To be or not to be… on team GB? that might not be the question

Dave N’s story

Beginnings

In my late twenties, I dipped my toe into the world of triathlon and loved it, but life felt rather like a selection box back then, and despite my enjoyment of the events, I found other interests, including emigrating to Australia, becoming a father, and setting up my own business left little time to even think about sport, beyond an occasional jog. 

But in 2019, some 13 years later, my daughter asked if she could join some of her school friends doing the Scootathlon as part of the Brighton & Hove Triathlon, and a decision was made. It was time to pick up my runners, dust off and service my poor old bike (which had done more air miles than road miles in the last decade) and jump in a pool again. 

The objective? To simply get around the course and see if I enjoyed the experience. The training was all over the place, but on the race day, the swim was exhilarating, the cycle infuriating, and the run was annihilating. 

I love the swim leg and on race day, the sea conditions were perfect. It flew past in a heartbeat. Onto the bike, and I enjoyed the feeling of the cooling air rushing past my ears, but annoyingly, I felt like I was going backwards such was the speed and volume of competitors zooming past me, my eye was particularly caught by those people wearing bright blue triathlon suits, with the words ‘Team GB’ emblazoned on their back, who were especially fast! 

I don't think my bottom has ever hurt so much as when I got off the bike and my legs were cooked. With little in the tank, I ground out the 10k, mustering enough for a final burst of speed across the finish line. I was destroyed but, crucially, utterly overjoyed to have made a return and determined to race again the following year. 

Then, six months later, the world changed my plans, like those of everyone else, and went on hold as COVID-19 did its best to ruin lives.

what’s Team GB?

I ran and swam to stay sane. Each run focused on the day when, eventually, I’d get the chance to race again, and I began reading a lot more about the sport. As the months went past, I was growing especially curious about who TeamGB were and if I was just lucky to be in a race with elite athletes. Some of whom, despite being super fast, seemed to have more ‘miles on the clock’ than I expected for elite athletes. 

On further reading, I discovered that those god-like speedsters in blue were, in fact, age-group athletes. And triathlon was a sport where you could race for your country literally until the day you die. How awesome, I thought. I was inspired by the stories of the athletes, in particular, one family with three generations representing their country! 

Right then and there, I made a decision. I was going to try to accomplish a place as part of Team GB. Easy said, but I wasn’t even a club-level athlete! In fact, I didn’t feel much like an athlete at all. But this was a ‘heck-yes’ decision, and I was all in. 

In early 2022 I entered the Brighton & Hove Triathlon again - this time with the intent of finding out if I could train with enough discipline (and my body could cope with the demands) to get a time close to what my 30-year-old self accomplished in the London Triathlon some 16 years earlier!  My time back then was 2 hours and 31 minutes. My time in the Brighton Triathlon in 2019 was 2 hours and 45 minutes. Anything close would do.

getting going

I began training in spring but struggled to get any kind of rhythm and though I was improving, there was no way this haphazard approach was going to work. Call it serendipity, but I had followed a few triathletes on social media and one of them talked about having a coach to plan their training and how much it helped. A coach, I thought, that’s just for “proper” athletes, isn’t it? And I initially dismissed the idea. But like all good ideas (and boomerangs), it kept coming back to me. 

To my surprise, when I started reading about coaches locally I came across Mike Porteous and Zigzag. We met, and I showed up to the meeting unsure about what to expect. Would I be a suitable client? What were the criteria to be ‘in the club’? Would my goal be realistic, or would he laugh and set me straight?

I needn’t have wasted any energy on those thoughts at all. Mike, as you might be fortunate enough to discover yourself one day, is a gentle soul. 

From moment one, he listened carefully. He didn’t affirm nor destroy my objective; just took it in and agreed to start the work on the journey together. From moment one, it was clear that Mike had no interest in my goal for his own prestige, but rather his interest was in seeing me develop as an athlete and help me rise to whatever I was capable of, but also to enjoy the process. 

We met to relearn swimming (this was tough as swimming was the bit I thought I was best at). He created a training plan to get me to race day and we agreed to work together for a year. 

My mindset changed from training being about being able to eat and drink what I want and not get fat to training with a clear objective, to qualify and race for the Team GB European Age-group team within the next three years. 

Step one, get a time close to 2 hours and 30 minutes in the next race and prove I could commit to the level of discipline, volume and intensity required to improve. 

This also needed a mindset change and I began to make life choices through the lens of ‘what would a TeamGB athlete do in this situation’. 

When I set objectives, I tend to do so from a place of unconscious incompetence. That is to say I’m utterly ignorant of what might be required to accomplish the goal. Blind enthusiasm and the fact that others have accomplished it are enough to get started. Thereafter the process is like peeling an onion or unwrapping a present in the game of pass the parcel. There are many layers to peel back as you move along the journey.

So while the mindset was useful, it’s been the 18 months since working alongside Mike to progress towards the goal that has been most useful. 

I trained hard for the four months before my second attempt at the Brighton triathlon and race day came. Things went OK. My swim felt good, and the bike was certainly faster but my run wasn’t terribly impressive. My time was improved. Not what I had hoped, but better than I feared. Enough to give me encouragement to keep going. 

But also a large dose of reality about how challenging this goal was going to be. Was it all just a silly idea? 

In the early days, I pressed Mike a few times to see what he really thought about my dream. But each time, he expertly avoided having an opinion and encouraged me to be in the moment and enjoy the process. Perhaps, or perhaps not? Who knows?

belonging

I recommitted to doing a full race season the following year and trained over winter, many miles in icy, wet blustery conditions followed. Some good sessions, some where I could barely stand in my shower afterwards due to cold and fatigue. But each one moved me a little closer. 

I began to get a feel for the rhythm of training and understand the concepts better. I began to tune into what my body needed and did not need better. 

The race season came fast and this year I was competing for precious qualification spots. To say the standard of competition had improved was an understatement. In my first target race, a sprint distance for fun, I posted my fastest-ever sprint time and got utterly destroyed by the field. But I learned so much from this race and enjoyed the experience. It was a welcome wake-up call and now I knew what level I had to reach. No illusions anymore.

The next three races were spaced out by 6 weeks each. They were dramatically different, but so was my improving ability, and I began to post better qualifying times. Each race learning something new.

In one, it was how to improve transitions. In another, I received lessons in kit choice, and the final was all about the impact of race prep. Training with Mike became more specific for races too, and we did some really fun drills that also had the joy of including my daughter in the process. 

With each race, I felt more at home and less nervous, and finally, in the last qualifier in Wales, I managed to perform to a level I felt I was capable of. 

Was it enough to qualify, at the time of writing, it looks like my efforts will fall just short of what is needed to get a place. But I have peeled back many layers of the onion, each time discovering something new that has helped me to feel like I can do this. But more importantly, after a first full season of competition, my belief that I am a triathlete. That I belong. And maybe, that matters more than any honour. 

Bring on season two and all the lessons therein. I look forward to working with Mike again and have no hesitation in recommending him to you as you embark on your journey of discovery.

Dave N