With the money that was kindly given to me by the Jack Bloor fund I was able to attend the national cyclocross championships in Hetton in January. It was a tough event meaning I had to change my bike every lap, but thanks to the funding given I was able to make sure that l was at my physical best and that I could achieve my best. The racing was close for places 2-7, with a tough climb and technical decent the places were always changing. I was pleased with my performance of 5th Place in the U23 women’s event, despite being one of the youngest in the category.

I would like to thank everyone at the Jack Bloor fund for proving me with this opportunity, and look forward to next season already where I can hopefully improve my result even more.’

Thank you very much,

Sophie Thackray 🙂

My last part of the season was geared to selection to the World Championships, so l needed to perform well at the National Championships. 

The World Championship, was held in Valkenburg, Netherlands and is always a special and different race and due to the conditions and tough parcour would be one to remember. This was my first Worlds as an U23 and last year year l finished 3rd in the Juniors with Tom Pidcock taking the title. As the race started it was crazy with such a technical, muddy and hilly course, I felt good for the first laps but then l didn’t feel good and didn’t have the World Championships I had hoped for finishing around the mid twenties with Tom Pidcock a few places ahead. 

Thanks for the support.

Ben Turner

Nathan Marsh – Running onto the elite stage and the role of a training camp

After seeing my running improve significantly over the 2016/17 season I was very grateful to receive support from the Jack Bloor Fund to start the summer off on a high with a training camp to Vilamoura, Portugal. This is my end of year report, detailing how this opportunity to train abroad helped propel my running forward in the pursuit of an England running vest.

The lead-up to the training camp

The lead up to the camp itself was a little bumpy so to say. Knowing the week in Portugal would entail some big mileage, I had been spending the previous 6 weeks building up the mileage to condition my legs. On par with this was transitioning to track running, as this would form the basis of the week abroad as well. The first three weeks went well moving from 50 to 60 miles a week, but three weeks before the camp, a 1500m track race at BMC Sportcity aggravated plantar and heel pain. Whilst nice to win with a PB with, two weeks rest were the result. Luckily physio and rehab meant that I was back running a week before Portugal with a 50-mile week and ready to hit the sunny miles.

The Camp

The weeks running was to follow a simple pattern. Days would commence with an easy 4mile run at 7.30 or 8am before the temperature rose too much. More than anything this run was designed to loosen off the legs as a form of active recovery and prepare them for the harder work in the evenings. We tried to keep these runs off-road which meant incorporating some sandy trails and golf courses. In the evenings, the harder sessions and runs were scheduled. With 6 days to play with this lead to two key track sessions and one tempo run, the remaining evenings either a second easy run or rest if needed.

In a stroke of bad luck, the first day had a stressful start with a breakdown leading to a missed flight and 11 hours to kill at the airport. Feeling guilty not to be getting in an evening run I did what any crazy runner would….drills and conditioning outside the entrance to Stanstead airport, featuring some strange looks from members of the public. One perk of missing the flight however was arriving to a villa with a fully stocked fridge.

Whilst there is so much to talk about regarding training in Vilamoura, it is the track sessions which were the biggest benefit of the week. The two sessions had different focuses. The first session composed of 3x1000m off 2.30, 2x800m off 90, and 2x400m off 60s with reps being run between 3k and 800m pace as the distance decreased. In 30^OC heat this was certainly a shock to the system on day two but the reps accurately got quicker, even though we all felt sicker. What made these particularly good was the composition of the running group. The group was formed of a more track-focused cohort, so whilst others did 800s and 600s for the first two sets I opted for an additional 200m solo on the end of each rep in prep for longer races. Not wanting to be dropped however this forced me to hit the reps hard and a strong session was the result.
The second session was an eviller session so to speak involving quicker lactic inducing reps. 5x (400m, 30s rec, 200m) was the set with 5 minutes between. Let me just say 5 minutes of rest went in a blur by the closing sets and that second 200m was arguably harder than the 400m. Having stopped after 4 reps the previous year during this session to throw up, I was proud to complete the whole session with 58s and 28s held on the reps.

