Liverpool Elite

So after achieving my Age Group goals this season it seemed the natural progression would be to have a go at an elite race on the British Super Series Circuit.  I was really pleased to get a start at Liverpool Elite which also counted as the Elite British Champs but must admit did start to think I'd got a bit carried away with it all!  But I decided to race for 2 reasons: 1) Nothing ventured, nothing gained!! I got an elite start last year at London and wimped out and then spent the whole winter not knowing whether I would want to do any of them this year or not and 2) It was in my home town! I moved from Merseyside to Coventry when I was 16 but always remember Liverpool fondly and had many a drunken night out on the Albert Docks with promises of diving into the docks but never actually saw it through so to actually get to race there (and swim in the docks!!) was an opportunity I couldn't turn down.

My transition space - how excited was I to see this!?!

So with my mind made up Mum and I ventured over to Liverpool on the Friday and had a mooch round town. It's changed quite a lot since we left, mostly with the building of Liverpool One which is a great new part to the City. We instantly started slipping back into our scouse accents and feeling at home again! Mum showed me where she used to run off to in her lunch break to see the Quarrymen perform (before they became The Beatles) and it was nice to actually see the city at it's best in glorious sunshine as opposed to bitterly Northern Winds that I always remember!

Chilling before the race

On race day we watched my friends compete in the morning as best we could but the Elite Racing Scene has quite a few differences with briefings in the athlete lounge and bikes and kits being checked etc etc and so I wanted to be sure I didn't miss anything so unfortunately we didn't get to watch the Age Groupers as much as I would have liked to.  From what we saw though it looked like a fantastic race!  Luckily for me, all the girls racing on the Super Series Circuit are really friendly and I knew a few of them from Age Group racing (and have been really impressed by the jump and transition they have made to Elite racing).  They spent the day trying to convince me that I would not be last out of the swim!.  Suzie and I checked out transition and joked that we would be out the swim last together and could hook up in T1 to talk tactics before picking some of the others off on the bike.....little did we know that was actually what was going to happen!

Cheering my friend Caroline on in the morning - she had a great race

With a late 2:10pm start it was HOT HOT HOT but I was gutted that it was announced as a non-wetsuit swim (my wetsuit seems to hide a lot of my swim flaws!) For Age Group racing it has to be above 22 degrees to be a non-wetsuit swim but for elites that limit is moved to 20 degrees.  This seems quite a strange rule to me but maybe I am now considered hot stuff? So eventually we trundled off to the swim start (without our wetsuits), had a quick warm up swim and then were asked to line up in order and called one by one onto the pontoon.  As I stood there looking at the swim I started fiddling with my goggles and with about a minute to go to the start....they snapped! Oh my god! My hands were shaking so much from the adrenalin that I was trying to tie them in a knot when one of the lovely girls next to me said they weren't broken and managed to fix them for me. Phew! Panic over! Remain Calm! The whole of the Docks were lined with spectators, it went deathly quiet, the TV cameras were zooming in on us and I suddenly thought "what the hell am I doing!?" Hahaha!

The pontoon for the swim start

The hooter went and we were off! The start was brutal! I got whacked over the head a few times and found myself swimming on top of someone else. I slowed a little to let the girl I was swimming on actually get ahead so I could draft off her and thought I was doing brilliantly to be able to keep up with them.  I must point out this all happened in the first 50m! I did a few strokes and noticed the canoe was right next to me. Maybe the canoeist had taken a shine to me? Round the first buoy and it dawned on me....the canoe was bringing up the rear....I was last already! I hadn't even stayed with the pack to the first buoy! These girls must have fins and gills! They are fantastic! Luckily there was another swimmer that had also missed the groups so I just tried to keep her in sight. I actually thought I had a good swim (for me) as I swam in a straight line and didn't panic and (dare I say it) enjoyed it! It was an interesting course, especially with the jelly fish to look at, although I was concerned by just how far behind I was!

As the swimmer ahead of me hauled herself out I realised it was Suzie! I don't believe it, we are actually last out the swim! Into T1 and thankfully most of the spectators had gone to watch the leaders although the support I received from my own family and friends was immense...thank you! T1 was pretty quick. Someone shouted a "go on Sam, reel them in on the bike" and those words seemed to strike a chord with me and give me a bit of confidence, this was the part of the race that was my thing! First to catch was Suzie, although I think she was more waiting for me than anything else so I gave her a shout to let her know I was there and off we worked together.

