Leading up to the wedding, I had a couple of races which I was going to do more for fun than anything else. As the wedding approached, so the training decreased and weight came on a bit. At the National Relay champs I was fully aware that our best chance of doing anything was just to concentrate on the bike section and see where we can get our team at the end of that...with none of us being 15-16 minute 5k runners, we were never going to be in contention after the bike. Still, we did have fun and I was pleased to see that I started the run (I was first out of the team of 4) at the same time as the pro outfit of Planet X that including an ex world champ. They quickly ran away from us, but it was good while it lasted.
A couple of weekends after that. we had the last in the Thames Turbo sprint series for the season. I was not in contention for an overall prize this season so I was not overly bothered with how well I was going to do. I was keen to have a good ride, but other than that, I knew I had not put the time in so shouldn't expect too much. My swim was a bit slower than normal but out on the bike, I actually felt quite good. I was riding well but then got caught by the lights for the maximum amount of time and on the way back into Hampton I had a bit of a nightmare with cars, buses and other competitors causing a bit of a tailback that I ended up getting stuck behind for a bit....all rather annoying, but I suppose it is to be expected on that course. One day I will get a perfect run on that course!
Out on the run, things didn't feel too bad, but I knew that I was just not really going as fast as I should be if I wanted a good time. Still, my time was not bad considering the recent training etc. I was pleased to see that I eventually finished 3rd in a pretty decent field, so not a bad day out really.
Whilst I was away on the honeymoon, I also decided that it would be for the best if I pulled out of the 70.3 World Champs as well. The cost of getting to Florida and the fact that I had not even booked anything yet, meant I would be spending a lot of money to put in a sub-par performance. The honeymoon was great, but I put on some weight and my gradual reduction in fitness over the past couple of months and the 6 weeks between then and the Worlds would have not been enough to get to a place of fitness which I felt would justify all the expense. Next year...
