DGtri Athlete - Simona Carena

Friends of Mick ‘n’ Phil Half Marathon

On 11th March I attended my first race of the 2012 season at Draycote Waters Reservoir: “Friends of Mick ‘n’ Phil Half Marathon”. The race in its second run, after a 2 year gap, and it is held as a charity event to help these two lads, who are a known figure on most local races and have run countless Marathons for their full story:http://micknphil-marathonlads.com/index.php.

The weather forecast was most promising with sunshine and clear skies and very moderate temperature for March witch gave the option of shedding the winter layers, with the added bonus of a bit of a breeze around the lake shore. The race consists of 2 and ¾ laps of the reservoir, on the tarmac surfaced service road, with well clear mile markers and timing chips. The route winds itself amongst a shady and hillier side and on long and flat exposed dam walls on the other. Ample car park and facilities also make this venue an ideal race location and if you live close by like me, a pleasant training ground.

The field comprised of 200 runners with a high ratio in the veterans category, and by 9 am the place was swarming with lycra clad people and their fans and supporters. I got there early to bag a good parking spot and to enjoy a last cup of coffee in comfort before warming up. It helps with race nerves!

My plan was to hold back a bit on the first three miles and then wind the pace up a bit hoping to get a big chunk off my current PB on this distance. The preparation this winter has gone very well. In the 3rd year of Dermot’s coaching I feel I am still improving considerably on all disciplines, but I am feeling also much fitter and less tired. I have also benefited from nutrition guidance from Johanna Calleja. Notably my recovery from training and overall health seem to have improved, little I knew my already reasonable diet could be harbouring a lack in selenium, zinc and copper (I did not know you even ate these minerals!) Plus I have to say I have managed to shed some pounds in the process witch always helps!

At the starting gun it was a very civilized affair, partially due to the timing chip that allow everybody to get their real time, so no jostling for position, and there seemed to be space for all to get under way. The first 3 miles went very well and I felt it was quite easy even on the “undulating “ part of the course. Then a few flats sections on the dam walls, with a small hill thrown in between and lap 2 was under way just short of mile 5. Up to here the average on my Garmin was of 8:38 mm

Here I have to make a confession. With me was running my Fairy Godmother, Bill (well they came in all shape and sizes…) who turned up on his bike got changed and once I named the desired finishing time took care of pacing with Swiss timing precision.

So on to lap 2 and the second trip over the ups and down was getting a bit less easy, but I felt good and my legs felt strong. I hoped I could have pushed a bit more at this stage, but somehow I did not have the breath to go with it. However I knew that I was going well as we were still averaging 8:38 mm and on course to a very good finishing time. It cheered me up some of the competitors commenting at this stage on the course description with a grumbling: “undulating my ***”.

Down on the dam walls, passing the finish line for the second time and grabbing some water, and knuckling down to a fast mile between 9-10 before facing what now seemed slightly steeper hills for the last time. All was well and from the splits it was completed 8:36 mm so not a shabby job at this late stage! The next 2 miles were a bit less fun, but I kept at it, having Bill to follow was certainly one less burden, although at one stage I felt quite a bit dizzy up one of the last inclines, but unlike my last race on this course in 2009 I did not feel that it had the best over me! ;-)
Completed mile 12 with relieve, now left a sharp downhill and a turn on to the flats for a sprint finish. Well not sure we can call 8:15 mile a sprint but my legs were going well, I was just struggling to keep on top of them. Thanks to Bill’s tips and encouragement though I managed a strong finish at 1:53:15; the most even paced race all the way through still at 8:38 mm. and placing 12th senior female.

I found the event well organized, marshalled very well especially on blind corners, enough water station and a respectable goody-bag, but of course the stunning weather adds something special to a day.

I am very happy with the result, and it is a further confirmation that the training set by Dermot is spot on as we managed to take away another 5 minutes on this distance and my legs are not that sore today, and I am looking forward to more training and racing under his direction!

SIMONA

DGTri Athlete Report - Simona Carena

Bala Standard Distance Triathlon 11-09-2011

My last race for this season was the Bala Standard Distance in Wales. This is a very well organized race from Wrexham Triathlon club and had a 500 strong field or European qualifier hopeful, young and old age groupers and a few newbies. The race atmosphere is great and it is a due to the organizing club, and the locals good will to stage a race on close roads, good course and a stunning location in a triathlon friendly town.

