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The first part of the season is already over and during this period it is time to look back, take a short break and fine-tune the training block towards the second part of the season. Sandra shares her first matches.

The first part of the season is already over and during this period it is time to look back, take a short break and fine-tune the training block towards the second part of the season.

Triathlete Sandra Vermeulen shares her first competitions.

The kick-off of my season started with a match in the premier league of the team competition. This time the team time trial was on the program. A competition in which you complete all parts as a team and can therefore help each other. The great thing about this competition is that as a team you can use each other's strengths. For example, as a lesser cyclist you can stay perfectly in line with your teammates. As a team we performed well and recorded the 3rd swimming and running time. Unfortunately, we fell a little short in the transitions and during the cycling and ultimately finished 6th.

My next race was also a competition race and was the National Sprint Championships in Weert. A competition that I was really looking forward to, because I noticed that the training sessions were falling into place. In the week before the competition I got a sore throat and the temperatures rose considerably in the Netherlands.

Nevertheless, I was still at the start, because as an athlete you naturally want to try. The race itself went surprisingly well, after swimming I was in a large cycling group. The cooperation within the group did not go completely smoothly, which meant that by driving smart you did not have to take too many leading turns.

The running part went very well and I recorded the 5th running time. In the total results I ended up in 14th place. Even though I started with a sore throat, I was very satisfied with this. Unfortunately, I asked a bit too much of myself that day and was immediately ill the following week...

I actually didn't have very long to recover and 2 weeks later the National Championships over the Olympic distance were on the program in Rotterdam. Due to being ill, I was not able to train optimally between matches and I noticed that this was somewhat in the back of your mind. The temperatures were also tropical in Rotterdam and this is not entirely in my favor.

From the start I had a very difficult race and I didn't get into it well. I was able to find the connection again on the bike and we picked up some ladies again. During the last 2 laps I noticed that the real power was already gone. Still, I started running full of energy, but unfortunately I noticed that it didn't feel good... Unfortunately, I had to get out after one lap and ended up at the first aid. I was well cared for and, above all, well cooled by very sweet ladies. An unpleasant experience that as an athlete you would rather not experience.

In retrospect it was a good thing that I got out to prevent further damage to your body, but of course it is very sad, especially because this was my main goal for this season. After some sipping and bumming, the next match was scheduled. Of course you try to find out why it didn't work out, was it the heat, maybe not fit yet, but that remains a bit of a guess and sometimes you just don't have your day, that's unfortunately part of it.

The next match was almost around the corner in Hellevoetsluis. A regional competition on a fun course and great to gain some confidence again. This time the race was not in the heat, but with a lot of wind and some rain in the morning. Despite that, I had a good race and was in the lead from start to finish! A good feeling that I certainly needed after Rotterdam.

After Hellevoetsluis I had one more match before the 'summer break', this was also a match in the Premier League in Klazienaveen. The race was over the sprint distance and it was tropically warm again with high humidity. Before the race my trainer said 'this will be a challenging race San' and it certainly was.

Before the start you try to stay as cool as possible by sitting in the shade, regularly holding my cap under the cold tap and above all not worrying too much. The swimming and cycling part went well, although cycling felt like being caught in a hot hairdryer and I immediately rode fast with many gears. On the bike I often only take one water bottle with me for the sprint distance. This time I opted for 2 water bottles so I could use one water bottle to cool down and sprinkle water on me. I was able to stay with the group and we started walking together. Unfortunately, running felt the same as in Rotterdam, the power seemed to be hard to find. My running part started to look more like an adventure towards the finish in which cooling was central.

Unlike Rotterdam, I now crossed the finish line, but I was not satisfied with the time I had set. I know I can do better, but unfortunately that didn't happen today. Due to the recent results in the Premier League, the team is now 4th in the Premier League competition. We as a team are extremely proud of this. We have all made progress individually and it is reflected in the results!

Klazienaveen was the last match of the first part of the season, which was quite mixed for me. The conclusion is that the high temperatures do not really work in my favor. On the other hand, I have been testing with the CORE heat sensor for some time and I will adjust my training a little more in the coming period to be more resistant to warm conditions.

The training volume will also increase again in the coming period, with the main goal being the half triathlon in Almere. I'm also looking forward to the longer endurance runs again, I get a lot of satisfaction from this and I certainly see a challenge!

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