British AG Championships

Today was the British Age Group Championships in Shropshire, standard distance (1500m swim, 40km bike, 10km run). Last year I was the U20 British Champ in Sprint Distance, though today I travelled to see how I would fair an age category up (20-24), in standard distance.

The swim part of Triathlon has proved a struggle over the last year I have been doing Tri. It was the weakest discipline for me in Modern Pentathlon, but has slowly been progzessing and coming together. Blenheim was a breakthrough, swimming 9 36 for 750m, so today my aim was a sub 21 for 1500m. The water was cold, 14 degrees, all the women were wishing for a quick start before we lost all feeling in our hands and toes. I exited the water in 3rd position, with a split of 20.14 which I was delighted with. T1 led us out onto a rolling 40km one lap bike course. As an age group race, it was non drafting, so the work is all individual (and much harder!). 40km seemed to go on forever! After competing in only sprint distance all year it did drag!!!

The weather was dry and mild, then about 10km into the bike it poured. Heavy rain for short but aggressive stages, requiring increased concentration around the traffic, descents and cornering. A few women overtook me on lavish TT bikes, which is always a given, but me and bike Billie kept pumping away, determined to enter T2 with a good time, and not far off the leaders. When we entered T2, the ground was churned and muddy, as we slipped our muddy wet feet into our run shoes sock-less (every second counts!), the gruelling hilly 10km run began.

On the podium, wearing kit kindly provided by www.thetriathlonshop.co.uk

All in all it was a well organised race, though the courses were not very spectator friendly, most of it being in the rural countryside, without spectator support, good practice I suppose though felt like a bl**dy hard training session rather than a race!!!

Couple of weeks off now, before Bristol Harbourside triathlon on July the 15th where I will be attempting to defend last year's title! However the race this year(is a World Championship qualifier for age group athletes, so the competition will be significantly tougher!

BUCS Olympic Triathlon

Today was BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sport) standard distance triathlon in Nottingham. The Bath Uni team of 10 athletes and 1 supporter headed up to a hotel in Loughborough the night before where we stayed the night and had a club meal out.

Andy, Alex, Jansen, Boydy, Toby, Matt, Matt, Rob, Michela & me after a hard & hot day of racing 

Race day was swelteringly hot. Probably well over 27degrees Celsius, the course was based around the county's purpose built rowing lake where there was no shade. The elite women were off at 9am, supersprint athletes at 12 and elite men at 2pm. In hindsight I was quite lucky setting off earlier in the morning, though I still finished with some superb triathlon suit tan (burn) lines.

Elite women entering the water to start the 1500m swim

The wetsuit swim was two laps of a 750m course, with a short run in between before we jumped in to start our second lap. I exited the water in 8th place and then transition led us out onto an 8lap 40km bike course. In total there were 28 elite women racing, so the course (each lap is 5km) was not too crowded. The bike leg for me was even more exciting, as The Triathlon Shop had very kindly lent me a carbon fibre Scott bike to race for the day, which was a great opportunity and a great support. As a consequence, I biked a non-draft 1hr12 for the 40km bike leg, which considering this was a training race and I had clocked up 300km of bike training that week, I was delighted with!

A hot 40km bike ride
(here is the lovely SCOTT bike loaned from THE TRIATHLON SHOP)

I wasn't the only one who suffered on the bike with hydration. Many athletes only had one bottle cage on their bike and there were no water stops allowed on the bike leg, nor were athletes allowed friends/spectators to pass them water as this would qualify as "outside assistance" which would result in DQ. This rule is understandable under many circumstances, but in these conditions, with the heat and athletes dropping out, it may have been a rule worth tweaking or reconsidering for an amateur race.

The run was no less warm, a 10km run which was two 5km laps of the lake, following the path of the bike course. 2 water stations on each lap, which was a godsend! I came of the bike in 6th place and ran down 3minutes to finish the race in 3rd place :) Strict orders from coach to take the run easy-ish, as Blenheim elite triathlon in two weeks in the main focus, and running hard would only delay recovery and training for that race. Therefore the run was taken as a tempo rather than at race pace, I was delighted therefore to put in the  fastest run split of the race.

The Bath team put in a sterling effort, many top ten finishers, pb's broken and new race distances covered. It was a really hot day for everyone, unusual conditions for Britain with only the day before the news revealing it was hotter than Lanzarote or certain areas of France! Well done Bath!

