European Championships write up!

European Championships July 12th Geneva.

Finish time: 2:02:48

1500m swim - 22:50

40km bike - 1:00

10km run - 36:01

So it's about time i should really give a race report of my latest events! Back in July i flew over to Switzerland to compete in my first European Championships. I arrived a few days before the race for enough time to get used to the heat, get some training in in the mountains and enjoy the atmosphere.

Race day came around soon enough and i was feeling ready to go out there and get the work done. I had scoped out the course a couple of times and knew the bike course would suit me with two pretty steep hills and the rest very flat and fast.

On raceday i was up at 5am to head to transition and set up, it was a strange feeling of nerves, excitement and sheer exhaustion. As the sun came up i got everything ready and did my usual 10 minute jog warm up before heading to the race start. At this point the nerves were really hitting hard, fortunately i had my parents there to keep me calm and bring a smile to things.

And then we were off. A slight run in from the beach into the lake and the race had begun. I don't have much to say about the swim, it was fine there was no fighting as the lake was so wide and i just got my head down and swam as hard as i could. The swim was an A-B which felt quite long and also against current so it did feel a little longer than usual but sighting with the sun rising on Mont Blanc and with the water a perfect temperature it was a fine swim.

Once i was out the water it was into the massive transition to find my bike and get to work. After some chats with my coach and training partner Fin the plan on the bike was to just go all out, give it everything on the flat and the climb and just constantly keep the power on. The Bike was two 20km loops with a short steep climb and the rest a flat fast effort around lake Geneva. As soon as i was into the bike i was feeling good, the speed was high and i was hitting good numbers,  i just focused on pushing hard and catching more guys. As the course was laps i was never sure of where i was position wise but i knew i was on for a good ride and the incredible crowd was pushing me hard. There was a fair amount of drafting going on the course especially by a small group of British guys. I'm not going to dwell on it but if you can't ride a hard 40km by yourself then why turn up to the big races? I made sure the whole course i was off to the side and wasn't near anyone.

Off the bike in an hour i knew i was on for a good race, the legs were there the heat was rising and i felt ready to run. The run course wasn't great if im honest. It was a load of small laps that were bendy with small hills and tight corners. A nice course but not great for holding speed at all! However i pushed on and tried to use my run as much as possible catching guys and holding anyone off. I must say the crowd was amazing, the shouts and screams of my name as i ran through was seriously inspiring and made me push even harder.

After a hard push to the final 1km with guys still in my sights i crossed the line 11th! A massive result for me and just as high as i had hoped for. It was a shame to be so close to the top 10 but it was a very competitive, close race and to be up there felt incredible. Another year fitter and stronger and i think i would be higher up again.

I left Geneva in a very happy place. I had a result i was very happy with and had worked hard for and i couldn't have done anything better in the race. Everything went well and that doesn't happen much so to have that was a true reflection of my performance.

Thank you to the Simmond Family for the kind hospitality in Geneva and to my parents for the incredible support!

Eyes on the Prize. Geneva time.

So on Tuesday i'll be flying out to Switzerland for the European championships, this has come around pretty fast and i thought it was time for an update of how i've got to this part of my season!

After Nottingham and Montrose i have Deva triathlon up next. This was a chance to qualify for Lisbon Europeans next year and was also the English champs so a race i knew where all the big boys would show up! The race started at 7 am and despite it being a really warm week the weather on race day was a bit cold for my liking. I found the swim tough, i was cold i hand't warmed up properly and i just didn't get going for a while. After the turnaround things started to feel better and i picked up the pace but i wouldn't say it was the best start! The bike course suited me, a couple of hills and some long flat sections, my legs didnt feel great on the bike, i was struggling with the cold and i just couldn't seem to get going. It was really frustrating not to get settled but i just pushed as hard as i could and kept my head focused. Onto the run course and i suddenly felt incredible, i felt light, fast and strong. I just ran as hard as i could and continually tried to build the pace. A slight mishap after lap two of three when i went down the finishing chute and then had to jump a barrier! I didn't quite know how many laps it was and so the final lap was an all out sprint and again i gained a lot more time and places. Coming into the finish line i was overtaking a guy and heard "Why always Andrew fucking Woodroffe" that made me smile anyway! A good result 6th for me and with a 34 minute 10km i was very happy! At first i was disappointed when i looked at the results but to only be under 2 minutes off the AG winner i think it is a great result.

