DGTri Athlete Report - Samantha Anderson

Warwickshire Aquathlon - 23rd April 2011

Another weekend....another race! Only this time it was on a much smaller scale. The Warwickshire aquathlon was a fairly low key event around St Nicholas Park, Warwick and consisted of a 400m swim and 3.2k run.

I had a late start time of 12.28pm....just when it started to get hot!! I was quite relaxed for this race and just wanted to enjoy it after such a big race last weekend. I had a clear swim with only 1 other girl in my lane. Just like running, I’ve been trying to learn to pace my swim better so I don’t go off too hard. I enjoyed the swim and felt like I was swimming comfortable and my time (which also included my transition time) totalled 6.45; I think I swam a sub 6.30 so I was pleased with that.

The run was only 2 laps of the park and although I wanted to run relaxed because the race was so much shorter I knew I had to make up a bit of time on the faster swimmers. I got a stitch after a couple of minutes...I can’t remember the last time I had a stitch! I don’t think I’d eaten enough before the race; I’m not sure. I tried to just relax and run through it. I got a lot of support from other club members and felt like I was running at a decent pace so started to just stride out. I finished the run in 13:47. My combined time (20:47) was good enough for first place – nearly a whole minute ahead of the next finisher.

I don’t think I raced to the best of my ability on the day but it was a decent, solid performance to build on. It was a great atmosphere and I have a nice new plaque to add to the collection (oh and a £25 gift voucher to buy trainers, yay!).

Tri-247 Results

Samantha

DGTri Athlete Report - Johanna Calleja

Chirk Sprint Triathlon

On Sunday 17th April I participated in Chirk Sprint Tri, my first triathlon in the UK and the last event of Chester Tri Club’s winter league. Starting the race at the top of the league and following consistent performances in training and races over the winter, I was looking forward to a strong start to the triathlon season.

The triathlon, which consisted of a 400m pool swim, 24km cycle and 5km hilly run, started in the morning but luckily I wasn’t setting off till the afternoon, giving me time to get to Chirk by train. I arrived early and was informed that we would be starting 20 minutes behind schedule, so I took the opportunity to familiarise myself with the transition area and the start and finish of the bike and run, while chatting to some of my friends from Chester Tri Club and watching others finish their race.

After setting up my equipment in transition, I made my way to the poolside. It was strange starting a race without being able to do a swim warm-up, but we set off and I managed to get into quite a good rhythm. I finished the swim in 6:39 in 8th place and ran out to my bike for a quick transition before starting the cycle. Since it was a time trial and I wasn’t racing with a watch, I had no indication of how I was getting on, but I got onto the bike and started working hard.

A couple of weeks before I had gone to Chirk with some other Chester tri club members to cycle the bike course and I’m very glad I did as it was quite a strange course. The scenery (which is beautiful!) is deceptive in that it makes the road look flat, but in actual fact on the way out you are steadily climbing, whereas you go back down quite fast apart from a hill towards the end. In general, the roads were really bumpy, but the beautiful weather made it all very enjoyable, although being overtaken by the fast guys behind me was slightly less enjoyable!

My 1st transition and cycle time was 45:16, 11th fastest of the female participants. As I started the run, I was quite worried as it’s a renowned hilly course, with one guy being convinced it was 10km just because the hills made it feel so long!

Although I had pushed hard on the bike, my legs felt surprisingly fresh as I started the run and I felt strong throughout (although being overtaken by the Chester tri club member who ran the fastest time of the whole field (16:22!!) did make me feel slightly slow). I ran cautiously as I kept thinking it was going to get worse, but as we turned round to head back I started to think that maybe it wasn’t as bad as I thought. As I ran up the last hill, I started realising that I had been a bit too cautious, as I was still feeling quite fresh. It might have worked in my favour as I finished strong and even overtook a few runners on the way, but I think if I had been less cautious, I might have been able to go slightly faster.

My 2nd transition and run time was 22:00, so I was pleased to have run under 22 minutes on such a hilly course. This was the ninth fastest time of the female participants and I finished the race in 1:13:55, in 8th place out of 128 females and in 91st place overall out of 368 competitors. Having crossed the finish line, it was time for another quick transition to gather all my belongings and race back to the train station to get the train back to Chester and finish my 5,000 word assignment which was due the next day!

I was really pleased with my placing in the race and with my result, which was good enough for me to win the club league, with a score of 466.36% out of a potential 500. I have a couple of triathlons planned for May, the first being the BUCS Sprint Triathlon on the 1st May, followed by the Full Boar Sprint Triathlon on the 15th May. I’m looking forward to a good season, and would like to thank Dermot for always believing in me, Chester Tri Club, and Barry, swimming coach at the Chester Academy.

