And now for something completely different –
3.50am out of bed. Teeth, coffee, I bundle my bike into back of car, and onto the road by 4.10. GPS to take me there and a CD of Michael Palin’s “ Full Circle ” to occupy the brain, I am on auto-pilot, and arrive at Gloucester Park , Basildon at just before 6am . I get my bike out, resplendent with knobbly mountain bike tyres purchased a few days earlier, and wheel it into the park to Registration. I get my numbers and my left upper arm marked.
The course has already been marked out, so I set off to try this new discipline of “mountain biking”. The Bike course is all on grass except for a short spell on a track with bumps and a few puddles, the grass is wet from dew but most of the ground is pretty firm. I return to the car and change my tyres back to the lighter and less knobbly tyres which I use for winter cycling on the road. I still have time before my 7.37 am start, so I try out the bike course again. I discover a hill too steep to cycle up with my city tyres, and a boggy section. Too late to change now, so I rack my bike in transition, and head for the pool.
The pool is 6 lanes, 33 metres in length. Swimmers are seeded according to the swim time predicted when entering; the slowest seed starts first, with a swimmer starting every 30 seconds, the last being the fastest seed.
Starting on the left side of the pool the first length is swum next to side on the pool, turn at the top and back down the lane, swimming next to the lane rope. 2 lengths, 67 meters completed, turn at the end, swim under the lane rope into the next lane, up, down, 4 lengths, 133 meters completed, turn at the end, swim under the lane rope into the next lane, and so on, until 12 lengths, 400 metre completed, the swimmer emerges at the far right of pool, and races off to transition where the mountain bike awaits. Though some make heavy weather of ducking under the lane ropes when it is time to change lanes, I enjoy the swim, barely noticing the lane ropes, as I am underwater anyway for 6 or 7 metres from the turn.
Quickly away on the bike, and as one later starters, most of the competitors are on the course in front of me. This I enjoy, and spend the next 22 minutes behaving like a ten year old, frightening myself going too fast down hills, gambling on the bends, and overtaking in places which are thoroughly unsuitable.
Off the bike, into transition, I am pumped up and going for it; I start the 4k run much too fast, and not wanting to admit it hang on, blowing like a steam train. Half way into the run and I’ve slowed a little and settled into it.The finish line comes just in time, and slowly the pain gives way to a warm and pleasant glow, and I know that this is what I was born to do.
I hang around for the results, 7th on the swim, 8th on the bike, 11th on the run, 5th overall (70 finishers). Not bad, I will be back next year with knobbly tyres. And it’s only quarter past nine !