SA Duathlon Champs… How not to compete…
February 28th, 2007 by Nicola Lockhart
I was met with conflict feelings after withdrawing from taking part in SA Duathon Champs. I took the “mature†decision to withdraw from this race after racing WP Tri Champs on injured legs. I decided to rather wait ‘till I was 100% recovered before racing again and the way my training was going it looked like I was still on that road and should rather concentrate on doing SA Tri Champs than Duathlon too.
However, as I arrived in JHB I downloaded my emails to find that the race organisers had not withdrawn me and I would still have to pay to compete. Immediately the thought of loaning a bike and kit crossed my mind. Racing is not cheap and to pay and not race is a real waste… however one also has to weigh up the cost of racing “out of form’ I thought of doing the race as a training session. Doing a really easy run and pushing hard on the bike and finishing with an easy run….
However, as good as that sounds I had to admit it… I have a competitive streak in me and know that I would give it all I have got – in order not to be put to shame and this would only result in further injury…. a longer recovery and possibly two poor races instead of one superior race.
So……………. I watched. It was not easy, I saw all my friends that I had met at Duathlon Worlds in Australia and the Cape Town crowd - all asking how I was feeling about the race… I think I looked pretty chilled in my bright yellow shorts and slops whilst everybody was rushing around in kit and getting body marked etc.
It was quite a relief to be all relaxed whilst those around me all looked terrified and had butterflies in their stomachs. Just before the race, I joined Kirsty Weir and Georgina Thomas for a warm up run… I gave it horns and think it was the first and only time I was ever seen running ahead of Kirsty the Great… It was good fun and they went off to meet the crowds to race whilst I stood behind the barriers with my camera…
I got to see what it is like to watch a Duathlon… I was able to support all my friends and felt quite nice waiting for them to pass me after every lap so that I could let out a whoop of joy and call their names. I was proud to see many WP athletes participating and racing really well.
During the cycle I put on my running shoes and went for a run… I felt so strong and had no niggles… I kept questioning how I would have raced had I bought my bike along. I still had fellow athlete Dick pass and say, “ Hey, I thought you said you could not run†This made me happy and sad – happy that I was able to run again yet sad that I was not racing with them.
I went back to watch the leaders start the last run and continue to watch the race… I helped myself to all the food and refreshments, as they were part of my race entry too. I also had a massage! So indirectly I took part without racing and as tough as it was I think it was an important exercise and I have grown emotionally from the experience…
Now lets see how I go watching IM after competing last year…. I think this was my training session….
