Spring is officially here and I for one am so happy to see the sun again and it's given me a new found energy for training.
It's been a busy time for me since I last wrote. I got some early season racing under my belt, wanting to see what kind of form I was I was in after my 'Base' phase, and was pleased with what I found.
I wrapped up my cross country racing with a win at the penultimate CC6 (Hampshire XC league), earning me the series win with three 1st places and one 2nd. I would recommend cross racing through the Winter for any athlete looking to build strength and add a new dimension to training through the tough Winter months, it's also good fun if you like getting muddy!
My first test was at the City of Winchester 10k - a race I did last year coming 2nd, but with a new course and a huge re-vamp I was keen to improve. 700+ runners lined up shivering on February 22nd, I sat comfortably through the first few km's then broke away with another runner, I tried to conserve energy knowing it was hilly course with a long uphill slog from 6-8km. I made my move at the top of the climb and broke away to win in 34:10 - not the fastest time but I was pleased considering the course.
Two weeks later I was off to Eton Dorney for a Sprint Duathlon organised by VoTwo Events. The weather was better than expect for the 7th of March and I was warm enough in my tri suit and some arm warmers. Favoring the run legs I pulled away from the group on the first 5km and came into transition 30s ahead giving myself a nice gap on the bike. I lead for 3 of the 4 laps of the lake and only got caught with a final lap to go, I tried to minimize the damage but was confident I could catch the cyclist on the final run if I could keep him in sight. Coming out of T2 I was surprised by how stiff my legs felt, I'd been doing brick sessions all winter but nothing compares to race efforts, I was soon into my stride and took back the lead after 1km and settled into a steady rhythm, knowing that I was clear meant I enjoyed the run soaking up the sun and the atmosphere.
An added bonus was beating all the Oxford and Cambridge University athletes who set off in their own 'Varsity' wave.
The following week I was off to Race New Forest's Winter Duathlon - Race 3 of a 4 race series. It was just down the road for me and offered a more challenging course than the previous weeks flat looping run/bike/run course.
My biggest mistake was thinking that the weather would be as nice as the previous week, it wasn't, it drizzled the whole race and was considerably colder.
The race starts at the bottom of a 600m off-road hill which separates the field immediately, I like to start hard and set the tone for the rest of the race so hit the front and took the hill like a hill repeat. I was soon clear and settled into a solid rhythm which was soon destroyed by the steep 800m down and up found just before halfway on the run, once at the top you do a quick off-road loop and go straight back down and up the other side.
Onto the bike, where the out and back course was very exposed to the wind out on open country roads, it was a true New Forest cycle route but unfortunately you couldn't take in much of the scenery because of the weather. After fighting the wind to the turn it feIt like I flew back to T2.
Off the bike I knew I was clear of 2nd and just wanted to get the hills done! I was pleased that my legs felt a lot better off the bike and really happy to run 16:09 for the final 5km considering the hills. I crossed the line 5 minuets clear of 2nd and just before the rain really came down!
So, so far I've gone 3 for 3 and I hope that it's a good indicator for the upcoming Summer of racing
