After the National champs I was determined to improve my poor bike performance so I looked for advice and that advice was I need to spend more time suffering in lactate and endure the pain. I reflected on this and went hard...for two weeks training was going well and everything was ok. Although I was getting tired during the second week after Milton Keynes, as this tends to happen. After a good taper and a big race the body is still feeling good and rested (after a day of rest of course). I finally came to almost complete failure 14 days after the race, my body decided it couldn't take more pain and almost gave up. I had to take 2 days with only a little training and then was back to work, but it was bleak for those two days, body was tired and spent!
I was able to recover after these two days, spend some great time in Winchester (what a place), training and seeing my wonderful and very understanding girlfriend. People close to you are always the ones that are able to make you feel better, although nothing makes you feel better when you feel broken.lol.
My new plan is not new not just take this as down time.....why? why do people just give up and go backwards? the pros talk about down time etc, yes knock the effort out but keep training hard and enjoy it! I plan to kick on and hammer it through the winter with the thoughts of next season. More watts on the bike and faster time trails is going to be the key to improvement for me.
But first of all there is a little race called ball buster with weekend........
http://humanrace.co.uk/events/duathlon/winter-ballbuster
It is one of the toughest and most iconic duathlons that excist and I am very excited to be taking part in the event. I have upped the millage for 3 weeks since Milton Keynes and now am on another taper. I cannot wait for the event and don't have any expectations....other than what people have told me, and that is a lot pain.
Me on the right hand side of someones instagramBULLBUSTER RACE REPORT:
Ballbuster, well where do I start, what a race. Fantastic day, venue and adventure to say the least. It was a strange dark and rather damp start to the day. I was having problems with my rear wheel and actually had a flat when I got my bike out. I had to then borrow a wheel off my training partner and stand up friend Mr Jason Taylor, without this I would not have been able to race and would have been in trouble.
We racked in the rain and get a little wet, and things started to become more apparent that we may actually be in for a rather wet day. The rain did subside for the start of the race which actually started 10mins late due to some problems in registration.
The race was started off on a rather wet and muddy field and everyone was very eager by this point to get things going. The race started and one man (later to win the race, Andy super fast Greenleaf) went off like a rocket and soon was in the distance, there was a follow pack of around 10 and I was able to stay towards the back of this (untill I needed a quick toilet stop) I then had to try and catch back onto them, this didnt happen until we hit the first time up box till and I actually found that although im not the best hill climber I was better than some of the racers in front and I was able to finish the first 8 mile run and come into T1 in 7th place. I had a decent transition into a nice wet helmet and off we went to start the bike course.
The bike route was tight, slippy, traffic filled and technical. I actually started off at a steady race, took in a gel and went from there. The first thing I did was come to a sharp corner and loose my back wheel, this actually happened on numerous occasions (to give me a heart attack) throughout the race. The route was amazing and not a traditional TT course by any stretch of the imagination, it was also filled with lots of cars on the second lap and that coursed a lot of problems. I was able to navigate myself round and attack the three times up box hill well, I lost a couple of places as I usually do on the bike (hoping to run them back down of the final run) but all in all it went well. I still want to be able to push harder on the bike and this will most certainly be the focus this winter! It was teeming it down during the bike leg and I could hardly see at times through my helmet visor and this made things a little difficult at times, but also strangely exciting. Extremely wet I came into T2 in around 8th place so didnt loose too many place as I also gained a couple on the bike.
The final run was a little of an unknown entirety, I have never ever ran any more than 5/6k off the back of a duathlon, so to have to run 8miles was going to be something of an achievement. But I actually ran well and ran myself into 5th position (after another quick toilet stop). I pulled back my final place on box hill were I could see another competitor who had passed me on the bike was struggling with his final run, I was able to run up to him and also provide a little coach talk. I said 'there is no one behind up so just run it in' to which he said thanks. I was hoping this would encourage him to not come with me up the hill. As I said this to him I kicked (Chris Macca always said if you go past someone, no matter how much it hurts......KICK) so I did and was able to finish strong off box hill and into the finish time.
All in all and amazing it was a fantastic day....so happy with 5th overall and was actually the first 25-29 Age grouper over the line! which as also a great achievement! Very happy day....
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