Team WhittleFit racing roundup - 25th & 26th November 2017

On a very cold weekend we had a couple of hardened WhittleFit athletes racing, lets see how they got on: 

• Bushey Park 10K: Tom Foster raced the Bushey Park 10K yesterday and led from start to finish in a new PB time! Great racing Tom, especially as this 10K was the day after a PB on your CP20 bike test (message us if you'd like to kow what a CP20 test is)!  

• Pembrey cyclocross: Tom Nesham raced cyclocross at Pembrey Country Park yesterday and had a great race. A poor start (dropped chain and bent hangar arm) was quickly put behind him (with the addition of a quick bike change) and Tom moved through the field to finish very strong. This race will stand Tom in good stead for the Welsh cyclocross champs in a couple of week’s time. 

Team WhittleFit racing roundup - 18th & 19th November 2017

 Some mixed results this weekend for our WhittleFit athletes, lets see how they got on: 

• Chilly Duathlon: Stuart made a late decision to race the DB Max Chilly Duathlon at the flat & fast Castle Combe racing circuit and finished in a creditable 24th position, well done Stuart!
• Brecon Beacons Ultra: Coach Henry completed the 46 mile ultra marathon on Saturday, running with friends Henry managed to finish in the top 100 on a very tough course. Well done Henry, that was one tough day in the office!
• Parc Bryn Bach cyclocross: Tom Nesham raced the Parc Bryn Bach yesterday and unfortunately finished with a DNF. Tom was in the top 5 but two punctures and running a lap with the bike on his shoulder meant that Tom was unable to finish. Unlucky racing for Tom, but these things happy in cyclocross racing.
• Droxford cyclocross: Tom Foster raced the Droxford cyclocross yesterday, and similar to Tom’s race, Tom suffered some mechanical issues. Tom managed to finish, not quite the result he wanted, but bodes well for next weeks Surrey cyclocross race.  

Team WhittleFit racing roundup - 11th & 12th November 2017

This weekend we had a few WhittleFit athletes racing, lets see how they got on: 

• Coed Y Brenin trail duathlon: Tom Nesham raced the Always Aim High Coed Y Brenin sprint trail duathlon this weekend and secured 1st place with a 12min victory, great end to the season Tom!
• Bath Hilly Half Marathon: Trevor Batey raced the Bath Hilly Half Marathon yesterday and came home in 9th place, securing a mug, a bottle of beer and half a carrot as prizes! Yes……half a carrot!
• EnduranceLife Gower Half Marathon: Paul Fairclough raced the very tough EnduranceLife Gower Half Marathon on Sunday and came home in a very creditable time of 2hr29, well done Paul! 

WhittleFit Athlete Spotlight: Darren Goswell

For November we focus our WhittleFit Athlete Spotlight on long course triathlete Darren Goswell. Darren is a personal trainer, coached by coach Lawrence, and targeted an Iron distance race in France for 2017; lets hear what Darren has to say about triathlon, soccer, working in a health spa and this years racing: 

• What got you started in multisport?
  • After spending a year in America coaching “soccer”, I returned home with some pretty banged up knees so figured I would give swimming a go. I had swimming lessons as a kid but never really stuck to it. I jumped in the pool for the first time and managed a measly 4 lengths, as competitive as I am I was embarrassed and frustrated. In this moment, I decided it would be a good idea to enter my first triathlon, an Olympic distance event in Portsmouth. The bit of extra motivation soon had me swimming sets of 400m, 800m and 1500m and I never looked back.
• How long have you been with WhittleFit?
  • I started training with Coach Lawrence last November and I have just started my second year with him.
• Tell us about your home and work life?
  • I work as a self employed personal trainer and sports coach, so my work-life balance is pretty healthy right now but hasn’t always been the case as previously I was a Spa Manager at a 5 star hotel which certainly came with a hefty work load and long hours. Thankfully now my job enables me to train, and maintain a healthy social life.
• What was your first race?
  • As I mentioned previously, I entered an Olympic distance events in 2013, but just before that I figured it would be a good idea to do a sprint which was in my home town of Reading. Good idea I did this, it would a huge learning experience, the swim in particular but that’s what Triathlon is all about.
• How many races have you done?
  • I’ve done several half marathons and a couple of marathons, I don’t tend to race much as I like to hold back an unleash on just a few events a year. I have completed 2 long distance events, crashed out on two and completed 3 half ironman events along with several other shorter distance multisport events.
• What advice would you give someone starting out in multisport?
  • Don’t be afraid to try, don’t be afraid to fail. There are so many events to get involved in, covering all sorts of distances. If you don’t like swimming, do a duathlon, if you don’t like cycling do a swim-run event…..so many options you just have to look for them. Multisport is all about trying to new thing in my opinion, and trial and error, if something doesn’t work for you, experiment and find something else.
• What is the most rewarding part racing endurance or multisport?
  • My head is telling me to type the large amount of food I can eat but I had better not put that as the top reason. I think the most rewarding part is when people appreciate the amount of work you have to put in to get yourself to a certain level of performance in not just one, but three disciplines. The camaraderie between athletes is always incredible to experience on a race day too.
• What is your biggest accomplishment so far?
  • After completing IM Wales in 2014, I thought it would be fairly plain sailing from then on, however I crashed on in the two years which followed. This year I decided to take myself out of the country and try my hand at IM Vichy, which proved to be fruitful. I managed a time that I was pleased with overall, and yet still left with several things I knew I could improve on. That said, dusting myself off and completing Vichy is my bigger accomplishment so far and has given me lots of motivation to complete Challlenge Roth and IM Vichy next year with flying colours.  

 Thank you Darren for your comments and congratulations on a great result at Ironman Vichy! You proved that training consistency coupled with structured, progressive training provides the platform for a successful race - very well done!