Racing the Olympic Course

My goal for the 2011 season was to race on the Olympic course and in many ways I have achieved this. A very good friend of mine entered the Buckingham Palace route last year and due to circumstances, decided not to race and offered the place to me. I said yes immediately and once all the documents were received, I began to get incredibly excited about racing on the Olympic course. Obviously, I would have loved to race in the elite race, but it was not meant to be this year, so I made the most of this opportunity.

Leading in to the week post London Tri, I felt tired and I believed I had not recovered properly. Doing an Olympic distance the weekend before and doing another one again was quite daunting for me. I did not know how my body would hold up; had it recovered properly and was I still carrying some muscular fatigue? Anyway, I was pretty sure I would find this out come race morning. The "recovery" week after London Triathlon consisted of 20hours working at the hotel bar plus 3hours a day of landscape gardening, in other words, breaking down a shed and clearing as much rubbish as I can! With this amount of work, training was put to one side and only completed if my body was up for it.

The race began at 7am and I left my hotel in Marble Arch at a sociable hour of 5.45am! This was my first age group race since I started the sport and my first non drafting, so I was quite nervous as I did not know what to expect. We swam exactly the same swim course as the elites, but the bike and run differed. My swim time was 17.56sec, which appeared to be the fastest of the day including the elites! Once on to the bike, my first priority was to make sure I counted all the laps. It was only 4 laps, but it was so easy to miss count and ride an extra lap, so I made myself constantly aware of how many I had done. I felt strong and fast, but part of me wished I had a time trial bike and tear drop helmet as the bike course was flat and windy and suited the more aero guys. On to the run and I found my legs quickly and ran as hard as I could. I did not have a clue where I was in the race, but knew I just had to do my best all the way to the line and then I can ask no more from myself.

It turned out that I came away with fastest run, a solid bike and a WIN overall. I am delighted to win the whole age group race by 2mins and is my first win in the sport since I started. Although there was no podium, I still felt an enormous amount of pride, elation and a willingness to continue this habit from now on.

London Triathlon

My 3month break from racing finally came to an end at the London Triathlon. I have not raced for 3months as so much has happened in such a short space of time that racing was so far from my priorities. I needed to wait, be patient, get the enjoyment back and feel the energy for racing again. Thankfully it did come back and I was very excited when I was on the start line waiting for the horn to start for the 2011 London Elite Triathlon. With this long break I went into the elite race with one goal: to finish with the feeling of excitement for the sport that I had when I first started. Fortunately, this was the case and I knew I was back to my old self again.

The swim went better than I had expected. The swim is a 1 lap of 1500m and it does feel a long time in the water. I found myself at the front very early on and decided to swim it at my pace and if someone overtakes me then at least I have feet to draft off. At the halfway point I made a concious decision to be 1st out of the water; I thought with the amount of work I had put in, no way can anyone take my lead. I dug deep and probably put myself into some oxygen debt, but made it out the water first and first into transition.

Out of transition and I was straight into my cycling. The slight oxygen debt cost me Stu Hayes's wheel, but a pack of about 8 athletes were right behind, so I decided to fuel up and wait for them and hitch a lift to the front. The lead pack was formed after 5km and I decided to "hide" in the pack. I have not done enough riding to pull my turns and with a 10km run left, I was not sacrificing my race for some hard riding. The bike was over in no time and with the expected surges and failed attempted breakaways, we rolled in as a group ready to run the last stage. I hit the run as hard as I could and for a km I was flying, but the lack of race experience got to me and the last 9km was slightly slower than I had hoped for. I crossed the line in a respectable 14th place feeling satisfied and relived that I was back to enjoying it all again.

A special person

A really special special athlete that will do whatever it takes to make it to the Olympic Games in London. An example of how financial diffcultly can put on a massive strain on your dream and how, regardless of what kind of adversity there is, there is still a belief that it can happen!

Claire Kelly, Australia Beach Women's Volleyball Team. Trying to travel the world to get enough ranking points to make the Olympic Games... sounds a very similar predicament!

http://losthatsportsblog.com/2011/06/claire-kellys-unique-plan-to-make-it-to-the-london-olympic-games/

Enjoy!!

