It’s been a while since I last wrote a blog, so I thought I would give you an update on what I’ve done and how things are going. During the lockdown, the focus of my training had a big change. Rather than doing a mixture of aerobic and anaerobic sessions, my training switched to almost entirely aerobic work. This meant that my mileage increased and my aim was to build a solid aerobic base that I could build on over Winter and use during next year. Alongside this training, my club, Team Bodyworks held weekly zoom calls. These were very beneficial as not only did it give us a chance to catch up with the rest of the squad, it also gave us key opportunities to learn as many of the calls had guests on. These guests included professionals, ex-professionals, and leaders in select fields. One of the best talks I think we had came from Andy Jameson, an Olympic medallist in swimming and now a leader in major banking firms whilst also being a sports commentator and commentating on 8 Olympic Games so far. He talked to us about the benefits of visualisation and having coping strategies.
During the easing of the lockdown, I started doing a few time trials and some testing to see where my fitness was and to see what needed improving. I was surprised at how in shape I was and i produced a few PB’s and found myself not far off PB’s. The first time trial I did was the England Athletics virtual 5km Champs. This was a tough race, and I messed my up my pacing, going out too hard. I finished with 15:19, which was a considerable amount of time off my PB, but I wasn’t expecting to run fast considering the type of training I had been doing. A week after this I also did a 1500m TT this time on the track. Again my pacing was off and it was quite a windy day, but I recorded another PB of 4.08. Nothing special but again considering the circumstances I was quite pleased with the time.
After these TTs, my training changed a little and I started adding a few small sessions in, nothing major, but it was nice to start going hard again, even if the reps were just short.
The next time trial I had was a 3km on the road. I was feeling in much better shape for this one after doing a few sessions and was looking forward to it. I ran quite well and only faded in the final few hundred meters, recording a time of 8.38 which was a big PB.
Around this time I also received news that races in France were going ahead and that there would be no more high level racing in the UK. This news was a bit annoying, but I was happy I would at least be able to get some high-level races in this year, even if they were in France.
I will write about how these went in my next blog!
I will be heading back to Eastbourne soon, and I can’t wait to be back training with the squad, it has been very missed!
I currently don’t have any more races planned, so at the moment I am just looking forward to getting back into some tough sessions and hopefully some cross races soon.
Thanks, Hamish
I stayed in the front pack for the first lap and tried to stay out of the wind as much as possible. After the first lap, the pace slowed slightly and everyone bunched up. We were nearing the long hill at the back of the course and I knew this was going to be a key moment in the race. I positioned myself on the inside just before the hill, meaning I had space to move so I could get the best line. As soon as we hit the hill there was a surge in pace and the group quickly splintered. Halfway up the hill, the group had quartered in size to around 6 of us with one person just ahead. By the top of the hill, I found myself in 4th place, around 10m behind the leader and with 5 other strong runners. This part of the course was very challenging with sticky mud covering the whole course. Every step I took I would just sink into the mud and have to drag myself through it. We then had to negotiate another hill caped in sticky mud. I was still in 4th place but there were now two people just in front of the group of 3 I was in. 
I was starting to struggle now, the mud was sapping energy every stride I took. However, I knew I had to try and close the gap to the leaders. Towards the top of the hill, I pushed on and we entered into the extra loop. This loop was flat and fairly dry, meaning the pace increased. I had managed to drop the two in the group and I was now focusing on closing the gap. 
I came out the loop in 3rd, I hadn’t managed to close the gap but I had put in some distance between myself and 4th place. We now had around 800m to the finish, and I really started to push on. The last 400m or so was all up a gradual hill with long grass and more mud. The gap behind continued to grow and this time I was closing on 2nd. Sadly I had left it just too late, but I crossed the line in 3rd place, just 3 seconds off 2nd! Everyone else in the Kent team also had really strong races and we ended coming first in the Team race! I was so shocked to finish 3rd at the British Champs, but I knew i had had my best race. I had prepared really well for the race, so I was extremely pleased with the work and to finally get the result I knew I was capable of.
The camp was great and was really good to see progress and know that the hard work is really starting to pay off, especially with my swimming, where we did a 400m TT and I got a 16 second PB!
