In the last fornight I have achieved 50% of my goals. Last time I sat down to write this I was expecting to do the Padiham Aquathlon and Thames Turbo Tri.Spending the night before the Aquathlon throwing up and wondering where all this ectoplasm came from meant that I was in far from tip top condition for the event. When the starting gun went off, I was curled up in a duvet asleep.
Fast forward a week and on to the Thames Turbo race. I had ventured out of the north and like a human moth had been drawn to the bright lights of the big city (with its pavements of gold, a chewing gummy covered gold) found myself getting up at 4 am to get to the pool for registration at 5 30am.
I had spent the previous couple days working out all the reasons I wasnt going to enter it and how I could kid myself that it was for the best. To put it pretty bluntly I was fairly nervous and quite scared about the event. Logically there was no reason to be, but emotionally I struggled with remaining positive. I used a well known tactic of telling everyone I had entered. That way to pull out, I would look like a dick and I didnt want that. The fear of being an idiot was stronger than the fear of the race!
Originally intended that a few of us would do this event, I silently cursed them all for deciding that a warm bed is better than a freezing cold poolside.
The collection of very fit men in lyrca and some seriously expensive machinery, sent collywobbles through my legs (not with excitement) but with the fear that I was the fat kid picked last at football and shouldn't be sharing the cold pool tiles with such esteemed company. Indeed the event was part of the London league series and had attracted some of the fastest and fittest guys & gals (this showed in the results with 7 people coming in at under 1 hour).
The race itself sucked with very little enjoyment throughout. From the cold start standing on a poolside at 6 30 am in pretty much just your pants, through to the numb toes when cycling and speed bumps through to the agony of the run /walk.
One thing I really struggled with was energy, by the time i got to the run I had nothing left. Getting up at 4 am to have two weetabixes I think didnt fortify me enough to get through 2 hours of exercise. Next time I will make sure I do better than that for breakfast.
Two highlights were that emerging from the water like the sleek salmon I am (year right, moby dick) I saw my brother there to encourage me, very much unexpected and I think next time he should be the other side of the barrier joining in :-) (ignore everything I have said thus far, it isnt that bad Jev)Secondly was the vision of Lady Searle standing at the finish line when I puffed round telling me to run faster! As the internal sweary thoughts, she made up for it with tea and hot cross buns. All eaten whilst sitting in a clam bushy park.
But I did it .. the aftermath is next week ..
