Finally it’s the end of season, it may be a week earlier than normal, but coming into my last European cup I was feeling tired, and a poor race in Romania confirmed that I was done, so I hung on for a nice local race at Clacton where I managed to take the win, and now I’m currently enjoying a week of doing nothing triathlon related…

Now for a quick recap of my last couple of races

My first European cup was in Karlovy Vary, and what a race.  A beautiful town, a testing, technical and difficult course meant an honest race and I was pleased to take 24^th in my first ever European cup, as my main aim at the start of the season was to use these as a learning experience to take into next season. And here are the main things I learned

·       A 20% hill is not nice to go up once let alone 7 times…

·       A massive flight of steps on the run do nothing to help your legs

·       A pontoon that is about a meter above the water leads itself to a diving competition at the end of each swim lap (it felt like there should have been a panel of judges marking them…)

·       I still need to work on swim take out speed to not get flattened at the start

·       I can hang on the bike with some of the best riders on the circuit

Swim start - it was a long way down

The Hill...

Taking these lessons into my second race in Romania, I was hoping for a great race, and after a flying out on the Friday, course reccie and briefing on the Saturday it was a long day of sitting around on the Sunday morning ready to go, and from the moment I set of, I felt flat. The swim was crazy rough, considering it was meant to be a lake, and I just didn’t have any go, so onto the bike I worked hard on the first couple of laps to bike up to the chase group, caught at the dead turn, and then immediately got dropped, so then it was a long way round, occasionally working with the odd athlete, but mostly on my own, and then the run was a case of survival. If I counted the number of times I thought to myself shall I stop then I’m sure it would have been in the hundreds, but I stuck it out, and collapsed over the finish line. Not quite the race I was looking for, but now to asses why this happened – whether it’s the heat that doesn’t agree with me or just end of season tiredness, but hey I finished, and beat the 20 odd people who DNF.

That was painful...

Relieved to finish

So it’s onto a block of solid winter training now, and hopefully back stronger next season.

Despite the fact that I have been a ‘full time’ athlete for the past few weeks, time still seems to be a luxury that’s in short supply, hence the delay in updating, but anyway here it is.

In the lead up to Liverpool, I was feeling good and, come race weekend was confident that a good result was on the cards, however that is the joy of triathlon, you can never predict what will happen, as was to become apparent….

Swim – good, comfortable swim, emerging from the water in 2^nd, however then followed one of my first mistakes… I got stuck on the landing ramp, and as I watched helplessly as people ran past, desperately trying to get moving, but instead of keeping my cool and moving on, I started to overthink, hence meaning that I had a poor transition. However, I was still in the front pack at the start of the bike, so I started to cool off a bit.

This was just the start of my problems, as for the duration of the bike; I couldn’t seem to find any power, meaning that I lost contact with the front group and then the chase group. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I kept pushing and eventually reached the run. Surprisingly I had a solid run, but overall position was disappointing, as I came off the bike out of contact with the leaders. Disappointing, but afterwards I found out that my tyre had been rubbing for the duration of the ride, giving me at least peace of mind it wasn’t just lack of form.

So onto London, and the weather couldn’t have been much different , and with the added bonus of being able to travel from home for the race I was confident that once again if everything went to plan I had a good chance.

Out onto the swim and it was clear that I wasn’t going to emerge where I wanted from the water, be this due to lack of experience, or technique, but it just didn’t seem to be there. Being an Olympic distance however I settled in , and then on the home straight started to try to move through the people in front to try to make the most of a bad situation. In the end, 7 seconds down on the leader wasn’t too bad, however once again transitions meant that I came out onto the bike out of touch of the lead pack, which I was annoyed about salvaging a decent swim.

Anyway, I learned from the last race not to dwell on mistakes, so it was a case of working hard on the bike and seeing if we could close the gap to the leaders. Annoyingly not many of the guys in the group fancied pulling turns so it was down to a couple of up to keep the pace rich. We tried a couple of breakaways, but realistically there was no way we could get away from the group, so emerging into T2 and once again it was a case of damage limitation on the run, however as I was about to find more, more than I thought…

The first lap felt good and I was working my way through the field, however onto the second and that was when my problems started. On the bike I had dropped my gel, and had not drunk a quarter of what I thought I had done, so I started to go light headed and breathless, and I knew that things weren’t good. I grabbed as many cups of water running through the aid stations as I could and poured them over myself, and from that point on I knew I had to be sensible. Its not in my vocabularly to stop and get my first ever DNF would not have been a good feeling, so I continued round, and finally reached the finish line.

