Funda’s final London Triathlon entry…

Think I’ve only just recovered from Saturday’s event! Well, all in all, it went really well and I was pleased with my overall time of 1hr24mins for the women’s sprint distance. So, how did it go for a first-time ‘triathlete’?

The swim was definitely the hardest part for me. I found it difficult to stay on course as there were people everywhere, splashing all over the place and I got stuck in the middle of the group so found it hard to find my own pace. You’re very limited when in the middle of the group so definitely a lesson for next time. When I did stick my head down and try and go for it, I kept going off course as the water was muddy and it was easy to get disorientated. I lost my goggles in the chaos at one stage which made it difficult to breathe but I managed to calm down and get back on track!

The transitions went okay considering I hadn’t practiced too much – I think I took a little longer than some people with getting my wetsuit off but I guess that comes with experience. And I was grateful to see race masters around to help racers out should you have questions or get confused about the exact rules – I was surprised just how strict the rules were and know a couple of people who got disqualified.

The bike was my most enjoyable part as I had predicted. I managed to overtake quite a few people after the swim and I noticed my heart rate <http://www.suunto.com/> come down significantly so I think my body was recovering from the drama of the swim and getting back into a more regular, familiar rhythm. It seemed to go on for a long time but was fine and proved a good chance to assess what was going on around me. The run, despite my apprehensions, was actually fine. In fact, when I got to the end, the adrenalin was still pumping and I actually felt like I had quite a bit of energy left. In hindsight, I think I could have pushed myself harder in this last stage but, as they say, hindsight’s a great thing…

Overall, I was pretty pleased with my performance and have definitely got the bug for doing another one. I want to improve my times and transitions and take on board some of the things I learnt from this first experience, like with the swim. And the atmosphere was great – everyone in our group was in a really upbeat, positive mood and the organizers made it as fun and relaxed as possible. So, watch this space…London 2012, here I come.