British Duathlon Championships 2015

This was an interesting event to say the least, on Sunday the 29th of March.

I was really excited and optimistic looking into the race, feeling better and stronger on the run than previously and also on the bike.

I had really good preparation, with my favorite meal the night before, steak and chips, and a decent nights sleep. My race wasn't until 1.30pm, so I felt really relaxed in the morning and all I really wanted to do was stay warm and dry, as the weather was  shocking.
I got to the venue quite early as I was eager to see the conditions on the course and what it was like again, as after a year I had pretty much no idea and forgotten, plus the fact I hadn't made it around one bike lap last year may have been a large factor about why I wanted to forget. I saw some of the youth racing and it looked pretty rough. The wind was really picking up and it was so cold and miserable.

The Junior boys who went off just an hour before and the weather was really terrible. There were lots of crashes and falls just due to the really intense winds. I must admit at this point I was getting pretty worried. We got called for briefing at 1.10pm and this is when they announce that our race (the junior and senior women) would be turned into a 10km straight run, no cycling due to the wind scheduled to pick up even more than what I already thought was manic. But it did put my mind at rest a little because it was going to be about who actual makes it round, rather than who gets round the quickest. People were quite dubious about a 10km run as many had never raced that far before, but I had raced a couple and felt quite relaxed because I knew I had gotten

Try and spot the runners through the rain!!!!

some really decent road running in prior to the race thanks to my coach Jane Clarke.
Everyone went out pretty quick, with a huge lead group going round together for the first lap of 4. I then dropped back because I knew I shouldn't try and keep up with some of the best senior runners, such as Emma Pallant, who went on to win. But I managed to catch up Sian Rainsley and another girl, we managed to work together well, as a chain gang style due to the awful side and head wind, especially going up the little hill there was!!!
I felt quite relaxed at halfway, seeing we went round in roughly 19 minutes. I was hoping to just keep with the other two girls for this lap,(this was when the weather got the worst and I got blown 2 meters sideways whilst running along the top straight and the rain was coming down so hard I could barely open my eyes) but when I managed to stick with them for the third lap of four, they really picked up the pace in the downhill and behind wind section. I really wanted to just hold on for as long as possible and I managed to until the very last 400 meters, where they both kicked away and I just had nothing left. I could see the clock ticking away and I really wanted to go sub-40mins and I was so happy that I did. It was the first time in a 10km that I have done under 40mins and especially in those conditions I was really thrilled. We quickly got whisked away into the athletes lounge where they gave us a foil wrap and a drink, which was warmly accepted. I came away with 4th Junior girl and 11th overall. I was really pleased with both my positioning and my time.