OK, it’s time to think about racing again. I bring this up for a couple of reasons. One, the final GB qualifying race for this year’s Olympic Distance ITU World Triathlon Championships has been announced. Two, the dates for the 2013 Zone 3 London League events have been confirmed. Lastly, you really need to start putting your high, mid and low priority races into your training plan if you have not done so already.
The third and final qualifying race will take place on July 13 and 14 in Liverpool. This will double as the British Triathlon Championships. Entries are not yet open. If you would like more details take a look at this link. I have not yet heard of anyone from the club trying to qualify for GB to compete in the Sprint Distance ITU World Triathlon Championships. If you are interested, take a look at the Nottingham Triathlon, the Bristol Harbourside Triathlon and the Llandudno Sea Triathlon. It looks like the Bristol Harbourside Triathlon may be sold out already.
Check out this link for the dates of the Zone 3 London League events. The first race, the Thames Turbo Triathlon on April 1st, normally sells out pretty quickly so get your entries in. The Dragon Slayer Duathlon on April 14th is a great event and a real test of your fitness on a purpose built criterium bike circuit with an off-road run to finish. For those of you saying ‘It’s too short, I’m a long distance athlete’ you can always bike there and back if you like for a little extra training. That is the beauty of most of the London League events. They are easy to get to, well run and cheap to enter. The Kingfisher Duathlon is on April 21st. It is a really fun race race that suits those with a relatively strong run. It clashes with our training camp but if you are not on the training camp I would encourage you to sign up because it is a very cool 9km trail run. I would love to see us on the podium this year and I honestly think we can be if we support these races well enough.
Don’t be shy about signing up for these races. The more support we get to the event the better the event becomes. These may not be your high priority races for this season but they can be a great way to practise your race skills, both mental and technical, and can add a little intensity into your training schedule. I had my best season when I took part in the majority of the London League races.
I have already signed up for the North Norfolk Triathlon on September 8th. This will again be one of my high priority races. We need to get that shield back! I hope most of you will join me again for a fantastic weekend away which will include a recce of the course, a fantastic race in picturesque Wells-Next-The-Sea and fish and chips post race on the quayside!
If the first video wasn’t enough to get you excited about racing, here’s Macca to give you a little motivation because I know Macca excites some of you (Eh Seb?)!
See you on Tuesday. It’s our ‘hill repeats’ night. We’ll meet at Well St Common as usual but feel free to meet us on the top of the Mile End overbridge at 7:15pm if you prefer to leave your kit and bikes at Mile End Stadium. Tim (LFTC Coach).