9/29/2018 0 Comments End of the SeasonFor my last race of the season I went up to Mallory Park for the weekend to race at the British Championships/ last race of the British Junior Super Series which was held at the Under 20s Festival. On the Saturday I raced in the individual race which was sprint distance and then on the Sunday I raced in the Mixed team relay. Saturday I was quite nervous leading into the race, as despite having a good block of training, I was apprehensive about being lapped on the bike as It was 6 short technical laps. Once again my swim was not up to scratch. I worked hard to stay with the group and was in good swim form but I didn't have the swim I was hoping for. I had a good T1, and got onto the bike with a few other people. The group split and I was on the wrong side of the split. I worked well with 2 other girls and managed to not get lapped. I then got onto the run and my legs felt like jelly. I really struggled for the first two laps of the run and then got into a good rhythm on the last two laps of the run and really started to pick the pace up and overtake some people. Overall I was happy with my race as my bike and run were decent, I just need to get a race where my open water swim reflects my pool swim. Sunday I then raced in the mixed team relay. My swim was okay, not the best, but then had a slow run into T1, and a good bike where I worked with another girl. It was nice to race over a shorter distance on the swim and bike, however I got onto the run and the pace was so fast with it being a short distance, therefore I really struggled after the hard race the day before. Overall it was a good race weekend. I am happy to finish the season with a decent race weekend. End of the Season I have now finished the season and moved to Nottingham to study Physiotherapy at Nottingham University. I am looking forward to training and studying here in Nottingham. I would just like to say thank you very much for the sponsorship I have received this year and the team around me that have supported me. Onwards and Upwards into 2019.
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8/31/2018 0 Comments August UpdateHaving picked up an injury just before heading off on a training camp I was seeing the physio regularly and rehabing my ankle numerous times a day in order to try and get back to running in time for the camp. Luckily this paid off as I was able to start my run training again while away. No I was not able to complete full running sessions or all of them but it was a step in the right direction. After a cancelled flight and an extra night in Geneva I managed to get home, however this meant that i had one less day at home before racing at the London Triathlon. With only one fully day at home I then packed up my race kit and we headed to London. Despite the race being in the afternoon on Sunday we went up on the Friday so we could watch the race at the Mixed Relay Cup. This was very exciting and enjoyable to watch. Race Day 31 degrees and racing at around 2pm in the afternoon. It was boiling. I was hoping that despite still getting minor pain in my ankle that I would still be able to finish. Turns out my race wasn't the best with a bad swim, poor bike and okay run. I was exhausted, I think the fatigue from the training camp and all the travelling had taken it out of me. I was hoping to rest up quickly and be in better race shape to race the weekend later in Glasgow at the ETU European Sprint Age Group Triathlon Championships. Luckily the journey up to Glasgow was nice and short as we flew. We then hired a car and got to the race location. Registration done, race briefing complete, it was now time to rest up before the race. The difference in temperature between London and Glasgow in a week was awful. On my race morning with my race starting at 9am it was 9 degrees. We had a very early start of 4:15 am, attempted to eat some breakfast and the headed down to the course. I was feeling quite good and confident about the race but about an hour before started to feel really sick. Then unsurprisingly was sick 3 times before the race start and had gone an awful colour. My mum wondered if I would even start the race, because I looked awful. We hadn't travelled all that way (and spent all that money for me not to race) so off I went to the start. We had to be in the holding pen half an hour before with no warm clothes. This was a disaster as I was freezing for the race start and meant it really affected my swim. I had a poor swim and struggled to get going because of the cold. Had a good bike and held the gap for the first half of the race but then started to drop off the pace a bit and then had an okay run. My feet were completely numb on the bike and only started to defrost halfway round the run. It definitely wasn't the race conditions for me. Nevertheless I finished 14th. Not what I had gone there hoping for but after an injury and being ill just before the race, I was happy. Now I have one race left- British Junior Elite Championships at Mallory Park on the 14th of September. I hoping to give this my all and have a solid race after a hard block of training. Thank you to my support team. . 7/22/2018 0 Comments Racing & Injury In JulyHaving thrown myself back into training after exams, I started to see some progress in fitness. I raced at Eton Dorney in the next round of the Super Series in early July and hoped that my effort in training would pay off. I knew I wasn't completely at full fitness but everything was starting to come together. The race happened to be in the middle of this heatwave, therefore it meant it was going to be a very hot day racing. Luckily my race was in the morning, before it heated up too much. Disaster struck in the swim, as I was punched/smacked/elbowed considerably more than normal. My goggles were knocked twice and I was punched in the face leaving my lip bleeding on the bike. This swim was certainly not my best and all of the violence meant I was further down than I had hoped and missed a big bike group ahead that I should've been. I got onto the bike and just worked really hard to try not to lose even more time, I ended up working well in a group of four. I hit T2 and one of the girls in the group put her bike in my position on the racking, I shouted to her saying she'd put it in the wrong place but off she ran onto the run course. The officials did not do anything. I got out onto the run and was cautious to not blast the first km as I knew the heat would take its toll towards the end. All credit to Human Race Events who had 2 drinks stations and sprinklers per lap which really helped with the heat. I picked up the pace for the rest of the run and managed to overtake a few people. My run wasn't where I wanted it to be, but considering the large amount of time I had off with exams I was very happy. I was also happy that the whole race hadn't ended in a disaster like the swim. Sadly, 2 days after the event I started to feel a pain in my ankle. I was on holiday so didn't manage to get to the physio (5 Valleys Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Clinic) for a few days. Over around 5 days it slowly started to decrease in pain, however was very sore walking and cycling let alone running. I managed to get to the physio and saw Tim Grigg to find the route of the problem and try to treat it ASAP. We found out that a ligament in my ankle was very irritated and effectively I had sprained my ankle, except I hadn't tripped over or done anything significant to sprain it. I started all my rehab exercises and worked hard to try and get it pain free as I had planned to race at Hetton Lyons in the next round of the super series. Yes the pain in my ankle was improving, however it was no where near ready for the race and we made the call to pull out and hopefully rehab my ankle properly, as I was going on an Intense training camp the week later and that and the rest of the season was the priority. My ankle is now painfree to walk on but after about 5mins running I feel pain again, so hopefully with more rehab on my camp starting tomorrow, I will be able to run properly towards the end of the trip.
Many thanks to all my sponsors, especially 5 Valleys Physio as Tim has been essential in getting my ankle rehabbed for the camp. His service has gone above and beyond. |