On Sunday I completed the Keswick Long Distance triathlon in the lakes, an event sponsored by 9bar and which allowed me and the family a wonderful long weekend away.
So we packed up, crammed in Eric and headed up north on Friday afternoon and found the holiday park we would be staying in. You know the type of place – would have been lovely 20 years ago when new, but now required a bit of Elvis – some tender loving care. Not that Zoe cared – as long as there is dancing of an evening and swimming of a day with the occasional fish finger thrown in, all is well in her world.
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We all typically enjoyed the sights and tastes (burger and chips, ice cream and cider) of such a location on the Friday and Saturday and with the England game on late on I made the somewhat foolhardy decision to stay up and watch it.
Foolhardy because I believed that England stood a chance and foolhardy as it allowed me only 4hrs kip and to be semi filled with cider come the start line on Sunday morning.
Amazingly as per normal I managed to wake myself up before the 5:30 alarm and then failed in my mission to not wake everyone else up before departing in the vague direction of Keswick.
As is my want I like to get there early and set up shop and then relax in the knowledge that everything is where it should be. This time I had added reason to be early to the event as I wanted to properly meet some of the wonderful people from 9bar who would be there. They found me rather than the other way around and had a nice chat with fellow twitter’er Andy Grasby who accosted me in transition.
Wandered down to the edge of the lake and watched the sprint distances start before some photos from Alan and then into the murky waters for a warm up (pee).
Thankfully when the hooter went off for the start the water cleared and the swim, after the now usual boot to the face, was calm and I managed to find some decent space to swim in – no real issues or stresses and I was attempting to be more relaxed than usual. I had been warned that the 1000m swim was long and so I wasn’t entirely sure what time I would be out of the water in, but could see a few in front at the turn around point and a fair few behind so I was pretty happy at that point. Turns out I was out of the water in a somewhat remarkable 23rd place.
Out of the water and started the run to T1 up some stairs / tarmac / grassy hill. Find the bike and was out in double quick time – I really do excel at T1 and T2, probably something to do with the lack of movement involved.
As we were in the lakes I was expecting the bike and run to be hilly and they didn’t disappoint – one of the main climbs was pretty much straight away and being honest a number of people came past me as I huffed and puffed up it. Definitely need to add in some more regular hills to training pre wales.
One thing I wasn’t prepared for was the narrow roads coming down the descents and being conscious of bigger outlaw sized fish to fry I took it easy and took no risks like others around me on the tight corners, overtaking vehicles (which cost me a good minute being stationary behind a caravan as it battled a bus) and stupidity at roundabouts – where two blokes almost got nailed by a camper van, which would have 100% been the cyclists fault.
The run followed a similar vein – in fact it was pretty much one long climb up and over a hill. I felt good on the flat section that preceded it and actually caught a couple of people in front of me. I had acquired and taken some salt tablets prior to the event and with keeping my HR at a steady rate I felt good, in a nice rhythm with no cramping.
Then the hill started and it never seemed to end – the only run I have ever done which was similar was up the quarry at slateman, again the views were great at the top but I am definitely not a mountain goat. Coming down was just as tricky and I made steady progress back to the tarmac, again mindful of my ability to injure myself.
Back into the home straight with a bumper crowd to finish just over 2:30 – to come 64th out of 350 odd starters. Could I have gone quicker? Maybe – would I have injured myself? Probably knowing me.
I spent an enjoyable couple of hours talking to the 9bar crew in the sunshine at the event and watching fellow competitors come in, including the half and full marathon finishers and concluded that I was lucky. I was surrounded by likeminded people who care for the events / products they make, advertise and sell and have supported me greatly this year.
Also as I was handing out 9bars to finishers and watching the RAF helicopter fly over (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/man-dies-at-great-north-swim-on-windemere-in-the-lake-district-9536686.html) I gave thanks silently to my wife and daughter who have been so supportive to me. It’s strange how emotional it can make you feel, watching the smiles, the pain and the delight of people finishing events and it always makes me feel grateful. Discovering that someone had broken an ankle on the run and that someone had died in a nearby lake kind undermined.
I came away, tired physically but emotionally recharged for the Cholmondeley castle half ironman in a couple of weeks. The Keswick event was brilliantly organised and supported and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a triathlon alittle out of the ordinary, even though you don’t get a medal for your efforts.
The Jude's Wanderlust 