Winter - Training - Changes - The Year Ahead.........Part 2!!

The year to come………………………

This shall be a busy year, so much happened in 2014 and my life totally changed in the space of a couple of months. It’s still crazy to think that this time last year I had not even competed in my first triathlon and now I’m planning a move to triathlon heaven and working my way through the daily training in order to help me achieve next year’s goals.

So next year I have decided to aim big, if I can achieve the silver medal at the age group worlds with no winter training behind me and no real structure to my diet or training, then just think what I will be able to achieve.

I’m starting 2015 with a trip to Majorca this is mainly a cycling week, a week of racing up hill and learning how to descend. I’ve heard that the pro teams often train out there so have already set myself the challenge to hang onto the back of a group in training! I’ve never been on a cycling training camp but shall be using this as my starting point to build speed. Cycling is where I can make my time in a race so the stronger I can get the bigger the gap will be heading into the run.

I’m then going to dabble in a couple of Duathlons! I think that these will be a great way to get a few races in at the start of the year all for fun, but some more serious than others!

I have entered an event called the 2up, with Paul Clucas as my team mate we are going to be ready to smash it. See this is a strange event not like a normal team! See for the whole race we can be no more that 20m apart so it’s about working together and playing off each other’s strengths. For Paul it’s the fireman’s championships for me I just want to smash it! The other morning was spent looking up the competition to date, what’s their past record like?! Who seems to be the weaker of the two?! Yet when the day comes, I know that we will just go for it, the mix of 2 very competitive people shall come flying through. And push us both on.

Ones which will be a bit more serious? Well I have entered Clumber Park with the aim to qualify for the Duathlon Worlds 2015. Although this is not my main aim for the year, I can see it being an amazing way to end the 2015 and would also help to improve my running and cycling for the triathlons, something that can only ever work in your favour.

So my main goals, well it sounds like a lot and it is really but like I mentioned earlier I’ve decided to aim high for the 2015 season. My main goal for the year is to become both European and World Age Group Champion. Sounds like a big ask, but following last year I feel this is achievable. I was only 2 seconds off the gold medal in Edmonton and I’m already seeing my speed increase though the winter! Although I’m going to have to work hard for it and keep pushing the limits, I believe this is achievable and will give it everything I have got in order to get there. Meaning structured training around work, a good balanced diet and plenty of rest/recovery.

I don’t have all the gear and have a long wish list including helmet, tri shoes, wetsuit, TT bike and heart rate monitor. But what I do have is the grit and determination, the ability to keep pushing myself and to learn from races or training sessions when they don’t quite go to plan.

The European Championships will be taking place on the 10th July (http://www.triathlon.org/events/event/2015_geneva_etu_triathlon_european_championships) and the World Championships on the 18th September (http://chicago.triathlon.org/). Two key dates in my diary, the two dates that my training will be aimed at.

But I won’t just be there and there is a road throughout the year that I will travel along in order

to help me improve my racing and judge where I am against my competitors. Following my initial Dualthlons I plan to enter a local sprint event at the start of the year, help to get rid of the cobwebs! With the move I’m unsure where this will be yet but I’m sure there will be many hilly ones to pick from! This will lead me into the first big race of the year – St Neots Sprint Triathlon. This event is a qualifier for the Worlds 2015 and Europeans 2016 as well as being the British Championships. I’ve already qualified for both the Worlds and Europeans next year due to this year’s results. So the plan here is to test where I am, practice my race plan and go for number 1! My goal is to start my 2015 triathlon season by becoming the Sprint distance age group champion.

I then plan to race in the qualification races for the Europeans and worlds at Sprint distance. The main reason is it will allow me to compare my race to a high standard of competitor leading into the big races. I’m also going to race a couple of standard distance races, as I only started in triathlon last year I am unsure what distance will suit me best, with my bike speed it would suggest standard but there is only one way to find out. So I plan to step outside my comfort zone a few times to help me make my decisions and set my goals for 2016!

On top of the age group competition I have managed to get the required times to be able to enter some elite triathlon races with in the UK. My goal here is to compete in the elite series. The thought of being able to line up alongside women that I look up to is incredible and I will do everything in my power to be as fast as I possibly can. The elite races are slightly different, not only are they faster with the highest level of competition. But they are also draft legal, this means that on the bike section of the course you are allowed to draft the bike in front. I’m use to riding on my own and competition in a time trial style so my plan is to join a cycling club to build up my speed and get use to group riding. I can see these being the most incredible experience.