My preparation was good and Dermot prescribed a very good taper that left me quite fresh and rearing to go. I stayed one of the near camp sites, about 15 minutes from the start line and on the day before the race I joined the 750 charity swim to rec the venue.

On race morning I woke in the comfort of my campervan with a headache, but after some strong coffee I was ready to go.

The sport centre became race HQ for the day, with superb facilities, and the lake front is transformed in a large transition area. It all seemed to work well, though a few queues and some unhappy competitors that had to swap wheels as due to windy conditions the discs were outlawed.

The lake, as I found out the day before on the charity swim, was a bit on the cold side and on Sunday quite choppy too. I normally look forward to difficult swim condition but on Sunday I was feeling cold even before getting in the lake and not so positive. Once all kit was sorted and had a warm up run around it was time to walk to the swim entry.

The first wave of younger male competitor was first off, so it was a bit off putting seeing that, as the ladies were entering the water form a small pear, quite a few of the lads were being pulled out by the safety kayaks. It took an age to get started from when in the water and I was shivering and not feeling focused on the task ahead. When the hooter went off I started swim but soon found myself very uncomfortable and unable to swim with head in the water and panicking a bit about being amongst splashing swimmers. This carried on for the first 750 meters until we got turn around buoy. After that I was able to keep my head in the water and got going, but I did not feel I was having being effective at all.

The last 50 mt of the swim are to be crawled on the bottom of the lake, as it is very shallow but due to slippery pebbles is not possible to run. It is quite comical to watch and I was glad that I had a trial the day before. It took nearly 34 minutes to swim 1.5K

I then executed my worst transition to the day: 4 minutes of shivering trying to take the wetty off, feeling very dazed and fumbling for extra layers packed in my transition bag. A marshal took pity and sorted out my number belt before letting me out of transition. At this stage I felt very deflated and not bright as I really wanted to do well but wasted so much time. I did not look at the watch as it would have been an excuse to jack it in and I would have regretted not finishing, or giving it a good try, but in my motivation was not at its highest. First lesson of the day: I need to be mentally stronger and keep positive; I was not throwing the teddy out of the pram but equally I am not happy with myself unless I feel I am giving it my best.

As I climbed a small ramp out of transition on to the main road, still shivering, the cheering of spectator was a balm to the soul; as I got out of the saddle I felt that my legs, who were refusing to do any kicking in the water, were actually feeling ok. It took a while to get going, even with a base layer and a light jacket and head warmer I was still cold; all I could do was pushing down on the pedals in the hope to perk up. After seeing Dermot ploughing up the tarmac at the Club Relays I have been so inspired that in every ride and turbo session I have pushed that little harder, so I really wanted to have a perform on the bike. The course is a “there and back” route, the first half has more of a upward profile but still fast even against the wind, the second half is awesome, I soon realized from the manic grin on some of the competitors from the previous wave coming back. Is a road you can work hard down on the bars, with exciting bends and some downward sloping to keep momentum or accelerate.

On the return leg I was able to bend on the tri bars with comfort as my back eventually got loose after the frozen lake and I started to enjoy the race as the sun came up. I then realized it also had rained but as I was in my own personal black cloud I did not take much notice. It was late to salvage the bike split to do justice to the good training that Dermot has set me, but I gave it a go.

The last 3 miles of the bike overlap the run course, also a there and back run, so I could see the faster competitors already out and some coming back towards the finish line. I really started to feel good, and I was keen to get stuck in the run. T2 was a bit fumbled as my feet and hand were still not co-operating and I had a few layers to shed, but the start of the run felt immediately good, thanks to the permanent brick sessions on my scheduled devised by the coach. In fact it felt so good that I did not realize that the road was gradually going up until I came down on it on the way back! I just thought, looking at my Garmin, that I was having a slow run, but I was enjoying myself and keeping an eye out to check Sam Anderson, another athlete coached by Dermot but in few leagues above my standards, and let her know her standing in the lady’s race. I had seen her running out at the 1st mile marker as I was getting back in to Bala, so knew she was close to finishing.

As the road evened out and then descended to the turn round point in a camp site I started to feel really good and so thought to push faster and even overtook a few people on the way back. I did not think I was going to run a PB, so perhaps I did not try as hard as I could. In hindsight this is lesson n.2 of the day: never give up! I did put a spur on at the end and wind up to a sprint finish at 53’59.

I then found out that race is advertised at 10.25K, so officially I call it a PB and I am still kicking myself for not having had a more positive mental attitude.

