HERRIDGE BACK ON THE MEND, AND LOOKING FORWARD TO 2010 WITH NEW COACHING SET UP

Sam Herridge has maintained her 2009 ITU World Points Ranking as 8th ranked British Triathlete, despite being out of action since the middle of June owing to a flare up of chronic Achilles tendonitis in both feet. This followed her last performance in the Ferrol ITU points race in June where she hobbled over the line in 13th place straight into the medical tent for treatment.

“That race was effectively the end of my season. The last two laps of the run I was in so much pain, but I was still in a points position so I carried on. Retrospectively that was a bad move, as my feet flared up so much that I had to completely rest them for a couple of months, and only undertake re-hab work and intensive physio treatment. To say I was upset was an understatement – both for myself and for my two main sponsors, Vets 4 Pets and La Grande Mare Hotel – as they had put so much faith in me. I have had to spend a lot of time evaluating the future.” said Herridge.

With the season at such a disappointing end Herridge made the decision to approach Alan Rowe; the man who had such an impact on her triathlon career in the early stages; to coach her again. Rowe; renowned local athlete and 2006 Commonwealth Games Athlete has agreed to help Herridge, with half an eye on upping the distance to some 70.3 races next year. “I’m really looking forward to working with Al again – he’s a great motivator – and it means I have even more of an excuse to return home on a regular basis!”

Herridge has only just started back training and is already looking forward to the challenges in the coming year. “I’m under no illusions that it’s going to be easy – I still have so much work to do. I need to make my body stronger to resist any more injuries that crop up, and most importantly I need to remain focused on the races ahead. My regular swim, bike and run training is now complemented by regular Pilates and core work sessions, and I fortunately have the help of Kay Kershaw at At-Your-Pace in Helston for Sports Massage and personal training”.

The road to recovery may be long, but Herridge is determined to continue in her quest to get as far as she can in the sport. “I just want a chance to get some decent training in over the Winter, followed by an injury free season – third year lucky hopefully!”

(24th May 2009)

IMPROVED WORLD AND EUROPEAN RANKINGS FOR TRIATHLETE HERRIDGE

Competing in her first main Triathlon event of the season in Northern Spain, Sam Herridge managed to complete a solid performance in the Pontevedra Premium ITU Cup. Her performance in the 1.5Km river swim, 40Km bike and 10Km run managed to elevate her European ITU ranking to 41st and her World ITU ranking to 176th. She is now currently the 8th female British Triathlete according to these rankings.

“The race, although productive in terms of gaining points for my ranking, did not go all my way. Although I had a good swim and a really solid run, my bike wasn’t quite up to race standard, which was slightly disappointing” said Herridge. With water temperatures of around 13.5degrees; an air temperature of around 11degrees; and torrential rain throughout the duration of the race, the day was never going to be easy.

Herridge; sponsored by Vets4Pets and La Grande Mare Hotel, and supported in Cornwall by Cycle Logic and At-Your-Pace; had her usual strong swim, although for a change was not first, but third out of the water. “The swim was a two lap course in the local river, with athletes having to get out and run around transition before diving in for the second lap. It was a very cold and long course. Two swimmers managed to get away from the pack, but it wasn’t an insurmountable amount to catch up later in the race.”

The bike course was described as being hilly and technical, and although not hilly compared with her usual training ground in Cornwall, the technical sections proved difficult in the treacherous conditions. “I made a very elementary error on the bike course and managed to lose the front bike pack which I was originally in. So after a lap on my own, I tagged onto the chase group and set about trying to hunt down the lead pack. However, on one of the trickier turns across a metal grate in the middle of the road, my back wheel slid out from under me – I managed to control it, but was a little more careful after that!” said Herridge.

A quick transition saw Herridge head out onto the undulating and narrow run course through the town of Pontevedra, and thankfully reaped the benefit of having a winter of injury free run training. “Going onto the run I felt quite strong, but had underestimated the effect of the cold – I couldn’t feel my feet for most of the run!” Completing the run in a personal best time of 38:15, Herridge managed to beat many of the people who had beaten her last year in European Cup events. Her overall time was good enough to place her in the point scoring top 20, in 18th place.

“Although a solid performance, I was disappointed not to be quite race ready on the bike, as had I have kept with the lead pack I would have probably made the top ten. However, that should be easily rectified for races over the next couple of months. Triathlon is a constantly changing sport and you have to learn that things do not always go your way on the day – that’s part of the fun of the sport.”

Herridge will now be making her way to Oxford to compete in the Blenheim Sprint Triathlon on Sunday 7 June, before travelling to Spain the week after to compete in the Ferrol European ITU Cup on Sunday 14 June – hopefully in better conditions than those experienced in Pontevedra!

