14th in Age group
59th Overall
Swim 1500m - 21:51
Bike 40km - 1:04
Run 10km - 34:37
Well what a weekend that was! Last weekend was a trip to Liverpool for the British Championships. A big race for me, a chance to race against some of the best age groupers in the UK and to race a high profile, closed road event. Driving down i was actually really nervous i wanted to perform well and put a lot of pressure on myself. I was also dealing with a slight injury and was making my coach Graeme rather stressed saying how much it hurt!
I did the usual pre race routine: checked into the hotel, had a small bike and run and some lunch before heading to registration. We were to set up our bikes the day before in an indoor transition which was a new experience! It was then back to the Hotel for a big meal and bed before 8:30pm as it was a 5am wake up call!
Pre race for me was a bit of a nightmare, as i had no one with me i had to leave all my gear in the car. This meant running from the car to the race start without much time to spare. However this was when i noticed i forgot my number in the car..que mad panic, sprinting to car park and being the last person in your wave to turn up. Anyway pouring with sweat under the wetsuit but very warmed up i was ready to go!
Swim
The start of the swim was actually really good i knew a lot of the guys around me from previous races so we had a small chat and this calmed me down. I also knew who's feet i could sit on and where to be. The horn went off and i decided to really go for the first 200m or so, i feel often i start too slow but this race wasn't the same. I had a great start and wasn't caught up. After the first bouy i was in a good position and pushed on some more, i was in a small pack for a while but then i found myself swimming alone. I realised i was behind the front pack but in front of the chase pack. I had no one to draft but had clear water so could really focus on my technique and having a good swim! Despite the crazy amount of jellyfish i came out the water in a good position and has a personal best for the 1.5km swim.
Cycle
Transition was always going to be slow, we had to take our wetsuits off outside and then run into the arena. Once i grabbed my bike i was off, by this point the rain was pouring and the wind was picking up but i just set into the bike, pushed a big gear and settled in. The race was closed roads which was brilliant but with all the surface water, wind and questionable bike handling it was just as well! The bike course although flat and fast doesn't really suit me, as i'm smaller i prefer routes with climbs and some more technical pieces but it felt good to just push a high pace and time trial. There were a few accidents on the dead corners but i managed to stay out of trouble and keep fueled. Towards the end of the bike i did begin to get very cold, the rain had been constant and i was completely soaked, i was shivering quite badly and this made t2 a bit of a nightmare.
Run
Coming into T2 i struggled to hold my bike running into the arena, this ended up in me slipping and my bike falling onto my ankle. Not the smoothest move and at the time it hurt like hell, my ankle was bleeding and i limped into transition. Knowing i had lost a bit of time i wanted to run harder than ever. So shoes on i was off and out of transition. I basically just wanted to run as hard as possible that was all. I wanted to leave everything on the course and really push. For half the run i was alone just chasing down guys and pushing a hard pace, i then caught a small pack and we pushed it even harder which felt great. I was starting to hurt but knew i was having a great run despite my ankle and recent injuries. Coming up to the finish i was struggling to see and was pushing out of my skin. I don't really remember crossing the line and was put into the medical tent but hey job done! A solid 10km run and a great race.
Im really happy with my performance at Liverpool, i was racing against some seriously good guys in tough conditions and came out fighting. To be 14th in my AG in my first British Champs really feels great.
Since last weekend i also ran the relay at the Aberfeldy middle distance British champs a decision made the night before with my coach Graeme doing the bike! It felt amazing to run so hard relatively fresh and running with some of the top long course triathletes was a great experience. Graeme gave me an incredible lead into the run and after a rest day i was raring to go and run hard! We won the relay event and it was a brilliant weekend overall with some great results from the Gsquad.
I fly to Canada next Saturday so i'm going to put in some final big hours before then but i'm really excited to get out there. I'm pleased with my speed and really motivated for the big races.
Thank you for all the support, for reading my blog and i will keep everyone updated out in Canada.
