I started at the front, near the inside. The first few hundred yards were very strange. I had been told swimming was faster but it was so shallow everytime I took a breath, right up til near the first buoy I could see people wading next to me. I just told myself I was saving my legs better than them and just kept going. Eventually it got a bit deeper and after going wider than the buoys than I had liked I found some feet and caps going my speed to follow so tried to draft a little and hope they were sighting (they were). Towards the first turn we caught up with the back of the previous wave and then they were scattered throughout the rest of the course. On the homeward straight I tried to draft a bit off another girl but she wasn't going very straight and then 2 guys from the wave behind us came zooming through. I made a dash to try and hang onto their wake for a few seconds but I wasn't the only one (i later learned it was rstocks!) and I found another girl between me and their feet.
All in all it felt like an OK swim.
It was a long run from beach to transition area and timing mat (or was the timing mat by the beach?) but anyway I managed to get the top half of my wetsuit off and jog along happily.

...swim faster :)
I was a over a minute and a half faster than last year so I can't complain but I am pretty sure that was because of drafting and not my swimming ability

Slower than last year but I wasn't particularly rushing. 124/260 This was for fun right? I think the question of "Suit stuck on heels" should be changed to "Suit stuck on flabby hips?" then I could answer differently! Anyway I ate a gel and washed it down with water, sat down put on socks and shoes, helmet etc and off I went. Very close to bike exit which was good as I'm not very good at running with my bike.

Ok so I should practice these a little more or even race them.

I felt like I was pushing this and I like to think I am reasonably strong for a girl cyclist and I was hoping that all the time in the saddle this year may have translated to something better here. I beat last years time by 2 seconds!
I passed a couple of girls in the first mile and looking back at the results, a couple must have passed me in transition (OK so I need to practice transition). The first third of the course I was cycling pretty much on my own with just the occasional whoosh as some man passed me. I could see cyclists ahead but we must have all been about the same speed.
For the second third I was passed by a lot of men and a couple of girls (i eventually repassed one but she flew by me on the run). The men just whizzed by.
After we merged with the back end of the sprint I did start passing some people again. One particular guy (who I had to tell not to draft off me) and the girl who I eventually repassed cycled practically all the merged bit in at the same speed.
Before the turn off over the bumps I took a gel. I had tucked it into the special pocket in the front of my top but then I couldn't get the empty wrapper back in. Eventually i just stuffed it down my front but later found some cuts so it must have scratched me. I drank a bottle of Gatorade all the way round and only used my other bottle (water) to wash gel down so probably could have done without that and had the gel at T2

The hills felt harder than I expected - I was in my granny gear a lot earlier than I had expected. Don't know if this was my legs losing conditioning or a bit of wind.
I felt reasonably strong on the bike though so just a general get faster here.

91/260
All this felt quite smooth. I am hopeless at getting off my bike. I have to fully stop and get off but the rest of it felt Ok to me. 14 seconds slower than last year though!

Practice

I knew going out of T2 that I had a minute or so in hand compared with last year so if I could just keep to last years pace then I could beat my last years overall time. This was the first time in the race that I actually realised that beating last years time was a possibility so out I ran from T2 with plans going through my head - take it easy, settle in and then after the first loop up the pace and I"m home strong. So mentally I was there. Unfortunately physically I wasn't. Runs are always the hardest bit for me. I settled into a pace but even when I tried to up it (when girls with O on their legs passed me) I just couldn't. It became a mental game. I told myself that I had the endurance and that this piddly distance was easy and just to put one foot in front of the other at the same rate. That worked to hold my pace steady but I just didn't have any reserve beans for power. I couldn't even catch the girl a few yards in front of me at the finish. I was a one speed girl the whole way!

I like to think my running has improved tremendously since last year but this result doesn't show it. No, that's being mean to myself - my endurance running is amazing compared with last year. Now I just need to work on speed.

A bottle of water and walking around talking to friends. Last year I barely knew anyone. This year loads of the train-this team and BTers were there and that was really nice to have that camaradie. I love this sport!


I guess I would have to say the fact that I have spent the best part of a year training to go long and slow for IMLP. However in reality it is probably more like the 2 months since then when I lost interest in training and so didn't do much until the last couple of weeks.
I truly am thrilled that I beat last years time (my one secret desire - or maybe not so secret) - however, I just keep wanting more :)

Interestingly my slower time last year put me 5th female overall but this year 9th - there seem to be a lot more faster coming out now which is great for the sport and hopefully will give me even more motivation to train!


Very well organised.
The food afterwards was good too.