Humber Bridge half marathon

Following a week long holiday to Malta where Sally and I traveled out to celebrate one of my closest friends wedding. The Humber Bridge half marathon was my first race back after Driffield sprint triathlon earlier in May. This trip to Malta was brilliant as it was great to celebrate Nathen's big day with him and all his family and friends, but it also allowed me to have a short break from training, which was nice especially as I had a tough few months in the build up to the European Championships back in April. 

After a strong result in last years Humber Bridge half marathon (1:27), which was later followed up by a solid race at Castle Howard 70.3 triathlon I was keen to race the Humber Half again. This had the added bonus of falling nicely into my training schedule; 2-weeks before an Olympic distance triathlon, which was serving as a warm up race for my final "A" race of the season a further 2-weeks later the Cleaveland Steelman triathlon (70.3). 

In the final week leading up to the half marathon training was going really well and I was full of confidence as I placed highly and was close to a PB in one of my local TT's on the Tuesday evening. This was followed by a structured interval run on Wednesday before tapering down until Sundays race. In the last few days leading up to the race I checked out the route map so I could familiarize myself with the aid stations, prepped my City of Hull A.C. race kit so on race day I was ready to rock! 

So it was the morning of the race, I woke up feeling good and started to enjoy a nice cup of coffee and ate my pre-race breakfast and then headed to the race venue. Parking was crazy this year with cars being abandoned all over the approach road as near by car parks were full, so I saw a spot and joined in on the action! With about 30-minutes to go I started my warm-up, keeping my eyes pealed for one of my mates Rob. The night before we'd been texting each other and agreed to pace the first few miles together. I couldn't find him among 2000+ field of runners, so just continued doing my thing. As the race organizers called us to the start line we met up and positioned ourselves close to the front, so we didn't get held up by the fun runners!   

The race organizers held us at the start line before giving us a count down. The klaxon sounded (courtesy of Tommy Coyle & Miss Hull, what a claim to fame) and we where off! Rob and I pace the first few miles perfectly through Hessle and as we turned to approach the bridge Rob told me he was feeling super strong so bridged across to the next group of runners. I continued at my pace and pretty much ran solo across the bridge and along the slip road and into Barton, where the first water station was. There were plenty of water stations en route, which was good as it was quite a warm day and I defiantly needed them. Once I dropped into Barton I was then able to pick up the pace and started to make inroads on those athletes who were ahead of me.

My "Blue Steel" look, going through Barton. 

The route then took me through Barton market place, where I was able to kick on a bit faster, before heading out onto the only long stretch of flat road. This stretch of road took us under the Humber bridge, so I knew (along with the mile markers) that we were fast approaching the most feared and infamous part of the race the mile long stretch up "Cardiac Hill". I made sure I knocked off the pace a little for this section, careful not to go too deep into the "red" as I was warned this could make or break your race. I got to the top of the hill, feeling as good as to be expected. I took a left turn and the started the final stretch back to the finish. There was a small bit of respite along the slip road, which was down hill, before I started crossing the bridge for the final time. The first half of the bridge was uphill but i could see a runner ahead of me and that was my aim to pass him, which I did. It was now downhill and full gas to the finish line. Pretty much the whole race there were people out supporting, but the final 1/2 mile the supporters were out in force, which gave me that added boost all the way to the finish!  

I finished in a respectable time of 1:28, slightly slower than the year prior, but I was told by Derek one of the running club coaches that it was slow day, so I wasn't too disjointedness as I couldn't have given any more. I came in the top 50 out of a field of ~2000 runners, so again buzzing with that!!  

As always a massive thanks to my sponsors Meridian Foods and Coconoil and to my coach Ian Mayhew (Gears & Tears). Picture courtesy of http://www.humber-half.org.uk/

Driffield Sprint Triathlon

After the last 6 months of focusing on getting into shape for the European Duathlon Championships (Kalkar) it was about time my focus shifted back to triathlon. So my traithlon season opener was going to be the Driffield sprint triathlon, a pool based sprint triathlon consisting of a; 400 m swim, 18 km bike and a 5 km run. This race is always on my radar as its both a great locally organised race and it fits perfectly into my build up for Nottingham sprint triathlon (normally a GB qualifier). This year however I wasn't using it to prepare me for Nottingham as its the same weekend and one of my best friends wedding in Malta (which I'm going to). 

