Events Blog

July 16th 2017 750m swim, 20k bike, 5k run I'd done this event last year, and was keen to compete again as it was just so local! Setting-up went well, got myself a good spot near Bike Out (wondering why lots had people had already racked near Swim In). The free racking was a bit confusing, and there were definite advantages to be had. Before long, I was wetsuited up and heading into the water, which felt chillier than last year. I settled myself near the front as the men's field looked a bit slow - and we were off! My start felt surprisingly panicky, with my chest being constricted by the combination of HR monitor and wetsuit. Not being in a good place, I backed off a tad and gradually resumed the ability to breathe normally (or normally for swimming anyway). Around the first buoy I started to feel OK and pushed on along the second straight. On the third side of the rectangular swim, I managed to find someone to draft, which makes a change as I normally find myself in...

June 4th 2017 8.5 mile mixed terrain race The Great Midlands Fun Run is an 8.5 mile (very odd distance!) which starts and ends in Sutton Coldfield. The route is largely tarmac and takes in Sutton Park, which is where I run fairly often - I did this event last year and really enjoyed it, hence being back for another go! Learning my lesson from last year, I decided to start reasonably close to the front. By the time I had wriggled my way through I was perhaps 15 or so rows back from the start. This turned out to be a much better position than last year, and when the race started at 11:10 (they let the wheelchairs go off first) I was held up very little. The first two miles flew by (possibly a little too quickly when I looked at my watch), and rounding the corner up to Jamboree I decided to take it fairly steady as my HR was creeping up. I still felt pretty good, but was running with my other half so we kept the pace steady right up and down from jamboree, and then around to t...

July 24th 2016 750m swim, 20k bike, 5k run Just a few minutes from home, this is definitely my most local triathon, and that is the reason I entered! I wasn't too impressed by UKTri's offering at Stratford-upon-Avon in 2013, but this was an open-water rather than pool sprint, and I just couldn't resist being on home turf. I had entered the Olympic distance, to provide a nice step down from my season of halves to a few late season sprints. Unfortunately, after Outlaw Half Holkham, my left leg had started to hurt, and a couple of weeks later I was frustrated to still be plagued by terrible pains in both my knee and leg, making walking very difficult! With a week to go til the Birmingham triathlon, I requested that my distance be changed from Olympic to Sprint - possibly making this the most expensive sprint tri I have ever done, but UKTri were very accommodating. By the time it came to the day, my walking had improved somewhat but I hadn't been able to run, so I ...

June 4th 2016 10k obstacle race My first ever obstacle race! So I needed to see what all the fuss was about. Tired of running past numerous "Tough Mudder" and "Wolf Run" t-shirts along the canal, I entered this (probably lesser version of an) obstacle race along with a female work colleague. Forty-six obstacles over 10k, sounds great, right? In actually fact, it was really good fun! The course was set up over 5k so we did two laps. We'd picked the earliest wave (09:30) which was great for two reasons - a) it's the least busy and least muddy and b) I'd accidentally booked myself in for two events in one weekend - oops! - so it gave me the maximum time to recover before a fairly hilly 8.5 miler the next day. I did make a couple of mistakes I realised though. Firstly, rather than entering just with my very slight colleague, what we should have done was enter with a team of huge, powerful men, to help us over some of the more challenging obstacles (...

May 1st 2016 10k race My first 10k. Preceded by some solid lunchtime training on the canals and a lot of food on Saturday... This race roughly followed the half marathon route, just cutting off the out-and-back extension to Bournville. This meant that it was largely familiar to me and I had had previous experience of The Hill at the end. What I was not expecting was to run indoors under the cricket ground at Edgbaston! I thought this was a nice quirk until I came out and realised that my GPS watch had lost signal and "autopaused" meaning for the remaining 3.5 miles of the race I wasn't entirely sure of my pace... Magda, myself and Sarah Pace-wise I'd gone into the race with a secret but very optimistic aim of going sub-50. Never having posted a sub 53 time, I knew this would be a challenge - but being just a training run I thought I'd give it a go. The Hill was from miles 4 to 5, so in order to keep an 8:03 pace average I knew I'd have to 'ba...

September 21st 2014 100 mile cycle Before the ride Times Total time:                07:51:01 King of the Hill:       00:16:43 Standings Overall female      12/37      32% Overall                170/311    55% KOTH female        07/37     19% KOTH                   80/311    26%

June 19th 2014 450 m swim, 2 km run. My second attempt at this aquathlon - and I was determined that it would go an awful lot better than the first! Resolving to at least swim a lap before the race, I set off from home in good time. Unfortunately the M42 had other priorities than my aquathlon performance, and somehow I still arrived later than I had hoped. However, I managed a quick dash into the water and a somewhat splashy lap before the race briefing. Entering the water, I strategically placed myself wide of the marker and away from other people. This set me up for a much more relaxed and leisurely start than last time. I felt pretty comfy on the first straight, but the second was decidedly more wiggly. Turning at the marker I changed sighting technique so that it did not correspond with breathing strokes, which seemed to work well. Approaching the final buoy I found myself with another two swimmers and put in a big push to overtake them in the last few metres to give mysel...

June 7th 2014 750m open water swim, 20k bike, 5km run My first open water triathlon! Stressed is the word of the day.... This being the nearest triathlon to my home, and at my local swim view, I cut it slightly fine with setting off. However, traffic at 7am on a Sunday was pretty much non-existent, and finding myself 10 minutes early I decided to have a quick drive around the bike route, following signs set up the night before. Error! I realised the importance of marshals - I missed a single sign and ended up 20 miles away from the start, with just 40 minutes to go. Some fast and paniced driving later, I arrived with just 20 minutes spare. Parking (and also it turns out, transition) was on some boggy grass, so I sprinted across this and quickly set up my transition area. As the forecast was for torrential rain (Met weather warning) and thunderstorms I decided to put plastic bags (the only waterproof resource I had with me...) over my helmet and shoes. The guy next to me laughe...

May 29th 2014 450 m swim, 2 km run. My first aquathlon! GoTri is an initiative to get lots of people involved in triathlon, by trying it out on a smaller scale. For me this involves attending monthly aquathlons run at my favourite open water swimming venue - West Midlands Waterski Centre (soon to be renamed the more catchy 'Cliff Lakes'). The swim is the normal mini lap round the middle lake and the run is along the bank of the far lake then up and over the bund. I say 'normal mini lap' - when I arrived for the GoTri (late, due to car issues) the lap had changed slightly. I just about had time to dip my face into the water and get over the initial shock of cold before collecting my hat and wristband. I think this hurried entry plus the cool weather (lake temp about 15 degrees) sent me into mini panic mode. I'd never swum with so many others before, so the first side of the triangular lap was stressful. After this the pack moved away and I eventually got u...