Another year gone.

950. That's a pretty big number, one that means something to me. The number of hours of training i have logged on Training Peaks this year. When i think about it is hard to comprehend, where did i find the time, the energy and the motivation for all of that? And thats when i started reflecting on this year.

I'm going to keep this short but 2015 has been an incredible year for me. It started with living in Spain and training full time, an opportunity that was incredible and really helped me understand myself, my sport and my training much better. Off the back of training full time my race season began very early and ended very late.

15 races or so this year and in May i raced every weekend, (one weekend the Saturday and Sunday!) Im very proud of all of my results this year, i won't list them all they can be found on this blog but i really felt i reached my fitness potential and every race went pretty well. The Europeans were an incredible opportunity for me in Switzerland as were the Worlds in Chicago. But i have left them both hungry for more, hungry for a podium and to finish higher up the field.

I also tested my legs at longer distance both in Spain and in Scotland and as i think about 2016 more this seems to be where my goals may take me. It's not decided yet, i am still trying to find what will motivate me but i don't want to rush this.

I think because this year was so long and hard and had some incredible lows and highs it's still taking time to decide where i want to focus and go in 2016. I have a rough idea, but i'm keeping that close to my heart at the moment. All i know is that it's going to take a lot of training, a lot of hard work and trying out some new training styles.

There won't be any living abroad this winter as i have landed an incredible job at Triathlon Scotland as an apprentice performance coach. This for me has been massive, a 3 year position in a sport i love and working alongside the best triathletes in Scotland and the UK is a very inspiring day job. It has also meant my new training ground is Stirling and i'm training with some top athletes. Stirling has produced some incredible athletes over the years so it's not Edinburgh but i'm enjoying the training ground around there!

I said i was keeping it short and ill stick to my promise. 2015 has been a year of learning, of racing, of new cities, experiences and challenges. It's not all been good but i'm happy with the year, im excited to move forward and see what 2016 will bring.

Thank you everyone who has supported me this year, my family, my coach Graeme, my training partners and everyone else who has been following my progress.

The road to 2016 started a few months ago but tomorrow it really begins.

2015 World Championships Chicago - part 2

After the Sprint race i had a day to recover, get the feet up and start focusing on the next race the Olympic distance, for me my preferred distance and a race where i knew the field would be bigger if not stronger. I actually felt surprisingly good after the sprint, i feel i almost needed the hard hit out to get the travel and fatigue out my system!

Olympic race. Time: 2:00:1
9th (1st Brit + European)

If i wasn't nervous for the Sprint i certainly was for the Olympic i'm not sure if it was because i now felt i could be up there because of my result in the sprint or what it was! The swim course was slightly different, we were to go down the lake before doing a turnaround and swimming all the way back up, a strange swim map and it lead to a really tight starting pen.

The start of my swim was a disaster, i was completely caught up at the back, being battered, pulled along and someone even made a grab for my timing chip. I just didn't have time before the horn to get in a good position and i really suffered. The first 500m were just not going to plan, i couldn't swim at a hard pace and i was stuck between so many awful swimmers. Fortunately after a bit of a dig i managed to find clean water and start to pick up my pace and gain control of my race. The swim as it was in the Sprint was long and it felt that way, coming out the water i was quite dizzy from the waves and the battering but knew i had a lot of work to do.

The bike course was different again, still two laps but this course took us underground in tunnels around Chicago with some really technical corners and bends and some seriously fast sections. As there was no wind underground and it was warm air it was seriously fast on the bike. I had my good friend and fellow Brit Dan near me on the bike and we both pushed off this, hammering it hard and gaining a lot of places on the field. Again i was feeling very strong on the bike, my numbers were high but i knew i could keep it controlled and still run well. After the first lap i just decided to open up, hammer down the power and just go for it. I figured if i ran out of energy or couldn't handle it then so be it, but it was world champs and time to go.

Off the bike i thought i was up there again, maybe top 20 but i couldn't tell. I started the run in my usual style of going out hard. At the beginning of the run i was with a super tall American and a Canadian, both who were strong runners but who i soon dropped as they were putting me off my rhythm. I was then running with a really strong runner (Jordan a Brit) and a speedy Mexican and we began to really push the pace and chase the field. Coming into the dead turns i would sprint in and out of them to gain some time and not loose momentum. The second time i did this i was able to drop Jordan and it was just me and the Mexican. I soon came past my friend and who was first Brit Angus and then i just had to hold on for dear life. I had a lap to go and part of me felt good and the other part was exhausted. But it was now all or nothing, the last stretch and i let everything out on the course.

To finish 9th was massive for me, i really felt i had a solid race after the swim and did everything i could to lay it all out there. I was also the first Brit and that was also fantastic. I turned up to Chicago in the form of my life and was so happy to have two solid results after a long hard year. I worked very hard to get in that shape and even with my mid season blip im proud i managed to come back and get that result.

Thank you for your support and especially to my coach Graeme and parents.

