Hever Castle
Olympic Distance Triathlon
This was my
first Olympic distance triathlon two years ago and I loved it so much I've been
back every year. It’s always been one of the highlights of my season, but this
year things didn't go quite to plan and it wasn't the end to the season that I
was hoping for.
After the
incredible high of Chicago I was struggling with the come down of normal life
in the following week; I was excited about the prospect of another race but my
body wasn't so sure. I didn't travel well on the return flight which took over
24 hours door-to-door. I thought a night flight would be a good idea but I only
managed half an hour of sleep which is a long way off what I'd normally get!
This, combined with the time difference and jumping straight back into work,
left me feeling deflated all week and I wasn't training particularly well. In
fact I was still feeling the effects of the race out in Chicago - I was hitting
good times in the pool but couldn't find any run or bike legs.
 |
| That's my pointy elbow in the center of the picture |
I got
through registration as quickly as I could, ran up to the marshals letting
people in and out of transition and quickly explained that I didn't have time
to stand and stick all the stickers on as my wave was in the water. Luckily
they let me in and I got to the first free racking space I found, dumped my
bike, got out my bike and run shoes and my helmet, stripped down to my tri
suit, grabbed my wetsuit and goggles and ran down to the swim start. I got
there just as the last athlete was getting in the water and stuck my arms and
legs in my wetsuit hoping I wouldn't rip it to pieces. As I jumped into the
water I did the zip up and heard the starting gun go off! I was about 50 meters
from the start line with 200 athletes ahead of me. My first thought was
"It's bloody freezing!" but that was quickly followed by "I'd
better get a move on".
Unfortunately
there was no way I was going to bridge the gap up to the top Elite athletes but
I gave it my best shot, weaving between groups of athletes I made my way up
through the field quickly but once ahead of the masses I was stuck in no man’s
land too far back from the fast moving lead groups. From then on it was a cold
and lonely swim. The swim course is technical but scenic and I couldn't help
think that it would be a great place to train but during the race I found it
hard to keep on the best course as I wound down the river on my own. I was
pleased to take the turn out of the river and head back in front of the Castle
and the swim exit.
Once out of the
water I realized how cold I’d gotten; fumbling with numb fingers trying to grab
my zip became an almighty challenge and it felt like I was running on stumps
not feet as I made my way up to transition. For the first time this year I ran
down the wrong racking lane and had absolutely no idea where I'd left my bike,
having left in such a rush I hadn't picked out any markers or even payed
attention to which lane I'd gone down. After a bit of panicked dashing around I
found my bike and headed straight out along the muddy pathway.
Once I was
out on the bike I still couldn’t warm up much - my feet were still numb and the
wind against my wet, cold skin cut me like a knife but I pushed on, mainly to
try and warm-up! Having done this race before I remembered roughly where the
route went but had never got caught in so much traffic before, getting stuck
behind a number of cars from the backlash of the car park. The bike was fairly uneventful
for me as I was still a way down from the leading Elites so had no-one to gauge
my position or speed off but I enjoyed the course (which probably shows I
wasn't working hard enough!). The crowds were great and a group of boys on one
of the tougher hills were amazing, both times I passed by they went crazy! I
couldn't help but smile.
By the time
I turned back down the castle entrance the sun was out and I'd warmed up but
still had no idea of my position. I jumped off my bike and heard over the PA system
that Cat Jameson was just racking her bike. I knew from Castle Howard that Cat
was an incredible athlete and it gave me an idea that I couldn't be too far
down and might actually catch some athletes if I had a good run. This gave me a
boost and I sped out of T2 with a new lease of life on the hunt.
The run
course is a really tough two lap, off-road route that has a number of nasty
climbs that sting the legs and the lungs. This type of run suits me as I enjoy
running off-road, letting my legs go and pushing hard on the hills. Despite the
mud ridden course I felt like I was running well and managed to stay upright
through the trickier sections which I'm sure took a few people down. On my last
lap I began passing some athletes and carried on pushing, unfortunately from my
point of view the run was over too soon. As I climbed the final hill I saw a group
ahead who were suffering; I knew I was gaining but we were on the finishing
chute before I could pass.
Seaon
Over.
It wasn't a
great race to finish on and a shame that I hadn't improved on my result from
last year but there are still a lot of positives to take from the race. I
finished 9th overall, losing time to the top Elites on the swim and bike but I
ran a 33:15 which was a few seconds off the fastest run of the day - I'd like
to know what my legs could've done on a flat road course!
