My Lanzarote recaps have got a bit disjointed, as I’ve left you all in suspense for part two, while I was waiting for the official photos to arrive. The photos are now here and as usual they are never particularly flattering!
If you’ve not read part one, catch up here.
Alongside training as a club, we also took part in some of the events organised by the resort. Club La Santa offer a packed programme of activities, which are included in the cost of your stay. During the week, the CLS team hosted a Duathlon, an Aquathlon, a mini Triathlon and a Half-Marathon (or 7km/14km options).
Duathlon
Monday morning saw the first event of the week, consisting of a 2.5km run, 14.8km cycle and another 2.5km run.
Most of my Havering Tri club mates took part in the event- it was early in the week and we were still feeling fresh! After collecting our timing chips, we began the race on the track before heading on a short run alongside the lagoon.
The out-and-back route meant that we passed by the faster runners- it was great to get high-fives and encouragement from everyone in their Havering Tri kit!
The cycle was straight uphill through La Santa village, before turning back at the Tinajo roundabout, and descending back to the resort. Straightforward and impossible to get lost, but quite a tough climb! I was pleased with how my cycle went- I managed to overtake a few people who had been ahead of me on the first run.
We finished with the same run route- I tried to aim for even splits, but I was a little slower on the second run! We finished with a lap of the track and ran in under the Ironman 70.3 arch- I was the first lady from Havering Tri to finish!
2.5km run: 13:13
14.8km cycle: 37:29
2:5km run: 14:02
Total: 1:04:42
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| Left my cycling gloves on for the run! |
Aquathlon
Later on Monday, we assembled at the pool for the second event of the day- the Aquathlon which was made up of a 200m swim followed by a 3km run.
I knew my swim would be slow, so I started in the furthest lane alongside Les, Amy and a young Danish girl. The swim was only 4 lengths, but trying to complete it quickly was tough! I saw the faster swimmers exiting the pool when I was just starting my third length!
Out onto the run, which followed the same route as the morning’s Duathlon. I was feeling quite tired at this point, but tried to push through and keep my pace going. Again we finished on the track and I was clapped in by everyone from Havering Tri. I was the last lady to finish this time- my swim lets me down!
My results were:
200m swim: 4:52
3km run: 18:55
Total: 23:46
I intended to take part in the mini Triathlon on Wednesday morning, but had a bit of an upset stomach so stayed out the race and got some great photos of everyone from the club racing.
This was Glen’s first ever Triathlon and he absolutely smashed it- even though he runs with ‘T-Rex Arms’!
These events were a great chance for us to try out the new Havering Tri kit. The trisuits which I had designed arrived just days before we flew out to Lanzarote- it was a last minute rush for the kit team to sort and organise the order for each individual to collect.
I was so pleased with how everything looked- the navy, red and yellow colourway really stood out and the trisuits were comfortable to race in.
Classes
I was keen to try out some of the classes on offer at Club La Santa. I managed to get to a Dynamic Yoga class on Monday afternoon after the Duathlon and Aquathlon.
It was held in an open-air area behind the swimming pools- it was lovely to stretch out my tight hamstrings and hip flexors under the warm Lanzarote sun.
The week wouldn’t be complete for me without some type of spin class! The Body Bike studio had recently moved to a new location next to the swimming pool, so I took part in their first class in the new room. It was aimed at beginners so the instructor spent a lot of time focusing on bike set-up, posture and technique. The class was not overly intense, which suited me fine after a week of training!
Fun and Games
To encourage a bit of team-bonding, we played a game of ‘Joker’ throughout our stay. We were each issued with a Joker card, which we had to keep on ourselves at all times. Each day, two ‘Finesmasters’ were appointed who could draw the Joker card at any time- meaning that the rest of the group had to show their card as quickly as possible.
A fine of €2 was issued to the last person to produce their card, which went into a fund which we spent on a group meal on the last night of camp.
Pulling the Joker card during a swim session resulted in everyone scrambling to get out of the pool and searching for the card amongst their kit! It was easy to get caught out if you weren’t paying attention!
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Awards
On the last evening of camp, we went for a group meal which was paid for by the Joker card fund. It was great to all celebrate together and reflect on our week at La Santa.
I was surprised and honoured to be presented with a small trophy as ‘Best Female Triathlete’ of the week.
Glen also received the ‘Popped his Cherry’ award for his first ever triathlon!
Overall, it was an amazing week and I’ve been feeling the benefits of the camp since I’ve been home. We’re looking to do the same again next Spring, with hopefully more members of the club joining us for a week of triathlon training in the sun.