Off to see the Wizard...

And we all know where he lives, don't we? Yep, Oz...and following today's race, that's damn well where I'm racing on 13th September.

Yes, I am extremely happy to report that I placed 1st today out of the athletes who were racing to qualify, so secured my slot for the World Sprint Championships automatically without having to rely on the roll-down.

Let me repeat that, because I can hardly believe it myself, and to be honest I so enjoyed typing it the first time that I am going to type it again...

...I will be racing for GB in the World Sprint Triathlon Championships at the Gold Coast on 13th September 2009.

After months and months and months and months of preparation, endless hours visualising myself on the start line alongside the best Age Groupers in the World, swimming, biking and running through everything the British seasons had to throw at me, I have done it.

I shan't bore you with the details (you can read my race report here), but suffice to say I am a very happy chappie. The race went perfectly according to plan with the only athlete in my Age Group ahead of me being Sharkie Jaggard who had already qualified at the first race at Grendon.

I am going to take a week off. Less training - more beers. Then back to training in preparation to race against the best Age Groupers in the World in 6 weeks time.

Here's a few photos (all taken by the ever-present Anne-Marie)...

Coming out of the swim



Coming in on the bike (punctureless at this point in time)



Sprinting across the finish line



Knackered!



Just been told I qualified!



Me and A-M pre-celebration



Me post-celebration



There's a short video of me speaking very shortly after the race which I'll upload as soon as I've figured out how to.

Meantime, I'm off back down to the pub for some more beers.

Cheers.

C

Been looking forward to looking back to look forward

I have been looking forward to this week all year.

It's time to look back at last year's End of Season Report, specifically to see how I have come on over the last 8 or so months and to see if I have achieved the goals I set myself for 2009, ready to look forward to next week's final (and last chance) qualifier at Blithfield.

And, looking back at my aims, I think I've achieved everything I set myself.

Swim - Sub 6:20 400 metre time (Duston sprint - 6:17 - PB)
Bike - Sub 25 minute 10 mile TT (23:38 - PB), sub 35 minute 20K (Dorney midweek - 34:06)
Run - Sub 20 minute 5K (Bedford sprint - 19:11 - PB)

Another milestone was my first ever sub 1:10 for a Sprint at Dorney last week in 1:09:27. A very pleasing result - 17th overall (out of 188) and 5th in my age group (ignore the results list which incorrectly recorded my times).

All this looking back is great for looking forward to next Sunday's race at Blithfield. Shoulders back, head held high, deep breath - I'll be going into the race full of confidence, knowing that I am at full speed, beating all my competitors, breaking PB's every week. That nasty 4 letter word 'can't' hasn't entered my head once this year, nor will it on Sunday. I'll be doing the 'can, can' all the way past the finish line!

I'll definitely be going for an automatic spot next Sunday. I have analysed and analysed and analysed the competition and their results from previous races and so far, of those who are registered as wanting to qualify, the form book says that I will come second. I know it’s a dangerous thing staking my claim, but I figure that if I send the message out to the world then I will have that extra incentive to push to prove that I was right. That’s my theory anyway.

The second of the Olympic qualifiers was raced today at Bedford this Sunday. I have, again, analysed and analysed and analysed the results to see which of my competitors for the Sprint are also trying to qualify for the Olympic and, of the top four automatic qualifiers at Bedford, one was also trying to qualify at Sprint. So, assuming he will take his Olympic place, that takes him out of the reckoning for the Sprint and automatically pushes me up the list by one place. Not bad for doing nothing, I’d say!

