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

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

Milton Keynes 10k Report

Chilly and rain was the theme of today's at the Milton Keynes 10km road race. I changed the original plan from a half marathon to a10km road race since at the moment am trying to get back my speed, the speed I lost with 5 Ironmans :)! Training has been going well lately so I thought I would try and improve on the 10km time I did 4 weeks ago. Unfortunately I was 4sec off the mark but the result turned out to be quite a good one considering the course. Who said Milton Keynes is flat????

10.20am start! I started at a good hard tempo. I wanted that sub 36min 10k time badly. I hit the first mile in around 5mins. I thought, oh thats fast, but I felt rather comfortable. I managed to keep a strong pace up until 5k which I covered in 17.31! Good I thought, 35mins here I come, until the hills started. I thought Milton Keynes was flat, and the race advertising was all about this fast flat course, where did these hills come from?? ... lol!

First hill, second hill, third hill..... come on guys this was not on the brouchure! Managed to finish the 10km in 36.49 and in 10th place. Fair enough I thought at the end of the race, might have been slightly slower than 4 weeks ago but first half was strong and if it had not been for the hills I would have got good pretty fast time, and 10th place with the runners is not bad going! So am pleased with that!! :)

Milton Keynes is in the bag and now we aim for the next one.... The Elite Duathlon Championships in Loughborough. The race is going to be held in an old air field so that should be flat no?? I never seen airports with hills...heheheheh!! It will surely be crazy fast with the likes of the Brownlees and Tim Don who might be on the start line!! Am expecting a sore bum after the race, and thats not from the effort I will be putting in it! :)

A big well done goes to DGtri Athletes Simona Carena who did a PB in the Half Marathon in 1hr 58mins and to Joe Brookes who also had a good performance even though suffering with flu all week. Well done!!

Dermot

TCR Show Saucony 10k

Sunday 13th February

As part of my preparation for the triathlon season I entered the Saucony 10km road race at the TCR Show. The TCR show is a 3 day triathlon /cycling / running expedition which is organised in Surrey. I had to go for the TCR show due to Linebreak Sponsorship to do some advertising. The show is a great opportunity to see also great athletes like Stephen and Bella Bayliss, Chrisse Wellington and Phil Graves. I wasn’t expecting a very fast time for this race as am still very early in my preparation but I was looking for a solid performance and certainly a better time than 6 weeks ago in Malta where I ran 38.45. The race started very fast and I got caught up a little bit at the back of the group. I quickly made my way close to the front. The course was not the fastest, with some very sharp steep hills. On the first lap I did 18.16. At that stage I felt very strong and starting working my way up the field. I struggled in the last 1km since it was all uphill and lost a guy whom I caught at the 9k mark. I finished with a good time of 36.46, in 17th position out of 250 starters. The race was won by Stephen Bayliss.

I am quite pleased with my performance. 4 solid weeks of training made a good impact on my fitness. I feel that I can certainly go faster, and hopefully I will keep my training momentum. Joe Brookes (DGtri athlete) was also racing and finished in a time of 45mins 45sec.
Next target is the Milton Keynes Half Marathon.

Dermot