Bristol Harbourside Sprint Triathlon: last world qualifier

Pre race:

It wasn’t the easiest of pre race preparation, with my husband being taken into hospital 48 hours before race day. He insisted I should travel down to Bristol and race as planned, however.

Deva Triathlon - First Olympic Distance in 4 years!

The first Olympic distance triathlon in almost four years, and it was fair to say I was feeling a little apprehensive. Why did I do it? Why not :)

The main goal for this race was to see if I could hold the new run form I have been practicing when fatigued. 

Emberton National Sprint Championships 2012

It would be fair to say I was a little nervous going into this race. I know that the standard and popularity of triathlon has exploded this year, and nothing less than an outstanding race would do, given the massive field expected here this weekend.

Race report: Eton World Qualifier no 1, 2012

Nervous apprehension I think would be a good way to describe my mood going into this race. Training had been going well, but this was not reflected really in the Eilat race times, as I suffered majorly from dehydration which really affected my run.

Newmarket Duathlon: I think I prefer TRIATHLON!

On Saturday afternoon I was asked by JustRacingUK if I would mind representing them and going over (along with hubby who also volunteers to work for them,) to Newmarket Duathlon to take the bike racking that they had hired.

No problem, I thought. Then I was asked did I want to do the race while I was there? 2.5k-14mile-2.5k - seemed ok, so I took the spare bike and some shoes (the argon already packed for China!)

Racking set up - race organiser says he has a number for me, then I realise that in reality it was 2.5miles-14miles-2.5 miles. Oh! Now that's a whole new ball game!

Desford Sprint Triathlon: the head tester!

This was a pool based sprint triathlon held by Race Time Events in rural Leicestershire. For me it was a rehab exercise, and rather ambitious too, only 3 weeks post head injury, so I intended to enjoy it. It was a lovely sunny day, if not a little windy. I simply wanted to see if I could complete it without mishaps.

It was based in a village community college, ample parking, easy enough to find, and even warm showers afterwards (ok, I was in the first wave, so by the time the last competitor finished, maybe they weren’t still warm!)

Rother Valley: The race that wasn't

It’s been a tough weekend, and not in the traditional sense. My season started fantastically well, with two races and two qualifications. Having pre-entered all four qualifiers, I then had to decide whether to race the other two.

I decided not to race QE2, the race that would have occurred on a third consecutive weekend, but kept Rother Valley in mind, simply as a good quality training session.

The events that happened at the lake on Thursday were to change the complexion of my weekend completely.

Swim disaster
I went for a swim at the local lake, easy recovery swim, nothing too strenuous, having had a sports massage that afternoon and a race coming up at the weekend. I was on the first of 3 800m laps round the lake. This lake is navigated by means of a series of buoys which you swim through, roughly following the cable pulley that is use by the water skiers. At the top of the lake, I was heading for the buoys to navigate the turn. I could only see one. I soon found out why. I crashed head first into the other one, which was fully submerged under water. Normally this would not be too much of a disaster, but these buoys are fixed onto wooden posts, not chains, like you would normally expect. It took me by surprise, to say the least, and I felt my right knee jarring as I was knocked sideways unexpectedly. I completed the swim, (all three laps) and thought nothing more of it.

When I got up the following day for my taper brick session, the knee felt a little sore. Hmm, I have pulled a muscle, I thought. I carried on. As Friday progressed, it got worse. It became sore to fully extend that knee, and it was at this point that I began to grow concerned.

On Saturday afternoon I called my sports masseuse and asked could he have a look at it. I am not usually one to panic over a bit of pain; however I am also very rarely injured, so I do take pain rather seriously.

Verdict

Phil Croney my masseuse, was kind enough to squeeze me in for a quick once over at his home on Saturday afternoon, which I very much appreciate. To be honest, I feared the worst. I knew, deep down, that this was not just a little pull. He told me that I had strained the medial colateral ligament, and that racing on Sunday would be foolish. A tear rolled down my cheek. Although expected, I was still devastated.

I sat in the car and cried. I had to try really hard to get my thoughts back under control. All I could see was injury, you can’t run, you can’t race. With the European championships in two weeks, I struggled hard not to go into blind panic.

