It may have taken two weeks to push this blog out but I wanted to wait for official confirmation from British triathlon before I did.
Two weeks have passed now and as I focus towards the next goal of qualifying for the 2020 European Sprint Duathlon Championships this weekend in Bedford, it was an extremely welcomed email to open yesterday which confirmed my second second place qualification for the 2020 World Championship Standard Duathlon after my race at Anglian water.
Two weeks have passed now and as I focus towards the next goal of qualifying for the 2020 European Sprint Duathlon Championships this weekend in Bedford, it was an extremely welcomed email to open yesterday which confirmed my second second place qualification for the 2020 World Championship Standard Duathlon after my race at Anglian water.
The first race of the season is never an easy one to judge. I knew I had been going well in training, but that is with the same sterile conditions I have been training to/in since the turn of the year. Most of my training through this period has been conducted indoors to ensure I had been as consistent as I could possibly be. We knew what the sessions would achieve and what numbers they would see me hitting along with how much sweat it would see me pissing out of my pores. But with the weather being so unpredictable it was great to be able to utilise the turbo and treadmill which wouldn’t allow me any hiding places.
That’s one thing that I love to hate about the treadmill. The consistency it offers. Setting a pace to run my efforts at ensures that my legs are consistently turning at the same rate. If I try to slow down I simply fall off the back. Knowing that I have had a solid winter building my running legs back up again, I have felt confident in being able to sustain this leg turnover to increase my cadence.
It seems to have worked, legs are feeling good and it has helped me in the one area that I’ve struggled with over the last few years. Regulating my weight. It has always been a challenge for me but I’ve been strict with myself in trying to reduce the rubbish I often reach for before I go to bed. A couple of stumbles but on the whole I’ve done well and managed to bring my weight back down by 5kgs since my end of season break. I am certainly noticing the difference especially when I’m running as I’m feeling lighter on my feet and not plodding as much.
It seems to have worked, legs are feeling good and it has helped me in the one area that I’ve struggled with over the last few years. Regulating my weight. It has always been a challenge for me but I’ve been strict with myself in trying to reduce the rubbish I often reach for before I go to bed. A couple of stumbles but on the whole I’ve done well and managed to bring my weight back down by 5kgs since my end of season break. I am certainly noticing the difference especially when I’m running as I’m feeling lighter on my feet and not plodding as much.
Going back to Anglian Water Standard Duathlon a couple of weeks ago. This was the first major test on where I am at the moment. It didn’t disappoint (much). Going into the race, I knew that it would take me a couple of races to settle back into the feel of racing once again and get the fire back.
Race morning and I was seriously nervous. I’m always a little nervous but I guess that that is because I care about how I do, but on this occasion I wanted to get my season off to the best possible start, to release some pressure going forward. I love racing the Age Group international Triathlon and Duathlon events, wether it be World or European championships, and it always means we get a family trip out of it to some destinations that we would not always choose. Top 10 overall and a top 4 age group qualification would see me qualify for the 2020 ITU World Standard Duathlon Championships, rumoured to be in Almere near Amsterdam in the Netherlands. A great place that we can drive to once again.
Race morning and I was seriously nervous. I’m always a little nervous but I guess that that is because I care about how I do, but on this occasion I wanted to get my season off to the best possible start, to release some pressure going forward. I love racing the Age Group international Triathlon and Duathlon events, wether it be World or European championships, and it always means we get a family trip out of it to some destinations that we would not always choose. Top 10 overall and a top 4 age group qualification would see me qualify for the 2020 ITU World Standard Duathlon Championships, rumoured to be in Almere near Amsterdam in the Netherlands. A great place that we can drive to once again.
8.30 am start meant another early rise to get to the venue from the hotel and register before checking all my kit, and remembering what I actually have to do. Another NiceTri even hosted by Keith Ritchie, everything is a smooth as possibly can be. Parking close to transition also meant that it was very spectator friendly for the family.
The briefing call sounded and as usual I lined up on the front row. I knew this course, as I often choose it to blow the cobwebs away and begin the road we start on starts about 5-6 athletes wide, but after 200m or so it narrows onto the cinder trail track around the lake. A downhill start allowed for a fast start and enough time to get into stride before this narrowing of the course.
