Thursday 5 November 2015

Taking on my first season racing…the highs and the lows.



 The last month has been very up and down. This has been my first proper “season” of racing, rather than enter a mixture of random events at any time in the year. A month ago I felt great, I was reaching all my running splits (for once!) and hitting my watts on the bike. The last two races I pb’d on my road bike. I was then lucky enough to finally get my hands on a TT bike from an old friend and great cyclist, Pip, two weeks before Nationals. On my first ride, I fell off (it’s a completely different ride) but this was pretty much at standstill, which was quite comical to see! I then took the bike out on a group ride the next day, and managed to break the rear hanger. Taking it back to the bike shop I had to wait a week for it to be fixed, leaving me only a few days before a race with only one ride on a TT bike! . I planned to use the race  as a practice for Worlds, getting used to the bike and practising nutrition and pacing.
"Chris" the new bike..

 
Oulton Park was my first ever full duathlon that I entered, this time last year. Last year I had a standard road bike and wore a long sleeved t shirt and leggings! Today it was the practice race for Worlds, and so much has changed.  As we lined up I felt very nervous I hadn’t raced this distance since April and though I knew I was fit enough, I always question myself. The whistle went and I charged off forgetting this was a practice race and going into full competitive mode. The first run was quick, 2:30mins quicker than last year. 
Off on the run...
 
 
 My transition was fairly smooth and on the new bike, I felt like I was flying. I kept waiting to be overtaken by a mass of girls (as this is what normally happens) but they didn’t come. I knocked off 12 minutes on the bike from last year! When I dismounted though something was wrong I couldn’t put any weight on my right leg, spasms were shooting down it with agonising pain. I kept running thinking it would wear off it could be cramp. I got through the run, hobbling over the finish. I finished 1st in my Age Group which was an incredible result considering my last run, I also knocked off 15 minutes from my time last year! I should have been over the moon but I was just worried about my leg with just 2 weeks until Worlds.


 
Two physiotherapists and one sports doctor later the verdict was still unknown, possibly a strained groin or a stress fracture. I was devastated I had been the fittest I have ever been. Now I was told to rest and just cycle until race day. I felt my fitness slipping away (athough I know scientifically 1-2 weeks won’t make much difference.) Now rather than competing at Worlds, all I wanted to do was be able to run again to finish the race especially after Alcobendas. I tried to be strong but I still couldn’t walk or bear weight on the leg without pain. Everyone was wishing me good luck as I headed off to Oz and saying “you’ll smash it!” which made me feel even worse like I was letting everyone down. My parents had come out to watch and my friends had all supported me. Nuffield Health had also helped fund me to get me here. Once in Oz the team Physio Leda Cox was so helpful and she tried to give me confidence that I would get through the race. She released all the tension in the muscles which helped relieve the pain,  but we just couldn’t find the route cause. She forced me not to run until the day before the race, this is mentally very tough when all your team mates are going for runs and you just feel lazy and sluggish.
 
 
 
Team GB!

Adelaide Oval and Elder Park where the Race was held
Saturday before the race I did my normal taper session and went to run, the pain was horrific I just couldn’t put weight on the leg. I managed 3 minutes at a ridiculous 7km/hr on the treadmill. Crying my eyes out I knew I couldn’t race, do I go for a DNF or a DNS? Leda found me at breakfast and gave me one last intense session to release the adductors. Jez, the team manager swapped my race for me dropping me down to the sprint (which meant less running) the plan was to finish the race no matter what. That meant I could walk the 5km and 2.5km run, then at least enjoy the bike course and the closed roads and have a taster  for racing internationally. That evening I was so depressed, I should have been excited and nervous and ready to race rather than coming to terms with the fact that I just needed to get through the race and would be the slowest. I would have to watch other competitors that I know I can beat run past me. Mentally this was going to be a very tough challenge. Mum even offered to walk with me which could have been quite funny at a world championship final!

Race Day…

The bikes had been racked the day before, and I woke up early for some Ibuprofen and paracetamol and a few rice cakes to line the stomach! My name was now Helen (as I had swapped places).
 
