Runnerslife

Meet The Guest

Non Stanford

Welsh and Great Britain athlete Non Stanford who was part of the GB Team at 2006 World Junior Championships and 2007 European Junior Championships amoungst other national honours recently hung up her spikes and switched to triathlon. Non was part of the first group of 8 athletes to be picked when Kelly Homes started 'On Camp With Kelly' and is currently at Birmingham Uni. Her first year in triathlon was a success and still at a young age Non is sure to be in contention come London Olympics 2012, recently returning from the USA competing for Great Britain at the World Duathlon Championships RunnersLife caught up with the young starlet.

How has your first year in Triathlon gone?
The first year has gone better than I could have ever expected. The aim of the season was to gain race experience and learn the trade. Everything else has just been a bonus. To finish second in the British Triathlon Super Series was a big suprise but it has given me the confidence to dream a little bit bigger next year.

How was Windsor triathlon?
Windsor tri wasn't my best race of the season but I learnt alot; as I did at every race this year. I probably had the best swim of the season, exiting the water in the top 3, well clear of the rest of the field. The bike however was close to disasterous. After a poor start that saw me well off the lead two I struggled around the 40km loop, not feeling my self at all. Around 20km I fell off the bike while taking a tight 180 turn and never really got back into the race. I'd pretty much decided that I wasn't going to run as I was feeling terrible but as I came into transition I found myself slipping my trainers on and heading out onto the challenging 10km course. I ended up running the fastest run leg of the day and finished 3rd overall - just goes to show you should never give up because you never know just what you can do when you really want something.

How did the World Duathlon Championships go?
I went to the USA for the World Duathlon Championships (10km run/40km bike/5km run). It was my first time representing GB in a multi sport discpiline so I was keen to perform well. The U23 and Senior Women raced together which suited me as I was looking for a strong first 10km run to put myself in the best possible position to take the gold in the u23 category. To begin with all went to plan and I ran a PB for the first (accurate) 10km, 34.38, and felt really comfortable going into transition with the lead group. Unfortunately though it was a wet day and within the first few hundred metres I'd taken a corner too quickly and slipped on a white line. After fixing the chain I did jump back on and try chasing the group back down. I closed pretty quickly but had a flat front tyre so had to withdraw as the bike wasnt handling very well and it was getting a bit dangerous. It wasn't until I stopped that I noticed how much blood there was but foruntately I didn't do too much damage to myself or the bike.

Is your run still by far the strongest aspect?
The run is definitely my strongest discipline. My main challenge now is to improve my open water swimming so that I can consistently exit the water with the lead group. My cycling has come on really quickly and I'm now more than able to sit in and work well with strong front pack riders. If I can get off the bike with the leaders I'm hoping my run will be strong enough to pull me through to some good performances.

Why did you switch?
I picked up an injury during the summer of 2008 so decided to start swimming with the triathlon club at university in order to maintain some fittness. I used to do alot of swimming when I was younger so soon picked it back up again. The triathlon coach, Steve Lumley, identified that I had potential to do well and by September had persuaded me to switch from running to traithlon. I think I saw it as a new challenge. My passion for running had dwindled with 2 years of injury and I needed something new to excite me.

You were in 'kelly on camp' for a while?
I was one of the original 8 'On Camp With Kelly' girls to join the programme when the initiative was started up in 2004. I was fortunate enough to spend 4weeks in South Africa training and living with Kelly Holmes, the newly crowned double Olympic Champion. As a 15 year old I was pretty awe struck but had an amazing time and gained so much from the expericence. 5 years later and I'm still involved. Kelly has been incredibly supportative of my switch to triathlon and still follows my progress in my new sport. Over the years Kelly's input has been invaluable. I've gained alot from her knowledge and experience and really feel that what she's taught me will prove invaluable over the next few years.

You were a GB athlete, are you likely to return to just running?
I was a good junior because I simply trained alot harder than any of my peers. At the time I didn't think I was doing anything different from anyone else. At 14 I was probably only running 3 or 4 times a week; but I was adding at least 8 swimming sessions to that. I was aerobically very fit. When I switched to just running things didn't work out as well for me. Now I'm doing triathlon my running is improving again. I think I've found what works for me so I don't think I'll ever go back to just running even if one day I decide to focus on it again. For the time being though Im having fun with triathlon. The racing is far more exciting.

Whats your training group like?
I'm really fortunate to be training with some of the countries top triathletes and runners. We have fun but everyone in the group is focused on training and racing hard. We push each other on to better things. I consider myself very lucky to have found triathlon whilst at the university of Birmingham.

How does Uni fit in with training?
It's hard. Especially now I'm in the third and final year of my course. I just have to be organised and keep on top of my work so that I can continue training at the same level. I've already strated planning my racing and training schedule around my finals. Its important for me to do well academically but I also don't want to have to comprimise my triathlon too much either. Balance is key. Coffee helps too!

Was Birmingham Uni picked because of the triathlon aspect?
Ironically I picked Birmingham because of the running. At the time of applying I was a runner and a runner only. Triathlon hadn't even crossed my mind. Birmingham offered the perfect balance of running and academics. The cross country and athletics team here is in my opinion unrivalled. Not just in terms of standard but in terms of enthusiasm and fun. The majority of my best friends are from the club and its shaped my university life. The Sport and Exercise Science course has also been credited at one of the best of its kind in Europe. I have no regrets in choosing Birmingham.

What bike have you got at the moment?
I do my winter training on a Specialized Allez and race on a Specialized Tarmac. I haven't got a clue about specs or the technical aspects of bikes. My coach and bike mechanic sort all that out for me... I just ride them as fast as I can!

What is a usual training week?
Currently im focusing on building a good base and a average week looks something like this;
Mon: 60min tempo run 60min rec bike Strength and Conditioning (S&C)
Tue: 90 min steady run 90min quality aerobic swim
Wed: 90min long aerobic swim S&C 2hr steady bike+ 40min fartlek run off
Thur: 90min quality aerobic swim 60min steady run+strides
Fri:90min recovery swim running drills
Sat: 60min quality bike session+ 30min tempo run off 2hr long aerobic swim
Sun: 3-4hr steady bike 60min steady run (either off or seperate:dependng on how I feel)

Plans for the rest of the year and coming winter season?
Training will increase in volume towards christmas and will focus completely on building a good base. After Christmas I'll enter a new training phase which will proabably build into the hardest few weeks of the year where the volume of training will be maintained somewhat but more intensity will be introduced. The summer will switch to more quality focused work around racing. It's nothing revolutionary Im afriad.
In terms of racing I plan to do cross country and cyclo-cross over the winter but purely from a training point of view. Due to finals I'm looking to split my season in two. I'll start racing early in April but take a few weeks off during my finals in June where I'll focus on getting a good block of training in around study. I'll then look to start peaking around August/September in time for the major championships.

Commonwealth games the main aim next year?
There's no triathlon in Delhi next year which is a bit dissapointing but I have thought about attempting to qualify for the 10km. The time of 34mins isn't the issue for me, I think its more the psychological challenge of doing a 10km on the track that scares me.

 

Comments On "non stanford"