Parc Bryn Bach Aquathlon

I just wanted to do a quick update about tonight's aquathlon at Parc Bryn Bach. It was a first for me doing on of these events and was also a bit strange not doing any cycling, especially as that got me into the whole triathlon world in the first place!  None the less it was a very enjoyable experience and one that I will definitely be looking to repeat next year.

The swim went well, despite me freaking out a bit at the start.  The weeds in the lake were very thick and close to the surface so it did feel a little claustrophobic in places but I managed to keep a cool head and calm myself down.  I don't know the exact time for the swim but I knew it must have been a fairly decent time by my standards because I knew my run and overall time so I was pleased with that.  It's strange though because the swim always seems to take forever when I'm doing it but so far this year I haven't been disappointed with my times.

During transition from the swim to the run I felt like I was completely drunk (for those of you who know me well, I'm guessing on this!) and was completely off balance when trying to get my trainers on and when I sat down to try and make things easier I got cramp in both of my calves which wasn't a great start to the run.  I managed to get going though and soon settled into a rhythm.  This was helped as well by the marshals being member of the club so not only did I not want to stop out of embarrassment, it also meant I had a lot of encouragement as well.  It must have worked because I managed to run what I think was a 5km PB but was definitely the fastest I've done it at Parc Bryn Bach so I was thrilled with that.

So it's 17 down and just 3 left to go now which is a really strange feeling because it only seemed like 5 minutes ago that me and Laura were lining up in Pontypool for the start of my first event.  Anyway, here is the photo from tonight.  Sorry it's a bit blurry but it is me I promise!

Middle Distance Success!

Ever since the disappointment of Wimbleball there has been one date firmly set in my mind which was today, August 11th. That is because it represented the next chance I had to complete a middle distance triathlon and prove to myself that I could do it.

The day started nice and early with a 4:30 alarm to ensure I was at the lake, set up and ready for my 6:30 swim start. I had mixed emotions last night as I was trying to get some sleep. There were nerves that the same thing was going to happen again mixed with a knowledge that the course was almost completely flat, leading to the how fast can I go question. Thankfully, this morning turned out to be quite frantic for one reason and another so I didn't have too much time to dwell on anything and before I knew it, the starter had gone and we were away.

The swim went really well, even if the lake was a bit shallow in parts meaning my fingers were dragging along the bottom! A good swim is becoming a bit of a regular occurrence for me in triathlons now and I have to say a massive thanks to the coaches and my swimming buddies in the club for really helping me improve in the way I have. Hopefully I'll be able to keep it up and improve even more. It also shows that hard work and time spent training really does pay off.

Once out of the swim it was onto the bike and I decided to use my Wimbleball trick of having the lap (every 5 miles) time and distance, rather than the overall so that I wasn't trying to push too hard to beat a certain time but also to stop me getting disheartened if I'd missed a time as well. It seemed to do the trick. The route itself was in lovely surrounding but I did find it a little bit tough mentally in some parts as there wasn't much to look at apart from the straight road in front of you. The only plus side to that though is that I could see how flat the road in front of me was! There was a little hill around half way through the lap which despite being similar in profile to one that I ride up all the time, it did come as a shock to my legs, especially thon the second lap after spending so much time on the flat! Thankfully, I'd been warned about that so was prepared for it (thank you Mr Beck!). The bike was mostly uneventful which was a massive relief and my time was more or less what I was expecting so no complaints at all!

Finally, onto the run route. I knew that it was going to be a tough one for me but I certainly wasn't prepared for how mentally tough it would be. For starters, I definitely hadn't eaten enough during the bike stage which is something I need to work on. After 1 lap of the course I could feel that I had very little energy and was firstly struggling and then finding it impossible to keep even and 11 minute mile pace. I managed to grit my teeth and get through the second lap but the final one was horrendous. I had the shakes and there were definitely some dark moments where I wasn't sure if I would finish. The water station around half way was a very welcome sight and I also made a friend along the way and we dragged each other around that last lap. My overall run time was shocking, absolutely terrible but at the end of the day I finished and that was all I set out to do. My time in the end was 6hours 26 minutes and 45 seconds which is not bad if you consider I'd told my Mam and Dad I was expecting to finish in around 7 hours the night before.

Once I'd finished it was back to mixed emotions though. There was the expected exhaustion along with the pain coming from my legs and feet. There was relief and joy that I'd finished but also a little part of me that felt a bit flat. I always knew that this wouldn't make up for the Wimbleball experience (hopefully I'll be able to do that when I attempt it again next year) but I thought it would at least satisfy me in knowing I could do the distance. Maybe it'll take a couple of days to sink in and perhaps I'll feel better about it after a good nights sleep. At the end of the day, this was something that I thought was beyond me even 9 months ago, so to have finished it is an incredible achievement for me. I think though that the real satisfaction won't come until I've conquered Wimbleball.

Anyway, here is the photo from today (you might be able to see as well that the number 1 from Top Barn is still visible on my awm! and you can still sponsor me if you would like at www.justgiving.com/huw2013  After stating this current run of events on 1st June, I've got a couple of weeks off now so I'm going to enjoy them!

I Would Have Been Drier Swimming

It was another of the late additions today with the Brecon 10 mile run and with the rain pouring down the way it was, I was starting to wish it had never made the list!  None the less, I took to the start line to brave the monsoon and hopefully have some fun.  Although I quite enjoyed myself I wouldn't say it was fun though.  As I'm getting used to now with running events, I quickly fell out towards the back of the field and began quite a lonely run.  There were a couple of other runners I caught up with and passed along the way but the majority of it was spend looking at empty roads so I just imagined this is how the leaders view must be and got my head down!

The running itself went quite well.  I finished in a time of 1hour 45 minutes which I know isn't exactly going to set the World on fire but for me it is quite good.  I also managed to maintain a fairly steady pace throughout which I was pleased with.  To be honest, I was treating this as more of a training run for next weekend's half ironman distance triathlon so to come through with a decent time and no aches and pains is great.  I struggled to initially settle into a rhythm at the start but once I had done so, I seemed to zone out and go into a sort of trance which was quite surreal.  I haven't done much work on my running recently, other than the races I've been doing, so to experience that and kind of float around for 4 or 5 miles was actually quite a nice thought.  Hopefully I'll have the same thing next weekend!

That's all there is to say really about this one.  Nothing really exciting I know but all good work ready for next Sunday when I'll have another crack at finishing a half ironman distance.  Fingers crossed I can do it this time!  Until then here is the picture from today and also the link if anyone have anything they can spare to support the fantastic work that St David's Hospice Care do www.justgiving.com/huw2013