After a very eventful couple of days before the race – technical problems on our flight, luggage left on the carousel, bag left in the toilets at the petrol station, a broken spoke, major ear-ache… – I was hoping race day would be straight forward and go well. And it did go reasonably well.
The sea was quite choppy but this was probably to my advantage as it hopefully slows down the fast swimmers. I was pleasantly surprised with my swim time as I had thought I had a mediocre swim and hadnt sighted well.
The bike was going to be windy but I dont mind the wind due to being a strong cyclist. I was looking forward to the rolling hills on this tough bike course and my aim was to stick to my coach’s race plan as best I could! OK yes I did start a little too strong but soon heard coach Dave’s voice in my head saying ‘I told you!’ A headwind going out would mean after the turn around we’d fly home….as long as the wind didnt change direction…!! It ended up feeling like a headwind the entire 90km! But I wasnt going to let my bike time get me down…it was the same for everyone. People complained about the road works and the water running out…for me the road works didnt bother me or affect my race (apart from people riding on the incorrect side of the road) and I was fortunate to have plenty water on offer at the water points. And if I had to grab a bottle with my right hand rather than left (another complaint) due to the roadworks, so be it! Every cyclist should be able to use either hand.
I came off the bike feeling ok. Not bursting full of energy but I knew to start the run steady and just maintain a good pace. My ear pounded as I ran and I kept an eye on my heart rate. Fortunately my ear ache from Friday night had lessened but it wasnt 100%. (I definitely wouldnt have raced if I had felt ill or that I would cause damage to my heart or body) My run time was dissappointing but under the circumstances understandable.
Running over the finsh line I wasnt aware that I had won my age category so was pleasantly surprised to hear the result from friends. Sadly no 70.3 Champs for me in Austria this year due to lack of finances!!
Swim: 0:33:25
T1: 00:03:41
Bike: 02:57:34
T2: 00:02:23
Run: 01:51:55
TOTAL
35-39 age group: 1st
Overall ladies: 13th
Overall: 122nd