Deva & Club Relays 2017
I figured the best way to get over the disappointment of Gran Canaria and Lisbon was to get back racing without the added pressure of racing in the pro category. I entered Deva triathlon and then Staffs 70.3, hopefully a combo of races which would allow me to sort my race execution out in Chester, and then give myself another test with the big boys at Staffs.
DEVA
With Chester being a fair drive from Loughborough, Kathryn (who was also racing) and I drove up on the day before to stay with Uni friend Dan (Thanks Dan!). Dan lives on the Wirral- a much shorter drive and therefore a much later wake up than going from Loughborough on the day. I came out of the swim in third and moved up to the lead on the bike after around 15km. I managed to hold this all the way to the finish line, with a performance that I considered to be ok but not great. The bike power was comparable to the power I had been pushing in the 70.3 races- but for half the distance, and the swim was yet another 300m of feeling great followed by 1200m of where have my arms gone. Although happy with the win, the race had unfortunately not had the effect of boosting my confidence to race at Staffs two weeks later.
Strava for Deva:
I had entered Staffs, but with confidence not exactly through the roof as well as not having seen the course of having any accommodation for before the race, I decided in the week before that I wouldn't be racing. The next 2 months I found it hard to motivate myself to train, as well as my wrist still causing me problems. To try and get out of the rut I'd found myself in, I picked the training up a couple of weeks before my next race- The National Relay Champs. This was a great day out and really enjoyable to escape the pressures that come competing in an individual sport. I could try and perform to the best of my abilities (albeit with limited fitness) and not worry too much about where I came. An ok swim, a great bike (when I got out of transition) and an OK run, left me not ecstatic but not disappointing with how the day went. It was also a great chance to catch up with a number of friends, having moved away from Loughborough at the start of July. I'm not sure if it reignited the fire to pursue racing again with the passion I had at the start of the year, but it definitely improved my
feelings towards the sport, and reminded me of some of the reasons I had forgotten why I do Triathlon! I might squeeze in another race before the end of the season, but with a house move planned and a new job to find amongst other things going on, I'm not sure how likely this is to happen.
Thanks for reading!