Date: March 31st, 2025
March kicked off with some fast, race-specific sessions to get me ready for my first event of the season: the East Fortune Duathlon in Edinburgh. As race week approached, I reduced my training volume but maintained intensity to stay sharp without accumulating fatigue. I also scaled back my strength and conditioning work, sticking to just bodyweight movements.
The day before the race, I travelled down to Edinburgh with my dad so I could have a relaxed morning instead of being crammed in the car right before racing. On race mornings, I usually stick to something light so my stomach doesn’t get upset—scrambled eggs and Weetabix did the trick this time. Meanwhile, my dad tucked into a full Scottish breakfast right in front of me. It smelled amazing, and I couldn’t resist sneaking one of his hash browns.
After breakfast, I watched a bit of the World Surf League event in Portugal, then we headed to the venue around 11:30. Once we arrived, I registered and changed into my new Scotland Next Gen trisuit. For my warm-up, I ran 2 km with my friend Rory, followed by drills and strides about 15 minutes before the start.
The race format was a 5 km run, 20 km bike, and 2.5 km run. I kept the first run fast but controlled to avoid burning out later, finishing in around 16:12. After a smooth transition, I hopped on the bike. I started off in a small group that quickly bridged up to the main chase pack, chasing four strong riders out front. The bike course was flat with one sharp corner that triggered regular surges. I averaged 39.5 km/h at just 215 watts—proof I did a good job staying sheltered in the group.
The second run started fast, but I tightened up midway and lost a few places. In the end, I finished 12th, which I was happy with. One of my coach’s friends was watching and spotted a small flaw in my running form, so I spent the following week working on that. It was a tough week as I felt a bit fatigued from the race, but I took a few easy days before doing some short, sharp sessions to prep for the weekend’s event: the British Triathlon Super Series Performance Assessments in Nottingham.
BSS Performance Assessments weekend.
This weekend I competed in the British Triathlon super series performance assessments near Nottingham. The event consisted of a 400m swim on the Saturday, followed by a bike/run race set off according to swim time on Sunday. I was feeling confident leading into the swim as I had been swimming well in training. I ended up swimming 4:36 which I was pleased with.
The bike/run took place at Kendrew Barracks on a runway which led to really exposed and windy conditions. My swim put me near the front for the start so I was able to catch the leaders really quickly on the bike. The strong winds allowed me and two other strong cyclists to get away, gaining a 20 second advantage on the chasing pace over the 10km course. I had a quick t2 and managed to get out fast onto the run. The first half of the run was strong, fighting for second place then my hamstrings tightened up dropping me to third.
Really pleased with my result starting the super series with a podium, but now it is time to focus on my exams before round 2 in Llanelli, Wales.