A brilliant 4 lap cycle on closed roads

We quickly caught someone, then someone else, then another 2.  With it being an out and back course we could see the lead packs which was quite exciting (although deceptive as you think you're closer than you actually are!).  Each time we cycled through transition we were coming in that little bit higher up and it was a great feeling to have someone like Suzie to share the work with.  We did form a pack of 4 at one point with 2 other girls but they seemed reluctant to take their turn on the front so, making sure my partner in crime was in tact, I put an effort in on the front and we rode away from them.  The support from everybody was phenomenal and I absolutely loved it!

Suzie & I working together on the bike

Back into T2 and no longer last (hurrah!) we made our exit onto the run.  Suzie flew out and I knew that was the last time I would be that close to her but was thankful for her efforts with me on the bike.  I had worried so much about the swim and missing all the packs (or bringing all the packs down!!) on the bike that I had completely not given any thought to the run and I had most definitely left my running legs at home! I felt shocking! That was a shame as it would have been nice to finish with a good run but tons amounts of racing and minimal amounts of training is starting to show with fitness levels so I did the best I could on the day.  The three laps up and back to Albert Docks was brilliant and lined with supporters the whole way.  I lost 2 places on the run but caught someone with 400m to go so all was not lost.  I did get lapped by the first 4 girls though which on the down side is pretty disheartening, but on the plus I might get on TV when they show them going past!!!

Running out of T2

Running through the finish was a relief! I was so happy I'd given it a go.  The results show I finished 27th (19th senior) out of 36 (although I think I might have actually been the last senior to finish!) but someones got to come last and you've got to start somewhere.  I think if I could improve my swim by 2 minutes that could have a huge improvement overall as it would mean I would make the cut for a bigger and stronger group on the bike and then not have to work quite so hard and have a stronger run......but that's easier said than done!  There was a good bunch of girls that came in 3 minutes ahead of me so if you take off the 2 minutes I lost on my swim that's not too bad.  Most people say they learn something from every race....I learned that I love racing and that I'd love to get quicker but that I'm much better in non-drafting races!

A rather roasty toasty 5k

Thank you so much to everyone who stayed to cheer me on, if I didn't manage to acknowledge you in the race it wasn't because you weren't appreciated!  Well done to everyone who raced in the Standard Distance Events in the morning and to everyone else who raced in the afternoon races.  Thank you especially to the girls I raced against for being so friendly and well done to you all.  I'm looking forward to getting back to training now and having a break from racing.....what a season 2013 is turning out to be!

Belgium Championships

Having been back from Turkey for a whole 10 days I decided it was time to pop abroad again for another race! I went with a group of friends to celebrate Malc's 80th birthday! How many people can say they enter a triathlon to celebrate the birthday of an ancient relic like Malc? I won't write too much about the people I went with as hopefully you can read more about that elsewhere in a few weeks to come but let me just say this......they are crazy! (But at the same time the nicest, friendliest, funniest bunch of people you could ever meet!)

The group in Belgium - with the legend that is Malc Bennett

I had opted to do the sprint race as that's what I've been focussing on this year after dabbling with various distances last year.  With a nice sociable start time of 1pm (or was it 12pm), I could have a lie in, a couple of bowls of coco pops and a leisurely ride down to the start.  The race itself was the most confusing race I have ever done. I'm not normally one for a hundred questions about a race or one to analyse course details but this was complicated! T2 was 10 miles away from T1! There were shuttle buses to get you from place to place. Roads were closed but nobody seemed to know where the route went.  Every question to a marshal received an answer of "hmmm, that is a good question" and on the morning of the race Michelle and I ended up cycling for over an hour trying to find the lake, even the marshal on the motorbike who we asked for directions said "I am searching for it also!" That said it was a fantastic venue, lovely weather and a very exciting event to be a part of with prize money up for grabs and the status of being Belgium National Champion.

The crowd gather to watch along the water's edge

So here's how my race went....

Get in the swim. Talk to my team mate Michelle. Not nervous. Very odd. Quite excited. About to go. Called out the swim. What?! Swim is delayed by 15 minutes! Booo! Potter about in the shade. Need the loo. Start poking the hole in the side of my wetsuit. Eaten too many pies? Think of random things. 15 minutes have gone! Back in the water. Swim 50m out to the starting buoys. Tired already! Michelle is yapping to me. Canoes hold us on the start line. The gun goes off. Michelle is still yapping. Everyone starts swimming. I can't swim as Michelle is in front of me. She is still yapping! Has she not heard the gun? Go go go! She goes! Thank God for that! Immediately lose the front pack. Damn it. Keep going. Completely on my own. Can't swim in a straight line. Feeling tired (repeated theme here from previous blog posts). Must learn to swim more efficiently. Lead pack pull away. Think of Dory from Finding Nemo....."just keep swimming". This is a very lonely swim.

