Sunday 24 February 2013

ITU Junior Race 3, Devonport TAS

After having a couple of disappointing races earlier this year, I approached this race at a completely different angle. My training lead up, diet (morning of the race) and race preparation had a change for the better. After training with Jamie Turner's group down in Wollongong from the end of January to this weekend I was confident going into the race. During this time I saw massive improvements in my training and especially my run which has been my let down each race. A couple of weeks back I did a 5km run Time Trial where I ran a 15:15.7, over a minute PB. This gave me a huge boost of confidence for my run.
Race 3 was the first world team qualifier and Oceania Sprint Championships. I have been down to Devonport a few times now and the course has always been very similar. It's a 750m ocean swim but normally the surf is flat, this time it was very choppy and 1ft waves were rolling through due to the strong NE wind. The bike course is 20km (4 laps), mainly flat with a few slight rises and a very strong crosswind. Run is 5km (2 laps) and is on the Eastern end of the bike course. Race time was at 12:45pm on Saturday, wind was up all day and temperature was around 20 degrees. The ITU Junior male field consisted of 39 competitors including a couple of New Zealand athletes.

A short run along the sand before entering the water made it very congested, the waves did not help either. My start was smooth but definitely not quick , by the time we got out the back it was swimming at the tail end of the lead pack. On the way back in I had found my rhythm and started picking off other athletes, I was unfortunate to have not caught a wave all the way in but managed to get a few smaller ones to help me to shore. Out of the water in 9th position and onto the bike. There was a small group about 30sec in front and another group of 2 between my group and the leaders. After lap 1 we had caught the 2 just in front and continued chasing the front group. The bike leg felt a lot harder than it should have been, I was in a pack of 6 or so and struggled to hold a turn for more than 5 sec. I had been riding really strong it the lead up but definitely did not show in the race. By the last lap the front group had put another 10sec into my group. Come off the bike 2nd in my pack with some of the fastest runners in the race but a quick transition put me out onto the run ahead of the group. Just as I came out of transition, about 5 guys from my pack sprinted past me, I decided not to chase and run my own run. Shortly after I started picking off those guys who ran past me a the start, one by one. After the first lap I had caught 3 guys from my pack and 2 from the lead group which put me in 5th and continued to put time into them. Held my position to the finish line placing 5th in the Oceania Sprint Championships and 4th in the Australian Junior series race.

Very happy with this race, hard to remember the last time I was overtaking people in the run. Big thanks to Jamie Turner for getting me back up to speed, it goes to show what a few weeks of training with him and his squad does, thanks guys. Also Stevens bikes for their support with the bike, Zensah and Injinji.

I now look forward to resuming my training with the group to prepare for Race 4 of the ITU Junior series in Wellington, New Zealand which is also the last chance to qualify for Junior Worlds Team.

                                                                                           

Friday 1 February 2013

Australia Day Aquathon

It is now 2013 and what an exciting year it will be. My last year as a Junior Triathlete and the first year that I will be travelling overseas to race in Europe. The annual Australia Day Aquathon was held last Sunday at Wollongong Harbour, this was my 5th time racing here and enjoy it every time. This year saw the strongest field the Aquathon has ever had, with International triathletes from France, USA, UK and Australia's best. The long course event consisted of a 900m swim and a 7km run which saw over 360 competitors.

The first wave for the morning was the U30 males at 8am.
My start to the swim was good, kept out front with the lead pack for the first 300m and was feeling strong. On the way back to the shore I suddenly started to feel very fatigued and the lead pack began to get away. It felt like I had already been swimming for an hour and made it a lot harder as competitors started to pass. Out of the water and a short run on the beach to start lap 2, dove into the water and was swimming amongst the second pack. This lap felt no better than the first and slowly lost more ground. Finally the swim was over, out of the water in 13th position. Started my run feeling not good, very fatigued and legs felt extremely heavy. The first few km's was a battle to get through but the next 4k's was really good. Pace picked up and legs started to feel strong, was able to close the gap a bit between myself and the runner ahead but ran out of time before the finish was in sight. Across the line in a slightly disappointed 12th and 2nd U20.

The NSW Institute of Sport squad has now arrived back in Wollongong and have started my training back with them this week. Really looking forward to this months training in preparation for my next race in Devonport, Tasmania.

Towards the end of 2012 I was in contact with a compression company called Zensah through a mutual friend, Andrew Hedgman (Ultra Marathon Runner). He mentioned how good the compression garments are and that I should get in contact with them to try and gain some support. After correspondence with Corey Gill, I was lucky enough to have been asked to join team Zensah and promote their product through the sport of Triathlon. I have been wearing their compression since the new year and have definitely noticed a difference in my recovery after each day of training. I wake up with my legs feeling fresh every time I use the compression socks, the calf sleeves are awesome for those long runs and the compression top is great to wear underneath the jersey on cold morning rides and after hard swim sets. Thanks again to Zensah for accepting me on their team and I look forward to working with them in the future.

Be sure to have a read of my post below to find out what I was up to towards the end of 2012, some great training and racing.