Dear friends, on Sunday 8/8 I finished my first London triathlon in 2hr 35mins, well below my target of 3 hrs. The 1.5k swim, my weakest event, was not as bad as I had feared and I found myself almost enjoying the summer outing in the Docklands waters, taking in the wonderful sights of neighboring derelict warehouses and construction sites. The cycle was long but manageable as I took on undulating highway tunnels and fly overs along the Embankment for 40km. The real fun was in the final 10k run. Leg cramps were my biggest pre race concern, having suffered some during the run of the last triathlon (half the distance). This time the cramps hit with a vengeance during the first kilometer... I slowed down a bit to try stabilize the cramps which seemed to work somewhat, while still quite painful. Devouring my last few energy gels, I carried on like this for a few laps, cheered on by the fantastic crowds. In my last lap, confident that I would make it, I accelerated again and finished in a near sprint. That last bit was probably not so wise, words fail me to describe the feeling in my legs after the finish.

In any event, it gave a huge sense of accomplishment and to anyone considering it, I say do it! Special thank you to the on-site support squad Mom and Caitlin and to my trainer James Heagney without whom this would have been a much more painful experience! Thanks again everyone for all your support!

Cheers
K