Darren Treadaway, Triathlete (swim bike run!)

I got to meet the Flintstones at Challenge Copenhagen and there was no yabba dabba do time!

2010-08-20T18:01:00.009Z

Life would have been easier had I ridden the bike on the left!

The Danes certainly know how to make sandwiches!

The race outcome nearly pushed me over the edge!

Before I knew what was about to unfold. Another journey with Simon and a pleasure as always.

The above shop sums up my post race thoughts.

No blog since South Africa I know! I think I have said before, its very easy to write race reports when things are going well so you may have guessed that they haven't.

I arrived home from South Africa in Jan pretty pleased with my race, certainly the bike let me down but after talking the race through with the boss we both agreed that we had to change the setup and believed that I could have maybe got 6th place there had I been able to lay down some decent snow free training, but you have to play the cars your dealt and it was my best Mdot race to date, so an exciting start to the year.

Decided in Feb to take some time out, rest the body and get ready for the year. What followed was an achilles injury followed by a knee injury which put me out until Easter. I had 3 weeks to find some reasonable form for a race and training camp in Lanzarote. I was beasted every day and some days dropped but managed to put in 30 hours training before the 26th edition of the International Volcano race! I managed 10th on very tired legs in some useful company. But knew deep down I wasn't 100% fit.

After arriving home my fitness continued to improve with a win at the club where triathlon, the swim was average and I lacked sharp end run fitness but I was pleased with the bike. It was here that Simon told me about Challenge Copenhagen and the whole journey started!!

I got to June and came down with Shingles, but bounced back and worked out that I had about 12 weeks, so I was planning to hit the training hard for 9 weeks then start the taper. Boy did I hit it hard, I was knocking out 25 hour weeks . I rode a 100 mile time trial in 4:03:36 and even managed a strong hours run after. Other key sessions includes a 7 hour 20 min brick session! I did keep the swim training to a minimum as felt time was best spent on the bike but managed an average of 3 hours a week in the pool.

Myself and Simon set off a week ago for Copenhagen with hopes and optimism about having a great race. We arrived as planned, checked out the swim and Jamie H very kindly took us out for dinner on the first night to settle us in. The next day we built the bikes, went for a ride and a little run and i felt calm and the legs were really firing! What struck me was how well kitted out the country is for cycling, in Denmark the cyclist is king!

The day before the race I wanted to do a little 15min bike and run just to tease the legs and get rid of any stiffness. I took a wrong turn in town and ended up on some cobbles, the inevitable happened and the rear tyre went down. So it was off to the expo for a new tub. I actually took comfort in the fact that I had punctured today because the chances of it happening tomorrow as well I thought were slim!

Early evening on Saturday we ventured onto the underground system with our bikes to rack them for tomorrows race. It rained and rained just like England only worse! We were soaked through and it even destroyed part of the transition area. We were later told that it was the biggest rain fall in 35 years!

Again I took comfort in the fact that tomorrow we were going to get the calm after the storm so it would probably be an ideal day to race.

Woke up on race day feeling good and ready and relaxed about the day ahead. I remembered reading in the race itinerary that there may be Flintstones on the course so I was very prepared having a foam canister, co2 canister and a spare tub on my bike just in case! I remember thinking that I don't wanna meet the Flintstones.

The pro start was a quite relaxed affair and I knew I wouldn't be on terms with the full time pros on the swim as I hadn't really put the miles in spending my time I thought more wisely on the bike and run. So when the gun went I found some feet and just kept my head down. After 10min I was with the chasing group that went on to swim 51-53min but I decided that to stay with them would impact my race too much so I eased off a little, but ended up in no mans land. I exited in 54:30 which was towards the back of the field but set me up nicely for a fast race and was still in touch.

Onto the bike I followed one of the Kiwis for a bit and stayed 10 metres behind him but used him as my pace guide. I felt like I was on a Sunday morning easy ride and sitting at 24.5 mph for the first 30k and it felt so easy! We were starting to real people in. The course then toughened up a little as we turned into the lanes and we now had a a Spaniard in tow. I looked at my watch and saw 1:31 for 60k. Thought to myself this really is game on!! Still feeling really relaxed and strong, at about 70k myself and the kiwi had dropped the Spaniard for about 30 sec and had caught another few riders. Shortly after I heard the sound that every cyclist dreads, pppssssssss! Front tyre went as flat as a pancake. I felt physically sick and a little emotional. I pulled myself together and thought I can salvage this. First thing I tried was the foam canister to see if I could seal the tub. No joy, it exploded all over the road. Next I ripped the tub off and put the spare on but the co2 canister would not fit on the valve extender! To this day I didn't even think that the two wouldn't go together and still cant quite believe it. There was nothing I could do other than the ride of shame to the next aid station and back to a DNF in T2.

Gutted doesn't even come close, I sacrificed myself for this race. I wasn't alone in what happened either, it was an absolute puncture fest, although the race was very well organised they were not ready for the rain fall and debris that lay all over the road so it was a lottery as to who punctured and my ticket came up with a lot of others.

After seeing the results I was sickened to read that Mr Spaniard went on to do 8:52 and another guy who I have had some close races with 8:37. Easy to sit here and say it now but I was on for a very good race and didnt get to show my strength which is on the run.

So I am back, fit and hungry for some races and I WILL be posting again soon with a race victory in the bag !

Simon also punctured, twice in fact and still pulled out a PB, respect!

10th Pro at 70.3 South Africa

2010-01-19T17:16:00.015Z

Well I am back in the UK, can't sleep even though ive been up for 30 hours now so thought that there couldn't be a better time to report on the goings on in Buffalo City at the weekend!

I left committing to this race very late in the day and only actually decided I was 100% on it 5 weeks beforehand. The original plan was to do Powerman Florida at the beginning of December but unfortunately not through my own fault it didnt come together. So new advisor and coach Dr Martin Yelling of http://www.active-futures.com/ suggested 70.3 South Africa and with Christmas allowing plenty of time to train with no work I figured it would be a good and exciting opportunity, or so I thought! What I hadn't accounted for was the huge amount of snow that decided to dump itself on most of the country for the best part of my build up! I can remember one day in particular very well, on my plan I was supposed to run but everywhere had iced up badly so thought I would swim instead but the pool was shut so thought no big deal will run on the treadmill but the gym shut as well! So preparation was not ideal and unfortunately no squad to swim with over Xmas either so was very nervous going into this about holding my own and pulling out something respectable.

I touched down in Buffalo City, East London on the Tuesday before the race to overcast sky's but very humid conditions, the weather here though can change at the drop of a hat and it wasnt long before the sun was out I think if I were to race here again then I would get out the weekend before just to allow enough time to fully acclimatise because on that run course on race day it hit 33 degrees!

What made the lead up to the race very easy was meeting up with first timer and Liverpudlian Richie Williams of Tri Central. It was a chance meeting, I found him on the road on my way back from the bike shop on my first day. The guy has so much enthusiasm its scary and has only been in the sport 7 months. It was a welcome distraction from my own agenda listening to his experiences and thoughts about the race. Plus he had been out there a little longer than me so knew about where to go and more importantly where not to go!

By Thursday the buzz of the race had started to filter into town and the area was starting to look more like an ironman venue. The pro briefing was straight to the point and a fairly relaxed affair, organisation was very slick as to be expected.

Race day came around in no time at all and i found myself on the start line for the beach start into the water. For reasons discussed previously the swim was going to be about damage limitation and I think I executed an ok performance here but unfortunately didn't have the miles in the pool to keep with the guys a little further up in the water where i would normally place myself but in terms of time it wasn't much to speak of.

Through transition fairly sharpish and out onto the bike. Now if you look at the course profile map it gives you the impression that its all up hill heading out to the turn and all down hill coming back. This is true but its rolling the whole way so your either going up or down. What I hadn't accounted for was the fact that the wind would be behind use on the way out and into our face coming back which really screwed things up especially because I went out far too quickly and by 45 minutes my lack of time on the road over the last few weeks was telling, the turbo is great but its by no means a full replacement for riding on the road. Towards the end of the bike I was suffering and my lower back wasn't great, not helped by the fact that I dropped my bottle at the final feed station. I had lost a lot of ground and I think was around 17th. I wasn't feeling good going into T2 but once out onto the run that started to change despite feeling like I was running in an oven. It was clear that I was running down most of the field in front of me and was actually feeling good despite the poor bike.

Onto the last lap of the run and I knew by the shouts from the crowd that I was catching two of the Storm brothers who are very popular South African athletes so this gave me the push I needed on the final lap to empty the tank and to my surprise it was enough to run into 10th position out of the pro's and 11th overall (an age grouper just nicked in front!) So of course with the position in the race I am delighted. The performance had good points but also bad points particularly the bike but under the circumstances I felt I did the best I could and can certainly improve on this, plus the year is young so plenty of time to plan my next outing!

A big well done to Richie who nailed his first effort and is off to Clearwater! A tough first effort too considering I reckon that South Africa is one of the tougher courses on the circuit.

I am off to soothe my sunburn!!

Peaks and Troughs!

2009-11-15T18:37:00.018Z

Pictures of my tritastic birthday, 30 but faster than I was when I was 20!!

First race back, 2nd place at Silverstone duathlon, not too shabby.

Good to be back on the podium. 3rd place at the final round of the National Ranking Series.

The infamous Box Hill. 5th Place at the 20th Anniversary addition of the Ballbuster.

Long time no blog I know. Its certainly been a roller coaster these last few months. After my last post ive been through a bit of a rough patch and bad form and in the end was just flogging it to death for no return. I suffered with breathing difficulties at Wimbleball and was as a result put on a steroid inhaler as I seem to react really badly to the pollen and its not the first time its happened. So after another setback I struggled to regain form and in the words of Austin Powers I "lost my mojo". The problem I think was getting so up for New Orleans earlier in the year I couldn't deal mentally and physically with the disappointment after being in such good shape so ended up training for the sake of it and really should have backed off. On the plus side I had a great 30th birthday did win the Harwich triathlon wining a holiday to France and got 3rd at Northampton but wasn't right. My back was niggling me every race and got to August with no enthusiasm or form and wounded so decided to back off and just tick over and take a mental and physical break.

So this second phase of the season has been dedicated to the duathlon circuit, finding my mojo again and I have had results that prove things are moving in the right direction, but its all about next year now. I was particularly pleased with my result at Box Hill in the Ballbuster as being the 20th year anniversary the field was loaded! 9 former winners in total not to mention vaious international triathletes and duathletes, it was some burn up. I took everyones advice and took the first run real easy but made the mistake and blasted into the lead on the first lap of the bike and paid the price, but I took a gamble which might of paid off, it maybe cost me a couple of places but better to try these things and fail than not at all.

