Highland Warrior - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

Really pleased at this swim - I started on the 2nd row (which was dumb!) but with good navigation I got on the heels of the lead group PDQ and was there until the first turn - this is where it went a bit Pete Tong! I cut in too close to the marker and blootered it with my left arm - this stopped me dead in my tracks and I lost the guy I was about to be drafting. I was unable to catch back up and the lead group just kept creeping further and further away.

I decided to try and conserve some energy, maintain my position, but not murder myself to catch people who were going to tear away from me as soon as we started the bike. This was probably a wise descision, but if I'd reacted quick enough I might have caught up again - next time...!

1.Start on the front row!
2.Avoid whacking the giant orange marker!!

A difficult escape from T1 - across some grass, bump down a kerb, then hit a roundabout within 20yds! Passed by the 1st proper biker within yards of leaving the round about - I'm still wobbling about trying to fix my shoe strap!

Have a recce of the T1 escape pre-race and find somewhere sensible to piss about with shoes! (In hindsight there's a long downhill within the 1st half mile; I should have ridden with my feet on top -or at least in, but not fastened, until then. Hey Ho!

I'd been working with someone from Anoch Mor to Spean, but had to stop briefly to grab sun specs from Lynne as I passed through Spean Bridge. I also took the chance to investigate what the hell was wrong with my aero bars - I felt like I was falling off the right arm rest. It turns out that the pigeon that I thought had missed the car on the way up the road had obviously ended itself on the bars as the cup was half way ripped off!! Fucking stupid bird! (Stupid rider too - shoulda checked the bike properly upon arrival!)

I'd been in 10th place at that point and I reckon I lost another 5-10 places discovering the arm rest was kapuut. I was also "chicked"x2 and much worse I was over-taken by loads of people on serious flash bastard carbon - I took off up Comando Hill on a mission! By Glenfinnan (working with another guy, who I eventually dropped) I'd caught everyone I was likely to and spent the rest of the time playing cat and mouse with the 1st lady (who led the swim in 25mins incidentally!) and a wee guy on yet more carbon!!

I worked my ass off, but anytime I got passed them, I'd burnt up the oomf I had and they hauled me back fairly sharply each time.

Need to check the bike properly before the race!
Need to remember sun specs!
Otherwise pretty chuffed - oh, almost forgot - I'd never got around to adjusting my pedal cleats and they were too tight - I was definitely loosing power on my right side - just couldn't push! (And I've totally goosed the tendons on the outside of my knee.)

Another Transition - Had to bump the kerb and the pavement was as rough as - carpet needed!
I couldn't get one shoe off so ended up with one soe on the bike and one sho in my hand - the bikes were taken from us, so I just stuff the shoe in my hand into the aerobars and ran!
It took me a wee while to find the correct chair and I paused briefly to pop some ibuprofen - I could feel my knee throbbing already - I'm not sure if my gut was really absorbing any, but it made me feel at least I'd tried! I forgot to take off my sun specs - don't like running with them as they slide down my nose! So I ran back and dumped them!

clip the specs into my running belt!

I was kinda struggling a bit with having overdosed on gel - obviously just psychological as the 7min miles were all done whilst chatting to other folk - just need to suck it up and get on in future!!

The red bull needs to be flat - I forgot to open it at the start of the race! Gives you wings? - doesn't need to - you end up full of gas like a balloon!
Just gels - even isotonic ones are not good - certainly not the orange ones! Jelly beans were killing the sensitive teeth, but were giving me a genuine boost - alternating next time!

I was pretty pleased really - I thought I'd killed myself on the bike so not bad at all - just need to MTFU and run at a more even pace! (shoulda been 7 mins faster really...)

Just had a cuddle from the family - did some stretching whilst waiting for a massage but not much...I did manage to stay warm though.

Had a cold bath for the legs once home.


Inexperience mostly - and some dumb-ass rooky mistakes whilst setting up.
Pretty darn pleased for all that - was just trusting that the training would hold me up and it did, more faith next time! :)


I hung around for a massage then we headed off - family time starts now!

No Fuss Events are just that - nice and flexible and just roll with it - it was their first road tri - so there were some screw-ups- like the transition entrance and exits - but you know, that is almost part of the fun - and it's lovely not having a bollocking from the race referee before we even started! :)