Out of the swim on my lonesome

Eventually out (the swim was definitely long). My name is announced on the speaker. How exciting! He says it again! Woop that's me! I'm 45 seconds down on the lead pack. Seem to have a slow transition. Wetsuit won't come off. Start faffing. Funny Belgium rule about putting wetsuit in a bin bag in T1. I don' really have time to do this! But in goes the wetsuit, out comes the bike and off I go.

Out of T1

Lovely cycle route. Loads of spectators. Lots of cheers. Feel the bees knees in my new trisuit (thanks sponsors) although I look like a walking billboard. Although I'm not walking at this point, still cycling hard trying to catch the lead group. Where are they? It's taking me a long time! Do not feel strong on my road bike. I miss the Cervelo! Start to feel sad that everyone else is working together and I'm not drafting in a drafting race. Oooh wait, there they are! Pedal, pedal! Caught up! Yipee! Chat to Michelle, she is not even tired. Legendary swimmer! A lead girl has broken away. We start to work to catch her. I say work, I was a bit lazy. Decision time. Do I time trial away and close the gap, or stay where I am and battle it out for second? 6 races in 2 months have taken my competitive edge. I have no indication of how far behind I am so opt for a safer bet and stay put. Have a lovely time cycling with Michelle. She came up next to me and chatted a few times only to be told to "get back on my wheel & save your energy"!! We have no idea where we are going on the route. It's hard to follow, we started shouting directions to each other. We know we are near the end of the cycle but no idea where to turn off. Start shouting to the crowd. Right? Left? Dismount line? Here? There? Oh no, over there....

At last, a good dismount!

I spot the dismount line and hop off. First place is out of reach so it's a run for second. Legs feel tight as not used to riding the road bike. Put in a bit of a spurt out of T2 to get a comfortable lead. I'm sure I can still hear Michelle talking! Settle into a relaxed rhythm. Really enjoy the run. 2 laps around the park. Lots of cheers. The sun is shining. Felt very relaxed and enjoyed the atmosphere. Crossed the line full of smiles in second place. Somehow managed to post the fastest run split of the day. Michelle had a storming run to come in 3rd and looked great done the finishing shoot.  Looked at the results and instantly thought I should have attacked for first but you live and learn. After such big races this one was a real nice change with no pressure and no expectations. We had still podiumed, the Brits had come to Belgium and conquered!

Finish line!

The prize presentation was fantastic (a glass trophy, bouquet of flowers and $75.00!!) In fact the whole of the rest of the day was awesome! We set up base in a big grass square in the centre of the park surrounded by drinks bars, stalls, hot dog vans, a band, a big stage etc etc! The Olympic distance event was off once we finished so we could watch and enjoy that and cheer on all our friends competing. I was so proud of each and every one of them, particularly Pam who competed her first ever Olympic Triathlon (racing against girls who competed in London Olympics 2012!!!) Unfortunately due to the error in the delayed start Malc was not allowed to finish the race as the roads could not continue to be closed. That was such a shame but I think he thoroughly enjoyed the weekend and the company. I think the highlight of his weekend was his own lovely presentation in which he received a trophy for his services to triathlon.  That was my highlight too, that along with Michelle winning a bike in the raffle!!!! Who wins a bike in a raffle!?! And how are we going to get it back to England!!! Fun times! Thanks so much to Boss & Boss' boss for organising and to everyone else for making it a great trip!

Michelle and I - podium finishers :-)

As much as I enjoy drafting races though they are not for me. I am too slow at the swim and don't think that it utilities my strength on the bike, in fact I don't think the fastest triathlete overall wins drafting races, but you have to be smart and make good decisions and I think that's why it makes it so exciting. That said I have another drafting race next weekend......Liverpool Elite! It is highly likely I will come last and I have often wondered why I am even doing it. But when I started as an age grouper I was last and I have worked my way up so there's no reason why I can't do it again.   I've worked really hard to even get a start so I may as well work hard to finish.....and like I always say, God loves a trier!

Thank you Malc - The True Legend of Triathlon

European Championships

I did it!!! I won! I can't believe it! I have never had an Age Group medal of any colour before so to finally win Gold is a fantastic feeling (God loves a trier!)  I can't say I enjoyed the race, in fact it was probably the most stressful race I have ever done.  Winning the British Champs two weeks ago seemed to make people think I was going to win (I am most definitely not used to this sort of pressure), racing under the radar is definitely the way forward! But what my friends didn't know was my race included lots of Brits who hadn't raced at the British champs including the very talented Natalie Batey (who had beaten me by 1min and 31seconds in last years Europeans in Israel) and a French girl called Emilie who I had raced against once in the Europeans in 2011 and lost to by 1min and 39 seconds.  So I knew if I was to medal it would be pretty tough going but in my heart of hearts Gold was the colour I wanted and I would race my socks off to get it.