Context

I have never until this weekend, had to pull out of a race through injury. I guess you would call me lucky. All it means is I am finding this a real struggle to deal with, and right now am not feeling terribly lucky at all. This knee is also what I call my ‘wibbly wobbly knee’, by which I mean it is the knee that has had an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) reconstruction operation almost 15 years ago, and therefore less stable at the best of times. For those who do not know, a ligament reconstruction operation involves replacing the torn ligament with a tendon graft. That means the joint will never perform 100% as it used to, and I have to work hard on muscle strength to keep that knee working at its best. It is also an operation that I was told had a 10 year shelf life, after which it will begin to loosen again. I know, therefore, that I must now be very careful with it indeed, in order to get the best possible recovery.

What now?

I sat with frozen peas on it all evening, 15 on, 15 off. By 10pm the ice was beginning to feel quite normal and not at all cold! I have been advised that I should not run on it for a few days, so I called my strength coach David Sutton and made an appointment to see him for some strength coaching on Sunday morning. He reassured me that he is experienced with MCL rehab, so I look forward to further instructions and advice.

I am trying my best to stay positive. I could have ignored Phil and gone to that race anyway. He said he apologised that I had gone to him on a wasted trip. Not at all. I went for advice, and the crucial question, will racing make it worse? The answer was yes, so there really is only one option from there. That doesn’t mean that I can’t also get upset. I am, I am devastated.

I have always been the one to read, research, and seek/follow good advice. I believe that is what has kept me relatively injury free all this time. I don’t intend to change that now.

I will do as I am told, recover well, and I WILL BE BACK!

Speedy Beaver: Race report (World / European Qualifier)

National Sprint Championships, National ranking event, World and European Qualifier (no pressure then!)

To be quite honest, racing this on the back of the Eton World Qualifier last week was a lot to get my head round. During the weeks training, I wasn’t sure if I was peaking or tapering, it has all been a bit intense. I couldn’t get my head around thinking about another race so soon, and I still felt tired and achy from the last one till at least mid week!

I didn’t look at the course or anything till Friday, and decided not to camp over with my husband, staying home alone instead. I wanted and needed some quiet ‘me’ time to get my mind back in focus. I felt calm, chilled and ok. I think it worked out well for me. I formulated my race plan, and NLP plan, ignored the long lists of competitors I knew I would have to race and went to sleep feeling alright.

The weather was dry, windy, but in comparison to Eton last week, this was a mere breeze!

The Race:

SWIM:

For the first time ever, I was in the ‘old ladies’ wave, which in actual terms meant my age group was the youngest in this wave. I figured therefore, that all I needed to do was pick the right start spot and I would be ok, with all those young whippets off in an earlier wave! I opted for far right, lined up behind a person that looked like she meant business, and actually had a clear, scrum free swim, where I think my line may have been the most direct one to the first turn. A much better choice than last week! Shame about the marathon jog up the field to T1 though!

BIKE:

The bike course was 1 lap, with the long straight fast stretch into the headwind. As I set off, feeling good, it took me a good few miles to get my TT ‘chase her’ head back under control! With focus regained, I settled into my own rhythm, heart rate where it needed to be, nutrition plan under control, and focussed on good pedal strokes and aero lines, especially on the killer hill, which is where I caught some of the men from the previous wave, some of which were walking!

RUN:

The run was a simple out and back, up the back drive out of the Belvoir castle grounds. It was up all the way out, which thankfully meant that it was down all the way back! I wanted to do better at my mental focus here so I worked hard on keeping form and remembering all my NLP techniques. I had a small eye on anyone who came past, and noted when I was almost back to the field where the finish line was, that no ‘H’ runners had come past me to this point. I didn’t have a clue how I was going position wise, but as I approached the final few hundred meters, a person marked ‘H’ came past, with her supporter cheering ‘come on Katie, don’t let her get you back’. I knew immediately that this was a person I needed to beat, so I gave it everything I had, to get back past her. There was still 100m to go once I got past, and I felt sure she would attack me back, a quick check over my shoulder and she was no longer there. I had done it! This was the first high calibre race that I managed to finish on and win the sprint finish, and this was also the first race in my career so far where I did not lose a single category position on the run section.

Reflection:

When I crossed the line, being in the last wave, several people I knew were waiting for me, or milling round nearby. They all asked me how I had done. My response was ‘I don’t know, and to be honest, I am not sure that I care!’ I meant every word of it too, and I have never been able to say that before. I can completely and honestly say that I had done everything I had planned to do, executed the race plan as I wanted to, focussed throughout as best as I was able, and did not care at all about how it turned out, because I knew that I had given it my all, and there was nothing more I could have done.