I have also decided to try my hand at a bit of time trialling, with cycling being my strongest discipline I thought it would be good to see where I am, so finding a good spare weekend to race in June I have decided to enter the tour of Cambridgeshire (http://www.tourofcambridgeshire.com/uci_uwct_TT_Time_Trial.php) a qualifier for the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale – the world governing body for cycle sport) UWCT (UCI World Cycling Tour - the amateur world championships where anyone who has qualified can ride for a world championship jersey. You’ve got to be in it to win it! And play to your strengths, if you don’t put your limits you will never know how far you can go!

As a whole I am well into winter training building up my base ready to sharpen up next year, and still loving the sport. How could you ever get bored with 3 different sports to keep improving upon.

2015 Is going to be a big year for me and I can’t wait to get stuck into it. The challenge is there and accepted and the opportunities are there to be grabbed!

I am looking for companies to promote through my blog and advertising on clothing, tri suit as well on social media. If you interested in supporting me on my 2015 journey please contact me though here. Thank you!!

Back to training!

Onwards and Upwards………………………………………….

Winter - Training - Changes - The Year Ahead .......Part 1!!

It’s been a few weeks since I last wrote a blog now and although time seems to have flown by I have no race to write about, although there are still many funny mishaps which have happened along the way! Life seems to have changed so much in the last year, and I continue to try and make every day an adventure and grasp the opportunities.

So training…….!

Swim – Swimming has been awesome since going to the swim for tri (www.swimfortri.co.uk) weekend , I have been in the pool 5 times a week. I learnt a lot over the two days something in which I go into a lot more detail in my last blog, (http://www.stephmottramtriathlete.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/swim-school-weekend-in-loughbrough.html) but as you will be able to see from the video the changes to my stroke in such a short space of time is amazing! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRVkw2IW54A

So with a little help from a friend I am now fully equipped with all my toys and a toy bag! I have become the biggest fan of the pull buoy and paddles - always look forward to getting these on!

Some days I get in and feel like I’m swimming through syrup (I wish at least it would taste better!) other times I feel like some sort of malfunctioning robot with limbs everywhere and very mechanical. But I keep pushing though, concentrate on the drills. Then hey presto it slowly starts to come together. Going through the tough sessions is worth it to get to the good ones, the sessions where I feel like I’m gliding through the water and it all starts to feel effortless.

I’m no Michael Phelps and my arms still spin around like a windmill, but even with this my strokes per length are down by 2 and the number of good days is now out weighing the bad! I now actually know what it is I’m working towards and how I should be swimming. Now I actually get in the pool knowing what I’m aiming for, what all the drills help with and where my biggest priorities are to improve efficiency. I make sure I do at least 3 technical sessions a week, as well as the on your own session from swim for tri. I have now started to redo my swimming test to see if there is any improvement. I was able to do a 400m test in 5min 31seconds. If I compare this to where I was in the summer I spent months trying to improve upon my 5min 58seconds with no success, so with this week’s result I feel epic!! It just shows how much focusing on technique and improving efficiency makes the difference. Winter training is paying off; the continuous steady improvement is there!

Bike – My forte! The bike has been split into many parts as the winter has come and the days have got shorter, meaning that me and Carlos have been unable to get out on the road in the evening. Never the less make the most of what you have, we have been hitting 100k+ every Sunday, getting myself lost a few times has led to finding many new hills and spectacular views in the area!

Having worked more 6 day weeks and travelling up to the north recently the turbo has come in very handy recently. At 4 in the morning I stumble out of bed and jump onto Carlos. For the longer slower sessions I have found Lee Evans DVDs great company, although it turns out that no matter how much your head wants to laugh at the jokes my body is just not capable of it! Leading to me panting like some sort of hyena, what must the neighbours think!

Otherwise I have recently discovered sufferfest, these DVDs are amazing. They really hurt and I finish feeling like there is nothing left in the tank. It’s the best start to the day, although I always have to spend time with the foam roller before heading into work!

I’ve also discovered the Watt bike another awesome tool, it was described to me as the cycling version of a rowing machine – so something that is going to cause a whole world of pain, but give very accurate data to work off and make me a stronger? Correct – it does cause a whole world of pain. I am no expert on a watt bike, and I know there is still a lot more to learn about what it can do, but I have started reading up on this and finding watt bike sessions on line I have started planning these in to my weekly training. I can see this becoming a very important part of my training programme initially to help build the base and then as the racing season approaches to gain strength and speed.