It was as I passed the finish line that I realised how much of a bad way I was in as I nearly lost consciousness. After a long period of emptying bottles of water over my head and drinking as much as I could stomach I finally started returning to ‘semi normal’.

Once again, a lot to learn, but in a way I’m glad this happened now, as I have learned my lessons, meaning that hopefully, my European cup races in Karlovy Vary and Romania will be much better and I won’t have a repeat, in what are likely to be once again testing conditions.

I’m looking forward to taking my racing to the next level, and let’s hope my experiences this season help me. Stay tuned for updates.

Happy Training

 

 

 

 

 

Just a quick update on what have been a busy few weeks in the build up to the European champs in Geneva...

The week after Dartford, I once again found myself racing, this time at Leeds Castle. This race had a special place in my season this year, as it was the first race last season where I really kick started my good run of form, and is a great race and setting, with fantastic organisation and I wanted to get a direct comparison on how I was doing this year compared to last.

So onto the race and, as I had hoped I emerged from the swim in first place, with a lead of about 4 minutes (although I didn't know that at the time...), T1 went without drama and so onto the bike.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to use my new TT bike as it had to have some unexpected TLC, but never the less, I pushed hard on the undulating course, thinking that any minute one of the chasers were going to catch, but I reached the turn around point still in first, and on the way back I saw I had about 2K advantage over a small group of chasers. in my mind this wasn't far enough, so I pushed even harder on the way back, and managed to make it into T2 still in first.

After pushing the bike, I knew that the run was going to be a struggle, especially after being ill for  a few days leading into the race, so at 2.5k into the run it was nice to hear from one of the marshals that I had about a 2k lead, so from then on I eased off the gas, and cruised over the line to take the win.

The fact that I hadn't had to push the run too hard meant that the following week I could get a solid training week under my belt, and then all to soon it was time to pack, and head to Geneva for the European AG champs.

Now anyone that has ever tried to pack a bike into a bike box knows that it is not an easy task at the best of times, but after the best part of a day, and only just managing to get my P5 into the box, my advice to anyone looking for a new bike - The P5 is a fantastic ride, Di2 is great and hydraulic brakes are fantastic with carbon wheels, but if you intend to travel with it regularly, think twice and decide how much time you want to spend packing and unpacking, as it isn't straight forward...

Anyway, eventually I made it to Geneva, where it was 40 degrees, a bit of a contrast to where I had got onto the plane, unpacked my bike (fortunately this took a bit less time than packing and headed down to the lake to get my first look at where we would be racing. I've seen worse places to race!

The next few days passed in a blur of course reccies, briefings and watching the other competitors fight it out over the tough course. It was nice to be able to watch the guys who I train alongside, in both the para races, and elite junior and senior races, and experience the atmousphere of a major championship event. But finally it was my turn, and fortunately the race was early Sunday morning, so the weather that had played such a major role in other races wasn't going to feature.

So we were off, and after a slow start, I had a solid swim, emerging from the water in first, with 45 seconds over second. T1 went without a hitch, and out onto the bike, I was feeling strong. First time up 'the hill' I pushed hard, and then flew down the other side, across the bridge, and then the 2nd placed athlete passed, and from then on, we worked together (as much as you can in a non drafting race...) both taking the lead for 5mins or so and then swapping over.

Once again T2 went well and I emerged onto the run and was feeling good, but then the temperature started to rise, and coming round after the first lap,  Luke Pollard, the eventual winner ran past me, and that was the way it stayed until the end.
I was pleased to take 2nd, after not feeling great on the run, and after what had been an overall enjoyable weekend. Definitely an experience I cant wait to repeat and nice to share the podium with other British athletes. It just shows the quality of talent in the UK that we dominated one of the strongest podiums (20-24 AG ).

Not bad - 5/6 on the podium 20-24 AG!!

Now time to get a couple of weeks of solid training in, before some key races - Liverpool and London super series races, and hopefully a couple of European cups.

Onwards and upwards

Coming in to the min part of the season, race results are flying in now and I thought I would update you quickly on what have I been up to.