Positives:

·        Chose absolutely the right line on the swim, went with my convictions and ignored what everyone else was doing

·        Kept focus on the run, throughout, remembering all the mantras my coach chimes at me!

·        Recognised and quickly rectified the fact that I was not sticking to my HR race plan at the start of the bike leg

·        Won the sprint finish and crossed the line at peace with myself, not caring at all what the result was!

To work on:

·        Start the bike leg in a focussed and controlled manner rather than like a bat out of hell, then fixing it a few miles down the road!



·        Find and keep the 3mile TT feeling and focus on the run. I can now focus my mind, so I need to now focus my body!

Mel Ryding and Helen Russell (35-39 bronze medallist and fellow TriUK team member)

RESULT:

Today I was racing many people who usually finish way in front of me. There were many established GB age group athletes, whose names I know. The field was big and the competition stiff. 8 people were racing for those 4 European places. I managed 8^th overall (top 10 in a national ranking race / national championships – I’m pretty impressed!) and beat several people that are usually WAY ahead of me, and finished up 5^th Qualifier, beating three other people who were trying to qualify. I also, for the first time, managed to hold my position throughout the run, not losing any places, which is a first. The biggest honour came when Malcolm Westwood (BTF board member, now in charge of all the age group team managers) spoke to me and said how he had just been talking about me, noting how I am getting better and better, and quicker and quicker. I feel really proud, I feel like I had a great race, with plenty of positives to go forward with.

2 qualification races, and 2 successful qualifications, I couldn't really have hoped for a better way to start my season!

Eton Sprint Triathlon 2011 – Beijing World Qualifier

On the run up week to this race, I felt great. I had not been in a stress, had not been uber-analysing the lists, past results, the enemy, etc as I usually do. It really was going quite well. On race morning, though, it was a different matter. After calmly and rationally packing my kit the night before (without feeling the need to check and recheck), on race morning I began to feel quite sick with nerves. So much so I almost was unable to eat breakfast. ‘It’s just your body preparing you for success’ I told myself, like David Sutton, my strength coach has been telling me.

Horrendously high diagonal cross winds were certainly going to make for an interesting race. Out the window went the idea of a PB, for sure. Fast and flat course? Didn’t seem to matter any more! Hubby came to support, and was given strict supporters lines from my running coach, which he was asked to shout from the sidelines when I got to the run. (All reminders related to my run form!)

The Race:

SWIM

After a washing machine style jostle for clear water due to bad start position choice, it was a smooth clear swim, and great to swim in an open water lake with Lane ropes (aka rowing boat lane markers!) a little choppy at times with almost white water and waves, it was that windy. I concentrated on keeping focus throughout, and cleanly navigated T1 to start the bike course (minus the usual glasses – they had blown away from my position in the wind!

BIKE

Down one length of the lake, I was cycling into a diagonal cross / headwind and on the return, a diagonal cross / tailwind. It truly was hard, hard work. The wind made navigating nutrition and corners very tough, as not only was it very strong, but also very gusty. It took some serious concentration and control to not get blown off and to keep my heart rate out of the ‘danger zone’. I really think my strength and conditioning work helped me out heaps here!

RUN

The run was a 2 lap out and back – out into a head wind, back into a tail wind. Probably better than being the other way round! It was intensely difficult to stay focussed with the extra mother nature resistance training! I worked on my NLP and race plan before hand, in order to keep me focussed and in control throughout the run, and hubby’s run coach style orders also helped! I only lost one place (as opposed to my usual 12 or so!) and was able to finish the same way I started, focussed and strong.

Reflection

For a change, my thoughts now are the same as they were then. When I crossed the line it was with the conclusion that I had executed my race plan  that my triathlon coach Steve Casson and I had discussed exactly as I wanted to. I was confident in saying that at all times I did the best that I could in the conditions served to me on the day and would be happy with the result, regardless of the actual data outcome.

Positives:

·        I stuck to the plan, with regards to bike pacing, didn’t chase anyone down and didn’t sprint off into Time trial mode like I have a tendency to do!