Setting up in transition

When race day finally came I couldn't breathe! I was so nervous! We waited on the pontoon for what felt like an age with some awful music of a heart going da dum, da dum.  Girls were pushing already in the queue to try and get in single file so that they could get the spot they wanted on the pontoon edge.  At this moment I tried to block everything out (unsuccessfully).  Here are my thoughts throughout the race:

Called to the pontoon's edge. Pick a box. Any box. Please be a lucky box. Find myself next to Natalie's sister Jenn Batey. I hope she is a good swimmer so I can draft off her. Someone else appears in my box. No get out of my box. There is not enough room for two. I realise it is the lovely Liz Bullivant. This is OK. She is a good swimmer. She is more than welcome to share the box.  I will jump on her feet. We chat about some friends in Sheffield. 30 seconds to go. This is it. Jump into the water. Feel sick. Dunk head under. Grab onto rope. Hooter goes. We are off. Realise I have nothing to push off so bit a of a belly flop start. On Liz's feet. Another 100m go by, still on Liz's feet. 300m in, still on her feet. A swimmer to my left is literally on top of me. So is the swimmer on my right. They squeeze me out. Nowhere to go. I check back round them. I have lost Liz's feet. I feel sad that they are gone (like Tom Hanks when he loses Wilson in Cast Away). I try really hard to catch them back up but they are gone. Whack. Kick. Splutter. Not a good swim. Round the first buoys. Still in some sort of pack. It's brutal! Was that a scuber diver I just saw under the buoys? Round the next buoys. As I breathe to the right I can see the names of the athletes on the trisuits next to me. How exciting! Momentarily distracted trying to see who they are. Must concentrate. Feeling so tired. Why am I so tired? The beach seems miles away, my pack is breaking up, seem to be on my own. Just keep going. Finally out of the swim in 28th overall. Dire. I know it has not been a good swim. I am 50 seconds off the leader in my Age Group, at this sort of level that is hard to make up. Have I left myself too much to do?

Those buoys felt a long way away

Massive cheers for me as I exit. Seem to be like a bull in a china shop and have a storming T1 overtaking anyone in my path, take no prisoners, coming through. Jump on the bike. Really out of breath. That no  wetsuit swim really took it out of me. Oh well. The bike is what I do best so must attack and close them down. Pedal, pedal, pedal. The bike course is rather rough going over cobbles. Relax upper body. Relax hands. Concentrate. I had overtaken a fair few but not really taken any notice. Then I get overtaken. On the bike?! What!? No! This never happens (unless it's Anna Turvey!). Feeling so tired. Am I going slow on the bike? Where is Emilie and Natalie? Why have I not seen them yet? At the halfway point of the first lap and still no sign of them. My ears in my aero helmet are on fire. Hot! Hot! Hot! Convince myself that I am third and that third is still really good and a bronze medal will be lovely. Out of nowhere I hear Caroline's voice yelling for me. Then Chris "they are just ahead". Is he just saying that to make me feel better? 5 seconds later and I hear mum saying I'm closing on them. I get refocussed. 30 seconds into lap 2 and I overtake Emilie, then Natalie, then my team mate Sophie, then some men. This gives me the confidence I need that I am cycling well and I push on. Last turn around point. I see the girls I have just overtaken - they are still there! I have not really pulled away from them at all. Start to panic about dismount (after epic fail at British Champs). So busy thinking about this that I have slowed down. Concentrating is so hard! Pick it up again. Feet out of bike shoes. Feet on bike shoes. Leg over bike. Perfect dismount. Voila. I have returned to transition 1st in my age group and 5th overall.

Just keep running!