So trying something new – in November I took a much needed rest week, and went on a road trip. Here I was introduced to mountain biking! Amazing!! There was such a massive difference between mountain biking and road biking but I was feeling the results by the end of the week – aching all over! The feeling was great being in the middle of the woods, up and down hills. It was very technically challenging and took me a while to build up confidence, yet the rush was brilliant! I only had one real fall – quite impressive if I do say myself! With Paul stood at the bottom of a downhill section saying keep left. I heard nothing; I was concentrating so much on just holding on and trying to get down. So what way did I go?! Right!! Haha I went down with a right crash! It really hurt and knocked my confidence a bit although this didn’t stop me; I kept going and had some very impressive bruises just about everywhere to show for it. I have found a new way of cross training which I love!

Run – So run training started really well, I had managed to build up the distance hitting a 10-13k run once a week and getting 3 runs in every week. Then at a very strange time it all went a bit pete tong! I had taken a week of rest from running to allow my body to recover and as I got back running for the first time I had a pain in my shin. I have had to back off the running to let it heal but I’ve not let this affect me instead I’ve concentrated on swimming, cycling and core/weights work. I am now managing to get back on it through work I now doing some fartlek work – I shall be back to full strength in now time, it’s just about building it back up slowly and ensure I get the strength and conditioning work done so that I’m able to stabilise myself!

Weight and Core - The sessions which you feel you’re not directly training for the race, yet without them the risk of injury massively increases. I’m currently getting in at least 4 sessions a week, then adding on additional core sessions whenever I have a bit of spare time! I have switched my sessions slightly lowering the weights but increasing the repetitions to help increase endurance. I’m also spending a lot of time on the bosu ball. The idea here is to teach my body to stabilise itself while performing different movements. I have been known to do squats in front of the TV of an evening just because I felt like it. I do regularly hit 1000 squats in a session my favourite exercise!

So what about changes……………………?!

Well at the start of 2015 I shall be venturing out of Buckinghamshire, the place in which I have grown up! I have got a new job and will be moving to Yorkshire – the land of hills, cycling (road and mountain) trail running and beautiful scenery. But not just any part of Yorkshire – Hebden Bridge a place where the only way to get out is up a hill! The second I was offered the job I knew it had my name written all over it and that I would be stupid to turn it down. You have to take

the opportunities when they come your way!

So will my training change?! Well I want to make sure that I make the most of my surroundings! The plan is to cycle to work which will be 8 miles of pure hill reps! Then leave work to hit the countryside on either the bike or running. The facilities are brilliant and I have the choice of many different 25m pools within 15mins and with a 50m pool just up the road in Leeds I already to plan to make the most of this! I also plan to join both a triathlon club and cycling club in the north something which I have not really been able to do here, but I believe the additional team spirit and knowledge it will really help to push me forward in the world of triathlon!

I know that I will get lost many a time while out running and cycling in the beginning but I can’t wait, I think this will be the perfect place of me to build upon the training I have done so far, plus if you can do it on a hill in rubbish weather, you can do it on any course in any race conditions.

It’s a massive step into the unknown, but one that I’m very excited about. A start of a new chapter in my life – the perfect way to start 2015 a year which will be full of exploring, training, racing and grabbing opportunities which come my way.

Onwards and Upwards..............................

Swim school - A Weekend in Loughborough! 🏊

It’s the 24^th October and the weekend has finally arrived I was travelling up to Loughborough ready for the Swim for Tri technical weekend and I was very excited. Although I have been told that whatever I was doing in the water was working, I still want to improve, I know my technique was and still is very unique and I didn’t have a clue how to improve it! Next year I don’t what to be up there as I’m exiting the swim; I want to be first out the swim, set myself up to smash the bike! So having returned from Canada and with the advice of Simon I booked on to the Technique course. Meeting up with some of the equally crazy guys that I had met in Canada I knew it was going to be a good weekend.

Arriving at the pool, with maybe not quite as much sleep as what I should have had! I instantly saw that it was an amazing venue, 50m pool (although the wall was up in the middle at first!!) With many elite swimmers training there, it was the perfect place to be to allow myself to zone into swimming and spend the weekend learning as much as possible. I didn’t have a clue what to expect, but I was hoping that my stroke would be pulled to pieces and that many areas of improvement would be found. Wanting to take 75 seconds off my swim, I needed as much as possible to take away and work with.