·        I recognised when I had become unfocussed, and regained focus constantly throughout the run

·        I didn’t panic in the swim ‘washing machine’ and simply dealt with it

·        I didn’t care about others on the course, and didn’t give chase at any point.

Things I need to work on:

·        Think in advance, plan and spot a better swim start position

·        Focus on form even more so when I am running into a head wind – grit teeth and assure myself that I CAN do this!

RESULT:

I have just found out that this was my best result in a long while. I was 4th in my age group - best placing ever in a qualifying race, which means that I have already, after only one race, qualified for the World Championships in Beijing, September, 2011. Not only that but I have beaten two other women who were there also trying to qualify, another first for me. What a great start to the season!

Grendon Triathlon Season Opener 2011

On the run up to this race, I have been feeling strangely calm. It probably has, in part, something to do with the NLP sessions I have been having with Kim Ingleby, and the fact that it is merely a warm up race for me. I was aware that there was an AMAZING top field in the women’s race (Lucy Gossage, Marie Rabie, Lou Collins, Sky Draper, Lucy Smith!) however that was not bothering me.

I have done a great deal of different things this year, training wise. I have also gone up into the next age group, so don’t know ‘the enemy’ as well. Although both these things made me uneasy, I think I was alright about it.

I think ,in a reverse way, this all contributed to my race morning unease! I am usually in a real stress, checking my kit several hundred times and stressing over getting there on time. I was sitting calmly sipping green tea with half an hour to spare this morning, thinking ‘this isn’t quite right’!!!

The Race

SWIM

When the women were allowed into the water to warm up, I spotted Sky positioning herself WAY over to the left. I looked at the first bouy, and noticed that she in fact was in a direct line to it. So I decided to follow suit. Apart from a bit of chop at the start, I had a clear run, and once I cleared the first turn, I was in clear water. I wasn’t sure at the time whether this was in fact really good, or really bad!

BIKE

As I entered T1, I heard the commentator say that Jackie Phillips was just starting the bike, and I assumed from his comments that this meant that I was in second place in my age group. I set off with excitement, keen to try out my new Argon18 E112 sponsored race bike. What that in fact meant, was I caught the back markers of the men’s wave quite quickly, as well as a few women (none of which were my age group, sadly!) but that came at a cost. The heart rate was WAY too high, and when I noticed, I backed off. This was probably not helped by the fierce headwind on most of the bike course, but by the time I realised, it was effectively too late. I eased off back to heart rate zone 3 for the second half of the bike leg.

RUN

Keith Molloy, my run coach, was standing on the run course. It is the first time he has come to watch a race. When I set off on the run, it was only half a mile before I knew the error of my ways earlier. I did not feel the usual spring in my running step, and my form must have suffered because the next time I passed him, I heard him shout ‘lengthen your stride, relax shoulders, stand up tall, push...’. That’s when I realised I had taken my eye off the ball, as far as form was concerned. So, as I have been taught, I focussed then on myself, and ensured that I continued to do the best that I could at the time.

I hadn’t seen any ‘H’ athletes come past though, which I was amazed about. I assumed that was a mistake on my part.

Reflection

My initial reaction was negative. It always is. I was thinking about all the things I could have done better, and so on. When I went to get the results from the timing tent, I was pleasantly surprised.

Positives:

·        I exited the lake in 2^nd position in my age group, and maintained that position throughout the race, something I have never managed before.

·        I raced the new Argon and learned what to expect from it, and there were no ‘new bike’ mechanical glitches despite greasy roads

·        I remained calm in my mind, throughout the race, even when I knew I had not executed the race plan quite right during the run leg.

·        I did not let other athletes on the course create negative thoughts in my mind.

Things I need to work on:

·        Do NOT get carried away by targets in the distance when starting the bike leg – focus on the WHOLE race plan and pacing strategy

·        Take on more nutrition pre race and at the start of the bike leg, to ensure sufficient fuel for the run.

I am pleased with the results, glad I managed to convincingly beat some key people in my age group despite not having my best race, and am looking forward to the next race.

Last County League Cross Country 2011 – East Haddon

I had a terribly stressful Saturday. I was SO not in the mood for this and had I not been Northants Tri Club team captain and club cross country secretary I would most certainly not have gone to this race. My head was just not in the right place at all.

