RACHEL JOYCE
Country: UK
Perferred Distance: Ironman but I love to dabble in half ironman and Olympic distance too.
Best Race Result:
Ironman World Champs 2011 4th (5th in 2010, 6th in 2009)
ITU World Long Course Champs 2011
1stIronman Lanzarote 2011
How long have you been doing triathlon? 6 years and I turned pro in 2008.
Additional Information: I now train and race full time in triathlon, although I
came to the sport quite late (when I was 27) my previous “career” was in the legal profession. I worked for Taylor Wessing in London for 6 years as a construction solicitor. It has been quite a career change: my days in the office seem a far cry from my daily routine now.
Are you able to train full time or do you need to work? For a while I did work and train on a professional basis, although I had reduced my working week to 3 days. