Triathlon Portocolom

Portocolom Triathlon - 19th April

1km swim - 15:13
100km bike - 3:29
10km run - 38:23

Total time - 4:08
16th Overall, 2nd Under23

So my triathlon season well and truly kicked off two weeks ago with Portocolom triathlon 111 event, an incredible race attracting 800 athletes from all over the world and even around 10 pro athletes on the start line. After a long hard winter of training i was really excited to race again even with the thought of the brutal bike course!

The swim start can only be described as Spanish. We were to jump off a pier, swim to a buoy wait and then the whistle would go, but as soon as people had jumped in they just began swimming! So i had to loose my British mindset and just get stuck in. So not the ideal swim start but soon i was out of the mess and leading the chase pack behind the pro guys. The swim felt really comfortable, i have been spending a lot of time open water swimming and this is helping me massively. I now feel when i swim in races im swimming more naturally and not just doing anything to get through the water. It was a strange feeling being so far up in the swim but i enjoyed the clear water and hearing the large crowds from way out!

Into transition i felt in a great position and again i couldn't believe the size of the crowd as i ran to my bike. This gave me a massive boost and i was soon onto the bike. Before the race i knew the bike course would be tough, the main factor was climbing San Salvador twice, a 5km apline style climb with switchbacks and all. But as well as that most of the course was rolling hills with some technical areas and really nowhere where anyone could hide. This was the furthest i had raced on the bike and a lot of things were new to me, the nutrition, pacing, hydration and trying not to just chase any guy who came near me! The bike was two laps and after the first ascent of San Salvador i was feeling good, my descending wasn't great and i lost a fair bit of time there but overall things were going well. I kept a good eye on my power with an idea of numbers in my head and i tried to stick close to them. Riding around the second loop i was still feeling good, i really tried to put in some solid numbers on the second lap and i was riding well. After the second climb i was starting to feel a bit of fatigue but just knew to hold on to the finish.

Coming into transition I felt in control and ready to run, i knew i could hit a strong 10km off a long bike and set out to do so. On the run i felt great, i tried to push whatever pace i had and i managed to chase down a good few guys who dropped me on the descent. I was surprised with how good i felt running but i think being boxed in by the crowd also kept me going! A sprint to the finish in the last 1km and i was over the line!

A bloody tough long day out but an incredible result for me. I had been up there mixing it with some seriously strong athletes and i was very happy with how my legs felt on the run!

Unfortunately with a flight to Barcelona to catch i couldn't stick around to collect my trophy but as far as a start to the season goes i was very pleased and felt my form was solid!

Winter is Over.

Well it’s April already! This can really only mean one thing in a triathletes calendar, its race time! No longer is it winter training but now it’s race season, it’s time to step up the sessions find that last bit of speed from the winter and get ready to race.

For me I’ll be kicking off my season this Sunday with Triathlon Portocolum. It’s a 1km swim, 100km bike and a 10km run. The plan for me was always to start the season early, I’ve been training solid since last October and being in Mallorca means I can race a bit earlier than the UK scene.

This race is no doubt going to be a challenge to begin the year. The bike course ascends San Salvador twice, a brutal 5km climb with a very technical descent also! As well as this the remaining kms are pretty hard going and it’s the longest I will have raced on a bike. There will be no hiding on this course! Although there was an option to just do a 50km I I wanted to test myself, I believe I can climb well and my power on the bike has massively improved so hopefully I can show that on the course. It is also a good tester for looking at half ironman racing in the future.

Over the past couple of months I have had some really tough bike swim and run weeks where the intensity/volume of one of the disciplines increases. I have really enjoyed this, for me I feel strong and that I can push more power and speed on the bike and the run and my swim fitness seems to be in a great place.

I have worked really hard this winter and im very proud of what I have achieved day in and day out. I have trained as much as my mind body and coach have allowed me and I feel in a great place. I am of course nervous, the first race of the season is always a little daunting but I think that will fade soon after the swim start!

After the race on Sunday things will get a little hectic. I fly to Barcelona in the evening to join my coach and the G Squad group for a training camp in Callela. I’m really excited for this, although I train full time it’s going to be incredible to have a solid group of guys to push off and the have Graeme there every day. The fancy hotel, spa and buffet are also a nice treat!

After that im pretty much racing every weekend in May. I have a long course triathlon in Mallorca as well as the draft legal tri here at Best. Then it’s back to the UK to hit the age group scene and some national champ events but more on that later!