This year is not done and dusted yet so watch this space, ive something big on the horizon!

Change!

2009-06-04T14:22:00.003Z

Swim Bike Run

Long time since my last post I know! Well June is all about change for me, i'm about to enter the third decade of my life (30 shit!) which has prompted me to sit back take stock and work out where i'm heading and make a few changes.

New Orleans was a fantastic experience and one I will never forget but I came away extremely disappointed with the result and nearly cracked. I stumbled over the finish line into the arms of a medic and was whisked away to the medic tent and put on a drip for an hour. I made the simple mistake of not arriving in America in enough time to acclimatise and come race day the temperature had cranked up and we were faced with 99% humidity and I just couldn't cope. From the start of the swim I tried to go off as hard as possible and from the first breath I took I just couldn't seem to get enough oxygen on board and found it hard to breathe. Tried to play catch up on the bike going off very quickly but suffered coming back and couldn't put together a good run as a result. I ended up 21st professional out of 32.

Despite my lack of preparation with the conditions its made me realise that my task racing as a pro and working full time is probably too much of an ask and its just not a level playing field racing against guys that are full time athletes or only work part time. So as of next week I am regrettably leaving Hunters, who have been my employer for the last 7 years who I would like to thank for their support, to start a new job in Highgate working for another agent called Barnard Marcus who are going to employ me on a more flexible basis allowing me more time to train which will hopefully allow me to bridge the gap in the professional ranks and achieve what I feel i'm capable of. So i'm excited and optimistic about what will be possible now.

I have had a few more outings since New Orleans including the Tri Force Where Tri where I had a pretty average swim and was going well on the bike until my front tyre blew, turns out I was inflating them too hard! Anyway I rolled back into transition and ran a very swift 6k off the bike and still finished the race, it was more for fun than anything. My attention recently has turned to time trialing on the bike and ive had some good form finishing 2nd by 1sec at round 3 of Brickendon and winning round 5 also by 1 sec. The result though I am most chuffed with was finishing 4th in the Norland Combine on a wet and windy Sunday with a PB of 1:55:39 for 50miles, to finish 4th in a good quality time trial like this up against pure cyclists is very pleasing indeed! Last night I managed to shave 6 seconds off my course record round Colney Heath at the tri force midweek TT.

My attention at the moment is focused toward 70.3 UK in 10 days time. My new working arrangements unfortunately won't come in time for this but i'm still hopeful of putting together a good result after mechanical failure last year. After that I have quite a few tri's planned and hope to start getting some wins for the team under my belt.

New Orleans here I come!

2009-03-09T19:14:00.009Z

http://www.ironmanneworleans.com/

Well after an eventful winter I am now just under 4 weeks away from my first big race of the season which will be 70.3 New Orleans. I have 2 weeks left of hard training before I start my taper and despite the worst weather this winter in the UK for years I think I have made progress under the guidance of Fiona at Tri Europe http://www.triathloneurope.com/. Having the benefit of a season already behind us of working together we have been able to really concentrate on what we know actually works for me.

My track record thus far in any Ironman branded race has not been good. Last year I raced Austria when I shouldn't have after suffering a nasty cough and chest infection, in hindsight I should have never got on the start line and at UK I still wasn't in great shape but couldn't finish due to mechanical failure. But its not been all doom and gloom as I finished the season in the prize money at the Home D Ferro in Ibiza and mixed it with some big names in Lisbon so I know i can do it, third time lucky I hope!

Ive recently linked up with a new swim squad. In recent years ive let my swimming go with it being less important in long races. But now i'm racing as a pro I really need to be as competitive as possible so I have upped my game and been swimming with some very fast youngsters. Its certainly paying off and I am swimming times I didn't think were possible whilst training for two other sports. During the second Tri Europe camp I put myself on the line and did a 400m time trial in my wetsuit and was surprised though delighted to swim 4:46 with no dive! My previous best which was with a dive was 4:58 so i'm hoping this will pay back a lot of time over 1900m.

Despite having a couple of weeks off running due to a slight niggle with my achilles I seem to be still running better than ever and am confident I have at least maintained if not improved upon the 32:42 min 10k I ran at Christmas. I was honoured to be picked to run for Hertfordshire but unfortunately had to decline due to it not fitting in my schedule.

In action during the North Road Hardriders

The North Road Hardriders was my first competitive outing for the team this year. It was a big eye opener to see how competitive it was, some of the best riders in the country turned out for what has been a very well established race and now classed as a classic. I rode 90sec quicker than last time I rode this course in 2007 which is of course progress, but a little disillusioned to finish 20th! My time would have been good enough for 9th in 2007 so that just shows you the class of field this year. Anyway I can hide behind the fact i'm training for three sports and not one!

Testing at the University of Essex

Lab testing has showed that I am able to produce more power than last year though am not quite as efficient in terms of oxygen up take and heart rate which we think is down to not being able to get many miles in on the road due to the harsh winter. Hopefully this is set to improve with the better weather, lets face it the weather can't have got any worse!

So on the whole i'm happy and optimistic about New Olreans. I realise i'm probably going to be one of the few pros with a day job and am not going to be challenging Macca and co but I do think I can be competitive and my dream of securing a slot for the world champs is possible, what will be will be!

Happy New Year!! 1st Jan 2009 a win and course record!!

2009-01-03T13:34:00.008Z

Final descent to the finish!

A nice bottle of Moet which will be kept on ice until the first big win of the year is nailed!

Well its been a great start to the year. I knew after getting over the lurgy that I was in good running shape after my 10k a few days ago and my best track session to date on Tuesday. I actually think I can go a lot quicker than I did last weekend as I still reckon I was carrying a bit of a chest infection so things are looking better than they have ever been before running wise at this time of year. The next goals for my running are the county champs next weekend where my aim is to make the county team which is easier said than done with the standard of running being so high in Herts at the moment. Following that I am racing the Wokingham Half Marathon where my goal is to break 70min, even if I don't then i'm sure I will smash my PB!

I spent New Years Eve over in Teddington with Fiona Moorehead-Lane (my coach), hubby Rob and Rav and Suhela Dihegi and little one Eva. Anyway nothing too hard core just 4 or 5 beers (which is a lot for me!) and some Wii action after midnight, two hours later still playing! well I say playing I was actually being given a golf and baseball lesson, but tennis I rock!

So anyway not best race prep but hey you can't be no fun on New years eve. The race is call The Knacker Cracker have a read and you will see whyhttp://www.trionium.com/knackercracker/ The course goes up different parts of the infamous Box Hill with a mixture of mainly trails a bit of mud and a tiny bit of road. The descents are so steep if you get them wrong you won't stop rolling! and a couple of times I actually had to use my hands to stop falling over. I would hate to do this race on a wet year!

Training with my new buddies has got me in the habit of going off very quick whenever I run and hold on. This race was no different, straight to the front up the first hill and kept running until I couldn't hear my chasers breathing anymore. I took the descents very easy so as not to do anything silly and concentrated on putting time into my rivals on the climbs. The final climb was by far the worst and I was warned about this but did I listen, nope.

It was great to see so many in fancy dress from a Masai warrior to the tin man, maybe next year! Well done to Fiona who was 3rd woman after not really doing much training since Busselton, I couldn't have done that of next to no training. Rob was the smart one and spent the morning on the golf course.

Winter frustrations, a 32min 10k and a 3rd place at the Epsom 10

2008-12-28T21:20:00.006Z

No it wasn't me! (an over turned car which prevented the Luton marathon relays from going ahead)

Getting festive for a mince pie ride on Xmas eve

Since my last post ive got together with a secret training group to try and kick start my running for next year. Ive been getting my ass kicked every Tuesday evening by two of the best runners in the country. But it has done me good, its only been once a week but I built up such a fantastic base through Fiona's training the track session just seems to be the icing on the cake and its great to try and hang on to guys that have run 30min and under for 10k.

My first outing was at The Epsom 10 in November and at the time I had just really started to reap the benefit of my suffering each week on the track. I knew before even starting the race that it wasn't going to be a fast course as it takes in Epsom Downs with some tough climbs so it was going to be about racing rather than chasing times. Rather stupidly I led for the first two and a half miles and was in very good company indeed but as expected got dropped but did hang on for 3rd taking home £50 and even despite the hilly course a PB of 55.23 which looking at other peoples times I reckon could be worth a 53 on the right course so this proved that the suffering is working.

Next up was the Luton Marathon relays. Felt in good form leading up to this and felt I was another level up on Epsom in terms of fitness so was quite excited about laying down a marker here. But circumstances were out of my control and an over turned car meant that the race could not go ahead, the organiser made the right decision to pull the plug and you don't mind so much when its for charity.

My frustrations continued when I was supposed to be running the Telford 10k last weekend which looked like a cracking race but flu put pay to that.

I had written off 2008 as far as competition goes but last night I was talking to my team mate who told me he was doing a 10k up in Leicester today so despite hammering myself yesterday decided to put myself on the line. I was still a little chesty and preparation was not great after a week off but managed a PB of 32:42 and 12th place in a very good field so it was a nice way to wrap things up for 2008.

If my running continues to improve from the training with my new found friends then I am very excited about 2009 even if I just manage to get my swim and bike back up to where it was last year things are looking good. I reckon with a couple more months on the track then I will be running 31min for 10k which may open a few more doors as far as Duathlons go.

The plan now is to continue improving my running and also start cranking up the swim and bike miles and I am planing to join a new swim squad in 2009. Ive learnt from the improvements in my running that the best way to get better is to surround yourself with much better athletes.

Happy new year to everyone that reads this, I hope 2009 is the one!

Winter is here!

2008-10-28T11:25:00.005Z

Well the tan has faded, there is talk of light snow in the next couple of days and Ibiza seems now to be a distant memory even though it was only about 4 weeks ago.

I had planned to keep running and riding with the view to carrying on my good form into doing some end of season duathlons. However, the mind was willing but the body was not and I needed some time out so ive been eating and drinking what I want and just training when I want to. Ive been running mainly and enjoying having time to do other stuff.

My competitive urge hasn't completely left me and I am planning to do some running races between now and the end of the year. This Sunday I am running The Stevenage Half Marathon which is also incorperating the Hertfordshire County Championships. I have no real expectations but i'm sure once i get on the start line I will get into race mode again. I am carrying a few extra pounds so probably not in PB shape but reckon I can still be competitive. These days I rarely get to do running races with triathlon taking over so I am looking forward to it. Its been about 10 years since I last won a county championships (scary how time flies!) when I was a Junior so it would be nice to at least make the top 3 some day as a senior in a county event, who knows maybe this weekend!

