Racing In Paradise
So my main goal for the year was to qualify for the World Championships in Cozumel, Mexico. The season didn't start anywhere near where I wanted it to and I wrote about it here for my coach Michelle Dillon at Team Dillon Coaching World Champs Preview
Let's just say illness and injury meant it was a less than ideal winter prep!
I achieved my goal, box ticked and then I was on a serious mission to stay healthy and get injury free, again both boxes ticked!!!
The journey to Cozumel went without a single hitch, British Airways were on time and my bike arrived in 1 piece! We arrived in the evening to some serious heat AND humidity, yikes!
Nirvana were ready and waiting at the airport ready to take us to the ferry port for the 30 min trip over to Cozumel.
We were staying in the team Hotel, Cozumel Palace which was beautiful and I had to stay focused that I wasn't on holiday just yet!
Prior to the race I had been told to stay out of the sun unless I was training or attending official registration/briefings. I have to say this was super sensible advice as standing for 2 hours waiting to register in the morning heat and humidity was exhausting!
I also made sure I stayed hydrated and had some electrolyte drinks in the days leading up to the race. Made a lot easier by the hotel staff always wanting to top up your drink with ice cold water or lemonade (the benefit of an all inclusive hotel).
I felt pretty calm and relaxed in the days leading up to the race (probably helped by the calming influence of my husband!) All the hard work really has been done and I just had to get my sessions done and listen to my coach's advice and not race anyone when I was doing them !! :)
The day of the race I still felt fairly calm, just a little bit of pre-race nerves but definitely not over the line. I was ready to see what the training blocks I had managed to do would bring and all I had to do was focus on having the best swim, bike and run I could.
Swim
I really wanted to have a good swim. I had a woman next to me kicking me when we were at the pontoon and I think that actually helped build my aggression at the start of the swim! I went off and she did not go past me! I knew to focus on my technique cues, get on the feet in front of me and swim like a woman possessed. I did all this and I felt great in the water. When I realised I was at the last buoy I was pretty shocked it had come around so soon. I was really enjoying the swim, it's the first time I have felt I didn't want it to end! Unfortunately a woman decided to swim underneath me at this point (!?) I had to push her to one side to swim to the exit, not what I needed!
15:06 A PB in a sea swim without a wetsuit. Job Done!
Bike
I got in to transition with only a couple of girls around me so I knew I couldn't hang around to make sure I was with them, hoping we could all work together. Sprint Distance racing at World Championships is now draft legal and so it's important not to end up doing an individual TT! Sadly the girls were slower than me and I found myself doing exactly what I didn't want to do but that's just how it goes. I got my head down and started over taking other individual riders. When a pack came past me, thankfully my friend Ali was in it and told me to get on the wheel, which I duly did, thank you, top chick :)
At the turn around my brain was clearly not working properly as I completely forgot that I would need to be in a different gear at the dead turn. Uh oh, I was in a massive gear and came almost to a standstill! I can now see the pack going away from me as I remember what I had completely forgotten to do! I worked my butt off to get back to them but a hard riding pack is a tough ask to get back to! Despite having practised this exact thing with Michelle only a couple of weeks before the race I still forgot but hey I guess race brain does mean these things happen! BUT it won't happen again!!!
I had to work super hard to stay focused and not get mad with myself for having messed up and get back to transition as quickly as I could.
35:45
Run
My legs felt awful off the bike. I have done more brick sessions this year than ever before and I had actually been finding my run legs pretty quickly. Not today! It took about 2km before my legs were moving properly and by then the heat and humidity was hitting me like a brick wall! I have never run in heat and humidity like that ever and it was pure survival instinct keeping me going. The sooner I cross that line the sooner I can cool down! People around me were walking and it made me think maybe I need to stop and take a few deep breaths and I 'll feel better. Sadly not, I just felt hotter. Then I just focused on my technique cues and keeping moving as well as I could. I took ice cold water at every aid station (and there were a lot of them) and I still felt like my body was on fire and running against a brick wall. Coming into the finish shute I was elated and couldn't be prouder that I got to the end when everything in my body was saying stop!