So after the disaster of BUCS sprint, the first event of this block – BUCS Olympic I was hoping for a better outing…

Arriving at the marina we were greeted with the customary wind and rain that May brings, however nowhere near the conditions of BUCS sprint.
Going into the race I was feeling confident of a good performance, provided I could eliminate the mistakes that cost me before. And it seemed I was right as I got a great start on the swim, making the first buoy in second to avoid the melee behind, and there I stayed until we emerged from the water and into t2.

So far so good. T1 went smoothly and out on the bike I worked hard to the first turnaround to try to build on my work in the swim and when I saw the chasers it appeared to be working as I had opened up a reasonable gap, so I kept pushing hard as I knew it was only a matter of time until I was caught as there were some strong cyclists behind. The inevitable happened with 5k to go, but with my weakest discipline put of the way I was happy to come into t2 in 5th. Out onto the run and I attacked from the start, trying to close down the leaders and after the first lap I was running in 2nd, but then I paid the price for my fast start coming into the last lap as Alex passed me, but fortunately I managed to hold on for third. Overall I was pleased after what was a testing race to take 3rd and an added bonus to win the team gold with Alex schilling and Dan Woodcock by just 8 seconds…

A good  win for the Loughborough mens team at BUCS Olympic

 

After that was then onto my biggest race of the season so far – Blenheim super series. I was nervous, as this was my first Draft Legal race, but after an iffy start – messing up one of my race number transers – it was onto the swim and a rough swim was the order of the day. I was stuck in the middle of the group and found myself a few body lengths down after the buoy. So I emerged from the swim in 5^th, and entered transition. This went without a hitch and it was soon onto the bike, and luckily I managed to be near training partner James Teagle, so we formed a group and quickly caught the leaders. Coming into T2 I found myself too far back, and hence got caught up in traffic coming in, but onto the run and I immediately started working past people, and managed to finish in 10^th. I was happy for my first race at this level, but lots to work on once again.

After Blenheim, as all my exams were finally out the way, I had a nice week at home, to pick up my new TT bike and a good  week of catching up with people I hadn’t seen for a while (massive thanks to my new sponsors Anchura Partners for the bike), and I finished it off with the Dartford Bridge triathlon – where I was happy to take the win over what was a very tough course. A good indicator for Geneva in a few weeks’ time at the European Champs

The new beast... No excuses now

 

 

Back into training now, and building for the next races – Geneva, and Liverpool and London super series races, and to enjoy being a full time athlete for a few months.

So it has been a month or so since we got back from Portugal so I though I would update after what have been an eventful 3 weeks.

 After an eventful trip home where flight cancellations caused chaos for us all coming home, and resulting in the 11 of us heading on 10 flights to 9 different airports in 2 countries,  a couple of easier days were on the cards and then it was straight back to it, with a 5k race to see how camp had gone.  Unfortunately an injury picked up just before camp prevented me from finishing in a semi respectable time, but no time to dwell as it was straight onto the first triathlon of the season.

 I wasn't expecting too much, with it being so early in the season, but apart from the silly mistakes (such as racking my bike in the wrong place and my chain coming off going up a massive hill) which are making all too common appearance at the moment, I felt strong, with the second fastest swim of the day behind training partner Carl Shaw ( who went on to take the win) and a good run.
Lots to work on still but luckily I had a chance to try to iron out some rustiness just the next weekend as I headed down to Malory park race track to join in with a few training super sprint races with the East Midlands academy. Thanks to Steve and the guys for letting me come along and join in.

 Then came the first big race of the season, BUCS sprint, and predictably the worst weather we had seen for a few weeks.
After registering at 1,  it was a long wait until our start at 4:50, but finally it was here, and after a solid swim I was feeling good as I got out of transition onto the bike.  So far so good, but then the problems started. Once again my back wheel fell out, so I stopped to fix that, and then coming into the last 2k, I managed to have a crash  going round a roundabout. But I picked my self up, and carried onto the run where after a slight detour resulting in a couple of minutes of panic, as I tried to work my way back to the course, I finished, and ( on reflection) was quite happy with how it had gone. Yes the result wasn't what I wanted but my swim was 6th fastest and my bike and run had felt the strongest they had ever been.

A good performance by the rest of the squad however meant that Loughborough took home individual Silver and Bronze in the males and also 2nd female as well as winning both mens and women's team overall events.

