After finishing all of my exams and sixth form completely, I
was finally able to get back racing. My first race back was in Holten, The
Netherlands. I was especially nervous for this race, mainly because it was my
first race in nearly 6 weeks, so I didn’t know how it would go and if I was
race sharp yet. The journey out to Holland was lovely and relaxed; this was a
big advantage and calmed me down going into the race. There was a split
transition, which meant setting both up and getting ready just before was
slightly hectic, but it is the same for everyone. I had a good start in the
swim, getting reasonably clear water and a fast start, meant I got out ahead
before the first buoy, with 2 other girls (both Brits) next to me. In the end I
got out of the swim 2nd, but then struggled with my wetsuit, meaning
Lissie Hood had to help me find the zip. But once I got it down, my transition
was smooth and I made front bike pack comfortably. The rain was pouring by this
point so the bike was slightly slower than normal, with everyone being extra
cautious. The front pack consisted of about 12 people-including 6 Brits- unfortunately
one of these crashed out but wasn’t badly hurt, luckily. I was badly positioned
coming into T2, so went out onto the run a bit behind the front few before it
even started. I started fast though, going past a few girls early on. I felt
strong, stronger than I’d felt in a long time and was working hard in 8th,
just behind 6th and 7th. I caught them with just less
than 1km to go, but then it came down to a sprint finish and I just got taken
on the line, so 8th it was. I was still very happy with this, being
my second best ETU cup result to date. It was also great that 6 of the top 10
in Holten were British girls. I stayed out in Holland for a few days after the
race also in a small cottage in the woods. I went cycling with my family and we
also did some exploring, which was lovely and relaxing. We also went for a day
trip to Amsterdam to sight see and have an adventure around the streets of the capital.
Massive thank you to my dad who was the designated driver all week in the mini
bus, it must have been hard with the odd roads and many cyclists out there. It
made the trip much easier and meant I could focus on training.
I had a race the next weekend at Dorney Lake, the Lidl
BananaMan Triathlon. After a fair bit of travelling, getting home from Holten
just the previous day, I was feeling slightly tired, but excited to race at one
of my favourite venues again. I had a decent swim, coming out roughly 2nd
and a few seconds behind 1st. The swim was very fast and spread out
the field. Going out onto the bike, I just missed Meg’s wheel and found myself
in no man’s land for over 5km of the bike. Just after ¼ of the laps I as caught
by a small pack of 4 girls. We were working well together but still seemed to
be making very little time up on the front 2. Going onto the 3rd
lap, me and Kate Waugh broke off the front of the pack and worked very hard for
the next 2 laps, closing the gap from 40 seconds to just over 10 going into T2.
I made a rookie error by going to the wrong space in transition but quickly
corrected myself and was out onto the run just behind Kate. I worked very hard
for the first 2km and that is when I caught Meg up. With Kate having a lead and
Meg and I sat in 2nd/3rd with a large gap to 4th
we could afford to take it easier. It turned into a very tactical race for
second. The next 2.5km we ran together,
taking it in turns to have shelter from what was now a very strong wind. It
came down to a sprint and I was determined to win it after being out sprinted
the previous weekend. So the final result was; Kate 1st, Me 2nd
and Meg 3rd. I was very pleased with this, as it was my first super
series podium of the year.
The next day I went to a BBQ with the swimming club National
Qualifiers, which was a lovely event and where we also got presented with our
National T-Shirts. I was really pleased when I was asked to race for the club
in a relay at nationals, especially as this will be my last year with the club
full time.
As always a massive thank you to my sponsors and their continued
support; Zone3, SportsAid, Precision Hydration, Carl Goose Sports Massage,
Broadland District Council and Swimzi.
 |
| Big thank you to Birdsof Dereham for cutomising my XK for me |