28:35
After some time in the ice baths with my friends I felt very proud and happy that I gave it my all on the day. The result is not where I would want to come but I certainly couldn't have done more.
I had a quick spin back to the hotel and straight on the champagne, as you do! I was ready to make the most of the all inclusive aspects of the hotel! The camaraderie after the race was just brilliant and a wonderful reminder of how many fantastic people there are in this crazy sport of ours. Every time I race at an age group event I meet more lovely new friends and it's one of the best things about qualifying :)
My friend Jacqui Phillips won our age group and I am super happy that she had the day she wanted and has worked for.
After a few days relaxing in Cozumel, watching my husband go diving, swimming with Dolphins and Sting Rays we headed to Cancun to relax for a week. It was nice to be able to just relax but I was already itching to discuss with Michelle how I come back stronger in 2017!
The plan was to enjoy my holiday and then start to build my fitness when I returned. So that's where I am now. Working on the faster swim time I know I can achieve with my coaches at Tri Swim Coaching, improving my biking skills and fitness with my friends over winter and getting some strong run miles and sessions in my legs. I will also be doing my prehab to stay in my happy place! Bringing harmony to all of this is Michelle Dillon, coach extraordinaire.
I have learnt a huge amount this year both about the physical and mental aspects of racing. What it means to me, how to train hard, how to believe in myself more, how to have fun with racing, how to focus on the process and not the outcome. None of this has come easy but it has meant that I am mentally less stressed when I race and I enjoy training and racing more. I am starting to learn how to get the best out of myself.
The lessons have been very personal and I really need to pay huge respect to Michelle who helped me to find a way to allow all these important changes happen.
I always knew Michelle could help me to physically get the best out of myself. What I hadn't really appreciated was how she would change my mental attitude towards so many different aspects of triathlon and myself. From one disastrous race at Dorney Lake to a huge improvement at Nottingham just one week later. I'm not sure how she does it but it's pretty special when she changes your mindset in one telephone call! The list is very long of the things she has taught me so maybe that's a separate blog!
Thank you coach, bring it on! :)
Stay healthy and happy this winter and hope to see you at the races in 2017!
Let's just say illness and injury meant it was a less than ideal winter prep!
I achieved my goal, box ticked and then I was on a serious mission to stay healthy and get injury free, again both boxes ticked!!!
The journey to Cozumel went without a single hitch, British Airways were on time and my bike arrived in 1 piece! We arrived in the evening to some serious heat AND humidity, yikes!
Nirvana were ready and waiting at the airport ready to take us to the ferry port for the 30 min trip over to Cozumel.
We were staying in the team Hotel, Cozumel Palace which was beautiful and I had to stay focused that I wasn't on holiday just yet!
Prior to the race I had been told to stay out of the sun unless I was training or attending official registration/briefings. I have to say this was super sensible advice as standing for 2 hours waiting to register in the morning heat and humidity was exhausting!
I also made sure I stayed hydrated and had some electrolyte drinks in the days leading up to the race. Made a lot easier by the hotel staff always wanting to top up your drink with ice cold water or lemonade (the benefit of an all inclusive hotel).
I felt pretty calm and relaxed in the days leading up to the race (probably helped by the calming influence of my husband!) All the hard work really has been done and I just had to get my sessions done and listen to my coach's advice and not race anyone when I was doing them !! :)
The day of the race I still felt fairly calm, just a little bit of pre-race nerves but definitely not over the line. I was ready to see what the training blocks I had managed to do would bring and all I had to do was focus on having the best swim, bike and run I could.
Swim
I really wanted to have a good swim. I had a woman next to me kicking me when we were at the pontoon and I think that actually helped build my aggression at the start of the swim! I went off and she did not go past me! I knew to focus on my technique cues, get on the feet in front of me and swim like a woman possessed. I did all this and I felt great in the water. When I realised I was at the last buoy I was pretty shocked it had come around so soon. I was really enjoying the swim, it's the first time I have felt I didn't want it to end! Unfortunately a woman decided to swim underneath me at this point (!?) I had to push her to one side to swim to the exit, not what I needed!
