Daventry Triathlon 2014
August 31st 2014
400m pool swim, 20km bike, 5km run
Not such an early start as last year! However, I was much earlier than I wanted to be due to the compulsory briefings. My race was at 09:41 and I had to be poolside by 09:31. The briefings were at 07:30, 08:15 and 09:30 meaning I had to attend the one at 08:15 - stupidly early!
Once I'd been briefed I went to rack. I suppose I was very lucky last year but certainly not this year. My rack position was in the second row back and beyond the bike out which made it quite difficult to get to and would give me long transition times. However, I racked and went to prep for the race.
Again, where I was luck last time and got an end-lane on the swim this time I was right in the middle. Not normally an issue but the pool sides at Daventry were still 500 mm above water level. However, I somehow managed to have the lane to myself for the swim (despite there being four people in each lane either side for the duration) so I took my lot and put in a steady swim. My aim this season was to go sub-8 minutes and this should have been my opportunity, but due to my accident my swimming training had taken a big hit and not wanting it to impinge on the rest of my race I put in an 08:15 swim. I'll have to leave the sub-8 minutes until next year!
Heaving myself out of the pool and doing like a seal to get out (flattering) I sped along to my bike and set off on the bike route, fairly uneventfully. Once off I quickly remembered why this race was so challenging as, 6 miles in, I gladly met the first descent. Thankfully this was fairly long and allowed me to recover for the next climb, which, this year, I knew was coming. In total the bike covered 620 ft of gain:
Once off the bike and a bit disappointed with my slower-than-last-year time (there was a slight headwind though for the majority) I carried on to what was my favourite run of last year. It seems to be rare to find a single-lap 5k and this trail around a reservoir is one of the nicest! Last year I'd had a decent run and I was determined to beat it this year so I set off at a higher cadence than normal to shake off the bike and get me a good start. Overtaking a couple of runners spurred me on until about a third of the way in when I started feeling those climbs in my legs. With about a mile to go and having been perked up by some welcome water at halfway I shook off the lethargy and picked it up a touch to finish with a time of 23:45 (the course is shorter than the advertised 5k), a good 2:30 faster than last year, in very similar conditions.
As a first race back after the accident I did enjoy this one and it was nice to be on a familiar course. This was also my first trip onto the open roads on my own since it happened which made me fairly nervy but I've gained a lot of confidence.
My overall time was quicker than last year and I managed to win my age category by more than 12 minutes! It seems turning 25 has some benefits as it keeps me out of the category with pesky students, who don't have to fit training around a full time job. Unfortunately due to the type of timing on the day I'd had no idea that I'd won so beetled off home before the prizes, disappointing! The other disappointing thing about the day was the t-shirt. The 2013 t-shirt was my favourite from the season - great material, fit and colour. This year the material reminded me of pyjamas, the colour was not particularly flattering and the design wasn't particularly eye catching. The medals were much nicer though :)
Times
Total time: 1:19:20 (3 minutes faster than last year)
Swim: 08:33
T1: 01:30
Bike: 44:35
T2: 00:56
Run: 23:45
Standings
Age category: 01/09 Age category win!
Gender category: 17/95 18%
Swim: 17/95 18%
T1: 01/95 1%
Bike: 12/95 13%
T2: 41/95 03%
Run: 18/95 19%
400m pool swim, 20km bike, 5km run
Not such an early start as last year! However, I was much earlier than I wanted to be due to the compulsory briefings. My race was at 09:41 and I had to be poolside by 09:31. The briefings were at 07:30, 08:15 and 09:30 meaning I had to attend the one at 08:15 - stupidly early!
Once I'd been briefed I went to rack. I suppose I was very lucky last year but certainly not this year. My rack position was in the second row back and beyond the bike out which made it quite difficult to get to and would give me long transition times. However, I racked and went to prep for the race.
Again, where I was luck last time and got an end-lane on the swim this time I was right in the middle. Not normally an issue but the pool sides at Daventry were still 500 mm above water level. However, I somehow managed to have the lane to myself for the swim (despite there being four people in each lane either side for the duration) so I took my lot and put in a steady swim. My aim this season was to go sub-8 minutes and this should have been my opportunity, but due to my accident my swimming training had taken a big hit and not wanting it to impinge on the rest of my race I put in an 08:15 swim. I'll have to leave the sub-8 minutes until next year!
Heaving myself out of the pool and doing like a seal to get out (flattering) I sped along to my bike and set off on the bike route, fairly uneventfully. Once off I quickly remembered why this race was so challenging as, 6 miles in, I gladly met the first descent. Thankfully this was fairly long and allowed me to recover for the next climb, which, this year, I knew was coming. In total the bike covered 620 ft of gain:
 |
| Daventry tri cycle elevation profile |
Once off the bike and a bit disappointed with my slower-than-last-year time (there was a slight headwind though for the majority) I carried on to what was my favourite run of last year. It seems to be rare to find a single-lap 5k and this trail around a reservoir is one of the nicest! Last year I'd had a decent run and I was determined to beat it this year so I set off at a higher cadence than normal to shake off the bike and get me a good start. Overtaking a couple of runners spurred me on until about a third of the way in when I started feeling those climbs in my legs. With about a mile to go and having been perked up by some welcome water at halfway I shook off the lethargy and picked it up a touch to finish with a time of 23:45 (the course is shorter than the advertised 5k), a good 2:30 faster than last year, in very similar conditions.
As a first race back after the accident I did enjoy this one and it was nice to be on a familiar course. This was also my first trip onto the open roads on my own since it happened which made me fairly nervy but I've gained a lot of confidence.
My overall time was quicker than last year and I managed to win my age category by more than 12 minutes! It seems turning 25 has some benefits as it keeps me out of the category with pesky students, who don't have to fit training around a full time job. Unfortunately due to the type of timing on the day I'd had no idea that I'd won so beetled off home before the prizes, disappointing! The other disappointing thing about the day was the t-shirt. The 2013 t-shirt was my favourite from the season - great material, fit and colour. This year the material reminded me of pyjamas, the colour was not particularly flattering and the design wasn't particularly eye catching. The medals were much nicer though :)
Times
Total time: 1:19:20 (3 minutes faster than last year)
Swim: 08:33
T1: 01:30
Bike: 44:35
T2: 00:56
Run: 23:45
Standings
Age category: 01/09 Age category win!
Gender category: 17/95 18%
Swim: 17/95 18%
T1: 01/95 1%
Bike: 12/95 13%
T2: 41/95 03%
Run: 18/95 19%
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