Sani2c – Day 1

Myself and William Stubbs were paired together for this epic race. We got seeded in L batch for the first day which meant we only started at around 10 am.

We started quite easy with everyone in our batch and after a few km’s we built up some momentum and were soon riding through the groups in front off us. Fling down the single track and pulling strong up the climbs. We were on track for a 4hr first day (79km) but unfortunately William cramped at 65km and had to soft pedal quite a bit to the finish, luckily I was still feeling strong and was able to lend a hand and help push him up the last few climbs.

We ended up with a 4:17 first day and 218 overall which meant we would start day 2 in E batch.

All in all we had a good day and are looking forward to a strong day 2.

SA Champs (ITU African Cup, East London)

This past weekend was the ITU Cup in East London which included the South African Champs as well. This race was always going to be a tough race for me,as I have just moved into the U23 elite category and that means racing Olympic distance. East London is known to have some strong winds blowing but luckily race day was fairly calm. The ocean was flat and the temperatures were in the 30′s.

In the swim it was a fast start into the water but I quickly settled down onto some feet and tried to relax as I would need the energy going into the second lap where my weakness in swimming would be exposed. I felt quite good coming out and around the flags for the second lap and only lost a few meters to the two other guys I was with. Heading back to the beach and out the water, I was unlucky not to catch the wave that the two other athletes caught, leaving me alone at the tail end of the race. I thought with the long run up to transition I might be able to make up some time but as I got into transition they were leaving.

The bike course was a 4 lap course that was undulating and in general quite tough. Being alone and fully exposed to the wind I was looking time the whole bike leg. I rode as hard as could to try and limit the damage but in the end I just spent my self chasing guys that were going quicker than me in their various groups. Despite my poor positioning in the race I was determined to stay positive and get through the race.

Going onto the run I immediately knew that I had biked too hard and would pay for it on the run. Though I felt okay I just tried to settle down in a rhythm and get across the line. After the first lap I started to fade physically and by the time I got to the turn around point on lap 2 I felt quite dizzy and basically I had hit the proverbial wall, and I had hit it hard. I stopped a few times and then carried on but eventually I was doing more harm and than good and pulled out the race. To stop in such an important race was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made and as bad as I feel about it, I think it was better to stop before too much damage was caused before the year has really even got going.

All in all, I am extremely disappointed with my DNF but I learnt where my limits are in a race, especially so early on, chasing the while bike leg to a point that is ultimately the end of the race. Being only my 3rd standard distance race, I think I still have lots to learn before I can be competitive and with lots of work to do on my swimming I am looking forward to using the next few  months to bring my weaknesses up to par and to come back later to be more competitive at the front end of the race.

A big thanks must go to Triathlon South Africa for all their support. It is really great to be apart of their growing success. Hopefully I can bring them some better results in the near future.

Cape Town ITU Sprint Cup

After having done a big base throughout December and January, it was time to see where I need some work for the year ahead and some weak spots were definitely exposed!

We were greeted by 14 degree water which is by my standards too cold! I had an okay start but quickly managed to find my way onto the feet of the front pack but this was short lived as I dropped off the pack after about 600m of the swim and felt like I was fighting my way through the last 150m. Going onto the bike I saw a friend, Eddie van Heerden, had also had a sub-par swim and felt relieved that that I had a strong rider to work with through the 20km bike leg. Our group eventually was made up of 4 athletes and with the motivation running on fumes we continued to lose time to most people ahead of us. Coming into T2 I was feeling pretty good but still went on the run at a controlled pace and slowly built it up over the course of the first lap. I was able to hold this pace, which felt quite quick (but actually wasnt, as it turns out!), until the last km where I tapped off and tried to enjoy the last few minutes of the race. I finished in 20th position, which is not bad but not at all what I was wanting.

I now have a lot of work to do before SA Champs in East London in 4 weeks time. I feel that maybe some re-structuring of training will help to bring new results to the surface and hopefully help me to start racing in the front instead of chasing a pack I will never catch unless I can sort out my swim.

Will hopefully get some pics up soon.

Until next time…

KZN Champs 2013

This past weekend I raced KZN champs in Richards Bay. Being my second standard distance race I was quite nervous as I have only being in base training for last few weeks and I had no idea how I was going to cope with the Olympic race.

We were treated with awesome weather which helped me to be more positive. The 2 lap swim started off quite fast but quickly settled down and I got onto the feet of Glen Gore and managed to hold on through the 2nd lap as well. I got in the bike with Glen a good few minutes behind eventual winner Henri Schoeman. The bike felt comfortable even though we were maintaining a fairly high intensity. This being a non-drafting race, we used each other to keep the pace high and I rode within myself as I was tired from the long hours of base training and wasn’t sure how I was going to cope with the 10km run. Going onto the run, I knew straight away that I was going to suffer and after 5km I had nothing left and dropped back into 5th place where I finished.

I am pleased with my result but not quite happy because I feel I could have at least got 3rd place had I not blown but to look at the positives I had a good swim and a decent bike even though I didn’t push both disciplines as hard I think I could of. Thanks to KZN Triathlon for putting on a great event!