So the season is over and I have to give the BIGGEST THANKS to the very inspirational coach Dermot, it has been tough to keep to discipline to follow the plan but very rewarding in seeing the results, challenging to always aim at doing better and fun. The best asset to my training and racing is to have Dermot’s help and support.

Simona

DGTri Athlete Report - Simona Carena

Blithfield Olympic Triathlon

The Blithfield Olympic is a very well organized race from Punishing Event and hosts at the same time a Sprint distance. The race location is very rural, HQ is on the edge of the large reservoir that gives the event its name; the swim is held in a corner of the lake and the run course winds itself on its shores; the surrounding tortuous, quiet and undulating country lanes offer an interesting bike section.

Although I was looking forward all season to return to this location to race the Olympic distance, the last two weeks previous to the race I was not firing on all cylinders so I was a bit unsure on how well or bad the day was going to pan out.

It was great to meet a few friends and team mates and in particular have a quick reassuring chat with Dermot and Bill. It is always a bonus to be rubbing shoulders with good athletes and it certainly gave me that extra bit of confidence and anticipation to get racing.


I found the waters of the lake reasonably warm and although quite murky not an issue.
I placed myself just behind the fast people a bit to the outside of the direct path to the first buoy as I thought at this distance there would be a higher number of competent swimmers. I then spent the length to the first buoy scrambling over trashing arms and feet realizing how wrong my assumption was.

The plan was to settle down quickly, pace the first lap not too fast and increase the speed on the second lap. It all went fine and I was feeling efficient, but was not prepared for the good news as exiting the water the race commentator shouted that I did a 26:25. This included also a short run where I was faffing with my wetsuit zip, therefore I was delighted as I must have paced it right. So the first PB of the day was in my tri-suite pocket… may be that was what was impeding the zip from opening? ;-)

Transition was fine, may be a bit slow, but in my defence the filed was uphill!

The bike section consisted of two loops, with a very thrilling descent followed by crossing the bridge in the middle of the reservoir. The course keeps winding along small lanes with constant small hills and required to concentrate to maintain efficient cadence and momentum. On the first lap I tried to keep a steady tempo and keep in touch as much as possible with bikes overtaking me to ensure I was not relaxing. On the second lap I felt really good and did a bit of overtaking on the hills without overdoing it. By the end of lap two I had to concentrate more to remain efficient.

This section was completed in 1:19, a supersonic average speed of 19 mph for my standards. The recent hard work paid off! Just as well that I have a second pocket in my tri-suite as this was PB n.2 of the day!

I soon arrived to the second transition and was feeling fine and keen to try for another PB. A bit of a greedy attitude but as I have not had a 10k race or a fast Olympic tri in a long time, ever hopeful with the great improvements in my running form thanks to Dermot’s coaching, I thought it achievable.


My legs felt great coming off the bike and I got going on the off road run path at my 5k pace… then thought better of it and reined it in a bit. The run too was a two loops affair and I thought to follow the trend in holing back a fraction on the first half and then give it all I had left in the second section. The plan was good but the execution was limited by my ability and so I found myself slowing ever so slightly all the way through. The sun was warm where the breeze was not blowing, but the condition were not bad on the day, I think I simply must have misjudged the pace and or run out of steam. Never the less I was able to grab a 51:30 for the 10K and not only have the fastest race at this distance either stand alone or in a tri but also finish the race placed 2nd in my age group in an overall PB time of 2:40:02!

I am ever thankful for all the advice, support and perfectly tailored training plan from Dermot, work is required from my part… but the correct guidance makes every effort yield consistent results!

Simona

DGTri Athlete Report - Simona Carena

Terrapin Sprint Triathlon

The second triathlon of the season soon came around after a couple of weeks from the previous race and I saw this as an opportunity to improve at the sprint distance.

The training that Dermot gave me has been going well, kept me in good shape and motivated to complete each set. It seems that time flies and the sessions are never monotonous and I find myself pushing hard in training and enjoying it.

In particular I wanted to nail the swim and execute good transitions, as I felt in the last race I could have done better.

Of course I also wanted to have a good bike time, on a well known course to me; and last but not list I wanted to see if my improving run has got any better.

The week leading in to the race was very stressful for me and it left me a bit flat and not so relaxed, but nothing is better than a race to blow the cobwebs away and put a smile on your face, so I was still keen to compete.