Work and my first triathlon (sort of!!)

I am two days away from what feels like my first triathlon. I feel I have done the full circle: starting brand new to the sport 3 years ago; becoming obsessive with training and pushing myself to the point where I was severely over trained and believing the notion " the more I do, the better I will be;" to competing in every race possible to fulfil a childhood dream of competing against the best athletes in the world, while getting myself into massive amount of debt; then finally ending up where I started again: fresh, full of energy and incredibly motivated to be the best triathlete I can possibly be. However, the start of this circular journey is not the same as how it started, so many things have happened in my life in such a small amount of time, but patience and timing have been the key to starting fresh again. I feel so excited about competing in the elite wave in London on sunday morning and racing against some very good athletes. I am in very good shape at the moment and although I have not raced since April, my belief in my ability is just as strong as it always has been.

This whirlwind season has provided me with the opportunity to work on many different aspects of myself that I would not have been able to work on if I had not been through these experiences. The importance of listening to my body when it is in pain, tired and run down is paramount to consistent training and progression in the sport. This skill has been particularly important in getting the balance right between work and racing. I have had to eat some humble pie and realise I can not go on living on a few quid a day, scrapping by on a dream that at times seems impossible. Without any financial support, it very hard to be a professional athlete. I want to be a professional athlete, travel the world collecting ranking points and race the best guys out there, but for this to happen I have to be patient and keep motivated.

I am currently working as a barman in a 4 star hotel on the Loughborough University Campus. It is a really good job and very chilled. Most bar jobs can be stressful, but with this it is quite the opposite. I work approximately 20 hours a week and try and do another 20 hours of training on top of this. To make it through a week successfully I have to listen to how I am feeling, know when to push myself in training and know when to back off. Quietening my mind is essential to keep my energies up. I have constant debates with myself, for example, "I should be out on my bike," "I should be doing those track reps" etc, but I keep telling myself that this is the situation I am in and above all, I must flow with it.

I am very confident that turning professional is only a matter of time for me, but at the moment I will just have to ride the wave. With London Triathlon this weekend and, thanks to a very good friend of mine, I have the opportunity to race London Hyde Park on the Olympic Course the following weekend. Who knows what magic might happen....!!!

Back on Track

It has been quite a while since I lasted posted on my blog site. A lot of things have happened over the past few months that have been life changing. I believe it has made me into a much stronger person and it can only help improve me as an athlete. During this period, I have been focusing on my running. I have always wanted to concentrate on this discipline, but in the past other external forces have been present and I have not stuck at it. However, things have changed and I am loving the "miles" in the running. Running has provided me with the feeling of freedom and excitement that I lost and I feel, for the first time, I am finally turning into a very good runner.

I have been inspired by a lot of people, most notably, the runner legend Emil Zatopek. He was a Czech athlete that achieved the impossible goal of winning gold in the 5km, 10km and the marathon at the Helsinki Olympic Games. Zatopek was the first athlete to highlight the benefits of interval running and proved his doubters wrong by breaking the 10000m world record 3 times and becoming the first athlete to run a sub 29mins. Also, I have been reading "Born to Run." This is a story about the Tarahumara who are regarded as the greatest undiscovered endurance athletes that have every lived. The book focuses on how these men and women have developed a perpetual talent for endurance running and how their love for running is their ultimate characteristic.

The reading I have done has led to me to notice one important trait that every successful athlete appears to have: Their resounding love and passion for what they do. Nothing is an effort, but pure enjoyment; there are no complaints, just constant laughter. It appears the recipe for success is as simple as the cliché line of "just simple enjoyment" for what they do. Anyway, for the first time in my life this is how I feel towards my training. I have always believed that I have had this feeling, but now I really feel that it is part of me. I feel lighter, things feel effortless, and I am not dictated by times and amounts of reps I have to do; just on how my body is feeling. I used to get really agitated when I pushed myself in training, albeit in all 3 disciplines, and mentally I struggled. But now that feeling of taming the "beast" known as exhaustion is some what exhilarating. Pushing, pushing and feeling the improvements happening is incredibly addictive. Obviously, there comes a point where enough is enough, but when I am in that moment it is truly magical.

