The countdown continued..

Swim time... 

I've been trying to be a bit more smart about my training, trying not to do too much which results in me not pushing myself in each session as I'm fatigued. Bearing that in mind, I didn't go to swim training Friday morning as I knew I was going to the lake after work. 

5.30pm.. Out the office door and on the bike back to the car, zip down the a14 round to Histon for the lake swim. 

Wetsuit on and ready to go. Looking around and who do I spot... Sue Dougan from the BBC radio Cambridgeshire! We had been tweeting for some time about getting her to Histon lake as we are both entered into the Cambridge City Triathlon in September. 

It was great to be a friendly face at what is quite a daunting first experience. I know this first hand as I only went for my first lake swim around this time last year. Actually, I only started swimming even in a pool around this time last year after being roped into the National Club Relays with my tri club in Newmarket. There's something really quite nerve wracking about going into a dark lake, you can't see the bottom, you're constricted by the wetsuit and then the cold water starts to trickle through the zip down your back, it's all such bizarre experience. I recall my first three times in the lake before the relays, not one session went well. First time was the goggle issue one, second was the panic attack one, third was panic attack and goggle issue. Then it was the relays - I did the 500m swim, entirely in breaststroke. My head didn't even go under the water! I was so annoyed at myself, but in hindendsight, happy as it spurred me on to enter St Neots 2 weeks later and have an amazing experience! 

Anyway, back to Friday- digressed a bit. 

Kerry (my adopted coach) arrives and I wished Sue well on her first swim - she was with others and off they went. 

Off we went, Kerry is a much stronger swimmer than I, but I tried to keep up. Up to the island and then she was out of sight. I get around the island and start to relax. I see other Newmarket tri swimmers go past, on there 2nd lap! Come on Rust. Get on with it. I crack on and get past the pipe, then to the bend round and it's the home straight. Goggles irritating me. Tight chested. Frustrated. Push on. I knew I could swim the buoyes so I tell myself, get to the last one and then the last stretch back to the bank. And I did it. Getting faster. This time I started kicking my legs more as I approached the bank as I've heard it prepares the legs for the transition run. It seemed to work as I get to the bank I can walk out and take off my wetsuit without too much wobbling around. 

Kerry returns, she had done another loop of the buoyes - she's preparing for an ironman remember! I'm just happy to know I can do 1.5k just need to get faster. 

Bring on 17th August Ely! 

The countdown to Ely Olympic Triathlon - running

With two weeks to go until my first Olympic Triathlon (signed up after a few beverages) I thought this week I need to up my running and swimming. 

My cycling has been going well, running and swimming are getting progressively better with my swim distance and run speed improving. But I'll be honest, having found out it's not a standard 10k run, it's 12k with hills, I'm nervous. Not so much about my energy but my knees / joints being a problem on the run. 

Thursday night I managed 6.5miles, in the rain and kind of cross country. I trained with Kerry as I know she knows how to push me. She didn't tell me the route (deliberately). We set off from her house with Gus her gorgeous dog, warm up to the race course. I don't even know how far we had gone before the heavens opened and we were soaked. Running through the trees on the soft mud/sand that the horses train on, it was definitely harder than flat concrete which I'm used to. With rain dripping down my face (or was it sweat) we came out of the woods down to the Rowley mile buildings. My knee was niggling, so we stopped for a few seconds whilst I stretched my butt out and carried on at a pace. Unfortunately our good stride was broken by Gus being chased by an aggressive dog who's owner just sat in their car. It really dampened the spirit of the run and I'm really angry that there are some that just don't care about controlling their dog. 

Anyway, we ran on further away and Gus calmed down, he's a beautiful dog with a great temperament. He also kept between the two of us when I dropped back behind Kerry, constantly checking on me. 

We passed many other runners out on the course, equally as soaked! 

On the home straight, or so I thought. Kerry as Kerry does told me to pick up the pace on the last stretch and said if she felt I'd pushed it then she'd let me stop. I pushed, I closed the gap, I pushed a bit more, but I swear she sped up deliberately! Grrrr! 

Through the gates and she says right I reckon you could do 10k in under an hour, I laughed at her thinking, yeh right! 

Next turn and she's gone, up Hamilton Hill, shouting at me, COME ON! SPRINT!! PUSH IT! FASTER! I dragged my legs as fast as I could up the hill and to the top! She had been getting her phone out up the hill, I knew she was looking at the time. I get to the top, through the gate... 

You did 10k in 58 min! WHAT!! I nearly cried! Well ok, maybe a little tear / rain did come from my eye. I was SO happy. 

We jogged the rest back, I may have skipped a little.. 

I was elated with my effort when I found we had done 6.5miles. We did 4.5miles on the Wednesday morning and I found that hard so to go and do another 2 on top after the TT the night before, I was pretty chuffed. 

Back to Kerry's... FOOD!! 

Getting the Time Trial bug...

Last night was my first 18 mile Time-Trial...OUCH! 