Huge cheers into T2. OMG it's hot! Great support. Just the run to do. Aiming for a sub 20 run, I know I've got it in me. Trainers on, off I go. Please don't get a stomach ache. Please don't get a stomach ache. Damn, I've got a stomach ache! Belly is completely swollen. I want to slow down but know I can't. Natalie is 20 seconds behind. Legs feel fine. Breathing feels fine. Stomach is killing. The fast run that I am capable of wasn't to be today. I tried to think about something else. Concentrate on that left arm. Catch the next person ahead. European Gold could be yours. Lap 1 is over. Everyone is cheering. One lap to go. This time the cheering isn't so much cheering but anxious yelling. Natalie has closed the gap to 6 seconds. I know if she comes next to me I can pick it up but I really don't want to. Please. Slow. Down. I think! It's so hot. Less than 5 minutes to go now. I want to take a peek over my shoulder to see where she is but I don't want to give away that I'm tired!! Keep going. I see Mum at 400m. She is yelling "Go now! Go now!" I pick it up a notch. Natalie must be just there, I can tell by the concern in Mum's voice! Surely now I have dropped her? At 200m to go I hear Mark absolutely screaming "You've got to go hard!" I pick it up once more and stride into the finish. I keep pushing and pushing. It's not so much the finish I'm running to but a tiny bit of shade just past the finish to collapse into! I cross the line and 2 marshalls help me to stagger into the shade and poured water over me. My stomach was killing. I watched Natalie come over the line 14 seconds behind and over a minute ahead of third place. Her medal is one colour better than last year and I am really pleased for her. We congratulate each other and got our finishing medals and then it finally sunk it......I had won $100 euros! Haha! Not really, well I had, but it had finally sunk in that I had achieved what I had set out to do. It wasn't the most convincing win but it was one hell of a race! I was European Champion! What an incredible feeling!

On the podium!

What's more is there was such great success from my other British friends too.  Team Jewson/MI Racing Team mate Sophie Edge  finished second in the 20-24 Age Group, beaten only by a pretty much full time athlete.  Crazy Emily Whitmore finished second in her Standard Distance race the day before, fellow Worcestershire athlete Helen had a storming run to win the 35-39 category and TRiKS athletes Caroline, Rob, Graham and Tony had fantastic debuts to really show they deserved their place on the GB Team. It also transpired that Graham was only 60 seconds off a medal! Tony punctured so was really unlucky but he will have his day one day.  When I watched the video that Mark had took of Caroline crossing the finish line I burst out crying, I was so proud of her. She has been plagued with injury and setbacks all year and she overcame them all to show she is the athlete we all knew she was.

Celebrating with Sophie & Emily

But perhaps one of the most inspirational stories of the trip was my team mate, friend and training partner Jacqui successfully defending her European title in the 45-49 Age Group.  To win it once is phenomenal but to go back 12 months later and win it again is something else.  Especially as she has really stiff competition from a German who pushed her every step of the way. Such is her strength and talent that she would have also medalled in my age group against girls that are 20 years younger than her! Now that's saying something! You can read more about Jacqui's race here

My team mate Jacqui and I ~ From British Champs to European Champs

2 other highlights of the trip included seeing British girl Hannah Johnston out of the 1500m swim in first overall and do some sort of crazy dance. That was her moment. It was great to see her having fun!

Brilliant swimming celebrations!

And also Sam McClary who completely missed the start of our race (she was probably sunbathing) and had to do a sprint along the pontoon and dive in about 5 minutes later when she realised those girls heading around the first buoy were the girls in her race! At least, like a true sport, she can laugh about it. Read more about it here

The trip all seems a bit of a whirlwind now. I haven't done one shred of training since the race but instead actually stopped to enjoy what I have achieved and have a much needed rest! There just remains one last thing to be said. Thank You. Mainly to Chris and Mum who have been brilliant at keeping my confidence up, maybe now I will start believing in myself! To Caroline for organising the whole trip and Mark for the testing and challenging run sessions, they gave me the strength I needed at the end to hold on! The TRiKS support crew, especially the Moors and Caroline's family who flew all the way out to be there with us. Paul, Mick, and my sponsors for your ongoing support and advice. Boss and Boss's Boss for telling me that one day I would achieve the goals I had set. All my normal friends for putting up with my forever busy schedules and of course to all my triathlete friends who have made triathlon one incredible journey for me.

British Sprint Championships

1st June 2013
Holme Pierpoint

What a day!!! I don't really know where to start with this blog post.  I never in a million years thought that I would be a British  Age Group Champion! It hasn't quite sunk in! I have been fortunate enough to win all my tri races in the UK this year but this one without a shadow of a doubt tops them all.  I think it means even more after the real disappointment in Holland in April; sport has its highs and lows and this was definitely a high!

I have only ever competed in one British Championships before and that was back in 2010.  I recorded a swim time of 14:30 (at least 4 minutes of the lead girls although I was overjoyed with it at the time) and then punctured on the bike and sat on the side of the road and cried (before a random nice man in a red van gave me a lift back to the start - I thought he was a marshal but apparently not as I had to direct him to transition!).  So my aim of the day was to improve on 2010 (not difficult), try really hard to be in the top 7 to get a Qualification Place for the Worlds in London and (if I'm really lucky) get on the podium. I knew this would be a tall order as the quality of the athletes was amazing!

