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On A Roll - Triathlon+ Interview

6th Jan 2015

Here's the full interview I did for Triathlon Plus in December (magazine version was edited down to 300 words).

Article in Triathlon Plus magazine January 2015

1. How did you get into triathlon in the first place?

I have always been a runner, but in 2008 I got injured and was limited to swimming and cycling to keep fit. A couple of friends persuaded to join Thames Valley Triathletes - I met so many new friends and enjoyed it so much I never went back to plain old running!

2. Had you been sporty in the past?

Yes, I loved all sports as a kid - my first ever sporting ambition was to play football for England in the World Cup! They didn’t even have a womens’ tournament in the 80’s and I remember crying myself to sleep how unfair it was!! I forgot about football when I joined my local athletics club at the age of 10, and this was the sport I stuck with until I discovered triathlon. It was always my ambition to get a GB vest as a runner but I wasn’t particularly talented as a youngster, and then university life got in the way!

3. What was your first triathlon like?

I had no idea what I was doing in my first race - I’d only entered it to motivate me to do the cross training! I stopped to eat a banana in T1 (after a 400m swim!) I had no idea about bike equipment – mix ‘n’ matching a road bike with MTB pedals and nothing aero whatsoever! I did get the fastest ladies run split though which was a massive shock as I’d never won a pure running race despite my many years of trying! That was the point where I thought with a bit of work - maybe I could do much better in triathlon than I ever had as a runner.

4. What things have brought you improvements over the years?

The biggest difference was actually getting guidance and coaching – I had never realised my potential as a runner as I didn’t really know how to train properly. I was doing the same things all year instead of periodizing. I was never able to do high mileage due to injury – but this was probably because I was doing everything at high intensity (= high injury risk!) without any base training.
I feel like I’m a world away from where I was 6 years ago and I’m still learning all the time. Everything from fuelling during events (I used to run ½ marathons taking on nothing!) to recovery techniques, strength & conditioning, getting proper bike fits, to being in tune with my body and recognising anything that doesn’t feel ‘right’ before it becomes an injury. While upgrading your bike and other equipment can lead to easy gains, it’s far more important to work on the ‘engine’!

5. How long have you been working with Jez, your coach?

We have been working together over a year now, although he has only been my permanent coach since the start of this summer. But good progress has been made already and I’m excited about next year!

6. What changes did he make to the way you work?

His plan is much more of a long term plan and I can see progression of the sessions. One of the first things we did was a bike fit on my MTB which I’ve never done before – wish I had done it from the outset! Almost all my training is done on the mountain bike now - fortunately I am supported by Mountain Trax so they are currently working out how I can adapt the MTB for winter fitness sessions on the road. The idea is to still be able to keep up with the fast guys on road bikes!
Jez also seems to have a good understanding how my mind works. If it wasn’t for our discussions, I would have never had the belief in myself as an athlete to hand in my notice at work (after 11 years full time as a computer programmer) and go for it as a full time Pro!

7. What made you decide to race XTERRA this year?

I’ve been wanting to try it for a few years, but this year everything just seemed to fall into place. I had been accepted for the Pro start list at Xterra England, and around the same time met Xterra legend Sam Gardner. We did quite a few rides together and his enthusiasm convinced me to enter Xterra Malaysia where he was also racing. I had no real idea what I was letting myself in for, it was a much greater adventure challenge than any of the off-road events I’d done before! But I finished 5th overall - and was invited to race Pro for the rest of the tour. It was far too exciting a prospect to turn down!

8. What are the hardest lessons you've learned from it?

Purely that the races are far tougher than I expected! On paper, the distances of 1500m swim / 30k mountain bike / 11k run sounds no harder than Olympic distance on the road. But sometimes there is a vertical mile of climbing on the bike route… followed by an equal mile of descent, sliding sideways down steep banks of mud! There can be stream crossings, rock gardens and steep scrambles climbing up with the bike on your shoulder! The run can be just as technical - climbing through fallen trees or hopping fields of boulders. These have all been tough challenges coming from more of a road cycling / track running background.

9. How does it feel to be racing as a pro?

I still have to pinch myself at times! This is a lifelong ambition for me, and it sounds like a cliché but it really is living the dream.
I guess the harder you’ve had to work for something the more you value it. There is definitely nothing easy or glamorous about it, but I have no regrets!

10. What have been your biggest highlights of the 2014 season?

I’d have to say my three top-5 Xterra results in Malaysia, Greece and Sweden. I underperformed massively at the World Champs in Hawaii, so it was also nice to end the season on a high winning the National Off-road Duathlon Champs last weekend.

11. Would I be right in saying some of your family also race tri? What's it like having a shared interest in the sport, and how do they feel about your successes?

Yes, both my parents have taken up duathlon / triathlon - after coming to watch me in various Age Group Championships! They were inspired by the athletes their own age or even older – thinking if they can do it… why can’t we?! It was initially just my dad but eventually mum was ‘coerced’ into it too!
It’s pretty cool getting to race abroad together – dad and I raced the World Tri in Auckland 2 years ago, and all 3 of us raced the World Duathlon in Pontevedra this year. That came in pretty handy with mum being the same size as me – I had to borrow her trisuit as I only had the old GB kit. So it was a rather quick changeover after the end of her wave before start of mine!
I know they are proud of my successes. We were always brought up to value doing our best, whether that meant coming first or last. But it’s nice to be rewarded for all the hard work!

12. What are your multisport plans for next year?

My main goals are the ITU and ETU Offroad world championships. And I’ll definitely be continuing with Xterra. Hopefully in the USA - as well as returning to a few of my favourite races from the European Tour.