Mallorca Olympic

Wow! What a fantastic week we had in Majorca! From riding in the mountains, to a day at the Water Park and a race thrown in for good measure, it was one of the best holidays I have ever been on! It came at just a good time for me after the disappointment of Holland and a real decrease in my training mojo. So off we went with the bikes, trainers and wetsuit for a week (well 6 days) of sun, fun and training.  We went with our lovely (it not slightly mad) friends Caroline, Mark and Jacqui and Mark and also adopted a black and white cat Tom whilst we were there :-)

Our adopted pet for the week ~ Tom

Day 1

I got burnt to a crisp! I had no idea how hot it was! We cycled 55 miles and had an emergency stop off for donuts as we bonked in the heat! A quick 4 mile run off the bike and a dip in the sea before going out for cocktails! Exhausted already!

Emergency donuts

Ready for cocktails

The lovely Caz & Mark

Day 2

Caroline & Mark our lovely friends (or should I say surrogate Mum and Dad!) dropped us off in the mountains somewhere near Pollenca and Chris and I cycled round there. I think this was part of the Mallorca 70.3 race the week after as there were signs everywhere and hundreds (and I mean hundreds) of cyclists. We reckon we overtook 250 riders. What a fantastic day! Later that night I did a run set with Mark just to make sure the legs were officially dead! Jacqui & Mark arrived that afternoon so we all went out for dinner and a catch up.

Cycling in the mountains

I persuaded Caroline to warm up with me for my run set

Day 3

My legs were really feeling it on day 3 but I was determined to get the most out of my week so it was a lovely ride over to Portochristo for the day.  I had to wear arm warmers because my arms were so burnt! In the afternoon Jacqui, Caroline and I went over to the race briefing but got completely lost (they thought it would be a good idea to put me in charge of the information!? Of course I hadn't read it, printed it or brought it with me!) We eventually found it and got out numbers. I was lucky 149. Mark P cooked for us that night as he is a demon of a chef.....I opted for the meatballs!

Exploring the island

Day 4 - RACE DAY!!!

Up at 7am for brekky and race preps. We were virtually staying on the run course of the race so only had to tootle round to the start. I wasn't really nervous for this which was odd. We had all decided that we weren't racing but 'going through the motions' and using it as a practice for Turkey later in the season. It's strange to think at this stage I hadn't done a triathlon for 7 months!! When we turned up to rack our bikes it was all a bit of chaos, the transition wasn't even open, they were still setting up and queues of athletes were rocking up  to wait their turn.  We opted to find a small cafe and set up base whilst the rest of us held our place in the queue.  When transition eventually opened there was carnage as apparently you needed your passport I.D to prove who you were! We had already done this at registration so of course hadn't taken any I.D with us. Everyone was shouting to others and arguing with the organisers. I saw this as a perfect chance for the guys to get some extra run training in so off they sprinted back to the hotel!! It was all rather exciting! This of course had a knock on effect on the start time of the race so we found ourselves sat at the cafe eating cake with no idea what time we were starting. If only all races were this chilled out!

Moments before the race! Go girls!

Sussing out transition

It wasn't long before we were good to go (in fact I think we were still stuffing our faces with cake when we realised we were about to start!) So off we went to the beach for the beach start.  The men were set off for about 5 minutes before us and then it was our turn......nervous!!!! The hooter went, I dived in, someone dived on top of me, I swam, somebody swam on top of me....so there was a bit of argy bargy to say the least! The sea was a little choppy but not too bad, and the course was clearly marked with large buoys so it was just a case of getting the job done.  With all the duathlons swimming had taken a real back seat in training and the 1500m felt like a long way (note to self....get swim fit!) But I was out the water in 24:08 (according to Chris' watch) and 25:09 officially included the run along the beach into T1. I was about 12th female out the water which I was pretty pleased with and I had a sleek T1 to get me out on the bike in the top 10.