Sitting in the weights room, it became clear very quickly that Dan had what seemed like an endless amount of knowledge and he spoke with such passion. At that point I knew that I would be able to get a lot out of this weekend. He started to explain the stroke in such depth, yet broke it down so it was very easy to understand. I had never thought about the stroke in this way before and now I was ready to get into the water and get going – but first a load of pool side exercises to get warmed up for a swim??!! I can only imagine the sort of looks I will be getting completing these on pool side at Nuffield of an evening. I’m sure it will give many a great laugh! But if it helps make me better and therefor faster I’m up for it!

Standing on pool side ready to get in there was a sea of brilliant multi coloured swimsuits/jammers, the award for most awesome jammers has to go to Paul though, those puzzles ones are brilliant!!

Jumping in the pool the first session was spent on body position and the kick. I did not realise just how much of a difference what feels like a slight movement can make to the whole stroke. Completing exercises where you watched someone else swim and perform kick was really interesting and gave me the chance to give feedback. Which was excellent as it meant I was learning how it should actually look. We finished the session with some filming; swimming along for my lengths I thought ‘I’m already better than an hour ago!’

Grabbing a Starbucks on route we were ready to watch our videos back. Everyone swam so different, some much more elegant than others. I would have to put myself in the not so elegant category as I watched my arms spin round, which would later lead to the new nickname – The windmill. I was glad to see how all over the place my stroke was, this will give me a lot to improve upon. But still I could not believe just how different I was swimming compared to what my head was saying I looked like! I really was a swinger, with my arms practically taking up the whole lane as I swam – almost a single armed butterfly!

With Becky taking us through some exercises to help with stability and movement in the water, we learned an exercise with what can only be described as having the best name ever! The bird dog, hoping that we would find out it was something different online later that night lead to a few good laughs!

Heading back into the water for the second swim, knowing what I now looked like and what it should be really helped. I was spending my whole time focusing on rotation and the kick, mixing up the drills really helped too, it was already starting to come together and I could see how it would fit into the full stroke.

Chill out time! It’s amazing how much swimming takes out of you even if you’re not going full pace and after a day in the pool, using different muscles I was tired! Yet following a couple of relaxing hours back at the hotel it was time to head out for dinner with a few of the equally crazy/like minded guys! We ended up in a Loughborough style Nandos. It was not the fastest service but did give me chance to make full use of the unlimited diet coke! And the chilli chips were amazing!! Only to be out done but the warm cookie dough with ice cream, something which I may need to re produce at home one evening! It was good to spend dinner talking to people with the same interests and share experiences from over the past year (while researching bird dog!). After dinner we found a bar with a really nice/quirky upstairs. Great place to continue chatting and share experiences over a cocktail (or manly beer!!), it is the off season after all time to enjoy the things I will give up in the new year to help me achieve my goals. Plus I think I bit of bad is good for you in moderation!

Day 2 came and with an extra hour in bed I thought there would be no issues making the 10.30 start, but munching my way through the fruit and yogurt at breakfast at 10.15 I was glad that the hotel was only a couple of minutes’ drive away!

Watching the video analysis back from the afternoon before I could already see such an improvement in my stroke. I gave me great confidence and a massive boost to keep pushing forward. If I can see that much of a difference in a few hours, imagine the difference over weeks/months.

I spent the rest of the day, trying to gain as much knowledge as possible. With new drills being introduced all the time, I knew there would be a lot to work on when I got home, but this was something that excited me and was the exact reason I had booked onto the course in the first place. We spent some time looking at the catch too, and didn’t even use a pull buoy?! Yet it all made perfect sense and I could now see what it was that I needed to aim for to create a more efficient stroke.

Having finished the course and been given my own individual drills to work on it was time to head home. It had been a brilliant weekend learning new skills, gaining a lot of knowledge and spending time with amazing determined likeminded people. Driving home I was so excited to keep practicing what I had learnt so much so I could not resist as short pool session (with drills!) Monday night! I would recommend this course to everyone! The amount of knowledge I have gained in such a short space of time is amazing, it has given me the tools I needed to improve my swimming.

I am now more determined than ever to keep practicing/training/working hard towards my goals. I am a strong believer that you get out what you put in and now is the perfect time to get the winter training in (which I didn’t have for last season!) and improve my technique. Next year is achievable but the hard works starts now to get there. I am very focused and will always look to keep pushing those limits……………….

Next stop, learn to run!!!

