English
I’ve been busy as ever, having only just returned from the Olympic stadium in Berlin to be swept off to Hartpury College for intensive Pentathlon training and then finally a short rest before a National competition over the August Bank Holiday in Solihull (which was a lot nicer than I thought it would be!)
However this weekend I had the Southwest Aquathon at Portland – quite a demanding Youth race. As I looked out along the 800m swim course though the jetties of the Olympic Sailing Academy the sky was a muggy grey and the water very choppy due to the mounting gale. The run was mainly tarmac, a 5k course around the Sailing Academy and along the coast up to the harbour-side where they filmed “The Boat That Rocked”.
It was a dive start and the girls were mixed in with the boys so the swim was very rough, luckily I escaped any black eyes and just got stuck-in: attacking the first 200m to get with the lead group. This time my sighting was much better (you may recall I missed a buoy in this event last year and had to swim back…costing me the gold!) This time I was in a pretty good position.
When I came into transition I managed to stay on the mat and miss the slimy slipway at the side. I quickly flicked my legs and arms out of my lovely Aqua Sphere WRacer Pro wetsuit and was soon out onto the run – Very windy on the way out and not a gust on the way back! It was a very tiring race as the wind just took my breath away, however I finished first girl home by a lead of 2minutes so was very pleased with the result, and things are looking up for racing in Dubai at the end of October.
After a quick bite to eat and the medal presentation a group of the South west IRC Team all had a lovely hilly 22mile bike ride to Bovington Army base from Weymouth for a training event with coaches Harry Wiltshire and Andy Bullock.
The training weekend was with the Southwest Triathlon academy in preparation for the IRC’s in a few weeks time. By the evening of the first day we were all improving on our bike transitions and skills. After a tiring day, some ice cream and a bit of Wii-fit it was soon time for bed: as it was an early 6am start for a run the next day. The run was at Lulworth Cove, a long killer steep cliff to start then along the pebbled beach and back up through the coastal hills. I it was made all the more worthwhile when we reached the top of the hill again to see the beautiful view of the natural arch at Durdle Door.
After a quick paddle in the sea to cool off we returned to out barracks and then it was off for a swim session, practicing wetsuit transitions and a small aerobic sprint set. Finally we road round the closed road circuits, of the Armour Centre’s tank training area: again a demanding course but great transition practice and drafting work. I feel the team bonded really well and it had been a tiring, painful, yet truly worthwhile experience. Now it’s time to taper in for Europeans in Varna, Bulgaria this coming week! Back to a new school on Wednesday to start my A-level studies, then I fly out Wednesday…Bring it on!
