End of season races

After more than a few injuries and niggles I decided to race at Miami 70.3. I swam and ran well at the race with my first non wetsuit swim ever and my fastest run split yet (1.17) and was pleased to finish on the podium in 3rd. After that I returned to our base in Cozumel to prepare for Ironman Arizona. I picked up yet another niggle at Miami which was actually a biking problem so prep wasn't perfect but I headed in to the race and was ready to do what I could on the day. Arizona wasn't a great race for me, I swam well for the first 1900m then I went backwards and it wasn't until the last 21k of the marathon many hours later that I felt good again. Things were really not going my way especially on the bike. I made it to the end of the bike thinking I wouldn't be able to run at all and the plan was to get of and run as far as I could. I felt surprisingly OK on the run and my hip which was really bothering me on the bike wasn't a problem. At the 21k mark I felt I could up the pace so I just kept pushing and managed to run in to 6th place. I was a bit disappointed with my performance but I was happy to end my season there and to get off for a nice little holiday in the USA.  It was really nice to relax at the end of a long season  and I experienced my first proper Thanksgiving Day with Craig and Renne (our amazing homestay for Ironman Arizona) before returning home to the cold winter. I didn't do any proper training during the holiday but did manage to go on a little Thanksgiving Day mountain bike adventure which was rather eventful and included falling off, getting lost in the desert and getting part of a cactus stuck in my hand. Some of the cactus is still in there so I think it will be a while before I’m mountain biking again.

In early December I returned home and continued to take my rest period very seriously, I think it’s really important to take some time off at the end of the season to recharge the batteries and reset the mind in preparation for next season. Although I had had a month off I did manage to get roped in to a 3 mile x country race when I returned home, with no training it was actually pretty painful!  After that I very gradually I started to get back in to training.

Moving Forward

The past year has been quite an adventure for me. In January last year I joined team TBB and headed off for my first year as a full time athlete. I wasn’t sure what to expect, I had very little money and it was a risk to leave the security of having a job to fall back on. I went to Lanzarote where Bella and Stephen oversaw most of my training at Sands Beach resort. It was a really good introduction to the team and good preparation before heading to Switzerland to where Brett is based. Switzerland was another amazing place to train and a very convenient location for getting to races all over Europe. The training was tough and fun and it was great to have Brett there on poolside every morning and the squad to train with. I raced a lot over the summer in Europe before heading out to Cozumel, Mexico another team training base. I got back in to some training and did a couple more races in the USA before the end of my very long season.

I have had an excellent year with TeamTBB and am extremely grateful that I had the opportunity to be a part of the team and to work with Brett. When Brett decided to leave the team I was left with some decisions to make about how to move forward in 2014. I decided that the best option for me was to move on from the team and from Brett. There are a lot of changes happening right now and I will reveal more soon.  

Switzerland was an amazing place to spend the summer and it was absolutely perfect for training with the squad and for travelling to races. It was an amazing experience to train with Brett and Team TBB in Leysin, I learned lot and I loved every minute. The terrain was perfect for challenging biking and running and the Swiss summer weather was just ideal not to mention the amazing chocolate. Even the Mars Bars taste better there! 
 

At the end of the summer I drove back to Ireland from Switzerland. I don’t get home very often so it was great 
to see my family  and also to pick up my new Cervelo which Wheelworx bike shop kindly built up for me. I
had been struggling with an injury since mid-July so this was a perfect opportunity get it checked out.  It turned out that it wasn’t as big a problem as suspected so I was happy that I could start to get back in to some proper training and excited that I could plan a few more races to finish off the season.  Although I kept up some light and unstructured training when I was it home it was good to have a short break to refresh my mind and body before heading out to Cozumel, Mexico to train with Brett and the team. 


I had heard a lot about Cozumel so I knew a little bit about what to expect. When I arrived it was hot and humid but I soon got used to it. Cozumel is a very special place and I really couldn’t believe that I was actually training in such a beautiful location. Welcoming people, beautiful beaches, warm see and sunshine…. I had to pinch myself on my first rides here to make sure it was real. 


I was feeling mentally refreshed and ready to get back in to training but I was eased back in to it nice and slowly I gradually started to run again and just as things began to pick up and I got sick so I was out for another few days. This meant that I had to miss out on an epic birthday track session for one of the guys which I wasn’t happy about though I was assured I could make up for it another time. At that time I was thinking about racing
Miami 70.3 but after struggling again with yet another niggle I thought I wouldn’t race but in the end I decided I would go and call it a training day for Ironman Arizona in November. 

From Ironman 70.3 Zell Am See, Austria on Sunday the 1st of September to the tough Half Ironman at Gerardmer, France on Saturday the 6th of September 

Day 1 MONDAY

Usually I sleep quite well after a race but this time I didn't sleep much at all and woke up with some very sore legs and an extremely sore foot (from the injury I have been dealing with for some time). Packed up had breakfast which was a great hotel buffet breakfast (with lots of eggs) and headed off on my 8 hour drive back to Leysin. The journey actually took a total of 10 hours with a lunch stop and a lot of traffic. I wore some Compressport compression socks and For Quads for the whole drive and used my Firefly devices any time I was stopped or in traffic and when I got back home. I arrived in Leysin late in the evening, had a light dinner, got a fairly early night and slept really well.

