Bad Timing....

Now, TODAY was the day of my first Triathlon of the season.

I chose a very short one.  They are normally called super-sprint, but this one was termed 'novice'.  Makes it sound easy, trivial, any old person could do it etc.  It's also been referred to as 'ladies try-a-tri' which makes it sound so easy that even (and only) ladies can take part.

It wasn't easy. 

First of all, I've had Man Flu for the last few days.  Secondly, it involved getting up at 5.40 am so that I could register, panic, and attend the 6.45am race briefing. 

To be fair, the swim was OK,  I know I was trying too hard, because I was tired before I'd even finished the first length (this pool was 33m long, which explains the funny distances involved).  As soon as I was overtaken by the next triathlete, I relaxed and stayed on her toes for the rest of the swim.  4 mins 43.  Not brilliant.  Not useless either.

The bike bit is normally my best bit, so I confidently jumped on and pedalled off like a maniac.  After about 10 minutes of cycling on a dual carriageway and not seeing, let alone overtaking, another person on a bike, I realised something was wrong.  I didn't know where I was.  I didn't know what to do.  I was gutted.  I decided to try to get back to the leisure centre, confess that I had gotten lost, and then just do the run for experience.  I got back to the start, and then, to my complete surprise, turned around and cycled the full course.  Without getting lost this time.

I was looking back.  Not only was I not laughing, but was there no-one behind me either.  I was cold, wet, miserable, and, most importantly, last.  I know it's not supposed to matter, but the only people that say that are never actually last.

On the best of days, the worst part of my triathlon experience is the bike-run transition.  Today, being last, completely sodden, dejected, laughed at by others, and remembering my experience from yesterday, my heart just wasn't in it.

But I had my new shoes on.  And I wanted to see what happened.  In for a penny, all that. 

So, although every part of me was screaming 'Stop!' or 'I'm so cold I can't even feel myself!' or 'There's uneaten cake in the cafe, don't you know?', my new shoes carried me through the next 18 gruelling minutes of my life.  I overtook someone.  I looked back.  And laughed.

That's me.  In my new shoes.  Finally finishing the worst triathlon I have ever done.
And there's someone behind me.  Bonus

Results here.  I'm the second to last name on the last page.  I don't think I'll mention that I'm a member of a triathlon club in future.

And finally, my alarm clock has just gone off.  Only 13 hours too late.  Talk about bad timing.