World Championships Qualification!

With 14 days till the Europeans I'm feeling fully recovered from racing at the weekend, over a post-race cold and ready to put in my final training block which will hopefully sharpen up my race speed and get me to the start line in good shape.

I received a great email last night confirming that I had qualified for the 2015 Chicago Standard Distance World Championships held in September. This is great news and would be a great opportunity to race against the best age-group athletes in the world. Unfortunately as it stands I'm not going to be able to take my place at this event because of the financial implications of racing so far away and the expense that racing the Europeans has already cost me. So if anyone knows of any generous companies or businesses which could help me in any way then please let me know and I'd be eternally greatful!

Dambuster Triathlon 2015

After an incredible few months working in the French sunshine at Les-Stables it was time to get back to some racing, and see whether I'd made any progress or just gained a decent tan.

It was great to be welcomed by some friendly faces from the Les-Stables/Pacesetter team on Friday at Rutlnd water, and even better to sit down for a pre-race dinner and catch up. 

Race day started in typical style: early. Crawling out of bed to the sound of my 4am alarm was tough, but once I'd dosed up on coffee I soon felt awake and began my pre-race preparations. Registering on the Friday makes race morning run a lot smoother so when I arrived at the venue I racked my bike and got my transition area set up with plenty or time for a good warm-up. As usual, a feeling of nervous excitement was building rapidly as the 1000 strong transition area filled up quickly and in no time we were called for the briefing and given a 10 minute warning till the first wave was off.

Swim

Lining up on the edge of the water with 200 other athletes I was as ready to race I could have  been. I positioned myself with the first line of athletes on the beach. I was hoping to see improvements on my swim time and was hoping to break 20 minutes, but this only added to my nerves - it was hard to forget that the 199 other athletes would be happy to get past me in any way possible, if I didn't have the best start, and I didn't want to ruin my whole race.  As the klaxon went off I ran into the water, dove, and began swimming hard. As usual there were arms and legs everywhere! Luckily I stayed out of trouble and after the initial sprint I found myself on the feet of the front group. The group split during the main straight and I was in the wrong place to go with leading guys. As we approached the final turn I put in a burst of speed to get around clear with the hope of bridging the gap to the leaders but couldn't quite get up to them leaving me in 'no-mans land'. Heading to shore I made a few navigational mistakes; putting in so much effort to try and make the front group was having its effect, which was frustrating after having such a good swim. But I needn't have been too harsh on myself; I came out of the water to the sound on 'number 42, James Phillips coming out in 19:30', which I was over the moon with - a new 1500m PB by over 2 minutes!

T1

Wetsuit down and off and at the mount line in no time, but unfortunately one of my elastic bands holding my shoes in place snapped as I was running and as I jumped on, the shoe dug into the ground bringing me to an abrupt stop! I was off soon enough after flipping the shoe around, but it's an area I want to work on before the Europeans.

Bike

The course was constantly undulating with some good climbs and descents. I had no issues throughout the bike and got round comfortably. Being my first major race I found it hard to pace the bike and found myself settling into a too comfortable rhythm which in hindsight was significantly off the effort I should of been putting in during a race. Rolling into T2 I realised my pacing issue as the leaders were well on their way on the run, which left me with a big task to work my way up the field on the run,

T2

Jumped off bike, racked, helmet off, shoes on, and gone. 

Run

I went off hard on the run and passed a number of athletes in the first few km's, feeling fresh and light on my feet. As I passed the 4km mark it was my first opportunity to see my position and how far away the leaders were. I counted 4 athletes passing in the opposite direction already on their way back. Unfortunately I'd left too much to do as I settled into a comfortable rhythm making sure I could hold my position and not blow up. A great crowd had developed on at the finishing area and the support was brilliant as I ran down the finishing chute and across the line in 2:02:03, with a 10km PB of 33:30.

I went into the race hoping to see improvements on my swim and run and have come away pleased, my splits showed significant improvements in both areas and good move towards racing with he top athletes. I know I need to work on some intensity on the bike and get back to basics with some transition practice.  Unfortunately I just missed out on the podium with a 5th place overall and 4th in AG, but I've learnt a lot from the race and know what I need to work on before the Europeans. 

Finally I would like to thank Les-Stables for sorting out my race and making the whole weekend a great experience and Pedal Potential for their continued support.

Next stop Geneva and the European Championships!

The Ringwood Triathlon 2015

The 12th of April saw the start of my 2015 triathlon season at The Ringwood Triathlon. 

This is a local event for me but always features some hit competition from keen athletes looking for an early season test of fitness. The format is rather unconventional with a 600m pool swim followed by a 28 mile cycle and finished with a slightly short 10k run.

I put a lot of time in pool over the winter and it paid off as I exited the pool and T1 in the lead with a combined time of 8:40.