10th at the Home D Ferro in Ibiza!!

2008-10-16T19:01:00.012Z

A rather interesting trophy for the collection!

I'm in there somewhere!

Well last big race of the season is done and for me this race would determine whether the year in my view was a success or failure after my two "A" races which were the World Championship qualifiers back fired on me.

I'm please to report that I am happy with the outcome as you will see in this report. It was arguably one of my best international results thus far and gives me confidence going into 2009. Preparation was flawless, apart from the British weather.

The Home D Ferro is an international long distance event that is now going into its 14th year. The race has previously hosted the World Champs in 2003 and this year was also doubled as the Spanish National Championships.

Myself and fellow tri forcer Laurence Pidcock left home on Wed evening. After what was a faultless journey we had arrived at about 2am in the morning. Only we had been dropped at the wrong hotel! After a short panic as we were told in broken English that we were in the wrong place it turned out that we were only a third of a mile away from our destination so dragged bikes and luggage down the hill which later we realised was the run course for the race!

I don't think ive ever been so prepared for a race before, we really had 3 good days to suss out the course and sort bikes etc... which takes some people longer than others! We also had to make sure that we made the most of the weather as it was perfect.

The swim and bike courses were pretty much what I was expecting, the run however was a different ball game. It was 4 out and back loops with about 90m of climbing per lap! Remember that's after swimming for 4k and biking for 120k! So this bit of knowledge was invaluable.

Race day dawned and the hustle and bustle started in transition which I have to say was very well organised with boxes provided for each competitor which kept the racking area free. We were then ushered down to the swim start. They got us off the beach quite quickly which was good and I seemed to get a good start and be in the thick of things. Navigating to the first buoy was hard because it was such a long way, I was really relying on the guys in front to know what they were doing. Onto the back straight and bang something really nasty stung me in the face which later i'm told was a jelly fish. I stopped and ripped my goggles off and was worried that my face was bleeding, turns out it wasn't but it bloody hurt! I got several more stings on my feet but just learnt to deal with it. After the first lap I realised the swim must have been long but same for everyone. For the 2nd lap I set about pulling back some of the time i'd lost, wasn't too worried as its going to be a long day.

I exited the water in 22nd place but there was a large pack just ahead which I had lost contact with earlier in the swim when I got stung. Onto the bike and the first thing I wanted to do was drink because the salt was so strong and just wanted something sweet so took a swig of PSP. The first lap of the bike I started immediately working my way through the field and the new frame that Shorter Rochford had just built up for me was really comfortable and I haven't been happier in a long distance race so looking forward to using it more in 2009.

I managed to spot Laurence out on the course who looked to be riding well but was further back on the swim than I expected him to be. It was difficult to shout encouragement as we seemed to pass on fast bits of the course. For the 2nd lap I seem to constantly be swapping places with a Spaniard who seemed to take a disliking to me and every time I dropped back out of the drafting zone he turned round and accused me of cheating yet he was drafting off the french guy in front! So going into the 3rd lap I was feeling well within myself so took off on one of the hills and left him down the road. I did pay for this a little on the last lap but I needed a kick up the backside and he gave me the motivation I needed and he went on not to finish so justice I think was served! 10th Fastest bike split.

Coming into transition was great. There were loads of Brits, mainly holiday makers who did not have a clue what was going on but it seemed like they were routing for me. The first quarter of a mile I felt like I was flying and couldn't believe how fresh the legs were. I counted on the course which was an out and back that I was around 11th/12th but knew at this pace that it wouldn't be long before I was into the top 10. Half way into lap 3 I was 8th and only 1min off 6th place! This is where it started to go wrong. My stomach shut down and wouldn't take anymore carbs in. I had to make a pit stop at the side of the road! The last lap was hell on earth and I dropped down to 10th and just hung on. i remember Laurence shouting that I had 3k to go but I was too smashed to shout back! I did hang on though for 10th and in the money, though not enough to retire on.

Laurence excelled himself and was 19th but that's as close as I want you to get mate ok?!

So it was a nice way to end the year. I got my confidence back and I am already planning for 2009 where I hope to achieve my goal of a pro start at the World Championships in Clearwater and I really believe this is realistic now.

So a big thank you to sponsors, my coach fiona and friends who have helped me this year. I hope this is a glimour of whats to come!

2008 season nearly done and dusted!

2008-09-18T10:37:00.004Z

Hope there are still people out there that read and follow this, I know I haven't posted for a while but am back with an update as to whats happened this year and whats on the horizon!

I am currently into my final few weeks of preparation for the Ibiza Long Course triathlon (4k swim, 120k Bike, 30k Run) which will be my last big race of the year, or will it! The race has been long established on the international calender and is doubling as the Spanish Long Course champs and always seems to attract a decent field so I am really looking forward to testing myself here and if ive got the energy a night out in San Antonio is on the cards after the race!

The plan for me this year was to establish myself as a pro in 70.3 races and qualify for the World Championships in Clearwater. My first outing of the year at the Lisbon half Ironman showed a lot of promise and made me believe that my goal was really possible and not just a pipe dream. I placed 17th in 3:52 which may not sound that impressive but being the first big race of the year on European shores it attracted a very high quality field and I was far closer to some of the biggest names in the sport than I thought possible plus taking some scalps along the way. This was all the more pleasing when you consider that I also have a day job to contend with.

Unfortunately my luck was set to turn and shortly after I arrived back I came down with a nasty chest infection. In hindsight I should have backed off but I didn't (lesson learned!) and seemed to have a cough for about a month leading into 70.3 Austria. I felt leading into the race that I was over the worst but right from the first few strokes I knew I was in for a long day and suffered several coughing fits along the way not helped but the high pollen count. I ended up 52nd overall and some 15 minutes down on the guys I finished with in Lisbon. I think if it was any other race then I would have pulled out but having had a DNF at Ironman Austria the previous year due to back problems I wasn't coming home from Austria again without a finishers medal!

Next stop was 70.3 UK. Having rested up and got myself well I was optimistic about my chances and felt that a top 10 was possible. Having ridden the course prior to the race my game plan was to take the first lap mega easy and put the hammer down on the 2nd. I didn't have a particularly good swim but was not that bothered as it doesn't impact the race too much. I rode the first lap to plan and even let people go then on the 2nd started to move though the field. Two thirds of the way through the 2nd lap I got counted as around 12th/13th place which was exactly where I wanted to be with the run one of my stronger disciplines to follow. With about 8 miles to go up one of the last climbs my chain slipped off, it happened 2 further times and finally the derailleur smashed itself into the spokes and that was game over and a long walk back to transition.

With qualification for Clearwater down the pan I turned my attention to some domestic races. I'm sure I will look back on the year with disappointment after not qualifying due to my two A races not going to plan but I can take some consolation in my domestic results. I won the Bournemouth International after it was turned into a Duathlon due to bad weather, another win followed at Andover, 2nd at Cambridge Duathlon, 3rd at the Bedford Classic, 6th at Steyning Duathlon, 8th at Milton Keynes Triathlon.

The year not going to plan is no reflection on the help and guidance that Fiona has given me I feel I have improved and learnt a lot more about my body and it should stand me in good stead for next year where with luck on my side I hope to put my 2008 demons to rest!

Roll on Ibiza! Will report back in a few weeks hopefully with some good news.

You can follow my team news now here http://www.shorter-rochford.co.uk/08/docs/team08.shtml

Things are looking up!

2008-04-21T16:32:00.002Z

Well, things are looking up again! The last three weeks I haven't raced and really got my head down with some solid problem free training resulting in a good battle with Stephen Harrison at Cambridge Duathlon on Sunday, I ended up with second but it could so easily have been the other way, more on that later.

Secondly ive just agreed to race in Blueseventy wetsuits for the next two years and am looking forward to trying out their latest Helix wetsuit and other goodies that are on their way.

Next Saturday sees me on the start line of the Lisbon Long Distance Triathlon where a very stellar field lines up. For a race that is only in its third year it has attracted an extremely strong men's field, in fact it looks stronger than a lot of the 70.3's which I guess may be down to the fact that its the first major European long distance race in the calendar. I am realistic about my chances in light of my bad luck so far this year and of course the crappy weather! I am looking for a solid race somewhere close to the 4:03 I did last year in preparation for Austria and Uk 70.3's where I am hoping to bag a pro slot for Clearwater.

Testing Times!

2008-03-27T18:57:00.006Z

http://www.polar.fi/

Polar have kindly agreed to sponsor me this year by way of supplying me with an all singing and all dancing heart rate monitor allowing me to track every inch of my training. More to come on this later!

A tough day out at Round 2 of the National Duathlon series in Steyning where I placed 6th.

The title of the post feels quite appropriate for two reasons, firstly I have just been put through a lab test on the bike at Colchester University which was the first kind of any testing I have done and secondly since my crash there have been further complications. I am awaiting x-ray results for my thumb which has made swimming and riding on the road rather difficult over the last 6 weeks. I do now seem to be managing to cope with regular training again so its a case of playing catch up with about just over 4 weeks until Lisbon. I hope I can now crank things up over the next 4 weeks and at least get back to where I was last year.

Steyning Duathlon was the first multi sport race for me this year and being part of the national ranking series it was sure to be a high quality field. After seeing the start list it certainly didn't disappoint the only question was whether everyone would show because over the Easter weekend parts of the country were covered in snow! It didn't though seem to dampen anyone's enthusiasm and a full field started.

I didn't really have particularly high expectations other than to get round in one piece with no injuries, crashes or going off course! The first run was 7 laps of a 1k circuit so I knew the going was going to be quick. I established myself in a group of 4 which formed as the chasing pack, I felt within myself and running strong and despite the conditions was around 23min for the first 7k, a slick transition and it was onto the bike, now here it where things got unpleasant. With the cold and the wet I was unsure what to wear on the bike in order to be as quick as possible but at the same time keep warm and hopefully dry. I went for the quicker option and half way into the bike was soaked through and started to get very cold. My performance started to drop but luckily T2 was in sight. My second run was down on where I would have expected it to be, I think by then the cold had set in and my legs were just not responding. On the whole though it wasn't a bad result considering I am not at 100% at the moment so its a bench mark of where I am at and i'm sure my next outing will be an improvement.

I do take encouragement from the fact that none of the athletes in front of me at Steyning can swim, which bodes well for when the triathlons start.

Long time no blog!

2008-02-14T19:21:00.007Z

(Picture taken today, 2 days after crash!)

Well its been a while! Mainly because not a lot happens in the off season but it certainly seems like a lot of water has passed under the bridge since my last post!