1st ever club and XC race, 2007

It is a race that is close to my heart though. East Haddon is the race where I first wore a club vest (at that time, Wellingborough and District Athletics Club) and also my first ever Cross country race. (2007!) I remember clearly the comments from my husband, who was at that time still getting to grips with the fact that he had a new much slimmer wife! He wasn’t able to go to watch the race, so when I was looking through the photos the club had taken, wasn’t able to find me at first. When I pointed out this picture, he said ‘oh, I didn’t realise that was you, you look like a proper runner!’

I remember the race clearly, being my first. I knew it was going to be tough, because it starts on an almighty steep downhill, before picking up a local point to point course. That naturally means, being an out and back, the, yes, the ginormous hill is how you get back up to the finish line! Last time, I ran it in rugby boots (blades) because it was so muddy!!

I was standing on the start line, with the rest of the crowd, thinking ‘why on earth am I here today, I am not in the mood, I shouldn’t have come’ etc etc. Kim Ingleby (@kimingleby on twitter, http://www.energisedperformance.com/) my NLP coach would have been very mad with me!! I set off with the crowd, positioning myself near the back, deciding I would use this as a training run, purely and simply. I was not going to race it, I didn’t have my heart in it today. All the way down the hill I was thinking ‘for goodness sake why am I bothering, I should just stop here and walk back, it doesn’t matter, there’s enough team runners for it not to matter what I am doing today...’ bla bla bla. 

I got to the foot of the hill and glanced at the pace. All was not too bad at that point. I suddenly thought, ‘what ARE you doing!? Are you doing the best you can, at this point in time? NO, Mel, YOU ARE NOT!!!’

These are ‘head stuff’ techniques Kim had taught me before my world champs race in 2010. I suddenly realised I was not doing what I should be doing (in my head that is!) You can read the full world champs race report here http://melanieryding.blogspot.com/2010/09/itu-world-championships-race-report.html

So, I got my brain back into the space where it should have been. Yes, I am now doing the best I can at this moment, yes I am. I carried on through my race, thinking this mantra over and over. I stuck to the same race plan; this was a training run, not a race. I am a triathlete; I AM doing the best I can at this moment in time. I began to overtake people on the cheeky hill in the middle of the course, retained my spot, then on the return hill, I kept repeating the same thing over and over to myself as I dragged my ass up the muddy incline back to the school, and the finish line. I was still slowly overtaking other people who were beginning to walk at this stage. I still didn’t care about the time, the pace, whatever. BUT I was STILL doing the best I could at that moment in time.

I crossed the line to a big club cheer (thanks guys, you’d have thought I had won!!)

The race is not timed officially, but you get given a finish number on a plastic card, which represents your position relative to everyone else of your gender. I was given a number some 30 places higher than I usually received. I was astounded. I began to think, well, there must be less people here today, that can’t be right... etc etc.

But no, it’s what I did that counts. I was here, I ran, I did the best I could, and I got a placing much better than I expected.

Job done! I successfully convinced myself that all was not lost after all!

Cross Country Frost Bite!

Well not quite, but it was -6 on Sunday for the Three counties cross country race 3. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! If I was not the secretary, trust me, I would have thought twice!!

Weekend so far:

Vo2 max test on Saturday morning – short(ish) but tough, rock till you drop kinda thing! I’m sure coach called it a murder session or something!!

1.5 hr Turbo (due to ice and stuff) consisting of a DOUBLE sufferfest – Downward spiral + Revolver (with the recovery warm down / up in between them cut out!) OUCH!

So I started this race on Sunday knowing a few things:

·        This would NOT be pretty!

·        This would not be a PB

·        This would not be fast

·        My sprint finish may just desert me again due to tired legs!

THE RACE:

Due to a misunderstanding, I accidentally found myself at the FRONT of the pack at the line up!! How on earth did that happen!! Not for long!! I set off at my own pace, focussing on my own race. This was fun, right!? Hehehehe Even the grass was frozen it was that cold! Some kind man had been round the course painting all the sticky up tree roots in the woods bright orange, aaaaahh how nice!! The lap consists of a long up, then a long down, flat, then repeat all the above! The first time up the hill, if felt like every man and his mate passed me. I resisted the urge to look at the garmin, resisted the urge to chase everyone, and kept at my own pace, my own race. Through the woods, I was focussing intensely on my footing. It felt like there was no pizzazz in my little old legs at all. That’s ok, I expected that, I was still doing my best on tired legs, so I was happy.