Triathlon's are infamous for early starts, however being a pool based tri your start time is dictated by your swim time, thus the faster you are the later you start. I was starting in the the penultimate wave, which was great as it meant I had time in the morning to chill and get in the grove. Sally and I set of with  ~90 minutes before the start of my wave, so after factoring in travel time this meant I would have over an hour to register, rack my bike and set up transition before blast off! 

The swim was very well organised as always with people counting lengths for you. There were two others in my lane and wave, we were allowed in a bit early so we could have a quick warm up. Just before the start I we all were discussing our swim times, we were all of a similar speed and as i was the last in our wave I had it in my head that I would justdraft off them! :-). I had a really good swim, swimming the quickest I have and was certainly within myself, so feel super happy and confident with my swim at the moment. I was quickly out of the pool and into T1, which was drilled and I was soon out and onto the bike. 

Once onto the bike course this was time for me to put some serious power down and smash the course. As part of my triathlon training I race in a local TT league so I knew I would be in good shape for this part of the race. The first half of the bike course is a little lumpy and into a headwind, which made things tough going. Once out of the wind it was eyeballs out, keeping as aero as possible and smash the biggest gear I could, whist keeping a high cadence. I was able to up my speed even further once on the final push to home as the course took us along a main "A" road! On the approach to T2 it was time to take my feet out of my tri-shoes, before jumping off my bike at the "dismount line" before heading into T2.  

After a good T2, I was quickly into the first of three laps. The first lap seemed pretty tough and it took me while to get into my stride. This year they had slightly changed the run route, through the school and leisure centre, but it was a definite improvement. Once onto the second lap I was feeling really good and was now passing other competitors with ease, my pace was winding up nicely. Now on to the third and final lap it was time for me to start planning when I would kick for the finish, I decided it would be once taking the final turn through the school, which would leave me about 400 m to hang on. With about 150 m to go I could hear Sally cheering me on and that gave the final boost I needed to finish, at full gas! 

I finished joint 9th in a time of 59 minutes and 30 seconds and 2nd in my age-group. i'm buzzing with that as its a new PB over that course.  

As always a massive thanks to my sponsors Meridian Foods and Coconoil, as well as my coach Ian Mayhew (Gears & Tears). Now on to Malta for to celebrate Nathen and Natalie's wedding. 

Seriously focused and time to go full gas for the final lap!! Thanks for the picture Freebird events. 

2016 European Duathlon Championship

Its now been two weeks since I raced at the European Duathlon Championships in Kalkar, Germany and I guess its time for me to reflect back on the build up, the race and the overall experience. 

In the weeks leading up to this training had been going well and I was feeling fit and strong. I placed highly in my warm up duathlon in Durham so was heading to the Europeans full of confidence. I had planned to race in one final TT on Tuesday (the day before I was due to travel down south), however unfortunately the race organisers had to reschedule, so I resulted to one last hard session on the turbo. This was a shame as I find it really hard to push myself as hard in training as I would with a number on my back. 

Wednesday - This started off as normal for me, up at 7 am, enjoying a coffee watching Sky Sports News before breakfast and getting ready for work. I worked until lunchtime, said my goodbyes and enjoyed all the words of good luck and support from my friends and colleagues. My plans were to travel down to Surrey and stay the night at Ian's (www.gearsandtears.com) house before travelling the rest of the way to Germany on Thursday. The drive down wasn't too bad considering I hit the M25 close to rush hour. After checking in to Chateau Mayhew, having a good catch up, we took a leisurely stroll to his local Italian restaurant. The food was awesome and I'm glad he advised me on ordering the calzone, I wasn't disappointed. We then wondered back continued chatting before turning in.

All packed and ready to rock. 

Thursday - I started the day off with a lie-in before heading out for a relaxed 30-min run in the Surrey countryside. Once back it was shower and breakfast time before making my way down to Folkestone. Before boarding the Channel Tunnel I took a slight de-tour to the station to pick up my mum, who was going to be my #1 fan for this race. Once greeting mum we then drove to the Channel Tunnel. Finding the tunnel and boarding the train was super easy and stress free. It was only a 35 minute crossing, so we got to France around lunchtime. We decided to crack on and start making headway into the 300 mile ish drive to Kalkar. We were going along really nicely and made good headway so we decided to stop off at the services for a spot of lunch and a coffee. Once through France we were then into Belgium, this is where we started to slow down. We were surprised to find out that the motorways take you really close to the city centres and as a result lots of traffic! This continued to be the theme of our journey through Belgium. Once through Belgium and into Holland and Germany we didn't get held up again and the rest of the journey remained stress free. We arrived at the team hotel and race venue Wunderland, Kalkar at around 9 pm. This was a good hour later than anticipated as the traffic in Belgium really slowed us down. We checked in and headed straight to the restaurant, fortunately they were still serving food. After food and a much needed drink we were both shattered. En route to bed I checked the team notice board to find out the final plans for the weekend, specifically the pre-race brief and the organised bike course recce. 

