Lavender Rose
Specialized Fan Girl
- Location
- Ashford, Kent
Hello all!
Phew! What a busy two days! Just had a chance to sit down.
Firstly, the Tonbridge Triathlon - due to be 200m swim / 14km Bike / 2.5km Run. Was all geared up for it, transition all set up, tri suit on....nerves jangling and legs feeling fresh despite my 30 odd mile forum ride the day before!
Got onto poolside for the briefing and the Race Director came in and told us the bike section for the GoTri had been called off due a big accident on the A21 causing traffic diverts and all sorts of hell, some cyclists were still out on the course and got delayed coming back to transition!
So that changed all my anxiety, it was a slight relief - but I knew I could then swim quicker and hopefully then run quicker! Never done, what was essentially an Aquathlon before but I did my best and loved it! The times are still being processed so I am not 100% sure, but the provisional time for me was 30 minutes exactly, this includes travelling to and from transition - my legs felt heavy at the end though - but will update again once the times are confirmed - and another bonus that I was not last!!
Gravesend Cyclopark Midweek Duathlon
This event is one of my favourites. It was the very first duathlon I did back in August 2017! It is run as a Midweek series taking place on the first Tuesday of each month, from May to September. So 5 in total! The distances are 2.5km Run / 15km Bike (6 laps around the circuit) /2.5km run. The event takes place all on the same no-traffic circuit so it's usually faster!
I really wanted to try my best despite my body being increasingly tired! I made sure to stay hydrated and eat well during the day (considering I was up at 5:30 in the morning for work and was home by 3) it ends up being a long day! So I had a quick hour and a half power nap and then got ready to go.
Arrived, set everything up - was feeling happy and good! Wore my tri suit as I need to get use to wearing it in all weathers, I ran with a jacket on and when I got back for the bike, I took it off - sensing that was going to be a bad decision with fading light and temperature - I didn't get really cold until the last lap! I still kept the jacket off for the last two little laps and finished strong still feeling like I could have run more - which is a real achievement for me.
I completed in 1:21:39 which was 10 seconds slower than my PB so my 2nd best time ultimately! I was a little disappointed till I looked at my splits. My first and last run were 17:29 and 17:04 (which was around minute and a half quicker than my other times) This showed that I didn't lose pace as I usually notice my last run is slower, despite being less distance. PLUS I run up this horrible hill twice on the short loop that I do twice and I kept going! I was so pleased with the running aspect.
I was a little disappointed with my bike, I did have some inner thigh niggles, probably from the tri suit which I haven't cycled long distances in as yet...so I did have one slow lap to try work it out. But all in all, I was very pleased! I can now have a rest day and get back to swimming!
For anyone interested in following my story, you can find me on Instagram: charlotte_alice_rose.
Phew! What a busy two days! Just had a chance to sit down.
Firstly, the Tonbridge Triathlon - due to be 200m swim / 14km Bike / 2.5km Run. Was all geared up for it, transition all set up, tri suit on....nerves jangling and legs feeling fresh despite my 30 odd mile forum ride the day before!
Got onto poolside for the briefing and the Race Director came in and told us the bike section for the GoTri had been called off due a big accident on the A21 causing traffic diverts and all sorts of hell, some cyclists were still out on the course and got delayed coming back to transition!
So that changed all my anxiety, it was a slight relief - but I knew I could then swim quicker and hopefully then run quicker! Never done, what was essentially an Aquathlon before but I did my best and loved it! The times are still being processed so I am not 100% sure, but the provisional time for me was 30 minutes exactly, this includes travelling to and from transition - my legs felt heavy at the end though - but will update again once the times are confirmed - and another bonus that I was not last!!
Gravesend Cyclopark Midweek Duathlon
This event is one of my favourites. It was the very first duathlon I did back in August 2017! It is run as a Midweek series taking place on the first Tuesday of each month, from May to September. So 5 in total! The distances are 2.5km Run / 15km Bike (6 laps around the circuit) /2.5km run. The event takes place all on the same no-traffic circuit so it's usually faster!
I really wanted to try my best despite my body being increasingly tired! I made sure to stay hydrated and eat well during the day (considering I was up at 5:30 in the morning for work and was home by 3) it ends up being a long day! So I had a quick hour and a half power nap and then got ready to go.
Arrived, set everything up - was feeling happy and good! Wore my tri suit as I need to get use to wearing it in all weathers, I ran with a jacket on and when I got back for the bike, I took it off - sensing that was going to be a bad decision with fading light and temperature - I didn't get really cold until the last lap! I still kept the jacket off for the last two little laps and finished strong still feeling like I could have run more - which is a real achievement for me.
I completed in 1:21:39 which was 10 seconds slower than my PB so my 2nd best time ultimately! I was a little disappointed till I looked at my splits. My first and last run were 17:29 and 17:04 (which was around minute and a half quicker than my other times) This showed that I didn't lose pace as I usually notice my last run is slower, despite being less distance. PLUS I run up this horrible hill twice on the short loop that I do twice and I kept going! I was so pleased with the running aspect.
I was a little disappointed with my bike, I did have some inner thigh niggles, probably from the tri suit which I haven't cycled long distances in as yet...so I did have one slow lap to try work it out. But all in all, I was very pleased! I can now have a rest day and get back to swimming!
For anyone interested in following my story, you can find me on Instagram: charlotte_alice_rose.