Here's what my training log has looked like over the past few weeks:-

Week commencing 29th June:-

Monday – swim - club swim
Tuesday – brick session: bike/run - progessively shorter/faster repeats
Wednesday – rest
Thursday – bike - hard intervals
Friday – run - hill repeats, bike - 10 mile TT (23:56)
Saturday – swim - open water at Blue Lagoon, bike - long'ish to Dorney Lake
Sunday – bike - hill repeats

Week commencing 6th July:

Monday – run - intervals
Tuesday – run - hill repeats
Wednesday – bike - 20K hard (34:18), run - 5K hard (21:54)
Thursday – run - intervals
Friday – bike - 10 mile TT (non aero - 28:46!)
Saturday – swim - open water at Liquid Leisure, bike - hard intervals, run - 5K Bushey Park TT (20:53)
Sunday – rest

Week commencing 13th July:

Monday – swim - club swim
Tuesday – bike - hill repeats
Wednesday – race - Dorney Lake midweek (first time sub 1:10)
Thursday – bike - 10 mile TT (23:38 - PB)
Friday – run - hard intervals with Jev
Saturday – bike and run - Blithfield practice
Sunday – bike - intervals on turbo trainer

I was looking back over my blog this week and, with great pride, I see that it is 1 year old this week (ironically on the week that my qualification is confirmed - I didn't plan it that way, honest), so here’s a big fat happy birthday to Colin’s Blog. It’s been fun so far.

Another couple of milestone’s this week. 11 years ago, my eldest son, Joe, started at Edlesborough school, the same year as its headmistress, Janet Hatfield. This week marked the end of the 2009 academic year, and with it was Joe’s departure from mainstream education (until 6th form next year). It also saw Adam’s departure from Edlesborough school and Emily’s last year before her GCSE options take hold at the beginning of next year. Ironically, it was Janet Hatfield's final year at Edlesborough school too, and many thanks to her for presiding over a school which saw all my children pass their 11+ tests and progress onto the local Grammar schools.

Enough of looking back. I am now completely focussed and looking forward to a rather important race next Sunday to take me along the Yellow Brick Road.....and we all know where that leads to, don't we?

Cheers.

C

Raining cats and dogs

We've been choosing a pet dog this week, and it's all very exciting.

I've been long thinking about getting a dog. Not only for the kids who absolutely love animals, but also selfeshly as a running partner for me. I decided on this after a run some months ago with Maurice, Tony and Robin from the tri club who brought their very active dogs out on a training run and a thoroughly good time was had by all (maybe also had something to do with the post-run chilli con carne courtesy of Andrea, Jo's wife).

I know that pets can be a bind, but I figure that the pros far outweigh the cons. I work from home so will be able to give him or her plenty of fuss and when I go away (hopefully in September to Australia!). I have plenty of friends and family who have said they will dog-sit.

Sadly, all this has happened the same time as the passing of our cat, Coco, the female part of twins whose brother, Scampi, died last year. Coco had a lovely, purr-full life but her old age finally caught up with her in recent weeks and we did the right thing to let her join her brother in cat heaven. The kids were saddened, and I think Joe - at that age where he will not allow himself to show any emotion about anything whatsoever - probably shed a tear or two in the privacy of his bedroom.

The rain last week made me adjust my training schedule to concentrate more on running and less on cycling - probably for the best really because I have been neglecting running recently. Sprints, hops, strides, hills, more sprints, more hops, more strides, more hills - it doesn't take long to get a habit going.

The weather held out for the highlight of the week on Sunday - the Kings Langley Kids Triathlon - an annual event hosted by my tri club. And a thoroughly great time was had by all. Adam and I arrived to help set up early and within 5 minutes Rob (fresh back from his Ironman Austria exploits the previous week) had plonked Adam in the driving seat of his van and Adam was steering it around the school field whilst Rob and I were in the back throwing out the cones for the cycle route. Rob has now made a lifelong friend for himself in Adam, and I think he (Adam - not Rob) went to bed last night imagining himself as the next Jensen Button.

150 or so kids (and some very enthusiastic parents who make football parents seem like pussy-cats), the races started early afternoon and finished about 3 hours later. A very efficient race crew, consisting of 15 or so club members (and some family members) where we all pulled together to put on a very enjoyable day at the races.

