TrailX Cross-Duathlon

Billed as the sprint round of the series, Checkendon was set up as a 3.5k run - 13k bike - 3.5k run and without a hill in sight it should be perfect for some fast racing. And that's exactly what we got!  From the gun the pace was ridiculously high as we sprinted off through the farmers fields and up to the first wooded section. I knew I couldn't hold that pace for long so eased it back slightly and settled into my on rhythm- trying not to worry about those disappearing ahead, I was sure I'd see most of them again. 

Lots of empty racks in T1 meant it was time to get to work on the bike again. With lots of dry, dusty and tight singletrack the bike course was great fun and I was soon making up places. I definitely got my sprint training in too launching out of the corners as fast as I could. 

Out into the second run and focusing on a quick turnover I soon found my rhythm and tried to maintain the good form whilst giving it what I had left. I finished up in 10th place and happy with another good days training, but boy those top boys are quick!!

The season is up and running

Last year to me felt like I put in a lot of hard work in training but I didn't get to test myself as much as I'd like in races. This year I've decided to change that and get out to as many races as I can (within reason of course) and make the effort to travel further afield within the UK and support as many cross du's and tri's as possible.

Although the cross scene is building, unfortunately our races took a hit early on when it was announced the hugely popular Human Race cross duathlon series were cancelled due to land usage....bummer! This meant that there was quite a large gap in events that we could race and get the season started early. Fortunately for us, the great people behind the Southern XC mountain bike events stepped in to provide cross-du's on the Saturdays before their standard Sunday xc races in the form of their TrailX series....happy days!

The first in the series was in Wasing on 11th March set around a cracking mtb course which made for some awesome but tough racing. The run through the impressive grounds was really quite beautiful (had to remind myself I was racing at one point) and with a stonking, muddy hill straight out of transition it was a true reminder of how hard duathlons can be. By using the mtb course set for the next day, minus a few of the A lines, it was great to see a challenging bike course where you needed your wits about you at all times in a multi sport event, more of that please! Overall I finished in 10th fairly happy with my bike but wanting to work on the run legs a little. The next in the series is this weekend and is being billed as their sprint event, so I'm looking to a solid hit out.

Next up was the Hole Park cross duathlon on the 2nd April, the previous setting of the national cross-du championships and a fair trek out to the middle of Kent. Coming into the race I was feeling fresh and ready so see what I could do. I really wanted to put a good marker down and have a good hard race, and that's just what I got! On paper the course looked fairly flat, but in reality there were plenty of ups and soft sections to sap the energy. Knowing that the bike is still my strongest section I aimed to set off steady on the first run, nail it on the bike and then keep going as long as I could for the final run. The only thing was, the first half of the run lap was all down hill and a real challenge to gauge your effort and not get tempted into letting rip and flying off from the gun. It also means most of the rest of the lap must be back up hill!

I came out of T1 and immediately put the hammer down to try and catch up to those in front and managed to take 2 places on the first of 3 laps- I was feeling good. As I finished my first lap and heard over the tannoy (cheers for the hype Rich!) that I was in 2nd place I dug in even more to try and get that 1st spot. But no, as I was making my way back up to T2, Nick Collins was already on his way out and had quite a lead as he had done for most of the race. I still gave it my all on that second run, pushed as hard as I could up the hill and managed a fairly comfortable 2nd place, 1st in my age group and a first podium for the year. All in a good day out.

So the season has started nicely, still a tad fresh out for me to venture into the water yet but there's plenty of du's coming to keep me happy at the moment.

Consistency is King

At work I often get asked: "What is the quickest way to… get fitter…  lose weight… get hench, etc?  A lot of the time, my response isn't the golden ticket that was hoped for in the first place. This is because my answer to all of the above - and often more - is always - consistency. There are no magic workouts, no magic diets and no magic pills to do all the work for you. Obviously each of the above have their own different workouts and strategies to get to the desired goal. But when it comes down to it you have to be prepared to put the effort in to get to the gym or head out the door for your session and get it done.

Some days this will feel like the easiest thing in the world to do and you'll fly through your session feeling like you could go pro tomorrow. Other days you'll spend more time than the session itself would've actually taken you, thinking up reasons why you shouldn't do it. Then your brain wins and tricks you into just sitting back on the sofa (and then dealing with the associated guilt that comes with it!). Quite often the hardest part of the workout is that first step out the door or that first set. Then you remember why you're training, why you started in the first place. The joy of movement kicks in and it all makes sense again.

Keep on chasing yourself

Personally I find that consistency is the hardest part of training. We all know how hard that interval is or how tough it can be to turn around and sprint back up the hill. But to do it day after day, that’s where the true effort comes in. In the lead up to my wedding I found it particularly hard as I was very aware of this big event looming round the corner for which I couldn’t train for. My soon to be wife, family and friends put in a massive shift though and the day was amazing. As were my coaches, who eased off the pressure and let me train when it worked for me. I could see my performance levels had taken a hit but it was needed and meant I could focus on what really mattered. After the big day it was a struggle to get back into the routine of it all. Then there was the mild panic – which led me to question myself about whether those levels were ever going to come back? Again, the coaches stepped in and reassured me that it would return, or gave me the occasional kick up the arse if I was being a bit soft! But by plugging away and doing what I could consistently, the good feelings have returned and it’s all starting to make sense again. Now I am thankfully in a place where I am looking forward to each session.

If it all seems a bit daunting and you feel that urge to suddenly go and sit down on the sofa again, why not break the session down? See how you go for the first 10-20 minutes and if it really is a bad as your brain told you it would be and you're not recovered/hating it/dying, then you can stop and re-evaluate. If, however, the more than likely second option occurs, you actually start enjoying the session, kick on and get the rest done. Either way you'll feel a hell of a lot better than your other self, sitting on the sofa, watching Sons of Anarchy for the third time and eating your body weight in chocolate.

This is where your consistency streak begins. If you can keep completing your sessions on a consistent basis, then fitness, weight loss or even getting hench will come. But not before the hard work

So get out there, enjoy the process and the fitness that follows