Change!

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!

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!!

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

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!

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!!

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!

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