It’s not an excuse, nor a veiled attempt at justification of a poor result – I haven’t trained anywhere close to what I should have done and the results will show. Preparation, in any world, is key to success.

So much so that for the first time in seven years, I debated whether to participate in the Zürich Triathlon. Four years ago, this would have been unthinkable. My current level of fitness, however, has cretaed some doubts as to my ability to actually finish the race.

I surveyed my performance during training (the little I did) over the past months and calculated that I should finish in a time of around 90 minutes (best 89 minutes, worst 93 minutes). My calculations do not take into account the adrenalin of the race, the nerves and tension and the inborn human competitive spirit. Either way, I doubt it’ll be that far off from my prediction.

My best time was a handful of seconds over 71 minutes, so I am way off where I should be. But you never know – if I have a good day, I may perform better than expected, which is why giving up is out of the question.

At 8.40am, I will take the plunge – literally – into the lake and give it my all. Soon after, I’ll be on my bike and then tackle the last bit on foot – hopefully running. Anything less than an hour and a half will be a bonus, but I must admit I will be disappointed if I do worse.