I had the first race of the year yesterday, not a bad start to the year if a little frustrating.
It was a duathlon at Dorney Lake (5km run, 20km bike, 5km run) with 140 entrants in total. I came into transition after the first run in 7th with a time of 18:21min.
I headed out onto the bike and felt strong for the first 18km before getting cramp in both calf muscles through foolishly not taking in enough fluid during the first run and the start of the bike! (lesson learnt) I powered through though to come off the bike in 33:45min, about 4 minutes slower than usual but still in 7th position. Getting off the bike and into the final 5km run both legs locked up though and I had to stretch out for a couple of minutes losing a handful of places through transition. I struggled through the 5km though and managed a 21:44min finishing in a time of 01:15:15 and 12th position overall.
All in all a great start to the year (if not a little frustrating as the 6-7 minutes lost was the difference between 12th place and 4th) and definitely something to build on and I’m pleased I finished as I was in 2 minds whether I’d be able to carry on after the bike!
Next Race: Winter Duathlon 4 April
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My long term aspiration is to become an elite triathlete, representing my country all over the world including qualifying for the World Triathlon Championships in the Gold Coast of Australia in 2011.
I’m also looking to complete my first Ironman Triathlon in 2011 and hope to qualify for the Ironman World Championships in Kona Hawaii in 2012.
I want to be successful in life and maximise my true potential - plain and simple! 