Blenheim Triathlon

Last Saturday I completed (notice I didn't say raced) my first triathlon here in England. I've been haphazardly working out since we moved here, getting out to run when it's not raining and swimming at the Oxford U pool. I only bought a bike about a month ago (to commute to work) and have discovered that doing lots of yoga is not a good substitute for cycling training for triathlon. I'll keep that in mind in the future!

Anyhoo...I linked up with the Oxford Varsity Triathlon team mostly to have some people to train with, although I haven't joined them that often because they have all of their workouts at night. Sometimes quite late too - like one swim a week is 9 - 10:30PM! I am already in bed by then! But, joining this group gave me entry in to the Blenheim Palace triathlon, which was sold out months ago. I think it's the second biggest in England and was actually really well organized (the same people who put on the London Tri).

The week before the race, I happened to catch the flu/cold that Kent had been fighting for a few weeks. Great, just what I needed when out of shape! So I guess I would say I was well rested come Saturday. On the way over to meet up with the team vans, I got a flat tire! Oh yeah, it was cold and rainy too. Fun times.

We loaded up the mini-buses and when we arrived in Blenheim (only 7 miles north of Oxford) someone helped me change the tire and we waited around in the cold for a while before heading over to set up. The transition area was open all day - which was different than in the US - and races were starting like every ten minutes all day.

High noon arrived and we all suited up in our wetsuits (unnecessary I thought, but required) and headed down to the lake to face off with Cambridge. Dark blue vs. light blue. Obviously I was just along for the ride and couldn't count in the real varsity results (not that I was anywhere close to top 3!).

Since I was still feeling a little under the weather (and the weather was crap) I decided just to go steady pace and finish and try to have fun....the first time I have ever NOT raced a race! The swim was short and fast, the lake clean, and no one kicked me in the face. :-) I did not enjoy the 400m uphill run from the swim whilst tying to unzip my wetsuit. If it hadn't been for the weather, I could have enjoyed the beautiful grounds of the Palace as I biked and ran. But, I got through it and felt ok at the end.

Oxford beat Cambridge for the first time in a few years- so everyone was excited. It inspired me to train a little harder and find another race or two to do this summer!

Here's something I've never seen before - they took a video of each person's finish - pretty cool!
http://www.football.virginmedia.com/page/Triathlon/CrossingTheLine/0,,12555,00.html?bibnumber=5826

This pic isn't the most flattering....