The race venue, Bosworth Water Trust Park, is very familiar to me having competed in two duathlons and a few aquathlons and generally I see it as my home training ground. The race organization was not one of the best, in my humble opinion, and the goody bag consisted of 1 banana. Good job I got there early as it took 3 visits to registrations to get all sorted, not a good sign, especially on the first trip where I almost have had to wrestle the volunteer for a race swim cap!

The race started a few minutes before the “official time”, and I did not ear any warning, just the hoot but I soon got stuck in it.

My ambition of a sub 13’ swim was crush by a mild panic attack in the first 200 mt. I was gutted as I was well positioned in a small group of faster swimmers and comfortably pulling ahead when the engine room alarm went off and I could hardly breathe. I was sucking air in but not able to blow it out. I had to have a talk to myself and calm down, a few breast strokes and then start again. I think I lost about one minute and eventually I could see the group I missed exiting the water some 100 mt ahead.

It is a shame not to have had the good swim I wanted, and the benefit of drafting off some good swimmers, but no time to dwell on it.

Out of the water and to a quick transition, this time with no crowd entertaining somersaults to get the wetsuit off.

For some reason the bike course starts on a grass field, parallel to a very nice tarmac road, with the odd digged out shallow trench to dodge. Then you are on the park entrance road and soon after on the bike course proper. On the first section of the bike, where last time I felt efficient I thought I was suffering a bit, but unlike my last race here I finished strong on the last up hill before the village of Market Bosworth and felt really confident.

My target was to beat the time from the duathlon and, on equal distance I was about one and half minute faster, I would say on similar weather conditions.

This does not count for the second foray in to off roading across the back of the park camp site... on finishing the bike route competitors were directed, more or less clearly, at the back of the park amongst the tents and caravans for some more gravel beds and grass adventures.

I am very pleased with the bike section result and hope that Dermot’s plan will keep helping me get faster on the bike. I have really enjoyed the sessions that he has prescribed both on the road and on the trubo as I have seen that the hard work has been paying off. It was very satisfying to do some overtaking, both of ladies in my wave and in the previous wave, and only being overtaken on this section from the male winner that started 10 minutes behind. This is a very new experience for me!

T2 also was a happy place that only took 37 seconds to visit. I am pleased that I kept concentrated and made an effort not to waist time here.

The run had the added bonus of being also a “mystery tour”, possibly to compensate for the low value of the goody bags; luckily as I am familiar with the venue it did not affect me, but I did see some lost souls looking around for signage or tape! I started the run feeling good and able to set off at pace. Had to ask for directions but got on the correct course. The route was 2 loops of “there and back” around the outskirts of the park, partially on cinder gravel and partially on very well manicured springy grass. Some more instruction sought by a very ambiguous marshal at the second turn round point (is not a good thing to indicate opposite direction with both hands when asked for the way, right?) and I was back on track.

The second lap I felt even more at ease and able to stretch out my stride on the grass sections. I think with the amount of strides that Dermot has included in my training this year we are getting somewhere! Soon I was back from the second lap and in search of the finish line... that was missing.... you just went over a mat and had to figure out that it was the finish. A bit of an anticlimax really.

The run, yet again, is the fastest paced run I have done in a triathlon! Hurray! The course was about 4.5 km so a time of 21.35 is my new run PB! This is not world record time, but to put it in prospective, after 18 months of coaching I can now run 4 minute faster on a 5 Km course, and I was already training regularly and competing before.

Also I have to thank Dermot for his patience and ability to mould the training plan around a dodgy knee lately and still be able to me faster and keep me motivated to train hard!

Simona

DGTri Athlete Report - Simona Carena

Cotswold Women’s Sprint 05/06/2011

This year my Triathlon season opened with another sweet PB! I entered the lady’s only race in the Cotswold Water Park as it is a very good venue, precise organization, fast course and a convenient on site camping facilities by the lake shore.

I arrived at the venue the afternoon before with plenty time to register and pitched my campervan in a good spot. I then made good use of my time by going round the lake for a sighting of the course, especially the swim course as last time I raced here I managed to swim off course! I also checked the bike course, partially driving and partly on the bike to get some last minute practice in taking shoes on and off on the bike, and I had time to check and lay out my kit ready for race morning.

The small and friendly camp site slowly filled up by tents, cars and lots of bikes and compression wear clad athletes: a pleasant buzz of typical race atmosphere. I had an early dinner and got round for a bit of socializing before settling down to a good night sleep.