Friday - I chose not to set an alarm, as I was pretty tired after all the driving the day before. I was awake at 8 am, so gave mum a knock and as we were both awake we decided to head down to breakfast. Breakfast was nice and chilled and it was good to see so many fellow GB athletes. Over breakfast I was able to plan out the day. It went something like this; chill out after breakfast until 12 pm (midday). 
At 12 pm it was the Team GB organised bike recce. I arrived at the transition hall (meeting point for recce) and bumped straight into Matt Turnball (the guy who I met a few weeks before at the Durham duathlon) and starting chatting. We decided to ride out together, as there were so many athletes on the course the pace was pretty steady, but that didn't really bother me. As we pulled into Wunderland after the first lap we both decided that doing another lap with a few race pace efforts would be a wise move. 

After the second lap it was time for me to grab a shower and meet mum for lunch. After lunch it was time for me to give my bike a clean, polish and final tweak before heading over to transition to register and rack my bike. After this there was a little a bit more down time, so we sat in the hotel bar enjoying a coffee, chatting and making most of the hotel WiFi (unfortunately there's wasn't any in our room) as I was beginning to get Twitter withdrawal symptoms! At about 4 pm the whole team began to assemble outside one of the conference rooms ahead of the pre-race brief. The briefing lasted close to an hour before and helped to clear up a few issues people had. We then all may our way out to the front of Wunderland for the scheduled team photos. 

The GB standard distance team, can you find me? It's a bit like Where's Wally? 😜

After the team photos the whole team headed into the town of Kalkar for the parade of nations, which was held in the market square. This is where the town mayor along with the president of the ETU officially opened the European Duathlon Championships. We then headed back to the team hotel for the pasta party, time for us all to commit carbiside! This was a busy day, so no surprise I was pretty tired again so decided to get another reasonably early night before race day. 

Saturday (race day) - The night before a race I find it hard to sleep as I keep thinking about the race and likewise I also wake up much earlier that my alarm and this was no exception. I woke at around 6:30 am and chilled in my room before heading over for breakfast at 7:30 am. I was in the the first wave of Age-Group athletes to go off, starting at 10:30 am, just after all the elite Para athletes. I always start my tried and trusted pre-race nutrition strategy 3-hrs prior to my start time. After breakfast I gave my mum a knock (as 7:30 am is a bit too early for her) and then joined her for her breakfast. I found it hard to concentrate on the conversation as I was now in race mode and kept thinking about the task at hand. The big issue was the weather forecast, as it was highly changeable, so i didn't know if I would go for a base layer or not and would I wear gloves. I then decided that it would be double yes; base layer and gloves. With about 45 minutes to go before the race start I put all my race kit on and headed over to transition and start my final preparations; check tire pressure, talc my shoes and run though transition before the all important caffeine gel before commencing the warm-up. There was a bit of a chill in the air so I was glad with my choice of gloves and base layer. 

With about 5 minutes to go I said good bye to my mum (who wished me good luck) and headed to the start line, which was filling up with fellow athletes quickly. I was able to get a good spot quite close to the front. The MC then started the race build-up, my heart rate started to increase and it was time for me to get my game face on! The klaxon sounded and we were off! The 10 km run was 4 laps of a 2.5 km loop that weaved around the Wunderland grounds, with a stretch along the river before looping back and circling the conference centre (acting as the indoor transition area). We went off like a rocket, much quicker than I normally do for a race, but this is the Euro's so what do you expect! I was right in the mix after the first km and was buzzing, then all of a sudden my body was telling me that I'd gone out too fast! What didn't help, was that this coincided with the "out and back" section along the river, in to a tough headwind! This section started to string out the field with a front pack of 4 athletes pulling away from everyone else. I really had to dig in now and was certainly paying the price for the really fast start. The next two laps were a real battle for me, but I continued to hang in there and on the fourth and final lap, started to get back into my groove. I then entered T1, put my helmet on and and was out of transition, jumping on to my bike after the mount line. This went super slick and was on to the bike where I hoped to move up the placings. 