 As the whistle went, I started running, ouch this was going to hurt, and was pleased to get through the first 5k, (about 5 minutes slower than normal) but surprisingly not last! With a very unsmooth transition I headed onto the bike course where I started overtaking, 1, 2 , 3 girls, I climbed my way up to 8th position and this was with a slight detour missing the lap turning and having to back up. It didn’t matter, I laughed it off, what else could go wrong?! On dismount I had that pain again and I held onto the bike to hold me up through transition, I then hobbled out on the last run. This was going to be slow and painful, I can’t believe how long it took me but I got through it and was very relieved to see the finish line. I grabbed a GB flag and made it across the line feeling relieved and happy. I found out I was 15th (not bad), but more importantly I had taken part in a World Championship, something I may never do again. I avoided a dreaded DNF. I then found out Claire had won gold and was so happy for her, she’s an incredible and motivated athlete and, like me, only started this year.  We met at these Championships and have had a really good time, with so much in common I am sure we will remain good friends!


Me and a World Champ!
 I have to look at the positives I from this; I competed at a World Championships with a horrific injury and I still came 15th, I made some great friends on the team and so pleased to have been part of it. I want to thank them for all their support out there and congratulations on all your fantastic performances, you all did amazingly.



Two scared first timers pre race!

Opening Ceremony


Now I have to come to terms with this injury, I have an MRI booked now I’m back and I have to rest and get fixed so I can hopefully be back next year for Europeans.  This rest is killing me, being so active before, I just want to run and bike. Looking back I’ve had a pretty phenomenal first season, I’ve competed in my first triathlons (taught myself to swim last year) and have been placed in each (though I’m still always last out the water). Overall, I have been placed in 12 out of 14 races this year, including my first ever British and National Champs, all thanks to Dan Sims and his help with my training and race advice! Worlds is unfinished business, and one day I will get back to this fitness level and race again, nothing beats that feeling of crossing the line in your GB gear waving a flag and having the crowds shout your name!

So I put together a few pointers of things I have learnt from my first season;

1.       I love racing and enjoying the training just as much, if not more. Someone once told me the race is the dessert but  the training is the main course!

2.       Race your own race, don’t let others intimidate you and pace yourself.

3.       Rest days are key, even if you feel like you don’t need one a rest day every week or 10 days is crucial to prevent injury and to allow your muscles to adapt and respond to stressors. Good sleep patterns and sports massages are also important and are regularly forgotten.

4.       Have a training plan and programme – a periodization programme is good to ensure you incororate all important aspects of training including recovery.  

5.       Listen to your body if you feel tired or a twinge don’t be afraid to miss the odd training session it won’t reduce your fitness (even if you worry that you will!).

6.       Always refuel after a hard training session with adequate protein and carbohydrates to reduce your risk of injury and put you in the best form for your next training session. Having a well-balanced diet is also important to ensure you consume adequate calcium and vitamin D for bone health. I  take vitamin D weekly to keep this topped up, especially during the winter months when I’m working inside.

7.       Plan your race day, practice nutrition, regularly check your bike, practice transitions and try and cycle the bike routes so you know what to expect.

8.       Learn to change a puncture quickly – I have yet to have one yet but feel this would be a useful skill and prevent any further DNFs!

 
Team Dan Sims!

 

Thanks for reading…watch this space!

Sunday 6 September 2015

My Weekend Training with GB Olympic Triathlete Helen Jenkins


Another 5 days later post Bewl and I'm driving to Wales with a bike, wetsuit and training gear squashed into the back of my small Peugeot 107. Ready to embark on a training weekend with Helen Jenkins and her coach and husband; Marc. This was run by Science in Sport, the competition was from Triathlon 220 and I was one of 5 lucky winners.

  
The weekend was fantastic, Friday night was a Meet and Greet with the other lucky winners, SIS  representative  Emma, Helen and her husband/coach an also IC triathlete Mark. Helen brought Welsh cakes which were very tasty and we were all supplied with a SIS endurance pack to help us over the weekend.  

We discussed the weekend. I was a bit worried we wouldnt be doing much training but I quickly released I was wrong. The schedule went as followed;

 
Saturday:
8am- Park Run
11am - Bike Ride
3pm - Core exercises and stretching,
5pm - Sea Swim

Sunday:
6am - Sea Swim
9am - Bike Ride
10:30am - Brick Run
12pm - Q and As
 

Saturday morning was the Porthcawl 5k, we had a warm up with Helen then headed to the start line. It was busy around 200 competitors but a beautiful course along the sea front. Helen was off and I had no chance of catching, she got a course record of 16:40!! Unbelievable, I was happy with a sub 20 of 19:50.

 
The happy finishers...

