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I had decided to do this race fairly late on as I was entered into Eaton. But having discussed this with Bridgette (a Sports Science Lecturer at Roehampton who is helping me with my training), we decided that doing some more Duathlons this year, whilst work on my swim continues, might offer me the chance to get some better results. Plus there was the added incentive of places at the Euro Duathlon Champs up for grabs. Looking at the times from last years race, there were some world class people posting world class times (30min 10k’s) – it was going to be a hard race!

With my bike still in Sigma being fixed, I owe a great deal to them and particularly Jim (a really top lad from the shop) who lent me his shop bike and some race wheels. It was nice to climb aboard a Litespeed Sirius on Mavic Ksyrium wheels instead of the £400 Trek 1000 I was planning on using. I wouldn’t have got the result I did without his help.

Anyway to the race. I travelled down the night before to stay with relatives in Cheltenham, to ease the early morning and wake feeling rested and ready. The course was a 10k (1 ½ loops) 38k (2 laps) 5k (2x ½ loops) affair described (aren’t they always) as undulating. I recognised a number of faces in the starting crowd from New Zealand and knew the race would be of a high standard. We set off at a high pace, I don’t like to loose touch too much and so worked my way to the front to sit in about 4th after the first k. the first loop on the 1st run was all roads and this helped the pace stay very high. The pack started to break up somewhat as we hit the first hill and was now becoming quite stretched. 2 runners had pulled away from the front but I was happy to keep what was a good solid pace for me going, and just keep them in sight. They weren’t really pulling away and the gap was only about 50m. we came to the end of a very hilly and tough 1st loop on the run and I was now doing nothing more than trying to hang on. I had dropped down to about 9th, but no one had pulled away more than 75m really and I was content that this was nothing too great to make up over the course of the rest of the race. The second loop, was 2.5k within the leisure centre grounds. On grass and far flatter, it was however very technical and seamed to go on corner after painful corner. T1 was a VERY welcome sight, but I was pleased that I had hung on during the tough first run and that the gap wasn’t  too great.

I had a poor transition really, struggling to get onto my bike with the shoes the right way up and lost valuable seconds. Once out onto the course though, I decided to take it easy up the first instant climb and get the legs working again after the run. Ater the first couple of climbs I was now onto the undulating section of the bike followed by a great flat section. By this time I felt great and I was loving the TT set-up that Jim had on his bike. Having never ridden with this, I really appreciated being able to stay aero ALL the time and still change grear. I thought/ had been informed that there was only really 1 big climb on the course and that there was a nice long downhill section at the end of the lap, so foolishly I thought that the climbing was now over, at my pace I was looking at going well under the hour. Oops! Into town and what looked like a vertical road suddenly decided to get in my way, clearly not realising I only had a 21 ring and how incosiderate this was of it!!! However, I normally like climbing and see it as an opportunity to make up time on everyone else. Finally reaching the top, only to see a REALLY long drag continuing, wasn’t what I wanted, but at least I could get down on the bars and grind it out. Unfortunately whilst changing from small to big rings, my chain slipped and in what can only have been 30 seconds, half the field and their Nan seamed to pass me by – Where had they all come from? Back on and determind to get back to the front of the field, I put it into a big gear on the flat-ish section and set about reeling them in. Constantly talking to my hip flexors to keep pulling those pedals up and working those circles.  (why do I always talk to myself when in pain???)

Thinking that this must at least be all the climbing over for this lap, I was none too pleased to be greated with yet another long hill 2k out from the halfway point. However, I once again saw it as an opportunity to make up time not loose it, and pulled back a couple of people who had passed me chainless, earlier on.

Lap 2 went in almost identical fashion, though at least I knew what was coming. Yet I still succeeded in loosing my chain again at almost the same point. About 8k out from T2 and my calfs were starting to cramp. Lack of water, or pushing too hard, I don’t know. Thankfully, a combination of hip flexor reliance and simply choosing to ignore that rock hard cramping feeling and by the end of the 38k, it had eased off. (sadly so had my pace in trying deal with the cramp…… how on earth do the tour riders climb like they do???)

Once my running shoes were on and I was out of transition I felt great. None of the expected “refusal to run” feeling in the lags and I felt my pace was OK too. Things were looking up. I knew it was a flat 5k now and if I could handle it no more than 19 minutes of discomfort. Thankfully these 2 laps seamed to go quicker than the single one had in the 1st 10k. I kept over taking people, but none of them had either a D or an E on their calfs….. where were they all??? With about 1k to go, I finally passed a GB kitted E and put a burst in to make sure he wouldn’t try to go with me (I’m pleased to say he didn’t, not sure how I would have responded if he had). It was a hot day and a lot of people seamed to have been taken by surprise with this. A lot of people clearly seamed dehydrated and were shuffling along, though the shade offered by the trees was welcomed by all. I had no idea of my time as my watch had stopped once I got off the bike (mental note to turn OFF auto start on the polar for next race!!!), so I simply went as hard as I could for the last K. Crossing the line, as is always the case, was simply heaven. At last you can listen to that little voice in your head telling you to ease off or stop and say “OK I will!” 10 minutes of water and stretching and suddenly energy returns – where was all that when I was struggling at the end of the bike!!!!

I was slightly surprised to see Richard Allen cross the line a little later. As there was no Elite race, and not having seen him in my wave, I assumed he wasn’t here. Hmmm……. Now there’s going to be a good yard-stick to measure up against I thought.

A very well organised race, meant that provisional times and placings were anounced by 12:30. not wanting to drive home straight away and destroy my legs in the car, I hung around. Needless to say, Mr Allan won, convincingly, posting a 30 min 10k – that’s very fast as it was quite hilly and very technical.

On reflection, it was a very satisfying race for me. I felt strong at the end, though my splits for the last 5k weren’t as fast as they felt at the time. I achieved the main aim, which was qualifying for the Euro Duathlon champs and had a really solid training race under my belt.

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