The bike course was also 4 laps but this time of a 10 km loop. The bike course was pure flat with a few 180 degree turns. Just like the run there was a tough section into a headwind, but aside from that the wind was kind with either a side or tail wind. The wind on the bike wasn't really an issue for me as I had been training a lot on my TT bike back home in Hull and it's always windy so I'm now used to it. I kept pushing as hard as I could keeping aero to minimize the drag effect from the wind and was slowly beginning to claw back some places. There were three different age-groups in my wave, so this made it hard to work out if I was moving up in my age-group or not. All the supporters from all countries (mainly GB) were positioned along the approach to transition before commencing the remaining laps, this just gave you an extra little boost hearing all the support. I kept on pushing as hard as I could for the remaining laps and stuck to my nutrition plan, to ensure i was fueled for the latter stages of the race. As the laps went by I gained an extra few places and could work out that if there were more laps I would gain a few more, but we were all pretty spread out now. I turned into Wunderland for the final time and started the approach to T2. I lent down un-Velcro'd my tri-shoes, slipped my feet out and rested them on the top of my shoes ready for the dismount line. I jumped off my bike just before the line and raced into transition for T2 before starting the final 5 km run. 

The final run was just two laps of the same 2.5 km loop. I exited transition and was quickly into my side, running well considering the earlier run and bike. I was feeling really good and was pushing hard to try and move up the field and/or hold off athletes behind me. The best part about the out and back section (although it was windy) was that it gave you a good chance to work out where you where, who was in front of you and who was chasing you. I kept on pushing and quickly ticked off lap one and now I only has 2.5 km left to race. As I reached the turn around I was confident that I wouldn't get caught and there was a slight chance I could gain another place, so this is where i kicked for the finish. I'm guessing the guy in front of me thought the same as I failed to catch him. I crossed the line and was over the moon as aside from going too deep into the red in the first part of the first run, everything else had gone according to plan and all my transitions were super slick! 

Something slightly different than banana's for post race re-fueling 

I finished 9th in my age-group and 3rd Brit, in a time of 2:05:35. I was over the moon with this performance especially as I over cooked it in the first part of the run and had to really dig in for the middle half of the first 10 km run. I have a feeling that this performance is good enough for me to gain automatic qualification for next years ETU duathlon championships. 

Over the moon with the race and I couldn't have given any more. 

Sunday - This was my epic travel day. I got up around 9 am gave my mum a knock before we headed down for breakfast. Fortunately I felt rather fresh as the post race celebrations weren't anywhere as big as I was expecting. This was certainly a blessing in disguise as driving 550 miles from Germany through Holland, Belgium and France before taking the Channel Tunnel back to Folkestone and then driving back up north to Hull was brutal! Mum and I had arranged that she would do the first stretch of the journey until we caught the train back to Blighty, this was a massive help as it was another four hours drive back home to Hull.

As always a massive thanks to my sponsors Meridian Foods and Coconoil, as well as my coach Ian Mayhew (Gears & Tears). Also thanks to all of my fellow GB athletes who helped cheer me on and make this an unforgettable experience. Lastly thanks has to go to my Mum, who was my number one fan in light of Sally not being able to make this race (first one she's ever missed!). 

City of Durham Duathlon

When initially planning my season out during Christmas, I had eye'd up racing at Clumber Park. Clumber would fit perfectly in my race prep ahead of the European Duathlon Championships - Kalkar, Germany (16th April). Generally speaking working at a University we don't have to do weekends, however that weekend I did. Therefore I had to change my plans slightly. After a bit of searching I found the City of Durham Duathlon, organised and ran by Durham Triathlon Club. Durham is a good 2-hr drive away so Sally and I drove up the day before and stayed in a local pub/B&B. As we pulled into the car park and started unpacking I bumped into a fellow competitor who was able to pass on some words of advice as he just just got back from a course recce (more on that later). 

As is the norm for multi-sport races it was an early start, so working backwards from the race start its pretty easy to plan your breakfast and fuelling strategy out. As the race started at 9am it meant a 6am wake up for breakfast, before ensuring I'm fully hydrated and getting that all important caffeine hit just before kick off! 