Besides the quality track sessions there were definite perks to training in Vilamoura. There was no shortage of routes for beautiful early morning runs and the weather was bliss. The villa we stayed in was also perfectly located near to the track, shops, trails, and beach. With training scheduled in the mornings and evenings we were able to explore the town and harbour, relax on the beach, engage in leisure sports and cool off in the sea during the day. This provided time to recharge, as well as countless opportunities for strengthening and stretching, preparing us for the evening sessions. Vilamoura also hosted a virtually unused Olympic sized pool. Swimming helped to take the load off my joints allowed me to gain some additional training benefits whilst being cautious on the return from injury.

The greatest challenge of the week was adjusting to running in such a warm climate. The temperature reached 38^OC on a few days and whilst this was unthinkable at the beginning of the week, by the end running was much more comfortable learning about how to manage hydration and diet for the weather. The benefits from this camp were quickly seen with my track season.

Post-camp and progression into cross country

Whilst not having the best lead-up to the camp, the solid weeks training propelled me to PBs at the close of the track season: 3:56 (1500m), 8:27 (3000m) and 14:46 (5000m), the latter being a victory at BUCS Outdoor. The week really set a good base for my training following injury and this successful summer was carried through to September with a week in the Lake District bringing the best aerobic base mileage and hill running I’ve experienced. With the majority of this up fells, in cold wet conditions I believe this worked miracles for my cross-country training.

The key interest however, is how this transferred into the cross-country season. As part of my aspiration to gain England representation there were two big races in which I wanted to perform well; the England 10k Championships (Abbey Dash) and the European Cross Country Selection race (Liverpool Cross Challenge), a few weeks later. The 10k went extremely well as part of the Leeds Regional Team. I placed 15^th overall (2^nd U23) in an elite field and pulled out a breakthrough-time with a sub 30 minute clocking. Not only did this show the shape I was in, it also put me in contention for an U23 England vest for Liverpool. Then disaster hit! A solid weeks training later and all seemed well until the appearance of knee pain during strS7Cength and conditioning put me out of the European selection race. This was one of the most frustrating ways to end the term after getting into such good shape. Some good news did however follow, with my home club Tonbridge AC qualifying as the GB representative for the European Club Cross-Country Championships in February after successive wins at club national road and cross relays. After three weeks of reduced training, it is good to be back training to the full and regaining fitness. Whilst injury came at the wrong time I have my mind set on the Championships after Christmas with county champs to see where I’m at and then the bigger Club champs to really target.

I would like to thank the excellent group of teammates from Leeds University Cross Country Club for making Portugal a brilliant training week, and coaches Mark Hookway (Tonbridge AC) and Greg Hull (Leeds Uni). Most importantly, I would like to thank the Jack Bloor Fund for making this all a possibility and helping to drive my running to new levels. I am grateful to see such progress with my running, and know that with patience even bigger results will come.

“10,9,8”… Why am I doing this?… “7,6,5”… Have I done enough training?… “4,3,2”… Is this actually about to begin?… “1”… GO.

Those are my usual thoughts before I start any race, and the World Duathlon Championships were not any different. Well, apart from the fact it was obviously the World Champs. AND it was situated in Penticton, Canada, halfway round the globe . OH, and it was probably the biggest race I’ve been in since I started Triathlon. But aside from that it wasn’t any different !

Ideas to enter for races like these always come up spontaneously in conversations with triathlon friends, and this idea popped up around January time, where I decided to enter Stockton Duathlon last minute. I was never that entertained by Duathlons (Run,Bike,Run) as my forte has always been in the swimming and running (which is called an Aquathon), rather than the biking discipline. Nonetheless, I decided to enter Stockton and finished 7th, which got me through qualification to Canada. From then on the preparation for the trip began – extra swimming teaching hours to pay for the ludicrous cost of entry (not to mention the plane ticket prices), and a whole summers worth of training scheduled in so I could peak for the race. This entailed around 4 swims, 5 runs and 3 bikes a week. I did not have long to develop my bike handling skills, so I decided to join the local cycling club and engage with some group Chain Gang’s and it was only at this point where i started to see the excitement of the bike – the countryside rushing past you, the wind howling in your ear, and most notably, the burning in your thighs!

Training weeks completed, it was time to travel to Penticton – an 8 hour flight, followed by a 1 hour plane journey to Penticton. Stepping out of the plane it was hard to appreciate the stunning views; as the town had been blanketed by a smog from a local forest fire. It was like the smog had heightened the nervous anticipation building up inside me, as with nothing to admire, all I could do was think about the race. Eventually the smog cleared to reveal what I considered as semi-Oasis – arid landscape with sparse trees, but a picturesque town with a crystal clear lake nestled in between mountains.

