"One Word . . . Gutted"  (20/7/2010)

So, it’s Saturday morning and I have just come back from a lovely run in Hyde
Park, the course is set up, and running around with the Dextro Energy banners up, and all the marshals out, gives me such a thrill!

The weeks preparation has been great, I got such a huge confidence boost from last weekends win. Knowing that I am swimming, cycling and running well going into a race is such a great feeling, but this weekends field I knew would be the toughest to date, but hey ho, that is what makes the race!

So, my journey to London started off with me driving down to Stuarts parents house on Thursday morning, ready for the race briefing at 5pm. There was a GB team meeting and dinner at 6.45pm, after the race briefing but with me and Stuart not being able to afford another nights accommodation, it would have been silly not to just go back to his parents house and chill there.
Don’t get me wrong, I am so proud to be part of the GBR team, and it fills me with pride to have GBR on my chest when I race, but I am not part of the British Triathlon Squad. They do not fund me, they do not help or support me, so I didn’t want to sit around a table with these people, when I could go and have dinner with Michelle, Stuart and the rest of Team Dillon.
Without getting into too much detail, words were exchanged between myself and the BTF, which I will not go into at this time. However, I will say, I did get very upset but Michelle soon sorted me out. This just proves, yet again, what a great support I have around me with Team Dillon and my family. I know these people believe in me and will be with me all the way to 2012 and beyond.
On the other hand, as always, there are some people who I feel don’t want to help or support me, and just seem to just want to make things difficult and try to put things in my way. This is just my feelings at the moment, and I hope I don’t feel this way forever.
I would like to point out that, I am not using what happened on Thursday night as an excuse for my performance on Saturday, it just wasn’t my day, but it did make me feel so angry afterwards.

Moving on, after my training was done on Friday morning we moved into the hotel, which was so close I could throw a brick from window and it would land right into Hyde Park!! Carrie, the accommodation was perfect; cheap, close location, and big rooms, and I can tell you, in London, this is hard to find! THANKS SIS.

Race Day
So, race morning, after I got back from my little morning run with Michelle, it was time to chill out and watch TV, have a quick look on facebook and pass some time, the sun was out, lovely and warm already, and London WCR is awaiting.

I felt great in the swim warm up, and was really ready to race, was in a good mind set, and not too nervous, going onto the pontoon I wasn’t in the best position, ranked number 37 meant I was placed in the middle of the pontoon, but I wasn’t too far away from Laura Bennett, and was right next to Annabel
Luxford. The swim started, and I was going fine until the first buoy and then
Things started to change, I have to say this was the worst swim I have ever been in, going around the first buoy I got absolutely battered!!! I was being pulled left right and centre and just couldn’t move anywhere. I panicked slightly, probably down to lack of oxygen then eventually managed to get around the first buoy, this is where the battle really commenced, I had to try and get myself back into a decent rhythm, so I was swimming down the outside in an attempt to swim up, I was making some ground but with the girls up front really pushing the pace, it was always going to be hard, I tried swimming through on the next lap, and did but just couldn’t make enough ground on the main girls.

Into and out of T1, I was fine and as I looked up, I saw Nicola Spirig just in front, I thought to myself great someone to work with to get up to the main field, but there was this shiny material on the floor, which I found out after was Skins branding which I slipped on. My bike went from underneath me, and I skidded across the floor, it was quite a good skid, and I’ve not got a lovely cut on my elbow and leg, and a cracking graze up all the left side of my body and my back, great!!! I jumped straight back on my bike and tried to bridge the gap, but I ended up being left in the jokers pack, who didn’t want to do any work apart from a couple of athletes. I said to myself I wish Lisa Norden would of come out the water with me, because I think she would of done her bit on the bike and we would have been able to bridge the gap, but it was too late, by the time she caught up to our pack, my legs were already blowing red and I think hers were too.

We went onto the run 1 minute 40ish seconds down and I all I could do was run as hard as I could. I felt like I was sprinting all the way, I caught
a few girls that were in the front pack and I finished 2nd out of the jokers pack,
with Barbara Riveros beating me. I did not enjoy racing for 25th place, it was not fun on the bike, but that’s racing I suppose.

So onwards and upwards now, I have the London triathlon in 2 weeks time, so I’m looking forward to that. I know I am in good form at the moment, and to not show that at the Hyde Park WCSR was disappointing, but I’ve got to move on now to the next one.

I just want to say a huge thank you to all my family and friends that came down to support me over the weekend, it was great having you all there, and also to all the support from the crowd, London 2012 will be awesome!!