With this new found love, I have started to get my motivation back and started racing again. I was invited to join Leicester Roadhogs Running Club after my performance at the Glooston 10km where I was 3rd. This 10km was savage with 2 laps, which included twice up a hill that was about 500m and very steep. This performance got me a start at the Hungarton 7mile mid week race. This race is notoriously known as Leicestershire hilliest road race, so was in for a treat when the race started. The first 3 and a half miles was up hill, constant climbing with out much respite for the legs. Once the first half of the race was completed, the second phase was more undulating so could get into my running better. I was around 6th at halfway, but felt strong. I opened up my stride and dug deep and finished a very respectable 4th. I felt amazing when I ran and loved every minute of it, even the laboured first 3 miles! Next stop was the British 10km in London. I was expecting a very fast race, but it turned into more of a tactical affair. A beautiful race round London encompassing all the attractions London has to offer, from running over Tower Bridge to sprinting past Downing Street. I came a creditable 13th in a very strong field and felt strong all the way to the Line.

The next stop now is speed work. I am very strong at the moment, but need to activate my fast twitch to push myself on to the next level. Time will be spent hurting myself on the track and preparing my body run at speeds that it is not used to. I am doing the London Triathlon at the end of July and I see it as my come back race... Cant wait

Prep, Race and Post report from Portugal

The next race on my journey was the European Cup in Quateira, Portugal. My preparation for the race was as follows: 3 days out I started to focus on my food intake. This involved not eating to much that I was too full to walk, but to eat regularly with the aim to constantly keep my glycogen stores topped up. The food I was eating mainly involved low GI (glycemic index) carbohydrates (brown pasta and rice). These low GI foods provided slow release carbohydrates at a sustained level to prevent any sugar spikes and thus, provide me with a constant flow of energy. The draw back to these food types is that they usually are high in fibre and therefore, I must be careful not to eat them to close to running and especially racing. The day out from the race, low GI foods were replaced by high GI (white bread, pasta and rice) and again, this was consumed at regular intervals to ensure my body was fuelled for the challenge ahead.

The race was situated in the Algarve and took place on the coast. The swim was in the Atlantic ocean, which initially did not trouble me, but up close, witnessing the ferocity of the sea and the anger that waves bestowed on the shore; I was certainly not prepared for the onslaught to come! When the gun went we sprinted into the sea to be greeted by a series of forceful waves that appeared to have one purpose: to prevent as many triathletes as possible swimming! Once this metaphorical brick wall was over come, the swim eventually settled down, but I use the term "swim" very loosly as the swim turn into a survival. Juggling between a powerful under lying current and perpetual waves that seemed to just appear, the 2 lap swim was swum in earnest.

Finally out the sea, and in one piece, the race started to unfold. I was fortunate to really enjoy the choppy waters and emerged as one of the fastest swimmers (top 10) and this set me up perfectly for a competitive race. A swift transition and I was out on my bike thundering down the main high street of Quateira. The bike course depicted a series of arteries that navigated around the town and this meant a lot of out and backs and thus, power and efficiency were essential to secure a good bike leg. For me, the bike was really good. I was in a good pack of around 20 guys and felt comfortable, competent and competitive, which is a big step forward for me. The course was 6 laps and included a step uphill climb for about 300m, 180 degree turn at the top, then a descent down that included a sharp 90 degree right hand turn that, unfortunately, claimed quite a few crashes from over zealous athletes misreading the corner.

Into transition for the last time, and I was in a very good position to begin a solid run. After my race in Valparasio, Chile, I was very confident with my running form and knew I had a big run in me. I began the 10km with my trademark sprint out of transition to immediately feel the 40km bike still massaging my legs. I had a choice: Do I fight the feeling, push harder, force my running or relax and maintain form? I actually employed both techniques with my emphasis being on holding form. As the laps were ticked off my running legs came back and on the 4th lap of 4 I was moving swiftly and flowing with my running.

The race highlighted many positives that I am pleased to say: I am finally mastering. This race is a big step forward in my journey to the top and things will only get better from now on!

