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.......