We (my best mate Adam was racing too) carried on training for the next few days before eventually race day arrived. It was a classic triathlon styled event – wake up ridiculously early to go prepare transition, and then start racing early. This time I was glad it was so early though, as by the 6:30am race start it was already 20 degrees celsius. My plan was very laxed – I knew I had to be in the lead group by the end of the first 5km run, then I would see what would happen on the 20km bike leg, and the final 2.5km run was just give it your all. And so the countdown began – the adrenaline rushes through your body and heightens your senses. By “1” all of your thoughts stop and you just GO.

The 5km planned out very well, I situated myself straight into the lead pack, and kept on using the water stations. I knew I had to keep myself cool for as long as possible, because it would make an impact further on through the race. By the end of the 5km a lead group of 8 had been formed, and all were eager to have a good transition. Mine was fairly diabolical. Arrived in first and left last, mainly because I couldn’t clip my helmet strap in quick enough. Regardless of this, I made amends by having a good flying mount onto my bike and made sure I jumped onto the front of the pack. The 2 lap bike course was uphill for the first 5km – which split itself into a very steep section, then a flat plateau which u-turned back up onto the hill , and then the final 5km was pretty much straight back down. I was very anxious about the hill as I knew people would try make attacks – but my training paid off well as I had the strength to keep myself in a strong position in the pack. By the time we hit the u-turn, I had managed to put in a push and we had a lead group of 3 – myself, Adam and an American. We were trying to push home our advantage on the bike, so when the next section of the hill arrived I wanted to push hard again. Unfortunately Adam couldn’t hold the wheel, so I had to start working as a pair with this American to build up the lead – and this worked well, by transition we had built up well over a 2 minute lead! What was better was that I found out he was age group above, so all I had to do was finish – simple right? Oh no. That was one of the worst 2.5km runs I have done, and all I was trying to think was the next step… But before I knew it the finish was upon me, 1st place in 20-24 age group and 3rd overall in age group. I was just surprised to be honest – what I considered my weakest discipline, turned out to be my race winning advantage!

I had a week’s rest before I had my following race – the Aquathon. A 1km swim followed by a 5km run. A strong British contingent meant this race was going to be really hard the whole way – a man it was ! The race begins and everyone is dolphin diving because the water is too shallow at this point. And just my luck, on the first dive my goggles fall off – classic! What made that even better was that I was wearing my contact lenses and one decides to go for a swim (quite literally). So the rest of my swim turned into a squinting contest to keep my direction correct – maybe this helped alleviate the pain of swimming fast !? T1 was a much better improvement from my Duathlon antics and I hit the run. Again it was hot so I made sure I kept grabbing fluid from the stations to cool me down (make sure you don’t grab the sticky orange juice like I did). It was a 2 lap course, and initially I had a group of 2 chasing down my lead. I tried maintaining a solid running cadence, and by the time I turned for the second lap I had one GB triathlete around 10s behind me. I knew that my sprint finish would be slow as I was fatigued, so I had just had to push my pace with 2km to go. It’s a horrible feeling because you know you still have a fair amount of running to go, and yet you have to run faster. Every muscle in your body is saying shouting pain, but the brain still persists – forward. By the last 200m the crowd reaction reveals all; I turn to see my lead has increased, and so all that is left to do is the blue carpet and sprint for home.

Pain, relief and enjoyment all moulded into one. Initially the feeling is of shock that you have managed to achieve what you set out to be unrealistic, but reflecting back a few weeks after the races I have started to understand that what was actually more important was the journey to get there and not the result – and this is influenced by friends, family and coaches. Individual results are not really individual; of course you can’t let someone else start the race, but you can be sure that your team will be with you every step of the way, all the way to that finish line.

I’d like to thank my family – Mum, Dad and Katie, my coaches – Josh Dennis, Brian Aggett and Greg Hull, my friends – Adam Thorpe and Emma Beckwith, and lastly the
Jack Bloor Fund.

