Last race of a successful season

Wow, so we're at the end of september and i am sooo looking forward to some time off and a holiday. these last few weeks the training has just been ticking over as the races have been thick and fast in september plus my calf is still painful when running so just trying to see this race out and rest up.

Another dry day at Port Eynon and this time i wasn't concerned about getting to transition early as this race was  only about getting it done, so we arrived at a decent time, saw some celtic tri buddies, and still got my bike in a top stop in transition. I always like to put it next to quality TT bikes as the thinking is they are bound to be out of T1 before me leaving me lots of room to sort myself out. It was cold this morning so i made a conscious decision to put a long sleeve cycle top on for the bike and also wear gloves. I wasn't bothered about taking my time in T1 if i had to, this race was about enjoying and not flat out racing.

The swim was 2 laps of 750 metre with a beach start and a run back onto the beach after each lap. This was great for supporters to get more action shots. I started towards the back and did the whole hurdling leg action into the sea, which again was nice and calm. I took a more direct line this time, even mis-sighting a buoy completely as i was aiming for one up ahead without realising i was going off course with the buoy next to me - the lifeboat soon appeared, oops! i wasn't the only one though and the shape of the swim course is less of a rectangle and more of a 'T' which means after following the buoys you then have to swim out at an angle to the furthest buoy before the horizontal section. i had a guy swimming near me who was zig-zagging his way and kept bumping me so i had enough of this and put a kick of speed in there to get clear of him and from then on the swim went well, my best yet in terms of comfort and feeling like i was going a good speed. back in for the second lap and tried a dolphin dive but didn't quite work so once i was waist height in the water i just swam.

Out and into T1, wasn't rushing so put a long sleeve top on, put my gloves on and off i went for a leisurely bike ride. This was the first time i got to try my new bike on hills, having only gotten it at the end of august, so used it only a handful of times including bala and glynneath. It is a scott foil contessa (female version of the foil 20) and it's a road aero bike, which i chose after my deliberation about whether to get a TT bike. It's super sexy black with a purple stripe which is evident from behind. The gearing is different though as my trek was a triple and this is a compact but i fared fine on the port eynon hill and i was flying down the other side of cefn bryn. I really enjoyed this bike route, very up and down, with some fast places, and some long drags of a hill, probably my best type of course. It was also great fun on the way back to T2 to pass the fancy dress competitors who were doing a sprint version. I did chuckle at a few of the costumes i passed - fred flintstone!

Back into T2 and out on the run. This run course was brutal. Onto port eynon beach again and a long stretch down there before cutting over the sand dunes that grind you almost to a halt and then up one of the steepest hills i've ever run up - norton hill (?). Many people were walking up here so i was encouraging them as i was shuffling past them to keep on going. Rob Govier was at the top of this hill telling us "just 10 more metres to go" - HA! 10 more metres and yes we flattened out as we reached Bank Farm but then we had a stretch along here with the caravaners watching us in their prime spot overlooking the gower, and then another long, long hill up to a turn point. This was not a fast run! The banter on the course was good though with many of my celtic tri male pals worried about being "chicked". Unfortunately, this run course was 2 laps!! So, back down the hills, back along the beach a little way before again cutting up over sand dunes and then back along the path that took us back to the start, and back round we go again! At least i knew what was coming this time though so i just kept going, not pushing, although on the downhill after the last climb i did think "right, this is the final bit now, you can speed up and make up  some places". I have good stamina and always another gear to go into even after hard climbs so i felt pretty fresh now going back down to the beach and back towards the finish, the end of my season!

I wasn't concerned about time, and had no idea how i had done when i finished, i had just really enjoyed the race. I always like to stay behind after the race for the presentations, just to cheer on everyone who has done well, and to see how many of the club have won something. I even indulged in a post-race massage for once because of how tight my calf was and how tight my ITB band was one side. My father had popped back to the car as i had almost forgotten about my bike back in transition (a common theme across the season, doh!). Anyways, it was only when results were posted that i found out i did 2:41, which wasn't bad given i did bala in 2:35, and this course was far, far tougher. What was the major surprise, which resulted in my actually laughing out loud was that i placed 3rd female!! In a race that i was taking as a training race almost and took my time in transitions, awesome!! However, even if i had raced quicker i still don't think i would have gained any places as the winner was 14 minutes ahead of me! A long-course GB age-grouper - fair play!

But, all things considered, i was pretty chuffed with my first season of tri, lots to still improve upon, but a decent starting point nonetheless :)