Cider Vinegar

I have been doing some research, talking with friends and family and I keep coming across Cider Vinegar. There is a lot of ambiguity surrounding it, but the information that is available, does sound incredibly exciting!

We all know the saying: "An apple a day keeps the doctor away?" Well, this saying is supported by the facts that we have gathered from apples: They are one of the most health giving fruits available and contain beneficial vitamins and minerals. Some of these included are potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorous, and iron as the central ingrediant in Apple Cider.

Apple cider vinegar breaks down the body's fatty, mucous and phlegm therefore improving the health and function of your liver, bladder, and kidneys. It also helps thin the blood, which prevents high blood pressure. It promotes digestion, the assimilation and the elimination processes. It helps get rid of toxic substances that can be harmful. It has been said that if you take a mixture of cider vinegar and water before a meal it will help prevent diarrhea or digestive upsets. This works especially well for picnics when food is left uncovered and not refrigerated for long periods. The potassium in apple cider vinegar also is helpful in easing the symptoms of common colds and allergies. Potassium is essential to healthy bones and teeth and it’s good for hair loss.

Cider Vinegar has been used for weight loss purposes for many years. It is said to be a natural and effective way to lose unwanted pounds and inches. To get the most benefits from the cider vinegar it should never be distilled, filtered or pasteurized as these processes destroy the vitamins, nutrients and fermentation properties that aid in weight loss. This type of cider vinegar should be available in a health food store. To use cider vinegar as a weight reduction technique you use one or two teaspoons of the vinegar mixed in when cooking a meal. The weight loss that you can expect to see will be a gradual loss as the body’s fat cells begin to shrink. No one is really sure how the cider vinegar works. Some believe that the nutrients, enzymes and acids act as an appetite suppressor and increase the metabolic rate of the body. Others feel that it reduces the amount of water retention, breaks down the fat in the body and gives the drinker an overall sense of well being. Whatever the reason cider vinegar will be a healthy addition to your daily routine.

Chile: Race Photos

Found some race pictures from Chile... Enjoy!!

Supplements

As a profession triathlete I train every day of the week and this usually consists of 3 sessions a day. Everyday I train with the belief that the training I do will improve my performance in races and overall, help me to become a very successful athlete. With the demands of training I inflict on my body, I am constantly in a catabolic (breakdown) mode. This situation causes tiny tears in my muscles and after a long period of time, with out counter acting it, my muscles will go through a period of atrophy (muscle wastage) and the long term effect is a loss of power, strength and endurance and ultimately: A severe drop in performance.

To avoid the inevitable damages and gain maximal benefits from my training, it is essential that I take supplements to ensure I adapt to the physical demands I bestow upon myself. Eating a healthy, balanced diet with healthy snacks is one of my main priorities, but to get the nutrients straight into my body after training I need something that gets digested and transported quickly. Below are a few supplements that I take to ensure that this is achieved:

• First thing in the morning I have a protein shake. This is usually a combination of hydrolized and isolate whey. The reason for this is that these are purer forms of whey and digest very quickly. Also, it quenches my appetite and prepares my body for the day ahead.
• After breakfast I take:

1. Fish Olis - Good for lubricating the joints and preventing any inflammation in the muscles.
2. Co-enzyme Q 10 - Potent Anti-Oxidant that prevents the accumulation of free radicals caused by oxidative stress from training and helps convert food into energy and provides me with long lasting energy throughout the day.
3. Cherry Active Capsules - Again, a very good anti-oxidant and prepares my body for the day ahead.

• During training I usually use an electrolyte drink over an energy drink. I believe that keeping my electrolytes (sodium, potassium, calcium and chloride) levels maintained all day will prevent any muscular cramps or loss in energy.
• After Training - a protein and carbo shake in a 2:1 ratio (carb:protein). The carbohydrates provide the energy for the protein to reach and repair the damaged muscles. For example: Whey hydrolized and isolate protein powder and waxy maize starch or a combination of fructose and glucose.
• In very hard training I usually load up with Beta Alanine. This is to help increase my lactate threshold and push my body even further. This is only used during race season as my attention is focused on improving my anaerobic thresholds.
• Just before bedtime I take some more Cherry Active Capsules as this helps improve the quality of sleep by managing the melatonin levels in my body.

