Time : 1:13
Swim (750m) : 11:45
Bike (25km) : 43:08
Run (5km) : 16:52
14th overall
3rd in Age group.
This past weekend was another trip down to England and another big race, European Qualifiers and another chance to race a big event. However the week did not go to plan at all. From the past weekend i had a scratch in my throat that at first i just ignored and kept doing my thing. However when Wednesday came around i woke up struggling to swallow, with a thumping head ache and disgustingly pouring in sweat. It was time to phone the parents and admit i was sick.
Fortunately with having parents as doctors i was quickly diagnosed as having tonsillitis but also have anti biotics in my hands by the evening. That is some service! However i was worried, i was struggling to eat, felt extremely tired and training was out of question.
The next couple of days i rested, slept a lot and even was sent home from work. I'm not great at resting, i get paranoid about training and generally worked up. I did some very easy sessions but not my usual race prep, however i had made the decision i would race no matter what. This was a shot at the Europeans, my parents were going to come and everything was paid for.
So on Saturday we set off in the car, by this point thanks to many painkillers and antibiotics i was feeling slightly better but still very tired. I just decided to go about everything as normal, turn up to the race venue, ride the course throw in some race efforts and then chill out. Having my parents was incredible i didn't have to drive, cook or worry about anything. A massive thank you to them!
Sunday morning and it was race day, up at 6:30 and i was feeling very nervous. I was worrying about my training and preparation although that was stupid, i knew i still had the fitness and if anything i was in a good rested state. Pulling on my GB age group suit for the first time felt amazing i felt a real sense of pride in myself and it made any pain in my throat disappear. It was time to race and time to show what i can do.
Swim.
The swim start was stupidly sudden. We had hardly all got into the water before the gun went off and we were away. This was a bit of a shock to the system, i think i was still waking up but i just dived in and threw myself into the first 100m. For the first time i didn't really get caught up in the swim, i had clear water a lot of space and just got on with it. Round the first buoy i knew i was in the front group and this made me feel more confident. The water was really warm so it was easy to swim in. A couple of times i tried to gauge where i was and i knew i was in a good position. I swam off course a couple of times but just remained calm and headed for shore. As soon as i came out the water i found myself in the leading bunch and hearing my parents shout my name was a real pleasure.
Bike
I knew from the day before i wanted to work hard on the bike. It was a very hilly course and i find myself quite a climber. I knew i could push hard and really cause some damage on the bike. Out onto the course i caught the lead swimmers on the first climb apart from one and then found myself sitting alone at the front of the race. This was a strange feeling, i had no idea at the time and was a little worried that no one was ahead and there was no motorbike around. After a while a couple of other guys got close on the bike and there was a lot of cat and mouse going on mainly being overtaken on downhills and then dropping them on the climbs. I then had no idea where i was or what the situation was as the bike is two loops of the higher course so there was loads of people on it. I just made sure i wasn't drafting and kept out of trouble. There were a few guys who's bike handling left a lot to be desired!
Run
Into T2 and i had a bit of a stupid moment, when dismounting my bike i wasn't really paying attention and i jumped off at around 25km/h. Landing on my ankle on concrete at this speed wasn't ideal but with the adrenaline and crowd i wasn't worried. Onto the run course and i went really hard for the first 1km. I knew i was up there when my bike was 5th into transition. I began the run with a couple of guys on my shoulder but i managed to drop them pretty quick. I then just set about catching guys in front of me. I sat on a guy's shoulder in front of my for a while and really pushed the pace but with about 1km to go i found another gear shot passed him and one other competitor. I was onto the finishing straight in full sprint and third across the line.
I'm extremely happy with this race, to hit the podium in my age group after being sick and to have such a strong performance felt awesome. I have also qualified for the European Championships next year which is another awesome feeling! I want to thank my parents for everything over the weekend and the awesome support they always show me!
Thanks as ever for reading. Next race is 13th of July Plymouth!!
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