I like to get to races early so I'm not rushing to get ready, therefore we left the hotel just before 8am to ensure I got to the race HQ (a local leisure centre) with about an hour to spare, allowing me plenty of time to register and set my bike up in transition etc. I was a little taken back by the chilled out, clam nature of all the competitors, which makes a really nice change from the majority of races I do which are high profile and normally a qualifier of some sorts. After registering and racking my bike I still had plenty of time to chat to a few familiar faces and share stories of winter training and to find out what races they've got lined up.  

As it approached 8:30am we all made our way into the HQ for the pre-race briefing. This was rather important as the race organisers explained the rules regarding some of the road junctions and what would happen if we were to get caught up by temporary traffic lights. Once the brief was over I had ~15 minutes to start warming up, before heading to the start to wait the klaxon. 

The klaxon sounded and we were off! The 5km run was 3-laps of the 1.66km circuit, which looped around the leisure centre playing fields. The terrain was mainly grass with a few tarmac sections and was similar to a X-C route, with a few lumps in it. The pace was fast and I was able to hang in there for the first half a lap before settling into my own rhythm. After the first lap the field had began to string out. I think I ended up in the third group, which I was really happy with as I could feel that my run training over the winter was paying off. During the second and third lap the placings didn't really change that much so I knew that before entering T1 I would be there or there abouts. After the final lap I was quickly into T1, put my helmet on, kicked my trainers off (as neatly as possible as I would need them for the second run), un-racked my bike and headed out onto the bike course.  

My group for the first run. 

Quickly out of T1.

The bike was a single 25km loop of the local area. It was a little bit tricky in parts as there were a few serious road junctions to negotiate and a couple of temporary traffic lights, all were well marshalled though. Aside from these it was a really nice rolling course with one brutal hill about 15km into the route. From the start of the bike I was able to really get the hammer down and start picking off some of the quicker runners. I kept pushing on as hard as I could but couldn't help but think about what Matt Turnball said to me the night before (the guy I met in the hotel car park), "watch out for the climb its a beast!" The further I raced the more I kept thinking, "whats he on about??" and then probably about 10km from home, it popped up and he was right it was a beast! It was easily a mile long and was certainly steep! I sat up, found a comfortable climbing position on the TT bike and span up the climb passing a few other athletes. As soon as I crested it I was then straight back in the TT position and hammered the final few km's into T2. On the approach to T2 I got my feet out of my tri-shoes, rested them on top, all ready for a quick dismount.  

After another slick transition (T2) I was able to quickly settle into my stride for the same final 5km. I kept pushing as hard as I could but this time was beginning to struggle. I think its because I had only raced on water and didn't anticipate how much that climb sent me into the red! In hindsight I would definitely taken some sports drink or a gel on the bike. However, I continued to push as hard as I could. It was halfway through the second lap when I heard Paul Brown (race winner) coming up behind me, I tried to slip stream him when he passed me, but hes an awesome athlete and he was just too quick for me! He was the only athlete to pass me so I don't actually feel that bad! I kept pushing and once getting to the top of that little climb for the final time I knew it was all down hill, so I gritted my teeth and kicked for the final km to the finish! 

The final sprint for the finish!  

I finished 16th male and 9th in my age-group in a time of 1:28:45. I was super happy with this and will now be able to take a lot of confidence into the European Duathlon Championships (16th April). After the race I got chatting to Matt again and he told me that the top 15 were really strong athletes and I had done well to place where I did, so was buzzing for that. 

As always a massive thanks to my sponsors Meridian Foods and Coconoil, as well as my coach Ian Mayhew (Gears & Tears). Also thanks to Durham Tri club for organizing such a great event and i'll certainly be back and to Jason Allison for the photos. However, the most important thanks has to go to my darling girlfriend, Sally. 

Castle Howard Mid-Distance Triathlon

Ever since I started racing triathlons I have predominantly focused on racing over the sprint distance. However, this season I decided to up the distance and race over the half Ironman distance (1.9km swim, 90km cycle & 21km run). This was a well educated decision that I made in consultation with my coach Ian. I have achieved success in the shorter format, qualifying to represent and representing GB in my age-group. However we decided that if I played to my strengths then the 70.3 distance would be my distance. With that in mind at the start of the season I entered Castle Howard Mid-Distance triathlon. I'd raced at Castle Howard before albeit over a shorter distance however I did win my age-group, so this place holds some fond memories for me.

