Bristol Harbourside Triathlon

Today was a race on the doorstep, just a few miles down the road with a very late start! Made a nice change from travelling and getting up at some ungodly hour to register and race. 2012 is the second year the Bristol Harbourside has run. This year the race doubled up as an age group World Championship qualifier (standard distance) for Auckland 2012, so the size and level of competition was automatically higher, with athletes travelling from much further afar.

Around the final buoy to leave the water in 2nd closely followed by 3rd!  

The race offered sprint and standard distance. I was trying to defend my sprint title from 2011. It was only a training race for me, after a hards week training with approximately six hours in the pool alone. Straight into it post race too! With an 18 hour training week plan by coach. Dad was doing his(first standard distance race, Mum was doing the sprint, and Matt had come along to try and grab a win in the standard distance race. The swim took place in the harbourside, before a flat and fast bike course along the Portway, then moving onto a rather muddy out and back run along the Towpath, the other side of the river, under the suspension bridge.

Rather timidly taking a corner descent rather cautiously...these wheels were insane!  

I'm happy to say I managed to defend my title, winning the women's sprint overall as well as taking first place in my age category (20-24). I exited the water in second, caught the lady in front at the end of the first lap (two lap bike course) on the bike and maintained my lead for the rest of the bike and through the run, coming in in 1.10.30. I was particularly happy to clock in the fastest bike split in my age group, which was a nice surprise! This may have been partially (largely!) due to the fantastic bike I was loaned by the fantastic team once again at The Triathlon Shop, Bristol. I rode a Scott CR1 with some rather fancy deep sectioned FFWD wheels.

Final 1km of the run leg

Dad had a great race, his target was a sub 3 hour, and he came in in 2.56.23. Matt clocked in a time of 2.03.59 which gave in the win in his age category (20-24) and 2nd place overall in the race. Sadly it wasn't mums day, she pulled out during the swim but was quite happy watching the rest of the races and cheering everyone on. The four of us (younger sister is living life up for six weeks in Sydney atm!) were happy to visit Cosmo's (all you can eat oriental buffet restaurant) for a late lunch, before wearily heading home. Though that be said, Matt and I headed to the local pool that evening to complete a 3km recovery swim. No rest for the wicked! #lifeonanathlete

Another fantastic team effort by Team Bath! Brian, Matt, myself and Jansen  

Bristol Harbourside is a great race, great location and an even better atmosphere. Put on my members of BADTRI Triathlon Club (Bristol and District Triathletes), it is hugely popular across Bristol especially, but also to other clubs and individuals from further afar. The race will again take place in 2013, keep an eye on the event website (Click here to visit website) for entry openings and more information and contact details about this growing race.

Next race for me is another local one though slightly smaller! Trowbridge Triathlon! This will be my 3rd time at this race, this Tri is also the first Tri I EVER did! Will let you know how it goes....! Please follow me on twitter @KatieJSynge to keep up to date with my news, training and hints of triathlon advice!

Congratulations GE Canary Wharf Dream Team!

Just a short and sweet blog to congratulate the GE Canary Wharf Dream Team. Canary Wharf is the third race of the GE British Superseries held in London. The Winning team consisted of two members of the Triathlon Shop. Chris Newman and John Wood, both whom race on the shops Felt Racing Team. John was representing the team in the 400m swim, then Chris took over for the 10km bike through the closed roads of London. They went on after the run to take team gold!

The Triathlon Shop caters for all three disciplines from the novice to elite. Situated in Temple Quay, Bristol (just behind Temple Meads Train Station), the small but keen work team consists of keen triathletes from all abilities and backgrounds to help customers find exactly what they need. Follow them on twitter @TheTriShop, click here to be directed to their website, or click here to visit the facebook page, to keep up to date with stock, racing, competitions, advice, general info about the shop and team, or just to explore more and make contact.

Congratulations!

Blenheim Elite Triathlon

Today was Blenheim Triathlon, a huge event in the UK, open to elite waves, juniors, the mass public and many age group athletes. For me personally, Blenheim was my first elite start ever! The 2012 season for me is my first full season in triathlon, the primary focus of which would be to gain race experience and work out training focus's for the winter season of 2012/13 ready for 2013. Therefore to be granted entry to any elite race was a surprise and a bonus for the season.

The Brownlee brothers were in the elite men's wave, which started 20minutes after the elite women, and no big surprise took joint 1st place. For Ali Brownlee it was his first race since an Achilles injury, but that didn't seem to stop him! Helen Jenkins (2011 world champ and favourite for London 2012) was not racing but started our race (didn't notice at the time was far to worried about the swim!), so was definitely a key race in the race calender for many.

Setting up in Transition pre race

A lovely shot by Dad of Transition situated in front of the Palace

The swim was a chilly one, water not much above 13 degrees. The 750m swim was followed by a 400m uphill run to transition which was situated outside Blenheim Palace. I had a terrible T1, which in hindsight ruined my race, first time in a new wetsuit, I stumbled with the zip and fastening which slowed me considerably up the hill to T1, which I had hoped would work to my advantage being a runner. The bike course was undulating, hard to make a break and kept you on your toes to stay in the pack up the hills, descents and round the corners. Race favourite Jodie Stimpson (Olympic 2012 hopeful) led off the bike in a pack of 4, I was in a pack of 6 athletes, 2 groups behind the lead bunch.

118, 118!

The 5km run was an undulating 2 laps around the palace grounds. Lovely views, though during the race there wasn't much time to take it all in! Down the finishing straight with TV Cameras, crowds and cameras, a very new experience!

Racing in this elite race was such a surprise and bonus for my season, despite a break through in the swim being less than 30 seconds behind the race leader, the rest of the race didn't go as planed with a slow T1 which resulted being in a slower bike group than would have liked, and sadly, was just not a good running day for me. But I learnt SO much, and am ready to take everything to my next race, which is the AG British Championships in two weeks time...see you then!

Leading my bike group!

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.