So we have a lot to catch up on.
Sorry it has been such a long time, but with the season in
full swing, with races most weekends, I haven’t had a chance to breathe.
Nonetheless I’m here now. I hope you didn’t miss me too
much.
EUROPEAN TRIATHLON CHAMPIONSHIPS
Right. Let’s just dive straight in.
Ok, so somethings don’t go to plan. Spending all winter and
the build up to the season going through the same motions; trying to keep
everything as stable, predictable and consistent as possible. Sometimes,
something just has to give.
After a long week at the Island Games in
Jersey it was time to fly back to Newcastle, a quick turn around and straight
back out again within 48 hours. This time, a direct flight to the beautiful
country of Switzerland. Geneva to be exact.
I hadn’t been to Switzerland for a while and was really
looking forward to visiting a place I hadn’t been since I was a youngster. A
country close to my family.
 |
| Sharing a Hotel with the World Triathlon Champion |
My preparation wasn’t the best. With Geneva experiencing a
heat wave and the hotel lacking in air conditioning it made for an
uncomfortable first night’s sleep (it didn’t get much easier throughout the
week either). After sorting my bike, and finding my bearings, it was time to
explore. A quick recce of the bike and run course it was all a little less
daunting.
Three days in the heat passed, and then potentially the most
fundamental reason I didn’t perform as well as I’d hoped… I had to fly back to
Newcastle for Graduation. Something I’d definitely do again if I had too. I
couldn’t let my parents down (not that I would have). It was a chance to escape
the heat but was also two very cramped flights. Geneva > Heathrow, Heathrow
> Newcastle. Graduate the next day and then repeat the process; in reverse.
That’s an awful lot of sitting down, cramped and unable to
move my legs more than six inches to the man reclining in the chair in front.
Having arrived back in Geneva, it was the day before the
race. A chance to sort any last minute issues before having to drop my bike in
transition on the eve of the race. A quick ride out, and it was time to rack.
With that out of the way, the next aim was to relax as much as possible. Never
easy. A nice evening with friends and family helped; food on board; time for my
head to hit the pillow.
The swim! This was never going to be my strong point. There were
vicious rumours flying around that the swim was closer to 2km. This is
something I have a big gripe about. If it’s true and it was over distance,
which a lot of times suggest, then why are we expected to pay such large entry
fees? Never mind, that is irrelevant. No triathlon course is ever the right
distance. It’s the same for everyone and all those clichés.
My swim was poor, I found it hard work in the lake and felt
as though I was swimming against a constant downstream. One saving grace, I was swimming in my Zone3 Vanquish wetsuit. After a slow swim, I
managed to transition on to my bike without any hitches and in reasonable time
to. The downside was, I was playing catch-up. This wasn’t something too
unfamiliar but the difference in my slower swim compared to my competitors
meant that the gap was a lot bigger than normal. This gap wasn’t visible, I
found it tough on the bike course to settle in but got to work trying to close
down as much time as possible.
I settled in and picked off a few competitors. Towards the
end of the bike leg, fatigue started to creep in slightly. I think this was due
to me incorrectly feeling the need to work hard early on the bike; highlighting
the importance of finding a rhythm to work too.
Onto the run and I felt ok, nothing unusual, just a little
leg heavy. Understandably so after racing 40km on the bike previously. I eased
in and again tried to find a pace to work to. I ran well and finished strong.
In hindsight I probably didn’t get into my highest gear, but on the day I gave
everything I had.
Finished. 21st at the European Championships
(20-24).
I’ll take that, not my best result but considering what I
went through the previous 48 hours I was happy. On reflection, I didn’t have my
greatest race. I’ll be the first to admit it. Nevertheless, I had a great time
and loved the experience.
As ever, a massive thank you for your continued help and support. It really does help and it is all appreciated. Any feedback you might have would be fantastic, please do get in touch. Anything I can change or do, anything you’d like to see, just let me know.
NEXT: British Triathlon Championships - Liverpool
Cheers,
Sam
To keep up to date, follow me here:
Twitter - @samnbrand
Instagram - samuelnealbrand