Firstly I havent changed sports and taken up boxing! The photo was taken this evening after crashing my bike on Tuesday. The picture doesnt show the full extent of my injuries but shows the worst of it. Ive got 8 stitches in my chin, a bruised face, not to mention some road rash and plenty of aches and pains! One thing is has taught me though is how important it is to always wear a helmet! I'm sure if I didnt have it on then I wouldnt be sat here now typing you this message as I would still be in hospital, or worse! I hit my head so hard it split the helmet down the side. Once the stitches are out I do hope to resume full training at the end of next week and will try and do what I can until then.

Since the end of the season I have had a long time to reflect on where I am going to take things from here. For 2008 I have made the decision to step away from full ironman and concentrate soley on half ironmans with the view to making the World Championships in Clearwater as a professional.

What I didnt like about 2007 was that I put all my eggs in one basket focusing on Ironman Austria and I felt there were decent races I missed out on and races I felt I could have performed better in. On the whole though I was very pleased with how the 2007 season went and I learnt a hell of a lot. I think the halfs at the moment really play to my strengths and it is where my best performances currently lie. It will mean I will be able to race more often which is hopefully going to mean more wins!

My coaching arrangements have now changed for 2008. I will be working towards my goals with Fiona Moorehead-Lane and am very excited about whats in store. The change came about because I was so impressed with how Fiona and partner Rob approached the 2007 season and with their knowledge and input I am very excitied about whats possible for 2008.

I am also very excitied about my sponsored team for 2008 which will be called Shorter Rochford Exclusive Ranges RT. I did race under the Shorter Rochford banner last season but it was more a kick back from their cycling team so I was given some kit and a bike and sent of my way to win some races. This year we have an all singing all dancing proper team with sponsors and kit being finalised as we speak! Exclusive Ranges are a local Potters Bar kitchen company who have kindly come on board to back the team along with other kit providers and various companies which I should know more on soon.

Unfortunatly with all positives you are going to get negatives. This year so far hasnt gone as smoothly as last year. Firstly to start the year I was sidelined with flu, I then caught another cold at the begining of Feb and now ive crashed. I just don't seem to be gathering any momentum this year which is frustrating. But its only mid Feb so with a good 8 weeks before the first big race there is plenty of time. I think last year I got serious too early in the year and felt flat during the middle of the year so it could be a bonus.

So far this year ive place 3rd in the multi terrain Frimley 12k and next week is my first outing on the bike in the North Road Hardriders which I am somewhat apprehensive about after the crash and not having as many miles under my belt. But I will give it my best shot.

Not even a puncture can stop me! Another podium, this time in Texas at The Longhorn Triathlon

2007-10-17T17:48:00.000Z

1st John Phillips, Denver 4:30:40

2nd Liam O'Connell, Houston 4:33:08

3rd Darren Treadaway, Arctic Shorter Rochford 4:34:06

2000 athletes in total took part in the Longhorn festival

This was to be the last big triathlon for the year for me which I only committed to 6 weeks prior to flying out. The original plan was to race the final of the 101 series in Houston in November but this was cancelled due to problems with the course. So fellow tri force member Mark Cathcart who kindly put me up suggested this race as an alternative. My only concern with this was that I had 5 weeks to recover from my efforts at The Big Woody so it was touch and go as whether I was going to get the most out of this race.

On arriving in Austin a week prior to the race it was evident that the weather was going to be a huge factor on race day, it pretty much stayed in the 90's from when I arrived until race day, which was about 5-7 degrees higher than what it should be at this time of year. So I looked at the race as more of a battle of me against the elements rather than the opposition. Prior to the race I made sure that a lot of my runs and rides were in the heat so as to try and acclimatise myself to the conditions and slowly as the week progressed my tolerance to the heat increased and I would certainly go out a week prior to racing should I race in these conditions again.

Before the race not knowing many of the American names I wasn't really sure what expectations I should have so I didn't really have any goals other than to give it my best shot and I would have been happy to place top 10. The race proved a good opportunity for me as a lot of the top guys in the world were of course preparing for Kona the following week, maybe next year for me! It was also the first year they have run this race so the course was untested which meant I could approach it with an open mind and not analyse where I should be on the course at certain times which allowed me to just get my head down and race as hard as I could.

Racing in the pro wave meant that I was going to be given a low start number so after the packet pick up I was given number 13! I'm not particularly superstitious but after what was to unfold maybe I should be. I thought to myself its just a piece of paper with two numbers on it. On entering registration I noticed a guy with a Bedford Classic shirt on! I couldn't believe it ive come half way across the world and there is a guy who raced at Bedford 6 weeks ago, amazing!

Due to the high temperatures and the lake feeling like a bath! the swim was made non wetsuit. Austin Tri-Cyclist kindly lent me an Xterra speed suit to wear for the swim which basically is the closest thing you can get to swimming in a wetsuit without actually wearing one. It must have done the trick as I had one of the best swims ive ever had, which was also due to being able to swim almost every day leading up to the race. The start was calmer than expected and everyone seemed to space out nicely. I went off maybe a little too conservatively as at halfway I decided to try and bridge the gap to the small group in front and caught them with ease. I excited in 5th place and very happy as I was only about 90 seconds back and right up in the mix.

Transition was smooth and it was off onto the bike. My first thought was wow ive got good legs today. I was feeling awesome and trying to hold myself back. It was quite clear that I was reeling the field in and after 5 miles I could see the lead car in the distance and thought its not going to be long before that lead is mine. At 10 miles the lead was very much in sight at 11 miles I was 10m back and ready to become the new race leader and pop my back tyre blew! My first reaction was jack it in, your never going to win now I then started thinking what it is going to be like for the next few weeks at home with people asking me how I got on and finishing the season on a downer. So I had my Norman Stadler moment at the side of the road and threw my toys out my pram and then set about fitting a new tube. The problem I had was that I was sweating so badly that whatever I touched just seemed to slip. I eventually got the new tube in and the race support vehicle arrived and put some air in the tyre and pushed me back into the race Tour De France style! It seemed to be for ever that I was at the side of the road and looking at the results I reckon somewhere in the region of 11 minutes.

I re joined the race from what I worked out later to be in twenty something position and decided just to enjoy riding my bike and the support from the crowd and see if anything was salvageable. I was certainly riding strong and was regularly catching people. The weather was getting hotter and hotter although it was over cast which was a good thing but it was very humid. I finished the bike leg in 14th position and remember thinking to myself while in transition that it would be nice to make the top 10 and that would certainly be respectable.

From the first step I took out of transition I knew that I was running well and it wasn't long before I was running down the first athlete in front. The run consisted of 2 laps partly on road which was quite exposed and tough going in the heat and the other part was on grass tracks with a very steep climb that you had to do twice which most people I ran past were walking! After the first lap I worked out I was in about 7th position and I was flying! I don't think ive even run as well before in an Olympic distance race let alone in a half ironman. On my last pass through the transition area the crowd were really getting behind me and the commentator was going nuts, they must have noticed that I was running through most of the field. Towards the end I didn't really know what position I was in, I was just enjoying the experience. I crossed the line to find out I had made the podium and I took the fastest run of the day by nearly 4 minutes, where did that come from!

So it just goes to show you should never give in. Of course I think I could have won the race and probably should have won it but to go from nearly giving up to making the podium completely turned things around for me. My expectations as I said before were to hopefully make the top 10 so if you had asked before the race if I would have been happy with 3rd then of course the answer would have been yes. It is quite clear there is a hell of a lot more to come. It was a great way to end the season on a high!

A big thank you to Mark for putting me up and showing me the sights of Austin. Its time now to relax and think about where I go from here.......

Winning is starting to become a habit I like!

2007-10-09T17:00:00.000Z

1st Darren Treadaway 02:00:43
2nd Andrew Forth 02:06:08
3rd Steve Osborne 02:07:53
4th Howard Wimpory 02:09:50
5th Mike Jubb 02:10:33

277 Finishers

This one is long over due after having to run around like a mad man sorting out all my loose ends before heading off to sunny Texas (more on that later).

The plan here was to have one last run out before the big one two weeks later. I changed my focus before hand slightly towards my swim which to be honest ive neglected a bit this year as the focus has been geared more towards Ironman and i'm pleased to say it worked nicely.

The start was a mass start of around 277 athletes which I prefer because its a simple race in that first past the post wins. With quite a wide start I managed to get clear water and off to a good start. I managed to stay on the feet of the leaders and in sight of the lead canoe until the turn around point where I lost contact but I exited the swim around 40 seconds down so this was a job well done.

A swift transition and out onto the road, I managed to slip my chain off so had to stop and put it back on by hand, no big deal a few seconds lost. I managed to ride through to 2nd place by the end of the first mile and felt strong, the current leader took me a little longer to catch but by the end of lap 3 just before half way I had taken the lead. By this point the wind was getting really strong and riding the disc wheel was a mistake as I nearly got blown back into the lake! I backed off a little on the next few laps so as not to make any silly mistakes with the wind getting stronger and stronger.

Into T2 and I couldn't find my running shoes! school boy error number 2! by now the 2nd placed athlete was into T2 but I was off and decided to put the boot in for the first lap of the run and see what he had in the tank but he didnt respond so once I knew it was in the bag I ticked over for the rest of the run hoping not to tax the legs too much with the big race in a couple of weeks looming. In the end I won by just under 6 minutes so a nice confidence booster. Fellow tri force athlete Mike Jubb is clearly coming into form again running into 5th place with the fastest run split of the day. I was off to celebrate with a large slice of chocolate cake and coffee with training buddy Jez Cox who had just won the Maidstone Duathlon on the same morning.

A win at The Big Woody!

2007-09-04T19:30:00.000Z

3 time world champion Spencer Smith presenting me with my prize

1st Darren Treadaway Arctic Shorter Rochford 08:50:36
2nd Andrew Davies 08:52:07
3rd Gavin May FVS 09:31:51
36th Simon Perkins Tri Force 11:25:31

57th Roderick Elder Tri Force 12:31:26

81 Finishers

This is probably the most satisfying race win ive had to date for a number of reasons. Firstly I had to contend with crashing my bike while doing a recce of the course 5 weeks before the race and secondly I contracted a stomach bug 3 weeks before which really messed up my training. Not to mention having to work 6 days a week covering holidays. But I had hoped the work had gone in pre Austria and that it would see me through and whatever the result was it would be something to build on and improve. Ironman Austria which I didnt finish because of back problems was my only taste of Ironman racing thus far.