 



A quick jog back and breakfast altogether (a full welsh breakfast).  We were off on a 3 hour bike. 47 miles with a lovely challenging Welsh Bryn,this was a good long climb and part of the route was from the famous Dragon Ride. Helens friend Darren Pedal Cover Insurance owner and road champion also joined us. Plus we had our own escort, Mark in the van incase we had any mechanicals or needed some assistance! Riding with Helen was great and I picked up lots of tips, I was admiring her Liv bike! She made all the hills look so easy.





 
Upon returning, we relaxed in the sun, learnt some stretching and important core exercises from Helen to prevent injury.

 
We then headed out for a sea swim. Mark and his friend were with us on surf boards. Having never open water swum in the sea, I found it pretty tricky. The sea tastes horrible and the waves are off putting. Mark was very helpful helping me sort out my breathing and giving me tips, while the speedier swimmers stuck with Helen. I made the swim to the other beach but was lucky to head back on the back of Marc's surf board, great fun! The sea was a warming 18  degrees. This was followed by dinner with the Jenkins, where we were chatting about the day.

 



Gotta eat like a champion to be a champion!


Sunday morning 6 am and I'm peeling on a wet wetsuit. This isn't pleasant. We headed down to the beach for a pre breaky swim, meeting Helen, Mark and his very helpful friend at the beach. Some buoys had been set up for a circuit.

 I have to enter the water?

 

Mark coached me for the first half and I was surprised how much better I was. We finished with a race running in and out the water, this was tough on the legs! Must be good strengthening for the quads. After this session we were all starving and headed back to the hotel all together for breakfast.

 

Can we have breakfast now?



We then headed off for an hour's bike, a more relaxed affair and a brick run after. The brick was along the sea front and we kept going as long as we wanted. At an easy pace, I chatted with Helen for a beautiful 10k along the coast. Feeling incredibly lucky to be running alongside a such an inspiring athlete. So as we discussed life and training I was picking up as many tips as I could!

 

All showered and packed we finished the weekend with a chat, questions and answers in the sun. The sun had been shining all weekend in Wales which is a variety! I didnt want to leave as we said our goodbyes, having met such lovely people over the weekend and enjoying the taste of an Athletes life! Train, eat, train eat, rest..

 

 

Helen and Mark were two genuine people, kind, helpful and good fun! Emma from SIS was fantastic too. An inspirational lady with a few ironmans under her belt and no pushing of the brand just helpful nutritional tips throughout the weekend.  Thank you all for such a great weekend! I hope they have another weekend next year I can join!

 

Wednesday 26 August 2015

Nutrition for Long Rides, Ride 100 and Bewel Water Triathlon


Less than two months until Worlds, it's getting serious now..... The countdown begins..........


The fast few weeks have been extremely busy so apologies for lack of posts, I've taken part in London Ride 100, Bewl Water Sprint Triathlon and was lucky enough to go on a training weekend with Olympic triathlete Helen Jenkins which was an amazing experience. So where to start:


London Ride 100 was an incredible experience. I had a hard training week leading up to it, with the World Champs now being my main focus at the moment so there was no need to taper. I wanted to keep my Duathlon training up. I was then a little worried, realising 100 miles is a very long way. 80 miles being my max distance so far. We left at 5:40am scoffing down some peanut butter, rice cakes and banana before leaving. Everyone has their preferred pre ride/race meal. I struggle with cereal as the yogurt and milk makes me feel queasy cycling. The theory is peanut butter (high in good fats and protein gives you a slow release energy, keeping you feeling full), rice cakes (good carbs for energy but also wholegrain so a slow release on long rides) and the banana for instant energy and potassium to prevent cramps! 8 miles cycling to the start and we were in our pens ready to go! We met the other two in our San Fairy Anne team there.


The closed roads and crowds were great, very encouraging and the first 30 miles flew by! Chatting to cyclists and hanging on the back of different pelotons was great fun! I lost the team after Leith Hill which was a 10 minute battle trying to get past others on the narrow roads, with many people walking which was disappointing. It was a tough hill but 10 mins of steep climbing and you were at the top!  Box Hill was very enjoyable with a beautiful smooth road and an easy gradient up. The last 40miles I was on my own and at mile 75 my belly started rumbling. As a cyclist this is not a good sign, it means that I was soon going to run out of energy and bonk/hit the wall”. To keep your energy levels up and performance at its peak science suggests we should have 0.5-1g of carbs per kg each hour. With all the excitement I had forgotten to eat enough and so refuelled at Hub 3, bananas, flapjacks and good old fig rolls! This perked me up for the last 25miles and I even had a sprint finish, which was quickly halted by an ambulance with a casualty at the finish line.