After Deva it was time for the Scottish Sprint championships at Knockburn Loch. A chance to race on some home territory and to compete against Scotland's fastest guys! I was feeling pretty good for this race, my build up had gone well and i was in good form after the last few races. Having my parents drive me up meant i could fit in a really good warm up run and band work and so felt a lot better than at Deva. In the Loch i was sitting right behind the Roberts brothers and decided to just try and sit on their feet for as long as possible in the swim. Once it got going i just went full gas, i would say i stuck with them for about half the swim then felt like i was going to blow up! So i settled into my own rhythm and came out the water in the top 15. Once onto the bike again the plan was go as hard as possible, i had a really solid bike and kept up with a couple of guys i know are very strong so i was pleased with that. Onto the run i just used my strength and once again pushed as hard as possible gaining more positions and time. I crossed the line 6th senior and was really pleased. I wasn't far off some of these top boys who are in the triathlon Scotland squads so it's nice to mix it with the big guns!

Since Knockburn it's been some hard, focused training for me. Tomorrow i will fly out to Geneva and begin to prepare for the European Championships this Sunday. A race i have been thinking about and training for since i qualified last year. Training has gone well, it's been great to put in some longer miles and really push my swim and run. 6km swim sets are not my favorite! This week i was sick for a few days and lost quite a lot of motivation but i seem to be over that blip and back on track!

I'm really happy with this season, i am racing strong and i feel my results are reflecting my current form. It's all eyes on Geneva now, I'm really excited to get out and do my biggest race of the year so far. I have high hopes for the race and i'm going to be giving it everything i have. I have worked really hard to get where i am and now and I am continually improving,  it's time to see what i can do.

Special thanks to my Parents, my coach Graeme, Gamma Bike transportation, and everyone for your continued support. I'll report from Geneva! Let's do this!!

Mid Season catch up!

So it's been a while since i have updated things on my blog! Mostly because racing and training have been non stop and i have also been moving my life back to the Sunny shores of Scotland!

I left Mallorca after racing Mallorca Olympic triathlon, a draft legal fast and furious race. On the start line was some big names including Will Clarke so i knew it was going to be a very hard race! I had a really good swim and onto the bike i caught a large group to ride with, myself and another guy more or less controlled the bunch and just tried to make everyone work, unfortunately they were pretty lazy and just didn't want to work hard! I spent myself on the bike trying to ride as hard as possible and constantly trying to break away! Fortunately onto the run my legs were there i dropped the group and set off for a fast 10km! I was extremely surprised to cross the line 9th with such a strong field including a lot of fast German elites! First draft race, first Olympic of the season and a sub 2 hour success!

I more or less then left Mallorca to move back to Edinburgh for the UK race season and to pick up some money in the bike shop for Summer. My first race in the UK would be the Little beaver triathlon, a chance to qualify for the Worlds in Chicago and a time to see where i was at compared to the UK scene. I didn't really enjoy this race, the swim was stupidly and unnecessarily agressive with guys kicking punching ripping googles off etc. I don't understand why some guys delibratelly try and swim like this and it pisses me of. My goggles were ripped of twice and i got dunked under quite a lot. Somehow i survived the swim and just set out to hammer the bike. After one of my shoes coming off i had a really strong bike and the hills suited me. The run was 2 5km laps with a beast of a hill, again i set out to really push it and dually did so. I had given the race everything and was extremely happy to finish 3rd in age group meaning i had qualified for the worlds!! A massive thanks has to be said to my friend Will  who drove 3 hours to surprise me and watch the race. What a guy!

Onto the next was my first race in Scotland and actually the Scottish Olympic distance champs racing on the commonwealth games course! I was really excited or this race, a chance to compare myself to some of the top guys in Scotland and on a 7 lap hilly bike course, a dream for me!! The swim was good and no troubles there apart from it being stupidly cold! Onto the bike i knew i was in a good position so just tried to hit every lap very hard, its the kind of course you don't settle into you just give it what you can and see what happens! Onto the run i had a couple of guys i knew ahead of me so set out to catch them and try and drop some others. Onto the second lap of 5km i really pushed hard i had someone on my shoulder for a couple of km but wanted rid of him. I pushed again and was across the line 6th! A result i was over the moon at! A really good race for me and a strong performance.

A weekend later and it was another long drive to England for Nottingham sprint triathlon, a chance to qualify for the Sprint world champs along with the Europeans in Lisbon next year! This was a race i had done last year and knew it was fast, hectic and a risky course! It must be the English triathletes because the swim was again nuts, only a couple of seconds in and my face was kicked and lip burst, pretty painful at the time. A sprint is so fast and hectic that every second counts so i tried to limit my losses and pushed on and actually had a reasonable swim in the end. The bike course doesn't really suit me too much, 4 laps of a pan flat course but its a good course to just hammer and see what happens. It gets very crowded around the lake so you have to be very switched on and shout at people every so often! I had a reasonable bike, quite strong but i feel it could have been stronger had i not been so tired! The run was fantastic i felt really strong and my running has been great recently, i caught a few more guys on the run and was still catching guys right up to the finish line. I crossed the line sub an hour and 4th in age group. It was a great result and i made the qualification but i was disappointed not to podium! If the run was maybe a few more hundred meters i may have made the podium but thats a sprint! Fast, furious and every second counts!