Unfortunately my arrival to the race venue was delayed by tail backs coming past Oxford and I didn't make it to the campsite until 10:30pm and Rod and Simon my tri force club mates had already setup up camp and had left me half a pizza. I was hungry after my journey so tucked right in and got to bed by 11pm, not great race prep I know! Didn't get to sleep until 1pm as a group of yobs, hoodies, youths whatever they are called these days were keeping everyone awake until they eventually got board and left.

The Alarm went at 4am and it was time to force a bagel and some cereal down in preparation for the big day ahead. I felt much better after the sleep and we left the camp at around 5am taking a slight detour to get to the lake! Eventually arrived in plenty of time to setup the bikes and started to walk to the start. Everyone seemed so relaxed and chilled out, absolutely no ego flying around, maybe it was because we all respected what was ahead and were more intimidated by that than each other.

Before the race I did have my eye on the prize of a wetsuit for leading out the swim as I broke the collar on mine at Bedford the previous week, so I bodged it together rather than buy a new one because i knew that if I had of splashed out for a new one then I would have ended up winning it! The swim start was quite a relaxed affair and I settled in nicely behind the leader before the first buoy. It was evident that if I wanted that wetsuit then I was going to have to go into the red to get it and in the end I made the decision to hang back rather than sacrifice the whole race. The swim was an interesting and enjoyable affair starting in one lake climbing out and doing two laps in another lake then back to swim across the first lake. I enjoyed getting in and out because it broke things up a bit and kept it interesting. On exiting the water I checked my watch which said around 40min so the swim was obviously short as in Austria I managed the swim in 53:04, I didn't dwell on this as it is the same for everyone. I was about 2:30-3:00 off the lead man and feeling fairly good.

Onto the bike. Now having done a recce of the course 5 weeks earlier I had the up most respect for this course and if anything I probably started a little too conservatively. The first time heading up English Bicknoor I treated it very gently and was well within my comfort zone. On the first lap I was getting regular time checks from people out on the course and towards the end of the first lap I was now 4 min down. I was though feeling awesome and thought lets up things little and see how the legs are today. The next time check was 2 min so I knew I was closing, then eventually at 80 miles I caught the leader and he wasn't looking in good shape at all. This to me was like a red rag to a bull and I immediately attacked the last 30 miles. Every climb I got out the saddle and I really went for it. In hindsight maybe I pushed too hard as I was later to pay the price on the run. The bike course was never going to be fast and on a fast course like Austria I would expect to be around or just under 5 hours, today I rode 5:39 to take the fastest bike split of the day so the difficulty of the course had a large impact on the times and only a handful of us managed to sneak under 6 hours. As a comparison my club mate Simon rode a whole hour slower than what he did in Austria as did several other people.

It was a big lift to hit T2 leading the race and I had built up a reasonable cushion. What I was wondering now was would my lack of training and fitness show and had I over cooked the last 30 miles on the bike! The run consisted of 5 laps of a playing field and an out and back loop though the forest with a very steep section right in the middle. Up until now I had never run a marathon before let alone after an Ironman bike leg! so this was uncharted territory. First lap I was actually feeling surprisingly good and full of running. I took on board what I could from each aid station and tried to avoid the coke until a little later on the run. At the turn point I could see and work out the gap I had, I reckon it was about 6min, the race was now mine to lose. Lap 2 I was starting to get a little bit uneasy and the constant change of terrain was upsetting my rhythm. Lap 3 I started to have my doubts as to whether or not I was going to finish let alone win. I just kept saying to myself on lap 4 just get through this one and the final lap will take care of itself. By this time I was walking the aid stations and not in good shape at all. I could see my winning margin slowly being eaten away. I was relieved to see Simon who gave me some encouragement which really helped because it made me realise I couldn't quit as I was racing for them too and it made me think of everyone back home who has helped me. The last lap was shear hell my lack of running training was starting to show and the win was slipping away. I did hang on though to win by 90 seconds but I was too wasted to even celebrate and collapsed over the finish line. My friend Rob helped me get back on my feet and sort my gear out so yes Rob I owe you 2 now!!

So I am delighted with the win and I did it tough against everything I had thrown at me in the last few weeks! It was clear that the swim and run were short but you can only race the course that's put in front of you. The bike though was mega tough which almost balanced things up and I hope they at least keep this element of it for next year.

The plan now is to head out to Texas at the end of the month to stay with my friend Mark Cathcart and I am racing the Long Horn Half Ironman the week after and hoping to improve upon my best half to date which was at Lisbon earlier in the year where I clocked 4:03:54. Work has settled down again so I should be able to get at least a good 2/3 week solid block with plenty of recovery thrown in. I have taken a lot from my win here and I know what needs to be done to improve and start making the top 15 in some Mdot races next year.

Well done and thank you to the guys at tri force (Simon, Mike and Rod). You are all stars in your own right.

Podium at Bedford at last!!

2007-08-26T20:47:00.000Z

1st Steve Harrison FVS TRI 01:59:49
2nd Jonathon Hotchkiss Sigma Sport/Orca 02:00:24
3rd Darren Treadaway Arctic Shorter Rochford Road T 02:01:33

315 Finishers

Ive never been so happy to finish 3rd! I have won similar races of this calibre in the past such as Worthing, South Coast Classic, Tidworth and had podium results at Chester and Swanage but Bedford has always seemed to stump me and I have been 4th here 3 times in the past and 7th last year! It was one of the first races I ever took part in and ive watched it change from a nice local event to a National event in its own right with good quality fields reaching 500 athletes over sprint and olympic distance. Maybe the course here doesn't agree with me or maybe ive just been unlucky. I made damn sure that this year things were going to change, Ironman training or not!

Several guys on the performance programme at Loughborough were on the start list so I knew there were going to be some fast swimmers to chase. I got a good start in the swim and settled into a small group behind the leaders. About a quarter of the way in my wetsuit started to let a little more water in than usual and on closer inspection its gone round the collar so looks like todays prize money will be spent on a new one. It didn't hinder me too much, maybe just made my arms a little heavy. I'm yet to have the perfect race with nothing going wrong!

I exited the water in about 12th place and set about riding through the field from the off. I felt great on the bike today as my biking has been really good this year. I didn't know how I would fair time wise as the course this year had changed, it was a nicer course but certainly a lot slower which brought the overall times down by some margin. I clocked the 2nd fastest bike split of the day which is very pleasing and was still nearly 2min down on my time on the old course! So really pleased with the bike as everyone is in the same boat. I was a little worried coming into T2 that I had over cooked it a little and jumped off the bike in about 1:30 down on the leader. My Dad shouted out that I was 4th and I thought there is no way I am settling for 4th again so set about running down the guy in front who was one of the guys from Loughborough, who pulled out shortly after I went past. In the end I hung on for 3rd spot not far down on the two guys in front who are class acts and big names in their own right.

Due to the new course it wasn't a day for fast times and this years swim times also appeared to be a little down on usual. But its still a cracking race and I will certainly be back next year. It goes to show you still can mix it over the shorter distances whilst training for Ironman.

It was god to see tri forcers out flying the flag today and thanks for waiting around for prize giving guys.

So next stop The Big Woody!

Tri Force Duathlon

2007-08-20T20:01:00.000Z

Darren Treadaway 00:59:50
Jez Cox 01:00:33
Howard Davis 01:11:13
Chris Carradice 01:11:38
Mark Heaney 01:14:10
Tamsyn Allen 01:16:03
Jamie Hamilton 01:20:47
Graham Meager 01:20:59
MarkWoolhouse 01:25:47
Trace Allen 01:28:17
Paul Carter 01:28:26

I wouldnt normally write a race report for what effectively is a training race but this one deserved a special mention.

There was a lot of talk and speculation beforehand about myself, Jez Cox, Mike Jubb and Dan Corner all showing up! Now I by no means would have been the favourite had they all shown as they have all won medals at various European and World Duathlons and I myself am training for Ironman. It arguably would have been one of the best quality duathlons in the country! But I know I am in good shape and was looking forward to bashing some duathletes!

Some were taking it rather seriously and there was talk of using pyro plates and waking at 3:30am to eat breakfast in preparation! But I myself was just looking forward to having fun and a good work out! Unfortunately it wasnt the show down I had hoped for and it turned into a head to head between myself and training partner and good friend Jez Cox.

Now Jez (top British ranked Duathlete 2007) has taught me a lot on the bike over the winter from bike position to maintenance to race nutrition so I owe him a lot and his advice given selflessly to me probably cost him the race today.

I knew to stand a chance of winning I would have to get a sufficient gap on Jez on the first run otherwise he would have used me on the bike. So I went out hard from the gun and managed to get 25 seconds on him into T1. A quick transition and I attacked the bike hard nervously looking over my shoulder to see if he was making ground on me, I still had a good lead. I held on to T2 and further extended my lead on the second run.

So could Duathlon be another string to my bow? I certainly now intend to give a few more a go and look forward to more battles with Jez who i'm sure will be up for revenge next time!

Another DNF at Swanage and hopefully the end of my bad luck!!

2007-08-20T19:30:00.000Z

I haven't blogged for a while because things have not been going that great. Since Austria ive had to get through a bike crash and food poisoning to get to the start line at Swanage. The crash happened when doing a recce of the course for The Big Woody in September. At the time it didn't seem too serious but it put my knee and shoulder out of whack and has made doing intense sessions difficult but just as I was getting on with it I contracted a bug I think from the local deli as there has been illness creeping up and down the high street where I work and it knocked me for six! I couldn't train properly for a week. So more time on the sidelines.

So onto Swanage. Well my body was working and I was over the food poisoning just, so managed to line up looking forward to one of my favourite races where I have placed 2nd and 3rd in the past and hoping for the win this year.

The swim was the usual fight to get to the first buoy, it seems rather ironic that various people have said lately to me that they have had panic attacks when swimming open water, ive always been extremely confident in water and never had a problem but I got out to the first buoy with the leaders and got hit round the head and my goggles pulled off. I let people swim over me while I re grouped and put my goggles back on but I felt very anxious so I can now appreciate what the others I spoke of have gone through. I got my self together the lead was gone so I carried on as normal but was too far back from the lead group so stuck in no mans land.

Onto dry land and a solid transition and I started to bring the field back on the bike and I think worked my way up to around 3rd place. Going out of Swanage I was confused by a sign making reference to the sprint race that was going on and I took the wrong turning. I wasn't the only person to make that mistake either! Both races were going in the same direction so all they needed was an arrow for all competitors and I wouldn't have even questioned it. My fault though I realise for not making sure I knew the course. I re joined the race and just rolled back into T2 and went for a sausage sarnie by the sea!

I hope my run of bad luck is now over and its back to business.

