Daz enough for him to miss it too. Considering it was his first triathlon I don’t think he was too impressed. Also, in the process I was able to put my thumb through the leg of the wetsuit. Being the first time I was racing in it, it was not a great start!

We head to the water and it is as expected, freezing! Fortunately the cold water was enough to numb the pain in the feet from the long walk to the lake over paths that bear resemblance of walking on glass. I get in the water and find a safe place to keep out the mix and suddenly we're off. Straight away I noticed I was unable breathe to my left as my chest felt constricted. Thoughts started entering my head that I should have spent more time putting the wetsuit on correctly. Managed about 300m and was not enjoying it at all, I actually felt like I was going to freak out.  Did a bit of breaststroke and pulled my shit together and got to the other end. Swim was timed at 38:04 which is not great but I was just relieved that I made it out alive.

Due to oxygen starvation the long run to transition was a bit of a blur which distracted the pain in the soles of my feet again. Had a welcomed reunion with my bike and started to go through the motions. 

I was glad to get out on the bike and started ticking over a decent pace. I was pasting through the field surprisingly quickly and the effort didn’t seem to be too bad. After the first 15-20 miles I noticed that I was well above my target pace and was actually hitting 24mph+. The field started to thin out as we headed to the first turn around point where I saw the race leader. I continue with my current effort and passed quickly and carried on nice and steady. By the time of the next turnaround point I did a time check on 2^nd and 3^rd and found I was making a lot of time up and this gap seemed to get bigger at the final turnaround so I knew I had some time banked for the run. During the ride I had taken my two High 5 gels that I had in 45 min intervals, with 500ml every hour which I thought it would be enough, but towards the end of the bike I felt the tank emptying. I think one more gel would of sorted me out, so a lesson learnt. 

First into transition, threw my socks and shoes on, took on another gel and off I went for the run. Plan was to run 6:30's but after the 1st mile I'd hit 6:17 and feeling ok and continued around that pace until I pasted the 2^nd place runner after 2.5 miles. By this time I had worked out I was a mile ahead which allowed me to settled back to target pace to prevent blowing up towards the end. This was actually the least of my worries and nature was calling and I had to make the decision at 5.5 miles to finally relieve the pressure to save my kidneys. After the longest 45s ever I got back on the run and felt much better. Got to the turnaround at 7.8 miles and started heading back along the route I had just come. As I past 2^nd place I clocked him at 2 mins 40s behind and not looking too comfortable fortunately. 3^rd was clocked at just over 4 mins and then 4^th place at 7 mins, although the 4^th place guy was sprinting and looking like he was running a 5k. Did the calculations and worked out I could settle into a more manageable pace of 6:45 to the end and the day was starting to take its toll.

I took the win with a time of 4:29:35 which was a massive surprise as it was not expected at the start of the day or after the stressful swim, so I was really happy with what I was able to achieve. 2^nd place came in exactly 4 mins after and it was the guy I saw sprinting earlier. He still looked very strong so I was glad I was able to bank enough time on the bike.

Overall a great day. Weather was kind and everything nearly went to plan and a win to start to my first triathlon season is more than I hoped for. Just hope I can get a bit more organised as the season progresses.

Splits for the day: Swim 38:04, Bike 2:20:40, Run 1:28:06

Also a massive well done to Darren Preston who managed a 4:57:52 for his first ever triathlon.

Next up Grendon Sprint Triathlon - European AG Qualifier