Keeping your body maintained and looked after is a vital stage in reaching your potential as an athlete.

Chile - The Adventure begins!

As I stepped off the train at London Kings Cross on thursday 17th March: nervous, apprehensive and excited a reassuring sign caught my view, and an overwhelming sense of security came over me and I knew that things WILL be good:

After a 19 hour flight, a stop off in Sau Paulo, I finally arrived in Santiago. With my bike bag that thankfully made it safely and in one piece, I caught a taxi to my apartment in Las Condes (the exclusive area of Santiago). My apartment was on the 17th floor and the view was outstanding. Looking to my left I could see all of Santiago and to my right, the snow cover Andes - a perfect where to relax before the first race.

With the race routine out the way (signing in, number collection, race briefing etc), I was all set to race. Race morning came and we had to take a coach to the venue. This obviously caused a few problems with about 60 men trying to fit their race bikes on the coach, but anyway, everything was sorted by our very relaxed coach driver! The course was hilly and technical and a non-wetsuit swim into lake. My swim felt very strong and I was able to relax and power through the 1500m swim to get out the water in a comfortable position to set me up for an exciting race. Once on to the bike and things got very tough. The lack of food and preparation cost me, and I found it very hard work from then on. After the race I was exhausted and knew I had to recover well to ensure a confident performance in Valparasio the following week.

Once in Valparasio, my aim was to recover, to carb load and to get my energies up. So after a lot of research into carb loading, my body type and how many grams of carbs needed to fuel my weight after x amount of hours of training, I was ready to go. The week was very successful. I found a 50m pool to continue my swimming in, one road that had no pot holes in to ride on, and a flat piece of road to run on. As tedious as it may seem, it was incredibly refreshing to be training and feeling good again alongside constant re-fuelling and making my diet paramount over my training. For example, I am 73kg and after 3 hours of training I need approximately 600grams of carbs to sufficiently replenish all my glycogen stores. After a few days I was feeling alive and full of energy and could not believe something so simple was costing me my potential! One of the crucial things I have learnt is that when exercising longer than 90mins at a high intensity, your carbo stores will become severely depleted and the waste product of this are H+ ions, or lactic acid. If your glycogen levels are not topped up to their maximum capacity, then you will start producing lactic acid much earlier and thus, resulting in a decline in your performance.

Next stop was Valparaiso for the second race: A seaside town stuck in the 80's that is still recovering from Pinochet's rule of terror and the damaging effects of the Panama Canal, meant that I was going to have some sort of cultural experience after all! With all bases covered, race day was here. I woke up to a beautiful morning and leisurely rode to race avoiding the many stray dogs that roam around the sea side town trying find food. One of the distinguishing features of Valparasio were the hills. They were enormous and were so steep. I have never experienced hills like this with gradients at least 40%, which go on up for ages. I did attempt to run up, but my effort was in vain and I began walking to find that a struggle also.

The race started and about 60 athletes sprinted into the sea. A choppy and rough swim played into my hands and I came out the water as one of leading guys and was on the lead pack. The tough, hilly course caused no problems for me and I felt great. Riding up the climb with confidence and with ease; I was a different athlete. The descent cost me dearly, but practising my bike skills will solve this issue and I will be a much more competent cyclist very quickly. On to the run for the first time, in a long time - I felt great! Pushing all the way to the line and overtaking numerous amounts of athletes on my 10 km destruction path; I ended the race feeing incredibly confident. The 400m hill each lapped only aided my run and I knew, after the week I have had since my first race, I was back and now is the time that things will start happening.

Travelling to these races have taught me many valuable lessons: expensive as they are, but most valuable and needed. I am leaving Chile more confident, motivated and determined to succeed and it is now a matter of time before this happens.

Preparation for Chile

I am a few hours away from packing and heading down to heathrow to begin my quest for Olympic success. I am racing two Pan American Cups: first race is in Santiago and the second is in Valparassio, Chile. I first started to pay attention to these two races before christmas and instantly saw them as an amazing opportunity and a great way to begin my season.

