Hampton Pool Sprint Triathlon, 5 Apr 2021

I kicked off my race season (long overdue) with my first ever triathlon, the Hampton Pool Sprint Tri! With a 6am registration time my alarm was set for 4am, and we arrived at the pool before the sun had come up. Queuing to register in a line of triathletes of all shapes and ages got my excitement levels up, but once the sun had risen and my bike was racked I started to feel a lot calmer.

Lining up for the swim gave me time to reflect how this is only my second swim of 2021 and was also a reminder to enjoy it and appreciate that racing is back! The swim was 432m (rather shorter than sprint distance, due to having to do lengths of Hampton Pool - 36 in all) and social distancing meant the swim was two laps per lane, ducking under the rope each time. I had decided beforehand to take the swim at a very steady pace; this was in part because I haven’t swum in months, but also as this is my first triathlon. I didn’t know how to pace myself across the entire race and felt it better to hold back in the pool and hope for a faster bike and run.

Luckily this tactic paid off and I really enjoyed my swim even in a slightly crowded pool, and jogged round to transition. Transition 1 was officially “paused” with 7 minutes given to change into warm clothes given the cold weather. Once all of my layers and gloves were on, I was off on the bike and grinning that I’d completed the first section! That said, conditions were incredibly windy with crosswinds at times which made me a bit nervous. My target for the bike was to get round in 50/55 minutes. Again this was difficult; knowing when to push and tire the legs slightly, but not compromise my legs entirely for the run! I settled for a comfortable (sweetspot?) pace and kept my average of 25kmh which I was happy with, slowing down slightly with half a km to go to give my legs a tiny bit of recovery before the run.

Finally I was into the run, a 5km there-and-back route. I eased into the first km and was really surprised to look at my watch and see that my pace was on for a sub-25 5km, a big achievement after an hour’s racing! Once I’d hit halfway I knew it was time to use any left-over energy and with my legs cramping, I put my head down and pressed hard until I was across the finish line! 5k PB so not bad with the rest of the race in my legs already!

Overall this was a great race; no major disasters, some fast running and lots to learn and build from! I know not every race will be as smooth but I’m excited that my season has kicked off and I can’t wait for the next!

Eleanor Jane Wells