For the first time this year I strapped on my racing gear and turned from support crew into competitor. I got the chance to race alongside my lovely wife as her parents were in town to provide child minding support. It was strange to begin a week considering my own race preparation and not just the role I would/could play to ensure that Christine was in the best shape possible for race day.
The race was an Olympic distance triathlon, run in Passy (with about 250 competitors) in the valley below Mount Blanc, an absolutely spectacular spot with a lake swim followed by a two lap ride with a short but very steep hill and then a 2 lap largely cross country run.
In terms of my preparation for the race I have been cycling alot especially on the cols in the local region so felt well prepared. In terms of the other legs I have not been doing much of either, I am nursing a calf injury so don't run much and have not had the time to hit the pool or the lake for more than half a dozen swims in the last 2 to 3 months. As a result I was looking forward to seeing how my work on the bike translated to a race environment and also to how this level of general fitness translated into the run leg.
With this 'extensive' preparation I lined up on the beach just behind Christine at 2pm on Sunday. The sun was out, I could see Mount Blanc in the distance and I was sporting my new wetsuit. I was a little nervous and excited at the same time but had no real expectations for how I would go in the swim leg. The gun went and we were off, the lake was not too cold and I felt great in my new wettie, as it turned out I swam well. I could hear Chris in my mind talking about staying smooth and long and focusing on finding the feet of a faster swimmer to draft off. I managed to find a good group to follow and was dragged around the lake at a good speed.
I managed a good transition and flew onto the bike. The bike course was fun, except the really steep hill, and I managed to find a good rhythm for the 40kms. Again I could hear Chris's words in my head talking about the timing of fluid and energy intake. I managed a smooth transition onto the run and it was then a case of holding the pace for as long as possible.
My stretch goal was to see if I could get off the bike in front of Chris, as it turned out I managed to go into the run still ahead. I then aimed to get to the end of the first lap still ahead which I did, the goal was then to see for how many kms I could remain there. I saw her coming at about 9kms and managed to hold her off to the last 500m when she came past me like a train. In the end she beat me by 14 seconds, close! I almost got household bragging rights, she however came 4th overall and remains unbeaten as a veteran in her 6 races so far.
It was great to race for the enjoyment of pushing the body and testing my fitness levels and to demonstrate to the boys the fun of competition/participation. It was also great as it reminded me of elements of what Christine goes through every time she lines up at the start line, except I am not trying to win.