Onto the bike course and some familiar training roads. The course is rolling and scenic with a few nasty climbs but I managed to stay out in the lead which was a pleasant surprise as I rolled into T2 without having any issues in a time of 1:15. I quickly racked my bike, put my trainers on and headed off for the run. As I saw the second placed rider coming down the road headed for T2, I relaxed into my stride,  knowing I'm onto my strongest discipline feeling confident I can stay away. The run follows a flat mainly road based course around the surrounding villages and country lanes; as I finished my loop and headed back towards the finish a small crowd of supporters had formed and this reminds me why I love to race. I crossed the line with a run split of 32:28 and an overall winning time of 1:57:06, 6 minutes clear of second place.

I'm Off To France

In other news I've been given the opportunity to spend 8 weeks out in Southern France at Les Stables working as a Coaching Assistant! 

This will be a great experience and I'm looking forward to gaining some invaluable coaching experience from the other highly qualified coaching staff.

With their own outdoor 25m pool, 800m running track and plenty of traffic free roads it should be a great place to train and get ready for the upcoming season. 

Les Stables also have a team of athletes who they support with kit from Zerod and nutrition from high5. I am lucky enough to be a part of 'Les Stables-Zerod Equipe' race team.

For more information about Les Stables check out their website here: www.les-stables.com.

I'm off on the 13th April and will be posting regularly once I'm out there and keeping you all up-to-date with what I'm up to.

It's Spring and Everything is Changing...

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

** Logo **

So, with the view to using some of the knowledge that I have, and continue to gain from my own experiences in training and being trained to coach and help others on their own triathlon journey I have put together some logo designs.

What do you think ?

Training's getting hard and I'm hungry.

Winter is officially in full swing, the Christmas break is over and it getting pretty cold. It's time to get your head down and work through the important next couple of cold, dark months.

There is always lot of hype about diet and body image especially at this time of year. I've spent a lot of time over the years reading up on nutrition, initially as a method to lose weight and then whilst at University as a method to improve athletic performance.

By no means do I think that I have all the answers or follow the best diet, I enjoy my food and try to follow a healthy ‘balanced’ diet that should help with training and racing, although we are all only human and I do have the occasional binge resulting in me being curled up into a ball on the floor.

I think learning to read what your body says is a really important and no more so than with food. As an ‘athlete’ I've never counted calories or measured out food quantities. I try to avoid over-indulging and have spent a lot of time finding healthy alternatives to everyday snacks and meals. But my main rule is that if I’m hungry it’s time to eat!

Below is a 3 day food diary I recorded from the 19/01/15 – 21/01/15, I tried to eat and train as I normally would during a standard base week.

7:00 - Double espresso

7:45-10:30 - 1L water (During 1h 15min swim/ 1h strength and conditioning gym session)

10:30 - Banana

11:15 - 3 slices rye bread with wholenut peanut butter and banana, mixed fruit pot

11:45 - Nakd Bar, Coffee

12:15-14.15 - 750ml Water (During 2h ride)

14:30 - Homemade flapjack, pear

15:00 - Omlette with chorizo and cheese, avacado, hummus and carrot

15:20 - Orange, Green tea

16:30 - Green tea, 50g cashew nuts

17.20 - (Run 5km recovery and 20min stretch/foam roll)

18:45 - 3x Lamb and apricot sausage salad with beetroot/courgette/pepper and onion.

19:30 - Frozen smoothie ice cream.

20:00 - 50g 85% dark chocolate, large bowl of mixed nuts

7:00 - Double espresso

7:45-10:30 – 750ml water, 750ml High 5 electrolyte tablets with water (During 1h 15min swim/ 1h 15min turbo)

11:00 - 3 slices rye bread with wholenut peanut butter and banana, orange

12:00 - Coffee

14:30 – Salad with avocado, halloumi, chicken, onion and hummus

15:30 – Nakd bar

16:00 – 50g cashew nuts

17.00 – Handful of raisins

17:15 – 750ml water during 1h 15min turbo

18:45 – Glass of chocolate milk

19:45 – Peppered pork chop, roasted carrot, boiled baroccoli, asparagus and peas. Frozen smoothie ice cream.

20:45 - 50g 85% dark chocolate. Hot chocolate

21:45 – A few slices of cheese

7:00 - Double espresso

8:00-10:30 – 750ml water (During 1h 15min gym session and 45min swim)

10:45 - Banana

11:15 - 3 slices rye bread with wholenut peanut butter and banana, orange, handful of dried fruit and seeds

11:45 – Homemade flapjack, coffee

12:30-14.45 - 750ml Water (During 2h ride)

15:00 – Handful of mixed nuts and seeds, glass of chocolate milk

15:20 - Omlette with chorizo and cheese, avocado, hummus and carrot, green tea

16:00 – Nakd bar

17.30 – 500ml water (post sports massage)

18:45 - 3x Lamb and apricot sausage salad with beetroot/courgette/avocado and onion. Frozen smoothie ice cream

20:00 - 50g 85% dark chocolate, large bowl of mixed nuts and raisins

Keeping a food diary for just a couple of days is a great way to take a look at your diet objectively, does it complement your training or hinder it?  It makes it easier to then make changes and see how they affect your mood, energy level and training.

If you have any questions or queries then please message me.