Windsor Triathlon 2011

Nerves? Me?
I raced at Windsor last year and had a great time. It’s a really good location, I like the windy river swim and I think the run route is cracking (even if it is slow), and I did quite well. I knew I hadn’t paced it brilliantly last year though and was keen to have another crack. It had been only my second standard distance triathlon too, and the last one had been seven years before that.
This year I was hoping to get a prize in the 35-39 age group category (its a big race) and it was my first A race of the year. Most of my training had been focussed on it, and much of it has gone quite well, apart from the running. Lots of people, noisy crowds, proper podium, lots of prizes, good competitors. Worth a go, eh?
I’d spent time thinking about the swim route & laying as much of a plan as I could. After having problems in the first 2 race swims this year, I nailed it in the Thames at Windsor. I made good decisions not to try & stick on feet that were too fast, and came out of the water 2nd in my wave under 23 minutes which, for me was an awesome start. Good pacing, good line. I hit the final swim turn properly too, which is tricky as it’s hidden from the swimmer’s point of view. Kim was at the swim exit & I think I had a big grin on my face. Fun.
The long jog to transition is great as it gives you time to clear your head & sort yourself out, and T1 was steady. Biking felt great, my legs were in great nick, and pacing was spot on again. I even had to overtake a van at one point. I felt like a machine, and didn’t really notice the wind and rain when it hit, apart from my hands & feet starting to chill & my left quads starting to get a bit chilled & weird. The rain made the course very slippery, so I took the (few) corners steady.
After a little confusion on the way back into Windsor & getting one of my feet out v v early I bombed into the long narrow ride through the park to dismount into T2. Through and out, saw Kim at the start of the run and then started the first time up the hill fairly steadily. Lap 1 steady, lap 2 faster (stitch, ow, relax, push) lap 3 all out. It was a bit of a push hard survival thing, not as much fun as usual, and a pain dodging wet, slippery surfaces and lots of other runners. It took me ages to catch the pirate though. “Aaaar!” What pace was he running dressed like that? Awesome stuff. Also, did he wear all that under his wetsuit? Was one of his goggles blacked out? Anyway…
I caught the fella with “Yeoman” written across his back & twigged that he was the fast swimmer in my wave of 37-year-olds that I’d seen at the start, so I guessed that I’d moved into the front of my wave at least. Push, push, push to the finish, pain over, legs back in the Thames with the swans wondering why the hell I didn’t have any bread for them, expecting a better class of stroller than these strange people in lycra.
Kim looked after me, I got changed & we hung around watching the elites (wow, Tom Bishop and Aaron Harris looked damned motivated on the run). I eventually hauled my soggy crap out of transition & chucked it back in the car, and we went back to the park to wait for the prize giving ceremony. My finishing time of 2:10 was the same as last year, even though my performance was much, much better, so I wasn’t really expecting a prize. I was hoping though.
Yeoman’s name got called for 3rd place in the 35-39 category (“ooh, I passed him”, I said) and before I had a chance to strip off to my Cardiff Tri colours I was called up for the 2nd place prize. Awesome! A podium to stand on too. All on my own though as neither 3rd or 1st place had stuck around. Big grin nonetheless. Kim was very excited.
Windsor Podium
It got better. When the results went up at the end of the day the chip timing people had included a guy in my age group that had only run 2 laps. Scrub him out and that put me into 1st place. I’d won my age group! Big tick. I was 14th overall though, matching the time of 13th place and only a minute from the top 10. And me on bog standard alloy wheels on the bike too. Another crack next year, maybe?


Comments

2 responses to “Windsor Triathlon 2011”

  1. The run took me (the pirate) 41 minutes, far quicker than I expected as I’ve been training for Ironman Nice this year rather than anything short. Oh yes, and I’d been at a party til 0330 that morning…
    Well done on wininng you age group, that’s a fantastic result!