DNF at Austria

2007-07-15T19:11:00.000Z

Its not a nice experience having to write a race report after not finishing one of the most important races of the year but unfortunately my first Ironman was not to be, circumstances were somewhat out of my control but other aspects of it were not and all I can say is ive learnt a hell of a lot from the experience and there is a lot I would change for my next one and yes there will be a next one! Here is what happened.

I knew with the swim it would be solid and as my coach Steve puts it "its just the warm up". The swim has had the least of my attention this year purely for the fact that there are far more time gains to be had on the bike and the run therefore I think ive averaged about 2/3 1 hour sessions per week this year.

As it was my first Ironman I decided to race as an Age Grouper with an eye on a Hawaii slot. The age groupers started on mass about 100m behind the pro start. I was expecting a real fight at the start but it remained calm and was somewhat of an anti climax and found I didn't have to fight much for position. At about half way I had started to catch some of the 50+ pros as they were wearing different coloured caps so easy spot. I exited the water in 52 something and crossed the line with 53:04, that will do nicely! Transition was uneventful and swift thanks to great assistance in the tent from the race staff! (thanks Phil). As I was running through transition I was toe to toe with race number 6 Sergio Marques of Portugal. We left on our bikes together and rode at a similar pace for the first half of the first lap along with Canadian number 22. As we caught more riders the road started to get more and more crowded and I couldn't believe the company I was keeping on the bike and was trying not to get too excited!

I went through the first lap of the bike in 2:23:45 and remember thinking that all I have to do is keep it together and I will be on for a bike split of well under 5 hours. Not far into the second lap my lower back started to get a little uncomfortable so I stretched it out like I have done many times before and thought I can deal with a little discomfort no big deal, it started to get tighter when aero the eased on the climbs. I lost concentration for a little and rode over a pot hole or man hole cover and it sent a jolt through my back as I wasn't prepared for it. It felt ok at first then after a few minutes my back tightened up really badly particularly my right side. Even if I could have ignored the pain to finish the bike there would be no way I was walking anywhere let alone ruining a marathon. It got so bad I couldn't even pedal up the next climb to roll back to the finish. I had to dismount in agony and broken. I tried to flag some of the motor bikes down to help me out and they told me a car would be along soon, well I had to wait 2 hours before I was picked up. I was taken back to the medic tent examined and put on a drip. Lying back on the bed in the medic tent I looked to my left and who was laying next to me, Mr Kit himself Chris Morris!!. There were 3 athletes in the huge medic tent and two of them were tri force!

So my race ended prematurely. Riding over the bump and jolting my back was unfortunate but also unlikely to happen again and perhaps a freak incident. What I have learnt is that I need to work on strengthening my back and core in general and I think next time maybe I would use my other bike for anything over half ironman distance which has a more comfortable position. I have been to see my physio who has given me a clean bill of health although said i may have a slight weakness there so has given me some exercises to do to help my position on the bike. With a better core it should help me even if there are any un expected bumps!

So its onward on upward, I have taken some positives from the race and know there is a good Ironman in me in the not too distant future. Steve and Myself have made the decsion to race an Ironman Distance race in the UK on the 1st September. It was a hard decision because it means missing the British Champs but we felt it was important to get an Ironman Distance race under my belt this year because that is what we have trained for. So the focus now turns to The Big Woody and then the One O One series final in November.

I did thoroughly enjoy the trip and Chris, Simon, Phil and Jonathon were great company and I wouldn't hesitate on doing it again. It kind of puts it into perspective when only 50% of us finished! Chris you obviously went down fighting, nothing more you could have done you will have better days ahead, Jon and Simon you are stars! and Phil what can I say, you looked after us like super stars.

A solid performance at Bala despite near disaster!

2007-06-04T17:57:00.000Z

1. Mark Stenning Swindon Tri 03:47:06
2. Paul Hawkins Planet X 03:47:50
3.Lawrence Fanous 2XU TFN RT 03:49:33
4. Martin Yelling 2XU TFN RT 03:50:02
5. Mark Couldwell 2XU TFN RT 03:51:44
6. Paul Mountford Parker International 03:53:59
7. Darren Treadaway Arctic Shorter Rochford 03:56:48

(I did 4:05:42 in 2006 placing 6th)

345 Finishers

This was to be my last race before the 5 week build up towards Ironman Austria so I was looking for another solid performance and confidence booster before the big one.

If you had asked me before the race if I would have been happy with 7th then my response would have been no way. But I went around 9 minutes quicker than in 2006 despite finishing a place lower down the field. So although I am still not over the moon finishing 7th I will take it! Even the organiser commented that it was the best field ever assembled at Bala in the 6 years its been running. There was one fatal flaw in my race preparation which I think has probably cost me which I will come to later in the report.

Bala is an awesome setting for a race and I was mesmerised by the scenery and terrain the first time I raced here and have been back twice since.

I got off to a good start in the swim and settled into the second pack nicely. The water temperature was fine but would have struggled if it was any colder. First transition was smooth and it was off onto the bike, spirits were lifted by hearing my name over the loud speaker as one of the contenders. Onto the bike and after about 10 minutes or so I spotted Jon and gave him a few words of encouragement and he did the same for me, its good having people you know out on the course especially in these longer races. Paul Mountford (reigning British Champion) caught me about 1 hour into the bike and to be honest I thought he would steam past a lot sooner so I thought either he was having a bad day or I was going well and I think it was the latter. The rest of the bike leg was uneventful, on the closing straight I was caught by Martin Yelling and we entered transition not far apart which was a big lift to know I was in good company, it was now just a case of how much time I could catch on the rest of the field.

Here comes the f*&k up! I was so busy trying to be with Martin out of transition that I forgot my gels! I realised at mile 1 after spotting Martins fuel belt, it dawned on me that my fuel was back in transition. I thought its not the end of the world the event is sponsored by High 5 so there must at least be some energy drink along the course, but it turned out that all they had was water! They were waiting for the High 5 to be delivered and it never arrived in time. So I had to do the whole of the run on water only! Which I think worked against me mentally as well as physically as I tried to run conservatively and just worry about getting to the turn around and see what I had left to get to the finish. I did struggle back and thanks guys for the encouragement when we passed on the course but by that time the legs had gone to jelly, the vision was blurry and all I was worried about was getting to that damn finish line and collapsing!

An enjoyable but tough day out. Good to have support from the club out there and hopefully we can make it a bigger event next year. Well done to all that finished.

Next its into the unknown Ironman!!

A win at Hillingdon Triathlon and a course record at Colney Heath

2007-05-28T17:09:00.000Z

Harefield Lake on a good day!

1. Darren Treadaway 01:13:22
2. Steve Hyett 01:19:07
3. Justin Corcoran 01:19:57
4. David Everitt 01:20:21
5. David Knight 01:22:05

67 Finishers

Colney Heath 23rd May 22:57 (previous best 23:52 2006!)

Last Wednesday I ventured out to Colney Heath for the Tri Force midweek time trial expecting a mediocre performance having done a long ride of 4:35 followed by a 2 hour run (big day!) the previous day. So knew the legs were going to be tired. Riding out though I started to feel ok and knew that the conditions were going to be perfect as it was about 25 degrees with very little wind.

I didn't feel that I was going that well and even contemplated pulling out at the turn around. It then began to sink in who I was catching and at what time down the road, various numbers were ticking over in my head and thought I could at least be on for a respectable time.

I crossed the line with 23:27 on my watch as I had started it 30sec before the off when the man in front went. Maths not being my strongest subject I added the 30sec to my time instead of subtracting it and thought hmmm 23:57 that's respectable, it wasn't until Chris Morris who was taking the times came over and broke the news that it was 22:57 and I was shocked, so shocked that I re checked my watch and a couple of other riders! and that confirmed it, new course record 22:57!! Think now 22:30 is possible.

Hillingdon Harefield Triathlon 27th May

This was perhaps my most convincing win to date and probably technically one of my worst performances but glad to get these glitches out the way before the racing gets more serious again!

To start with it was pouring with rain as it has been all weekend. So I thought no big deal, man up get on with it and take no risks, get round in one piece.

Due to the conditions the swim was probably the most enjoyable part of the race which is unusual for me. I got clear water at the start and got off the front with one other athlete, as we approached the first buoy the lead canoeist cut inside of it, so we didn't know whether to follow or go round the buoy, obviously with hindsight the course was made up to go around the buoy. So we both stopped looked at each other the rest of the field was rapidly approaching then we got shouted at to swim around it, thank you Mr Canoeist!! We ended up finishing the swim together.

Into T1 which was the swim to run change over. This was the worst transition of my life, the wetsuit didn't come off! my legs were frozen and not doing what my brain was telling them and to top matters off I had pinned my number on the wrong way round so it was blank on the front! I faffed around with it trying to reposition it and ripped it so I now had a number hanging on by one pin. Meanwhile the Duathlon had started and my training partner Jez Cox was getting further and further up the road. The rain was still pouring down, I got to the turn around and got told off for not displaying my number correctly, so more faffing with it, I then put the boot in for the last 3k to see if I could take some time out of Jez.

Into T2 as I went to mount my bike my tri suit got snagged on the back of my saddle and it pulled the suit right into my crotch and I nearly fell off the damn thing! I eventually got settled and into my rhythm. Yes more rain to follow, just went through the motions, no silly mistakes, just a safe ride.

I hit the finish winning by just under 6 minutes. I'm sure a lot of people didnt race because of the condition's but you can only race who is there on the day and a win is a win! Afterwards it took a long time to get warm again.

So a good day for the boys Jez won the Duathlon too!

Redditch Sprint Triathlon

2007-05-21T20:45:00.000Z

1st James Gillfillan 58:20
2nd Mike Cornes 59:15
3rd James Lock 59:55
4th Tom Curtis 59:55
5th Darren Treadaway 1:00:20
217 Finishers

Made a last minute decision to head up to Redditch for the first BTA sprint race of the year. The main reason for racing being that my team manager Robert Engers was racing and it was a chance to test out my new steed again.

My swim was sound and certainly better than Lisbon so this is moving in the right direction. I then set about riding through the field and worked my way up to 2nd place but had several guys strung out down the road hanging onto my wheel. I gave a few dirty looks which didn't seem to do anything, then said a few words and they seemed to drop back then a few seconds later they were back on again, where were the bloody draft busters!

Very uncharacteristically for me I lost some time on the run and ended up 5th. The legs were heavy on the run which was to be expected with the volume of training that's going in also the fact I carried the guys behind round the bike course meant they had fresher legs than I did! Anyway I got what I wanted out of the day and that was to have a blast on the new bike and it was awesome rewarding me with 2nd fastest bike split to James Gillfillan and we were the only riders in the field to dip below 31:00.