1st Loughborough, 2nd Birmingham, 3rd Bath

Bristol 10km

This Sunday was the Bristol 10km, where almost 15,000 runners gathered by @Bristol for the start at 9.30am. Perfect race conditions, dry with a cool wind. The course snaked out of the city centre along the Portway and back into the centre to finish by the Harbourside.

Bristol 10km for our family has always been a bit of a family affair, with Dad and I having run the race together (competitively!) in 2009, 10, 11 and 2012!  Below are a couple of photos for 2009 and 2010, a lack of photos for the last two years! Dad has been concentrating on his marathons for the last few years, having done 16 now in total and aims to do 20 (his next one is in Berlin!) before he settles into the shorter distances, 10km is considerably shorter for him! He clocked in 42.30 for the 10km, Matt who ran too, all be it slightly under the weather ran a great 37.27 and I finished in 38.07 (Garmin). Mum supported very well, rushing around the course to see as many of the three of us as she could in the space of 40minutes!

Dad and I Bristol 10km 2010

Dad and I at Bristol 10km 2009

BUCS Sprint Championships or 'Cake Day'

Sunday 6th May, off to Calne in Wiltshire (all be it just down the road for the team of 20 Bath Triathletes!) for the annual BUCS Sprint race. Huge entry list this year of over 400 athletes from Universities up and down the country. Great atmosphere and the sunshine peaked out from the 2 weeks of rain especially for us.

St Mary's school hosts the event, the 25m indoor pool for a 30 length swim to make 750m, a one lap bike course of undulating 25km and a out and back 5km to finish. All in all a great little venue with everything on hand.

My own performance wasn't quite as good as had hoped (or planned!) but a cold hit me a few days before the event which as much as I tryed to ignore, annoying affected my performance like it would any other athlete. Though had a great swim swimming a new personal best for 750m, 10minutes30seconds, and finished 4th female in the run which I was delighted with. The bike course was hard, much power and strength required, and just wasn't really my day to shine. 

Nice fields of cows and horses to pass the time though ;) 

I came in to the finish line after a tough but what felt like a smashing run, to the whole team who had finished their heats earlier in the day, and some lovely birthday (29th April for those who forgot ;) ) cupcakes, make by the team.

More importantly the Bath Team put in a fantastic effort, with our top spot of the day going to Doug Hall who finished 3rd in the mens race. Everyone else thoroughly enjoyed the day, with PBs being smashed, fast bike splits and every last ounce of energy used on the run. Great work team!

Maybe the highlight of the day (look away coach) was the evening social meal, in the infamous 'Jimmy Spices', an all you can eat restaurant, notorious amongst hungry students, triathletes in particular. It was also a week after my birthday and I had a few surprises yet to come! After over 6 courses (the plates are small), I was sung 'Happy Birthday' and presented with a rather large, chocolate fudge cake. 

WINDSOR TRIATHLON

First race of 2012 let's gooooo!!!

6 months of adrenalin, training and excitement stored up, this was going to be a good one whatever the end result!

The Bath Uni Tri Squad of 16 athletes travelled to Dorney Lake (Olympic 2012 rowing venue) the night before the race. We were put up for the night by a travel lodge, and did Pizza Hut great business the night before.

There had been emails going back and forth all week between organisers and athletes as to whether the race would be a triathlon (which was what it was meant to be) or a duathlon, due to the water temperature of the lake being so cold. For a BTF race to go ahead the water has to be a minimum of 11degrees Celsius. The day before the race the water had dropped below this, which forced the organisers to question the triathlon going ahead. However we hit lucky (some may call it mad), and the water temperature was 11 degrees on race morning. This was to the delight of the swimmers (and proper triathletes may I add!) of the club, while the duathletes looked most disgruntled.

Into the wetsuits for the 400m swim and off we went, well, we tried. It was crazy, your breathing went, your head spun, body went numb and vision became blurred. The effect the icy water had on the body and mind was quite frightening. I realised the extent of the effect it had had when I a) tried to exit the water and fell over and b) couldn't for the life of me remember where I had racked by bike then c) fell over putting on my left shoe in T1.

Not my most poised and graceful moment to date. 

But onwards and upwards eh?! At least I had a long list of 'areas of improvement' for Coach. 

