Tiszaujvaros 2015

On the 1^st of August a group of us flew out to Hungary for a training camp, leading into a European Junior Cup race on the weekend.

The training out there was really good, with the beginning of the week being slightly harder and longer, and towards the end it was more race specific stuff. We got to train in a 50m outdoor pool which was right opposite our accommodation so that was lovely, especially when it was really hot out. The cycling out there was also fab, mainly because it was lovely landscape and the weather was always really warm, although there was a few nasty storms whilst we were there.

Every day we had a weigh in first thing in the morning, and then before and after each session. It was really surprising and interesting to see how much you could lose through sweat during something like an hour easy run, which could be around 1.5kg. Thats why I found using my H2pro hydration tablets so handy and really kept me on top of my hydration whilst I was out there.

The Tiszaujvaros European Junior cup was different to most, with a semi-final on the Saturday, then the top 14 girls in each semi final and the fastest 2 losers got through to the final on the Sunday. They were both super sprint races, so slightly shorter than normal Junior races, but possibly appreciated in the scorching heat. I had a decent semi-final, coming out 1^st in the swim with a 15 second advantage. I then done the whole bike on my own, but by the end I only had a few seconds over a very large pack. I ran alright and it felt reasonably comfortable, finishing 10^th in my heat. It felt tough due to the hot temperatures and it was harder than I thought it would be to qualify. On Saturday afternoon we got a short recovery ride in and a stretching session which helped a lot.

On Sunday I was ranked 21^st going into the final, which was off the semi results. I got a good place on the pontoon, with Ffion Harrett on my left and Olivia Mathias on my right. I had a good start and didn’t get too caught up and got in a really good position around the 1^st buoy. I finished the swim in 3^rd place, with a little group of 5 of us away a little. We got together really quickly and worked so well together in a chain gang to open up the lead from 30second to around 70seconds. I was really feeling the heat now and didn’t have a great run, although I managed to hold onto 6^th place, which I was really happy with. I was so pleased for Olivia who was also in my bike group who went on to win the race. Also Bronwen Owen ran through the field so well and finished 2^nd. It was very helpful having both H2pro and Vision for sport sunglasses out in Hungary helping with the Heat and sun. As always a massive thank you to SportsAid and BNY Mellon for helping me out thorughout the season. Tiszy was such a great experience and I was so pleased to get my first top 10 in a European Cup.

 Now really looking forward to Mallory Park at the beginning of September and hoping for a really positive result there also.