So about three weeks ago I took part in my first ever full length triathlon! and honestly it was ace! I'm hooked.
training hard for months, getting my freestyle swim up to scratch, cycling everywhere I go, and running half marathons every weekend. I found that the months before the triathlon were some of the best. high intensity training change my lifestyle to a much more productive one.
but anyway the actual triathlon is what I want to talk about.. so it begins in Llanberis, a small village in wales sitting at the foot of the northern side of Mt Snowdon. the scenery of the snowdonia national park was an incredible place to do my first triathlon. the epic gnarled edges of the countless peaks and ridges that surrounded the course, conjured a primal feeling that made even the freezing temperatures of the lake 'Llyn Padarn' enjoyable for the swim section.
since booking the triathlon nearly 7 months ago I have been crippled with horrid flash forward daydreams of race day, where the swim section ruins me completely and the freezing temperatures render me useless. but in reality the swim section was by far the easiest and most enjoyable of the entire thing. the water was beautiful, super clear and the cold acted as a fresh crisp rather than a debilitating frozen nightmare. with comrades swimming all around you the energy is intense, although every one of us was there for different reasons in that moment when the horn sounded and we all set off, we all had the exact same goal and you can sense everybody's absolute drive and determination to smash the crap out of this triathlon.
it wasn't all peaches and cream though, 15 minutes before my wave started I somehow managed to lock the car keys in the car, along with all my gear. Absolutely gutted. Instant panic. all I had was the shirt, underwear and trainers I was wearing. luckily I had just set up my bike, but other than that I had nothing. no wetsuit, no goggles, no towel, no shorts, no helmet, not even a few energy bars or gels. so in 15 minutes I had a mad scramble to collect the stuff I needed, I found a spare race number from the organisers, I managed to rent a wetsuit, and I bought a new helmet from a stall set up at the event. other than that I did the thing in my trainers and underwear.
Distances -
1k - swim, 57k - cycle, 11k - run
TRIATHLON CHECK!