The 20km bike was great, nice and flat just how we like it though a little more wind than ideal, then out onto an out and back 5km run. 

Sweets and more sweets at the end for all competitors (first sign of an excellently organised race) while the team stood and cheered on the rest of the athletes. Everyone looked slightly disorientated from the swim still, most of us with numb toes and pins and needles throughout our bodies. But at least we all knew it could only get better and warmer through 2012!

Here's a lovely team snap :)

Great venue! Can see why its a popular one for beginners and pro's alike! Recommended! Despite spending alot of time on the floor, I managed to grab a victory which was a great start to the season. Boyfriend Matt Everest also won the men's race, while fellow team mate Rob Abraham got pipped by just 30seconds and took 2nd. Good Job Team!

ATHLETE DOWNER

May 2011, and a secured spot for the 2012 European Championships in Israel. Through the winter I struggled with a shoulder injury, which required steroid injections, physio and reduced training in the pool, it wasn't the best race prep for a European Championships.

After applying for funding from Bath University, I was granted with a very generous contribution to flights and accommodation. But the doubts were with the injury, and whether making the 7 hour flight to Israel, would be worth it to have a race where I wasn't at my best. The decision was to withdraw. Today the rest of the team flies out, to compete this weekend in the race. 

Its one of the 'not so great' things that accompanies being an athlete, very frustrating and upsetting especially when a big race in the pipeline has to be missed. But hopefully taking the time to properly recover and fix my shoulder will pay off later in the season.

Instead, this weekend I will be travelling to Windsor, Dorney Lake with the Bath Uni Tri Squad for the first Triathlon of the season, it won't be 34 degree Israel, but hopefully it will be a great race and start the 2012 season on the right foot.

TRI TRAINING IN THE LAKE DISTRICT

A refreshing week in the Lake District with family and boyfriend, bikes, wetsuit and trainers.

We stayed in a rural cottage, the Coniston Coppermines. Gorgeous setting with the most amazing views over the mountains and down to the village and Coniston Lake. The cottage was set back from the village, a mile up a gravel track which didn't fair so well for the road bikes, but so lovely to be in such a peaceful location.

Day one, 7am and a brisk fell run to explore the mountains behind the house. Dodging parts of the old coppermine, sheep, and their newly born lambs, then run took us up above the house and over the first peak to give us a clear morning view of Coniston Lake.

The cycling in the Lakes was second to none (apart from the driveway to the house). The roads were smooth and clear, the drivers were patient and considerate - very different to the hustling cities of Bristol and Bath where the majority of cycle training takes place throughout the year. 

For me the Lake District is a second home, from the age of 10 or so, my parents owned a lovely country cottage in Great Langdale, home of the notorious Langdale Pikes. We had the house there for just over six years and holidayed there most weekends and school breaks, the rest of the time it was privately let. The Lakes is just a huge playground there to be explored. And doing so by bike, was fantastic.

We cycled through all the local parts, Ambleside, Coniston, Windermere, Grasmere, Kendal, Hawshead, and it brought back many memories to see all the old sights and areas in which my sister and I had grown up in.

The westuits had been gathering dust in the suitcases for the first part of the holiday, so on a chilly Tuesday morning we decided to give swimming in Lake Coniston a go. 6 degrees and three swimming hats. The water was not welcoming, the worst part was  not cold hands or feet, but a cold face. Putting your face in the water was surreal, and rising to the surface after you would feel most disorientated and dizzy. The water was cloudy and of a pale green colour, just clear enough to see my hands as I pulled the water back with each stroke and to see the bubbles of my fellow swimmer.

The rest of the day that we braved Lake Coniston, it snowed. 8hours of blizzard and wind. We couldn't have picked a better day for it ;)

The time we weren't training or submerged in icey cold lakes, we engaged in as many activities as timely possible in the local area. Mountain biking in Grizedale Forest (a must for anyone!), munching on fudge and sipping Victorian Lemonade in Lakeside café's, eating the world wide famous Grasmere gingerbread, climbing peaks, or sitting in front of the log fire in the cottage, baking marshmallows and chocolate.

For anyone who is looking for a week away from city life, with a bit of training thrown in, the Lake District is perfect. The cycling was second to none, the running fantastic, and the swimming - refreshing?