BUCS Sprint Triathlon, 5 May 2023

I was very excited during the run up for BUCS sprint, having put a lot of hours into training it was show time!

The swim wasn’t as I’d hoped, in a very choppy humid pool I was a lot slower than planned, completing the swim leg in 6:50. But I stayed calm and didn’t let it bother me. Shoes and socks on for the run to T1, then on the bike. This was definitely my favourite part - I felt strong the whole way round and found a lot of advantage when using the tri bars. About 5km in I had a gel - I never know if it’s psychological but felt fresh as I hit the halfway mark. I finished the bike in 41:38.

Coming back into the park was nice as I started to see more people after being mostly solo on the ride. T2 was nice and smooth, and it was so nice to get the encouragement from the team and from Tim on the run course.

I didn’t want to put any pressure on the run as I’ve been on and off with injuries. So, I ran what felt good, but found by the second lap I had more left than I thought, a pleasant surprise! I aimed to catch people on each lap, and this helped to push me on. I finished the run in 22.21. I’m super happy with my overall time (1.14.40), but noted many areas I still need to work on.

Now I’m going to lower the intensity for a bit to recover and prepare myself for next Sundays Stonehenge sprint triathlon.

Zoe Palmer