The Ironman 70.3 in Kraichgau was supposed to be the first major goal of my season, but unfortunately I'm still injured (tendonitis in the windscreen wiper since February) so I knew the race would be cut short.

It wasn't possible to cancel the race because the costs incurred were non-refundable (flights + registration), so I decided to take the start anyway to at least know where I stood in terms of swimming and cycling. The trip also allowed me to familiarise myself with travelling abroad and all the organisation that goes with it, so it's always good to have some reference points for the seasons to come.

After waiting over 2 hours to pick up my number on Saturday! It was time for the race on Sunday morning. The programme included rain and cold, which was a shame!

I felt pretty good and did a good swim in 26'25. I can see that I'm making some progress, but there's still work to be done. I came out not far from the front of the race.

On the bike, I set off cautiously because it was still raining, but I felt pretty good and quickly made up ground on a few athletes, putting the bike down in 2nd place in 2:19:22, which is also pretty good considering the irregular training over the last few months.

I set off on the run with a slight backache and soon felt the pain in my knee, no choice but to stop :(

Nice is coming up fast and I already know that I won't be close and the race is likely to be like Kraichgau. Now we're going to have to treat this knee and find out why the pain isn't going away!