UP AT 05:30 for my banana-vanilla protein oatmeal breakfast, then it was off to the races for the Pilar de Horadada leg of the TriWhite Cup... so, how did I do ...
The 750 m swim... one word, "struggled". The sea at Playa de la Villas was breezy and choppy which proved to be a very different experience from swimming in the Torrevieja Marina where I did the majority of my swim training. I wore my wet suit to help with buoyancy, but the waves made sighting difficult, which caused me to drift off course several times. Just past the second buoy I got cramp in my calves. Once the pain subsided, the swim back to shore was better and I began to find some rhythm in my stroke, but I had lost a lot of time and fallen to the back of the field (swim time 31:01).
Transition 1... I opted to put my cycling shoes on by the bike stand rather than do the elastic band thingy. I thought it best to put bike gloves on, because of the heat, but that added on more extra time. Then getting Strava started on my iPhone made it feel like I was in the transition area for an eternity. To finally get out of there and get going on the bike was a welcome relief (T1 time 4:19).
The 20 km bike ride... a much improved performance on the swim. The bike ride eased the calf muscles somewhat, as I managed to spin away a lot of the muscle ache. I began to feel my strength return and pushed hard. Average pace was good at 28.64 km/hr (bike time 39:48).
Transition 2... a lot easier transition than T1. In and out without any problems but it felt slow (T2 time 3:03).
The 5 km run... 5:49 km/hr (run time 29:07)... video of me crossing the finishing line (thanks to Andy Ward)
Summary...
Swim: 00:31:01 - T1: 00:04:19 - Bike: 00:39:48 - T2: 00:03:03 - Run: 00:29:07 - Time: 01:47:18
Summary...
Swim: 00:31:01 - T1: 00:04:19 - Bike: 00:39:48 - T2: 00:03:03 - Run: 00:29:07 - Time: 01:47:18
Total duration: 1:47:18.
Conclusion... the swim was a disappointment, but all things considered, it was my first sprint triathlon so I shouldn't be too hard on myself. Besides, there is major room for improvement and I now have a bench mark to improve upon.
The triathlon was a great experience and a lot of fun, I especially enjoyed the camaraderie with mi amigos Dave Tait (1:17:11), Andy Ward (1:33:47), and Wally Walton (no times), along with the families and friends that joined us, including my niece Helen who flew in from the UK. Afterwards, we all shared our tales over a fine lunch in the Pirate Bar on the beach. This is one of the best days I've had in Spain since arriving over 14 years ago .
#OLYMPICDAY