Day 2 TUESDAY

When the alarm went off at 6.45 I really didn’t want to get up but I dragged myself out of bed and headed to the pool for the  usual 7.30 swim start.  I swam for just over an hour with a few sprints to loosen up the body.  My legs are not as stiff and sore as yesterday but they are still much more painful than usual after a race though this time it’s just muscle soreness which is much better than the muscle fatigue you  sometimes feel after an Ironman. I set up the bike that I will be racing on at the weekend (a road bike) and headed off for a short bike session to see how the feel on the bike. My legs felt a little sore and tired then in the evening I went for an easy recovery ride to spin the legs out and got another early night.

Day 3 WEDNESDAY

Up for swimming as usual this time around 4k of mostly 400’s then out on the bike around one of our regular loops from Leysin which is around 3 hours and has a few decent climbs. I rode easy, my legs didn’t feel too bad but I didn’t want to test them too much. There is still a lot of muscle soreness so just getting up the climbs was enough for them. In the afternoon I went for a 30 minute water run (I run in the shallow end of the pool with shoes on). This didn’t feel  great, my calves ached and my quads were screaming with fatigue but this eased a little and in the evening I went for a massage which really helped.  Right now I am wondering how I am going to do a tough half ironman at the weekend!

Day 4 Thursday

Last night was a really bad night, I woke up with bad stomach cramps and feeling very sick. I went to swimming as usual hoping I would feel OK but this didn’t help and I had to get out after a very short time in the water. I was going to do a water run before heading to Gerardmer but fell asleep instead and when I woke it was time to get on the road. I think my sleep helped as I felt a little better on the drive. I arrived early evening, didn’t make it out for dinner as I didn’t feel like eating so had and Ignite Naturals shake instead and went to bed but again didn’t sleep well.

Day 5 Friday

Pre-race day suffering a little with the same symptoms as yesterday but managed to eat a decent breakfast and went to the expo to pick up a few gels for the race. Spoke to the Sailfish Wetsuits guys who recognised me from Ironman Zell am See and lent me a wetsuit for the race as I haven’t been feeling comfortable in my own wetsuit lately.  I did a short bike and swim, my legs are actually feeling ok but I am still wondering whether I will be able to start tomorrow as I’m am having a lot of problems with my stomach and don’t seem to be keeping much nutrition in me. Fingers crossed I’ll be on the startline tomorrow. I managed to eat normally at dinner which is a good sign.

Day 6 Saturday (race day)

Woke up feeling the same as I have for the past two days so wasn’t feeling very up for racing. Went to breakfast and managed 2 scrambled eggs a black coffee and a cup of tea.  Had a lay down after breakfast which helped me to feel a little better. Started to feel a better on the way to the swim start.

RACE

Swim- a battering session at the start to first bouy, found feet but lost them when I got dunked by another female athlete.  The trial Sailfish Attack wetsuit felt pretty good!

Bike- it felt like the whole world was coming past on the first lap, I kept trucking on by myself. Alexandra Louison (and a friend of hers, a man who she seemed to be biking with for the whole race) came past me at the start of the second lap, I bike with her for a while and tried to get away a few times but her and her friend just kept catching back up so it was wasted effort for me. It began to rain on one of the last climbs of the last lap and it seemed to revitilise me. I got a gap, passed another girl and got to transition in 3rd.

Run – I began running at my normal pace and was instantly catching the leaders. Before the end of lap 2 I had the lead and soon after the wheels came off and I was struggling to keep it going. I pushed but had nothing, Louison passed me near the end and Tamsin sprinted to catch me right on the line… we have the same chip time but she got 2nd.  Very frustrating for me as running is usually my strength and today it’s where I lost the race. Feeling quite disappointed but I guess after the week I have had its not that bad. 


NEXT

Gerardmer was my last race in Europe for this season. The plan is to pack up in Leysin, drive back home to Ireland (where I will finally get my TT bike which has kindly been built up by Wheelworx bike shop) and go out to Cozumel to train hard on the swim and bike while my foot injury recovers. I have been told to bring 2 pairs of bike shoes because I will be biking so much I will need them!! 

It was late on the Wednesday evening when the thought of racing at the weekend popped in to my head. Without much thought I entered Ironman 70.3 Salzburg at Zell Am See. I had no idea how far away it was or how I would get there and I didn’t know anything about the course but once I had entered I felt really relaxed about it all and was excited to be racing.  It was totally unplanned, just over two weeks after Embrunman and I had done no real run training since late July so I was happy to go with the flow and see how things would play out on the day.

