She did it again
... Michèle at the Ingolstadt Triathlon 2021
© GfN-Selco
The Ingolstadt Triathlon middle distance is composed of 1.9 km swimming, about 80 km cycling and 20 km running. And 500 athletes took part in the Challenge, but only a small percentage of 50 women, just 10%.
Article written by Michèle Lindner (29.09.2021)
On the morning of September 12, 2021, my day already started at 5:00 a.m., namely for breakfast.
Fruit salad and muesli was on my breakfast list, an optimal basis for my second triathlon in middle distance.
The weather conditions were predicted to be optimal for this day, water temperature in the lake 21 °C and the temperature development during the day to 23 °C.
I had checked my bike into the transition area around 6:00 am, got my changing clothes ready and left for the race briefing at 7:30.
Shortly after 8:00 the first swim group started and we as the second around 8:10.
For this 1.9 km I needed a total of 42 minutes, where it was important not to swim too fast to provoke a panic attack due to lack of oxygen. And of course, to find my own rhythm in the crawl. What I succeeded excellently.
Afterwards I ran with shaky legs out of the water to the transition area. Arrived at my place, I quickly took off the wetsuit, dried my triathlon suit makeshift, put on the bike shoes and the bike helmet, grabbed my bike, and ran to the mark where I was only allowed to get on the bike.
The 80 km I cycled in a mega time of 2:45 hours, and was very happy to have cranked an average of 28.1 km / h. That was a lot faster than 2 years ago.
© GfN-Selco
And also here it was important to divide the power very well, so that I would not break in later.
The first 2 km I ran "like on eggs" and after that I could slowly find my own rhythm. After 1.5 hours I had completed the first 13 of 20 km but unfortunately I overlooked a sign for the turnoff to the second running lap and had to accept a long and arduous detour of 2.6 km more.
By now my legs were tired, my upper and calf muscles were hard and sore, so I really put the last 9.6 km behind me with many interruptions and walking phases.
Just because of my excellent training plan of my coach Sonja Tajsich, I was able to improve my primary time by 18 minutes, so I needed 6:17 h for the whole distance. In 2019 this time was still 6:35 h. Without my "lap of honor" it would have been surely under 6 hours.
© GfN-Selco
But I was very happy to have been there, to have made it to the finish with this personal good time and to feel that the training of 5 months allowed me to reach such a goal unscathed at all. And my final placing did not play any role for me.
And full of joy I say: This was certainly not my last triathlon in middle distance.
© GfN-Selco
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