I had decided with my coach, Mark, not to taper for this race as it was not a priority. We wanted to see where I am and prepare for my first Triathlon race of the year which is in a couple of weeks.
Heading Into the Brighton 10k
If you have been following my journey this year you will know that I am training for my lifetime goal of representing GB at the World Sprint Triathlon Championships in Montreal. I also recently found out that I have a place in the mixed relay team the following day after my main race.
Training has gone very well over the winter. I did my local Cross country league races not fully fit as I had a break from training after the European Championships in September and was doing minimal and easy training. It was good to see that in each race I got faster and placed higher after each race. Once January hit, I started increasing my training for the World Championships and now peaking at 15-16 hours a week for this race. This consists of 2 strength sessions, 4 runs a week, 4 swims a week and 4 bike sessions a week and of course a weekly rest day.
Sub 35 or Bust?
I was tired going into this race and I knew that the day before the race would not be ideal as I would be on my feet most of the day meeting friends. I logged 21k in steps on Saturday whereas when I race I normally chill and don’t do very much. Race day arrived and unfortunately, I didn’t sleep well at all the night before.
I was feeling tired when I met up with friends for breakfast and we all discussed what time we were going to be chasing. Despite my fatigue, I knew that I had run a 16:46 5k last year so I thought I was on form to run a 10k PB. My current best stood at 36:28. I even joked that on a good day I could easily get into the 34 minutes. My friends gave me some banter about that. Deep down though I really was chasing sub 35. I knew I was running well but could I do it with being tired and after a hard week of training with no taper?
Race Time
The startline was packed and it was nice to see a crowd around the course. I set off with Rob who was aiming for low 34 minutes or under. He soon went off into the distance. I held back the first mile which was downhill but found the inclines taking a little bit out of me. Nevertheless, I got to the final mile and realised sub 35 could be a possibility and a big PB was on the cards. I tried to accelerate and my legs felt very fatigued. This was a new feeling – normally I am able to kick on – so this must be due to the lack of taper. I saw the clock and finish line about 400m away and kept saying “come on you can do it”. When I crossed the line in 34:51 in aPB of well over a minute I was over the moon.
10k Progression![]()
The Brighton 10k was a great race to do – a few inclines but a good fun course. In my first 10k race in 2013 I ran 42:25. I was so happy with that time and I never expected in ten years to achieve so much more. You have to be patient, train smart and learn from mistakes and you never how far you can go. I am now looking forward to what the Triathlon season has in store for me. 
Find our how Yiannis set his goals for the year here