Tri an Mhi - Snámh Oighear Fuar

Without a doubt the hardest Swim to Bike transition I will ever experience.  Lough Lene was cold.  Very cold.  Too cold for me.  I certainly had mild hypothermia when the temperature drop hit me as I stood in transition unable to make decisions or move my limbs properly.  With the help of a marshall I  managed to get my jacket on.  The T.I marshall had a long look at me, watching he said to me "if you cannot clip your own helmet you cannot continue". Shit.  I eventually managed it.  I struggled on to my bike unable to lift my head for about 20k.  For the first time ever I thought I will have to drop out of this one, the reason was simple my health.  So I was faced with a hard question do I spin around and go back for a space blanket or do I raise my core temp myself?  Keep going.  Never seen Heart Rate as low in any bike race.  Two and a half hours in I began to feel right.  Then I got going.  Good finish to the bike and a good run.

The blue legs in the picture tell their own story, and that was the 2nd lap of the bike.  Mark Dempsey's tale "An old man told me years ago "APRIL AND MAY STAY FAR FROM THE SEA JUN AND JULY SWIM TILL YOU DIE" is right.  But unfortunatley I was in an open water fresh lake in the middle of Meath.
                        
Swim 00:45.16 / Holiday 1   00:03:42 / Bike 03:09:36 / T2 00:00:55
Run / 01:38:16 / Total 5:37:46