So now I'm a Triathlete??!!! - An Overview of the 2014 Racing Season

120k bike this morning, I'm soaked and its official winter training has begun and I’m going to be very sore it the morning! 2014 racing season has gone so fast seems only yesterday I was standing next to the pool in Abingdon waiting to start my first triathlon. A Little did I know at this point that the race I was about to compete it would change the path I was on and be the start of an incredible journey which is still only just beginning.

An event which I really enjoyed despite not having a clue what I was doing, transition how hard could it be??!!  Not quite so straight forward I thought, as I found myself flying backwards into a poor unsuspecting man trying to put my socks on, Sorry!! Or as I ran back into T2 with 1 shoe on the bike and a 1 on my foot, a few funny looks from the spectators were coming my way! Yet despite all of this I still managed to cross the line as the 1^st woman. Munching away on the Easter egg we were given at the end I started thinking this is what I want to do, how good could I become??!!!

My love for triathlons grew over night entering another. And as the time came to compete in my 2^nd triathlon I was filled with excitement. Watching everyone around me get ready for the race I was soaking up the atmosphere. Picking up hints and tips from other competitors, I got myself ready…….. If I can do one thing better this time that would be amazing, continuous improvement was what I was going for. And staying upright in transition I was over the moon, even more excited to find out I had finished 2^nd – amazing!!

Subscribing to 220 triathlon magazine and joining England Triathlon was the next step, I just wanted to learn as much as possible. This is where I saw it Age Group Worlds qualification races and there is one in 10days time………….

Reading on all I could think about was the incredible experience that was representing Great Britain in Rowing back in 2006/07, what if I could do this again. Visit amazing places; meet brilliant determined people while competing in a sport I enjoyed.

So I entered the Big Triathlon in Nottingham, it was a qualifier for both the Worlds 2014 and Europeans 2015. The plan to see where I came so I could see how much work would need to be done to qualify at the Big Cow event in September for the Europeans 2015. I gave it everything, with what can only be described as a comical race, involving falling over on the run and rolling around on the exit ramp from the swim. I had no idea that I was 1^st to cross the line in my age group – I had qualified for be Worlds 2014 and Euros 2015. Unbelievable, bring it on I thought!

I better get myself a bike……….!!!

Having been riding on poor old clunker, a bike which was too big, that you could hear me coming from a mile away with all the squeaks coming from him. It was time to invest; I didn’t have a clue on bikes still don’t now! So I put my trust into the guys at Boutique Cycles, and what an amazing job they did. When the day finally came to pick him up I was so excited, Carlos was and still is an incredible bike to ride. And following the advice given to me by Dave I was ready to go practice my new cycling position, I felt like I was flying!!

With only a short space of time between qualifying and racing in Edmonton I put everything into training. I added more structure and started to time myself during sessions. Changing my diet, making the 90min round trip to the lake, running across the fields and taking Carlos out whenever possible this had become my new lifestyle. One which I was enjoying more and more by the day, I felt like I was back to my old competitive self. My motivation and drive increased by the day, I wanted to be a fast as possible in Edmonton. I wanted to push myself and see what is possible in a couple of months.

So as you may have seen from my previous blogs Edmonton was an incredible experience. One which I was lucky enough to get to share with some amazing likeminded people all of whom achieved great things during that weekend. Travelling out there I would dream of getting a medal but never thought I would be able to achieve it after being in the sport for 5months. So returning with the Silver medal was unbelievable and has driven me forward…….. next year I will be the one in the centre of the podium, I will drive myself to be the best that I can possibly be. With what will be a full years training behind me, I know I can become the World Champion.

So what did I learn this year…………. More that I could ever list, and I know I will continue to learn. I’m sure I will make many more mistakes along the way but as long as I can learn from these I will become a better, stronger and rounded athlete.

 My top 5 learning points:

1.       Always make sure that I have applied body glide or Vaseline before racing and training, the chaff marks and neither pretty nor comfortable!

2.       Nail taking feet out of shoes before trying it in the race, my poor north wave Tri shoes will never be the same again since bouncing along the road for at least 300m!

3.        Kick your legs really hard in the last 100m of the swim; this is to get the blood back into them! And means your legs will stand up upon exiting the water!

4.       Use elastic laces, but make sure they are done up before racing!

5.       Give the bike a last check over before starting the race, just think what you could do when the brakes are not on nor the handlebar pointing to the ground!

