First Triathlon Completed!

I feel like I've just won my first triathlon (I came 31st out of 105)

It's a great feeling, I stuck by it had loads of help along the way but now I've completed my first triathlon

So i was fully prepared physically on Saturday night, i had tried to be really good with my food intake and making sure my body was getting everything it needed, i wasn't so prepared with actually getting there, on a second inspection of the race details we would need to be getting up at 3am on Sunday and leaving the house at 4am to get there for final chance registration at 6am-ish, so i was packed and ready Saturday night, let my dad know (who was going to come and see me) that the event was actually 2 hours away (and not the 30 mins i had first thought) that i didn't mind if he couldn't make it, then got an early night

Up early at 3 the next morning, we checked, double checked then went through everything again to make sure there wasn't anything we had forgotten one last time

We got to the venue a little earlier than expected, there didn't seem to be anyone on the roads at 4 in the morning on a Sunday, weird! Dani drove while i got some more sleep (Thanks Dani)

After getting everything i needed into the transition area i realised my first problem, to save time and baggage i wore my running shoes there, but then had to leave them in the transition area meaning i had to walk around bare foot till the race

Then my Dad and his wife Pam showed up, I really didn't expect it and it was a great boost just before the race

I took on board a shake 2 hrs before the race, thermo, quickspark, nrg tablets 30 mins before the race and had prepared a H30 / Niteworks / liftoff energy drink for my water bottle now attached to my bike

First the swim, it was very cold in the lake which was actually a huge positive for me as i overheat while racing so i knew that would be fine, there were legs in front of me, arms scraping my legs behind me, it was a mess of people all swimming together, like salmon upstream, i found the swim really easy, my pace was slowed by the person in front of me who i couldn't get round, but i think with the slower pace i didn't get tired at all

The transition was a flurry of runners looking for their bikes in the 600+ bike rack

Then off on the bike, after a couple of swigs of my H30 / Niteworks / Liftoff energy drink i dropped my water bottle, I panicked, do i go back for it or continue without any more fluid for the rest of the race... I continued, i couldn't bring myself to stop cycling, the cycle was long but on fairly flat roads, i overtook a few people which was another boost for me and about three quarters into the race i was getting tired i hadn't overtaken anyone in a while and was feeling a bit low, so i picked myself up and tried to think of something to do to raise my moral, so what should pop into my head at this very moment? that's right the theme tune to Gladiators "Do you feel the power of the Gladiators?" The song was in my head and then i found myself singing it out loud whilst cycling along, it really did help me, my spirit lifted, i started smiling and went hell for leather, overtaking a few more riders

The second transition was faster, without a wetsuit to get off i was out in under a minute

The run started very SLOW, my calves had started to cramp when i got off my bike (something the H30 / Niteworks drink would have prevented, Grrr) but i lifted my knees up and after a minute they were back to normal and i was on the run, i overtook a few racers here as well, more boosts for me to carry on, i also heard some of the racers encourage others on their way round

round the bend and over the finish line with a total time of:

1:02:09

Belated birthday post

Today is my birthday, okay so it was actually on Friday but I didn't have time to blog then so here it is:

Today is my birthday, I'm now old... 27 years old in fact, now I would be the first to say that i haven't done much in my 27 years, stopped world hunger, go to outer space or even done a volunteer litter picking in my local community, but in 2 days I can at least say that i will have completed my first triathlon (I know that i have the power of hindsight as i have now actually done it but bear with me here) so whats that got to do with world hunger, space flight or helping people... Good point! it hasn't but it does mean that i can say that i have now put my mind to something and planned it, booked it, told people about it and probably the most important actually done it (okay I'm getting myself confused here, am i writing in the past or the present or what? Erm... bear with me i guess)

(Back to the past now)

So I'm all excited about my birthday and my triathlon (remember we are back in the past now at a point where i haven't completed the triathlon yet)

For my birthday i got lots of triathlon and ironman stuff but most importantly for the immediate future is that i got a wetsuit for the triathlon on Sunday (the 4th, don't worry i know it's now Monday the 5th)

Later that day...

I went out in my wetsuit to the only open swimming pool available and went in my wetsuit, i was amazed at how buoyant it was, i no longer had to worry about swimming horizontally as the wetsuit took care of that bit, i found swimming not only easy but loads of fun, the problem was that the swimming pool was an indoor heated pool, with lots of people in it and in the wetsuit i was baking hot, but it gave me 2 new experiences, swimming in a wetsuit and taking off the wetsuit as quick as i could which will be useful in the triathlon transition

Thanks to everyone for all the birthday messages

Lots of love

Old Billy

Just as I thought

I think I'm doing really well at my swimming and I take Dani along and she tells me all the things i'm doing wrong, and I can't thank her enough for it, last night I started slow to show Dani how I was doing the 400 meters I'd done a couple of nights ago and she showed me exactly where I'd gone wrong

Then we had a race, and I won it (Dani you did know it was a race right, I remember it clearly, you had just set off and I whispered it into the water, it's a clear indication of the one and only race that we'll be in together, sorry it's one of those can never be repeated situations)

But it really showed me what I needed to be doing and where I was going worng, my body was along the top of the water I was kicking with my feet and I was swimming properly, now I just need to do this for 400 meters, easy!