I am now continuing with base training and my next race will be the ITU Sprint Cup in Cape Town in February.

A Fresh Start

I have been having some problems with my previous blog so have made the decision to move my blogging activities to WordPress. From now on you can view all my race reports here and also get a better understanding of who I am and what I am up to in the future.

If you have any comments please don’t hesitate to contact me.

An Uphill Finish

So this past weekend I traveled to the awesome Troutbeck Resort in the Nyanga reserve in Zimbabwe. it was about a 4 and half hour drive from the airport in Harare. This race would be my first Olympic distance race and my first standard distance elite race.

The course is set in around the Troubeck Resort and we swam in a trout dam and then biked on the main road past the resort and then the run took place within the resort grounds. Both the bike and run course were very hilly. The bike course basically climb out of the resort for 3km to the turn point and then 3 km back down. the run had two turn points both of which took a fair amount of climbing to get to.

With the conditions expected to be very hot, I was a bit surprised by the overcast and rainy weather that blew in for the elite race. though it didn’t deter me much after racing in similar conditions in Auckland just a few weeks ago.

The swim was a calm start as there were only four of us starting, so there was no fighting or anything. I had a good start but by the time I got to the first buoy I knew that I wouldn’t be able to hold the pace for the full 1500m so I dropped back and settled into my own rhythm and continued on. I lost a lot of time to everyone in the swim which set me up for a long lonely race but I was prepared for it. I got onto the bike and immediately rode within myself as I was unsure of how I would handle the 40km hilly bike course and as the laps went by I realised this was smart as by the last 2 laps my body was tired and I didn’t have much left going onto the run. I had lost loads of time on the bike and by the time I started the run I was already a lap down on the rest of the field so for me it was all about getting to the finish. I felt fairly good for the first 2 laps of the run but then my legs really did give in and my pace slowed a lot over the second 5km. I turned into a painful experience but I glad that I held on and finished my first standard distance race even though I was 16min behind winner Henri Schoeman.

After the race my body was absolutely broken and even just standing was a challenge but I think I got a good idea of how much work I need to out in for next year when I move into the U23 category.

It was a great privilege to be apart of the event which saw the closing of Chris Felgates international triathlon career. Triathlon Zimbabwe put on a great event and huge thanks must go out to everyone who helped organize such a smooth event.

Thank you to Triathlon SA and my parents for getting me there so I could gain this vital experience.

My racing year has come to end. It has been a very long year and I have collected many travel hours while having the privilege of travelling all around the world to compete. I am  now taking a break for the next 2 weeks or so and then will commence with base training and preparations for next years racing.

ITU Junior World Champs- Auckland, New Zealand

After spending 2 weeks in Europe at Duathlon Worlds and the European Sprint Cup in Italy, I had a short stop back in South Africa before setting off for Junior World Champs in Auckland, New Zealand.

It was two 10 hour flights via Singapore and we arrived at our Hotel in the Auckland CBD at 02:30 in the morning on the Tuesday. With Race only on Sunday, I had a few days to adjust to the new time zone and get in my last few days of training before what would be the biggest race of my career to date. our hotel was pretty convenient, being only a short 10min walk from the race venue but far away enough from the hype to be peaceful.

With the weather unpredictable and changing every half hour or so, we had to make the most of the sun and the dry roads while we could. It was predicted that our race day would be raining but when the weather was really good on the Saturday for the u23′s and the Elite women, I hoped it would hold out for race as well. this was not to be and it was raining really hard in the morning. Wian and I did our bike warm-up in the pouring rain in the morning and it looked like it was going to stop for our race at 4pm.

After checking in the athletes lounge and sorting out all the official stuff it was time to start warming up for the race. I did a good 10min or so swim in the cold water (14 degrees) just to get my body used to it for the race. We then had to line up and were called down to the pontoon and were all set to go.

The start was good and I got away cleanly until about 100m when I found myself in the middle of the pack and being hit and kick from seemed like every direction. I tried to just focus on swimming forward but really struggled with all the fighting going on. Going around the first buoy, I thought I perfectly positioned but ended up being caught in the fighting and by the time I got around the next buoy only 50m later, I found myself at the back on the swim and having to push hard to not get left behind.

I exited the swim pretty close to last and then had slow transition (struggled with my wetsuit) to make matters worse. I got onto the bike and pushed hard on the first lap to catch up to a few other athletes and then settled into a good pace with another athlete as we slowly moved up in position together. The bike course was hilly and technical. We had 4 laps and each lap had 3 steep hills in it that split up the groups and exposed the weaker cyclists. With the rain pouring down, it made the technical corners treacherous.

I got onto the run and ran at the fastest pace that I found comfortable, which turned out to be not fast at all! in the end I was 47th at my first World Champs, so I am happy with my race turned out after having a shocking swim. I feel if I had swum 20-30secs faster then it would have been a whole different race and I could have performed much better, as I really enjoyed the course, especially on the hard bike course.