I checked the course profile and it looked fairly flat which is not my usual type of race course but I saw it was a different type of challenge and a nice change. Ritchie kindly lent me his Cervelo P3 Time Trial bike for the race. I hadn’t ridden it before but I managed to set it up in a fairly comfortable position and of course I put my own green bar tape on it. I took it for a spin the day before the race and it felt good. For some reason I couldn’t shift from the small ring to the big ring and after a long time with the mechanics trying to fix I decided that I would just keep it in the big ring for the entire race.

Zell am See is a really beautiful area and a great place to have a race but considering that the lake was surrounded by mountains on all sides it seemed strange that the bike course was completely flat. At the time I was wishing that they would take us in to the mountains on the bike but I guess it’s good to test yourself on different types of bike courses and with the weather we got on race day it was definitely better to be on a flat course. It was a lovely surprise to hear that the race didn’t start until 10am. Considering that my last race started at 5.50 am in complete darkness the late start was a real treat. It meant a nice lay in and breakfast at a normal time before heading to the race start.

The swim was fine for me, nothing special but I just did what I could and came out of the water in about 6th or 7th position.  When we exited the water it was raining heavily and as I ran through transition I was thinking about the arm warmers  I had in my transition bag but for some reason I decided not to put them on.  I was regretting that decision at some points in the race as it didn’t stop raining and was quite cold but I stayed focused on the job which seemed to keep me a little warmer. The start of the course had a lot of corners through some smaller streets and it was very slippy. I saw a couple of people fall so decided to play it safe on the corners and not take any risks. I biked most of the first lap fairly steadily then pushed on for the second lap. Although I’m not used to riding flat courses like this but I actually enjoyed it even in the rain. I got to transition with a fairly decent bike split and in 4th position just over 3 minutes from the lead although I had no clue what position I was in or what the time gaps were at that time.

So on to the run which would be an unknown for me as my run training leading in to the race and in fact since late July has been pretty much non-existent due to a foot injury. I started at what I thought was a fairly strong pace and though I didn’t feel great my legs felt quite strong. There were a few turn  points where you spot other competitors and I could see that 3rd wasn’t too far away so I had my first target in sight (Rahel Kung the super swimmer who held on to take a brilliant 4th). Then I moved up to second but there was no sign of 1st. No time gaps, no one telling me where the leader was or that I might be able to catch her so I presumed that she must have been way out in front and that I was probably running for a comfortable 2nd place. I thought I heard someone shout 5 minutes as I started my 2nd lap and that didn’t really fill me with confidence.  I kept running and looking for the lead bike of the first lady but it was nowhere to be seen. I knew it had to be one of 2 girls either Sam Warriner or Eva Wutti, (the Austrian who recently became the 3rd fastest lady ever over the iron distance in 8h73).  As I was starting my last lap someone shouted 2 minutes you can catch her and instantly the chase was on. I have never pushed like that in a race before. All I could think was run as hard as you can and see where it gets you. So I literally gritted my teeth and pushed on as hard as I could. Then suddenly I could see the lead bike in front of me it was still pretty far away but I could see it and it was getting closer and closer. At the furthest turn point I could see I had gained a lot of time in just 3k and I thought I might be able to do it if I could keep that going. I dug deep forgetting about anything but catching the girl in blue just ahead of me. I was breathing so hard and talking to myself that I’m sure I frightened a few people on the course and with 2k to go I took the lead from Eva Wutti. I didn’t want to look back, I just kept running to the line and it was quite a relief to cross it. (I must apologise to the English man who I quite forcefully shoulder barged just after I took the lead… Sorry!!)


So it seems that the terrible weather was a great for the Irish as Gavin Noble won the men’s race in his first ever 70.3. It was great to see him on the run and it was something that helped give me that extra push I needed at the end when things were getting tough.  My last minute random decision turned out to be a good one and I am really glad I raced in Austria last weekend.

After the 10hr trip back to Leysin on Monday I had 2 days of training and then packed up the car again to head to my next race in France which is on Saturday. Two races in one week is not something I have done before so it will be interesting to see how things go over the tough course at Geraradmer Triathlon this weekend! 

Embrunman in the beautiful little French town of Embrun is one of those races that should be on everyone’s bucket list. It is said to be one of the toughest iron distance races in the world and it certainly lives up to its reputation.  The swim starts in pitch darkness, the 188k bike through the mountains has over  3800 metres  of climbing and some of those are killer climbs including Col d’Izoard. The marathon run is hot and hilly and the pro prize money is much better than your average race (HOWEVER, there is a very frustrating inequality in prize money for men and woman!) This was the 30th anniversary of the race and I was excited to be giving it a go.  

Before the race my training didn’t go quite to plan. After Ironman Austria I began having some trouble with my foot and hip. I thought my foot had cleared up and if felt fine in the run up to our training race at Alpe d’Huez where I finished 2nd. After that race my problems returned this time feeling worse than before and we decided that stopping running before Embrunman was the best option.  It wasn’t ideal before a race like Embrunman but I knew I would just have to do what I could on the day.

