Last week end was the Due South XTerra 2010 in Grabouw. For those who don't know what it is; it is a tough off-road triathlon. It starts a 11AM in the morning. That, already, is a strong selling point for me. Most triathlons start late; Usually around 9AM; Much better than running events which force you to be up, awake, and in shorts in the street before the sun comes up. Aside from the obvious lazy appeal of the 11AM start, it also guarantees warm water to swim in. And my swim was a good one. I wasn't extraodinarily fast but I felt comfortable in the water.

And then I got on the bike. And I felt good on the bike too... Until the heat started getting the better of me.
It only took the sun 5km to achieve this. It took another 7km afterwards to push me to the point where I had to admit defeat. I had to come to terms with the fact I was not ready for this race.
I had not hydrated properly before.
I didn't carry enough water with me during.
In short, I had been an idiot!
So on saturday, I learnt 2 lessons!
Hydrate! I knew to hydrate and now I know to hydrate more. Before going on the first of October, Charlene and I are going to follow a very strict drinking program to ensure that we are leaving witht the right amount of fluid in our body.
Carry enough water! We had in mind to carry a camelback and 3 water bottles each with an additional 5l can of water on my trailer. The 5l can of water is now going on Charlene's trailer and mine is getting an additional 10l!
I certainly glad to have made this mistake. Any mistake either of us makes between now and the 1st of october is a mistake we will not make during our trip.