For the race the weather was fine. I managed to wake up on time. Then it all went to pot. I hadn't got everything ready the night before so I was still pottering around trying to be quiet while throwing things into a bag when I should have left for the start of the race. I was testing out the Tri shorts in a competition race so I was starting off in them. Some 20 miles of cycling later and a fairly sedate pace where I was asked by a poor fellow road cyclist looking for the start of a "wiggle" ride day. I can only assume these are some sort of cycle ride thing organised on the internet and not some sort of euphemism organised on the internet. Of course I had no idea what he was talking about so left him to it and powered off to the Offords. There I locked my bike to a study looking drainpipe which chains locks viscous looking dogs then took the time to build a 10 foot wall and moat around the area. I was then prepared to leave it unattended and go into registration.
I got the number 123. Easy to remember Sian told me as she was running the race with me. The race started at the other side of the village so we all trooped down the road and started hanging around the start line on the village green. I abandoned Sian and made my way towards the start. I was planning a good sprint start and then a solid 6 minute mile pace the whole way round. I wasn't feeling totally comfy. Not because of the shorts more I think from pre-preparation. I'd had a few beers watching the rugby the night before and eaten far too much junk.
Too late for that now we were off. I actually remembered to set my watch as we went forward and I got myself up and into 2nd place and the leader asnd I pushed the pace. The organisers had had to change the route at the last minute so we went flying at the marshal who was desperately trying to steer us to the left. After a half or mile or so the leader dropped off and I kept pushing. I was in the lead. I was quickly joined by a young lad who sat on my shoulder the whole way round. He'd forgotten his watch so I called out the running pace for him as we hit the markers. We thought we were doing well until the third mile when something more akin to machine than man ran past us like we weren't even trying. I tried to up the pace and stay with him but he had me outgunned. I managed to lead the lad for a bit and went though the water station manned by cadets from the local RAF branch. Gave them a few encouraging words and raced on. I couldn't catch speed man so fell back in step with the kid. We opened up the stride as we came back down hill from Graveley towards Offord. As we came into the village I hit the afterburners and tore away from the kid knowing there may be faster sprinters lurking behind waiting for the finish line to come into sight. I sailed through the start line which wasn't the finish line! I got mighty confused and bellowed at a marshall for directions. They'd created a start postiion about another 500m back in a park behind the green. I was gasping for breath as I struggled to maintain the full on pace. I made it home in 2nd! It was hard to be elated by this as I was over a minute behind the leader. Bet he'd come in the car. Not that I'm bitter or anything.
Sian did really well and managed the respectability of the military mile. 7.5minutes per mile. A big well done to her and thanks for keeping me company.
Just to add insult to 2nd place my rear trye had got a split in it through which the inner tube could be seen starting to bulge through. Great. It gave me the excuse to buy some red tryes I'd seen on Wiggle for £10 each. Bargin (hopefully) I've put them on the bike and they look great. Here's hoping they perform as well as they look.
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