Hectic. The races are coming
thick and fast now and finding time to write about them all is getting harder.
So I shall do my best.
Flash back a few months to
May. BUCS sprint triathlon done and dusted. Exams done and dusted. University finished.
My next race, a European and
World Championship qualifier at Nottingham Triathlon. I love this race. A true sprint course. Fast, furious, and pan
flat.
Nottingham Triathlon
 |
| The Calm Before the Storm |
I had been ticking over with
exams and coursework and hoping the training I had put in was going to stand me
in good stead. As always I travelled down the night before, registered and
checked out the course. A familiar place. The wind was up. Something to watch
out for in the morning.
Race day. A ridiculously
early race start; as most races are. First wave off. Having racked and prepped transition it was
time to suit up to race. I wasn’t sure how I would go but felt in decent
spirits. It was early season. So there wasn’t really any form to talk about it
was just head down and go.
 |
| Race Day - Holme Pierrepont, Nottingham |
The swim, as usual was mediocre, maybe slightly
quicker than normal. In and out of transition; straight onto my bike; time to
find a rhythm. I felt good. I knew I had some chasing to do, and quickly set
about it. It was a sprint, so no holding back. I slowly moved through the field
but as ever at Nottingham you get the groups of riders drafting each other.
Yeah the ones who adamantly deny it; sitting wheel to wheel; making excuses;
you know the ones, but hey that’s another story.
Toward the end of the good
bike leg, I was still feeling good. I approached T2 (Second Transition – Bike
to Run) to see some familiar faces leaving. I knew I was where I wanted to be.
I racked up, got my racers on and set about chasing. I settled into an early
rhythm but knew that the first 1km or so was the hardest part of the run.
Technical. Up and down; twisting and turning over gravel paths. Coming down
onto lakeside I was running with another similarly paced runner. This was good
news. Working together, albeit not intentionally, we moved through the field.
Toward the turn point,
exactly half way, it was apparent the wind would be directly in my face on the
way back. The pace definitely increased on the way back. I knew there was
another technical of road section approaching with approximately 1km to go. I
knew if I could slowly increase from there I would be in with a shot of a good
overall placing. The last 1km was the hardest. Headwind, straight line kind of
running. Unrelenting. Potentially soul destroying.
 |
Last 1km- Pain Town
|
I tried to find that little
extra and approaching the finish funnel I could see that I was hitting sub 59
minutes. Something I hadn’t done before. Over a minute quicker than the previous year. I was ecstatic.
All done. I had finished top
10 for the first time at this race and a podium in my age group (3rd
in 20-24). I was over the moon. Automatic qualification for 2014 World
Championships in Chicago and 2015 European Championships in Lisbon. Sorted.
A great result, but with
important races approaching, there was no time to relax. The next weekend it
was a local race. Time to train through. With only four weeks until the Island
Games in Jersey, tapering for the Northumberland Triathlon wasn’t feasible.
Another training race. A chance to cover the distance and go through the
motions. I was tired.
Northumberland Triathlon
Another early start. At least
there wasn’t much travel to this one; approximately 20 miles north of Newcastle.
Another familiar location, which was nice.
A two-lap swim wasn’t my
favourite, but it was the same for everyone. With a high wind, the water on the
lake became choppy. I was aiming to try
and swim strong. Something I hadn’t been able to do often before. Unfortunately my swim was again only average.
I lost almost three minutes on the fast guys. Onto the bike and time to try and
reel in some of these boys.
I felt ok on the bike, not as strong as the week
before, but I put it down to the strong winds and false flats on route. The
route completed two laps of an out and back course, meaning you could see
others on the course, frequently. Not that it made a difference. It was
considerably easier cycling one direction than the other. Wind assisted of
course.
After an hour on the bike, I
felt I had paced well and hoped I’d managed to hold or gain on the competitors
in front. Off the bike, into transition and trainers on. Running out of
transition felt slightly sluggish, but it was bound too. Something I had to try
and shake off. The final leg, the run, was four laps of almost 2.7km. A slightly long run. Something
I would usually be happy with.
 |
| Game Face |
Having no idea who or how many were in front, I
decided to run slightly harder in the front half of the run. A decision I hoped
I wouldn’t regret. Before the third lap I had moved up into second and was told
that I head a healthy lead and first was unattainable.
Feeling the effects of
the weekend before and the hard training week, it was time to consolidate.
Which I did. Coming in in second place. Extremely happy. That hurt. A lot.
Even better, I got to share
the podium with one of my closest friends, Andy. Shame
about another, Mick, who punctured early on on the bike.
 |
| Myself and Andy - 2nd and 3rd |
All good preparation. A fun day
out.
All eyes now fixed on the
Island Games at the end of June.
As always a huge thank you for your continued support. It really does help. Feedback would be fantastic, get in touch. Anything I can change or do, anything you’d like to see, just let me know.
NEXT: Island Games Race Review
Cheers,
Sam
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