The day started bright and early. Mum, Chris and I arrived in plenty of time.  We bumped into lots of friends including Michelle and Kathryn en route to the registration tent, I think Mum was worried I was going to exhaust all my energy chatting so much before the start but I find it a welcome distraction to race nerves! And it's always nice having a good natter! With the race not starting until 2:15pm it was difficult to know what to eat (especially with my ongoing stomach issues) and we got so involved in watching the earlier races that I almost forgot why I was there! We set up base with my friends Anna & Emily and tried to get all our pre-race excuses in before the start!  Emily was definitely strong enough to be on the podium in her Age Group so she was also hoping for a strong race.  Unfortunately Anna has been struggling with injuries so was only planning on doing the swim and bike but is going to smash it in a few weeks time at the later qualifiers.

We eventually racked our bikes and set up (transition was interestingly split in 2 places) before walking nervously to the swim start.  I got in really early to have a warm up and I am delighted to say that my new goggles (never tried and tested before) were ace....I could actually see! (Thank you to the marshal who stood on the side with my spare goggles just in case! VIP treatment or what!) They seemed to hold us on the start line for ages with everyone trying to creep forward and eventually we were off....and omg was it brutal!!! I think girls can be just as vicious as men! I found a pair of feet to draft off and any time another girl tried to dunk me or force me in an another direction I fought for my spot.  An ongoing left shoulder injury was playing up but nevertheless I was over the moon with an 11:44 PB and to be out with roughly the main pack of girls.

I seemed to draw the short straw in transition as I was literally on top of my bike 2 steps out of coming out of the water so I hadn't even started getting my wetsuit off.  I could hear all my friends and Mum & Chris cheering for me and I was relieved to have had a good start to the race.  The bike course was fantastic and suited me to a tea being a power rider.  I had a fab first 2 laps overtaking lots of people and then (like in previous races) seemed to take my foot off the gas.  I really don't know why I do this, it's not really complacency - more distraction by things like the geese and the supporters and "ooh...isn't that nice over there".  I really must, must work on this as I'm not making the most of my strengths.  Timetrialling would suggest that I could have done a 30 minute split but instead I clocked 31:21.  The bike was pretty uneventful apart from 2 hairy moments. The first was when one girl was overtaking another but it reminded me of when lorries overtake other lorries (i.e. at the same pace) and when they didn't respond to my "yoohoo, coming through" call I breathed in and squeezed by them (not that breathing in would make any difference!).  The second was when an ambulance drove around the lake to park itself up by a whole load of geese and ducks to clear them off the course, except it seemed to stop right in front of me so I had to unclip and scoot round which wasn't ideal but I loved the course and was relatively pleased with my time.

Then for the worst dismount of the day! I can't even bring myself to write about it. It was so embarrassing I had to laugh at myself. I got my feet out of my shoes but in my excitement forgot what I was doing and before I knew it my bike shoes were dragging along the floor, I literally came to a holt 100m before the dismount line.  I cut my losses and decided to jump off and run the distance but it was rather funny!

By this point I was leading my Age Group, although I didn't know it.  I ran out of T2 in pursuit of the others and caught someone within a kilometer but then really began to struggle.  I had a stitch (which is pretty standard for me) but it was accompanied with some other rather painful stomach cramps and whilst my legs and breathing felt absolutely fine, my stomach didn't want to play ball.  I visibly slowed at this point and couldn't help but look behind to see how much leeway I had.  The run seemed to go on for an age and I was much weaker than in previous weeks but I was determined to not lose any places and when I realised a girl behind was catching me (I later realised it was Becky Schofield of Tri Anglia) I knew I had a sprint finish in my legs....but I really didn't want to use it!

When I approached the finish line the commentator announced that I was the 25-29 Winner (cue throwing my arms up in the air in disbelief!).  I couldn't believe it.  I knew I was up there, but you never really know.  I felt so emotional crossing the line; there have been big championships before where I thought I could do well but have never delivered on the day.  It also gives me hope knowing that I have more to give on the bike and run but for once I am not going to think about splits and instead be thankful for what I've achieved.  I also won biggest smile of the day, I think this photo says it all:

To add to a great day my team mate Jacqui also became the British F45-49 champion, a phenomenal achievement and a brilliant result for such a small club based in Stourport & Kidderminster!  It was fab to watch her coming in for Gold!

