Ayia Napa Middle Distance Triathlon

1.9km swim -> 90km Bike -> 21km Run

It can be fairly intimidating when there are 70 people on the start line and only 11 of those are women. I knew this meant I would be at the back of the race, especially as I had trained for this event in my own way, with more of a fun aspect in mind. Those other women were so supportive though. We chatted to each other, we joked about who would be last and during the race we cheered each other on, it was a lovely atmosphere.

The swim in Nissi Beach was so crystal clear and not cold, but I did struggle with the long slopping entrance/exit especially since it was an Aussie style lap so it had to be negotiated twice.

The bike I wish I’d ridden beforehand. I felt a bit lost on lap one and had to stop to deal with a water bottle issue, then settled into the remaining laps. It was a really lovely undulating course, at times I just didn’t have a hard enough gear to push through the long sloping downhills. At some point during the bike my period started. I had prepared for this best I could in terms of the mess factor, but there was little I could do about the pain. I had to grit my teeth during the last 30km on the bike, wondering why on earth I hadn’t downgraded to the standard distance.

It was a huge relief to get off the bike and into my running shoes. I settled into the run, ignoring my watch and running on feel for the first few kms, getting in some nutrition and fluids. I have been in pain during endurances races before but mainly nausea, headaches, dizziness or overheating. That type of pain requires you to slow down and manage yourself well. Period pain was different though, I knew it wasn’t going to stop me, and I was also determined it wasn’t going to slow me down. So, I dug in really deep looking to see just how much pain I could take on.

The result? I had the run of my life with a 15km and 20km PR. To achieve this pace after 90km on the bike is a big achievement for me. I finished in 6 hours and 6 minutes, 57^th out of 70 and 2 of 2 in my Age group, there are some advantages to being  on the wrong side of 40. My second Middle Distance Triathlon complete!