On my way to T1

I can honestly say on the bike I have never worked so hard as I did in this race! I knew that there were bound to be some better cyclists up ahead and I was so keen to get in a pack with them as this race was a drafting race with many elites from all over the world. Unfortunately I seemed to be out of T1 completely on my own and battled an uphill and a strong headwind for most of the first part of the bike. The occasional man went past me but the rules had stated women could only draft women so I let them go and carried on plugging away until I eventually caught a German girl called Kris. I sat on her wheel for a bit to recover (I could have hugged her!) and we started working together quite well. Then from out of nowhere an Irish girl zoomed past us and I jumped onto her wheel too feeling quite excited because she seemed super speedy.  She started shouting at Kris and I about through and off but basically saying we should have a 1 second stint at the front and roll off immediately. For anyone who has ever ridden at this intensity it makes your legs BURN!!! But being so inexperienced, and being desperate to keep ahead of any chasing groups, I did as I was told.  She continued to shout at us (I have no idea why) until she told us we were going to bring someone off and rode off in the distance (I was so relieved as my quads were screaming at me!). Kris and I got back into our own system and caught the Irish girl back up anyway so I'm not quite sure what her game plan was!


At the turn around point I saw a large group of about 10-15 closing on us and spotted my team mate Jacqui in that group. I wanted to wave but anyone who knows what my bike handling skills are like would know it's not safe for me to take a hand off the bars! It wasn't long before that group caught us up and Jacqui and another lady in pink from that group formed with us to make a girls group of 5. Although it was lovely to see Jacqui (who started to chat away to me, although I was gasping for air!) I was disappointed that we had got caught and also that we hadn't managed to catch a bigger group ahead to pull us round. That said the way back into transition with Jacqui was fantastic. Drafting racing is so tactical and in hindsight I did far too much work on the front in the beginning but you live and learn!  It's also great for those who love to talk as you can natter away till the cows come home! Back to T2 and I had no idea that we were actually the 2nd pack of girls in off the bike, the 5 of us returning in 5th-9th place!!! Our final positions all came down to the run!

Right in the mix - second pack into T2

Needless to say my legs were shot on the run, both from the cycling effort and from the days leading up to the race but I wanted to race on tired legs and prove that I could still do it. I ran quite well out of T2 and for the first lap but struggled with a stitch (there's always something!)....but I'd take a stitch over my previous stomach pains any day! Jacqui came to run alongside me part way through lap 2 when I was having a real lull. She has been suffering with an injury and wasn't even sure if she would finish the race so it was quite emotional to have the 2 of us battle on together (we were later termed Peg Leg and Stitch!) When Jacqui caught me she could have pushed on and left me but she didn't and I was so incredibly thankful to her for that.  Later on when I felt a bit stronger I think I helped her round too. I think it was that team work that led to us both running a 38:54! We crossed the line hand in hand cheering to the crowds and feeling absolutely elated. I don't think I've ever enjoyed a race so much (well apart from the bike!)! We finished joint 8th place (2nd Brits behind elite Heather Jackson) in a PB of 2:13:03. The race was won by Canadian and Olympian Lauren Groves. Our friend and team mate Caroline had an equally impressive run and finished so strongly to also record a PB of 2:23:18.

Peg Leg & Stitch - on our way to joint 8th place and a 38:54 run

The atmosphere of the whole race was fantastic! Paella dishes, sandwiches, pasties, cakes etc were brought out in their masses at the finishing area. Competitors were still finishing long after us and the crowds stayed to support each and every athlete through!

Day 5

No rest for the wicked! Today we were all up and out to swim in the luxurious 50m outdoor pool before heading off on a 50 mile ride and then Chris and I ran off the bikes too.  Tonight was our last evening with Jacqui and Mark as they were to fly back in the morning. Our friends had made the holiday brilliant!


Day 6

AT LAST!!! We hit the Water Park! And Magalluf! It was worth the wait! Chris and Mark were like little kids on the water slides. Caroline even dared herself to go on the bigger ones! By the time we got back we were absolutely shattered. Although I think Caroline and I still managed to squeeze in a 50 minute run?


Day 7 - Home Time

Doesn't time fly when you are having fun! And what a difference a bit of sun makes! A great week, tons of fun and loads of happy memories!