The seasons final race- Virgin London

Well, that's it the season is done, at least for me it is, so time to put the wetsuit away for 6 months....

Saturday saw me race in the Youth Sprint at the Virgin London Triathlon weekend and having finished 3rd last year another podium position was the aim although I knew from this seasons races around the country that there was 5 or 6 competitors at least that could podium, so it was no forgone conclusion and having spent the season battling with my exercise induced Asthma I had my work cut out.

As has been typical for the year the swim went well and along with an unknown Irish lad led out of the swim on to the bike, but once again I found the bike leg a struggle and with the asthma kicking in I quickly fell away to 8th. My breathing steadied as the run progressed and over the 2nd half of it along with being able to find a sprint finish I managed to claw back 2 places to finish 6th. Disappointing if not a total surprise given my EIA that I am struggling to control right now, especially as if I could have posted the same time as I did last year it would have seen me win it this time round. Hey Ho!

This though this was not my biggest disappointment of the year, that was a couple of weeks ago at the IRC's as having proudly represented the Eastern Region every year open to me over the last 6 years I was keen to finish on a high note both for myself but also the team as it was the last year that I could be selected, sadly the worst EIA attack of the year paralysed me on the bike leg after yet again leading out of the swim and pushed way down the field, once again I managed to rally a little on the run but I was way back at the finish and out of the top ten for the first time in 6 years. I really wanted the ground to open up and swallow me at that point it was my lowest point of the year..

The year has not all been lows though; In the National Series I have finished a couple of places higher in 5th, thanks in main to my 3rd place at the National Aquathlon Champs, a 4th at Eton and 5th at the MK Aquathlon and last weekend I gained a qualification place in the u20 age group for the European Sprint AGe Group Champs in Turkey. There I will be joined, if we can all make it, by fellow junior HPU team members, Adam Edwards, Connor Delaney, Arran Rae and Molly Mckenzie and fellow Eastern Region team member Oliver Swallow.

So now I head off in to the winter training season...what joy, but with two clear goals, finding an answer to my EIA so that no longer interrupts my performances and a little more bike work to strengthen this leg of my race.

Happy training everyone.......

The day I raced with Tim Don.............

Last Thursday week I had the chance to race in the GE Canary Wharf Triathlon an Elite Series race alongside the likes of the ‘Don’ , Richard Stannard and a host of other top class professional triathletes from the UK, USA, Australia and South Africa. It was certainly a big jump up from what I am used to and so I was really nervous but I did know a few of the others racing such as fellow HPU club mate Alex Mcibben and Eastern Region academy colleagues Alice Sharpe and Georgia  Schwienieng along with fellow Swim club member James Davis, who was equally as nervous as I was, but had no need to be as it proved but having them around me helped to make me feel more at ease and helped to ensure I enjoyed such a great event.

Our heat was delayed following a bike accident in the girls race and that did not help the nerves, but the fight in the early stages of the swim quickly settled me down . James had a stormer and led us all round including the Elite guys and although I was just about middle of the pack andgot out on to the bike quickly I got isolated and with the race being cut short  due to the accident it turned out as just a pure super,super sprint event and the pace as people fought to make the final was too hot for me to go with. Of the two heats I was ranked 43^rd of 50 going in and finished 42^nd, which I am not unhappy with at all. This race was all about the experience for me as at 15 I was the youngest by at least a couple of years and it has certainlygiven me the appetite for more and I hope I can get a place next year in this particular race as the venue is superb with so many people watching from the offices and bars around the Wharf providing support the atmosphere was outstanding. Finally a big well done to both James and Alex who won through to compete in their respective finals.

Mixed Fortunes....and a lesson learned

Since my last post I have had 3 further races in this years National Youth Super Series, with mixed results in what has also been very mixed weather. First up was the National Aquathlon Championships in Tamworth on a wet and chilly Sunday morning. This must of spurred me on as I exited the water in 5th and following a transition that saw some struggle with the cold I quickly exited on to the run in 4th.I made steady progress to have the 3rd placed runner firmly in my sights with it being nip and tuck in the last half mile. I made my move some 300 yards to go and after just about safely negotiating the slippy 180 degree turn with 200 yards to go I had managed to secure 3rd place in this National Event.

Next up was the Nuffield Youth and Junior race the first Triathlon race of the year at Eton on what this time was a hot and sunny day and once again my strong swim saw me well positioned going out on to the bike. Whilst my run is improving I know that it is the element that I still need to work on for the future so the plan was to work hard on the bike and take it from the front, this of course is a bit of a risk and I found that nobody else wanted to do the work and whilst I was at the front of the pack at T2 and having a fast transition saw me first out onto the run my legs could not respond and were drained of energy which cost me in the first part of the run as a number of competitors past me. Fortunately for me a couple picked up time penalties which allowed me to finish a very creditable 4th but never the less disappointed.

The disappointment was to unfortunately continue at Blenheim which also doubled as the National Youth Triathlon Championships, on what was a dry but coll and blustery day. Once again I had a strong swim and led out of the water and spurred on by a large and enthusiastic crowd up the 400m climb into transition I was out on to the bike ahead of the field. After the 1st lap once again my legs were saying to me they were not having it and I struggled through the 2nd lap having watched the two leaders race away and by T2 having almost fallen off the back of the chase pack. This left me back in 11th spot but my legs responded and I manage to pick off 4 in front of me to finally finish 7th, disappointing as I had hoped to have been close to a podium position.

So this section of the season started really well but it has become clear that I have failed to do enough quality work on the bike which has left my legs stressed out by the time we come to the run, so before my next major race which is in July I will have to step up the bike work. I will let you know how it goes.....

The Seasons back... and its my least favourite event to boot.....

 Its good to be back competing but also good to get this first race out of the way as two lots of running is not my favourite. This weekend just gone was the National Elite Duathlon Championships and once again held at Prestwold Hall near Loughborough. Although chilly, it was a nice sunny day and good for racing on which is a quick circuit and this years race field was almost twice the size of last years and it included quite a few new faces so I knew there was a challenge on  my hands.
The first  run started out at a quick pace and there seemed to be more of a challenge for the eventual winner than last year as 10 runners went under 8 mins (only 3 did last year) for the first 2.5km and the first transition saw a lead pack of 6 go off on the bike leg. At this point and despite chipping over 30 seconds off the run I found myself off the initial pace and behind the 3 lead packs, after catching the first of these I worked with them until we caught the 2nd group, and although this group was a little disjointed we did close a little on the leading pack, although no where near enough to have an impact on the final run leg and overall results.
Another small improvement on the final run brought me up from around 20th at T1 to 11th at the finish, an improvement of 5 places on last year and 2.5 minutes quicker as well. So overall I am happy with the days racing as it sets me up well for the triathlon races ahead. Mind you if I am to achieve what I hope to achieve in this years Super Series there are a few new lads on the scene that are not going to make it easy, so I am going to have to work hard and prepare well if I am to improve my overall series standing.