I was going into this race full of confidence as a few weeks prior I raced really well at the Humber Half Marathon, so knew I was in good shape. The race started at 8am, so this meant a nice and early 5am wake up call!! As Castle Howard isn't that far from my house I opted to drive to the race in the morning. As you can imagine driving at 6am on a Sunday the roads were free from traffic so we got to Castle Howard in plenty of time. 

Castle Howard looking stunning in the morning mist. 

Once I sorted and positioned my bike and trainers just how I like it in transition I then climbed waist high into my wetsuit before walking down the hill (which we have to run up for T1) to the lake for the pre-race briefing and swim start. Once the pre-race brief was over we were then given time to get into the lake and warm up. We were then given a 2 minute warning so I positioned myself close to the front giving be a good chance to draft some slightly faster swimmers than me a hopefully get into some clear water pretty early on. The horn went and we were off!! I was able to quickly settle into a nice swim rhythm which makes a nice change for me as during a sprint triathlon in carnage! The swim route was 2-laps of an out and back format with a dog leg at the end of the lap and exit of the swim. This made the most direct line rather congested for the first 400m but after that the field soon spread out. I felt like I paced the swim well went I came out of the water. After exiting the water, I ran as quickly as possible the 500m into T1, however this was easier said than done as approximately 400m of this was up hill so that got you grasping for oxygen! I then quickly removed my wetsuit and grabbed my bike, before making inroads into the 90km bike and picking off fellow athletes. 

The bike course can best be described as tough and I would go as far as to say the hardest bike course I have ridden!! The course consisted of 2-laps of 45km of Castle Howard and the surrounding Howardian hills. I've been regularly in my local tri club (Barracuda) duathlon series' where the bike course has a similar profile, however significantly shorter. In the build up to this I also trained over similar terrain so I was feeling confident that providing I kept to my nutrition plan I would be able to put in a solid and competitive bike leg. My T1 was quick and soon I was out of the castle grounds and onto the open roads. I had two things I had to keep in the back of my head; 1) maintain a sustainable effort and not to race full gas like I'd do in the shorter races and 2) try as best as possible to stick to my nutrition plan, which I hoped would keep fueled for the bike course and onto the run. I felt really strong on the bike and was able to stick to my plans for the first lap. The second lap things got a bit trickier as athletes racing in the Olympic distance race were now also on the bike course. I just kept saying to myself don't get too carried away chasing these athletes down as I still had a half marathon to go. There was only one bottle/feed station per lap and once I got onto the second lap this feed station couldn't come quick enough as I was getting significantly low on fluid. As I approached this section, I discarded one of my empty bottles, sat up and stuck my hand out to grab a new bottle, only to drop it, SHIT!! Fortunately, there was another opportunity to get another bottle and this time I held on to it. From then on it was time for me to resume the aero position on the tri-bars and continue to maintain that threshold effort back to the castle grounds. I completed the bike course in just over 2:45 hrs and as I approached T2 I took my feet out of my tri-shoes and rested them on top before dismounting and running into T2. 

The run course was a toughie and consisted two laps of just over 10km on a mixture of surfaces ranging from compacted gravel (farm track stylee) to through fields, footpaths and Tarmac. The route had a similar elevation profile to the bike with a few long drags and short steep climbs. Getting on the run after racing over 90km was a completely new experience for me so I aired on the side of caution for the first 5km or so, not that my legs could go that much faster to start with! Once I settled into the run I felt surprising good and was able to maintain a sustainable pace only slowing down to get some nutrition from the aid stations and when the route went uphill. Again the course was full of athletes racing in the shorted distance event, but this time I was without changing my speed and effort, overtaking these runners. Just before the loop to start the second lap there was a nasty climb and decent, which really took me into the red! My confidence was now beginning to grow as I recovered pretty quickly after this effort and felt rather strong so decided to kick on for the final lap. Throughout this lap the km markers were coming thick and fast and was soon approaching the final climb before the finish, so I upped the ante for the final km. This time the hill really sent me in the red but I knew I just had to hang on as it was all downhill from then to the finish. As I descended I could see the finish line fast approaching so kicked again to the finish. I completed the 21km in just over 1:37 hrs, which I was ecstatic about as it was only 10 mins slower that the 1/2 marathon time I did a few weeks earlier. 

