The drive over was a great way to wake us up as the whole Oxfordshire/ Gloustershire border wildlife population where up and out on the road! No animals were hurt in the making of this report.

We arrived just over an hour before our start time so we could register and get set up in transition. It was a really well organised process, transition was a good layout and I found my spot had a little more room than normal so I was very happy. The water looked a bit choppy as the chilly wind was blowing across the lake towards the start,

The wife’s and my family supporters arrived just as we were getting the wetsuits on and then nerves started to kick in. why is it, as soon as you get a wetsuit on you need the loo?

After walking over to the swim start to watch the wave before us go off it was nearly time to stop worrying about the water temperature and get in. A 3 minute warning  was issued and we had a little splash around to try and get acclimatised.

The airhorn sounded and it was off with a slight run-in start, which is always interesting as you need to be careful not to jump on someone and get kicked!

I picked my spot, made a beeline for it and missed the legs of the guys in front. The cold water shot down the back of my suit and took my breath away but managed to stay calm and swim through it. A pretty uneventful swim as I stayed away from the main pack which were to my right all the way round so I must have been a bit off course! A few bumps and kicks at the turn buoys’ but no dramas apart from the cold feet. Last turn buoy and the exit is in sight, a couple of Marshall’s are on hand to drag me out and I can now think about the bike.

Swim Time
0:08:49

It felt like an age in transition as I decided to put gloves on and the famous Basingstoke Tri Squad cycling top over the trisuit as it was still chilly at 8.30am. Finally out onto the bike and spin the legs to get the blood flowing, take on some liquid and settle in. With a steady stream of guys in front, it made it easier to target someone and play catch up but with this plan, drinking went out of the window. A few aero bullets went past me from the wave behind but I was holding a steady average of around 24mph so I was happy to give them some encouragement on the way past me. I had a great battle with another rider on the bike leg with us constantly overtaking each other throughout. I managed to get the better of him in the final 0.5k and came in a minute before him.

T1
0:02:29

Bike/T2
0:34:45

Off the bike and run to transition, jelly legs kicked in but put a brave face on, stayed upright and a quick ‘alright?’ from the family supporters.  Gear off and out for the last leg of the day, the run. I took it easy to start off with as cramp started to nip at my calves and my feet were like blocks of ice!

About half way round the first lap, the guy form the bike leg came streaking past! I was a bit gutted but I had nothing to keep up with him until my feet thawed out. First lap over and the feeling came back in the feet, cramp had gone and I could now feel what I was running on.

I aimed to keep a steady pace for most of the lap and finish with a sprint finish if I could muster one up. Rounding the final couple of corners I could hear heavy breathing from behind and a guy was right on my heels. He went a bit early so for the final 30 meters, I took a deep breath and sprinted past the family focused on the finish line. Two others runners in front had the same idea but I managed to squeeze past and beat all three of them to the line!

Run
0:21:55

Total Time
1:07:59

On the whole it was a great first triathlon of the season, well organised and supported with over 300 competitors.  I would have preferred a slightly later start and warmer water temperatures but that’s May for you. It gave me a great insight into what I need to work on before my ‘A’ race in June and what I’m capable of this season. Thanks to my family supporters that made the early start and to cheer me on out of the swim, bike finish and the run laps, you gave me a real boost of energy!

Not to forget my mate, he came in at 1:24:25, which he was a bit disappointed with the bike leg but that gives him something to work on as well. We finished up with a well deserved fried breakfast and a pint, which was a great reward for a mornings work!

Bring on the Blenheim Triathlon on the 10^th June!

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It was a really good, friendly race and the venue was ideal for youngsters too.

The swim was 8 lengths of the pool, and I was really pleased to be second out of the water and running to the Transition Area to get my bike. To save time later I had a cunning plan which was to put my trainers on rather than waste time changing shoes later. I exited transition in just over a minute and Mum and Dad were really impressed – I love elastic laces! Unfortunately the bike section was all around the grass playing fields rather than on road and I was a bit worried about slipping on the corners with my thin road tyres, but the others were in the same situation too, as we all had road bikes. I stayed in the front the whole way, and due to not having to swap shoes managed a T2 transition in less than a minute! Dad couldn’t believe his eyes! I started really strong on the run, leading the pack for the whole of the first lap when I started to blow. I got really demoralised when one of them overtook me, and didn’t seem to be able to get my speed back. Then – disaster – another one overtook too! I felt really beaten up now, and it was all I could muster to finish the race with a sprint finish.

I hope to be able to go back next year and win, and looking back on the race I think I should have pushed harder on the bike section, as that  is my strength at the moment and it would have increased the distance between me and the others before they started the run. Or maybe I need to do more run training…

So overall I came third in my age group, and first girl. The prize was a really snazzy trisuit from TriZoo, who were the sponsors, and I chose a design that had been made especially for the Brownlee brothers – Cool!

Heidi, 11.

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See you at the club night at 8pm.

Committee members from 7pm please?

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Many thanks!

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Why not join us next week?

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So whatever you get up to, have fun and enjoy your training…. as the season gets ever-closer…

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