It is exactly one week and one day after the biggest race of my life and finally things are beginning to feel normal again, including my timezones, enabling me to sit down and put my thoughts down on paper or at least the modern equivalent.
Although we didn't have much time to explore Chicago; it seemed to be a very cool city with 'Lake' Michigan looking more like the Mediterranean. Just 20 minutes cycle South from the central business district you are met with views like this:D
Although we didn't have much time to explore Chicago; it seemed to be a very cool city with 'Lake' Michigan looking more like the Mediterranean. Just 20 minutes cycle South from the central business district you are met with views like this:D
High Wycombe CC on tour
The dark horse? It is a shame that we didn't get the opportunity to experience more of the city as it appeared to be a very unique place with beautiful sunsets, amazing skyscrapers and a lovely atmosphere.
THE RACE
So, After 2 full days of preparation on the ground in Chicago my race was looming; all that stood in my way was a good night sleep. Ah..this could have been a problem as my Dad and I seemingly managed to find the worst apartment in Chicago, I was sleeping in a makeshift bunk bed 8 feet off the floor with no protective rail and a ceiling fan so close that if turned on would have resulted in almost certain decapitation. Flaws aside, I managed a solid 9 hours of sleep, my Dad on the other hand had very intermittent sleep due to the fact that 5 pillows had fallen off my bed during the night so he was a nervous wreck fearing that In my slumber I was next to take the 8 foot leap of faith.
My race was at 10am and I woke up at 5:30am feeling quite lethargic and to my surprise not at all nervous however this was quickly solved by blaring out a couple of motivational speeches and videos over a big breakfast in anticipation of the day ahead. We left our hovel at 7am and made it to the event by 7:30am where the true scale of the event became apparent through the endless sea of bikes:
THE RACE
So, After 2 full days of preparation on the ground in Chicago my race was looming; all that stood in my way was a good night sleep. Ah..this could have been a problem as my Dad and I seemingly managed to find the worst apartment in Chicago, I was sleeping in a makeshift bunk bed 8 feet off the floor with no protective rail and a ceiling fan so close that if turned on would have resulted in almost certain decapitation. Flaws aside, I managed a solid 9 hours of sleep, my Dad on the other hand had very intermittent sleep due to the fact that 5 pillows had fallen off my bed during the night so he was a nervous wreck fearing that In my slumber I was next to take the 8 foot leap of faith.
My race was at 10am and I woke up at 5:30am feeling quite lethargic and to my surprise not at all nervous however this was quickly solved by blaring out a couple of motivational speeches and videos over a big breakfast in anticipation of the day ahead. We left our hovel at 7am and made it to the event by 7:30am where the true scale of the event became apparent through the endless sea of bikes:
I took my time setting up my transition area meticulously ensuring everything was correct to the smallest detail, as going into this race my coach Perry Agass had explained to me how competitive my age group is with just seconds separating the top five; marginal gains really did matter. It was during this conversation when we discussed my race plan which ultimately can be simplified to: Go hard on swim to attempt to stay in contact with the field/ Then treat the 20km bike like a 20km time trial AKA as hard as possible/ then finally just run with whatever I have left to cross the finish line completely empty. Perry had previously stated on multiple occasions that if I had a personal best performance I would have a good chance of a top 5 finish. I however didn't truly believe this but if there is one piece of advice I can give now it is to trust your Coach!
We were going to be cycling and running on typically flat supersized American roads (closed of course) with 3 or 4 lanes running in each direction. In theory all 3 disciplines looked as if they were to be seriously fast, but theory isn't always reality....
After faffing around for a while we eventually made it to the swim start where I did a quick warm up and began to put on my wetsuit. I had my wetsuit up to my waist when It was clear that my mind was elsewhere as Kiera inquired: 'Seb, aren't your shorts still on?' Yup, I had managed to put my wetsuit on top of my shorts, rookie errors, even at the world champs....oops! Excluding this minor wardrobe malfunction I was ready to race, but, to my surprise, I felt confident and not at all nervous, which I later realised was what being prepared felt like. Knowing that you have done everything in your power to be ready for this one race, from the tough training sessions to the course recces. I WAS READY.
We were going to be cycling and running on typically flat supersized American roads (closed of course) with 3 or 4 lanes running in each direction. In theory all 3 disciplines looked as if they were to be seriously fast, but theory isn't always reality....
After faffing around for a while we eventually made it to the swim start where I did a quick warm up and began to put on my wetsuit. I had my wetsuit up to my waist when It was clear that my mind was elsewhere as Kiera inquired: 'Seb, aren't your shorts still on?' Yup, I had managed to put my wetsuit on top of my shorts, rookie errors, even at the world champs....oops! Excluding this minor wardrobe malfunction I was ready to race, but, to my surprise, I felt confident and not at all nervous, which I later realised was what being prepared felt like. Knowing that you have done everything in your power to be ready for this one race, from the tough training sessions to the course recces. I WAS READY.
