Early starts ready and out the door for 6am arrived early parked up and headed to registration. Collected numbers pinned them on put numbers on bike set up transition nice and easy relaxed and well organised start to the day. We headed down to the water I was tempted to get in and warm up before the start. I didn’t and probably should have done. It was a rolling swim start walk of the pontoon and straight in. I just dropped in and sunk got up and started swimming to the first buoy and turn left. Couldn’t get into rhythm couldn’t get into my stroke. Breathing was out. Breaststroked a bit then front crawl a bit then got swam over that threw me out again. I managed to get back into crawl up the the turn at the top got dunked again at the turn felt sickly after swallowing water. I got back into my stroke found some feet to draft all the way back second half of swim was definitely better than the first. Wobbly legs getting out the water swim was long on my watch that’s probably me not swimming straight. Ran up to the steps and hill walked that into transition happy with my transition and fuelling so that’s a positive
Bike was steady nice average pace fairly uneventful. Struggled tightening my right shoe for the first mile. Some of the roads were a bit bumpy but when got onto duel carriageway it was fast. The roads were brilliant from then on until I hit a pothole about 24 mile. Drank and fuelled well again on the bike. It was good to get back into the park up to the dismount line. Ran into transition bit awkward trying to find my spot with no numbers in transition but still an ok time in there
The run was hot first lap was great happy with time for first 5k. Happy with average pace by the second lap was pouring water down my back and over my head as well as drinking. It was great to see a few people on the course and get a few shouts. Bit of banter between a few from St. Helens tri and Richard from rivi tri is still it in the game of tag. The second 5k I lost a bit of time on what I wanted but I was never going flat out on this race was more just going through the motions before outlaw next week
First Olympic distance tri done 2:55 not a great time but fuelling was spot on transitions were good happy overall very well organised event.
Got home to wife enjoyed the rest of our anniversary with beers bbq abs music chilling out in the back garden perfect end to a good day
therunningpunk 