I also got to try out my new wetsuit after the mishap in Jersey. Yonda were kind enough to send me a brand new Ghost II along with a few other things. I absolutely loved it, it provided enough bouyancy in the sea and I loved how the neoprene wasn’t restricting the movement of my arms. I also wore the Yonda Hydro Glides (Yonda’s Polarised open water goggles). These are honestly the best polarised goggles I have used, they fit my face perfectly and gave me a clear view at all times, without fogging up.
This meant the race would be hard, and at an ideal pace for me to get a PB over 5km. I arrived at an overcast Goodwood Motor circuit with the idea of running sub 15minutes. This would mean having to run around 2:57/km. I knew I was capable of doing this, after my good result at Southerns and hitting all the right times on the track during training. Again I had another really good start and was in the front pack straight away. I settled down into the middle of the group and felt as though I was cruising. The first km past quickly and we went through in 2:53, KM 2 slowed down and we went through in 2:58, still well up on pace. By now the front group had whittled down slightly, but I was still feeling strong. The pace picked up again this time doing a 2:55 3rd KM, going through 3km in a total time of 8:50. I started to feel it in the legs at around 3.5km, but I kept head strong and didn’t let this phase me, passing through the 4th km in 3:03. The final KM was very tough, all up hill and exposed in the wind. I dug deep, really wanting to break 15 minutes and finished the 5km in 14:46 unofficially! I was really pleased with this and am looking to see what time I can time I can do in an official 5km race and maybe one even on the track.
The main reason for the move, besides the academics, is the amazing triathlon club down here in Eastbourne. I have been lucky enough to be able to join Bodyworks triathlon club. Bodyworks is a triathlon performance centre and a British Triathlon Satellite Centre, which has world-class athletes and is lead by Glenn Cook – who has been the head coach and coached multiple Olympic Teams. With this wealth of knowledge and elite athletes training alongside me, I hope to further progress in the sport. Getting used to the new school has been tricky, but so far I am loving it, it has awesome facilities and some great people here.
I caught up and for the first half of the bike, we worked well together, closing the gap to the lead group to just 13 seconds. 
However, from here the group just stopped working and we failed to bridge the gap. The seconds kept rising and by the time we hit T2 the gap had grown to over 30 seconds. I had a dreadful T2 and came out last from our group. I had lots of work to do and set off running hard. I instantly started overtaking people, and I was feeling really good. By the third and final lap, I was in 10th place, but it was around here that I started to hurt. I tried pushing on but I was overtaken just before the finish and had to settle for 11th overall, and 5th GB junior. This was enough to secure the overall win, which I was super pleased with and a great high to finish off my best ever domestic season.
I started overtaking people and made my way up the field, at this stage I was feeling quite good. However, after the short first bike, we came back to transition for the run. At this stage, I was starting to heat up, and by the time I started running, I wasn’t feeling good. 
Back into transition and back on the bike we went. This was where it went downhill, I started slipping back and was now starting to really overheat. I lost concentration and went down on a slippy roundabout. But luckily not much pain as I was padded by the wetsuit! Finally, it was time for the last run, by this time I had lost all hopes for a good position and could only think about getting out of my wetsuit. 
I eventually finished coming home in 20th, which isn’t too bad considering! Overall the rest of the weekend was really good, and I managed to get into the athletes after-party and have dinner with all the pros, which was great to find out more information. 
Straight onto the bike and I found myself instantly chasing after seeing what was the lead group form just up the road. 
I caught the group just before the first dead turn of the race. The group started riding quite slow, but I didn’t want this to happen as there was a solo rider who had gone on his own. I wanted to catch this guy as he was the Youth Olympic champion and I knew we couldn’t let him get away.
launched an attack, and 4 of us got away. We worked well together and built up a 30-second gap heading into transition. By this time our breakaway was only 3 people, me, a New Zealand, and a Danish athlete. 
I had a swift transition and was straight onto the heels of the Kiwi. We instantly dropped the Danish athlete and settled into a quick pace. By lap 2 of 3, I started dropping off the leader and couldn’t run any faster.
I tried holding my own pace and settled back into a good rhythm, but behind me, some fast runners were coming through. With around half a kilometre to go, I was overtaken by a very fast running Swedish athlete. 
This meant I dropped back into 3rd place. I kept pushing all the way to the line and managed to take a bronze medal at my first ever European Cup! 
This is definitely one of my best ever results, considering I still have 2 years left in this age group and I beat a lot of people who have got some very good results.
I had a great time in Seville, learning lots of new things I could take into my own training. We did some solid sessions and I’m looking forward to going back again sometime soon.
