Summer Update

With a hectic last few weeks I have finally found a few spare hours on the way to Liverpool (for my first Standard Triathlon tomorrow eek) to write a quick blog update! The last couple of months has been a very exciting busy time for Angus and I with the move to Nottingham and starting the work on doing up our house (plenty of wallpaper scrapping).

My blog this month will include race reports for

• ·      Leeds Elite Aquathlon
• ·      Leeds Open Triathlon
• ·      Woodhall Spa Sprint Triathlon
• ·     Lidl Bananaman Elite Triathlon

Leeds Elite Aquathlon and Leeds Open Triathlon

On Friday the 10^th June my parents, my brother and I headed to Leeds, it had only been two weeks since my race in Lisbon and after having my best performance of the season there I was excited to try and top it.

When we arrived in Leeds the smiles had definitely been wiped off our faces. With our hotel being on the outskirts of Leeds we drove into the centre of Leeds for registration. After driving around for what seemed like hours we finally found somewhere to park and after thoroughly reading the race information booklet the only help to guide us to registration was that registration was at Leeds Beckett University, not knowing how many Leeds Beckett University buildings there were we had great difficulty wondering around Leeds. A couple of hours later and with not much time left for the car park we still couldn’t find the correct Leeds Beckett University building for registration. By this time, we were all tired, hungry and arguing! Eventually we found registration otherwise I think we would have all got back in the car and gone home we were that frustrated.

After going out for a meal and getting my race kit ready it ended up being a late night.

It was 4.30am on Saturday and I was wide awake eating porridge and doing my final kit prep. After the stressful Friday I was no longer in a positive race mood and just simply didn’t want to race as I knew then how unorganised the events were going to be.

6.00am and yet again we were lost, luckily this time we were lost with some other competitors trying to find the car park. So after about 15 minutes of driving they decided to eventually put up some car park signs and we all drove through a massive field to the car park. We then had a fairly long walk from the car park to the transition area in Roundhay Park.

After then setting up transition at 7.15am and putting on my Zone3 Vanquish wetsuit I was very excited about getting to do a dive start. I haven’t dived in at least a year but when I was a swimmer I loved diving and couldn’t wait dive off the pontoon.

Soon we were all lined up on the pontoon and the officials put their flags up to say we were all behind the line. “take your mark..BEEPPP” it was a very fast start and as always a violent swim. Although doing a dive start made the start much more pleasant. After the swim it was a long run uphill to transition, then we had to run around transition to enter at the other side to make it a fair distance for each competitor. The run was hard, very hard. It was very hilly and I struggled to get my legs moving faster. I was so glad to complete it and happy to have finished my first complete elite Aquathon in 25^th place.

When I eventually got my breath back I phoned Angus to tell him all about it even though he was tracking it live haha. After being pulled away from my phone by my parents we then headed back to the hotel for a shower and second breakfast.

It had been a good start to the day and everyone was much happier. Now the Aquathon was out the way I could look at the race information for the open race triathlon on Sunday. I read through it a couple of times and was still confused as to what was going on but a call from Steve Hunt (from Louth Tri Club) helped explain this race process. The event started in Roundhay Park where you put all your belongings in a green plastic bag then in transition you put your bike shoes (if not on pedals), helmet and sunglasses in a blue bag and hooked it over your handle bars on your bike, then in the second transition you had a black bag with your trainers in.

On the Saturday you had to go into the centre of Leeds to put your black bag (with trainers in) in the second transition, so after a shower at the hotel we all got in the car and drove into Leeds again. It took a couple of hours to find the transition as there were lack of signs and volunteers didn’t even know where it was. Along with many other wondering triathletes we eventually found the transition and when we arrived it was a compete shock to us. The transition was a very old looking car park, full of sharp stones, glass, rusty nails and even used syringes, then to make it even worse there was no security on the transition so anybody could just walk in and out and with people leaving expensive trainers I just had my fingers crossed that mine would still be there the next day! Not knowing how the car park was safe to be used as a transition I tried to clear my area of stones, glass and rusty nails, there was no way I was running through here with bare feet.

