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.

Unfortunately I know how Usain Bolt felt after getting disqualified......

Well the IRC is not quite the World Champs and I was not expected or expecting to win, but this race has been my World Champs equivalent over the last few years and as it is also a team event that is highly enjoyable. I was feeling good and hoped to have a good race and be up there at the finish and with the extra points on offer from the IRC and depending on a couple of other results I could perhaps have pinched a place or two in the Super Series League table as well as help the team in the regional race, but disaster was to strike...

...The race started well after a 5 hour wait following racking and I got myself into a nice position in the swim and some relatively clean water, I emerged from the lake in 5th and following a good transition was out on the bike course alongside fellow HPU athlete Connor Delaney in the front. Whilst the lead bike pack was setting a good pace it was not an overly fast one with nobody willing to attempt to break and by the last lap we had been caught by the chase group who according to my dad had been well organised in the chase by team colleague Sean Watson. I was by now though feeling some chest pains and by the time I hit the run I was finding it hard to catch my breath as my asthma hit me. This was my Usain moment in as much his error saw him disqualified, my lack of preparation in not taking or having with me on the course my asthma medication  saw me sadly slip back on the run and my dream of finishing well in this race and higher in the Super Series final league table evaporated in front of me. I finally staggered in 12th and not even my sun tan could hide the pale complexion of my face at the end as I was completely drained

I was somewhat inconsolable for the rest of Sunday as not only did it impact my final league placing, finishing higher could have scored more points for the region and got us a higher finish given that the team results were so close in the end. Dad though was on the job quickly to try and perk me up and remind me that as a 1st year Youth athlete, 12th and 3rd firts year youth home was not at all bad and I would have the opportunity again next year to compete in this age group, plus finishing 7th overall in the series this year was a good performance, along with the fact that the Juniors had raced the same course Sunday my time would have seen me finish in the top half of that race and those guys are up to 4 years older than me, so overall if not happy with Sundays outcome I can be pleased with the season as a whole. Sunday will still hurt for a while and it reminds me of one my brothers goalkeeping coaches favourite sayings 'fail to prepare, then prepare to fail' so looking ahead I must remember to have my medication with me and use it and be properly prepared for every element of my race

So for the most part my season is now done, I will have a short rest before getting back in the water, on my bike and on the road again to be ready for next season and once Sunday is behind me I will be looking forward to the new competitive season.

 Before I sign off for a while a quick but big thank you to my coaches that help me greatly throughout the year - Dave, Tim, Gary and Bob Cheers Guys.

A good summer so far and now for the Climax.......

.....So this is it the season's climax this weekends IRC competition in Houghton-le-Spring up in the North East where the best of the Tri Stars and Youth competitors compete for their respective regions and themselves, so in a way it is like a National Championship and as it is part of the National Super Series as well it counts for points for that as well.

Preparation as it is for everyone is somewhat disjointed for everyone due to holidays and the unwinding from school. From a race perspective things could not have been much better for me as I competed in the London and at Hyde Park in the National Aquathlon championships.

The size of the field in the docklands was a little disappointing but there was still a good few of the leading Youth series leaders competing so it made for a good race. I was really pleased with the swim coming out just behind my fellow HPU colleague  Connor, unfortunately though for both of us our lead did not last long on the bike and the early break cost us dearly, that said I still finished the bike section in a good position in 4th, the transition to the run was good and this propelled me into 3rd, till the turn I could feel the company of another runner on my back at which point he made his move but I managed to maintain close enough contact to out sprint him and regain 3rd spot and a position on the podium at the finish, which was a bit of a thrill at such a big event, especially with the presentation and the alcohol free champagne we had to open and spray around, but I really must practice how to open a bottle of champagne as I was a little left behind......

We then moved on to Hyde Park the following weekend and the National aquathlon championships. I was looking forward to this as it was both on part of next years Olympic course and it was taking part amid the Dextro ITU world championship event and that extra buzz probably helped me put to the back of my mind that this was an aquathlon and not a Triathlon and not my favoured event.

Once again I had a decent swim but this time found myself not coming out in the front as the shorter race saw a couple of others put a little more effort in than they would in a tri and so I came out 4th, still not badly placed but with a run that felt like a sprint from the start I could not see myself catching those in front. I did however catch one of those early in the run but was myself quickly hauled in by Sean Watson a HPU compadre and a couple of other London region competitors, although I did not let the later two get two far away and I started my sprint just ahead of the turn onto the final straight which caught both by surprise and allowed me finish strongly in 4th, It was  a shame I could not join Sean on the podium but I was still very pleased with my result which leaves me feeling pretty good ahead of the IRC's this weekend.

HPU is well represented with Sean Watson, Connor Delaney,  Molly McKenzie and myself forming part of the Eastern Region team and Kate Curran representing South East, hopefully we can all have a strong finishing event for the season.

I really must Tri ( no pun intended) to do just the one event on a weekend

last weekend was another busy one with the TSE Upminster Youth event on Saturday which doubled as the Eastern Region Championship Race, then the more fun event of the Eastern Region Relays at Gosfield on the Sunday.

