Club La Santa Mini Triathlon 2016

Lanzarote, Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Dougie Nisbet

If I’d been nervous for the Half Marathon the nerves were nothing compared to those I felt for the Triathlon. Or ‘MiniTriathlon’, as it was billed. I kept telling myself a mini triathlon was just a bit of fun, and the man who’d sold it to me (zero Euros again) insisted it was ‘beginner friendly’.

I’ve always wanted to give a triathlon a go but never had the courage. Even though I know they’re friendly, informal, and not at all scary, that doesn’t stop them being scary. They remind me, strangely, of orienteering competitions. I know, as someone who has done a lot of orienteering competitions, that they are fun and friendly and suitable for all abilities. But to the first timer they can be daunting beasts and I always have sympathy for people who see them as a bit intimidating.

Pull down the blind, look out the window, and Don't be scared ...

So there we were, at 730AM (on holiday), for the second day in a row, waiting for the briefing. Roberta had got up (again) to see me off, not that she got much sleep with me pacing about. Our villa overlooked the swimming pools which, on the one hand, were pretty impressive. On the other hand, if ever I glanced out of the window during the night, there they were, in all their floodlit glory, taunting me with their massiveness.

The briefing was pretty straightforward. No cycling in the complex. No running over the timing mats in cycling shoes. But the main thing was to “Make sure the Timing Mat says BEEEEP!” – good advice.

We started in the pool, picking lanes according to our ability. I picked a slow lane and was just beginning to know my lane-mates well before it was time to start. Off we went and I settled into a steady breaststroke. I’m rubbish at the crawl but after a few lengths I was discovering that my breaststroke was a lot faster than some of my lane-mates’ crawl. Not that it mattered. Overtaking was never going to happen, not without implementing some sort of congestion charge. Anyway, the sun was out, and I zoned out, knowing that the swim wasn’t a big part of the event and I wasn’t going to make any real gains here anyway.

Heading out on the bike sectionOut of the pool and an exciting jog around the poolside before crossing the timing map, making sure it said BEEP! and onto the bike. It may have only been 0830 but there was never any danger of being chilly. The bike section was a long, steady climb up to the neighbouring village of Tinajo, round the roundabout, and a fun descent back to Club La Santa.

I’d passed a few people on the bike section and now I fully expected them to be popping by again on the final run section. I knew I’d be ok on the bike section, terrible on the swim, and indeterminate on the run. The last section was a bit like a handicap – all the time expecting to be pipped on the final approach. It was also a good motivitor and encouraged me to push hard on the final few km of the run. A final push round the track to the finish then across the timing mat, which said BEEP!, and relax. I looked at my watch and it wasn’t even 10AM, and I’d done a triathlon! Time for breakfast.

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