European Sprint Duathlon champion 2022!

Went to Bilbao with bike, double buggy, two children, toys, bedding, baby monitors, clothing, bike kit, beach kit, sparkly unicorns, the kitchen sink,  you name it. Came back with all these things and a shiny gold medal! I can hardly believe it. 

In truth, I’m not entirely sure what outcome I expected going into the European Sprint Duathlon Championships in Bilbao, or what result I would have been happy with, but it’s safe to say that the gold medal was not something I had entertained as a realistic target. Maybe I could have dared to dream I could sneak a bronze if I got lucky on the day, but to better my silver from the Europeans in 2017, when I was footloose, child-free, not sleep-deprived and knackered, my weekly training volume was around 3 times more than it is now and when recovery was actually a thing too, well, it’s just not something I would have thought achievable given my current circumstances.

-      My second child is NOT a sleeper. She is 19 months old and has never once slept through the night (save just the one random night at about 8 weeks old)

-      I never allow my sport to come before my children, so I make sure my training sessions don’t go over the hour as I just feel bad for being apart from them for any longer than that

-      My second child still breastfeeds 6 times a day, so being apart from her for long periods is not an option

These are all very much my choices and so the fact that I was able to win the gold despite not prioritising training for this event to the extent I would have done in my pre-baby days just makes this race outcome all the more special.

And the championships were sooooooo amazing. Spain really know how to put on an event and to do it slickly, professionally but also with a party atmosphere. The course was fantastic, with the runs taking you in front of the Guigenheim and even running through the iconic spider installation outside it: quite a novelty! The bike suited me perfectly as it was hilly – basically 1000ft up over the first 10k, then 1000ft down over the second 10k. It was a draft legal bike race but drafting on a hill isn’t always feasible as you find that riders are either climbers and so don’t need the benefit of a draft, or they are powerhouses for the flat and so get dropped quickly on any hill. I am most definitely a climber! I was lying in second after the first 5k run, 15 seconds off the pace. On paper, the girl I was trailing is by far a better runner than me, having recently run several sub 18 minute 5ks. I haven’t broken 19 minutes since 2016 so to be only 15 seconds adrift after the 5k run was far better than I would have predicted. I caught her early on on the bike, on the short flat section out of the city, and latched onto her wheel. We were very evenly matched on the bike, both on the flat, uphill and downhill section. At the final dead turn on the course, less than 1km from dismounting for T2, we were still together, so I knew I had to push on now to make a break as if it came down to the run, I’d be running for silver, not gold. I got a gap and a faster T2 gave me a 30 second lead heading out onto the final 2.7k run. 

Run by the river

Bike course

The hilly but stunning bike course from the fenicular

I always run well off a bike, despite having done no brick sessions in training like I used to. The jelly legged feeling initially was ghastly – I haven’t competed at a triathlon or a duathlon since 2019 so it’s a feeling I’m simply not used to! – but I trusted that it would wear off and I would soon establish a rhythm. 2.7k is not much time to hang on, even if you’re knackered, so you just have to dig in. In truth, I was hurting. I am not used to pushing my body these days. I haven’t raced multisport for 3 years and even though I do frequent parkruns and occasional trail races, I never go “all in” at them, so I mentally geared myself up to embrace the pain, knowing that I’d need to commit fully from the gun and accept that yes it will hurt, but it is a short-lived hurt compared to the everlasting rewards that come with victory. When things get tough and I find myself wanting to back off I go to my manta “no one wants this more than me” and find that helps me refocus, regroup and push on again. 

I was pretty confident I was in contention for a medal on that final run as I’d only seen about 4 or 5 females ahead of me on the dead-turns on the bike course and I knew that some of those were in much younger age groups. Crossing the line to be announced as the 35-39 category winner (6th female overall out of all age groups) was a win for me but also for my children, my husband and my parents who all support me in pursuing my sporting interests. It was extra special to share the win with my children and to hopefully inspire them, even though they were both fast asleep in their buggy when I crossed the line! They did watch, cheer, wave flags and ring cowbells to support me on the course though and they looked super cute in their #Dom-squad support crew tees I had made for them!

Blue carpet finish line feels

Dom-squad support crew

Golden girl! Podium moment

We made a holiday of the event and stayed for a full week in a lovely apartment just outside of Bilbao in Getxo, just 5 minutes from two absolutely stunning beaches. The weather was perfect, the food delicious (and cheap!), and so we were able to enjoy 5 days as a family afterwards.

 

The amazing beach in Getxo just 5 mins walk from our apartment

The iconic Guigenheim and spider that we ran under on the run

View of city from top of the bike course

I have to stress that this victory is also dedicated to my amazing physio and sponsor, Nigel Wilman of Honiton Physio. I am injury prone, always have been, but the birth of my second child absolutely obliterated my body and left me unable to walk. When I limped, wincing in pain, into Nigel’s treatment room in March 2020, a month after giving birth, still in agony with my hip semi-dislocating itself with every step, I could not have dreamed that competitive sport just over a year later would have been possible. At that time I would just have taken being able to walk pain free so I could push a buggy and enjoy time outdoors with my toddler. It is all down to Nigel’s expertise and knowledge that I found myself physically in a position to be able to compete on an international stage once again. I cannot thank him or recommend him enough.

Thank you Nigel and Honiton Physio for skillfully fixing my broken parts!

And next? Well, my body is pretty knackered but I am gearing up to go again this coming Sunday at the Thruxton Mass Attack Duathlon which is a qualifying race for the 2023 World Duathlon Championships in Ibiza. Truth be told, I am not mentally raring to race, but I figure I just need to do enough to qualify (top 4 in age group) and I don’t need to go all out and win it to achieve that goal. Then after that I am having a break from the bike for a bit as winter cycling isn’t my thing and I just want to enjoy some low-key trail races for a bit with no pressure. Then we will reassess plans in the New Year.