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.