It's been a brilliant journey to this point and has really given me the inspiration and motivation I need to keep improving.  I really do love what I do (that positivity is just for you Holly Grundon!), not just because of the racing element and the training, but because of the friends I have met all over the UK.  There are too many to mention and I would hate to leave anyone out but all I will say is my next major competition is competing with Sam & Flic's tan in Turkey in 2 weeks time!  Thank you to everyone who has played a part in helping me to achieve my goals; it is a day I will remember fondly for a long time to come!

 

Coventry Sprint

26th May 2013

It's always nice to support local events and it was great to be able to compete in the Coventry Sprint Tri this year.  I lived in Coventry for 10 years and so it was nice to go back (if not a little odd bombing along on the TT bike down Charter Avenue!!!)   I used to swim with Cov Tri a couple of years ago and run with some of them at Northbrook Running Club so it was nice to see them too, and also my friends from Rugby Tri who were out in their masses as they were using this race as their club sprint championships (it was great to see Christa & Ann Marie back competing since popping out the kids too).  On top of that my new team mate Emma from TriKS (also the defending champion), my team mates from MI Racing Greg & Sophie and my other half Chris were all racing!

My old club ~ never forget your roots :-)

The venue was where I always used to do my swim training before work so it was a bit surreal seeing it with such a buzzing atmosphere for the race! Transition seemed a little complicated to me (but that's not saying much as I am easily confused) but on the whole it seemed a good course.  We got there early to cheer the Rugby Triathletes as they were all off together earlier on and there was some really close racing! 

My team mate Sophie racing - she clocked the fastest swim of the day

I hadn't been very well at all in the week after picking up a bug last weekend so training had been none existent and I still wasn't feeling 100% so the aim of the day was just to enjoy it, go hard but not all out, use the opportunity to practice transition, oh.....and chick Captain Keith!  I wasn't off until 10:30am so this gave me plenty of time to chat away (so much so that I almost missed the start) and it also gave me time to cheer Emma and Chris on.  By the time I was off the sun was blazing and the day was gorgeous! The swim was pretty uneventful and I clocked it at 6:03 but chip time says 6:33 by the time I had run out into transition which was 3rd fastest for the girls.  I got loads of cheers in transition which was nice and I was off on the bike fairly smoothly.  

Cycling in Sunny Coventry

The bike was terrible! This is probably because I have no bike handling skills whatsoever.  Jacqui has correctly informed me that I am a 'tester' ie a time triallist that likes out and backs or straight roads where no movement (or thinking) is needed.  This course had a fair few turns (including three right turns!!) and some pretty dodgy road surfaces (including pot holes and drains) so you needed your wits about you to attack this course at speed.  I hit a pothole pretty hard which caused me to get a proper little speed wobble on (I thought I was a gonner), and my left tri bar and pad to drop and a shift in my wheel causing it to rub on the frame. A quick stop to adjust this and try to recompose myself and I was off again (albeit at a steadier pace!).  I didn't feel that good on the bike but that's not surprising given how I've felt this week (and I can't have felt as bad as Greg who stopped for a poo) so it was a nice surprise to see I had clocked the fastest bike split for the women (but only just!)

Me and Emma ~ Team mate & defending Champ

The run was ace! I have run round Coventry for a decade and didn't even know these paths were there! It was also nice to do one big lap instead of smaller laps. The run must have definitely been long as all my 5ks have been sub 20 this year and this went over the 21 minute marker (eeek!) but I felt like I was running well and recorded the fastest female run split by over a minute.  So I was lucky enough to take the win here in 1:06:28, with Emma second and Sophie third....a great result for us all (and the prizes were ace!).   Chris made his debut in his TRiKS trisuit to record a very respectable 1:10:16, I hope he doesn't ever start training or he'll beat me easily!!! I didn't quite manage to beat Captain Keith who was 57 seconds ahead of me so he may have to wait until 2014 to be chicked by me....but one year it will happen :-) !  A big pub lunch with Christa & Ann Marie afterwards followed by tea and biscuits with Boss and Boss's Boss rounded up the perfect Bank Holiday Sunday.  Well done to everyone who raced today and thank you to everyone who marshaled and supported (including our MI Racing team mates who came out to take photos!), it was a great day.

A triathlete in the making!

Nice Tri {St Neots} Sprint Triathlon

750m / 25k bike / 5k run

19th May 2013

Wow! What a great race this was! I got a free entry into this for winning the Grafham Olympic Race last year and was really excited to race some really good competition.  Firstly there was Michelle who won in 2011 and was the course record holder, secondly there was Louise who won it last year and is also racing in Turkey next month and then of course Kerry, Kat & Andrea who are all strong GB Age Group athletes plus any other girls that I hadn't raced before!

