Coached Athlete Review…Beth is not only going to Kona next season, she also has Roth to contend with. Now that’s going to be a 2025 season not to forget. Read about how she qualified, all the PB’s she got this season and what other events she does as preparation, including a Hyrox fitness race.
I started the year out with the Hyrox games in a pair. Not the usual start to the year but it was nice to do something that was a change, particularly before we got into the heavy race season, and I enjoyed the experience a lot!
February brought with it two 5 mile races: the first should have been fast and flat but I felt pretty slow and groggy – I think I put too much pressure on the result. The second was trail and this lack of pressure worked much to my favour and I had a much better race and far better performance here.
March included 2 half marathons. Again (trust me, there’s a pattern), the first was fast and flat and was a guaranteed easy PB…or so I thought. Again, I felt pretty heavy and slow and whilst I got a PB (yay!), it wasn’t as comfortably done as I thought it should be. I then found out I had covid and spent a week feeling pretty ill. Despite still feeling unwell, I went to the next half marathon to just see how recovered I was. It was hilly, windy and had lots of 180 degree turns in it and so, on paper, was a FAR slower route. And I was only 20 seconds slower. This was proof to me that I was definitely improving in my running ability, even if my races to date weren’t able to show this.
Next up was the Challenge tri camp – fantastic as always and great to have a week to focus on improved fitness, and to finish it off with the Mallorca 312 (the 167) with my Dad. I felt this also displayed the increased fitness I had. Whilst I wasn’t racing it, it was nice to see how the distance and elevation felt manageable, even after a long, hard week of training.
Quick recovery from the camp and it was into Outlaw middle distance. The swim here was the first time in my time racing triathlon that I actually got it right. I came in in a time that felt like it showed what I could do, and I was out of transition and on my bike faster than I dreamt I could be. Unfortunately, it seems the start of a chest infection meant that I spent the rest of the day feeling pretty rough and struggling to hang in there (not aided by the fact that I lost my water bottle in the first mile of the bike leg). Again, I still managed a PB, just not the result I wanted, expected, nor felt my training results deserved. Another demonstration that things were definitely improving, and I was fitter and faster than ever before, just seemingly unable to prove it on race day.
I had a flurry of adventures. I did the Great North Swim (choppy, tough but a nice bit of fun), I rode up Mount Ventoux and the Col D’Eze (loved it – great experience!) and headed down to Wales to do the Long Course Weekend, in an attempt to recce the course for IM Wales. This was the first true display of race fitness that I had shown. I had a swim result I was happy with given the more than choppy swim conditions, I was super happy with my bike time, despite not feeling like I went out too hard, and successfully managed a marathon PB at the end. This I was especially happy with, as it was at the end of a big weekend of training/racing, and had an elevation gain over 2,000ft, so not an easy one.
Finally, it was the main event; IM Wales. Here, I had a disaster of a swim (mind games, not fitness), a fantastic ride (I loved it, felt I rode well, took on good nutrition and made the most of the atmosphere that Wales had to offer in spades!) and had a good run to finish the day off. I came in in the time I was happy with, and to top off a great weekend, got myself a place for Kona next year!
Since then, I have done a half marathon at Goodwood and a 7 mile fell race in Lathkill. Both low pressure ways to keep my brain focused and body sharp – even if it does have other ideas about that happening, for now.
So, lows: I have been disappointed to feel that many times this year, I have not performed as well as my training has suggested I should. I have missed the mark on times and battled with illness on and off a lot at the beginning of the year and it was starting to become very frustrating.
But, highs: mentally, I know how much I have come on. I am absorbing training loads I never thought I could, feeling mentally prepared going into races and feeling I know exactly what I’m doing as I go into each race. Physically, despite some disappointments, I cannot complain at all. Thanks to Brent and Challenge Tri Camp, in 2024, I’ve:
Finished 7th in LCW Wales, 5km PB, half marathon PB, half Ironman PB, marathon PB, qualified for Team GB for Aquabike, finished 9th lady in a half marathon, and qualified for Kona.
Next year will be huge but I have absolute faith that I am in safe hands and will achieve great results, as long as I stick to the training, do as I’m told and stay consistent.
Thanks again Team!
Coached Athlete Beth Eardley
