It's always nice to support local events and it was great to be able to compete in the Coventry Sprint Tri this year. I lived in Coventry for 10 years and so it was nice to go back (if not a little odd bombing along on the TT bike down Charter Avenue!!!) I used to swim with Cov Tri a couple of years ago and run with some of them at Northbrook Running Club so it was nice to see them too, and also my friends from Rugby Tri who were out in their masses as they were using this race as their club sprint championships (it was great to see Christa & Ann Marie back competing since popping out the kids too). On top of that my new team mate Emma from TriKS (also the defending champion), my team mates from MI Racing Greg & Sophie and my other half Chris were all racing!
The venue was where I always used to do my swim training before work so it was a bit surreal seeing it with such a buzzing atmosphere for the race! Transition seemed a little complicated to me (but that's not saying much as I am easily confused) but on the whole it seemed a good course. We got there early to cheer the Rugby Triathletes as they were all off together earlier on and there was some really close racing!
I hadn't been very well at all in the week after picking up a bug last weekend so training had been none existent and I still wasn't feeling 100% so the aim of the day was just to enjoy it, go hard but not all out, use the opportunity to practice transition, oh.....and chick Captain Keith! I wasn't off until 10:30am so this gave me plenty of time to chat away (so much so that I almost missed the start) and it also gave me time to cheer Emma and Chris on. By the time I was off the sun was blazing and the day was gorgeous! The swim was pretty uneventful and I clocked it at 6:03 but chip time says 6:33 by the time I had run out into transition which was 3rd fastest for the girls. I got loads of cheers in transition which was nice and I was off on the bike fairly smoothly.
The bike was terrible! This is probably because I have no bike handling skills whatsoever. Jacqui has correctly informed me that I am a 'tester' ie a time triallist that likes out and backs or straight roads where no movement (or thinking) is needed. This course had a fair few turns (including three right turns!!) and some pretty dodgy road surfaces (including pot holes and drains) so you needed your wits about you to attack this course at speed. I hit a pothole pretty hard which caused me to get a proper little speed wobble on (I thought I was a gonner), and my left tri bar and pad to drop and a shift in my wheel causing it to rub on the frame. A quick stop to adjust this and try to recompose myself and I was off again (albeit at a steadier pace!). I didn't feel that good on the bike but that's not surprising given how I've felt this week (and I can't have felt as bad as Greg who stopped for a poo) so it was a nice surprise to see I had clocked the fastest bike split for the women (but only just!)
The run was ace! I have run round Coventry for a decade and didn't even know these paths were there! It was also nice to do one big lap instead of smaller laps. The run must have definitely been long as all my 5ks have been sub 20 this year and this went over the 21 minute marker (eeek!) but I felt like I was running well and recorded the fastest female run split by over a minute. So I was lucky enough to take the win here in 1:06:28, with Emma second and Sophie third....a great result for us all (and the prizes were ace!). Chris made his debut in his TRiKS trisuit to record a very respectable 1:10:16, I hope he doesn't ever start training or he'll beat me easily!!! I didn't quite manage to beat Captain Keith who was 57 seconds ahead of me so he may have to wait until 2014 to be chicked by me....but one year it will happen :-) ! A big pub lunch with Christa & Ann Marie afterwards followed by tea and biscuits with Boss and Boss's Boss rounded up the perfect Bank Holiday Sunday. Well done to everyone who raced today and thank you to everyone who marshaled and supported (including our MI Racing team mates who came out to take photos!), it was a great day.
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| My old club ~ never forget your roots :-) |
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| My team mate Sophie racing - she clocked the fastest swim of the day |
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| Cycling in Sunny Coventry |
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| Me and Emma ~ Team mate & defending Champ |
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| A triathlete in the making! |
Hi Sam
ReplyDeleteCan you remember where the pot hole was that caused you a problem? I thought I had painted around all of the significant ones. Obviously not!
I didn't get to speak to you on Sunday, but thanks for supporting our event. It's a good job you didn't race with us last year as transition / the route out to the street was even more confusing, but we've got to work with the geography of the site. You would have got very wet as well last year, but we sorted the weather out any way.
Chris.