Morzine training camp – July 2017

On the first day we arrived at the chalet and built our bikes. Since I had never built my bike before I learnt a lot. We did an 11mile hill climb upto Avoriaz, 3,759ft of climbing, a total of 22miles and 2hrs and 15mins of riding. The average gradient was 7% with the steepest section being 32%. I found it a very challenging climb and consequently had to get out of my seat in order to keep the momentum up. This is something I need to work on in order to be more efficient when climbing. I focused on getting into the correct gear to allow me to tackle the hill with power. Having cycled up the steepest part of the mountain we stopped for a well deserved breather to take in the spectacular views before carrying on the long but steady incline to the town of Avoriaz. On the way down I practiced my cornering on the fast descents in order to simulate race pace in triathlon. I reached 42mph which is pretty fast for me. It has definitely increased my confidence.

On the second day I hired a mountain bike and had my first experience of some downhill mountain biking. It is a completely different way of cycling as it involves more bike handling skills than fitness and stamina. Therefore, this gave my legs a rest and provided me with a chance to improve my bike handling skills via the downhill tracks. I came off a few times but I didn’t let this put me off. I persevered so that I could complete a downhill run staying on my bike. The Super Morzine routes were really good for me as I could attempt routes with varying difficulty levels. By the end of the day I was on the intermediate runs which was a big achievement.

On the third day we did a hill run in the morning and then a mountain climb on the bike in the afternoon. This was to simulate a duathlon race with our legs being quite tired after a hard run and then getting on the bike to push out some fast miles. We ran 5miles up to Lac Montriond gaining 1,043 ft. This was very tough and demanding on the quadriceps muscles due to the steepness.

Now onto the fourth and final day with a cycle up to Le Col de Joux Plane. It was only one 16mile ride and 1hr 30mins ride but the mountain was a beast with an elevation gain of 3,156ft. I worked on staying in my saddle on this climb, which was tough, but the beautiful view across to Mont Blanc at the top made it worthwhile. Both climbs contributed to improving my strength.

To top the week off we did a swim session in the outdoor 50m pool. It was great to be able to train solidly for a week with other like minded athletes. The trip allowed me to gain more knowledge of how to become efficient when racing and training.

 European Standard Distance Championships – Soria, Spain 30th April 2017

I trained extremely hard over winter for a sporting journey that began in March 2016 at the Clumber Park, the qualification race. Apart from an injury the month before my preparation had gone very well. I was amazed to discover that I had the motivation to get up at 6am to swim before work twice a week. After Christmas as commitments of my work placement year increased, I had to fit in training where I could.

After Clumber Park qualification for the World Age Group Duathlon near Vancouver, I was motivated more than ever as Soria approached. Thursday’s training consisted of a hard hill run session followed by a quick cycle round the 10 mile Bramhope loop and a recovery swim. This may seem like a busy evening after work, but I’m not one for lounging around in the evenings watching TV! I love the boost it gives. By Easter I was cycling for 45 miles at a strong pace. To replicate the end run in a duathlon I ran for 5 kilometres. The weekend finished with a 12 mile run and suggested that despite ongoing injury concerns I hadn’t lost much fitness.

I spoke too soon. The injury came back to bite me. My shin was very sore when I walked. I decided not to risk training on an injured leg, a difficult decision which resulted in resting up for 5 weeks.

It was only 2 weeks until the Europeans and I was still not running or cycling. It was essential that I got two working legs back. Over the last few years I’d spent a lot of money on physio sessions, massages and bike fits but the issue has still cropped up. So I booked an appointment to have a bike riding analysis to find the cause of the injury. First of all the physio assessed my posture and leg strength and straight away noticed a significant weakness on the right side of my body. She figured that my right ‘glute’ muscle and hamstring aren’t strong enough, so my legs couldn’t cope with the intensity of training. With 10 days to go before Spain I couldn’t even do a one legged squat. This was a concern.

I was desperate to race because it would be my first European Championships. Before my injury flared up I was smashing training; running 5km and 10km ‘pb’s’ and getting stronger on the bike from some great winter training. The physio was now asking, ‘What will you gain from racing?’ ‘Is it worth it?’

But flights and accommodation were booked, the leave was booked off from work. My name was on the entry list. Everything was sorted. Since it was my first race at an international level I wanted to be there for the experience even if I couldn’t race. The decision was made, I would go. The aim of the race suddenly changed from going hard and doing my best to just getting round and if I felt pain I would stop. Pulling out of a race is something I’ve never had to do before and it is not something I envisaged doing in this race either.