I therefore included some tips for long rides below; 

Tips for Cycling Fuel:

1.    Eat little and often.  Set a timer to remind you to eat if necessary.  Eat even if you are not hungry, when your hungry its too late..

2.    Eat 0.5-1g of carbs per kg each hour.

3.    Try to drink at least every 15 minutes to hydrate and prevent cramps.

As a guideline;

•      A 500 ml of typical sports drink mixed at 6% will give you 30g of carbohydrate

•      1 gels = 30g

•      1 fig roll (12 g of carbohydrates each) = 12g

•      1 mini pitta breads with peanut butter =18g

•      1 brioche rolls with jam = 28g

•      1 banana = 27g


Now its just putting this into practice on the next ride!
I was very pleased with a quicker than expected time of 5:30hrs (maybe I could have been quicker if I ate more regularly!)




The ride home was not so enjoyable, it was hot and the crowds made leaving the park take forever. The next 8miles back to Greenwich was slow and frustrating with my goody bag on my back and traffic slowing us down. We got through it and stopped for a well-earned drink round the corner from home. The wine hit me pretty quickly! Two sodas were needed to water it down...

In summary the event was a fantastic experience,  the crowds and closed roads were amazing, it was very well organised and I recommend it. Overall we cycled 117miles that day, this gave me a taste for an Ironman.. (so watch this space!)





I would also like to give a shout out to our friend Shaun who finished Ride 100 in a decent time and on a Brompton Bike for charity. Now thats impressive!


Legend!

 6 days on I then entered a local triathlon Bewl water. I didn't feel too prepared as it had been a while since an open water swim. The start was an early 7am so it wasn't too warm either at this time. The swim was delayed 30 min due to fog on the water and as I had already warmed up in the water and then got out again this wasn't the best start! My swim was even slower than previously.  I was in a woman's wave (which I advise beginners to be in as there's less kicking and shoving!) it just seemed very long and I couldn't get into a rhythm. Upon leaving the water there was a  long up hill run and I somehow cut my foot on the rocks. I ignored it and ploughed on, the bike was lovely well-suited to me;  undulating and I caught up with a few girls. The run was hilly with some steps thrown in! Not my quickest run but I pulled it back and was super pleased with an age group win :). A lovely surprise and confidence booster! Considering I was pretty tired from a hard training block!

 
What I won?
 
Happy Podium




Now to ditch the swim training and get ready for the big event of the year Duathlon World Champs.


Sunday 19 July 2015

Fuelling Up for Cycling - Vegan (no bake) Flapjacks




 
The San Fairy Ann Inters + club ride.
 

Fuel for Cycling – Vegan Friendly and Gluten Free Energy Flap Jacks.

While stopping on a bike ride, Dad brought a flap jack and told me it tasted better than my homemade ones! So I had to get baking again…

With Ride 100 coming up, I’m trying new ways to keep my energy levels up during cycles. While gels, jelly babies and bananas are fine, over 100 miles I’m going to need something slightly more substantial. I struggle to eat on the bike, some people can tuck into a sandwich quite easily. Sports bars are good but in essence are just expensive flapjacks. So I tried to make some healthy nutritious versions of my own. I use coconut oil when cooking, coconut oil is rich in Lauric acid, a medium-chain triglyceride. This is a type of fatty acid which studies have shown have many health benefits. This chain of fatty acids is easily digested by the body, which uses it as a form of direct energy  (just like carbohydrates), unlike oils that are made of long chain fatty acids, which are more likely to be stored as fat. Some studies suggest it speeds up your metabolism and can improve endurance. Coconut oil is also a powerful antioxidant and a good alternative for butter as it is Vegan friendly!

Our oven is also currently out of use, so I experimented with this no bake recipe! Using nuts and seeds for proteins and healthy fats, the sweetness from the bananas, honey and dried fruit will also provide instant energy. The oats are low in GI (meaning their energy will be released slowly preventing that sugar dip).

