Belvoir Beaver Middle Distance Tri 2014

We set off for Grantham as soon as I got home from work, the traffic on the A1 was dreadful. We drove past the hotel and went to register. The Triathlon was to be in the grounds of Belvoir Castle. It was very windy.

After registering we went to the hotel which was only a few minutes drive away. We enquired about staying Saturday night too, but it would have been expensive and we would have had to change rooms, so we decided to go home after the race. The rooms were nice, a massive bed and room for the bikes,

We had a lovely 4 course dinner before an early night.

Race day.

Saturday 10 May Belvoir Beaver Middle Distance Triathlon 1900m swim -74 km bike - 20 km run I went to the event with Billy (hubby)and Martin (friend) my back and shoulder were niggling, they've been sore all week. I was very nervous as this was first triathlon race of the year. Weather was due to be awful, wet and windy. I racked my bike and set out my stuff, I knew it was due to rain so I had a box with a fitted lid, but we were not allowed boxes by our bikes, we had to set out our stuff and move boxes and bags to the side of transition. 

I found the landmarks that would help me find my place again, put on my wetsuit and then walked to the swim start (bare feet over thistly ground about 450m). Wave 1 was at 8:00, most of the men, wave 2 was 8:10 males 40-49 and all women. (Billy, Martin and I were in the same wave) (I hate this grouping, why ask for our times if we are grouped by age and sex). Anyway the lake was shallow and silty, and so was muddy from the start. I started wide and to the back and was swimming ok until the first turn buoy where everything suddenly went black. It was like swimming in ink, no light whatsoever. This freaked me out so I swam heads up until the water cleared a bit, I was aware I was losing time. By now Id lost the pack which I had been just behind so tried to catch up a bit. I was caught between a breast stoker and a weaver, but didn't have the strength to pull away so slowed then swam beside them. By the last turn my left arm was noticeably weaker, but I fought on. I stood to get out but sank in the mud, "swim up to us" the helpers called, I did that and belly flopped onto the jetty, they helped me up. 1900m done, I then had to run the 450m up the field through the thistles to transition. I stopped my watch and got my wetsuit to my waist as I ran to the timing mat. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/506021051 T1 It had been raining, so, even though I had left my shoes and socks upside down they were now soaked. I got out of my wetsuit and put my cyclin socks and shoes on, (onto grassy feet) then a top and rain jacket and headed towards the already muddy bike exit. Bike I now forgot to change my watch, so the bike was Ti and doesn't have much detail, but, I took the first of the 3 laps conservatively as possible, aware that I was at the back of the field ( there were only a few bikes left in transition) I was riding the wet roads well, suddenly I turned into the wind and it became more of a challenge, a long straight road with a mild incline, I was soon on my small ring and I turned a corner and in my last gear got up the last of the hill. I hoped that was the hill they all spoke about, it was not as bad as anticipated, back to the big ring for the rest of the loop, I was over cautious on sharp bends and declines due to the wet roads and faster riders flying past on my right. I got to the end of loop 1 at an average of 15.1 mph. Lap 2 was similar except it rained harder and there were more fast riders flying past. Also my back was getting very sore. At the end of the lap my average was 15.2 mph. Lap 3,last lap, lonely now, good job I knew where I was going. It was pouring down. Now I was finally catching the occasional cyclist, that was good for moral, my speed felt consistent. As I approached the hill I went to go into my small ring and it wouldn’t go, I knew I couldn't get up that hill on my big ring, so I stopped and gently tapped it in. I got going again, my back was agony, I had hardly any push with my left leg. I got to the top and it then took a lot of attempts to get back into big gear. I never saw another rider from this point and was relieved to get back to the castle grounds, where I saw Billy looking very comfortable on the run. That cheered me up. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/506021059 T2. I pressed my watch and found my rack. I changed my wet shoes and socks for wet socks and trainers. The place was a quagmire as I ran out of transition onto the run course. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/506021065 Run I set off, pressed my watch and joined the others running the four laps. There was muddy wet grass then tarmac, a slight incline then a climb, a bit like up to Studley church, but a bit longer. Turn, and run back down, across a now very muddy field and start again. I saw both |Billy and Martin on the run, Thats the good thing about laps, they were both looking strong, Billy, Exceedingly so. On the second lap the rain finally stopped. At the start of my lap 3 I looked across and saw billy entering the field for the final time, he was sprinting along the muddy track, past the water station and to the finish. I felt so proud. I finally removed my rain jacket, I saw Martin running down the hill on his last lap, he had the biggest smile on his face, he was so happy that he had almost finished and without any walking. Billy and Martin were there to cheer me onto my final lap. I removed my extra top and a marshal offered to put them on my bike for me. I knew I was going to finish, and also was pushed along knowing that Billy and Martin, tired and wet were waiting for me. There were not many people left on course now, a few were walking, but I kept running and soon was at the turn point and on the way back. As I turned onto the muddy field, I could see that transition, and the whole ares was almost deserted. The weather had been so bad that people were not hanging around. But Billy and Martin were there, waiting for me to run up the finishing chute. just a steady run, not my usual sprint, I was shattered. The result of not tapering I suppose, but racing tired was the plan, and it was done. PHEW!!! http://connect.garmin.com/activity/506021067

I had messed my Garmin up, I had forgot on to press lap as I set off on the bike, so I had Swim, T1 (T1 and bike), Bike (T2) T2 (run) so no Heartrate data or speed data for bike or run.

Transition was by now partially under water and as we packed all our gear up, the mud just attached itself to everything. We loaded the car as carefully as possible but there was just mud, mud and more mud. On the long drive home the heavens opened again, we hoped that it would rinse the bikes a bit, but no, mud sticks, and so, exhausted and happy we arrived home, to spend the next 2 hours, scrubbing, bikes, trainers, wetsuits and tri boxes. A tough event, in tough conditions, would I do it again, hell yeh! hopefully in better weather though.

Actual results were; Finishing position 282/290, Female 54/55 age cat 11/11 swim inc 450m run 50:43, T1 4:31, bike 3:08:44, T2 3:10 run 2:26:54 Total time 6:34:06