After racing Nottigham on the Saturday i made a risky decision to race Montrose sprint triathlon on the Sunday. This was a local race just down the road from home and the organizers are keen to promote triathlon in Angus so i thought it would be good to race! When i woke up my legs did feel okay and all that was really putting me off was the pissing rain and howling wind! The triathlon was another sprint and a pool swim! Joy at least that meant no kicking or punching! I basically knew if i swam biked and ran as fast as i possibly could i had a strong chance of a win. And essentially thats what i did, i was in the fastest swim wave and a few of us did come out the water around the same time, but onto the bike i just hammered it trying to sit at some crazy watts! I couldn't see anyone behind me so i knew i was on for a good race, after quite a tough but great bike i just ran as hard as the legs still had and crossed the line first winning by 4 minutes! I was stoked, my first win!! My Mother was also there and that really meant a lot to me.

So apologies for such a long report but that's how things are looking at the moment! 7 races into the season and things are going really well. My form feels great and iv'e got some results i am really proud of as well as some big qualifications! This weekend i have a weekend off before heading back down to England next weekend! I'm building towards the Europeans in July and just hope to keep this form going. Thanks to my parents for their continued support, to Graeme for his coaching, to Angus Council for some funding and to everyone that is supporting and following my progress!

Ferrer Hotels 3/4 Triathlon

26th April- Ferrer Hotels 3/4 half race.

1.7km swim- 27:40
65km bike- 1:48
15km off road run- 1:00
Total - 3:18

5th overall 2nd U23

After Portocolom i was in Barcelona for a week training with coach Graeme and the G squad crew. I really needed and enjoyed this week. Although i am training full time it makes a massive difference to have so many like minded guys around you pushing you and to have my coach there all week makes a massive difference. I always find this group very focused, motivating and a lot of good banter so to have that for a week really helped me push myself and remind me that it's okay to relax and enjoy life a little more than just training!!

After Barcelona my good friend Imogen came to Mallorca for a few days and we had a really great time training and preparing for my race (and she will race 70.3 next weekend)! So it was really incredible to have people to train with for the two weeks leading up to my next race!

I decided to head to the North of the island the day before the race to stay in the Ferrer Hotel and just completely chill out before the race. It was a great thing to be able to get ready for the race in my Hotel room and transition was at the exit of the Hotel so this kept me relaxed.

The race was another small test for future half ironman exploits, a longer swim bike and run and we would see what would happen. Graeme had told me to go hard on the bike and see what happened on the run, so with this race tactic in mind i dived into the sea and set off with a strong swim.

The swim was a little messy if im honest, the organizers hadn't 100% made clear how we would swim around the course and when you are in the front pack this makes things interesting. But as long as we all swam the same course i was happy. I felt really great in the swim, I had had a solid open water session a couple of days before with Imo so this had filled me with confidence. I just stayed with the lead guys and sat in. Coming out of the water into transition i knew i was in the top spots and this felt new!

I won't lie, the start of the bike felt like crap. I can't quite explain but i just couldn't get the power i wanted or settle in. I felt quite jumpy on my bike and i was struggling to find rhythm, it could have been to do with the wind, the rolling hills or the amount of sea water i swallowed but it just didn't feel normal. I tried not to focus on this and pushed on and after around 30km i found a rhythm. The bike was rolling hills with 3 laps so at time you could really push with the tailwind and steady climbs. I knew i was in a strong position despite not feeling great and the laps mean you can figure out where you are in the field! I was very happy to come out of the water before Fabian Rahn a strong German Pro athlete but he came past me on the bike pushing some solid watts so i let him go!

Onto the run and i wanted to make up for not the greatest bike. Running is my strength and with 15km of it i knew i could do some damage. The run was 3km on road then the rest off road, hills, sand, climbing fences, descents it had it all! It was a little crazy but i just tried to run as hard as i could on whatever the surface. I caught a couple of guys near the start of the run and then the rest was mostly solo (at times thinking i was lost) but with around 2km to go i could see another two guys ahead of me. I decided to use them as some energy and pushed on to catch them. With about 1km to go i caught them pushed forward and headed for the finish line.

5th over the line and 2nd U23! Another really great result for me, the bike really wasn't easy and im still trying to figure out what happened but im really pleased with my run and i now know its in a great place coming into slightly shorter events! Podium places in my first two races of the season has really filled me with confidence and i know my training has been working!

The madness continues with the Mallorca draft legal Olympic tri this weekend, so for now its time to recover, train again and enjoy the weather!

Thank you for reading and the support!