Ian Cahill muses over a wasted childhood and what could have been .....
Carlingford Race Report
The last week of August was one of mixed emotion for me in trying to decide whether I was happy or sad about the fact that my first season in triathlon was about to come to an end. A 1,500m swim, 40km cycle and 10km run was all that stood between me and indulgence in all that I’d sacrificed over the year (not a lot to be brutally honest)! A 12:30 start that was only a little over an hour from Dublin meant that I could afford to be somewhat lazy on the morning of the race. So a good breakfast and a short spin later and I was in the picturesque town of Carlingford.
As usual there were a number of Piranhas loitering in the vicinity of registration. A suspicious looking low-lying cloud lingered over the mountains in the background, but at least it wasn’t actually raining. All those nerves which I suffered before my first few races had long since gone. In fact I was so laid back before this one that I needed about 8 trips from transition to the car before I was finally set up. Even then I almost headed for the race briefing / swim start without my hat and goggles.
The swim was 2 laps of a course which in reality was a probably little short of 750m…but who’s counting? I tend to spend most of the swim these days on autopilot….slow autopilot. So after approximately a half an hour of being a general nuisance by getting in peoples way and holding up the back of a busy swim course , I found myself struggling to find my balance in T1, almost as if I’d just had 10 pints!
Out of T1 and onto a 2 lap bike course which was relatively fast and a little undulating. I was about 500m out on the course when the conditions reverted to the mandatory…rain! However, it was nothing compared to the deluge of Lough Neagh two weeks earlier or most other races this season for that matter, so it was a case of head down and pedal on. After an hour and a bit of frantic pedalling, random grunting and frequent questioning of myself as to why I repeatedly put myself through this, I felt a lot more sober in T2 which was a seamless changeover (well, just abandon everything apart from runners!).
With a little under 1:45 on the clock and only a 10k run to go, I knew I was on for a reasonable time by my standards. The 5k out / 5 k back flat run course presented little difficulty apart from my usual inability to run at a decent pace. The first water station at around 3k was a welcome sight as I approached, but they’d managed to run out of water by the time I got there. John Wallnutt later told me that the water was only for the first 100 people, which I guess is fair enough. Note to self…get faster for next year! John…I hope the water was contaminated! My race ended in a sprint finish with another lad whom I’d had in my sights for the last mile or so. I reckon I just got ahead of him at the line with a 10k of 48mins and an overall time of 2 hours and 32 minutes.
No water for post race showers either, but at least I was level with everyone else on that one. For that sole reason I didn’t hang around for the prize giving – no way I was getting onto that podium without my hair done or Sunday best on! I suppose they can just post the prize out to me as usually happens. Overall a great race and well organised and one I’d recommend to everyone for next year.
Another short drive later and I was back home, feeling a little emotional in putting away my racing gear (and all the other junk that goes with it) for the last time this year. The next few weekends will probably feel very strange with no races or brick sessions to hurt me…excessive food and drink might just have to replace that for a while.
This year I have achieved far above and beyond my expectations. My main goal at the start of the year was to complete a couple of sprint distance races given my inability to swim more than about 30 metres without stopping and not having been on a bike in about 10 years.
After a full season and with eight races under my belt, it’s probably now time for me to lose the armbands, beginner tag and clueless look and consider making improvements for next year. No doubt that’ll involve a lot of blood, sweat, exhaustion, aches, pains, ice-packs, 6am starts and all those other good things that come with this obsession.
I could never have achieved even a fraction of what I have this year without the help of a large number of people to whom I am extremely grateful;
To Piranha Triathlon Club and all its members for putting up with me at training…I can’t imagine how much tougher and less enjoyable all the training and racing would have been without a club atmosphere, not to mention all the help with my endless questions and concerns, most of which will no doubt continue. I look forward to what will hopefully be many years of being involved in the club and the sport.
To Chantal and Sinead for helping me get beyond the 30m mark in the pool as a nervous novice last November and on to completing multiple olympic distance races.
To Páraic, my training partner for most of the year, who was always up for a midweek training session or Saturday / Sunday brick. Congrats to you too on what you achieved this year.
Reflecting on the fantastic experience that has been the last eight months, I’m really glad that I finally took the plunge into the sport. For what it’s worth, some of the lessons it has taught me as a beginner include:
• Anyone with any level of base fitness can do this sport;
• Being part of a club makes the whole thing a million times more fun than the long and lonely journey that is training and racing alone;
• Setting and keeping sight of your own goals is critical. Everyone adapts and improves at a different pace;
• No matter how hard you want to train, if your body is telling you to take a day off, then do that.
• There are tons of people around who have gone through it all before and are great sources of advice;
• Pre race nerves are a waste of time and energy for those 95% of us who’ll never realistically become elite triathletes; and
• It’s by choice that we train and race like lunatics. Get the balance right and enjoy it. All work and no play as they say….
PiranhaTri
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