Arrival and the opening ceremony
The weather forecast for sunny Spain was for snow. Luckily I was greeted in Madrid by sunshine and 18 degrees before heading on a 3 hours bus drive north to Soria, a small town with Roman origins, in a region next to Rioja, where tourism is only now becoming a feature. I was looking forward to my first race abroad, a race in a warmer climate, this was no longer in the cards. The race day forecast predicted 7 degrees and 25mph winds with rain expected at lunchtime. My start time is 11:40am. The big decision, do I wear a ‘thermal’ underneath my trisuit or just arm warmers? After umming and ah-ing I took a ‘man up pill’ and decided to grin and bare it and just race in arm warmers.

A small army of competitors from Great Britain were joined by duathletes from across Europe and bizarrely, Mexico. The band began to play and the crowds gathered as we set off parading through the streets of Soria with our Union Jack flags. I felt a sense of pride to represent Great Britain. GB athletes among the masses of people who all had one thing in common.

Race day preparation
 Up and at it, it’s race day! I set myself up in transition and took a look at the bike next to mine to ensure I had everything prepared. I noticed the Spanish competitor had dates, as in the edible type, taped to her top bike tube. I’ve seen people tape energy gels to their bike for races but dates were not something I’d seen before. Perhaps I’ll try it. Having attended the race briefing, studied the course maps, racked my bike and visualised the motions of transition it was time for the tense affair of waiting. The wind had picked up substantially by the time my race started. Plant pots and metal barriers were falling over alongside the roads and grey clouds were accumulating ready for the rain.

Run 1
With a mass start and a course that narrowed very quickly there was certainly going to be some sharp elbows out, so I made my way to the front of the line to ensure I had a clear run without bruises. A Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack was playing before a thumping heartbeat soundtrack counted down to the start. I was certainly pumped with adrenalin. On your marks, *air horn*, and we’re off! I started off well in the lead group for the first run. This consisted of a series of uphill and downhill loops through picturesque avenues of trees in the town’s large park. It looked like a flat course but it was deceiving. With an angry headwind you had no option but to dig in. I had to play safe because of being out of action for quite a while. In duathlon or any multi-discipline endurance event you have to try and keep your head and not go ‘into the red’ or you’ll be paying for it later on. I took it easier than normal to hopefully stop my injury flaring up.
Transition 1 and the bike
After a ‘ten k’ run I was first in my age group into transition. I had the fastest first run. A surprise given I hadn’t run for 5 weeks. My transition was executed smoothly. Now onto the ’40 k’ cycling part of the race which you can really enjoy; closed roads, no traffic, smooth surfaces and fast corners. The ride out was straight uphill, before a nice descent, albeit against the wind. The wall of wind and powerful gusts made staying on your bike more of an ambition than something bound to happen. Had it been a training ride I imagine most sensible cyclists (or fair weather cyclists like me) would have opted for the static indoor turbo bike. I encountered a few wobbly encounters caused by the cross wind on the exposed motorway (don’t worry mum, the race was on closed roads). On the return part of the lap the wind was behind you for about 6km, great freewheeling time. Ambulances gathered at the windy downhill stretches as a reminder of the danger. First lap done and onto the second. The hilly stretch out of the Spanish town was enjoyable despite the rain in my face and the big crosswinds. Well, it was enjoyable until I had to do it all again for the third time. Especially as by the time I reached my third lap the winds got up and the heavens opened. The forecast was right! The fight uphill against the wind was tough. Nothing left in my legs. The energy from my porridge and energy gel all used up. ‘C’mon Em, you can do it’ I told myself. Fighting the wind took a lot more energy than I expected. Sometimes you’ve just got to tough it out.

Powerful men on time trial bikes whizzed past me. A British, another British, a Spaniard, an Irish…..a lot of trained athletes. They must have been riding with propellers on their bikes…or maybe I’m just super unfit (I think the latter). The pain grew and I could see the Spanish girl in 2nd catching me up as I pushed out of the apex bend. After a tough 25 minutes of climbing now came the well-deserved descent from the mountains before a slog uphill back to transition. I relinquished the 20-24 age group lead, the Spanish girl came past me up the final hill, she looked strong as she raced past. The words, ‘don’t leave it on the bike’ came into my head. Words that father Beckwith would say to me. Taking into account my injury I didn’t try to stick with her. ‘Be sensible, don’t push it’, so far so good.

