Tewkesbury Aquathlon - Race 4. Could I achieve 4/4 wins?
On Sunday 10th April I traveled to Tewkesbury School to take part in the final race of the Winter Aquathlon race series hosted by Tewkesbury Triathlon Club. As usual this was a 400 metre pool swim followed by 4 laps of the playing fields, a total run of 5km
Having won the first three races I wanted to make sure I finished the series with 4/4 wins.
With the help of better weather, firmer ground and better fitness I knew my times would be quicker. However, I also saw the other athletes getting quicker at each race. Could I manage a fourth win?
With this being the last race of the series I really wanted to test my fitness and speed. Feeling strong and confident following my recent race success I knew it would take some strong competition to take the top spot away from myself.
Having recently become an ambassador for ashmei. www.ashmei.co.uk I was fortunate enough to be given their Triathlon Suit for this race.
Ashmei say their Tri-suit absorbs 180% less water than a traditional knitted fabric so you carry less weight in the swim but come out of the lake feeling much drier and therefore more comfortable.
I've worn many swimming trunks and Tri-suits during my swimming career and can say how poor some have been. So I was really looking forward to testing this theory in the pool.
Again I was the last swimmer on the start list. I waited on the poolside for my turn to swim. This gave me the opportunity to prepare for my race. I thought back to race 3, I had set myself a goal of sub 5mins for the swim and a sub 18mins on the run. Well, I achieved that with a 4:57 swim and a 17:38 run. It was going to be tough to beat that... But if you know me then you'll know how I like a challenge.
I got the call to say I was about to start. I was given a 30 seconds count down. I dropped into the pool and instantly felt my tri-suit wrap itself tightly around my body. This felt great, it was better than wearing compression clothing.
I got the the 'Go' and off I went. Submerging myself under the water and pushing off the wall. A great streamlined start meant I appeared back on the surface some 10-12 metres further up the pool. It was then I had a quick glance to my waist line. My tri-suit was so snug, there was a moment when I thought I wasn't wearing a suit 😁.
I finished the swim with my fastest time of the series. My Garmin Fenix 3 gave a swim time of 4:53 I can only put this down to the excellent performance of my new Asmei Tri-suit.
I jumped out of the pool and ran to transition 1. Another super quick transition and off on the run. I couldn't believe how comfortable I was feeling. Ashmei were right, their Tri-suit was instantly dry. It felt comfortably tight and lightweight. The foam padding between the legs was dry. I suffered none of that rubbing that you get whilst running with the usual sponge padding. Feeling comfortable I pushed on, determined to win this race.
www.ashmei.com/
After 4 laps of the playing field I headed for the finish line. I knew I had run well. But still didn't know where I had finished overall.
I crossed the line, stopped my watch and gave a myself a little cheer. My Garmin showed my run time to be 16:29.
We quickly dashed back indoors...I had a cake to eat, again!
The results were announced. I had won my fourth race of the series and the overall series winner.
As a prize, Tewkesbury Triathlon Club gave me a free entry to their Spring Sprint Triathlon on the 8th May 2016.
My thanks go to Tewkesbury Triathlon Club for hosting a fabulous, well organised Winter Aquathlon Race Series. Give it a go next year. It'll give you all the motivation you need and just in time to start your Triathlon season.
Many thanks to Run Stuff, Evesham for supplying all the prizes throughout the race series and to ashmei, Bridgtown Cycles Store Page for all their continued support.
