AUTUMN 2007 - Serpentine

FEATURE
SERPENTINE RUNNING CLUB
…and Jenny also smiling? These two make it
look so easy! (photo: ASI Photo)
Richard: It is a bit predictable, but certainly my favourite race was
IM Hawaii last year. But then again especially races done with loads
of other Serpies are just great fun. It makes such a difference if you
are out there with a group of friends. For example Nottingham or
Milton Keynes in 2004.
What are your sport backgrounds?
Richard: I ran a lot when I was young. I did a couple of marathons
in the early 80s and then I did sport like soccer. Then in the 90s I
started running again. After I joined Serpentine, I started to do
triathlon. I signed up for IM Switzerland, never having done a
triathlon. I did Windsor before that and I got so excited, I thought
“this is great”. I had no prior swim experience in that year – I got
coaching, because I would get out of breath just after doing 10
lengths. I didn’t have any bike experience either, but I was lucky
that in that year (2003) a few friends invited me along for a biking
week in the French Alps. It nearly killed me, I had never ridden a
bike for so long on one day, but it helped me a lot.
Jenny: I swam when I was young like all other New Zealanders. I did
a short stint as a squad swimmer but then knee surgery following a
ski crash ended that. My main competitive sport was rowing. I did
this at a pretty competitive level but I got a bit too small. I’d always
run and swum so triathlon seemed like a good idea and I got hooked.
So what are your plans for next year?
Jenny: Well, we are not completely sure yet – we haven’t decided
yet whether we’ll do an Ironman next season. In any case there are
not a lot of IMs with entries left!
Richard: We think we might not do an IM in the summer.
Jenny: Yes, we quite fancy the idea of not having to train hard until
the summer arrives here (Jelle: if ever…). So perhaps an end-ofyear
Ironman, like Florida. I would be interested to see how a very
long base-training period would play out.
Richard: I would also like to do some off-road races, like X-Terra.
Jenny: So more time to do whatever we feel like doing. Also it would
be nice to be able to catch up more with friends etc. We also fancy
doing some real travel, like going to Central America.
However I am also quite keen to improve further. I still have the
feeling that I haven’t given it everything. Especially on the biking I
can improve much more. I would also need to do a little more
running to avoid some problems I have had on the run.
Richard: For me personally, I think I cannot really swim faster,
perhaps improve a bit more on the bike and most on the run. But
in my wildest dreams I think I could only do 10 mins better. My
goal was to get under 10 hours and I have done that now.
What about PB’s, are you focused to improve those?
Richard: I am really not focused on PB’s; I wouldn’t even know what
my Half IM PB is.
Jenny: I’m like that as well – I am not too worried about PB’s. I
worry more about the girls I am racing against.
Richard: I am in a completely different position than Jenny in that
sense – I have something like 120 guys ahead of me, whereas she
is there with 8 or 9 other girls.
Do you think you will keep doing triathlon for the rest of your life
perhaps, not necessarily Ironman?
Jenny: Definitely some aspect of it. I would almost certainly always
run. I have also got really hooked on cycling. It’s such a nice thing
to do; also very social.
Richard: Me too. I also love the way triathlon is organised around
age groups, which means you can still be competitive whatever age
you are. I like the fact that I have friends who are 5-6 years older
and are still so competitive.
Jenny: Also you can do it at different levels. I’d imagine the
dedication towards Ironman is hard to sustain for a long time but
there are plenty of other races.
Richard: I can’t imagine myself in 10 years time racing as seriously
as now, but I would probably still race.
Btw: Richard and Jenny both really emphasized that their approach
to training is just their approach and it’s not to be interpreted as
advice or whatever. I hadn’t intended that either, but I thought it’d
be interesting to see how different people approach their IM training,
especially when they have been so successful with it as well!
Richard and Jenny: thanks a lot for your time, and thanks very
much for the pasta, I must have eaten half of all of it.
Piece of cake! (photo: ASI Photo)
26