 After a couple of days repairing my injuries it was back to the normal day to day routine in the lead up to my first Olympic distance race of the season, The big east. This was my first ever race last year, and hence a year on I was eager to see how I would go. A solid swim saw me emerge out of the water first, transition went without a hitch and the bike went amazingly with my time only being 6seconds slower than the quickest time,  hence I came into t2 still first, which I managed to hold for the duration of the run. For once a near flawless race, yes there were issues to work on ( like not forgetting my nutrition before the race meaning the run was a lot harder than it should have been...) but after my recent run of bad luck I was quite happy.
The prize for first wasn't too shabby either with a free training camp in Spain, a pair of trainers and a £35 pound voucher.  Time to rest up now and prepare for a good solid hit out at BUCS Olympic in a couple of weeks time,  where hopefully my race will be a bit less eventful than last time...

So I have been meaning to write this blog for ages, and finally have for round to doing so at what I feel is quite a prominent time - exactly a year after I decided to move on from water polo and start my venture in triathlon

And what a year out has been.  After a summer of self-coaching and embarking on a program I now realize was completely unsustainable long term, I came back to Loughborough uni tired but satisfied by what had been a successful first season. It included highlights like winning the Leeds Castle, Portsmouth, and Clacton triathlons and getting on the podium in several others. My biggest moment however has got to be qualifying for the European age group champs this season after coming 5th at the British champs in Liverpool.

After a couple of weeks back at uni, I started on the high performance squad worth coaches Gavin  Smith and now 'retired 'elite triathlete Luke Watson.

I was under no illusion that it would be easy, where after my first session Gav made it quite clear that there were a few areas to work on(to put it lightly) , not just on the bike but swim and run as well.

Luckily I found that my body seemed to adapt quite quickly and after a couple of hard months not only physically but mentally as well ( no one likes going backwards but sometimes it is the only way to improve)  I was starting to see some improvements.

Then came BUCS duathlon, which, as it was my first race against this sort of quality field I was never really expecting much, considering it didn't include my strength -the swim.  But anyway I lined up, the gun went and from the off I was never in the race.  I started the first run conservatively as I felt I needed the strength for the bike,  but in doing so the race leaders disappeared up the road and with it any chance of a semi respectable finish,  so not the start I wanted, but a race I learned a lot from.

Following on from racing it was straight into the labs for submax and maximal run and bike testing to get some numbers, so we could compare pre and post camp where I was currently at.

So Then it was off to my first real taste of the life I had signed up to with a warm weather training camp in Fuerteventura. What followed was two weeks of very heavy bike mileage in (what felt like)  gale force winds, some great off road running,  and some swimming in the fantastic facilities at Playitas resort, and in the crystal clear,  if a little bit chilly seas surrounding it.

After returning home tired but pleased with what I left out there, it was nice to be able to have a bit of time off over Christmas, and then all too soon it was back to uni to start building into race season. 

Training followed a similar format to before Christmas with a greater bike volume (following on from camp) with a few mid-week 5k races thrown in for good measure to help give some kind of feedback to how I was progressing. 

The squad swimming at the brilliant facilities at Playitas resort

January came and went in a blur of run sessions, long rides and technical swims with the odd lecture thrown in. And all of a sudden I was on the start line of another duathlon, this time at windy Eton Dorney lake. Not wanting to repeat the same mistake as last time,  I went out much harder on the first run,  and if it wasn't for my back wheel coming loose on the bike then I would have ( hopefully)  taken the win,  but second was above my expectations so was happy.  Still some vital lessons to take from it, (like not leaving someone else in charge of your bike check…) but a marked improvement.

A week later and I was getting ready to race again, this time on the start line of a 10k, at Sandown park as part of the 220 show, and another second place confirmed I was finally getting somewhere.

So I'm currently sitting on a plane,  on the way back from our most recent camp to Portugal,  which incorporated a European cup race, where many of the squad raced and got some fine results, with a solid block of training, plenty of open water swimming and some heard bike sessions with a few  transitions thrown in for good measure.

The boys looking a bit hot after one of many climbs in Portugal

Now it’s back to training, and to get ready for my first big race of the season, BUCS sprint, with the added bonus of exams coming up just to make sure I don’t get bored…