Feel good, race good! Feel shite, race good!

Now 14th isn’t the best result by any stretch of the imagination. I never enter a race expecting to be pleased with a 14th position, but on a day where I felt ‘shite’ I am content with how I raced.

“Feel good, race good! Feel shite, race good!” J. Turner 2014.

No excuses though – I travelled well and felt pretty good in the days leading into the race, I just felt a little flat during the race.

As with the previous 2 WTS races (Auckland & Cape Town) my swim was only just awarded a pass mark. I had to work hard through T1 and the first bit on the bike to make sure I was in on the front group. I know with a bit of work my swim will seem comfortable again, but at the moment I have just been a little off in the water lately. As with Cape Town, it’s pleasing to have an off day in the water but still manage to cling onto the back of the lead group. I guess I can thank all those 4:30am starts as a 12 year old for that.

A lead group of 14 immerged on the bike and I was quick to lend a hand and do my share of the work. Unfortunately not everyone was willing to do the same and within 3 laps of the bike (9 laps total) we were caught by close to 30 athletes. On a pretty technical course like Yokohama it was important to stay near the front – which is what I managed to do.

Tom Davidson and a few others were looking to hurt some of the boys through and out of the corners (which I’m sure they did – myself included). I came into T2 in the top handful, put my shoes on as quickly as possible and headed out on the run.

Like I said I was feeling pretty flat throughout the race so I didn’t want to go out too hard and blow to smithereens by the six-kilometre mark on the run. After three-kilometres I picked it up a little and tried to close the gap to a group of 4 athletes running for the 10th spot. I got so close with 2.5km to go but then the group surged away again. I held my position of 14th from 3km into the run till the end.

A 14th, 6th and a 3rd in the first 3 races of the series I am sitting 4th on the WTS ranking.

I am now in my home of Vitoria for the next 4 months. Its awesome to be back and I cant wait for the warmer weather to arrive.

A busy few weeks with a French GP this weekend, the 4th WTS race in London the following week and then another French GP the week after that. After that I’ll have some down time from racing as I hit a big 6 weeks of training before the Comm Games.