After seeing the lack of security on transition two I decided not to take my bike to transition one the day before.

It was a slightly later start on Sunday as my start time was 10am. I left the hotel just before 8am with dad as we headed to Roundhay Park to set up my transition one, I found a spot in my wave rack and put my helmet, cycling shoes and sunglasses in my blue bag, tapped a High5 gel on my top tube and then went to have a look at the run from transition to the mount line. It was over an 800m run out of transition to the mount line where you had to carry your blue bag with your wetsuit, hat and goggles in, which happened to be on a hill. I didn’t think this race could get any more dangerous but it had. My aim for this race was now to not get injured!

I put my pre race clothes in my green bag but decided to give it to my dad to look after. I put my wetsuit on and got organised as I waited for my wave to be called. When my wave was called we all walked down to the pontoon, with 30 seconds to go we all got into the water and held on to the pontoon, the horn sounded and we were off! The swim was not a straight one, with lots of athletes out in the lake, swimming all sorts of strokes I weaved in and out probably swimming further than the 750m in the end! I ran the 800m uphill run to transition with many thoughts going through my mind of how the transition was going to go. I found my bike, quickly pulled my wetsuit off and emptied my blue bag to then put my helmet, bike shoes and sunglasses on. I filled my blue bag up with my wetsuit, goggles and swim hat before getting my bike off the rack. I put my blue bag over my shoulder and held my bike by the seat as I started the 800m run to the mount line, it was so hard running in cleats and I took it easy not to go over on my ankles. I put my blue bag in the pile at the side on the mount line and then went over the right side of the road to get on my bike as I had seen the amount of accidents earlier on and didn’t want that to happen to me so I just kept out of the way.

A very crowded bike course for the whole 21km was not ideal, plenty of braking and shouting to get through and a lot of drafting going on with a girl on my wheel for almost the whole bike!

I got to the dreadful transition two and had my fingers crossed that my my trainers were still there, after having an awful bike with many near crashes I just couldn’t wait for this race to be over.

I ran through transition to find my black bag with my trainers in was still there, pheww! Although another athlete on the rack next to me had got there to find her shoes were gone so I knew I was lucky.

I started running and despite the horrid race the atmosphere in the centre was great, the course was very very crowded and I did a lot of snaking through people. I was happy when I ran through the finish and it was over, well so I thought!

I spend 40 minutes waiting round the finish to find my parents and I was so cold by then but so glad I had given my green bag to my dad who could give me my pre race clothes to put on and thank you to Christine Giles who gave me her hoodie to wear as I waited for my parents.

The bag collect was packed and I went to go and get my blue bag but it was only up to number 3000 that had arrived and I was number 6540 so I went to go and get my bike out of transition instead.

I got my bike from transition and had a chat with my parents about the race and began the wait for getting my blue bag back. When I was waiting there were many athletes around who hadn’t got their green bags so just had to wait for hours in there tri-suits and many were freezing cold, tired and hungry but didn’t have access to their car keys, wallets, phones or warm clothes. I felt lucky to have my parents there to look after my stuff for me.

5 and a half hours later... We were still waiting and it was getting ridiculous now as we just wanted to watch the elite races and chill out. My dad asked a volunteer what was happening who then said the bags were still at Roundhay park, there was no announcement for this and we now had the problem of getting back to the start with my bike and no car. We walked over to the shuttle buses where we were told that no bikes could go on the buses and with the course I rode being closed for the elite athletes I had no idea how to ride back to Roundhay Park on my own so our only option now was for my mum and brother to stay with my bike while dad and I got the bus to Roundhay Park to get my blue bag, pick up the car, drive to pick mum and Rob up to then drive home, simple.

Or not. When dad and I arrived at Roundhay Park we had a long walk to the lake from where the bus dropped us off, when we got the lake the blue bags had just been dumped in piles with no security and anybody could just pick one up, I was lucky to find my bag and it has all my belongings in it. Dad and I then had a long walk to the car park, when we arrived at the car we realised that mum had the car keys… both mine and dad’s phones were dead... oh dear! Dad then left me at the car and started running to the bus stop to try and catch the bus back (but had no money with him as it was with mum)… it was a complete disaster and I was happy to be on the road home after more chaos.