 

Here’s my recipe (you can vary it with different dried fruits and nuts – apricots, figs, cherries, almonds).  Let me know if you try it J

Serves about 20 smallish squares;

1. Whizz the following ingredients in a blender;

3 Soft bananas

1 ½ tbs Organic Coconut oil

1 ½ tbs Organic Tahini paste

½ Cup of raisons

½  Cup of dark chocolate chips

3-4tbs Organic Honey

 

2. Place these ingredients in a bowl;

200g Gluten Free Oats or Jumbo Organic Oats

2tbs Pumpkin seeds

2tbs Flax seeds

Large handful of chopped walnuts

Teaspoon of cinnamon

Teaspoon of Vanilla Essence

 

3. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients bowl and mix, place in a baking tray.

4. Use a potato masher and mash into the tray, place in fridge for 12 hours and serve. 
5. Keep the flap jack refrigerated for as long as possible, once the coconut oil reaches over 23 degrees Celsius it starts to melt which makes them a bit gooey.

Monday 22 June 2015

Blenheim Triathon and First Time Triathlete Tips





Blenheim was my third sprint triathlon and after a good open water swimming session with my coach a few days before, I felt fully prepared (or so I thought). I met my friend Sean in the drizzle with high spirits and went into the beautiful palace court yards to where our transition area will be. Bikes racked and wetsuits on, we picked up our swim hats and headed down to the lake. With a motivating briefing (we had to hug the person next to you and cheer), I was pumped up and ready to go!


Swim

A new type of start for me; you had to jump off a pontoon into the lake, swim 100m to the centre of the lake and tread water for a few minutes before starting.  I jumped in at the front (not realising how many people were in my wave), which gave me time to acclimatise to the cold. However I had to bob around for a while and as the lake was only around 15degrees I started to get a little chilly.


The whistle went and I went into a steady front crawl for the first 100m. Suddenly the rush of a hundred or so other quick and stronger swimmers charged passed/over me pushing me out to the side and off course! They just kept coming and I lost my rhythm, struggling the rest of the way which was disappointing! Once being hauled out the water by very helpful volunteers, I jogged up a pretty steep hill for about half a km to transition. Passing Sean on the run (he later told me he fell over and hurt his toe exiting the water), T1 was quick. The wetsuit slipped off easily using the Vaseline trick and I avoided the temptation of drying my feet...




Bike

The bike course was fantastic; closed roads, beautiful settings, a fair few hills and the sun came out. I felt like I was flying, overtaking a fair few competitions and even having to shout out a few to move out the way!


After three laps and with a smooth transition, I ran to rack my bike. But I could not find my trainers, and jogged up and down with my bike like a headless chicken! I finally spotted my pink towel and trainers and set off on the run.




Run

The run consisted of a 5.6km (two laps) race; a quick downhill and then a long uphill around the lake. My left leg kept cramping which is strange, and I put it down to the extra effort up the hills on the bike and not drinking any water (silly move!). With a last sprint to the finish I was very pleased to receive my finishers medal! I saw Sean on the last lap of his bike as I was going into the second lap of my run so having crossed the finish line, I cheered him to the finish.


I was slower in the run than at Hyde Park but was pleased to find I got the 3rd quickest bike and run time for women overall, 10th lady and 3rd in my age group with over 1200 women. I'm pretty chuffed as I have put in a lot of work to improve my cycling and Dans training programmes are clearly working!


I encourage all ages and levels to give triathlons a try; it really is a sport everyone can enjoy. Especially when you pick a beautiful setting like Blenheim to race in.


Heres what I have learnt in my first three triathlons, which I hope help you avoid the mistakes I made!

Beginners Tips for your first Triathlon;


1. Practice an open water swim in a wetsuit as much as possible before the event, and if you have time acclimatise in the water (dunk your head under and try and breathe out under water).



Holbourgh Lake (where I've started practising).
  
2. Practice transitions; you can save minutes on a smooth transition and always make sure you have your helmet on before touching the bike!

3. Look for signs/marker to memorise where you rack your bike and remember the row number. Take a bright towel to place your trainers on so you can spot it on return from bike.

4. Wear goggles under your swim hat, not over! This stops other competitors knocking them off in the scrabble! Also spit in your goggles before racing this stops them fogging up.

5. Apply Vaseline on your inner wrists, ankles and neck to stop your wetsuit rubbing. Also apply onto the outside of your wetsuit up from your ankles to knees and wrists to elbows to help it easily slide off.

6. As you exit the water, open the neck of your wetsuit to let the water gush out (this makes it easier to take the top half off when running).

7. Don't dry your feet or bother wearing socks when getting on your bike, your feet will dry on the bike (saving a lot of time).