RESULTS

LEAGUE RESULTS

Johanna

DGTri Athlete Report - Samantha Anderson

European Duathlon Championships - 16th April

This is the first time I had been to a major duathlon championship so was not sure how it would compare with the big Triathlon Champs.....I wasn't disappointed. The atmosphere was great, the crowds were big and the city was buzzing!

The morning of the race, I pulled on my GB kit, listened to a bit of Miami 2 Ibiza by Tinie Tempah to get the adrenalin going and started to psyche myself up. I got to the start and chatted (as usual) to everyone and anyone. The horn went off and the race was on (I was on the start line in plenty of time this time!) I've been trying to get better at pacing so I held back a bit like at Dambuster. The 10k was 4laps and I tried to stay relaxed. I got loads of support from my Mum and other people who knew me. I thought I was speeding up at the end and was on for a 39 min 10k but had misjudged the last stretch up to transition so clocked 41:05

Stopped in T1 for a quick gel (mae much less mess than last time, yay!) and had a good look round (easily distracted) and then headed out onto the bike.

The bike was 5 laps with lots of dead turns and technical bits - I lost time on these bits but worked hard on the dual carriageway to catch the others. I felt like I was going really well until the end of the third lap whenn I hit a pothole and completely lost control of the bike, I was swerving all over the road before I managed to unclip my feet. As I was looking at the bike the marshals were busy trying to drag me off the course, saying I was a danger to the other riders. I was worried I had a puncture but it turns out the back wheel had just come out. I tried to fix it as quick as I could but the more I rushed, the worse I made it! I felt a bit tearful seeing all the other cyclists going past. It felt like forever but eventually the wheel slotted in again, I tightened the skewer back up, clipped my feet in and off I went on my last 2 laps. It tooks me a while to get my head back in to the race and I was relieved to finishedthe bike in 1.09.47

A quick T2 and I ran my frustration out on the 5k. I felt really strong and was enjoying myself, An Irish girl overtook me with 1k to go and I wish I'd have pushed harder - she beat me by 9 seconds. I finished the 5k in 18:47 which meant I'd finished in 9th place.

Overall I was pleased with my 2:12:25 finish time and overall position. It was a really fantastic experience and I loved being a part of it. With recent results, and Dermot's encouragement, I'm finally starting to believe in myself as an athlete now and I'm excited about future races.

Sam

DGTri Athlete Report - Simona Carena

1485 No Frills Duathlon – Market Bosworth Water Trust Park

Sunday’s morning was the perfect sunny spring day and any doubts about taking part in the Duathlon were immediately dispelled as I woke up and looked outside the window. I am not a great fan of this type of races for two simple reasons: I get left back from the start, and the second run hurts like hell and feels as fast as running on a treadmill the wrong way round. But I was also curious to see how things might have changed after working with Dermot for over a year, although not specifically on Duathlon.

In the last month I have been still delighted with my progress and result after the half marathon so I found myself very motivated to give it a go. Dermot’s latest training plan included a bit more cycling, an area that we left ticking over in the background during the winter. And cycle more I did in the much improved weather. The race consisted of 5k run in the park, flat and on grass or gravel surface, 21K of slightly undulating country lanes around Market Bosworth and a second helping of 5k on the same course. I was hoping for a time of 1.45, some 20 minutes faster than my last attendance at this race in a cold February a couple of years ago.

The field of participant was over 80 people with both very strong athletes down to first timers. The organization from the 1485 Triathlon Club is second to none, and they seem to be able to stage an awesome quality race at such a small cost. It was great to meet a few friends in the relaxed atmosphere and as the coach did suggest I tried to find a slightly faster athlete to pace me round and get that little bit more out of my legs. I managed to find a friend from a previous club, Gabriella, that I know is an experienced runner that paces well and faster, so we got ready on the start line for the first leg of the event with a specific run target in mind. At the starting gun a hoard of runners sets off around us, but we did not loose our head and soon got in a even steady pace. After 700 mt we start to real in the first to tire out. I felt quite relaxed and efficient, every now and then a bit fatigued but I thought the pace was spot on.

