1500 sea swim: 21:50
40km bike : 1:16
10km (hill!) run : 41:03
Time : 2:21
Position- 7th overall/7th in AG
So a bit late but last week it was a long trip down to the South West for a long weekend in Plymouth and racing the local Olympic distance race. It was really great to head back down there, a couple of my housemates were still there so spending time with them was relaxing and i had a couple of days before the race to enjoy old training routes and a fantastic open water swim in Devon!
I followed the usual race routines and massively helped by my housemates making homemade pizzas my pre race dinner was just as usual and to sleep in a familiar bed and house i really felt relaxed. The race start was 7:30am which was a bit of a shock to the system but im usually up early for swimming so i was used to working hard at this time. I got up around 5 on race day tried to have some breakfast and headed over to the race venue. I was feeling really good i think my fitness is in a great place and having a race somewhere you know is really relaxing.
Transition set up, a chat with a few familiar faces, the sun coming up it was time to get into my zone warm up and get prepared.
Swim
The swim was my first sea swim race of the year this went a lot better than i was expecting as there was little chop and the tide didn't seem to hold us back. The swim start was a little chaotic with 200 people but i was well positioned and hit it hard from the start. It was an amazing place to swim as you come very close to the crowd and it was nice to hear some cheering while swimming. I found some feet to sit on and got into my pace. After the halfway mark one of my goggles had filled with water but i just pushed on and focused on going in a straight line! There was a bit of confusion at then end of the swim of exactly what we had to swim around but soon i was out the water through the crowds and into transition.
Bike
Transition was a bit of a nightmare if im honest, i was a bit distracted in transition and took a bit longer to grab my bike and sort my wetsuit, after i had my bike we had to go down some steps to the mount line, my shoe managed to hit a step and come off my bike before the line. I tried to stay calm, grab my shoe put it on and jump on the bike. Only a few seconds lost but enough to make me a bit stressed. After this i rode the first couple of k's with a lot of aggression, hammering up climbs and being a bit risky. I soon calmed down and told myself to relax but that was when i found myself a little lost. The start of the bike course was quite confusing at one junction, i basically went a long way around to the main road but soon found myself back on course. There should have been a marshall at the junction but hey it was a local event and these things happen! The bike course was a tough one, a lot of climbing, very little flat and some high speed short descents. I felt i was quite alone on the bike course after the first initial overtakings. I didn't feel too great, my mind was in a negative spot about the climbs but i was riding quite well. I kept thinking i was of course as i didn't see many people but at the turnaround that soon changed. I had some people to chase down and a couple of others near my wheel. I just tried to re focus and hit the last half of the bike hard.
Run
Into T2 was a much smoother affair, running shoes on and i was ready to cause some damage and suffer. The run course was again very tough with a couple of big climbs but the course was brilliant with really great crowds and incredible views. I overtook a few guys coming out of transition and also on the final stretch before you start a second lap, i was feeling really good and picked up my pace for the second half. The last stretch of the run is out and back on the breakwater which was a really nice section to run on, flat out in the sea and a good place to empty the tank. I crossed the line in 7th after having the second fastest run and a much better race than i thought i was having!
Plymouth was always going to be a special race for me, i had a couple of my housemates watching along with a good friend Ian and that really helped knowing they were there (and that they got up so early!) I knew the route well and a lot of the marshalls etc also so it felt great to race there. I would have liked to have finished higher up but looking at the speed of the top guys swims i think i did very well.
For now i'm back training in Edinburgh and working hard in preparation for the British championships in Liverpool. Life is a little hectic to say the least at the moment but i'm feeling in good shape and will continue working hard in my training.
A huge thanks to Cissy, Fran and Ian for the support in Plymouth and Plymouth triathlon club for a great event and support. Thanks for reading i'll report back soon!
Photos:
1. The fan club
2. Run finish
3. Beautiful race venue
4. Recovery shoes in action