Lap 2, up the hill, through the woods, I must have taken my eye off the ball here because I tripped on one of those bright orange tree roots and went flying! I landed with an almighty thump, and down on top of me came the man that had been directly behind me! Ooops! We both leapt to our feet and simultaneously asked ‘are you ok’?!! No time to check for injuries, off I set again, trying to compensate for lost time. I had been chasing a club mate that I had managed to keep in my sights, but the trip put her well out of sight now. Oh well. Still, my race. I focussed more so now on the posture, all the things coach goes on about at training; I know I slump when I am tired, so I concentrated. Not far now. I reach the open grassy run up to the finish and PRAY that I have no one behind because the legs just WON’T sprint today I don’t think. Reports from the spectators were that there was no threat from behind – phew!! As I reached the tape for the finish, I see a flash of green (the dreaded local enemy WDAC!) in the corner of my eye! Its not far I think, small sprint... I made it! Then I looked and said ‘Oh, youre a man, for goodness sake, I needn’t have done that then!’ He smiled, I smiled, job done. Then I realised I had pulled out a 3.5 minute pb!!

So, I finished the run today knowing a few more things:

·        I am a better runner than I think

·        The training is going well

·        I CAN run well, even on tired legs

·        Ignore the data in future, because I can probably run faster than my head would have me believe!

·        This WAS a PB

·        This was a faster run than I thought possible!

Me happy, both coaches well happy, job done!!

Cross Country always hurts, I’ve decided!

This second race of the season was never going to be pretty! I was scheduled for a run metabolic assessment (Vo2Max) on the Saturday morning, the only time Coach could fit me in. Oh well, cross country is only a bit of fun, she says!

After a great result on the met assessment, I almost forgot I had a race on the Sunday! This one was notoriously tough, although my tiny mind had blocked out exactly how much so! Yes, I had done this course before, but it was 2 years ago, for goodness sake!!

Big fat pee queue stresses (500 odd women, 3 toilets, you do the maths!) meant that the Northants Tri cross country team floundered in the organisational and administrational area, while I was busy queuing, step in Mr Mel, who ventured out of the opposition camp to help out with admin (aaaaaw!) How kind, the least he could do, considering he was running for the opposition today! We had no spectators today, so a new challenge was launched – how do we collate results, and will all the runners manage to not lose their ticket number between the finish line and the school hall, ¼ mile away?!

The conditions were, well I’d like to say perfect, but a perfect cross country would be raining wouldn’t it? It was wet underfoot, but dry. It was such a dash to get to the start that I was barely stood there a moment when the race was started!! Oh gosh!! So I spent the first mile floundering, and trying to find my rhythm. I had done almost a mile before I managed to get the focus under control. I stopped focussing on Alex my mate, Vicky (who I have never raced so I had no idea what to expect) and many others, and began to concentrate on how I was feeling! Sorry Kim, (www.kimingleby.com) but I got there eventually!! I was just starting to enjoy it, misty morning, muddy route, nice claggy wet paths, people dancing round the puddles, when the first hill was in front of me, it was like a man made mound – straight up, straight down, I remember now... heartbreak hill! I adopted the slow but sure snail approach and plodded up the hill, I was not giving in, shorten the steps, stand tall, drive from the hip... bla bla bla (coach orders ringing in my ears!) when at the top of the hill the woman in front of me threw open her arms and shouted  I and the guy beside me looked at each other with the knowing ‘FFS I’m dying here do you mind!?’ look and glanced up briefly before firmly concentrating once more on which rut the next footstep would land in!

‘look at the vieeeeeeeeeeeeeew!!!’

I plodded on for a while more, the next stretch very memorable... this is the spot last time I did this course where I suddenly realised that putting elastic lock laces in the cross country shoes was a BIG BIG mistake!! Yup, shoes stuck in mud scenario! Glad I learned from that one, because today was just the same! Nothing much happened for a while, at one stage I felt like I was the only one out there, still silent morning, I could almost say it was nice! (if it wasn’t a race, and I didn’t have VO2max legs!) Up through the woods, steady does it, a few more caught on the hill... when the proper hill arrived – almost a clamber!! I was passed at the foot of it by an Ampthill runner... who then started walking just ahead. I shouted to her ‘I’m coming don’t let me catch you’ by way of encouragement... she replied ‘what? Are you a coach or something?!’ I said ‘no, should I be?’ she said 'yes!’ and started running again!!