8. Take water on the bike (this may seem simple but I have forgotten this before and forgotten to drink if I have taken it! Dehydration will not only be detrimental for your run but will also slow down your recovery time after the race).

9. Practice drinking on the bike and how much you drink. I can only sip a small amount regularly or I get a stich on the run!

10.Use elastic laces, when your adrenaline is high and you've leapt of the bike, tying laces is impossible.


11. Save some energy for a sprint finish and enjoy the race, smile at the crowds and if the race is at Blenheim, youre encouraged to high five the spectators on your run in, which makes you feel pretty cool J

Saturday 6 June 2015

ITU World Triathlon - a novice having a go! Race report...

Race Report – ITU World Triathlon London – Open Sprint 30th May

Nervous starters!



















This was my first, large triathlon and I couldn’t believe how big the event was, with over 1000 competitors in my race – Sprint (750m swim, 22k bike, 5k run). The site at Hyde Park was huge with a large spectator stand (to watch the pros the next day ) and an a Expo selling anything and everything triathlon related. I turned up at 2:30pm (my race wasn’t until 4pm, which isn’t great as for me as I like to get up early and go) but at least the sun was out and there were no rain clouds! I met Juliet, my friend who was competing too and we got to work attaching all our stickers and sorting all our gear. Being in the centre of London I cycled to the event (this was a good warm up, but meant I had limited equipment, all squashed in my back pack).

The spectator stand...
The transition area was well labelled and we set our bikes up, getting nervous as some very serious competitors had started appearing! We applied our body glide and struggled into our wetsuits. As we stood chatting and having a few pre race pics,  we suddenly realised our wave had lined up by the water. Charging over, trying to put on our swim caps and googles as we ran, we didn’t feel very prepared. Juliet also still had her flip flops on, and I don’t think she ever saw them again! We also noticed that we were possibly the only two woman in our wave…

Swimmers...

The marshals then told us to enter the uninviting Serpentine. It was a mere 15 degrees celsius and I heard a lot of gasping and moaning from the men as they entered, man up men! I was nervous by how far away the buoys were, this swim looked very daunting and dunking my head to acclimatise, the water was very murky. Vision; poor.  Holding onto the pontoon for over 5 minutes I started getting chilly, plus my arm was aching! The horn blew and we set off, having never done a mass start this scared me and I slowed to the back as the kicking and splashing was making me panic, I then settled into a rhythm; a mixture of breast stroke and front crawl, not the best but at least my head went underwater this time and by 400m in, I was pleased to maintain my front crawl (except when I got kicked!) The swim seemed to go on forever (which it did for me as my time was slow). The run from the swim to the bike was long about 800m, but this was all carpeted so nice on the feet! Juliet had a fantastic swim, she was off like a shot and one of the top competitors out the water.


T1 was a disaster! As I got to my bike, I dried my feet (I know not to do this now, just the thought of wet feet on the bike!) and started the run with my bike to mount. During this run,  a guy decided to throw his wet suit right in front of my bike. Comically, I then tripped over the wetsuit, fell over and wasted time re fixing my shoe to the bike. He got penalised by 2 minutes but this just slowed me down!


The bike course was fantastic, 3 laps, fairly flat and lots of tight technical corners and I grew more confident with each lap. With the closed roads I felt I was flying round and overtaking competitors as I went, finally all those hours sweating it out on the Watt Bike over the winter have started to pay off. I also caught Juliet in the fourth lap just at the end so that spurred me o

Happy Runner!


Bringing it home....

T2 was fairly smooth and the run was two laps around the Serpentine. My legs felt tired on the first lap and I thought I was running very slowly. Lap two - I picked up the pace and started overtaking, coming to the finish there was a great crowd. I’ve never had such an exciting finish with the spectator stand and the speaker calling my name saying I was in the top 10 woman and I sprinted to the end. Having received my results, I am so pleased 7th Lady of the day, 3rd in Age Group and the fasted lady runner of the day. My run was 19th overall (this includes all the men!) I just wanted to finish and am thrilled with these results and my 5k time. If I could just speed up my swim I wouldn’t have to spend the whole race chasing!


Recovery Drink...



I now think I have the triathlon bug and can’t wait for Blenheim next week. This was one of the best organised and most enjoyable races I’ve done and I recommend it to other novices for next year! I’d also like to thank Juliet for being such a great race buddy and Jo for his fantastic cheering on the side lines and photos.