My intention was not to overcook the first run, try for a solid bike spit and avoid having to crawl around on the last leg! By the end of the first run we managed to pass a few more people, and get in transition in a time of 25:38; I have to say that I was very surprised! I quickly shoot out of transition but got stuck in the exit barrier of the park as a large vehicle was blocking the road. As soon as that was out of the way I just saw Gabriella flashing past on her shiny new fast bike (carbon envy or what!!) and I gave chase in the hope to keep in touch and may be benefit from some more pacing the second run. Alas, not today! She was out of sight faster than you can say “bling” and just a few shiny sparkles were left in her wake! What a pleasant surprise to find my legs on the bike within 500 mt. I always have struggled with cycling after running, and generally the first 2-3 miles of a duathlon have always been a big waste of minutes.

It seems that the well structured training has had a positive impact. I was so excited to be able to overtake a bunch of people on the first mile and then a few more later on through the winding lanes. I felt I was tiring out on the last 3 miles. I avoided checking my watch, but I was starting to be a bit unsure of my time as I was not feeling efficient any more. My bike split was 45:36 average of 17.5 mph. I am very happy with that as I know I have much more work to do on the bike, but it is the fastest that I ever went round that course. Transition was quick, for me, 33” and off I went round the lake again. My legs were feeling numb rather than sore and I was more mincing than running for ten minutes before I felt normal again; somehow it must have been a fast mincing as in spite of the feeling a growing sense of discomfort I was just one second slower than the first run. Total time 1:38:01, that beats my last overall time at the same event by over 27 minutes... and is way faster that I expected! I think I am now a converted Duathlete...

Thanks to Dermot! ;-)

1485 Bosworth No Frills Duathlon

Another Positive Result

After Saturday's result at the Ashbourne Duathlon I decided to take part in the 1485 Duathlon, an event I have done already twice and which I really enjoy doing. After cycling to the race venue with Bill - 34miles down the road, it was a matter of setting up transition and do a little bit of running warm up in the hope of finding my running legs as I was really sore from the previous day's efforts.

I wasn't very sure of what I was doing to be fair. I had never raced two successive duathlons and I was quite unsure of what I had to expect. The distances were 5k run - 21k bike - 5k run so plenty of running distance - not good on sore legs! I was certainly looking forward to the 21k time trial as the course suits my strength as its very undulating and there are quite windy sections at times.

So at 10.30 am we set off. I was really worried that after a few minutes of running my legs would just go stiff and it would be a very painful experience, but that never happened. I felt strong all the way posting a 17.48 run split in 6th place, that's 11 faster than in the Elite Duathlon Championships 2 weeks ago. At that time I was think...... WHAT??? Quick transition and off on the bike. I settled quickly into a strong tempo and moved up the field to 2nd position. Legs were feeling good surprisingly. I finished the bike ride, including transition in 34.54.

On the last run I tried catching the guy in front but although I did close the gap I could not get him. I was later overtaken by Chris Jordan, who is a hell of a runner. In the end I had to settle for 3rd place 16sec from 1st place and 2sec from second. Still, I am very pleased with my performance especially since my overall time of 1hr 10mins 52sec is a good 4mins 30sec faster than my personal best time on the course!

So certainly a good weekend of racing, but now am really sore!! Will take a couple of days easy to recover and than start preparing for the BUSC Universities Sprint Triathlon Championships on May 1st.

RESULTS

Dermot

DGTri Athlete Report - Barry Farrugia

PEMBROKE 10K

I had been training hard these past two months for a sprint triathlon that had to be held in March, but was then cancelled due to bad weather. It was quite a let down after all that hard work and to make matters worse I became ill and had to put all my training on hold. Dermot then suggested that I should go in for a 10km race to put me back on track. I didn’t expect much from this race since I had lost quite a few training sessions.

The weather was perfect on the day of the race. I had already experienced the same last year and knowing the course helped me to prepare myself better for the hilly bits. Although I wasn’t expecting a great result, I still set a personal target and aimed to do an average of 4mins per/km which would finally lead me to 2min 40 sec less than last years result.

The first 2km went smooth as planned, but although I was prepared for the first hill, it still slowed me down a bit and I was 30 sec off my target. For the next 3km I managed to get into a good tempo and get back on track. At 5km my time was 20min 20sec still 20 sec behind, but kept my consistency up till the 8km. The last 2km was a do or die situation. Tired, yet determined I gave it my all and surprisingly enough I finished at 39min 32sec, which would be 3min 08sec less than last years Pembroke 10k.

The intense training I had throughout the year payed up after all. And I would like to thank my coach Dermot, for always believing in me and for such rewarding training programs!! Whilst looking forward to many more successful races.

Barry

Ashbourne Duathlon

A good strong performance at last!!