All that I gained from that race was a scar on right shoulder, this was a race I will definitely not be entering in the future. It was a shame as it was a nice venue.

Woodhall Spa Sprint Triathlon

Two years ago I competed in my first triathlon (Woodhall Spa Sprint Triathlon) and I clipped the kerb and came flying off my bike but managed to win my age group. I then did the race again the year after and came off my bike again after a bad first attempt at a flying dismount (which has put me off flying dismounts now) so this year it was third time lucky to complete the event without needing to go to the medical tent afterwards.

My wave was after 12am in the morning so it was a later start than most, Angus and I got up at around 8am and had some breakfast before getting our kit together and heading to Woodhall Spa for 10.30am. When we arrived we registered and had a wait before we could go into transition so we sat down and watched some of the action.

Soon transition was open for us and we set everything up and then went to the pool to wait for our waves to be called. One Step Beyond races are always run well and are organised which makes the event even more enjoyable.

I went off fast for the 400m swim and concentrated on counting the correct amount of lengths, my swim went alright and my first transition went well. Out on the bike it was windy, but my legs felt good so I pushed it hard, beating my bike time by 3 minutes from the year before. 

But then when it came to the run I hadn’t left anything in the legs and felt heavy and sluggish. I was glad to see the finish and waited there for Angus to finish as he started after me. As soon as he finished I gave him a massive hug.

We had a stressful week, well mainly for Angus so it was a good end to the week with us both winning our age group ahead of what was going to be a long evening as my mum, dad, Angus and I headed to Loughborough to clean Angus’ rented house head to toe and help Angus finish his packing. 

Lidl Bananaman Elite Triathlon

On the 9^th July Angus and I had a very early start which involved hunting my tri kit out of boxes as we moved into our new house on the 6^th July and hadn’t unpacked much yet. With the stress of the move both Angus and I had dropped the amount of training we were doing so I didn’t feel very prepared for the race.

When we arrived at Eton Dorney I had began to get excited at the thought at racing even if I wasn’t currently fit, I was looking forward to the open water swim and cycling around the lake and getting the draft.

My aim for the race was to finish my first elite race and to enjoy it.

I registered and stuck my stickers on my helmet and bike before going into transition to set everything up before going to get my wetsuit on while watching the kids Scootathlon which was great to watch.

Soon it was time to queue up at the side of the lake to be counted into the lake, I was the 21^st female into the lake and ended up being at the back of the swim start, as the horn went I wasn’t bothered about starting at the back as it was a lot less violent and I knew my lack of swim training meant I wasn’t fast enough to be at the front. I swam strong and gave everything my arms had to give.

My Zone3 Vanquish wetsuit came off super easy helping my transition to be faster, I then went out onto the bike and my legs were feelings a bit sluggish as I did ¾ of the first lap on my own, then I found another girl to work with on the bike and it made it much easier on the bike. This was the first time I had ever drafted and it was really good fun even if it was just two of us.

On the third lap we over took two other girls who didn’t join onto the back of us unfortunately so we just kept working in a pair, on the third lap we caught up with a guy from the wave above and he decided to cut me up to get behind the girl I was drafting and I had to brake very hard and then I sprinted to get onto the back of them but just didn’t have it in my legs. After finishing the bike, I was tired as I headed out onto the run but I was happy to have made it and not get cut off. When I finished I couldn’t not be happy to have finished my first elite race.

Afterwards there was a free BBQ as the event was sponsored by Lidl, it was great, both Angus and I spent some time in the sun watching some other races and eating lots of food from the BBQ. It was a good day out and an event I’d definitely like to do in the future!

Lastly I’d like to end my blog with an exciting announcement of my new sponsor Bounce Balls, a super tasty healthy snack that’s perfect nutrition to aid my triathlon. Thank you for your support.

Thanks for reading (sorry it was a long one)

Emily