111. Triathlon

Event: Triathlon 
Date: 15th July 2016 (Ellie) & 29th July 2016 (Sarah) 
Location: Queen Elizabeth Park, Stratford (Ellie) & Various locations around Colchester (Sarah)
Cost: Free swim, £2 for the Santander bike, Free 'run' (Ellie). £4.90 swim, free cycle and run (Sarah).
Rules: The Triathlon is a multi-disciplined event, with three stages linked by transitions. The order of the events is; swim, cycle, run. The length of each stage can change depending on the event, but the Olympic distances are always; 1500m swim, 40K cycle and 10K run. The fastest athlete to complete the overall course is the winner.  

The Event:

Sarah:

Swim

Cycle

Run

Ellie:

Cycling around the Olympic Park and Victoria Park

Walking through the Olympic Park

Olympic Gold Medal London 2012: 
Nicola Spirig, Switzerland. 1:59.48 - Olympic Distance - 1500m Swim, 40K Cycle, 10K Run.

Our Results:
Sarah: 2:17.25 - Sprint Distance - 750m Swim, 20K Cycle, 5K Run.
Ellie: 1:50.00 - Super Sprint Distance - 400m Swim, 10K Cycle, 3K 'Run'.

Comments:

Sarah: How much training is required for a sprint triathlon? Well, it turns out if you're not bothered about your time, then not a lot! This was hard, but I was expecting that after not putting in very much preperation. I even forgot to get any energy snacks or isotonic drinks, so ended up doing my Triathlon on a bowl of Cheerios. I was least looking forward to the swim, but it turned out to be my favourite stage, and I felt completely pumped when I got out the pool. The swim to cycle transition wasn't too bad, but my legs started to feel a bit wobbly during the cycle. I eventually finished, locked my bike up and attempted to run. Oh wow, the transition from cycle to run was so hard! My legs felt like they were made out of concrete, and it took about a mile for them to settle down. The middle section of the run was a slog, but the endorphins kicked in again on my way home, and I finished the race feeling euphoric. Then sick. And it took me about three hours to cool down to any kind of normal temperature. This was a big one, and I feel really proud having completed it. As the Challenge draws to a close, I'm wary of commiting to any other sporting events for a while, but I could definitely see myself returning to this one, but maybe doing a bit more training next time.... 

Ellie: I have invented a new type of Triathlon, it is called the leisure triathlon. I wanted to complete my triathlon in the Olympic Park; I live so close and definitely don't take advantage of it being on my doorstep. So I started with a lovely swim in the Olympic Pool - realising again that I am so much quicker if I don't move my legs. Then I borrowed a Santander bike and had one of the most pleasant and pain free cycles of recent times around the park and into Victoria Park. I then completed my run (walk obvs) by walking home. I managed to pick a really lovely evening, I chatted to people, heard the musicians at Lovebox in Victoria Park, saw bats, rode past my old house and petted a Chihuahua. I would highly recommend a similar activity to anyone looking for some low-impact sport and the combination of sports meant I didn't get bored with any one activity; the cycling gave me time to explore my neighbourhood in a low-impact way. I'd really like to do a proper super sprint triathlon now and get a medal given to me rather than buying myself one from eBay.