Meanwhile a Dunstable girl that had been playing catch with me... running past me up the hills, I ran past her on the flats...started walking... so I got past her too. She then caught me up and struck up a conversation about triathlon! I began to think, I shouldn’t have time for this! Its a race!! I recognised the final hill, and the sneaky bit around the corner. I knew it was all downhill to the finish from here. My legs were shot though. But little did I know it was about to happen again. Around 20-30m from the finish I could see my husband, shouting encouragement and beaming at me, while others were informing me that there were three coming in hot from behind me. Now, usually I have some kind of sprint finish, but not today! There was just NOTHING left at all. Guess who It was who came past me in the last few meters? That blooming Laura from WDAC!! I was Laura’d again for the second time in a row!!

Well, at least I had a valid excuse this time!! However, I collected a ticket 14 places better than last time, and was 2 mins quicker than the last time I ran it, (granted, it was a while ago, but I don’t care!) so I cant complain! Imagine what would be possible with fresh legs...

The next one... will hurt just as bad... it’s the day after a bike VO2 max test! (I think coach is trying to kill me!)

1st Cross Country of 2010

For some reason, I seem to find it acceptable to take a casual stance to cross country. I enter the races knowing I will not do too well against ‘proper’ runners, (compared to triathlon that is!) yet I love them!! I take a lot of time organising for my club to be part of the Cross Country League. We only joined last year for the first time, and it went rather well, we finished further up the league than anyone expected (including us!)

So this year, the target was to beat the club directly above us (my old club WDAC as it happens!) and to exacerbate matters, hubby has decided to renew his membership with the opposition! Due to injury, he was unable to do the first one so agreed to come along and help with admin. He made it very clear it was a one off! WDAC instructed him to come over to the Northants Tri camp and kick me in the leg!! I was proud to see that the club members were keener this time round, discovering that cross country can actually be fun! We had a full team out (minimum requirements to not incur penalties is 7 men, 3 women). We actually managed to exceed that! Woohoo! My friend (and triathlon enemy – Alex) was there – back from a triathlon induced injury (she broke her wrist last year trying to bunny hop the kerb in order to beat me in a local triathlon!) I was readily accepting I would not be in our team’s top 3; therefore my race didn’t matter in terms of scores. The pressure was off; I could just focus on me.

I got the flyrocs out of the depths of the garage and chip the concreted mud off the soles with a screw driver and a wire brush! Ooops!! It was a bitterly cold day. The new leaner me doesn’t cope with this well, not helped by a race start delay! I opted for the trusty skins top – flipping freezing at first – but like a thermal blanket once I get off and running! The course was actually a little softer than the concrete I remember from last year, but still very hard!! It started off with a brutally sharp downhill, a bit of flat, then the hills started! I had a myriad of advice flowing through my little brain – Kim Ingleby telling me to focus on my own race, just do the best I can, think forward, ignore the other people... then my run coach telling me to run tall, push the hips forward, use the WHOLE stride... blablablablabla! I really thought hard, so much so I didn’t have time to notice the other people - apart from the guy who was behind me for Aaaaaages grunting and panting in a specific rhythm! I kept thinking just pass will you... nothing... and the amazing thing happened – his grunting got fainter!! I must be doing ok I thought!!

At the top of the last hill, I had to look for a moment – there was a huge crowd of people staring – cameras, TV cameras, the works... across the empty field... ? hmmmm? Sorry – no time for that – I have a race to finish!!

I was downing the last hill, I knew the finish was soon. I felt ok, had deliberately NOT looked at the watch (sometimes, I think its the undoing of me!) I thought I had bags of time, I couldn’t hear anyone behind.. when the crowds indicated someone was coming in hot!! Oh sh1T!! So I set off for the sprint. The finish was within grasp. Over my shoulder I saw it was a WDAC vest – noooooooooo! I pulled out all the stops... she sprinted past... and past... and past!!! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!! Nothing left in the legs! I was beat – my first sprint loss – and to a WDAC!!!! Grrrrrrrrrrr!!! No matter, I was faster overall, and could still walk afterwards! Last year – I collapsed onto the grass and couldn’t get up for ages for the asthmatic gasping!! So, yes, it was a good race, I did the best I could, and that’s all I can ask of my legs (which as it happens went faster than last year, so that’s a bonus!)