Today was the first race of the Blue Seventy series, a long duathlon in Ashbourne http://www.punishingevents.com/ashbourne_duathlon.htm. I was really looking forward to hit a strong performance on the first race of the series. Duathlons are not my forte but I really enjoy racing them and this course was certainly made for my strengths and pacing - plenty of hills that is.

The race started off with a 12km run on an undulating course, more like a hilly course to me!! I started at a good comfortable pace, as I didn't want to blow up so early on in the race. I managed to settle in a good tempo, so much better than a week ago in Leicester. I kept up a with a group of 4 athletes and as the race progressed so did my strength. I entred transition in 49mins 10sec in 12th position, and after a quick change over (30sec) I was out on my bike for the 40km hill course. The bike I used for this race was kindly lent to me by Bill Livingstone (Linebreak team manager) who also took care of transport and race support!! Thanks for that Bill.

So onto the bike course and I started moving up the field. I was really cycling well today, felt so strong and must admit, I was cycling a lot better than I was hoping. The cycling course was very technical with a couple of steap downhills and quite a few long up hills. Although I did suffer from some cramps at some stages of the ride I was focused to move up the field and do a strong TT. Back to the second transition and ride time was 1hr 10mins! Another quick transition saw me out in 7th position which I kept all the way to the finish. I covered the last 4km run in 14mins 31sec, for a total time of 2hrs 15mins 47sec.

Am really happy with my performance today both with the time and position (I also came in 2nd in my age group). This urges well for the rest of the league.

Next race...... well the plan is to race in another duathlon tomorrow (Sunday) if I wake up in one piece that is. That's 5km run - 20km bike - 5km run. I never raced 2 triathlons or 2 duathlons on successive days so it will be interesting to see how my body will cope. Hopefully none of my athletes get to read this and start coming up with strange ideas!! :)

RESULTS

Dermot

Leicester 10k

Last Sunday I took part in another 10k running race this time in Leicester. After quite a rough week at university with exams and assignment deadlines, coupled with 3 days of no training due to illness I wasn't expecting much from this race. Due to the fact that this weekend I have a hard Duathlon race in Asbourne I thought that a hard 10k run would help me get back on track.

The race was held in Abby Park, fantastic location for a running race. I started at a strong pace but after 3k I realised it wasn't going to be a good race so I just tried to hang in there and use the race as preparation for Asbourne. The 18k of cycling to get to the venue didn't help either but certainly it was a perfect training opportunity.

I finished the race in 38mins 42sec. Not a fantastic time but kept my consistency with another top 10 performance.

Now am really looking forward to next Saturday's race. Its a hell of a tough course with 12k opening run leg, followed by 40k of cycling and finishing it off with 4k of running. All this with loads of hills.. Can't wait!

Dermot

DGTri Athlete Report - Johanna Calleja

Chester Tri Club Winter League Duathlon

The last duathlon of Chester Tri Club’s winter league was held on Sunday 3rd April. As we prepared to start, the sun was out and it was much warmer than it had been in the previous duathlon. (When I got home, I actually had a slight tan line of my shorts!)

As we started the first 5km run, Gill took the lead and I could immediately see that she was much faster than me (she finished the first run in 19:55!). Kate was just behind me most of the way and then led at one point towards the end and though I felt that I couldn’t get into a fast pace, it turned out that I was running well and Kate and I entered transition together in 2nd place having done a 21:31 run.

We set off on the bike and a lot of the time Kate and I were alternating between second and third place. As one of the male triathletes passed me, he said “If it doesn’t rain more, we’ll be ok.” I hadn’t even realised that it had started to rain slightly, but soon after he said that it was pouring! I don’t think I had ever cycled in so much rain before. Kate and I again entered transition together, this time in 3rd place as we had been overtaken by Becky. Notwithstanding the rain, the conditions were still a lot better than the strong wind in the last duathlon and my bike split of 29:38 was 2½ minutes faster than last time.

It was only in transition that I realised just how cold and soaked I was, which slowed down my transition quite a bit. As I started the second 5km run, I could see Kate ahead of me, who was quickly catching up with Becky. But somehow I just couldn’t get into a good rhythm. My feet were so cold that my toes were completely numb and each stride at the beginning was really painful. I eventually started to warm up again, and overtook Becky towards the end of the run, so I finished in third place behind Gill and Kate in a time of 1:15:11, over 3 minutes faster than the previous race. I wished I had run a slightly faster second run (22:31), but overall I was very pleased with the result.

I’m still in first place in the women’s winter league and I’m now looking forward to the Chirk Sprint Triathlon on 17th April, which will be my first triathlon of the season and the last event of the winter league.

RESULTS

Johanna