My training up to these races has been very structure. I have changed my approach to last season, and really focused on quality sessions over copious amounts of miles. Also, I have started to treat "rest" with much more respect than I ever have. I am giving my body enough time to recover from hard sessions in the pool, on my bike and running. The improvements I have made have been incredibly encouraging and as I have been easing down; my form is started to shine through.

One of the key changes I have made to my training is focusing more on the mental side of the sport. I have been working on keeping a "quiet mind" while I train and to put enjoyment as priority. I believe that by training for the sheer love of training and enjoying the opportunity that I have to be a full time athlete, I believe, will make me into a very successful triathlete.

I am incredibly fortunate to be sponsored by Specialized and Total Fitness Bath for my race bike and kit. It is a massive help to have them as part of my team in my development as a triathlete.

The flight to Chile will be 19 hours with a stop off for a few hours in Sao Paulo, Brazil. I actually dont mind these long flights. You get a wide selection of movies, music and TV and can really relax and fall asleep. To help me get over the fatigue of the flight I will be wearing an pair of compression socks. These sock are very useful in maintaining blood flow through my legs for the whole journey. The aim is to prevent any cramps or tightness and therefore, I can walk off the flight relatively fresh. Also, I will be taking some Cherry Active capsules. These capsules are really high in anti-oxidants and are made from the skins of Montmorency Cherries. By taking these during my flight it will help keep my energy up and prevent any muscles soreness that I may aquire due to sitting down for a long period of time.

However, the main purpose for using these capsules are that they contain naturally-occurring melatonin, which is a powerful compound, well-documented to help support your body’s circadian rhythms and natural sleep cycles. Quality sleep is an important factor in an athlete’s recovery as this is when your body’s complex repair processes are most active. By providing myself with the opportunity of some "quality sleep" on the long flight, I will feel very prepared leading into my race.

Cherry Active - Triathlete's World

A big thank you to Cherry Active for using my image for their advert in Triathlete's World this month.

About me!!

"I have been involved in competitive sports all my life. The journey began when I was 6 years old and started to learn how to swim. From this young age I was involved in a whole variety of sports, but it was rugby and swimming that were the prominent two. It was not till I was 14 that I was faced with the cross roads of what sport I would focus on. Rugby was becoming more and more demanding and the time required in the swimming pool was increasing.

Swimming won my attention, and I began to excel very quickly and qualified for a catalogue of events each year at the British Swimming National Championships. The demands of swimming training had a positive effect on my cross country running, which I would do as "fun" at school. The aerobic base I created propelled me to the English Schools Cross Country Finals.

However, the turning point came when I was faced with my A levels. Studying started to become my main focus and inevitably, swimming came in second best. Before I went to university I decided to have a change in direction. I always loved running and really felt the enthusiasm to give athletics a go. For some reason I was drawn towards the 400m, and in my first year qualified for the National Under 23 Championships.

I went on to study Biomedical Sciences at Sheffield University and continued with the athletics

In my final year at Sheffield University a friend suggested that I should give triathlon a go as I have the background with the swimming and the running and cycling will come naturally: the seed was planted!

From that day, I began researching places to train and Loughborough came through as the place for me. I heard back that I was not successful from Medical School, which was a shock and still there was a part of me that wanted that place. I focused on masters course at Loughborough; applied, and was excepted on the Human Sciences Master of Research course. Once on the course, I moved to Loughborough and got involved in triathlon and have not looked back since.

Things have gone from strength to strength and the opportunities that have been presented to me have been life changing. Everyday presents its own unique challenge and the excitement of the prospect of improving is too addictive to miss.

I started triathlon 3 years a go and I have been an Elite Triathlete ever since. I race all round the world with the goal to improve my world ranking and, ultimately, become the best in world. Triathlon has shown me many ups and downs and it has taught me patience, perseverance and determination. At the moment, I am focusing on qualifying for the London 2012 Olympic Games. It is a childhood dream to win the elusive gold medal and I am prepared to do all that I can to make it a reality."