As for Alex, isn’t it interesting. EVERY running race I have ever done with her, she’s beaten me by minutes. Every triathlon we have ever raced together, I have beaten her by minutes! Interesting eh?

Roll on the next one! (I will try and clean the shoes before then!)

ITU World Championships – Race Report

A wet wet wet wet day! I saw a woman called Kim the evening before, she went through mental preparation techniques with me. I tried in a short 1 hour session to learn as much as I can about correct mental preparation. I couldn’t even tell you what she did to be honest, but I woke up on race day feeling ok, calm, and ready to race. The plan was to focus on my own race, although I wasn’t sure how well I could do this, because I normally spend most of my time worrying about where everyone else is!

Barton Marina Sprint Triathlon

It seems ages since I last raced, and a funny thought that the last one was in fact the European Championships in Athlone! This really was only a race pace training session for me, but as always, i want to do well, even if that is not supposed to be the focus! I have never been to Barton-Under-Needword before, or even done 'chaserace' race before so i had no idea what to expect. I was so laid back on the days running up to this race, I kept thinking there was something wrong here! The night before, I had all my stuff laid out in a matter of minutes (with the help of my 'race equipment list' on the computer!) and route planned - it seemed i had to get up at 4.45am! eeek! So, race morning, up at dawn! Hubby says i always get to races FAR too early, so this time we planned to 'time it just right' and get there at 6.45am, for an 8am start. Clear roads got us there at the predicted time, Barton Marina being very easy to find thanks to my trust TOMTOM IPhone app! There only seemed to be a handful of people here. This race was going to be MUCH smaller than i was used to. It will make a nice change. :) I had a quick look about, checked the bike into transition, sussed the layout, and was JUST in time for race briefing. this 'time it right' malarkey seemed all a but last minute' to me! No time to recce the bike route, so that will be a nice surprise in store! First time i have done a race without driving the route first! Oh well. There were only 2 waves, newbies in the 1st, then everyone else. this was a bit odd, i wasnt used to racing in the same wave as the men! i am used to womens waves, and know where i will usually expect to be position wise in the swim - back of the front pack. So this time, i had no idea how i was doing! I felt like i was MILES back, and hoped all the people in front were men!! Funny little lake, floaty gloopy algae type stuff, but was ok once we got away from the shore. nice little swim under a bridge and back, then out to T1. At one point before hand, we were wondering if we had to get out and dive in on the other side like the pro's. Phew!! Reasonably smooth through T1, clocking a time of 58 secs, a PB there for me I think, and the first one under a minute. The bike course had a few cheeky surprises in store for me. Having not driven round it, I had no idea what was round the next corner! There were a few steep decents with chevroned corners, turned out to be not that sharp, so had I know i would have stayed down on the tribars for sure. What goes down must go up, but being from the 'rolling hills' of Northamptonshire, nothing that i hadnt seen before. :) Apart from a hairy scary moment on my return (where a newbie triathlete in front decided to overtake as well as undertake a car in Barton - Kamikaze i recon!) it all went pretty smoothly. Hubby, marshalling on the last roundabout almost didnt recognise me with my new pointy helmet but managed to get this picture as i passed him! i'm not sure how much different an aero helmet makes TBH, all I can say is the bike leg turned out ot be an OKish speed, but felt easy, whether theres something in that who knows. perhaps it means i can push just that fraction more? Through T1, (it seemed to take for ever but it was only 41 secs) and runing. I had a real dilemma over shoes for this race. Having only worn the orthotics once, and still nursing the blisters, i wasnt sure if my feet were ready to race in them bare foot. I also have been nursing an injury, so wasnt sure whether to risk racing flats. Oh, what the heck. it dont matter does it, its a 'race pace training session' remember, so racing flats it was. I took the run steady, didnt know how the foot would perform. It niggles now from time to time, but on the whole was ok, and i can still walk afterwards,  which is better than after Athlone, where i could hardly walk a step! So, test race out of the way, foot held up, that means i had better NOT chicken out of the run coach training session this week i guess? Overall, 2nd in Age group, 8th woman overall. About what i had predicted. Lovely little race, well run, nice setting, great weather, and I would recommend it. I'm not sure why it struggles for competitors, it would be a great race for a newbie open water triathlete to do. A fun sunday out was had by all. :)