We loaded up the cars and headed to Embrun on the Tuesday before the race which was on Thursday as it is always held on the 15th of August.  After the long car journey we registered and made our way up the mountain to where we were staying. Leading in to the race it felt completely different from any other Iron distance race I’ve ever done.  Maybe it’s because I was looking at it as one big long training day.

Race day arrived and we set up our transition and got ready for out 5.50am start in complete darkness. The women were off first and as we stood on the start line I realised that I didn’t have a clue where we were going. I thought it would be easier to see which lights we were supposed to swim towards but as I stood there I could see a few different lights of different colours and they looked to me to be all over the place. I looked around for some English speaking people to ask which lights we were to follow but with no luck so had to just hope I would find the feet of someone who knew the way. The gun went off and we started swimming and soon I found some feet to swim on. The pace was good for about 200m then it dropped to a really easy pace, I knew it was too slow but not knowing where I was going I decided to stay where I was and follow as I was so disorientated in the darkness that I hadn’t a clue what part of the lake I was in or where the buoys were. So after a very slow paced swim I got to transition and was ready for the long day on the bike.

I built in to the bike going fairly steady to start and when I reached the bottom of the biggest climb Col d’Izoard which rises to 2361m I was feeling pretty strong. It’s a long climb and I just climbed at a good solid effort.  I felt pretty comfortable and was passing a lot of people. After stopping briefly at the top to pick up some extra nutrition I set off on the descent and after a very bumpy section at the bottom (where my handlebars dropped) I started to feel really strong. I could see Anne Basso just ahead on a flat section and rode past feeling pretty strong. I rode pretty strong until I hit a short uphill section and could see the next girls up ahead so I knew I was making good ground after my pretty poor swim. Soon after that point I realised that I was beginning to slow a lot. I wasn’t feeling great and not long after Anne passed me again; I tried to stay with her and with around 40k to go of the 188k I realised I was blowing up big time!

I could still ride at a reasonable pace so I just kept turning the pedals. Eventually I got back to the town of Embrun and I had blown properly. Not a great condition to be in when you have been riding for over 6 hours and still have another 6 or 7 k climb to do with a very tricky gravelly bumpy descent. I saw Brett just before the last climb and he shouted something to me. I didn’t have the energy to respond, I reached the bottom of the climb and I felt like the whole world was coming past me. It took every ounce of energy I had just to turn the pedals and I was seriously wondering if I was even going to make it to the end of the bike. I felt so weak and unwell that I wanted to get off the bike, lay under a tree and sleep. That last climb seemed to go on forever and eventually I saw the aid station at the top which I needed badly. I grabbed two bottles, one of which happened to be coke. I have never had coke on the bike before but this accidental grab of that bottle may have saved my race. It felt so good and instantly made me perk up a little. I drank the whole bottle at once and headed down the descent. At the top French athlete Alexandra Louison who I had ridden away from at the bottom of Col d’izoard came past me again so I stuck with her down the descent to transition.

In transition Lousion was in and out like a shot and I was left wondering if I would even be able to run as far as the 3k mark. I had gone from 4th and eagerly chasing 2nd and 3rd to 6th wondering if I was going to finish. I sat in my chair and thought about what I needed to do then after some thought I slowly reached for my socks and shoes then put my number belt and run vest on. People were shouting at me wondering what I was doing but I just sat there then after a few moments slowly got to my feet. Before I tried running I decided to take some more time to put some sunscreen on my shoulders then picked up a small bottle of water and trotted off. I was surprised to find that my legs still worked a little, that was a bonus so I thought I would see how far I could get. A few km in I was still trotting along slowly but at least I was moving.  Soon after I saw Brett and he was giving me instructions on how to run up the big hill. Oh no! I had forgotten about the fact that it was a hilly run too! I shouted back at him saying ‘I’m not in good shape’ (not the exact words!).  He ignored my comment and just shouted clear instructions which I followed and the next time I saw him I was feeling slightly better. He shouted that a podium position was possible but it would take a big run so I got to work and soon began picking people off. I managed to keep a steady pace going, it was slow but it was in control and I just kept trucking on the best I could making sure that I took something on at every aid station. I made up some positions and by around 25k I was in a podium position and I held on to take 3rd.

After thinking that I wouldn’t even make it to the end of the bike I have to be pleased to have made the podium at the end of the day. It was one long tough day out but I’m dying to go back and do it all again. Embrunman lived up to its expectations and it is a race that I would recommend to anyone looking for a real challenge!  

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The idea of doing Ironman Austria didn’t even come in to my head until about two and a half weeks before the race. It was just before Wimbleball (Ironman UK 70.3) and I was having a look at what races were around for the rest of the season. I saw that Ironman Austria was coming up so without much thought I decided that I would like to do it. Coaches response to me asking if it would be a good idea was ‘yeah all good’. So I entered the race but as soon as I did I instantly thought ‘oh no, what have I done?’ I suddenly remembered how hard a race like Wimbleball can be on you and was beginning to regret the decision.