Most memorable moments from 2014:

1.       Edmonton – the whole experience, but especially being told in the age group village I had medalled and collecting my medal at the closing ceremony. No words could describe the sense of achievement and excitement I felt that weekend. Getting share the experience with some amazing triathletes all of whom I’ve learnt so much from and I’m sure will continue to learn from in the future.

2.       Crossing the finish line at my first ever triathlon Try Tri Abingdon – I had completed the race! The Easter egg was great too!!

3.       Running into an empty transition for T2 at my first standard distance race – I was winning??!!!

4.       Nailing T1 at big cow, getting my feet in the shoes while they were already on the bike!

5.       Overtaking a male age grouper on the bike at the Thames Turbo Sprint Tri – only my 2^nd triathlon. I didn’t know they were an Age Grouper at the time, so was telling everyone I had beaten a man with his name on his bum!!!

Moving forward I am now looking to the future and training hard. My goals………….well I am pushing myself to become the 2015 Age World, Euro and British Champion.

To help me achieve this I am currently looking sponsors and support for the 2015 season. I am completely self-funded at the moment and am looking for funds to help with training, technique courses, kit, equipment, race fees and travel. I have set up a Go Fund Me page (www.gofundme.com/stephmottramtri) to help with this which can be found on the right hand side of my blog, where I can also be contacted. I am able to promote companies through my blog, social media and on my kit. Any support will help enable me to complete the training I need as well as travel to and compete events. This in turn will allow me to develop as an athlete and achieve my goals for 2015.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me this year and moving into 2015, there are too many names to mention but you are all amazing - keep pushing those limits ..................

My First Standard Distance Triathlon - HOWSC 100

3:30am on Sunday 28th September and my alarm is going off, you really are a nutter Steph!! Ready to get up and out to travel down to the New Forest for the HOWSC 100 triathlon. It was only about 10 days earlier that I had received an email asking if I was excited for the event. Having totally forgotten that I had been given a free entry into the event I thought to myself ….Well I am now!!

The preparation of getting out the door was the same as always, although this triathlon was not like the rest. Today I was getting ready to compete in my 1st standard distance (or slightly longer!!) triathlon. I’m only really just settling into the world of triathlon, and am still learning every time I do a sprint triathlon. Yet today I was going to step a little further out of my comfort zone and see what I could achieve.

Arriving at the race venue after a couple of hours drive there was a really welcoming atmosphere, with all of the stalls/registration/transition in a reasonable small space, the excitement of competing really hit home. A quick trip to the porter loo and I was ready to get going!!!

I was back to my normal self today, very focused and walking around the venue I was visualising how I wanted to push myself. I didn’t really know what to expect having never done a 10k race before let alone at the end of a tri so I knew this would challenge me. I love a challenge……CHALLENGE accepted!! I knew I was just going to give it my all as see what happens.

I started to set up my transition area the same as always, I got my elastic bands on my shoes to keep them upright on the bike – I nailed the transition 1st time at big cow now to do it again!!There was just one difference today I knew that in a 2 hour race I would need some form of energy/nutrition. So having practiced with it in training I had chosen Cliff shot gel – Raspberry and taping it to my bike I hoped I had picked well. But with it being my first shot I will soon find out!

Before getting my wetsuit on I had a couple of minutes to have a quick look at the lake, as I wondered over I noticed a short steep climb – now that’s a bit mean to have on the run to transition! Good job hills are my speciality! Little did I know that it was also part of the run course that I would have to complete 4 times!

Another quick toilet stop and I was ready to suit up. Vaseline at the ready, although today again was slightly different. I’m a big fan of Vaseline when racing and today I decided to cover my feet in it too. I was starting the day with bad blisters and had heard a rumour. So as I always say – try anything twice! So shoes filled with Talcum Powder, feet covered in Vaseline I was ready to go!

Normally at the start of the swim it feels like a mass scrum and everyone is on top of each other to get the best spot. But here for some reason everyone was really polite, maybe it’s something to do with the New Forest?!!! There was quite a big area for us to line up in and I managed to get myself floating at the front a brilliant line for the 1st buoy. Then came the 20 second countdown – 20 seconds??!! 19,18 ,17…… This felt like it was going on forever, yet it soon came around ….2,1 and I was off.

One of the best starts I’ve ever had. Knowing that I was doing 1500m I wanted to settle into my rhythm as fast as possible, and by the time I hit the first buoy I was there! The swim seemed to fly by I felt really strong pushing through the water – not elegant looking I’m sure, but never the less I was 2nd out of the water. Again not an elegant exit fumbling around on the stones on the bottom, my legs didn’t seem to want to stand up – so I went for what I guess was a bit of a bear crawl as I rolled myself up the bank!

