A quick update on the triathlon related world of Kerry Rough.
Last Saturday I found out that I have qualified for my age group for the ETU Triathlon Championships for the Sprint Distance. I was totally made up with this news over the weekend whilst I was away with some good friends at Centre Parcs in Nottingham's Sherwood Forest. It was certainly a reason to celebrate. I was really pleased with my efforts at Grendon and I now have a full year to think about the race and get myself into good enough shape (it's not until June 2013) for Turkey. I have already made a couple of friends through this and look forward to getting to know more people in the run up to the event.
This last Sunday also saw the culmination of some hard work towards my BTF Level One coaching course. Sunday was made up of a 5.30am start to drive from Sherwood Forest and abandoning my friends to take an exam in St Albans and then stand about (or rather cycle about) for three hours in the bloody cold (why couldn't this warmer weather come earlier!) and then complete my workbook. I was pleased to find that I had passed the assessment, having completed a 15 minute session on cornering, which was pretty nerve racking as I have not had much cycling coaching experience. It was good though to take part on the course and again I have met some lovely people and hope to spot them again at some races soon! I am now just awaiting the final results of the exam which I took.
Having some good news in my own triathlon world is great, however these past two weeks have been pretty testing for the GB Triathlon Squad. It was great to watch Helen Jenkins and Johnny Brownlee last weekend testing themselves at San Diego, one of the original homes of tri and it was brilliant to watch the other athletes be blown out of the water. However it was a shame that not having made the podium, the criteria for the GB athletes meant that they will now play a part in the Olympic teams as domestiques rather than actual medal contenders in London. This to me seems a bit unfair, however that's the criteria that was set for them. Even worse is that they have yet to finalise the teams, again making this rather stressful for all of our guys and girls wanting to make the team. Surely they all need to start working and training together in order to figure out their strategy?
Anyway, in other tri news it was a shame to hear about Hollie Avil's retirement at the age of 22. I have been following her progress since |I began triathlon and it seems quite an abrupt end to her career. That girl has bags of talent and to have a coaches words play such an influence in her mind and to play a part in the end of her career in sport has really shook the tri world. Having listened to her brave and painfully honest interview yesterday, I had to give her credit for coming out and admitting her problems> it has taken the media world by storm though.
Good luck to her in what she chooses next, however I think a return to tri in her latter years is not entirely off the table yet being so young.
Whats next for me then? Well a return trip to Chester this weekend to visit my parents and to participate in the Nantwich Triathlon, of which it will be their first ever triathlon too! It will be exciting to watch and support them through their first ever event. I hope that the weather sticks around, it has been so lovely this week so far.
Just about to get on the bike now, training is going well and I think that this year will defiantly be a successful year. Fingers crossed! :)
Happy Training
Kerry
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