First win on new bike and more publicity

2007-05-17T12:14:00.000Z

Brickendon Midweek Time trial

My first ever win at Brickendon! A wet and windy evening, I think with more riding on my new bike and better conditions I will go 21 this year.

Darren Treadaway 22:24
Dave Candy 22.32
Ian Coles 23.26
Mike Bridge 23.35
Nick Ison 23.37
Darren Rochford 23.43

Barnet Borough Times 17/05/2007

Run helps top finish

New Barnet triathlete Darren Treadaway finished an excellent 16th in the Lisbon Half Ironman event.

Treadaway, who has just turned semi-professional in a bid to make an even bigger impact in the sport, was up against professional athletes from all over Europe, making his achievement even more remarkable.

The gruelling event was made up of a 1.9km swim (80 lengths), a 90k cycle and a half marathon run (21k).

Treadaway finished in a time of just over four hours, just behind two of the UK's top professional triathletes.

The super-fit Barnet star actually finished the half marathon in a time of 1 hr 16 mins, which was some going after the other two disciplines.

Treadaway, a member of Hertfordshire-based Tri-Force, now benefits from the sponsorship of Potters Bar and Finchley-based bike shop Shorter Rochford and Hunters Estate Agents of Hertfordshire, his employers.

The Arctic Shorter Rochford cycling team, of which Treadaway is also a member, has one of the best pedigrees in the country and has historically enticed some of the best of the UK's cyclists on to its books.

They will be supplying Treadaway with a custom- bike worth thousands of pounds and a race kit.

Though primarily a triathlete, Treadaway's all-round ability means he is able to compete at the highest level in both cycling and running as single-sport events. He recently finished 33rd at the Reading Half Marathon and 13th at the Watford Half Marathon.

Tri-Force chairman Howard Davies said: "Darren is a force to be reckoned with in triathlon. As well as being an incredible asset for the county's profile in triathlon, he is a hardworking and very humble member of Tri-Force, who always has time to pass on support and expertise to newer members."

Tri-Force is Hertfordshire's top triathlon club and welcomes new members of all standards and experience, including juniors. For further information, log on to the Tri-Force website at www.tri-force.org

My new bike is here!

2007-05-15T20:36:00.000Z

A big thank you to Darren and Alan Rochford from Shorter Rochford Cycles. Ive been out on it tonight and its so so quick!! Looking forward to Brickendon tomorrow night!

Lisboa International Triathlon

2007-05-13T18:31:00.000Z

1 Johnsen, Jimmy DEN 03:45:48
2 Koefoed, Jens DEN 03:48:17
3 Sundberg, Swen GER 03:50:03
4 Cartmell, Fraser UK 03:50:23
5 Benocs, Zoltan HUN 03:51:44
6 Monteiro, Frederico BRA 03:56:14
7 Gomes, Pedro POR 03:55:20
8 Woodward, Alun ENG 03:56:26
9 Saunders, Nick ENG 03:56:40
10 Hovgaard, Esben DEN 03:58:05
11 Petersen-Bach, Jens DEN 03:58:18
12 Kaczmarek, Finn DEN 03:58:43
13 Hugelshofer, Patrik SUI 04:00:20
14 António, Custódio POR 04:03:23
15 Hecht, Mathias SUI 04:03:48
16 Treadaway, Darren ENG 04:03:54

Right the quick version is that I am really pleased with the result and feel I am getting closer to the best guys in the world so the extra time commitment is clearly paying off and I hope the result is something I can build on. Looking at last years results I felt the top 10 was achievable and last year I would have placed top 10 but this year the race moved up in class with athletes from 19 countries, some as far away as Brazil turned up! It truly was a world class field with the reigning European champion and various Ironman winners and World Cup athletes.

It wasn't however all plane sailing and ive really until now kept this under my hat but my ankle injury didn't clear up as quick as I thought it had and in hindsight I rushed back too quickly so my head was a mess leading upto the race but ive come through it ok and if anything my run will get stronger in the next race.

Onto the race. In the race itinery it said that the Elites were going to get their own start so I didn't really stress about fighting for position, so I waited and waited hanging onto the pontoon and nothing. Suddenly out of the blue the claxon went! and it looked like we were off. I managed to get clear water a little too easily then realised that all the fast guys had started on the far side so I had to cut across to try and get on the back of the chasing group, which I never caught and found myself swimming in no mans land for most of the race. Anyway it probably cost me a minute, no big deal in a race this long, maybe a lesson learned for next time.

The bike for me was the most enjoyable ride ive had in triathlon, I felt so strong with my new position and the extra miles had made a huge difference. I started catching people very quickly and felt well within my comfort zone and worked hard going out into the wind and got my bars and gels down me coming back with the wind behind me. On each of the 4 laps you go into the town centre where the atmosphere was electric and a big lift each time you came round.

I was relishing starting the run as I already knew I was having a good race and was looking forward to my usual blast through the field on the final run but it didn't happen as it normally does I think possibly for two reasons, the first being that at this level everyone runs fast and secondly I had maybe lost a little run fitness with the injury. I started on the first lap rather cautiously, probably a little too cautiously as I was worried about blowing to pieces as the temperature was hotting up, I eventually settled into my rhythm and laps 2 and 3 were solid and lap 4 was about hanging on with some useful encouragement from Rob as I passed him. I needed a shouting at as the wheels were starting to fall off so thanks Rob!h

Thank you to Laurence from Tri Force for accompanying me on the trip and well done on finishing despite not being at your best, lesser men would have pulled out!

I will be back next year, fitter, stronger and ready to go top 10 under 4 hours!

You can now post comments on here so feel free! Just want to make sure that at least someone reads my waffle!

Herts Advertiser 10th May

2007-05-13T17:49:00.000Z

Triumph for star
10 May 2007
EDITORIAL - herts.advertiser@archant.co.uk

IMPRESSIVE triathlete Darren Treadway has been making his mark on the sport this month.In the Portuguese National Championships in Lisbon at the weekend, Treadway came 16th in the long course event (1.9k swim, 90k bike and a 21k run) with a world class time of 4.03.54. It was an impressive field including several Ironmen winners and the current European Champion.

The senior section of Tri Force took part in the club organised Where? Triathlon - the name a reminder of its inception as a last minute replacement for cancellation of the Ware triathlon many years ago.

Rising star Treadway took the win, completing the 400m swim, 21km bike ride and 6km run in a time of 1.01.21, 50 seconds ahead of second placed FVS star Mark Racher. The club honours for first and second woman across the line were reversed with FVS' Kerrie Renshaw finishing in 1.10.50, a full three and a half minutes ahead of Tri Forces' Tamsyn Allen. Tri Force newcomer Emma Tempstra made an impressive debut for the club, clinching third place in a time of 1 hour 17 minutes.

Tri Force Juniors had an early season triathlon to warm them up for the coming season at Sandridge School. There were 22 youngsters aged between eight and 16 in the swim, cycle, run competition.

New members are welcome to join the club and for further information on Tri Force log on to www.tri-force.org

Herts Advertiser 26th April

2007-05-13T17:41:00.000Z

Lisbon test for star
26 April 2007
EDITORIAL - herts.advertiser@archant.co.uk

DARREN Treadaway of Tri-Force takes on his first serious international challenge of the year at the Lisbon Half Ironman on Saturday, May 5.Tri Force Chairman Howard Davies is predicting big things for Treadaway, who turned semi-professional at the start of 2007. He said: "Darren is a force to be recognised with in Triathlon. As well as being an incredible asset for the county's profile in triathlon he is a hard-working and very humble member of Tri-Force, who always has time to pass on support and expertise to newer members. We should all wish him well in Lisbon."

Treadaway has had valuable assistance from bike shop Shorter Rochford and the Arctic Shorter Rochford cycling team which has historically recruited some of the best cyclists in the country. Shorter Rochford will be supplying a custom bike and essential race kit.

Triathlete Treadaway also competes at the very highest level in both cycling and running as single sport events. In his first outing for the team he placed 11th in the North Road Hardriders among a classy field and has already set several personal bests in running, recording a half marathon time of 1:12:54 when he finished 33rd in the Reading Half Marathon, placing him 17th in the South of England championships. Other highlights include his 13th place at the Watford Half Marathon.

For more information about Hertfordshire Triathlon Club Tri-Force log on to the website at www.tri-force.org

Fall at Southern 12 Stage Relays

2007-04-01T18:48:00.000Z

Ok first up I think the picture probably looks worse than it is and I will hopefully be resuming light exercise within the next couple of days and maybe lay off the running for a week or so.

Right will start at the beginning. We were lying pretty much where I would have expected us to be after stage 10 which was somewhere in the late 20's and still had an outside chance of qualifying for the National so I was looking forward to a good run and hopefully pick off a few places for the team. gfshjgfsjfsjgsfjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjsgjfsjjsgjsgj

The first half of the race was very fast indeed assisted by a strong tail wind, it was when I started to come back into the head wind that disaster struck. I was leaning into the wind hard so as to try and stay in the middle of the path and out of nowhere the wind suddenly stopped and I clipped the curb and went over on the ankle. Now under any other circumstances I would have aborted the race unless it was one of my A races to avoid further damage but I had 11 other guys relying on me to finish so I had to bite my tongue and shut out the pain and limp home for the last 2 miles in the hope that we could still salvage something. gfjgfjfgjjjjjjjjjjffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffgjsffjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjsgjfgj

I still ended up running 27:36 for 5 miles but in a lot of pain at the finish and whisked into the St Johns Ambulance at the end and luckily my Dad was with me to drive me home. The good news is after closer inspection it is not broken and I should bounce back soon. It is already feeling a little better. gfjssssssssssssssssssssggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggsgfjjgjfgjgjsgjfgjjs

I am 5 weeks out from Portugal so I hope to God I can come back quick form this one.

Another PB at Reading Half Marathon, not quite sure how though!

2007-03-26T20:44:00.000Z

1st Simon Kasimili, Kenya, 1:03:35
33rd Darren Treadaway, Barnet and District 1:12:54

9877 Finishers ujjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj

To be honest I was 50/50 on the Friday before the race about actually putting myself on the start line. This was to be the end of a very hard 4 week training block totalling about 25 hours a week and I would have expected to crack a lot sooner so myself and Steve had planned for an easy recovery week after Reading. kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

Saturday morning I got a call from Laurence asking me if I could give someone a lift so I said of course and realised it looked like I was now racing, I did say that if he beats me then he can walk home! gggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg

On arrival which I thought would be more chaotic considering there were some 12,000 runners competing in the two events, we were ushered into the disabled car park so had very easy access to the race area and facilities, obviously this was an oversight but it was too late to do anything about it so thought we would ride our luck. Watching the masses que up to put there baggage in and go through various warm up routines, rituals was somewhat amusing! I went for my usual 20minute jog and knew that it wasn't going to be an easy day, legs were still very heavy.