Heading into transition I saw the number 1 swimmer at his bike, out before him. I was leading this! Only one problem I must have knocked my cycling shoes when taking it off the rack and it was now dangling upside down. Jumping on the bike I flipped the shoe with my foot and it went in 1st time?!! Not even sure how I did that but I had nailed it again!! Awesome!!! I was of on the cycle…..

 The cycle was a very challenging course with a lot of steep uphill’s followed by narrow windy single track road descents. I was enjoying the challenge, pushing up each hill, it’s strange to look back now and think that one lap would be all I would normally do. Hitting the 2nd lap I now knew what to expect and wanted to push on even more. I had taken on my energy gel on lap 1 and now just wanted to focus on driving forward with every push/pull of the pedal. I was not going to be caught….

Arriving back to an empty transition was a great feeling, I headed towards the bright coloured towel and grabbed my shoes, I was off 4laps of the course to do. Another very challenging run with some on fields and the other on trails and filled with hills. The marshals were amazing and full of support; they seemed so excited every time I ran passed. Little did I know that I was half way round my 2nd lap of the run course before the next woman started the run.

A wise man had told me to negative split my run – good plan I thought, let’s do it! Well my nutrition plan had not gone quite as well as hoped and on lap 1 I saw my gel again. Well at least that should be over and done with now, and there is no excuse not to run faster on lap 2 now! So I pushed on and lap 2 felt great. Although on lap 3 disaster – not again I thought, this must be the lot this time! So again I pushed on. By the time lap 4 came I was working really hard, picking off different trees, tables, corners and hills as I made my way round the course. I dug in deep and powered up the steep incline taking me back to the transition area one last time. Every step hurt more than the last but this drove me forward, and made me want to push even harder. In my head I felt like a cheetah speeding towards the line, not quite the case I’m sure! Crossing the line there really was nothing left, yet I instantly felt great. Even with a few minor issues within the race I had loved every second!

The results were amazing too; I was 3rd overall and 1st out of the women but 13 minutes, with 2nd place having qualified to do standard distance in Geneva. Standard race No.1 – Smashed it!!!

Am I a standard distance convert? I’m not sure yet I guess only time will tell! I think with the right training I could be better suited to the standard distance as more of an endurance event! Although my main aim is to keep pushing my limits and see just how far I can go. Where the next few years will take me I don’t know, but I will work hard and push myself to be the best I possibly can be.

Big Cow Sprint - European Qualifier September 2014

Arriving in Milton Keynes at the Big Cow event after an early start and hours’ drive to the race venue, I knew my preparation had not been as structured as normal, in fact at points it felt like I had just been trying to push the puzzle pieces in anywhere.

I had only returned from Canada 10 days earlier and having already qualified for the Europeans next year I didn’t have to race, but I could not resist the draw of the competition as others around me entered. Normally walking to a race I would be in my own zone, visualising my race and in all honesty being anti-social. Yet arriving here the excitement from Edmonton came flooding back, and sharing stories with competitors around me seemed to be the theme of the morning.

Walking into transition was strange everything seemed so much smaller, not surprising really but it was another step back into reality. Racking my bike I continued to chat away, I knew I was in a totally different place to normal, I was still buzzing from the weeks before it was as if nothing was going to knock me off my perch.

I had decided that I would try with my shoes already on the bike today so filling them with endless amounts of talcum powder. I attached the elastic bands – yellow of course so Carlos was matching. Looking at them at this point I was visualising how I would do this. I knew that today was the perfect opportunity to practice – what was the worst that could happen?! The mixture of trying a new process and not having my normal structure meant that I totally missed out giving my bike a finial once over something which I would later come to regret!

I put my running shoes down ready on top of my bright towel anything to make recognising my area easier! I knew my feet were going to suffer today; I had been suffering with bad blisters ever since I got home, yet once in the zone of racing I knew I would get through without a second thought.

Getting my wetsuit on I covered myself in Vaseline, something I maybe should not announce to the world but anything to make it easier to get it off though T1 and to prevent Chaffing. A wetsuit rash on the neck is like being 14 again with the endless amount of love bite jokes!

