Then I discovered the worst part of a triathlon – trying to run immediately after getting off the bike. Another training error … I’d never practised running immediately after cycling. Initially, my legs just refused to run. It seemed like my legs were taped together at the knees. I felt like giving up at that [...]

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By the time I started the cycling section, it was 9.30 a.m. and the sun was starting to break though the cloud cover. Then I discovered one of my training mistakes – not having trained on a real bike. In fact, the only training I did for the cycling was pedalling on a machine in [...]

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I thought that this would be the hardest part, but actually it was the easiest. The current was flowing in approximately the same direction as we were swimming, but around the halfway point it was pushing us towards the northern (Laotian) bank. Generally the current helped. Another reason why it was easier than swimming in [...]

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I finished the Mekong River International Triathlon on Sunday, March 25th. It was my first triathlon. It was  a lot harder than I expected. The 10k run reminded me of the last 10k of a 42k marathon.

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Only three days to go! I’m not going to train any more. I’m looking forward to the triathlon, but feel apprehensive at the same time. I don’t have any time target, my goal is just to finish.

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Wednesday 21st March Swam 60 lengths of the pool again, in 75 minutes. Occasionally small birds swooped low and fast over the water, only a few centimetres above the surface. Probably my last swim before the real triathlon.

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Tuesday 20th March  Jogged for 20 minutes in Kanchenaburi, around a resort next to the River Kwai. Was going to follow a path through woodland adjacent to the resort, but it reminded me of that wood in the Blair Witch Project, so I turned back.

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Friday 16th March Swam 60 lengths of the pool in the evening. Slightly easier than Monday, but still tough going. The 1500 metres took me 70 minutes. Again I alternated between different styles. In the morning I called my friend Gene, he said that his training is going well.  He asked whether we swim across the river or along it. [...]

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Thursday 15th March Ran 20 laps of the lake. Hot but pleasantly breezy. 

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Wednesday 14th March Ran for 30 minutes on treadmill in the fitness centre: 10 minutes at 11k/h speed, 10 minutes at 12 k/h, 4 minutes at 14 k/h, 4 minutes at 15 k/h and 2 minutes at 16 k/h.

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