European Duathlon Campionships 2014
The best way to prepare for a big race is probably not to spend 2 days in bed and almost 2 weeks off training because of a virus, but that is what I was doing in the lead up to the European Duathlon championships this year. Unfortunately at this time of year everyone seems to have a bug or a cold and when you are training hard it's so easy to pick something up.
I had been doing brick sessions with Sam and Alister (which were brilliant and my very first ones ever!) and they were both feeling a bit rubbish so it's not surprising that I was soon in bed with no energy and a sore throat. Sam had it even worse than I did and she was off work for quite a while so we both went into this race feeling slightly less than confident about how we would do.
Nervous smiles before the start
It turns out that we both had amazing races and won medals but at the time I remember standing on the start line thinking, 'this is either going to be brilliant or a complete disaster and I will probably find out in the first kilometre!'.I love racing at Horst (I raced there last year too) so I was really looking forward to spending time there. The town is really friendly and the race is well supported by everyone who lives there. The bike course suits me too as it is quite technical around the town, with some tight corners which I love.
Looking at the competition before the race I decided that my biggest challengers would be Anke Lakies from Germany (who got the silver in 2013) and Kate Morris (GB) who is a very good runner and I have noticed she has improved on the bike a lot recently. The other Dutch and German girls I didn't know so I couldn't worry about them.
I decided that the only way to win was to nail the first run, have a solid bike and then hang on for the last 2.5km. I also didn't want a repeat of last years cramp that had me lying down in T2 screaming my head off while an official grabbed my leg! I hoped that the brick sessions that I had done this year would help with that.
The start of the race was chaos - it starts on a narrow road and everyone wants to be at the front. Sam and I tried to squeeze into the throng about 10 rows back and a lovely GB man (sorry can't remember his name) very kindly let us in. Other people were being sent to the back which was about 250metres away! I am so grateful he let me in as I could just see Kate right at the front and if I'd started any further back I could have been a minute behind before we had started!
Just like last year we set off at a stupidly fast pace and the only thing I could think about was staying upright - we were so squashed together I couldn't even see the road below me! Thankfully I realised that I felt OK and started to really push the pace so I could get up to Kate. A few corners on and I had passed her so I just kept pushing, hoping that I had made the right decision to go off hard. (afterwards I found out I had done a PB - 17:35). Luckily I didn't completely blow and as I ran back into the town to start the second lap I could hear loads of people shouting for me. Thank you to Nina, Mark, Russell, Zoe and Ron for their support and to all the other unknowns who shouted my name, it makes such a difference when its hurting.
My On Running trainers get me to T1 in record time
In....and out
The bike ride went like a blur. We flew through the town, negotiating sharp corners and speed bumps but I was soon out and into the lanes. I still felt good although it was quite windy and it seemd to be a head wind the whole way. I started to pick off some of the men (usually on the corners) and finally went past a couple of women. I thought I must be leading my age group but was still not confident about the last run so I couldn't relax. I only had one dodgy moment when I overcooked a sharp bend and ended up in a field but I just managed to stay upright and overtook 4 men at the same time! At the cone turn I had seen both Kate and Anke so I knew that I had a good lead but I was now worried about cramp. My calf muscles were doing that weird ripply thing and all I could do was hope that they would be OK when I tried to run again. Running like a duck!
I flew into T2 and saw Gill Fullen just in front - that was good news as I knew she would be well up in the womens field so I thought I must be up there too - I got my trainers on and started to run. OMG that hurt! Cramp in my calves again - but not too bad - so I hobbled out of transition running like a duck! I saw Mark and pulled a face at him. 'Go Jac', he shouted 'Gill is just up the road!' Yeah right I'm really going to catch her! was all I could think. (Little did I know how right I was, she took almost a minute out of me in 2.7km!) She is just an awesome runner.
'Don't trip, don't trip'
My legs came back to life and I just concentrated on getting to the finish line. I came back into the town for the final time and saw Joan handing out the little GB flags. I took one last look behind me - no, no-one was there - so I grabbed my flag and headed for the line. Russell then shouted and chucked a huge GB flag at me. Oh no I am useless at running with flags! and sure enough as I struggled to open the flag I stood on it and tripped. That would have been a great photo - me flying across the line on my face wrapped in a GB flag! But I stayed upright and finished with a big smile.
What a great feeling! I knew I had won my age group and then someone said I had also come third overall, amazing (I actually came 4th in the end). Then Kate came across the line and I gave her a big hug - to get silver at your first attempt is brilliant. She was very happy and didn't stop talking for ages even to take a breath!
Then Sam was in the finish area and shortly behind her was Suzie her friend. They were so happy as they thought they had just got silver and bronze. This was fantastic news as Sam had had a rubbish race last year due to illness and she nearly didn't race this year. They weren't certain though so it was a nailbiting time until we got the official result.
Then I saw the man who had let me in at the start. He asked me how I had got on and I thanked him for his help as it could have been a different result without him. He was so happy for me and that's what I love about the GB team. We all race hard, against each other, but we are all happy for other people's successes at the finish.
Anke from Germany
The podium
Later on we went to the prize presentation which I have to say was awful. Even though the organisers knew that the athletes had not yet showered, eaten or rested they insisted on having speeches and music and all sorts of stuff that we couldn't even understand. Finally we got to the medals and once again I was on the podium with Kate (still talking!) and Anke, holding my medal and tulips. Sam was over the moon about her result and we got some great photos of both of us with our medals for our sponsors - not a bad first race report to send to them!We train, race and laugh hard
So another great event, fab results and another fun weekend with our best friends. This is what it is all about really. Sometimes, when I am poorly or nervous or exhausted I wonder why I race at this level as it's quite stressful. But then I get to stand on that podium and I know why - I am really proud to be up there and to see my friends achieving great things as well is just fabulous.
I'm home now and back training hard for the next big race - World Duathlon champs in Pontevedra at the end of May. I've got the British sprint triathlon champs before that as well but first we are off to Lisbon to do a 'fun' triathlon in the sunshine. Yeah right, cos I'm just going to pootle round and enjoy that one! Probably not!
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