It's 05:30 on a Sunday morning in June and I'm off to provide massage treatment to competitors at the Blenheim triathlon. Now I'd like to say it's a lovely warm June morning, but in true British style, the weather is ruddy freezing.......luckily I've packed fleece, fleece blanket, coat and wrap (anyone who knows me will be familiar with my love of wraps, they started off as a chic accessory in my previous life before sport massage, however they are now verging on making me look like a granny, but I can't let go of them, similar to me not being able to let go of my Filofax, but that's another story).
I arrive and park......and here it starts, the constant love hate relationship with my couch. It slips in the boot like a well behaved child, get to my destination and I literally have to wrestle the bugger out of the boot. Anyway, a ripped couch cover later we are out, slightly hotter than when we started and to the amusement of the young photographers beside me, we're balanced on a set of trolley wheels and we're off.
The base for today is a nice little marquee situated right next to the finish line. A team of eight therapists ready to make competitors feel a little bit brighter.
Now this is my first triathlon, but luckily I have collared a triathlete (the lovely Rosie, if you read this 'Big' thank you) who takes me round the course and explains the 'what's and wherefores'. Blenheim firstly is a stunning setting and (I have to openly admit for, on occasions more reasons that just the obvious) and secondly the atmosphere is quite different from a marathon, it almost feels like a nice 'family' day out. Competitors are meandering down to the water in their wetsuit attire, families in tow, chatting and laughing, it slightly encapsulates you to the point where You want to dive in to the water and join in too (well nearly but not quite). Young, old, in the middle of a 'mid life crisis', you name it they were all there, squeezed in to wetsuits ready for the off. Walking up to the 'transition' area (funny how you catch on to the correct terminology very quickly), there was a whole world of bikes racked up.......hmmmmmmm I could definitely sense an air of 'mine's lighter than yours' amongst the competitors, following the current fashion of owning a white car, it would seem owning a white bike is the order of the day too!
Hot footing it back to the not so glamorous marquee, I'm set up and ready to go. Pre-massage treatment brings a small group of friends buzzing with an air of competitiveness between them, all with their different strengths in the different disciplines. They all work together and this triathlon was the 'men from the boys' challenge. Post-massage surprised me the most; I was presented with happy, enthusiastic, excited competitors, quite different from the competitor who has just completed a marathon. I was drawn in to this enthusiasm, not that it takes that much for me to be drawn in to things, the air was addictive.
I'm not going to deny the fact that massaging at events, is a long day and when you get home and sit down you realise how exhausted you actually are, but good god it's so true that time flies when you're having fun and just to meet some of the most inspiring people in a short space of time makes the whole thing totally worthwhile. I love doing events, but then I love people and can talk the hind legs off a donkey, always have, always will.
It's now exactly a week on from Blenheim triathlon.........I'm swimming tomorrow, not quite sure how I'm going to pour my body in to the swim suit I've not put on for nearly 3 years........ohhhhh and I will be having a fitting for a bike in the next couple of weeks too............can you see a pattern emerging here? Watch this space!
I arrive and park......and here it starts, the constant love hate relationship with my couch. It slips in the boot like a well behaved child, get to my destination and I literally have to wrestle the bugger out of the boot. Anyway, a ripped couch cover later we are out, slightly hotter than when we started and to the amusement of the young photographers beside me, we're balanced on a set of trolley wheels and we're off.
The base for today is a nice little marquee situated right next to the finish line. A team of eight therapists ready to make competitors feel a little bit brighter.
Now this is my first triathlon, but luckily I have collared a triathlete (the lovely Rosie, if you read this 'Big' thank you) who takes me round the course and explains the 'what's and wherefores'. Blenheim firstly is a stunning setting and (I have to openly admit for, on occasions more reasons that just the obvious) and secondly the atmosphere is quite different from a marathon, it almost feels like a nice 'family' day out. Competitors are meandering down to the water in their wetsuit attire, families in tow, chatting and laughing, it slightly encapsulates you to the point where You want to dive in to the water and join in too (well nearly but not quite). Young, old, in the middle of a 'mid life crisis', you name it they were all there, squeezed in to wetsuits ready for the off. Walking up to the 'transition' area (funny how you catch on to the correct terminology very quickly), there was a whole world of bikes racked up.......hmmmmmmm I could definitely sense an air of 'mine's lighter than yours' amongst the competitors, following the current fashion of owning a white car, it would seem owning a white bike is the order of the day too!
Hot footing it back to the not so glamorous marquee, I'm set up and ready to go. Pre-massage treatment brings a small group of friends buzzing with an air of competitiveness between them, all with their different strengths in the different disciplines. They all work together and this triathlon was the 'men from the boys' challenge. Post-massage surprised me the most; I was presented with happy, enthusiastic, excited competitors, quite different from the competitor who has just completed a marathon. I was drawn in to this enthusiasm, not that it takes that much for me to be drawn in to things, the air was addictive.
I'm not going to deny the fact that massaging at events, is a long day and when you get home and sit down you realise how exhausted you actually are, but good god it's so true that time flies when you're having fun and just to meet some of the most inspiring people in a short space of time makes the whole thing totally worthwhile. I love doing events, but then I love people and can talk the hind legs off a donkey, always have, always will.
It's now exactly a week on from Blenheim triathlon.........I'm swimming tomorrow, not quite sure how I'm going to pour my body in to the swim suit I've not put on for nearly 3 years........ohhhhh and I will be having a fitting for a bike in the next couple of weeks too............can you see a pattern emerging here? Watch this space!
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