                                                                      
On Saturday the serious contenders were myself and my two IRC partners Connor Delaney and Sean Watson and it was certainly close in the swim with just the thickness of a wetsuit between us. With the 3 of us used to doing the major national events that now see us cycle on tarmac the 3 of us found the grass bike course hard going, but after following the slipstream of Connor on the first few laps the announcement of being warned for drafting spurred me on to attack on one of the up slopes and take the race on from the front and get myself a reasonable lead. The decision not to wear cleats on just a 7k ride also helped in ensuring my transitions were quick and this left me with me in a comfortable position on the run to lead Connor and Sean home in 2nd and 3rd to claim the Eastern Region Championship Race title.

Hopefully all 3 of us will have a good summer of training and rest so we can both collectively as the Eastern Region team and individually do well at the IRC in early September.

On to Sunday and the relays as the youngest team in the race we knew that the swim and run would favour us, but could we stay in contention on the bike leg? The fact that the Captains Table team from TSE brought in a ringer to contain our threat showed that although a fun event, there was a serious competitive element to the race as well, and I found that out early on in the swim. After Adam Edwards strong first leg had us in contention at the handover I rankled my fellow TSE teammate from the Captains Table team by diving ahead of him  over his shoulder on entry which saw 10 yards of elbows and legs flying( as an adult he should be ashamed of himself) as we jostled for position, but there was no way I was giving in and my youth won through. Leading us into first place, Jens also had a strong swim leaving us well positioned in first position out of the swim, but then came all the adult males on their expensive machines who somehow find enough time to do some serious training on their bikes and it did not take long before we were pegged back and overtaken by 3 groups who had 3 strong bike legs that pushed us back into 4th and even this position was under threat but some consistent runs from the 3 of us, saw us see of those behind and cut the deficit on 3rd place marginally but in any event 4th out of 90 teams was a good effort in what was an enjoyable event.

Now a little bit of a lull before the London and the Hyde Park Aquathlon

Not for wimps.....

Another busy weekend saw me take in the London Youth Games on Saturday finishing 2nd in the cycling time trial and a quick exit to hit the road for Wales and Porthcawl and the main event of the weekend, the next leg of the British Triathlon Junior and Youth Super Series.

This event doubled up as a selection race for the GB European Youth Relay team, so Juniors and Youth raced together along with a group from the Irish Academy it made for strong competitive race with 70 starters. Also the first time for me swimming competitively in the sea.

I exited the swim safely although in a big group the race to the bike leg was frenetic and with so many athletes jostling for position at the exit from transition the inevitable happened with a couple nasty accidents with a couple of people hospitalised - James Allan, all the best hope your injuries are not that serious and you are back competing shortly - Once the riders settled there were 3 leading groups and I was happy to be in the 3rd especially as there were so many junior competitors some 3 to 4 years older than me left behind me.

Having exited the bike leg safely I got out on to the run and whilst my run still needs some work it is steadily improving. I finished 23rd overall and 6th in my youth section, and taking out the Irish youth member that beat me it means I was 5th from a Super Series perspective which is showing great consistency across the series. Hopefully I can maintain this over the last 2 races this year.

Given the older more physical competitors along with the size of the field this was a demanding race and as I am one the youngest in the field I am pleased with the outcome in what was one of the most enjoyable races of the series thus far.

Finally congratulations to Miles Burton who is the same age as me and finished 2nd overall so gaining a place in the GB European Relay team, another excellent performance from Miles and something for me to aim for.

An unconventional way to taper........

..........and one I would not recommend. With Eton being a key race for a number of regions for IRC qualification my week did not see the best preparation as it was a mix of exams followed by a 3 day DofE hike getting home at 5 last night completely shattered. So my training had eased off but the idea I believe is to be rested and I was the complete opposite. Given all that has gone on in the last few weeks I have come to the conclusion that tapering along with a balanced training programme is nigh on impossible for students and those in full time work. So I am existing on my winter work and going from race to race.

So I arrived at Eton feeling very tired, wanting my bed and not expecting the greatest of races, but in the end I couldn't be happier finishing 5th in the youth wave and 2nd in my year group.

The swim went well exiting the water 3rd, T1 could not of gone better and myself and fellow Eastern Region partner Connor Delaney got out on the bike together along with the eventual winner Miles Burton. I remained with the lead bike pack for the first lap of 5km but at the start of the 2nd the lads from the Optima Club, where John the London region coach has got them working well, made a break and Connor and myself were detached.
I hit T2 in 5th and although I could not make up ground on the front 4, neither was I caught and I was generally happy with my run, especially in the heat and not being rested from my jaunt around the downs I fully expected to tail off badly in this race but managed to maintain my rhythem.

I am also now really learning and understanding that the work you do in the winter does pay dividends through the season. Last winter, the first injury free one for a while mind,  I did nowhere near enough bike work and I feel confident if I had I could be finishing a few places higher in races, so I know  what I have to do this coming winter.
Now its on to Wales next week for what is the Euro Qualifier for those a year and 2 years older and hopefully I can enjoy another good run out along the way. I am remaining consistent though with my poor pre-race preparation as I head off this evening for Portsmouth and a 2 day event with my Naval Cadet Section from School, so lets hope me thriving on race action only continues...