15:06 A PB in a sea swim without a wetsuit. Job Done!
 |
| Simply stunning water to swim in |
I got in to transition with only a couple of girls around me so I knew I couldn't hang around to make sure I was with them, hoping we could all work together. Sprint Distance racing at World Championships is now draft legal and so it's important not to end up doing an individual TT! Sadly the girls were slower than me and I found myself doing exactly what I didn't want to do but that's just how it goes. I got my head down and started over taking other individual riders. When a pack came past me, thankfully my friend Ali was in it and told me to get on the wheel, which I duly did, thank you, top chick :)
At the turn around my brain was clearly not working properly as I completely forgot that I would need to be in a different gear at the dead turn. Uh oh, I was in a massive gear and came almost to a standstill! I can now see the pack going away from me as I remember what I had completely forgotten to do! I worked my butt off to get back to them but a hard riding pack is a tough ask to get back to! Despite having practised this exact thing with Michelle only a couple of weeks before the race I still forgot but hey I guess race brain does mean these things happen! BUT it won't happen again!!!
I had to work super hard to stay focused and not get mad with myself for having messed up and get back to transition as quickly as I could.
35:45
 |
| The bike course had some pretty stunning views |
Run
My legs felt awful off the bike. I have done more brick sessions this year than ever before and I had actually been finding my run legs pretty quickly. Not today! It took about 2km before my legs were moving properly and by then the heat and humidity was hitting me like a brick wall! I have never run in heat and humidity like that ever and it was pure survival instinct keeping me going. The sooner I cross that line the sooner I can cool down! People around me were walking and it made me think maybe I need to stop and take a few deep breaths and I 'll feel better. Sadly not, I just felt hotter. Then I just focused on my technique cues and keeping moving as well as I could. I took ice cold water at every aid station (and there were a lot of them) and I still felt like my body was on fire and running against a brick wall. Coming into the finish shute I was elated and couldn't be prouder that I got to the end when everything in my body was saying stop!
28:35
 |
| I finally got a finish photo where I am smiling! |
After some time in the ice baths with my friends I felt very proud and happy that I gave it my all on the day. The result is not where I would want to come but I certainly couldn't have done more.
I had a quick spin back to the hotel and straight on the champagne, as you do! I was ready to make the most of the all inclusive aspects of the hotel! The camaraderie after the race was just brilliant and a wonderful reminder of how many fantastic people there are in this crazy sport of ours. Every time I race at an age group event I meet more lovely new friends and it's one of the best things about qualifying :)
 |
| Lisa who I first met at Llandudno when we both qualified for the Worlds! |
 |
| Some of the wonderful friends I have made through Triathlon, big love x |
My friend Jacqui Phillips won our age group and I am super happy that she had the day she wanted and has worked for.
After a few days relaxing in Cozumel, watching my husband go diving, swimming with Dolphins and Sting Rays we headed to Cancun to relax for a week. It was nice to be able to just relax but I was already itching to discuss with Michelle how I come back stronger in 2017!
The plan was to enjoy my holiday and then start to build my fitness when I returned. So that's where I am now. Working on the faster swim time I know I can achieve with my coaches at Tri Swim Coaching, improving my biking skills and fitness with my friends over winter and getting some strong run miles and sessions in my legs. I will also be doing my prehab to stay in my happy place! Bringing harmony to all of this is Michelle Dillon, coach extraordinaire.
I have learnt a huge amount this year both about the physical and mental aspects of racing. What it means to me, how to train hard, how to believe in myself more, how to have fun with racing, how to focus on the process and not the outcome. None of this has come easy but it has meant that I am mentally less stressed when I race and I enjoy training and racing more. I am starting to learn how to get the best out of myself.
 |
| All smiles post Brick session in Richmond Park with Michelle Dillon |
I always knew Michelle could help me to physically get the best out of myself. What I hadn't really appreciated was how she would change my mental attitude towards so many different aspects of triathlon and myself. From one disastrous race at Dorney Lake to a huge improvement at Nottingham just one week later. I'm not sure how she does it but it's pretty special when she changes your mindset in one telephone call! The list is very long of the things she has taught me so maybe that's a separate blog!
Thank you coach, bring it on! :)
Stay healthy and happy this winter and hope to see you at the races in 2017!
Comments
Post a Comment