Heading to the finish after the final decent (hill in background) 

I finished with an overall time of 5:09:41, which resulted in me coming 16th overall and 12th senior male. I'm still over the moon and buzzing with this result even now as I write this. It has certainly cemented in my mind that I'm definitely suited to the 70.3 distance. Moreover I can't wait for next season, when hopefully I will get my Saturdays back thus dedicating more time to train, hopefully resulting in some top 10's and higher. 

Being the social butterfly that Sally and I are with weddings and our holiday to Mexico coming up, late August, this meant that this was my last triathlon of the season. Fortunately being involved in my local cycling clubs TT series I'll still be able to get my racing fix until the end of September.

Thanks to my sponsors Meridian Foods and Coconoil.

Thanks to my coach Ian Mayhew (Gears & Tears)

Humber Half Marathon

After the last 3-4 seasons racing over the sprint distance, with the occasional Olympic distance triathlon in there for good measure I decided to have a crack at the half Ironman distance (70.3). Although I have been really successful at the shorter format and have qualified and raced for the GB Age-Group squad I think I will be just as good, if not better at the longer distance races. With this in mind I though I would enter the Humber Half marathon to test out the legs and fitness ahead of my first 70.3 triathlon at Castle Howard a month later. 

Although this summer I haven't been able to put in a big day of training on a Saturday (like previous seasons) as my PhD has limited this (short-term pain for long term gain) I have still maintained consistency in training. Building up to the half marathon my training has seen a slight shift from an even swim, bike, run split focusing on shorter sharper interval work, to more longer interval based work to get me ready for the increased demands of running 21km. In the final week leading up to the half marathon I was tapering down and felt fresh, so was hoping that this was going to reflect in my time. The Humber Half is quite a tough 1/2 marathon so with this in mind and speaking to a few people that have raced it before I set out with a time of sub 1:30hrs in mind, which isn't too shabby for that course. 

In the build up to race day, I checked out the route map so I could familiarise myself with the water and aid stations. This distance is right on the cusp of needing a top up of CHO. Fortunately there was an aid station (~mile 5) amongst the many water stations so I knew there would be an opportunity to keep up with the hydration and fuelling.    

The night before the race I prepped my race kit; pinned my number on my vest and put the timing chip on my trainer, so when I woke up I didn't have to worry about a thing! 
So it was the morning of the race, I woke up feeling good and started to enjoy a nice cup of coffee and ate my pre-race breakfast. We then (me and Sally) drove off to the race, what I really like about running races is how chilled they are in comparison to tri, we literally drove there, parked, chatted to a few people pre-race, paid the customary visit to the loo, warmed up and chatted to a few more runners and some work colleagues, who were also racing. Then it was race time, simples!! As everyone started heading toward the start I was keen to muscle myself to the front, so as not to get held up by the fun runners! 

 There I am, second row. Thanks for the pic (http://www.humber-half.org.uk) 

The race organisers held us at the start line before giving us a count down. The klaxon sounded and we where off! In the build up to the race I spoke to lots of athletes who have ran this race before to get some advice on pacing as this was new to me. I followed everyone's advice to the letter, so took the first 3-4 miles moderately steady. The first mile through Hessle, across the Humber bridge and along the slip road and into Barton was ran all within myself. The whole length of the bridge and the slip road to Barton was pretty tough as it was into a block headwind. I was fortune enough to be in a group of 6 runners so used my brain and just sat in behind a tall runner to shield myself as best as possible from the wind. 

Once I dropped into Barton I was then able to pick up the pace and really get into my running, this is also pretty much the advice given to me by people who have raced this before. I then ran through Barton market place, where I was able to get the little bit of sports drink that I needed, before heading out onto the only long stretch of flat road where I was able to up the ante just a little bit more, before the route took me under the Humber bridge. The course then took a left turn and onto the most feared and infamous part of the race the mile long stretch up "Cardiac Hill". I made sure I knocked off the pace a little for this section, careful not to go too deep into the "red" as I was warned this could make or break your race. I got to the top of the hill, feeling pretty good, had a quick look at my watch and realised I was on for my target time, so was mega happy. I then turned and started to make inroads into the final 3 miles of the race and headed back along the opposite slip road back toward the Humber Bridge. I think that Cardiac Hill, the slip-road back and the final stretch of the bridge was easily the hardest part of the race. You needed to be right on the limit but at the same time careful not go too deep, so you couldn't recover and kick for the final mile. Once over the mid-point of the bridge it was then all downhill!! It was full gas ahead I made sure I didn't leave anything left in the tank and this helped as in the final 1/2 mile the supporters were out in force along both sides of the course cheering us on! This was great and just what I needed. 