I wondered down to the start feeling very relaxed and listening to the brief for the wave before mine, I felt myself start to slip back into my normal focused self. I was able to see the whole swim course and visualise where it was that I need to go, it seems quite straight forward with only a couple of turns – Great! At this point I was excited and looking forward to being able to push my body to its limits again.

Watching the wave before mine go off I realised just how much a scrum it was so knew it would be important to pick my starting spot well. So getting into the water I swam out about 100m, I wanted to be one of the last back to the start so I could be at the front and pick my line. I’ve only had one other experience of a start like this before and that was at qualifiers – what a disaster!! I was not expecting the mass scrum which you get and found myself goggle less within the first 200m, feeling so disorientated by the end of the swim I went to stand up but my legs were not expecting this and I was straight back down again – SPLASH!! Rolling around on the exit ramp like a fish out of water, great for spectators or you’ve been framed!!

Anyway lessons learnt! I have my new goggles on nice and tight and am aiming for the front, so I don’t end up with my face as a kick bag! I lined myself up with the first buoy and could see where my swim would take me, and the countdown started. 5, 4, 3, 2………. Everyone was already starting to move but never the less we were off.

Another round of fisty cuffs as I tried to get some clear water around me. I have found that even though the beginning strokes are not as good as you would like, leave it behind and look for the next one. My focus is always what I need to do next not what I’ve just done, you can’t change the past but you can improve upon it. Moving around the first buoy was a tight squeeze though once past this the race seemed to spread out. I had not managed to get myself into the lead group amongst the initial scrum but I still had my goggles and was focusing on pushing on with every stroke, being at the front of the second group I could concentrate on me!

Exiting the water and heading into T1, I got my wetsuit off with ease and putting on my helmet I was ready to try getting my shoes on while on the bike. I ran out totally focused and as I crossed the mount line jumped on, and then pause. I took a split second to think about what I needed to do next line both my feet up with the shoes and right foot, left foot..... I had nailed it both feet were in! I was ready to smash the bike; this was my chance to get some distance between me and the rest of the field. The aim was not just to get in front but to overtake as many of the men from the wave in front as possible. The bike was not a bad ride, my legs felt like they were working hard but I was keeping the cadence high. I was just not flying; normally I would feel unstoppable on the bike as if no one has a chance. And after the race I would find out why……… I had ridden the whole course with my front brake on! Lesson learnt! We all make mistakes but I believe as long as you can learn from these and move forward you will become a stronger, faster more knowledgeable person, and long term this will help make me the champion I am driven to become.

On the positive side I had learnt from my dismount in Canada, and coming into transition I composed myself Velcro undone, one foot at a time ….. Smashed it both feet on top of the shoes, I can see the dismount line and bring my leg over the saddle. I hit the ground running, counting the rows intransition I headed for my shoes. The transition was even one of the fastest I’ve ever done at 38 seconds, I did feel in control with my shoes off and on the bike. I was very composed.

Running out of transition I could see the water station not able to drink while running I see it as a great opportunity to throw it over my head! Cool down a bit and I was away. Running round the lake was very scenic, and as before I was very focused on my own race and pushing forward with every step. At the half way point on the run I was feeling good, knowing that I was on the second half I upped the pace, but then I could hear someone coming behind me, it sounded like a train moving at speed. I kept pushing but didn’t seem to have any more speed in my legs. Past they came. Trying to hold onto her was a whole world of pain the way she moved was effortless. As much as I kept pushing we were with the last 1000m and I didn’t have the legs to get back up with her.

Still crossing the finish line I knew that I had given my all, and then it hit me as I tried to step forward the pain in my feet left me hobbling like as if I was trying to walk across hot coals.

I stayed and waited for everyone to finish, knowing that I had come 2^nd female overall and 1^st in my Age Group I felt that was a good result 10 days after worlds and with my crazy preparation. Although disappointed to have been caught so close to the end I knew that I would be able to learn from this race and move forward. Plus I had worked hard and given it my all!

Alice, Kirsty and Andy congratulations on qualifying for Geneva next year – I will see you there! Congratulations also to Lindsey for winning his age group and to Paul for taking a minute off your time in just 6 weeks, I shall keep my fingers crossed for you!

Competing here was good place to end my sprint triathlon season. I now need 2 hands to count the number of triathlons have done! And would never have imagined I could achieve so much in such a short space of time. I will still be racing at standard distance triathlon and a duathlon over the next few weeks before disappearing off into winter training, to become stronger, faster and fitter (plus learn to swim and run!!) ready for next year………