Wimbleball turned out to be as tough as ever and I had to work hard for the win. The day after the race I headed back to Switzerland. By the Tuesday I was back in full training and it continued like that right up to Ironman Austria. It was much more that I would have expected to do for both coming out of a race and for going in to a race but I trusted what I was told and just got on with it. Soon enough I felt like I was recovering and I began to feel better about the thought of doing an Ironman.

My journey to Klagenfurt is one I would rather forget, it involved flying to Italy and spending a night there on the way. Plus getting lost a lot with lots and lots of wrong turns, having trouble locating my hotel, eating half a jar of almond butter for dinner because everything was shut, getting lost again, getting a flat tyre in the car etc… but eventually I made it to the lovely Klagenfurt in one piece! I stayed in a lovely place about 10k away from the race venue in a beautiful apartment which I got through a local junior triathlete. It was perfect as I like being able to cook my own food leading up to races.

Before I left I didn’t have time to think much about times or records. I just wanted to go out there and do what I could do on race day and to finish as far up the field as possible. Soon enough race day arrived and the atmosphere was amazing but I couldn’t wait to get going. I love the sense of relief I feel when the gun goes off. We stood at the edge of a pretty high pier waiting for the cannon to fire. And when it did it was so loud that I almost jumped backwards before I pushed off for the dive start. I had perfected the technique the day before so thankfully my goggles stayed secure and I had what I thought was a good start until suddenly I felt like I was literally jumped on by a big group. I was pulled back by the shoulder, slapped, swam over etc. and soon I was spat out the back and was forced to sprint as hard as I could to get on to the feet of the group just in front. I made it and settled in to a steady and comfortable pace with the group. I stayed there until the second turn point when suddenly I got dropped from the group.  I’m not sure if the pace elevated or if I died a little but by the time I realised what was happening it was too late and somehow even in a field of 3000 athletes I managed to end up swimming alone.

On to the bike and in my head I was telling myself it was just a 5hr ride. I set off at a comfortable but steady-hard pace and felt fine for around 20-30k. Then suddenly my legs felt pretty tired. After the first 30k I spent the rest of that lap riding alone and I felt so slow, one of those days when it seems like the whole world is coming flying past and there’s nothing you can do about it. I was sure I must have been losing a lot of time. I seemed to be getting slower and slower, my legs were tired and my back hurt. I was beginning to wonder how I would manage the rest of the bike if I felt that bad so early on. Then at 90k it was like a switch was flicked and suddenly I felt a lot better. It was about that time that I suddenly got engulfed by a group of age group men so I had to come out of my own rhythm and drop back. It became frustrating as I spent some time (and energy) surging to get past and then having to ease back out of the draft zone for fear of getting a drafting penalty.  As we approached one of the main climbs I put my foot down a little and headed off up the road, I was feeling quite good at the time so I just kept moving along the best I could. I passed a few more pro woman and made up a few places before heading on to the run.  

When I started the run I had no idea what position I was in and set off at a pace that was possibly a little too hard. I didn’t feel wonderful but I felt good enough to run at a good steady pace. I got through the first 10k feeling just about OK and made it up to 3rd place. By 12k I was feeling less than OK and by 15k I was thinking ‘oh no, this is a long way’. I thought that in the past I had gone through bad patches in races but this was the first time I have had a real bad patch in an Ironman. Everything hurt and my stomach which had been doing so well suddenly started to feel terrible. I tried to get a energy gel in but it just made me feel even worse. So I just kept trucking on hoping it was temporary and that I would come through it. Lots of people were shouting at me and I felt so terrible I could barely respond; I felt like I just wanted to hide away and sleep. It’s funny how quickly you can go from chasing positions to just hoping you make it to the finish. With 5k to go I was still in 3rd but I could see that Sarah Pimpiano was gaining on me. I managed to force myself out of a jog in to what felt like more of a run. I went hard, as hard as I could go. At that point in the race the KM’s go by so slowly, each one seems to get longer and longer and I was just willing the finish to be there. Eventually I made it to the line and I was so happy to see it! I crossed the line feeling pretty exhausted and unwell not really thinking about times and unable to make it on to the podium for the flower presentation. After some time I came round and was really happy to see some of the friendly faces of some of my old training buddies from Milton Keynes.

At the time I was so desperate to get over the line I didn’t think about times or records or anything like that. It wasn’t until about an hour later that I thought about the fact that I had new Irish record. That perked me up a little but it wasn’t really until the following day when I had time to think about it that I realised what I had achieved and I was really happy to be the new Irish Ironman record holder.

I was really happy that I decided to go to Ironman Austria. I know I can give a lot more over the Ironman distance but I have  learned  many lessons from the race especially with regards to pacing, concentration and nutrition but the main lessons I took away from this trip were: Sat Nav is a valuable tool and ALWAYS go for the full insurance option when hiring a car in Europe! 