Transition 2
I dismounted the bike and began the run into transition. Physically exhausted by the climbing and mentally exhausted by the battle with the elements I only had 5km left to run. Wahooo! On the final stage.  People cheering ‘Go Beckwith go’, ‘looking strong’. It felt swift and super fast by my standards swapping from my cycle shoe cleats to my running trainers. I quickly took off my helmet to begin the final run. Or at least tried to. But hang on, I was stuck, I had a wardrobe malfunction. My helmet was stuck to my helmet. I couldn’t leave transition, ‘Come on Beckwith’ the spectators shouted. ’I can’t’ I wanted to shout back. My hair’s caught in the fastener of my helmet, One yank, still attached, two yanks, still attached. I can’t possibly run with a helmet on my head. Imagine the comments, ‘who’s that numpty running in her helmet?’ One last pull and…I was detached! Hooray! Albeit with a sore head and a good few strands missing. Now I can finally get on with the final stage. It may have resulted in a delayed transition but nevertheless I was away. As the saying goes, ‘More haste less speed’. But not necessarily a helpful saying in a competitive duathlon!

Run 2
Onto the final run. The Spanish girl who overtook me at the end of the bike stage was pulling away from me. I had a quick decision to make – do I go with her and fight for first place, or do I take it easy and get round. Given I haven’t trained for 5 weeks? With dad’s wise words ‘be sensible’ in the back of my head. I decided to not let the race adrenalin get the better of me and avoided putting myself at risk of doing serious damage. My legs were fatigued from the bike. I wasn’t letting this put me off, ‘dig in Emma’ shouted a spectator from the crowd. It spurred me on to keep going. ‘Vamos!’ as they say in Spain. Back to the grandstand for the final time before the finish. The final lap saw me struggling on the final incline. I was so close to finishing my first international race. I’d exceeded expectations, up to now. Still in 2nd place, I kept putting one foot in front of the other and hoping. As I approached the final 200m I was handed a Union Jack flag to carry to the finish line.  The crowds cheered, ‘Go Beckwith, go Great Britain’. I was extremely grateful for all the support which encouraged me to push on.

Finish
Gasping for breath, I did not want a repeat of the National Champs when I was still recovering from a virus and ended up in an ambulance having had an asthma attack. A combination of feelings rushed through my head, ‘wow I’ve finished and got round’ and ‘gosh, I was winning up until 2 hours and 25 minutes, the total race time was 2 hours and 56 minutes’. You feel physical pain and emotional elation all at the same time. In discussion with fellow GB athletes, it seemed to be a race with, not only some of the most extreme conditions, but some tough terrain. At a high altitude, the bike was on the hilliest course I’d experienced. Extremely difficult challenges were faced head on and I’m glad it wasn’t just a case of me finding it tough.

Closing ceremony
On to the award ceremony and the after race party. There was an amazing turnout for Great Britain, we pretty much dominated every age group podium. The closing ceremony was a reminder that I have many more years competing. One competitor in particular amazed me. He was the only competitor in his group. Perhaps because he was in the 80-84 age group, Maurice Young, yes that was his name! If I’m still racing at his age, I’ll be pretty pleased.

Well, what a fantastic experience! Given the ongoing injury which is still loitering, not only am I a little surprised that I finished the race, but I was winning up until the last 5 minutes of the bike stage and managed to come away with 2nd place. Despite not being at my fittest for the race it has made me realise anything is possible. Fully fit, there’s real optimism for the future. Overcoming the injury has made me stronger and more determined. Some people may call it ‘bonkers’ running a total of 15km, jumping on a bike and cycling at speeds for 40km, but I love it. I love the challenge. And most of all love the satisfaction and sense of achievement post-race. I have made a lot of progress since last year but there is still more to do, especially on the bike. Onwards and upwards.

Time to get on top of this injury, no resting on my laurels. Next race, a triathlon. Swimming in Holme Pierrepont’s rowing lake at the Nottingham Sprint Triathlon at the end of May. Bring it on!