It was Lily’s fault. She decided to have a bit of a rebirth in autumn with her running, and entered the Manchester Marathon. She ticked that box with military precision at the end of April, with a brilliant and consistent run. The first Haygarth marathon completion, in this branch of the family. But before that had happened, she told me she wanted something to aim for after that was done. So, slightly tongue-in-cheek, I suggested we did a triathlon.
The local triathlon (Rossendale) has been run since 2005. I did a couple of the early ones, and do remember at the time how I enjoyed the change from the usual (cycling or running). The buzz of the transitions between the legs is ace, and the large, mixed field is a great place for experienced athletes and have-a-go locals alike.
So back in Feb we did our entries and kind of forgot about it. Lily got on with Uni, with drinking, with marathon prep and with not swimming. I got on with the usual, and also got on with not swimming.
The day came almost as a surprise. Amidst the driest spring on record, the weather looked fab, with just an easterly breeze to moan about.
Lily and I racked the bikes and got our kit area ready. It was considerably easier for me, having done these before. She was nervy, and understandably so. She basically had to feel her way. But she did this brilliantly, and seeing her pretty smooth swim and then the proper urgency of the transition, I knew she’s taken the bit between her teeth !
So she was gone, and it was my go. I was surprising myself with how relaxed I was about the swim. The last lane swim I had done – or any swim in any rush, for that matter, was in the Clitheroe Triathlon back in 2015. But being so relaxed, I managed to take care of the swimming with relative efficiency, and a steady time saw me exit the pool quite intact and upbeat.
The ride was bliss, as can be expected. I was on a road bike and overtaking triathlon bikes at a rate that gave me constant mood boosts. Fastest ride on the day, as it turned out.
The jelly-legged start to a Triathlon run after a transition is something I was fearing, but somehow it lasted only 20 seconds or so, and I did a solid 5k run time on the oh-so-familar Marl Pits trails. Not flat, but not a fell race either. Finishing was a joy – with Lily already finished a few mins earlier and Katie / Elsie there too, along with Lucy. Lovely moment in the sun. And an ice cream.
Would love to do this again and will make a point of doing necxt time. But a more organised Triathlon programme isn’t going to happen with such bust cycling things going on. (It’s also pretty pricey compared to cycling and running, so we won’t be entering loads of these!)