Wimbleball is one of my favourite races. I love it's unique and remote location and the tough gritty course which is usually made more challenging by the weather conditions. The atmosphere is very different from your usual Ironman event. It has more of a music festival feel with people wondering around muddy fields in their wellies and tents of those brave enough to camp pitched in nearby fields.

When I arrived in the UK it was the first time I had been anywhere near home since January and my first trip to England since I left Milton Keynes in December. I was really excited to be returning to the race and excited at the prospect of defending my title. I knew that no matter what happened it was going to be a tough race but I was looking forward to it and to racing a top quality field.  

Just before I left for the UK I strained or tweaked my neck/upper back which at the time didn’t worry me but it seemed to get worse and worse. Luckily the pain was easily relieved with some light treatment and I was soon able to get back to focusing on the race.  Race day soon came around and I was feeling relaxed and ready to go. Last year we were in the water for a long time before the start so this year we were allowed to wait on the pontoon while the age groupers got in to the water. This was much better for us but it was still a breath taking shock to jump in to such cold water. I used a Fusion speed top under my wetsuit again this year which and a neoprene cap under my race hat which I think helped to stay a little warmer.

The gun went off and I got a decent start. I was swimming with another pro woman and the pace felt strong but manageable. Then suddenly we had a group of age groupers with us and as they surrounded us I got blocked from the other girl’s feet and was a couple of people behind. Suddenly the swimmers at the front group got a gap; I tried to bridge up but couldn't make it. I was annoyed at myself for letting people swim over me instead of holding my place in the pack and for not managing to bridge the gap but I continued on the best I could alone for much of the second half of the swim. As I exited the water I heard some people shouting splits at me, they said everything from 5 minutes to 2 minutes from the lead. The actual time gap was 3mins and 5 seconds. A little better than in previous years.

Up the steep hill in to transition I decided to just race with my Fusion speed top and some ZeroD gloves that I had been given the day before.  As I ran out of transition I suddenly realised how cold my feet were. I jumped on my bike and tried to put my feet in my shoes but it didn't go so well. My feet were so cold it made it difficult to get my shoes on. I had one shoe half on when it unclipped and I almost took a tumble just trying to keep the shoe on my foot. Eventually I got the shoes sorted and set off up the first hills of the course.

I wasn't sure what position I was in but I did know some of the names that would be ahead of me. I rightly presumed that Holly Lawrence would be way in front and that Simone Braendli and Susie Hignett would be somewhere up the road. I was quite surprised to see both Simone and Susie quite early on the bike course. I passed Susie and just kept riding strongly until I got to the rolling section on the main road. As I rode along I began to become aware of how cold I was and I was beginning to wonder if I should have layered up more. As we turned off the main road Susie came flying past me, I kept riding at my pace keeping her just in sight in the distance. I could see that she was getting away on the flatter sections and I was gaining on her on the hills.

I was struggling a little with the cold for much of the first lap. I've never been so happy to see steep hills as that's the only thing that would heat me up! I was telling myself that it was the same for everyone and I started to warm up towards the end of the first lap; soon my legs began to feel a little better. As I approached the end of the first lap I overtook Susie and made a conscious effort to ride a bit harder to keep warm, get a gap and to make up some time on Holly who was riding very strongly in front. The second lap of the bike was much better for me and I felt more like myself. I climbed better and even though the weather conditions were worse I was feeling warmer and much more up for it. I did have some minor mechanical problems all the way round where shifting from the small to big ring was a problem, this was very frustrating at the time but I was just thankful that it wasn't a major problem.  I managed to get the fastest bike split and by T2 I had ridden to within 90 seconds of the lead. I was ready for the hard slog that is Wimbleball run course.

I always seem to find the run at Wimbleball way tougher than the bike, it's much more about strength rather than run speed. I never feel like I am actually running, it always seems to feel like a shuffle round the hilly and mostly off road paths. I decided to keep my long sleeves and gloves on for the run as the weather was still getting worse.  It was cold, windy and rainy. I set off and as I began to run I realised I couldn't feel my feet and could barely feel my legs, I was also aware of how sore my back was. I soon forgot about the cold and the pain when I could see how close Holly was in front of me. Two years ago I came off the bike a few minutes down and ran myself in to first place only to totally blow up not far from the end. I had learned my lesson and I didn't want to repeat that so I made a sensible decision to chip in to the lead gradually rather than going all out to catch up.

I can usually make up some ground on the steep downhill sections but the ground was so muddy and my legs and feet were so cold that I couldn't let them go or get much speed up. Throughout the run people were giving me splits and I could see that I was gradually gaining on Holly but she was running so strongly that it wasn't an easy job. Towards the end of the second lap I eventually caught Holly and just kept my steady pace going all the way home. It was a relief to finally get in to the lead but I still had over a third of the run to go and I knew how well Holly was racing so I wasn't going to let myself get too excited too soon. I kept my steady pace going and was relieved when I finally reached the last hill which seemed to be getting steeper on each lap. It felt really amazing to have that feeling of running down the finish shoot to take another Ironman UK 70.3 title.