It's only next Sunday and I skipped the gym this morning, my body needed to recover a little as i've kind of thrown it in at the deep end again and gone hell for leather with the training

Almost saw an alien

"Do you really like it, do you really like it
We're gymin' it, gymin' it, gymin' it
We're gymin' it like this"

Back down the gym this morning, but i didn't go swimming last night although the whole world was trying to make me, I decided to go to the cinema instead but it wasn't to be

Firstly, couldn't decide on either 'Cowboys and Aliens' or 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' went for Cowboys, then Dani said that she was going to take us out for dinner so we looked up vouchers for cheaper dining out and found 40% off Pizza Express, awesome! Then the printer wouldn't print the voucher, Grr, then it did, awesome, then on route to the cinema, we remembered that we forgot to take our vitamins to take with dinner, Grrr, then when we got to the cinema I forgot to get the 'Pay and Display' Ticket, Grr, ran back and paid for it, Grr, while Dani went to get the Cinema tickets, awesome, then my unlimited card couldn't be used for Deluxe showings (Hmmm, yeah we also used the phrase 'doesn't sound very unlimited does it' and got greeted with a confused look) So we had to pick another showing, the lady behind the desk didn't know what the other showings were and appeared to just make up a few times on the spot, Grrrr, went to another register and asked for the next non-deluxe showing, it was only 40 mins after the one we wanted to watch so we said we'd have that one then, awesome, then the unlimited card won't go through, Grrr, so they said that they would call head office for us to clear up the issue, awesome, then they came off the phone and said the direct debit hasn't been setup yet (Note: i have been using the card for over a year now on direct debit) Grrrrrr
Took my very limited 'unlimited' card from the 12 year old (looking) 'service guy' and went to blockbuster instead and rented 'Your Highness' and had a good night in

On the up side I'll be saving £15 each month by not paying for an unlimited card now

400 meters done!

Back down the pool last night and I wasn't taking any prisoners this time 400 meters or bust

I didn't want to tackle the full 400 meters straight away so I started with 130 meters then another 130 meters then 2 more 130 meters, so by now I'd done more than I needed to but they were broken up into chucks with short breaks between them, why the strange 130 meters lengths? well the pool that I am swimming in is 33.3 meters long so each 4 lengths takes me to slightly under the 130 meters mark

After a quick trip to the loo I was back and ready to tackle the big one, I took it very slow at first and I just concentrated on each lap individually, not focusing on how many I had left just feeling great after each one I completed, I counted to 10 laps and knew that I could do another 2 easy so I carried on and didn't stop, I'm not sure exactly how many meters I swam in the end but it definitely over 400 meters, I still don't know how long it took me but at least I'm confident that I can actually do it now and what 400 meters straight feels like on the body

So I just need to combine that with a 20km cycle and finish it off with a 2.5km run and it's happy days

My recovery time is my most surprising aspect of all this training, I remember when I was going down the gym before and pushing myself I would be dead for the next few days, but now I'm going to the gym in the mornings and then going to work then going swimming later on, I'm doing 3 Herbalife shakes around workouts and training and I'm never feeling tired, I'm pushing myself harder and harder and I'm feeling stronger and can see my muscle growth getting bigger in such a short amount of time, My stamina is getting longer and longer, when I first started swimming I was struggling to do a length and last night they had to kick me out of the pool because I wouldn't stop swimming, everyone else had left 10 minutes before the end

Triathlon Kit

I've already got my trainers and socks, bike and helmet, tri-suit, goggles and nose clips

Things that I am looking at getting or will need are:

Wetsuit - Been looking at the Orca S3
Swimming Cap - Anything bright orange will do me
Drinks bottle holder for my bike
Sports Watch - Looking at the Timex Ironman T5F821
Triathlon Aero bars - Possibly with Aero drink holder as well
Quick release laces
Bike Shoes

I think that's about it, well possibly a Gold Medal as well but I guess i'll have to earn that one :)

Race Info Is Here

Argh the race info is here:

http://www.triferris.com/cotswold/raceinfo.html

This means it is a real race with real people now, before it was just something I was training for, something that I was working my way towards, now it's real and fully booked

I need to go and see the venue beforehand to get my bearings sorted for the race, getting nervous now a little

Went down the gym again this morning, more muscle training and abs workouts, was back down in the pool last night, my breathing in the water has definitely improved this last week, I was doing 100-130 meters non-stop last night and at the end of it I was breathing fine, so I'm feeling a bit better for that, i was swimming for the whole hour this time though, just with small breathers here and there

My goal for this Thursdays swim is to time myself doing a true 400 meter non-stop swim, it's roughly 16 lengths in the pool i'm training in at the moment