Starting off with a warm up cycle to Ashley, I chatted along with Joe for a brisk 3.5miles to get the legs working after spending the whole day sat down in an office. It definitely requires a higher level of motivation to get out and race after being so static all day. But I keep telling myself, well if you want to race Rust, you have to get out and race! 

So two weeks ago I did a 21 mile TT, but for some reason last night was definitely a bigger mental challenge. The 21 mile was one big loop so there was no turning back or just doing 1 lap. On last nights' lap TT you can easily pull out after one lap. I didn't! 

This time, Bob lent me his dashing skin-suit.. apparently bare skin has more "drag" than a skin suit so I thought, ok lets give it a go and quickly got changed in the back of a fellow riders van! He also kindly lent me his "go-faster" aero helmet, this one slightly less glamorous than the one I borrowed last week for the 5 mile TT. With the visor stuck on with ducktape, I was ready to go. 

Going off at No. 4 I knew I probably wouldn't pass anyone, but was likely to get overtaken. That's fine by me as I was once again the only woman racing and I know I'm not as fast as the guys there tonight. I just wanted to challenge myself. On the start line, 30 seconds to go. Start the Garmin. Clip the shoes in. Prepare the mind and the legs. Ignore Jon's hands under my butt as he holds on to my seat but remembering him saying I can do it in 50 minutes.  5. 4. 3. 2. 1. GOOOOO

Starting off with a slight incline (just to buzz the thighs) then onto a long downhill... clocking (at a quick glance) 36mph ish. Holding on for life. Some cases I was a tad too nervous and stopped pushing for fear of bouncing off my bike.

The course is hilly and winding. Challenging of them all. Over the 16 miles it clocks 769ft elevation gain with 5 climbs on each lap. The lovely Moulton at a 5.6% average gradient at about 6 miles in was a bit of a pain, only to do it all again on the second lap!

Somehow I managed to bag what they call a QOM (Queen of the Mountain) on Strava – obviously on a downhill. With an average of 32.5mph over half a mile.

The second lap seemed much better, stronger, I was pushing. Confident in my downhills I was mentally preparing for the climbs. Something I definitely need to work on.

The last 2.5 mile all that was in the back of my head.. see if you can catch Kerry who was only doing 1 lap. Don’t let the guy behind catch you – I saw him as I took a peek on the peak of Moulton Hill. And GET UNDER 50 MIN.

Approximately half a mile to go and I am at 47 minutes something… (I think) I can’t quite remember. Push round the corner, up the hill and try to get there as quick as I can. Head down, eyes up and just go for it.

Across the line, I can hear the time, I can hear people clap..Stop the Garmin.. COOL DOWN!

Spinning the legs and trying to recover my breathing. When I get back to the group a lot of the guys were very supportive of my effort. Only when looking at the time sheet do I realise that I actually beat one of the fast guys. He may have been having an off day, but I still pipped him to the line by 7 seconds with a race time of 48.17 and split time of 24.01/24.16.

I am so pleased that Kerry got round in a respectable 27.45 for her first ever TT and there are some pretty hairy corners and beastly hills.

What a rush. 

Le Tour de France

Well what can I say... Incredible!

The Caravan was much larger than it was in England with all the French companies adding floats. Unfortunately though there were no freebies by this point so I couldn't grab a cap. Not to worry, I went up the road and bought one of the fan packs for 20 euros!

Seeing the women's race first, and then rushing to get a snap of the men coming round the corner from Course la Reine near Pont Alexandre III bridge was a rush! I was right on the line so I could see them coming up and incredible speed, round the bend and in a flash they were gone. A quick run back to our seats in Tribune Clemenceau to watch the 7 or so laps they did up and down the Champs-Elysees.

What a sight, the noise was breathtaking as they zoomed past in the peleton. I was desperately trying to work out the camera I had borrowed so I could get some decent shots, but I was also watching the race outside of the lens so I'm content with whatever shots I got (even the ones of just a wheel).

Mum by this point was swept up in the excitement, getting my phone and snapping away! It was great to see her enthused by the cycling - my hopes of a time-trial bike may have improved!

Whilst we all knew that Nibali had won overall, it was great to see the fight for the final stage win. I had my money on Kittle all the way. His performance was great throughout the Tour and the snap I got of him out in Felsted in England was awesome.

To be honest, I am quite lost for words. The experience as a whole was just incredible and I cannot thank Wiggle enough for it. I think the Tour coming to England and through Cambridge has really boosted the sport for both men and women and I hope that now there is more in place to help children and those who want to get into cycling / racing.

The Wiggle Win

I have been meaning to post this up for a few days now but unfortunately busy at work! 

So a few weeks ago I entered the Wiggle #goodstuff competition to win a VIP trip to Paris to watch the final of the Tour de France...I WON! The winning photo below:

The photo I entered was from a 50mile ride I organised in honor of my cycling clubs 80th Anniversary. In the pouring rain we had a great laugh, unfortunately one of the chaps got a puncture so I took the opportunity to take a soaked selfie and entered it via Twitter. I got the DM tweet from Wiggle and I can honestly say, I cried in my office at work as I was so excited! Having watched the race out in Felsted with the ladies I cycled to Paris last year, it was just so incredible to have the opportunity to watch the final. 