Winning this race last year was my first major win so it really meant a lot for me to come back and defend my title. It felt great to cross the line totally covered in mud as if I had just done a schools cross country race. It was a tough but fun day out and it was all worth it in the end. Thanks to everyone who volunteered and supported on the day. It was really great to have so many people out there on such a cold and wet day.  I’m already back to training in Switzerland and am looking forward to racing again wherever and whenever that may be! 

Welcome to Leysin

I arrived in Switzerland late on the Wednesday just after Challenge Barcelona. I stepped off the plane to discover that my bike hadn’t arrived.  I know this has happened to many people but it was a first for me. I was assured that it would turn up and be delivered to me as soon as it arrived in Geneva so after a long delay I set off for Leysin. The train journey wasn’t too bad once I worked out exactly where to go and as usual the Swiss trains operated like clockwork. My journey was actually a little easier as I didn’t have a bike bag to drag around with me. (My bike did arrive the next day with a massive hole in the bag!)

I arrived at the top of the mountain still dressed in the clothes I had been wearing in the summery climate of Barcelona and got a big shock to the system. It was FREEZING! Right there I started emptying my bag of clothes and putting on anything I could find to keep warm for the walk to where I was staying.  Honestly I couldn’t believe how cold it was but I put it down to being tired and not used to the colder weather.

The next morning I woke up and looked out the window to see that the whole place was covered in snow! I couldn’t believe it, I had come from roasting hot Lanzarote and arrived to what felt and looked like mid-winter in Switzerland.  So again I piled on about 7 layers and headed off to the pool for an easy swim.

My First day of ‘real training’

The following day was to be my first day of proper training. So I headed to the pool to meet Brett who I hadn’t seen since October. We jumped in the pool and he set what felt like the hardest swim session I had ever done. I felt totally knackered after it and it felt like I was so unfit in the water. I had been swimming fairly well in Lanzarote but when I got in that pool in Leysin I felt like a drowning rat! Following the swim Brett told us what the sessions were for the rest of the day.  A pretty big track session. I had done that specific session once before so wasn’t as worried as I would have been if it had been my first go at it. They usually ride to the track from Leysin but it was too cold to descend the mountain by bike so it was decided that the best option was to get the mountain train down to the Aigle and ride to the track from there.

Stupidly we assumed that the track would be right there at the bottom of the hill so we were pretty much all ready in just run kit before we got on the train. The girls (Caroline and Celine) gave a funny look as I was stood there in run gear; they were fully dressed in winter cycling kit! ‘Isn’t the track just at the bottom?’ I asked. ‘No, we have to ride there from the bottom’ woops, so I had a quick change on the train in to some cycling gear which I had with me for the ride home up the mountain. We did our track session which at the time felt good, I pushed on a little on the last few reps but was still feeling fine.  As we were about to start the last rep I asked Celine how long the ride home would be. We could see Leysin from the track and it didn’t look too far (as the crow flies). She said ‘if you are going well it’s about 1h30’. Well I almost fainted when she said that, for some reason I assumed that it would be a short ride home. We finished our session put on a load of warm kit and set off for home.

We had ridden on the flat to the bottom of the climb home and I started to think, ‘oh no, this is a long way up the mountain’ so I dropped back to ride super slow at my own pace. To begin with this was conscious decision to ride slowly but after about 5 minutes of very slow climbing I realised that there was no choice in the matter. I was very tired and didn’t feel very good at all. I kept riding but the further I went the worse I felt. I started to feel sleepy and a little sick but just tried to keep pushing the pedals round and round. Eventually I was wobbling all over the road, it was freezing cold but I was pouring with sweat. I needed to stop but kept saying just make one more bend then stop. Eventually I had to stop because I was all over the place. I sat down in a lay by and ate some food (a Mars bar and a banana.) I wasn’t sure if that would be enough to get me home as I didn’t even know how far I had to go but after about 5 minutes I got back on and started riding again. At that point it wasn’t quite as steep so I felt a little better and the sugar seemed to help perk me up a little, at least until I hit the last 4k of the climb, the steepest part of the climb home.

I have honestly never felt so bad in a training session/ride in my life. Part of me wanted to just tip over in to the ditch and sleep and maybe if I it were warmer I would have but it was so cold I couldn’t stop. Every car that went past had me thinking ‘please pick me up and take me home’ I wondered if I was going to make it without passing out. It just seemed to get steeper and steeper but I kept turning the pedals trying to think as positively as I could. One minute I thought I was going to be sick, the next I was almost asleep on the bike.  I saw a house in the distance and thought to myself that I would try to make it up there and stop for another break. When I approached it I realised I was nearly at the top so I managed to keep going. I must have had about a mile of climbing to get home from there but it was possibly the longest and slowest mile of my life. Eventually I made it back in after stumbling down the steps to the front door I fell inside and lay down without even the energy to remove my shoes or helmet!! So that was my first experience of real training in Leysin, ouch!  Since then I have discovered that I’m not the first person to feel like that on the climb home after a track session.  