A huge Congrats to Wian Sullwald, training partner and friend, who won Junior World Champs in a dominating performance!

A huge thanks must go the Jono Rumbelow for all the hard work that he put in throughout the week and especially on race day. As well as to Debbie Alexander, for also helping a great deal and all the support she gave throughout the week.

Hopefully will have some photos of the trip up soon!

Nancy, World Duathlon Champs

I was fortunate enough to be able to be able to travel to Nancy, France, for the World Duathlon Championships. As duathlon is not my best sport, I was rather sceptical as first about going but as I started to feel great in training for the race, I got more and more excited about it.

We landed in Paris on the Monday before the race, so I had basically the whole week to get ready for the race and to explore some parts of the city. I had great fun in trying to find a pool to swim and got lost while wondering down side streets in the hope that I might come across the road I was looking for.

Throughout the week I felt great and felt ready for what was going to be a fast and tough race.

On the morning of the race I felt rather nervous and during my warm-up I didn’t feel great at all but I put it down to the nerves and resumed my focus on the task at hand. We lined up and were called to the start line. The start pace was fast but I felt in control and was ready to have a good race until just over 1km into the first run I started feeling a bit dizzy and wheezy. At first i thought is was just me trying to find a rhythm but i just started feeling worse and worse. I slowed my pace down to see if I could gain control again but when that didn’t help I knew I was in trouble. I was about half around the 2nd lap of the first run when I was on the verge of passing out and I was forced to stop the race and withdraw. After spending a lot of time in the medical tent, my symptoms were that of three things: low blood sugar levels, low iron levels or a combination of dehydration and caffeine causing me spike and then radically drop. in my opinion it was low iron levels because I ate properly in the week leading up to the race so my blood sugar was fine and I have been using the caffeine in every race for a long time without any hassles. I also could have caught a cold of sorts but in the days after the race I was feeling fine.

A big thanks must go to Alma for organising a smooth trip and a special thanks to Craig Thysse for helping looking after me in the medical tent.

So after a disappointing race in Nancy, I started to prepare for my next race. A European Sprint Cup in Italy, which would be my first real Elite race.

                                     

Awkward August and the Step forward

So I have had some time to reflect on my performances in Europe and think about what the remainder of the year has in store for me. A week and a bit off gave my body a much needed break but this little respite from abusive training seems to have been too good!

Training has been a chore, rather than something enjoyable, in the last two weeks. Easy runs have left me breathless and hobbling around within a few minutes of being static. Though it has been getting a better, only two hard run sessions later and I feel that I may just keel over and have a heart attack! With World Duathlon Champs in a months time, it has got me slightly anxious. Also to top it off I will be racing a Elite European sprint cup in Italy the week after Duathlon Worlds! I am confident my swim is edging in the right direction but having a decent swim and not being able to back it up with something on the run won’t cut it… Time is time but I have all faith the Lindsey will have me firing on all cylinders when the time comes.

After watching the Olympics I am truly inspired and adamant to put the hard work in so that I can make the most of the few big races I have this year. This being a tough task with having to study and be at lectures throughout the week but with a fairly lenient timetable this semester, I will be able to hopefully put that extra bit into training now and reap the benefits later on.  This is made easier by having a great group of guys to train with and Lindsey and Rocco pushing us to reach our potential.

With World Champs in Auckland mid-October and a African Cup soon after, my junior days are drawing to a close and my journey through the elite ranks begins. Having some awesome athletes to chase and try and catch I am confident it will be a great journey and I am excited to watch triathlon grow in South Africa, with Rio 2016 four years away, it gives us time to prepare for a dominant games!

Take it easy… or don’t!

Tiszaujvaros Junior European Cup

Shortly after our race in Holten, we departed for Hungary. The race was in Tiszaujvaros, a few hours drive east of Budapest. I was really excited for the format of racing. The Saturday consisted of heats/semi-finals with athletes racing to qualify for the finals on the Sunday.

With the venue and this type of racing, the races were great for spectators. I was in the first junior men heat on Saturday with fellow Saffa Eddie van Heerden. the swim consisted of 2 laps of 250m. The swim was tough with so many turns. Unfortunately at the first buoy I got pushed quite wide and spent the rest of the swim fighting to stay in contact with the feet in front of me. Eddie and I came together at the beginning of the bike and we worked well together to catch quite a few people ahead of us but not any of the front packs. The run was a flat and fast course. I started out very fast to try and drop the other athletes who got off the bike with me. It work, except a Belgium athlete came with me and then went ahead of me on the second lap.

I finished 14th in my heat and only the top 8 go through to the final so I was quite disappointed but I put it down to a learning experience and really enjoyed the race. I ended up 40th overall so in that light I am very happy.

Tiszaujvaros was a great town to visit and the crowds were amazing. It would not have been possible without Triathlon South Africa! A huge thank you must go out to our NF for making this tour happen. Also to Viv and Richard for giving up their time to manage us and feed us!

To the tour group… It was a great 2 weeks and I really enjoyed the whole tour, maybe bar the travelling but that is part of the game.