Lakesman half swim
Lakesman half triathlon swim chaos !
Fortunately, I managed to find a gap amongst the chaos and started establishing a rhythm, sighting more frequently at first until I was out of the trouble zone. The swim route was a long, narrow rectangle, and just when we thought we had everything under control and swimming towards the last two buoys, a swarm of fresh-faced swimmers heading in the opposite direction came our way. The poor kayakers desperately tried to separate us from the oncoming wave. I did my part by tapping a few swimmers on the shoulder and asking them to swim in the right direction. After that, the rest of the swim went well.
Lakesman half bike
Now, onto the bike leg. My plan was to push harder to give myself more time for the run in case my troublesome IT band decided to make an appearance. The bike course started off on the A66, offering a long stretch of straight and flat road, allowing me to stay in a time trial (TT) position for quite a while. Then, we encountered more undulations in the route. The last section took us back on the A66. Along the way, overtaking a few, only to be overtaken by others. My goal was to maintain a speed of 27kph, but ended up averaging 28.7kph. I was happy with the unexpected gains.
In terms of nutrition, everything went well. I prepared my own bite-sized savoury and sweet snacks, creating a mini picnic in the saddle . Every half hour, I’d pop a bitesize in my mouth, accompanied by sips from a bottle of Tailwind and another bottle of electrolyte. It worked like a charm. No sickly sweetness haunting me after the bike leg.
Lakesman half run
Lakesman half triathlon 3 lap course
After yet another visit to the toilet during the transition, I was ready to conquer the run. The route consisted of three loops around Keswick Rugby Club, with the weather alternating between cloudy and sunny. My IT band behaved itself, but my right calf decided to express its discontent. Ignoring their protests, I embarked on the run, hoping for the best. After the first 5 kilometres, my mind turned against me. Negative thoughts flooded in, whispering doubts about my ability to finish the race. Why had I signed up for this race? The sun, slowly sapping away my energy. My leg muscles tightened, making each step difficult. Time slipped through my fingers and my pace resembled that of a snail. To make matters worse, my beloved Kendal mint cake, my trusted companion for fuelling, decided to turn on me. Its once delightful sweetness was now unbearable.
I wasn’t about to let negativity rule my day. I took a moment to stretch my calves and gather my thoughts. With newfound determination, I shook off the doubts and focused on the positive aspects: my well-behaved IT band, the relief I felt after the stretch, and the incredible support from the cheering crowds. Soon enough, I found myself on the last lap. All I had to do was to try gain a bit more speed for the last few kilometres if I could, embracing the joys of negative splits. And just like that, I crossed the finish line, a mix of relief and exhaustion.
I completed in 6 hours and 24 minutes, a personal best by over 30 minutes. Good to know the training went well this year and with this race, I gained more valuable experience and identified areas to work on for future races. It’s the beauty of this sport—there’s always something to work on, to tweak, and to push beyond our limits. I look forward to tackling the challenges that lie ahead.
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