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.
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
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