Question: Apart from some running, what has the Aberfeldy Triathlon and the Edinburgh Marathon got in common?
Answer: neither happen in their named town! Names can be deceptive.
Would you run the Pentland Skyline in the Moorfoots?
With a few niggles recently, some cross training seemed a good idea and entering a triathlon seemed a way also to learn to swim better and ride a racing bike, at the same time as resting pains. Previously, my swimming skills were limited to breast stroke and splashing about with the kids, and biking was limited to mountain biking rather than rolling along on tarmac which always seemed bit dull. The running bit should be straight forward apart from the niggles and the Monday swims in the local reservoirs gave me water confidence, even if my direction finding is poor and technique even worse. So, I bought a bike and got a few rides in to get a feel for those funny handle bars.
I met Maggie Creber the night before at registration who I had swam behind a few times at Gladhouse. It was her x7th Birthday weekend. Folk were busy getting expensive campervans stuck in the mud or preening space-age looking ‘bikes’. One guys front crank and gears alone cost more than my shiney new Boardman. Sunday had us awake early in KENMORE at the end of Loch Tay (6.5 miles from Aberfeldy) for a 1900m swim in lovely fresh (ecoli free) water followed by a stunning 90km bike ride over the hill and around Loch Rannoch and back to the start. The half marathon run took a reversed ‘h’-shaped course with three laps around the golf course in the grounds of Taymouth Castle.
All these 3 legs went better than expected. Due to my zig-zagging, my swim distance exceeded the 1900m and while finishing in the last third of the third wave, was a bit quicker than I expected. For me the bike went really well. With so many targets there was plenty of overtaking and for the first half I played cat and mouse with racer 100 and Dave 120. A shout – ‘is that you Mark?’ said I had caught Maggie alongside Loch Rannoch. The descent back toward Loch Tay disappointed as I didn’t quite hit 50mph. Must try harder! The run turned out to be quite tough due to tarmac and wee hills to sap you, repeated 3 times. No PBs for me but the weather was great and the scenery lovely. Maggie seemed to be catching me as I saw her at each out-and-back, although to her I was getting further ahead.
Most importantly, the birthday girl came First Female Senior Vet and stood proudly on the high bit of the podium for Carnethy, then had to go up again for the prize as 3rd FV40.
I came 15th MSV which I am quite happy about, beating Mr 100, but behind Mr Dave 120 and settling for an alcohol free beer.
Result here: http://www.aberfeldytriathlon.com/aberfeldy-triathlon.html
Mark Hartree