Scorching Bay Tri

Scorching Bay (buoys removed already)

                                       
This was to be a sporty weekend. The day after the dragon boat racing I found myself at 7 o'clock heading to Scorching Bay for a triathlon. I was doing the medium course - a 500 metre swim, a twenty kilometre bike ride and a five kilometre run.
I got my bike into transition just in time to set up my gear and check I had everything - you seem to need a lot for triathlons and you need it set out well so you can transition quickly. I put my bright pink running hat on my bike so I would find it easily and went to watch the start of the long course so I would get an idea of what had to do when we started. There were a confusing amount of buoys showing where to swim but I watched the first lot take off to the pointy buoy out quite a way. They had to go round several times and I watched as they completed the first round, heading back to a couple of buoys in the shallows before heading out again.
I talked to a bloke standing next to me who seemed to be at the point I was at last year - the idea of breathing out a stream of bubbles under water before taking a breath was news to him. We looked out at the pointy buoys and agreed it looked a long way to swim.
I decided it was time to have a warm up swim and get used to the water temperature. I swam about practising my newly acquired 'crocodile peeping' - choosing an object in the distance and swimming towards it by lifting my head a little out of the water and looking towards it before or after taking a breath. Coordination is not my strong point, but I am getting the idea.

With  ten minutes before my race I came out of the water and wandered towards the starting point.  I heard my name called out and there in front of me was my swimming coach. 'Now you know what you are doing, don't you?' she enquired.
 'Yes', I said, 'I am heading out to that pointy buoy, then along to the next one, then in to shore again before doing it again.'  The coach looked horrified.
'No, you are going out to the round buoy, then along to the next round buoy, then in to the shallow buoy, then around once more.'
Really?? Things were looking up - that distance looked a lot more comforting. My confidence went up a tad. I did not have to head out to those pointy buoys in the distance - they were only for the guys doing 1500 metres.
I went to the starting line and found a spot behind the keen group. Two swim caps on, goggles, earplugs, wet suit - I was ready. I managed to keep myself calm and when the hooter went off I set out quietly, just doing what I had been doing in practice, instead of what I had done in the past which had led to quick exhaustion. I practising my crocodile peeps and kept the buoy in sight. No more random zigzagging for me I thought as I rounded the first buoy and sighted the next one. Again I kept a straight line and out of the way of other swimmers, went round the next buoy and headed for the shallow ones. It was the first time I swam with ear plugs and I think the fact everything was muted a little helped me keep my cool.
The next loop seemed easy and I headed in. I couldn't see exactly where the exit was and came up on shore a little away from the spot then headed up the beach, pleased with myself I didn't feel dizzy and disorientated as I normally did after the swim section.
I heard my coach asking did I know where I was going (obviously showing a lack of faith after the buoy episode) and I was able to shout yes as I headed along the rows of bikes towards my pink cap glowing like a beacon. Getting sea sticky wetsuits off in a hurry is not an easy thing, but I did not panic and held it together as I fought myself out of it and put on bike shoes, gloves, teeshirt, race number and helmet.
Right! Off on the bike leg. My legs felt numb and peculiar after the swim and it took a while to get into rhythm. I swigged some water to get rid of the salt taste in my mouth and settled down to a steady pace. I wondered about the fact cyclists regularly hold their races on the road while open to traffic. Permission is obtained which differentiates us from boy racers and off we go like like bats out of hell (well not me, my pace is more sedate), with marshals to help at roundabouts and the like. We had a southerly wind which helped us once we were through the airport tunnel. The next roundabout was our turning point and away I went with not many other cyclists near me. They are probably all in front, I thought. Coming back past Seatoun and heading round the coast I saw ahead of me a cyclist down on the side of the road and people gathering. It looked as though he had been hit by a car backing out. I called out if they needed help but things were in hand so I continued on, scanning for cars coming out of hidden places. As I approached the finish of the bike leg I saw a rescue vehicle heading out for the injured guy. I got off my bike and was running in to transition when again I heard my coach asking if I knew what I was doing. Yes I did, I replied, feeling slightly pained by her (justifiable) lack of trust  and headed in to find my cap locator beacon. Not such a big change of gear this time, just shoes and helmet, then I was off for the run section.
This was hard. My legs felt like lead and my throat was sore from all the yelling I did the day before during the To the Fountain and Back race. The ground changed constantly from asphalt to gravel and back as I avoided runners heading home already. I felt really dry and my progress was slow. It was a relief to reach the half way mark, grab a couple of drinks and start back. Sometimes I get an increase of energy at this point, but not today and I had to stick to my go rather slow style. I didn't even get up speed to look good at the finishing bit, and just trotted in to grab a drink and a banana.
Done and dusted! My swim had gone well which had been the main point of the exercise and I had not come out of the water last as per usual, but somewhere in the middle.
I lounged around till prize-giving though I'm not sure why - I never win a spot prize. It was warm and pleasant and I talked to a few people I knew, including the swim coach who told me this was to be the way of things in the future - no more little feel good triathlons. I am capable of doing the bigger distances she reckons, so I suppose I should give it a go while the body is up to it.

All done and dusted

Waiting for prize giving.