For the first week or so all I wanted to do was sleep and sit by a nice warm fire with a mug of coffee. I will put it down to a few different things, it could have been altitude, change of environment, different terrain, cold weather, lack of fitness etc. but since then things have improved and I am beginning to feel a bit fitter. It was actually been a good wakeup call to get us out of the comfort zone and it was nice to experience some proper winter training after missing out on most of the winter back home. Although there was one ride that I would probably rather forget. It involved going on a long ride in freezing cold ice rain to the point where we were shaking and turning blue only to return to find an e mail from Brett telling us a big storm was coming and we should ride the turbo instead. I think all the sunshine of Lanza was making us soft so it was good to be taken back down to earth with some good tough, unpleasant winter training. Perfect prep for UK 70.3 J  

Challenge Barcelona was not on my original race plan but when I saw that the course at Barcelona had been changed to make use of the hilly surroundings and that it was to be the ETU Middle Distance Championships I decided that I would give it a go.

It felt really strange to leave Sands Beach which has felt like home for the past few months but I set off for Calella (near Barcelona) on the Wednesday before the race. The next day I decided that driving the bike course would be a great idea as I like to have at least driven the bike course before a race if there is no opportunity to ride it. A group of us set off around the course including Brits, Joe Skipper, Holly Lawrence, Mark Threlfall and fellow team TBB team mate Ritchie Nicholls.

I arrived at Sands Beach in Lanzarote on the 30th of December and have been here since with just one brief spell off the island to race at Challenge Fuerteventura.  Coming to Sands Beach as part of Team TBB was my first step in to being a full time professional triathlete.  For me the decision to completely give up work to become a full time athlete was an easy one as it is something I have wanted to do for a long time but due to the financial implications I needed to wait for the right time and the right opportunity to ‘just do it’! Joining Team TBB seemed like the perfect time to take the risk and go for it. It was and still is a huge risk is financially as it is very tough to survive as a self-funded athlete in our sport but I feel for me it is worth taking the risk and hopefully I will earn enough money along the way to keep me going. 

When I first arrived I felt that I was ready to hit the training and after being on the turbo since around October I was excited to get out on the roads of Lanzarote.  That excitement was soon dampened when I was dropped on every climb of my first training rides. I guess I wasn’t so fit after the Christmas break back home but the fitness slowly  returned and I was gradually introduced back in to some hard training. Soon after I arrived a few other Team TBB athletes joined us. Matias Hecht, Dan Halksworth and another new member Ritchie Nicholls. Together with Bella and Stephen we had a good little group out here and though we didn’t do every session together it was great to mix the training up with others and good to have some good banter in the evenings.

I was eased in to the training quite well which was a good thing as not long after I had arrived Bella and Stephen went to race in South Africa and joined in on an epic 10 day training program with the boys. It was a hard 10 days but it was great fun and I really enjoyed the major challenges that were set. Soon after Bella and Stephen returned and we cracked on with normal training. My swimming is where I really needed to make big improvements and I began to see some improvements in the pool. I have been continuing to improve with the swim but I now need to learn how to transfer my pool speed to the open water which I am finding is not that easy to do!

Living in Lanzarote there are always lots of races to keep us occupied. The first of these was the Lanzarote International Duathlon, a race where I would not normally feel any pressure but I did feel a little as it was my first race with Team TBB and I wanted to race well.  It did go well  and I managed to win so it was a good start. The next race was on the amazing island of La Grasoisa, it was a last minute decision to go to the race which was a 31k off road run race. I loved it, it was hot and hard and like nothing I had ever done before. This was then followed up with the Tri 122 race in Costa Teguise, my first triathlon of the season which I also won.  It was great to have each of those training races on our doorstep in preparation for the start of the season which I got underway at Challenge Fuerteventura, (see my previous blog).

So now the season is getting underway and it is time to leave Lanzarote for the ‘real world’.  I am excited to move on and to have a change of training location but at the same time I am a little apprehensive. We have it so good here at Sands Beach, it’s the perfect training location and you really can’t beat the food. In fact one of my main concerns is the fact that I am going to have to shop and cook for myself when I leave here! I don’t really know how I am going to manage considering the amount and variety of food we have had here at Sands Beach but I guess I will have to get used to that again! Juan Carlos, the manager at sands beach has been so good to us and very helpful and accommodating throughout our stay here so a special thanks to him.

We now leave Lanzarote and head to Barcelona for the ETU European Championships this weekend.  Following that it will be time to head off to our summer training base of Leysin in Switzerland. It will be a huge change from Lanzarote in many ways and I am excited to get out there and to continue with the rest of the season!