On Sunday I was up before the alarm feeling good but a bit too relaxed and flat rather than my usual bouncy race morning mood. That was rectified with two strong cups of coffee and a thorough warm up. I got to the start line with plenty time, feeling very happy and rearing to get in the placid and inviting lake waters.

The swim was 1 lap of a 750 meter course with a run start from a beach and a small climb out of a bank near transition. There was a little bit of biff in our wave at the gun, but not being shy it did not bother me, and after a 200mt sprint I got settled on a faster pair of feet to get a tow. I was feeling really good and smooth and may be, in hind site, I could have pushed a bit harder in the mid section of the swim perhaps. The last third of the race I started to put the foot down on the gas and catch up some places ahead. I exit the water in 16th position, not as good as I was hoping but the swim time was good for me at around 12:25.

The marshal did a good job of lobbing me off the bank on to the grass run to transition, I did take that run quite carefully as I have still a bit of a problem on my left knee so I was dodging holes rather than spreading canvas to get to transition, but I thought wet grass makes for a good slippery surface...

T1 went reasonably well, having fixed the location of my bike with a particular selling stand I found it quickly: I remember finding myself sitting on the floor as must have tripped in taking my wetsuit off, but it must have been a quick scarper as I still managed the 12th fastest transition on the day. A long run to the mount line, the race organizers did a fab. job of laying down a smooth carpet for the 250 meters to the mount line... until you get on some gravel and dust 5 meters before you mount your bike?

The bike course was windy, the first section there was a strong head wind and it seemed that almost all the way round was either cross wind or head wind again. Work that out! ;-) I was looking forward to this section as Dermot set me up with some good bike and turbo training and I wanted to see if I could execute a good ride; an added bonus was that recently we have had very windy conditions so I was comfortable with being buffered about a bit by strong blows.

The advantage of racing a ladies only event is that you can perceive how well you are going as all the other competitors are in the same category, and on a selfish note, I get overtaken much less. Nice for a change!

My legs felt good all the way to the end and I was still strong on the last fast segment; also the practice of timing of removal shoes paid off. I registered the 44th fastest bike split of the day just short of 19 mph on a windy day witch I am happy with. I was soon back running on to the long stretch to transition for the last leg of the race.

T2 was uneventful, that is the best way to keep it although may be less interesting for the spectators, but rather slow considering that I only had to rack the bike, take the helmet off and slip a pair of shoes on....and out on the run. At first I had a feeling of my knee movement being inhibited and not able to grab the floor and push off, so I was a bit worried. It did not help that the run is on and off small segment of grass and lumpy path, but the rest of me felt really good and rearing to go. On the whole my legs, heart and lung were in for the party! It seems still quite surprising that each race I do I feel some improvement. The benefit of having Dermot setting a training plan is even more pronounced this year and in spite of a dodgy knee I have had 4 consecutive PB.

Once the path got a bit more even I was able to feel confident and push some more. The first lap of two was good... but the second one was even better and I finished just over 3 minutes faster than the previous time I raced here. Also it is my fastest paced sprint run to date @ 7:55 minutes miles! Yea! ;-)

I am very pleased with the result of 1:18 and 36st overall, and also I have taken a few points back to work on, especially on pacing and T2... and may be I need to practice whipping the wetsuit off without falling down!

Simona

DGTri Athlete Report - Simona Carena

Hinckley Half Marathon

Hinckley Half was my 3rd race of this season, second half marathon and the last event before going in to the Triathlon season proper. I was aiming at another PB after the good run at Milton Keynes in March and the Duathlon in April, before shelving the long runs until next year as I felt confident that my running has been coming along very well.

The race its held in a rural venue, is extremely well organized and marshalled by the local running club, and has a short travelling distance from home. With timing chips, 5 water stations, very friendly crowd, car park within 2 minutes of the start/finish lines and low cost entry it is hard to ask for anything more! The course is undulating and from previous experience it suits me down to the ground and I was very keen to compete here. However the plan had to change as after the Duathlon in April an old injury on a knee flared up, and left me wondering if I would be able to take part in the race at all.

Thankfully Dermot came back within minutes with a changed plan, and a catalogue of suggestion that would allow me not to loose any fitness. The last 3 weeks saw me floating vertically in the pool besides the usual swimming, biking and conditioning. My trust in Dermot’s ability is such that although in my mind I could not quite comprehend how aqua jogging would maintain running fitness I literally jumped in at the deep end with the “belt of shame” and got on with “gusto” to the annoyance of other pool users and lifeguards… ;-)

Race day dawned and I have to confess that I had still some reservation about competing as only been able to string a few short runs in the previous week to test how the knee reacted. The plan in my head was to run without pressure and get a lift back if at any stage things got too uncomfortable.

