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