The weather was perfect and I was really looking forward to getting underway! I must confess that my enthusiasm quickly faded when I got in the freezing river (it was never 12 degrees!) and it was so muddy and dark that the minute your head was under water you couldn't see a thing! My new goggles were just as useless and were so tight that I couldn't actually open my left eye. Anyway, I knew if I was going to be up there in the race that I needed a good swim. In previous years the 750m swim has taken me 13-14 minutes and has always been a major weakness (and where I have always lost so much time to Michelle in previous races) but I was over the moon to swim a sub 12 and get out of the water in 6th place. Swimming down and then back up the river actually made for a lovely swim and was a lot easier than the 1500m swim in the race last fortnight!

Out of the swim in 6th

T2 was a bit of a nightmare as transition was literally a few strides away from the waters edge so I suddenly found myself next to my bike and hadn't even started taking my wetsuit off. I had a bit of a fight with it before doing quite possibly the slowest mount ever! Out of transition there was a left hand turn to go round the roundabout before coming back on yourself. As I was turning left out of transition I saw Michelle & Louise on the other side of the road so reckoned I was about 40 seconds down. I quickly overtook 2 girls and then worked really hard. I could see Louise in the distance and slowly but surely made more and more ground on her. When I eventually overtook her I must have had that "great you can relax now" sort of moment as she came straight back past me! I didn't let her stay ahead of me for long before closing her down again and then she came back at me. It was really great fun as every time I thought I had dropped her she appeared from nowhere! As we picked off the men one by one, one of the guys went absolutely mad cheering for us that we were 2nd and 3rd female.  It was all rather exciting!

Back into T2 in 3rd

Louise and I came back into transition about 3 seconds apart.  The chip times are slightly inaccurate as I had the fastest bike split of the day ~ not that I'm complaining as it makes my T2 time look awesome (which it wasn't!) As Louise shouted a "well done" to me and ran off into the distance I was still faffing about with the tongue in my trainer trying to pull it up. My feet were like blocks of ice so I couldn't really slam my foot into my trainer and I was still messing about with it when the commentator announced that the second female had  left transition so I gave up on rearranging my shoe and just got on with it. 

I ran really hard out of T2 and someone shouted to me "don't blow up" but I think I was on a mission to make up for lost ground before settling into a rhythm.  Louise was running really well but not quite as possessed as me (and it's always easier chasing someone down) so I caught her quite quickly. I planned to get into a rhythm at that stage but 2 things happened, first of all she slipped on a rock or pothole or seemed to lose her balance and I shouted if she was OK and assumed she would continue behind. Second of all I could now for the first time in a long time see Michelle and wanted to push on for first. 

It is worth pointing out here that after all the disappointment of Holland and all the hospital trips and scans that I was finally running pain free. I was waiting for the cramps or a stitch or something to come....but it never came, and I think I was just so happy to be running like normal that that also spurred me on. I caught Michelle before the end of the first lap which meant I could just enjoy the final lap....which is what I did! The cheering and crowd were amazing. Chris was cheering like it was the Olympic final! The course over bridges and footpaths and by the river was brilliant! I relaxed and carried on picking off the men (and actually enjoyed the run!) to cross the line with a 19:51 5k, finishing 1st female (14th with the men) in 1:13:48, over a minute clear of 2nd place.  All the races I have won before have involved a good swim and bike and hanging on in the run - so there was a great feeling about working on the run to take the win in this race.  Unfortunately Louise didn't actually finish the race which was such a shame as she deserved to be on the podium and was running really well but I spoke to her at the presentations and hopefully with some ice and rest she can get it sorted ready for the Europeans (if you read this Louise it was lovely to meet you!)

Happy happy happy

As soon as I crossed the line Chris and I had to dash back to our B&B to pack and check out but ended up having egg on toast cooked by the lovely Fleur so didn't actually see everyone else finish (If you are ever vising St Neots this place is well worth a stay www.thewhitehouseguesthouse.com). We made it back in time for the presentation and to see some of the final women coming in, by which point it was really quite hot and they had to work pretty hard!  Well done to everyone who raced, including all my tri friends and people who's first triathlon it was.  I have probably raced close to 50 triathlons and duathlons now, both in the UK and abroad and I can honestly hand on heart say, that the Nice Tri Events are some of the best events I have ever taken part in.  I would recommend their races to anyone - whatever ability, the marshals, courses and atmospheres are always fab! To find out more you can go to www.nicetri.co.uk

Luckily for me I won a voucher to another race so I'm sure I'll be back to my third Nice Tri Event soon to see if I can make it 3 wins in a row. Chris and I spent the afternoon exploring Cambridge in the sun, quite possibly my perfect weekend!

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!