I was very conservative in the first mile, boxed in the crowd anyway, as the course winds it way along narrow country lanes with a field of one thousand runners, but after that I made up a bit of time as surprisingly my knee had settled at race pace. Also I felt I had bags of energy due to such a long rest from running... or was it frustration?

Things seemed to be on an even keel so I kept going and only after 6 miles I started to feel a bit tired. My HR was higher than normal and possibly causing the feeling of slight fatigue but the legs were fine on dry land!

Dermot suggested in the last week also a bit of specific strengthening work on the knee, and I felt both leg strength and added flexibility that I can associate from the work in the water.

Up to mile 7 my splits were very good but I somehow figured out that later on things would change as after all specific tempo and speed sessions have been missed in the last weeks. Equally I was just very happy to be running and hopefully completing the distance. The sun was shining, the breeze was fresh and so I was just enjoying the feeling of being out there and trying to be as smooth and fast as possible without overdoing it and blowing up, hence I decided to ignore the watch and just try to do my best.

All the positive mind frame can only do so much over matter and by mile 9 to 11 life got a bit hard up the hills as the missed run sessions presented the bill: I was consistently slowing down, and feeling heavy legged. After mile 11 the course is mostly gently sloping downhill and that somehow help me to perk up. I started thinking of the finish line and managed to ignore some minor cramping and work to get my average speed down.

To my surprise I did cross the finish line with a PB of 7 seconds, which was not expected at all: Dermot said I would maintain, not improve my fitness!  Overall I finished just in the second half of the mixed field some 350 places in front of my last race here, and 93rd out of 332 ladies.

Credit has to be given to the coach for adapting the plan and coming up with so many good suggestions that help me stay focused and allowed me to stay positive and fit and grab a third PB in a row!

Simona

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! ;-)

DGTri Athlete Report - Simona Carena

MILTON KEYNES HALF MARATHON

Sunday 13 March

Milton Keynes Half was my first race of the season so I was very keen to find out if the previous 3 months training would have brought the much needed improvement to my running to allow me to finish the race on the right side of the 2 hour barrier.

In 2010 due to the flaring up of the old bad back I had to satisfy myself with “just” a good PB on the Half; however thanks to Dermot’s ability, vision and support as a coach we did hit good results on the triathlon front in Blithfield Sprint and Perranporth Surf Tri, so yesterday I had an expectation and determination to do well.

Joe, Dermot and I had the luxury of being driven, parked and minded by a top class event crew composed by Bill and Sophie; the only worry was to get to the start line and churn the legs fast enough to get the job done.

I love running even if I am not a sporting talent, and the Half Marathon distance is my favourite due to the fact that does neither hurts like a 5-10k race, comparable to desperately dashing to catch a Bus, nor as I envisage the full Marathon would be like being run over by said Bus.

The day was overcast and it was drizzling, the event has a very large field but is very well marshalled, has closed roads, timing chips for accurate results, 4 water stations, and even 2 pit stops for those in need; starts and finishes from a city centre area with amenities and shops for spectators, so I would recommend it as a race. But not if you are after a prize T-shirt in your “goodies bag” as you would set yourself up for a big disappointment as our friend Joe! ;-)

The first 3 miles were steadily downward facing, allowing me to build a bit of “time in hand” for later on, then a 7 miles stretch mostly flat and the last 3 miles, very cruelly had a few ups that had many runners crawl to a walk. However as the run makes its way on a suburban area there are many small underpasses and frequent kerbs that soon start to take their toll on the legs.

My race itself was very uneventful, I tried to stick to a good rhythm, pushing the pace a bit but keeping constant. It is always hard for non experienced runners to gauge effort, but the burning sensation on the legs at about 6 miles was a good indication that for sure I was working hard. I also kept a close eye on the GPS watch and made sure that at each mile no more than 1 second overall average was lost on the flats, allowing for a bit of spare time for the last few miles where the hills where skulking waiting to slow me down.

The well planned training from Dermot stood me in good stead, and I was able to partially defeat gravity on the last tough uphill stretches and push for the finish line in the dreamed off time of 1:58:30. Somehow within minutes of crossing the line Dermot had me committed to a 1:55 for the next HM in May…! ;-)

Simona