2015 World Championships Chicago

Well i think after being home a week the jet lag is finally fading and i can muster up the energy to write my race report from the 2015 World Championships in Chicago!

As most people reading this probably know i decided to race both the Sprint and Olympic race as i knew i had the fitness to recover between and hit both very hard. So here is how i felt they went!

Sprint -
Time : 1:01
7th
So after arriving to Chicago on the Monday i had a few days to get over the travel and spin out the legs (after fixing my bike!) and on the Thursday the Sprint was the first race. The swim was a straight line up Lake Michigan and i knew i had to position myself well to avoid the chaos so I moved wide in the holding pen and found a good line. It was strange before the Sprint i wasn't feeling nervous like i usually would i just felt like it was another race and i was ready to go. I had a decent swim, it was nothing special but i was in a good position and feeling relatively fresh onto the bike.

The bike course was pan flat and two loops. At times the course narrowed and was a little technical but i really enjoyed it as you could constantly lay down the power and the speeds were seriously high. I set out to just ride as hard as possible, to keep the power high and work up the field. I knew i was having a really good race and was flying past people, on the second lap it became quite crowded and you had to be aware to avoid some riders and people sitting on your wheel (Brits included..) but i was off the bike in a fast time and ready to hit the run.

Transitions were really big but i used this to my advantage, as a strong runner i would run really hard through transition and i think this helped gain some advantage time. Coming out onto the run i was with one other runner but he set off at a pace i couldn't really hold after going so hard on the bike. So i set off alone and just wanted to really work hard up the field. Once again the run was an out and back and despite the 30 degree temperatures i was feeling really strong. I wasn't sure of my position at all but just kept fighting for more time and pushing hard, as i came into the finishing 800m an American decided to have a sprint finish with me, i knew he was in my age group so really pushed with everything i had to cross the line before him. It made some great photos!

To cross the line 7th felt incredible, the previous years Worlds i was 17th so to be up 10 spots was a good feeling. I was also second brit my 1 second, so that made me very hungry to be top Brit in the Olympic race!

British Championships.

After returning home from Switzerland i had a massive come down and suddenly became very unwell. For the first week back at home i was struggling to leave bed, keep my eyes open and was constantly in a dangerous state of dehydration. There was no motivation to train or do anything other than a very easy jog. When i tried to train i would feel sick and completely wiped out. I was a bit silly in the heat after the race with a long ride and believe i flushed my system of essential minerals and this led to me feeling this bad.

This sickness continued for two weeks and training was minimal and i was feeling nothing like i was pre Geneva and was worried i was almost completely burnt out. However with British championships coming up decisions were being made. To race, to rest or to take some time out. As you may know i am a little stubborn so i decided to try and train and that i would try and race. I ignored a lot of advice from people a lot smarter than me but i suppose it was always my decision.

So a couple of weekends ago i turned up at Liverpool, not feeling 100% at all and to race the British Championships for the second year.

Finish time - 2:02
1500m swim - 22:11
40km bike - 1:01
10km run  - 33:23
Position - 4th in AG 20th overall

The swim start was fast and pretty hectic from the beginning and i was struggling from the start. I felt very tired as soon as i started swinging my arms and just didn't feel very fit in the water, Im not sure if this was the sickness or the lack of training but the swim just felt a struggle. I came out the water later than i would have hoped and just prayed i had something for the bike and run.

Out onto the flat fast 4 lap bike course i was immediately flying, the legs just felt fantastic and like they were rested and ready to go. I was pretty surprised but just put the head down and enjoyed the feeling! I had a guy near me on the whole bike who i knew was a strong cyclist so my goal was to always keep ahead of him and just keep the power high. Occasionally he would get ahead but i pulled him back and just kept on the front hammering the power. I knew i was having a very strong bike and was going beyond my limit but after the weeks i had i wanted to give the race everything and really see what i could do. Once again there were a few instances of people sitting right on my wheel and drafting. Its becoming a bit of an issue now and if im burying myself to sit at 300watts and they are tucked in it is a joke.

Onto the run and i was feeling tired but good, if the bike had been much longer i would have blown up but i was ready to go on the run. I knew the course from last year and just set out the run as hard as possible, my parents and sister were being incredible with the support and i felt really strong on the run. I caught a few more guys and really pushed to finish as high as i could. With it being a 2 lap run i tried to negative split the second lap and leave everything out there.

I crossed the line 4th in age group and quite honestly couldn't believe it! After having such a horrific couple of weeks and not feeling up for the race this was a massive result, 10 spaces higher than last year. It is a shame though as i really think if I was at my fittest i would have made that podium, maybe a better swim would have put me there. But i can't dwell on that for me it was a massive result and the lift i needed after a post Geneva comedown!

So since the British Champs i have been preparing for this weekend which is the Scottish middle Distance champs in Aberfeldy. It's going to be a real test for me to see how i perform over the longer distance as this could be something i may focus more on next year. Training has been up and down but this week seems to be getting better. Im really motivated for this race and have nothing to loose so come Sunday i'll be a man on a mission.

Thanks for reading and all the support as ever.