I didn't know who I should take, so my Mum definitely got first dibs as she puts up with my lycra, constant cleaning of bikes outside and their home in the dining room! I also hoped that she would become as inspired as I am and support me in my quest to race! 

Anyway - onto the real #goodstuff 

After a few exchanged emails with Wiggle (mainly me confirming if it was really true!) we had our train and hotel booked through the guys at Shift Active Media. 

Getting the first train out of St Pancras so we could get to Paris as soon as possible to see the La Course was crucial, watching the women's race a huge bonus for me as I am desperate to get into racing. 

We arrived in Paris, taxi to the hotel, and much to my poor mum's knees, hot-tailed it to our seats on the finish line of the course (obviously after navigating our way around the Champs-Elysees, asking many of the Gendarmerie to get to the right side). 

We arrived at Tribune Clemenceau, got our complimentary lunches which included an awesome apron, sat down and got straight back up so I could get lots of photos of the women's race. 

The speed these riders were going was just incredible, across the cobbly roads, up and down. A few riders were dropped but worked together to keep going. They were all riding so close together too, it is amazing to watch.

What I found most interesting is the difference in sizes of the women; there were some quite small riders, then some bigger built women with legs like mine! As I have been thinking quite a lot about my build and whether it is right for racing, watching La Course certainly put my mind at ease.

Marianne Vos was tipped favourite to win, and she did. As I am new to all this racing malarkey, I don’t really know much about many of the riders but I had heard of Vos before as she has been doing so much around promoting Women’s racing. With Greg LeMond also raising the awareness of female cyclists and the need to take women’s racing to the highest level, I cannot wait to see the magnitude of La Course next year.

As I won the prize through Wiggle I made sure I swotted up on the Wiggle Honda race team and my god were they fast! I’m gutted I didn't get to meet any of the ladies, but I avidly follow them on a variety of social media platforms to keep inspired for my own development. Hopefully one day I will get to see them racing again with many other inspirational riders.

The team at Wiggle and Shift Active Media were absolutely great. Made us feel so welcome and involved and I cannot thank them enough for the opportunity. 

Separate blog for Le Tour de France...

Cycling sexism

Why is it that women are used in such a derogatory way even when trying to promote the benefits of cycling... 

Stuff like this really irritates me and I reckon might actually put women off from getting into the sport or even for leisure. 

Honestly I thought we may be moving away from all that.. 

Grrrr 

To TT and beyond

So last night I raced at our club 5mile Time Trial event... 

I left work earlier as I was keen to try and get a warm up done by cycling 8 miles to the venue, and to also get my friend out on her bike after a big crash. 

We got there in plenty of time for a chat and I ended up discussing the benefits of these alien looking helmets that are supposed to make you go faster. All to do with the aerodynamics in cycling apparently. It just so happened that it also matched my jersey - WIN! 

A couple more little burst warm ups to get the blood flowing in my legs, remove all unnecessary accessories off my bike & jersey - water bottles, saddle bag, bananas and keys but keeping on my rear light for the rules.

Ready to rock. On the start line, 30s to go, Matt held my saddle as I got clipped in to my pedals. Wavering and nervous as today there was big competition between Keith and I. Who will win. My friendly rival. Also added pressure of Owen (one of the faster guys starting off at number 5 behind me)

10,5,4,3,2,1... WRONG GEARING! Dragging myself off the start line in too heavy gearing and my feet cramped up. Come on legs I thought, and off I went. 

It was a pretty windy evening. Looking down at my Garmin wondering where my power is going. MUST NOT go below 20mph. Lighter gear to spin my legs faster helped me mentally remember that I've got it in them. Crankin up the first hill, will Owen catch me.. No sign of him yet. 

Next hill.. Still no sign. Feeling good as I come down the other side, zipping round parked cars, bumped over a few cateyes.

Sharp left hand bend.. Had to break! 

Last slog home, just over a mile to go. 

SHUT UP LEGS! Got to beat Keith. Can't let Owen catch me.. If he hasn't caught me already perhaps he's got a mechanical issue. 

Trying to ignore the windy gusts and just get my head down and grind away. Averaging about 23mph on the way back.. Trying to get my overall average up. Feeling really good. Round the last bend to home, few gear changes to wake the legs up again. Push to the line..... FINISHED! 

5 miles of grit. 

Somehow Owen never caught me! 

This time I made sure I did a cool down, spinning my legs through the village to release the lactic acid. 

Once I got back to the marshals, checked me time. 

PERSONAL BEST! 

30seconds off my last 5mile TT. 

5miles in 14.04minutes. 

Was it the helmet? Was it the friendly competition? Was it being chased by Owen? Or was it that I'm just getting quicker. I'm going with the last option! 

Bring on next weeks 18mile! 

Perhaps I should get one of those alien helmets after all. 

Ride Rusty Ride