The
re was a buzzing in the air on Australia Day morning. The sea of enthusiastic triathletes, young and old, along with their amazing support crews gathered at Point Walter as the sun began to rise. F4L Triathlon Coaching had a healthy turn out of both competitor and support crew, this made the nerves of my first triathlon disappear as I feed off their encouragement, reassurance and experience.
This was my first Triathlon!
The weather was pleasant, the water was flat and the course had some exciting inclines to look forward to…
The “sprint” competitors were the first waves to begin their swim. Caitlin and I watch our fellow team mates start before we made our way down the bank ready for our own start. The start was a deep-water start – luckily the water was a delightful temperature – and before I knew it we were under way! I lost sight of Caitlin within the first 30 seconds, she was off like a bullet out of a gun! As for me, I kept telling my self to “find rhythm and just keep swimming and just don’t kill your self in the first leg.” I managed to complete my swim, not in the greatest time – but good enough, and still feeling strong.
During Transition 1 I felt my nerves begin to rise. The bike is my weakest leg. I knew that I required a
lot of positive self-talk to get me through. But then… To my surprise I really enjoyed the ride. The camaraderie between the other F4L athletes was very up lifting each time I rode past them, their words of encouragement kept me going. At ever corner I had Coach Paul’s voice in my head “take your hands off the breaks, entry, apex, exit.” I finished unscathed, with much further improvement required, but happy with my achievement.
As I jumped off my bike for Transition 2, I knew the end was insight. The heaviness of the legs kicked in straight away – welcome to Triathlon! I knew that if everyone else could get through this so could I. Nearly everyone was on the home straight waiting to cheer the rest of the team in. Everyone of them exchanging words of encouragement on their way passed. On the incline to the finish line it was so nice to see and hear the support crew cheering us on. Finally the end, I had completed my first triathlon. May have not been the fastest of time but it has definitely left me hungry for more. (Sally finished 2nd in her wave!)
A big congratulation to all the participants who participated and placed on the day, but a special mention to Caitlin who won her age-group. I can wait to experience some more race day excitement with you and see us all improve further!
By Sally Boud