Last week I mentioned about Charlie - son of Russell - who had come runner up at Dorney Lake. Well, this weekend he managed to go one better and got top spot in his age group. Sprinting down the finish line, wow that boy can run! And what better way to round off the awards ceremony than his mum, Becky, who organised the whole thing, to place the winners medal around his neck. Very sweet...ahhh.

The weather certainly hasn't been holding out all the time for the Tour de France which I have been avidly watching on Eurosport HD this week. Lance is back and riding very strongly - I only wish I had a fraction of his power. Wow, that boy can ride! He used to be a useful triathlete in his early days, too. There's hope for me yet!

One week of hard training before ANOTHER taper week before the final qualifier at Blithfield. Fingers crossed that the rain holds out.

Cheers.

C

Enough about me, tell me about you

Of all the advice given by Dale Carnegie in his book, How To Win Friends And Influence People, one of the most important is to be genuinely interested in the other person. Talk about the other person's interests, talk about what he wants to talk, and be genuinely interested in what he has to say.

The concept of blogging smacks in the face of all this. It's all about ME, ME, ME, ME, ME.

There I go, week after week, harping on about what I've been getting upto. About what interests me. Only the occassional 'well done' to my friends for their various achievements, but predominantly it's all about me. Tut tut.

So, this week, it's all about you, or, rather, them. Because this weekend was probably one of the busiest on the triathlon calender and there were umpteen of my friends scattered around the globe participating in various races, at various distances.

There were Jim and Rob from my triathlon club racing at Ironman Austria. Jim posted a brilliant 10:10 to earn himself an Hawaii spot which he declined (fool ;-)). Rob posted 10:50, with a 5:04 bike split which was well there amongst the big boys.

Then over to Germany and there was my mate Jev who posted a PB at Ironman Frankfurt of 10:39 (well done mate - brilliant stuff - I caught you on the internet finishing in what can only be described as a desperate lunge for the line (I subsequently found out that Jev had collapsed and ended up on an IV drip)). Finishing ahead of Jev was Martin, a friend who I met recently at the Italian triathlon training camp and who had already qualified for the 70.3 World Championships a few weeks ago at Austria 70.3. Martin was disappointed with his 9:49 finish time - a time which I could only ever dream of. Some people are never happy!

Then up to Holten, Holland, where there was Dave, another friend who I met at Club La Santa a couple of years ago, who was representing GB in the European Championships at Olympic Distance. Dave came 19th - enough said. Well done, fella.

Back to the UK and I took the oppurtunity for a training bike ride with Paul and Maurice from my tri club to a very busy Dorney Lake where there were loads of girls from the tri club competing at the women's only day on Saturday. Special mention to Anne-Marie (the world's best supporter who comes to watch my every race!) who stormed the bike on her beautiful Cervello Carbon Soloist. Others who battled their way through soaring temperatures and a non-wetsuit swim (first ever as far as I can remember in the UK) were Beth, Mitten, Tracey, Rats and Naomi.

At the same venue on the Saturday morning was Charlie, son of Russell (another tri club member), who competed in the kids race in the morning, winning his heat and coming second overall in the final. Top racing, Charlie, and one to watch for the future, no doubt - especially if he emulates his father who completed IM France the previous week and who is running (if that's the right word) the Marathon De Sables next year.

The following day saw the men's races where two more friends from Italy, Dave and Andrew, and Peter (a friend from the Old Thatch Cinema Society) were racing, again without wetsuits. Well done to all for some great times, but especially to Andrew who won his age group (but then as a regular in the GB team one would expect nothing less) and to Peter for whom this was his first open water swim race (and without a wetsuit - that's brave!).

So, as you can see, quite a busy weekend, and my fingers are tightly crossed that I haven't missed anyone out.

Anyway, I'm beginning to get withdrawal symptons from not talking about ME, so give me a minute and I'll post up details of my training this past week (to follow).

Next week I will be doing some more short, fast stuff. There's also my tri club's kids triathlon on Sunday which I am very much looking forward to. Am sure that if Charlie is racing then he'll get a podium place again - and that'll of course have nothing to do with the fact that his mum is organising the event!

Cheers.

C