This week I will fine tune make sure everything is where it should be and get into the open water a fair bit. From the test sessions I have done I feel ready. Im hoping for a strong first race and that my legs will still be there on the run. I don’t think the distance is a challenge but staying mentally focused and keeping it controlled on the bike will be new to me.

Thanks for reading and the support across winter. A massive thank you to my parents and my coach Graeme. I couldn’t do any of this without your support. It’s been a long hard winter and im ready to see what I can do.

A few photos from around the island!

Tales from the island life.

Something i have realised over the last couple of months is that the full time athlete life is very lonely, it's demanding and it's tough but it can feel very alone. Now this isn't anything new to me, i'm used to training alone, long rides with just the bike or spending all your day out on two feet. But when you begin to train day in and day out 7 days a week it can start to hurt and draw you into darker places. You don't have a team to train with or to kick the ball around with its just you and the road, the pool or the trails. In this sense it can be very tough, the mind can draw you into places you would rather not be or you can completely loose focus on why you are doing this. Why you are putting yourself through a few hours on the bike alone into that wind.

For me two weeks ago i was getting to a strange place. The loneliness was becoming difficult and the focus was starting to fade. I would shout at the wind on the bike and have some serious words with myself during sessions.

But I have found that focus again, the hunger, the drive i suppose the reason i do this day in and day out and that is to race. To compete and test myself against other athletes all in pursuit of excellence.

The season is only around the corner but for some reason i had never set out my race calendar until now, i knew which races i might fancy but i never fully committed to a season and to races. But now i have, and now i feel a weight off my shoulders almost. A new motivation and drive to train.

My triathlon season will officially begin on April 11th in Mallorca with Triathlon Portcolum a 1km swim, 100km bike and 10km run an event im using as almost a fitness builder pre season but i believe with a shorter swim and long bike i may have a good shot at a result if i can hold my self together for the run. I will then race again in Mallorca with a half iron distance race before coming back to the UK for various races: Scottish Championships, British Championships, Age group World Championship qualifiers and i will have the European championships in July.

This season my focus will be on qualification and the World Champs in America but i am hoping for strong results at UK championship events and i hope to test myself in the half iron man distance to see how i fare with a longer bike and run.

Training is going a lot better, i feel focused,strong and i'm looking forward to testing myself with a couple of duathlons before the season really starts. It's going to be a big year for me, that was always the plan and the reason i came to Mallorca.

The hunger is back and im ready to race.

2015 and back to Work

Happy New Year! I'm pretty sure it is past the date at which it's acceptable to say that but i thought i would start my first post of 2015 today!

So i have now been back at home for just under a month to enjoy the festivities, family time and a bit of relaxation, or in other terms, hill walking, mountain running and cycling in the ice! After a first successful big block of training in Mallorca it was great to come home and get away from the structure a little and enjoy the colder temperatures. Over Christmas i was still training hard with a lot of base miles running and on the bike. It helped having a good friend and old training partner Ian up from England as he was very keen to see the Scottish roads! I tried to enjoy as much mountain running as i could and discovered some incredible trails just north of Dundee so i have really enjoyed this block of training at home.

After Christmas, and coming runner up in the infamous Plum Pudding plod it was time to really get back some structure especially with my swimming, i always feel i can miss a few days on the bike or running but swimming i need to constantly be doing! Having got my hands on a power meter for the bike i had some fresh motivation to hit some numbers and have been out riding whatever the weather!

Yesterday was a trip up to Inverness to meet up with my coach Graeme and go over my swimming, carry out a CP20 power test as well as have a catch up run in the trails around Inverness. It was fantastic to show Graeme my swimming and where it has changed in the last few months but also to know what i still need to work hard on, my swimming is definitely getting faster but technique still needs a lot of tweaking! The power test is essentially 20 minutes of riding as hard as you can on the turbo. The average power you ride for 20 minutes gives you your FTP number and from there you can calculate training zones, watts per kilo etc!

Although being very nervous for the test i really pushed very hard and felt pretty good. And the numbers proved so! My power was up by 10% from the test last year and it really was numbers i was extremely happy and surprised with! It is an incredible feeling to know how much the hard work and training is paying off!

On Saturday i am racing the Great winter run in Edinburgh for a chance to race on old training ground and then this Sunday it's back to Mallorca for the next phase of training and a big build up to the season! I'll kick off the season in April and also be heading back to Barcelona for a training camp with G and the guys! I'm really excited to get back into the big hours and miles and have really enjoyed the break and my time at home!

I wish everyone all the best for 2015, i have some big goals for this year and it's time to really step up. I'm going to set my goals and targets high this year and hopefully over the season my hard work will pay off.

A few photos from my time at home: