Steve’s 70th Celebration Triathlon

                                                

Even though it was my husbands 70^th birthday today, the alarm went off at the same time as it does for any other Runday. So at 4.30 am it started chirping and we, well disciplined athletes that we are, got straight up.

Steve told me what his birthday event plan would be over dinner yesterday. The tide would be in at about 5 am it was not a tide of any great height and actually it looked as though it was not fully in, even though it was, by the time we walked down the beach to the waters edge to start without wetsuits for Stephen’s birthday triathlon. Because it was a home made, put together to suit ourselves event, there would be long unrushed transitions. So we went home and had coffee as we changed into our clobber for the next event.

Stage 2. Of course as we all know and expect is the bike section, but the air temperature was only 10 degree’s on the beach and we were both been frozen after the swim driving home in our dressing gowns over our swimwear. So we wore an extra layer for the bike ride. The sun was dazzling and the sky was as blue as could be. We soon warmed up and enjoyed the ride that we had kept to an old favourite route that began and finished at home.

Stage 3. We drove to a new start point for the run that was entirely on woodland trails and public footpaths. It was using the route we have been running for an eight mile loop but cutting out the start and finish section that is a narrow country road. We were to run a there and back route, so the turn point was in a different place today. We were both pleased that the Garmin recorded time for the 10 km run was a new PB by a few seconds. That is only since we have had the device which is just about a year and a quarter. So there was plenty for two people with the combined age of 150 years to be happy about. We training mad athletes do love a new PB.

When we got home there was a card opening ceremony and then it was still plenty of time to clean up and groom ourselves for the next stage in the birthday celebration that would be held in the well tended garden of my daughter Jacqueline and her husband Martin.