So…I did the Super-Sprint triathlon, at the weekend, and here’s the outcome! I DID IT! It was quite the freeing ideal, but it did have a few caveats to keep me on my toes! I ended up pulling 7th out of my class (of 15 participants.) Let’s break it down:
Swim: This was a cold pool, but this wasn’t what startled me, the most. As an old brine pool, its length would have been set in yards, back in the day. This made it 30.5m, and it’s quite staggering how different the extra 5.5m feels, when doing lengths. It was almost like I was unable to take the ‘turn breath’ as soon as I was used to, this meant that the first few lengths were a challenge to my respiration. All in all, a good 200m sprint, setting me back, a little over 4:01 minutes.
Transition One: This took time, and in fact, was 0.5 seconds longer than the swim, itself. I needed to get my socks on, and then apply my cycling shoes. They are always a pain to get on, but with a nutritional punch and drying my feet, it took me another 4:01 minutes. This is one to get better at.
Cycle: This was epic. I have never done 21km (13 miles) this fast. I sprinted on form. I was not expecting it, but the bike performed, admirably. I dries super quick and I kept an average of 29kph (18mph.) This part took me a little under 47 minutes. This was a goof 20 minutes plus less than my normal distance time!
Transition Two: MUCH QUICKER! At just over a minute, I was happy with this, especially for my first one. I even managed to run the bike back to the rack from the dismount line. Great!
Run: This was never going to be my best discipline, but I pulled a 7:44 per kilometre, keeping me at, or below, my training times, which is great. It was hard, but the two laps went by, pretty quick. The finish line was still a joy to see. The 2.5km (1.55 miles) was done in just over 19 minutes.
So there you go! Mt first triathlon is under my belt, and I wore my truck-suit all the way through. After a year of training, it paid off. Now it’s time to work for the next one!