I was absolutely buzzing when I finished and was able to recover enough to see my time, I did it in 1:27.27 so smashed my goal by 2:30 mins. BUZZING!! I came 38th out of a field of ~2000 runners, so again buzzing with that!!  

My face hides the excitement of a good time!! 

As always a massive thanks to my sponsors Meridian Foods and Coconoil and to my coach Ian Mayhew (Gears & Tears). Picture courtesy of http://www.humber-half.org.uk/

Nottingham Sprint Triathlon

I entered Nottingham at the start of the season hoping to qualify for the European Sprint Distance Championships for 2016. However as i qualified earlier in the season for the European Duathlon championships also in 2016 I decided not to "opt-in" for selection as I think I'd struggle to fund both as well as my best friends wedding in Malta. Building up to Nottingham I was happy with how my training had gone, however I had only raced one pool based sprint so my race fitness especially in the swim was somewhat lacking. 

I travelled down to Nottingham (Holme Pierrepont) the night before, in an attempt to relive some of the stress of travelling on race day, especially as the M1 is a nightmare at the moment with all the road works. I made good time and after registration, I put on my cycling gear and headed out to recce the bike course as in previous years the bike course was laden with potholes. However this year I was pleasantly surprised as these had been filled in, which was wonderful. After the recce I headed to the hotel, checked in, dropped off my kit and then headed out for dinner, with the Mrs. 

It was the morning of the race and I did the standard pre-race ritual; 3-hr pre race breakfast and carb and caffeine-load. After chilling in the room and getting ready we then headed over to Holme Pierrepont. Just like in previous years this was a split transition, so I first made my way to T1 and started setting up my bike and laying out everything I needed for the swim and bike legs. I then headed over to T2 to put my trainers down. I was lucky with T2, in that I had an easily identifiable landmark so I knew where my trainers would be upon entering transition. After setting out all my kit in both transitions I started to put my wetsuit on, whilst listening to the pre-race brief.

Yet again this was a GB qualifier for both the Worlds and Europeans so we were set off in Age-Group waves (M 20-24, 30-34 & 35-39), which is great as you get a good idea of your direct competition. We were able to get into the water ~5 mins before the race start and I started to warm up and get acclimatised to the water temp which was a tad chilly. We then got a 1 minute warning and at that point it occurred to me that I had left it too late to get a good position in the water. The horn went and we were off!! It took me until the first buoy to get into my swim rhythm as it was a constant battle to find clear water. Unfortunately I didn't get into the swim group I wanted to be in, so couldn't take advantage of the better swimmers, but you live and learn. After exiting the water I quickly ran into T1 to grab my bike and start making up for the time I lost in the water.

Just like in previous seasons and has now become the norm, my training consisted of racing in the local TT league so i knew this would help me out on this course. The bike course was 4 laps of 5km (20km in total) and perfectly suited to the “TT’er” as it was dead pan flat, with four 90° bends per lap. The wind was also kind to us so I knew it was going to be a fast time. I felt really strong on the bike and as the laps ticked down I was constantly gaining and passing some of my fellow competitors. After four storming laps I approached T2, just after the 30 min mark, with my feet resting on my tri shoes and dismounted before the dismount line.  

The run was just a single 5km lap of the bike course with a few slight deviations. In a similar story to the bike I felt super strong and kept picking off competitors. I could see the finish line fast approaching so kicked for the final 1km. This last km was pretty tough as the wind had picked up from the bike leg and we were now running into a head wind!! The finish line was down the “blue” carpet in front on the grandstand and the crowds. This was a great way for finish the race. I completed the 5km in just over 19 minutes. 

I finished with an overall time of 1:05:49, which resulted in me coming 17th in my Age-Group, which was a improvement from last years placing, so I'm happy with that especially with my lack of racing and decreased time to train due to PhD commitments. 

The next race up for me is the Humber Half Marathon at the end of June. 

Thanks to my sponsors Meridian Foods and Coconoil.

Thanks to my coach Ian Mayhew (Gears & Tears)

New race kit looking great (shame about the silly face!!)