Triathlon

It was back in January when Helen persuaded me to sign up for the Shock Absorber WomenOnly Novice Triathlon (http://humanrace.co.uk/events/triathlon/womenonly-triathlon). Having never competed in anything where I got to wear my own number, it seemed like an excellent activity to include as a Something New.

The HumanRace team who run the event have held women-only triathlons every summer since 2007 out at Dorney Lake, which is certainly a good location for it. As the Eton rowing lake, the water is very calm, making it good for swimming in, and the path around the water is well maintained for cycling/running on. This year, with the Olympic events taking place out there, there are the inevitable building works and seating stands to avoid, but it was still a good venue and, with a little bit of Sunday sunshine and some picnic after the physical exertion, made for a pleasant afternoon out.

The first part of the triathlon was a 200m swim. I was very grateful for my eBay-purchased wetsuit, both for the warmth it provided and also the additional buoyancy. It was hard to get a great deal of momentum at first, because of the number of bodies crowded along the start "line", but once there was a bit more space, it became easier to find a rhythm. I completed the swim in 4mins 47secs, which of the 155 "novice" entrants was the 66th fastest time.

Next up was a 5.3km cycle around the lake. This was the first time I'd ever been on a road bike (those tyres are so slim!) and actually several years since I'd last cycled outside at all! I think a bit more practice on the bike would have given me the self-belief to lean forward and be more aerodynamic, but as it was I finished the section in 13mins 2secs, ranking 69th overall.

The running came last and was the section I was least looking forward to, as I do not consider myself a natural runner. It was exceedingly difficult to get my legs working after the bike, as running (apparently) works different muscles in different ways to cycling. Without any kind of stopwatch or timer, it felt like I was running a lot slower than on the treadmill... But I wasn't! My final time for the 2.5km was 14mins 34secs, which was at least 2mins faster than I'd ever run that distance before, coming in ranked 37th! This is the result I am most proud of.

I would definitely do another triathlon - and I know for sure what I would need to work on for next time... Getting changed! My first transition ranking was 137th (of 155!) and second wasn't much better at 124th. Clearly I need to spend more time getting in and out of my wetsuit/helmet.

I finished with an overall time of 38mins 11secs (ranked 68th), aching legs and a brand new luminous green swim-hat - score!

This is for you if...

If you're looking for an introductory competition, but don't fancy just a 5-10km run, the novice event is a good choice. The distances are challenging, but also short enough that you can probably cope with all of them, even if there's one you're not particularly good at.

Recommendations

My main recommendations would relate to the bike. We arrived at the venue with what should have been plenty of time, but the combination of one girl pushing in, an emergency tyre-repair and a very casual bike-fitter, meant that Helen was delayed from starting the event with the rest of the under-35s. If we'd arrived a bit earlier then we would've also had more time to try out the bikes, so that the first attempt in the saddle wasn't when you launched yourself onto the course...

Things happen in threes

What: Triathlon (200m swim, 5.3km cycle and 2.5km run!)
Where: Dorney Lake
Who: Human Race Shock Absorber WomenOnly Novice Triathlon
When: Sunday, 10th June 2012 - in the 12:15 wave
With: Helen Thomas
Why: I'm not entirely sure - it seemed like a good idea when Helen persuaded me (perhaps after a few glasses of vino...)

Falconry

Lydia and I headed out to experience some falconry at the English School of Falconry at the Birds of Prey Centre (http://www.birdsofpreycentre.co.uk/) out at Biggleswade. Getting there was a bit of a mission - train out of Kings Cross then a 10-minute taxi ride from Biggleswade station - but once there, we were surrounded by fields, trees and (on this occasion) bright blue skies and a strong breeze.

The trip was part of a Groupon voucher experience, which kicked off at 10:15 with flying some birds. First up was a diddy Barn Owl, who battled courageously against the winds to fly from a tree stump to the glove. It was really cool having the bird fly to your hand! Next up was a cheeky Harris Hawk, who completely epitomised the problems of working with animals, by flying up into a tree after just two flights (for first in the queue, me and Lydia!), then refusing to come back down for 20 minutes...

The next part of the experience was to meet some of the centre's birds, starting with the eagles. As Lydia learned, having a heavy sea eagle sit on your arm whilst the guide waxes lyrical about their attributes requires some strong muscles! I was very impressed by the knowledge which the centre's staff had about all the different birds - they really did know what they were talking about, adding another level to the experience. After this we met a whole host of owls - big, small, fat and baby. The two-week-old chick was pretty much just an ugly grey ball of feathers!

The day finished with a falconry display and the centre put on an impressive show, keeping the flights very near (and mostly right over the top of) the spectator benches. A section of the audience would instinctively duck every time the falcons dived down straight towards the benches, to try and catch the lure being swung by the handler. The show also included an overly friendly yellow-headed Caracara who liked sitting on hats and two large pelicans! Who knew they could fly?!

This was a really fun and unusual day out - and good value for the £15 Groupon. Unfortunately, due to the delays caused by the tricksy Harris Hawk, we only got to fly two birds, rather than three. However the experience of the rest of the day was enough to make up for this. I would love to try this again, although I don't quite see myself sitting at home nursing a baby bird of prey just yet!

This is for you if...

If you're looking for a day out with a difference, this is certainly one to try. The birds at the centre were really well trained, so it's an excellent way to try out falconry.

Recommendations

I would recommend taking a car to the centre, if you can. Its in-the-middle-of-nowhere location is great for the view but not so much for the public transport. Also, definitely go with a friend so that there is someone to take awesome photos.