 

(6th May 2009)

And finally I’m back on-line!

One of the downsides of living in such beautiful Cornish Countryside is that communication is difficult to say the least! A fight with Tiscali, followed by a fight with Sky has meant that the only way to get on the net is with a mobile internet connection….which is sporadic depending on how many people are on the network! Ah well – a small price to pay for some of the best training ground around – cliffs, hills, sea….oh yeah….and more hills!

Well 2009 has started off well, with me welcoming back my sponsors for last year. So a big thank you to both Vets4Pets, my main sponsors; and La Grande Mare Hotel in Guernsey for financially supporting me for the next year. Both companies have provided invaluable support to me over the past two years, and I would have been unable to compete in many of my European races had it not been for their support. (By the way – La Grande Mare Hotel is a great place for triathletes to base themselves on a visit to Guernsey – right on the coast road – fantastic venue for those sea swims, coastal runs and traffic light free biking!)

In addition I am extremely grateful as ever to the Guernsey Sports Commission who continue to support me. As anyone who knows me well – competing with a Guernsey Flag on my suit is of paramount importance.

Not only that – but I couldn’t survive without the bike support provided to me by my team, www.cyclelogic.co.uk; and also the regular sports massages and training kit provided to me by Kay Kershaw at “At-Your-Pace” in Helston (www.at-your-pace.co.uk). Kay also provides detailed Gait Analysis and rehab clinics and has really helped me with my foot injury problem over the past 12 months – including changing my shoes which has made a world of difference.

The last couple of months have seen a few changes for me – moving house (again!) and finally changing my full-time work hours to part-time. Although taking a bit of getting used to (the work load still hasn’t changed!) it does mean that I have more time for those key sessions and also for rest and recovery. It also means I have time to cook!!! Which means my diet is finally slightly resembling an athletes as opposed to trying to grab something on the run.

Training is going really well, and have just come back from a really good race in Steyning at the weekend. Fantastically organised race and brilliant atmosphere – thanks to the guys at Raw Pursuits. Have finally had a winter of run training, and although I don’t think I’ll ever feel like a runner, it is getting there! Only time will tell.

With new toys to try as well (just bought a PowerTap meter!) this season looks to be warming up to be a good one. I’ve kept myself fairly low profile recently but off to Spain for the Pontevedra ITU European Cup in two weeks time. So hopefully a nice start to the season. Will keep you up to date guys – and once again thanks for your support.

Sam.

MEDIA RELEASE (6th May 2009)

HERRIDGE GAINS FIRST TRIUMPH IN HER 2009 SEASON

 

Competing in her first “warm-up” event of the season in Steyning, Sam Herridge managed to test the water with a sprint triathlon, ending up with a resounding female victory and 2nd overall in a field of over 130 competitors. With a 400m pool swim, followed by an 18.5Km cycle and a 5Km undulating run, Herridge was never really challenged. She completed the race in an overall time of 54:53, just over a minute behind the overall winner.

“This was my first triathlon event of the season after a really good period of winter training, and I was just really pleased to be getting out there and racing again. Although I’ve competed in a couple of run and bike races, it’s been a long winter with plenty of miles under the belt. Everything just felt really smooth and strong – a great confidence booster that everything seems to be going in the right direction and the body is still holding up” said Herridge.

Herridge, sponsored by Vets4Pets and La Grande Mare Hotel, had her traditional strong swim, exiting the pool in around 4.50minutes and running around the building to the transition zone. “The swim felt really strong, which is good news as it has taken a bit of a back seat over the winter months as I have been trying to concentrate on my run.”

The bike course was undulating, and although not knowing the area well, Herridge produced a solid bike leg, completing the 18.5Km in just under 31 minutes. Completing a quick and fluid transition, Herridge headed out onto the 5Km run. “I can’t believe how good and strong I felt on the run – I flew out of transition and the legs just felt so good – I actually felt like a runner for a change! There were a couple of cheeky hills to deal with but even those felt easy compared to the hills I’ve had to train on over the past six months”. Completing the 5Km run in a fantastic split time of 17:50, Herridge crossed the finish line in a final overall time of 54:53, a very happy lady.

Thanks to the continued support and sponsorship deals with Vets4Pets and La Grande Mare Hotel, Herridge will be making her way over to Spain in a weeks time to participate in her first international race this season, the Pontevedra Premium ITU Cup. Following this she is planning on making her way to another two European cup events in an attempt to improve her ranking to enable her to gain enough points to enter some World Cup Events, including the 2012 test event to be held in Hyde Park in August.  

A very busy season lies ahead for this Guernsey Girl. You can keep up with her progress via her website and blog at www.samherridge.com.

For event results click here.