The briefing call sounded and as usual I lined up on the front row. I knew this course, as I often choose it to blow the cobwebs away and begin the road we start on starts about 5-6 athletes wide, but after 200m or so it narrows onto the cinder trail track around the lake. A downhill start allowed for a fast start and enough time to get into stride before this narrowing of the course.
I stayed at the front and as the race spread out, I found myself running comfortably in the top 10. The front group were certainly stamping down their authority in the race as I could only watch them disappear around the bends in the path ahead opening up a good gap. Running alongside Owen James who had recently won the English National Championships at a very early season opener in January I tried to keep in contact as long as I could. I knew Owen was a handy runner and this showed around the 5km turn point where I started to feel I was hanging on for dear life. Losing Owen snapped the elastic and it wasn’t long until a small group joined me running back to transition, but I maintained contact and ran a rapid transition coming in in 12th place leaving in 7th.
There is no messing around in transition. Take what you need already taped to the bike ditch the trainers, don your helmet and off you go. My intention was to,work as hard as I could on the bike and really test the legs. It was windy but the choice of Fast Forward trispoke and disc wheel proved the right one as I was ticking off the riders ahead one by one, up to 4th place at the half way turn of lap one and scalping one more as we returned to end lap one of two. Up to third place and no one was passing me now. I was gaining momentum, but also losing energy in doing so, it was time to fuel up to ensure I was to get through the final 5km run.
Dismounting to end my 40km bike leg, it wasn’t until the end I was informed that I had pedalled to the 4th fastest bike of the day, and the fastest within the top 10. I was able to get a fix on where my closest competitors were. A short distance behind I was being chased down by two more, with no idea which age category they were in. At this point, 3rd overall I knew that I was second or possibly third in my age group as Owen was still up the road in 2nd behind someone I didn’t know. I needed to hold on to my place if I was to accomplish what I had set out to do so all that was left to do was to run as hard as I could for the final 5km.
This was a hard run. I had been training some brick runs, but in the reality of competition it is still something that you can’t prepare your body for. I reached 2.5km turn point and I was still ahead of the chasing runners who were now down to one as the second had dropped away completely. I just put my head down and went for it. Probably to early to have given it such a big push but I really didn’t have anything left in the tank and I had seen that 4th place was chasing me down. Working so hard on the bike was now starting to show and with only 400m to go I was caught. I had nothing at all. My mind was trying to tell me to kick on but my legs were resisting. I was running for minor positions now. I had thrown a podium place away but I knew it wasn’t in vane as I’d certainly tested where I was at and knew that my training had been paying off.
I crossed the line happy if not only a little disappointed not to have stepped on the podium once again, but I was able to take away the prize of first vet with the rule that only one prize per person, and because Owen had taken away a top three podium ahead of me, taking the first Vet (second really) secured my position for the world champs next year.
Mission accomplished? You bet it was. Going into it wanting to come in the top 10 and top 4 age group, achieving 4th overall and 2nd Age group position I did what I needed to at my first outing and knew that my legs were coming back to me. Oh and with a super bike split, maybe my good old bike legs are coming back again.
Fast forward to today. I’m 4 days away from racing back down in bedford on.y this time it will be fast and furious draft legal sprinting to secure my ticket for the 2020 world sprint championship. Riding will be swapped to the road bike but the black and red colours of the Argon remain the same and the choice of deep section Fast Forward wheels will certainly give me confidence to reach my goals.
Thanks once again to all my family and friends who are following my journey and to all the shouts I receive along the way.
Thanks to Team ERDINGER Alkoholfrei and RaceSkin for all my kit, to Elivar for my nutrition, and AquaSphere for their support in the water.
Finally to the afore mentioned Fast Forward for my wheel support giving me confidence to go fast and nail every turn that is thrown at me.
Thanks once again to all my family and friends who are following my journey and to all the shouts I receive along the way.
Thanks to Team ERDINGER Alkoholfrei and RaceSkin for all my kit, to Elivar for my nutrition, and AquaSphere for their support in the water.
Finally to the afore mentioned Fast Forward for my wheel support giving me confidence to go fast and nail every turn that is thrown at me.