We realised that the start was going to be very busy so we made sure that we got there with plenty of time to spare, well in fact about half an hour. While jumping up and down to keep warm waiting for the start a TV camera man and interviewer approached me and asked if they could talk to me I said sure but felt kind of embarrassed and thought they should of been talking to one of the Commonwealth Games guys like Dan Robinson or Huw Lobb or one of the Kenyans so said a few words and probably made a tit of myself! Not sure when or where it is going to be shown.

The gun went and adrenaline kicked in and my legs felt re-charged and ready to race. Went off too quickly as per usual but eventually settled down. Went through 2 miles in 10:30, 5 miles in 27:00, 6 miles in 32:35 looking at the splits I realised that I was already up on the pace I ran at Watford and at this stage was enjoying the race and great crowd support. I hit 10 miles in a new PB of 54:55 wow! and worked out in my head that I was on 1:11 pace which was a lot easier said than done.

I got to the 11 mile mark and could see the stadium looming in the distance but my legs went to pieces, the hard work was now really taking its toll on my legs especially my quads. I felt awful and had just resigned myself now just to finishing, I got caught by a big group with a mile to go containing the guy who I gave a lift too, cheeky git! As I got closer to the stadium I could hear the crowd which was a big lift and checked the watch and was amazed to see I was still on for a 1:12!

It goes to show I am in great shape now and once I rest and taper for Portugal I am going to be ready to really turn some heads in the tri world as i am biking and swimming very well too! got my first easy week for a while this week then its 2 more weeks hard work before the build up for Portugal.

Will be doing the 12 stage road relays on Sunday, these are great fun and will be well rested.

Puncture at the Oxonian

2007-03-25T17:16:00.000Z

Didn't do a race report for this one as a puncture prevented me from finishing with about 4 miles to go. I got what I wanted though in the form of a good work out and think looking at the splits that I would have been somewhere around 5th as I was riding well. Nothing more to say on this one really. My team mate rode well to finish 3rd.

Changes to the Schedule

2007-03-25T16:54:00.000Z

Due to not getting my entry in on time for Sevenoaks Triathlon I have decided to enter Duston Triathlon instead which in hindsight was probably the better option as it is a week later and looking at last years results it looks like quite a competitive field

I am also considering dropping Shropshire in favour of going back to Bala as I love racing at Bala as its tough and the bike and run suit me down to the ground. I would like to win this one and smash my time from last year!

A week in the life of me!

2007-03-10T19:56:00.000Z

A lot of friends in and outside of the sport have asked me recently "hows the training going" well that's the comment I usually get from people who don't understand the sport, fellow athletes tend to talk numbers more.

Although I was hoping to be working less this year the very buoyant property market has meant I am working more than I had hoped, although I still have more flexibility and am doing more training this year than ever before, well in fact nearly double!

Below is what i've done over the last 7 days and a fairly typical type of weeks training. A bit disappointed this week to miss one of my swim sessions, hoping to build up to 4 swim sessions once the season gets closer, on the whole a solid week.

Saturday
am 2hour bike, 10am-5pm work, pm 1 hour run intervals

Sunday
am 5hour bike on tri bars the whole way, pm 2 hour run off road

Monday
9am-6pm work, pm 90min long turbo intervals

Tuesday
am 1hour swim 4hour bike (out in Oxford, rode the course that I will be racing next week), pm 50min run intervals

Wednesday
9am-1pm work, pm 3hour bike then 1 hour 40min run (hard final hour)

Thursday
9am-6pm work Rest Day (couldn't get up for swimming!)

Friday
9am-6pm work, pm 1 hour swim then 1 hour short turbo intervals

Total hours training 24:00

North Road Hard Riders - A good performance but so much more to come!

2007-02-27T18:49:00.000Z

1 Richard PREBBLE Pinarello RT 0:59:45
2 Peter TADROS In-Gear Quickvit RT 0:59:56
3 Andy PROFFITT Arctic Shorter Rochford RT 1:00:28
4 Matthew BOTTRILL De Rosa CC 1:00:47
5 Peter BISSELL Arctic Shorter Rochford RT 1:02:04
6 Christian YATES In-Gear Quickvit RT 1:02:39
7 Sean YATES In-Gear Quickvit RT 1:02:50 1st team
8 Brett HARWOOD Wheel Spin Cycles 1:03:30
9 Daniel CORNER Arctic Shorter Rochford RT 1:04:50
10 David STAFF Anglia Velo 1:07:22
11 Darren TREADAWAY Arctic Shorter Rochford RT 1:07:36

63 Riders Finished

This was to be my debut for my new team Arctic Shorter Rochford and my first outing in a big time trial event outside of the world of triathlon. The Arctic as the team seems to be fondly known, well that's what people shout when we go past is a very strong team in UK cycling with reigning U/23 road race champion and national hill climb champion plus other former national standard riders. So for a triathlete who specialises in three sports to be accepted onto the team is an honour, we also have another multi sport athlete in the form of former World Amateur Duathlon champion Dan Corner who is a very strong rider and has had me red lining it on training rides!

Onto the race. Unfortunately my team bike was not going to be ready for another few weeks but that didn't deter me as I was eager to see how my legs performed from the extra training put in over the winter. I noticed that all the riders in front of me were riding time trial bikes which I am guessing must have been the faster option so hopefully some more time to be saved here once it arrives.

The day started off wet so there was going to be no heroics on the descents just get round in one piece and hammer the climbs, it was warm though so that was a bonus. I hammered the first 2 climbs and probably paid a little bit here but felt strong and ready for the undulations ahead as I approached halfway. As I was about to turn left into Brickendon Green I was caught for 3 minutes which must have been one of the top finishers but somewhat scary to see how fast he was riding and taking the corners and a bit demoralizing to think I had been caught for so much time, on the other hand I had ridden past 4 riders so I must have been moving too.

The next quarter of the race was pretty uneventful, just keep the legs going and try and save some for Essendon Hill. As I approached the foot of Essendon I had problems getting into the small chain ring! after playing around with it and a bit of fiddling I got it back in the small ring and breathed a sigh of relief! I had to ride the last mile and a half in the small ring or stop which was ok as most of it was uphill so not worth stopping here. From what I can see in the results it probably cost me 10th but no big deal better now than later in the year. It turned out to be a costly day as I also broke my rear tri spoke wheel, it didn't slow me down at all just annoying!

Looking at the results I never thought I would ever see a results sheet with Sean Yates (ex Tour De France and team mates with Lance Armstrong!) in 7th and me in 11th!! So I am really pleased and know there is so much more to come.

Next stop Oxionian time trial, hopefully top 10 here!

2007 Schedule is now nearly complete!

2007-02-16T19:14:00.000Z

25/02/2007 North Road Hardriders 25 miles time trial
17/03/2007 Oxonion 31mile time trial
25/03/2007 Reading Half Marathon (South of England Champs)

01/04/2007 South of England 12 stage road relays
06/04/2007 Welwyn Wheelers 25 mile time trial
15/04/2007 Sevenoaks Triathlon Sprint
05/05/2007 Lisbon International Half Ironman A Race
20/05/2007 Norland 50 mile time trial
10/06/2007 Shropshire Olympic Distance Triathlon BTA Ranking
17/06/2007 National Champs 50 mile time trial subject to qualifying
07/07/2007 Austria Ironman Triathlon A Race
22/07/2007 Worthing Olympic Distance Triathlon BTA Ranking
12/08/2007 Swanage Classic Olympic Distance Triathlon
26/08/2007 Bedford Olympic Distance Triathlon
08/09/2007 National Champs Half Ironman A Race
15/09/2007 Bala Olympic Distance Triathlon BTA Ranking
03/11/2007 Florida Ironman Triathlon A Race (subject to how the season goes, may consider something in Europe in October instead)

Pleased to report the first outing this year at the Watford Half Marathon was a successful one!

2007-02-15T20:32:00.000Z

Liked this picture as the guy behind looks like he is really suffering! and for the record he didn't catch me!

1 01:04:50 M Tomas Abyu
2 01:06:04 M Mark Miles
3 01:06:08 M Huw Lobb
4 01:08:55 M Benali Naoui
5 01:09:12 M Hassan Raidi
6 01:09:28 M Nalerddine Hallil
7 01:09:40 M Steve O'callaghan
8 01:09:53 M Ivo Zigadlo
9 01:10:06 M Tarus Elly
10 01:10:55 M John Mcfarlane
11 01:13:11 M Steve Hallas
12 01:13:21 M James Buis
13 01:13:27 M Martin Yelling
14 01:13:31 M Darren Treadaway

1947 Finishers

I never really knew what to expect from this race other than to go quicker than the 1:15:15 I did in 2005. The plan though was not to back off from training and just go out there and run hard and see how the legs felt after the hard training built up over the week. I had planned to make Saturday my rest day which was the day before the race, however, I got home from work and my legs felt very heavy! So I made the decision at 8pm to try and spin them out on the turbo trainer for an hour and did 6x6min at a very hi cadence in a low gear and it seemed to do the trick.

I got a good nights sleep and woke to a very sunny day but cold with frost on the car but no wind so it looked like it was going to be a quick day. The race this year really stepped up in class probably due to the prize money on offer for the top 3 and breaking the course records and as you can see from the results a few foreign names and our Commonwealth Games/World Championship marathoners were also up for the challenge.

The gun went and my competitive instinct ruled my head and I decided to go with the leaders and see how the race panned out. I looked down at my watch after the first mile and we clocked 4:50! I knew then that if I didn't back off then I wasn't going to see the finish line. The problem was I was too slow for the leading group and the chasing group hadn't yet formed so for a few miles I was in no mans land with nobody to run with. I did know though by the splits at 2,3,4 miles that I was running well. I hit mile 6 in 33:30 and 4 guys running in a group had caught me and was pleased to see it had taken former international runner and multisport international Martin Yelling this long to catch me which was a big boost. I managed to keep on the back of this group for the rest of the race but couldn't quite catch Martin (next time!). I clocked a PB at 10 miles of 55:50 and my final time was a big PB of 1:13:31 so delighted!

It feels really good to compete at this level with guys who are solely runners and don't have to swim or bike! A cracking field, good race and any other year at Watford I would have been top 5/6! I celebrated the day by going out on the bike for a couple of hours in the afternoon to spin the legs out and still felt good.

Next outing the North Road Hard Riders!