There were 90 people on the start list for my race, 88 of which were older than me so I was anticipating a hectic swim start. We were all in the water lined up eager to begin with everyone edging a tiny bit further forward in an attempt to gain a slight advantage. The horn sounded. It was go time. I was caught off guard as instead of moving forward I felt I was in reverse, someone had pulled my leg from behind to try to catapult themselves ahead of the field. From that moment on I realised how unforgiving everyone was going to be, if you're in someone's way they will swim on top of you, if you are swimming in front of someone they will grab your ankles, if you are swimming behind someone they will kick you in the face, if you are swimming alongside someone they punch you in the face. I just had to remain relaxed and swim my own race, trying to focus on a good turnover and my own effort. By the end of the swim I was pretty beaten up and was in 50th place after an 11:10 swim so I had some work to do.
The run to T1 was a long uphill drag which on heavy lactic filled swimming legs felt like a marathon. At this point I didn't feel great, only made worse by the fact I struggled to get my wetsuit off so I had to sit down and just rip the thing off with a Herculean effort. By the time I actually got on my bike I was 2 minutes down on 1st, I was unaware of this at the time and was purely fueled by adrenaline (and the oats I had for breakfast) Consequently I whacked my bike In a tough gear and started spinning. There was a headwind in one direction and you guessed it a tailwind in the other. Therefore in one direction I was going 32 mph and the other 22mph despite this, the multiple pinch points, the hairpins and the awful road conditions, I managed to post a solid bike leg of 27:23 (one of the fastest of the day) for the 20km during which I made up 33 places to enter T2 in 13th. For a non-drafting race however there sure was a lot of drafting not to name any names *cough*Mexicans*cough* as is clear from the background of this picture of them doing something that looks similar to a team time trial:
The run to T1 was a long uphill drag which on heavy lactic filled swimming legs felt like a marathon. At this point I didn't feel great, only made worse by the fact I struggled to get my wetsuit off so I had to sit down and just rip the thing off with a Herculean effort. By the time I actually got on my bike I was 2 minutes down on 1st, I was unaware of this at the time and was purely fueled by adrenaline (and the oats I had for breakfast) Consequently I whacked my bike In a tough gear and started spinning. There was a headwind in one direction and you guessed it a tailwind in the other. Therefore in one direction I was going 32 mph and the other 22mph despite this, the multiple pinch points, the hairpins and the awful road conditions, I managed to post a solid bike leg of 27:23 (one of the fastest of the day) for the 20km during which I made up 33 places to enter T2 in 13th. For a non-drafting race however there sure was a lot of drafting not to name any names *cough*Mexicans*cough* as is clear from the background of this picture of them doing something that looks similar to a team time trial:
I came off the bike and had a quick transition where I made up a few more places before I started the 5km run. This is the point in every triathlon where 'it' hits you like a tonne of bricks. the 'it' being serious pain and exhaustion due to the tough physical effort and contrasting position from bike to run often causing many problems. As I started running I didn't feel great, the normal 'jelly legs' had been replaced by no legs as no matter how much effort I put in, my body just didn't want to cooperate and go any faster. Your training really becomes evident on the run, it is where weaknesses are found and strengths come through. On the first 2.5km lap I was holding my position but not advancing, I was really struggling and every stride felt like a laboured effort moving far slower than I had hoped. Moving on to the second lap, I was beginning to adapt to the running and suddenly my body began to work with me not against me. I was catching people one by one, using my strength to exploit others weaknesses, really pushing on to try to make up for the slow first half. I went round the last dead turn of the race entering the last 1k of the run, there were some people 100metres in front in my sights. I upped another gear, I was counting down the traffic cones to try to distract me from the fire burning up my legs and lungs, my targets were nearing but not fast enough, I kicked again almost at a flat out sprint when I finally flew past the struggling athletes. 300 to go, A mexican was ten strides in front of me when he heard my heavy breathing and footsteps chasing him down, he checked over his shoulder and saw me right behind him, he began to sprint as we ran round Buckingham fountain into the finish chute, I followed in a world of pain trying to eek out every ounce of energy I had left. I crossed the line in 5th. 1 second behind the Mexican and 28 seconds behind 1st place.
WHAT A RACE.
WHAT A RACE.
Firstly I must say a huge THANK YOU to PERRY AGASS who is the person responsible for this success. We have been using the TriSutto coaching methods for just a very short time together but the proof is here that they really do work. As an added bonus Perry even perfectly predicted my race result. Hopefully together we can have many more successes. Thank you.
Next, I must acknowledge the amazing generosity of PEDAL POTENTIAL who support young athletes to achieve their dreams. I really do appreciate all the help you have given me thus far, you allow me to do what I love and love what I do. Thank you.
Thanks also to High Wycombe CC who are the best cycling club in the country. Fact... #probably! HWCC have assisted me to dramatically improve my cycling and have helped me to race in these overseas events. So without your support I would not have had the result I did. Thank you.
Last but far from least I must thank my parents for their continued encouragement, advice and of course financial help in everything I do. I physically wouldn't be here without you guys ;)
Next, I must acknowledge the amazing generosity of PEDAL POTENTIAL who support young athletes to achieve their dreams. I really do appreciate all the help you have given me thus far, you allow me to do what I love and love what I do. Thank you.
Thanks also to High Wycombe CC who are the best cycling club in the country. Fact... #probably! HWCC have assisted me to dramatically improve my cycling and have helped me to race in these overseas events. So without your support I would not have had the result I did. Thank you.
Last but far from least I must thank my parents for their continued encouragement, advice and of course financial help in everything I do. I physically wouldn't be here without you guys ;)
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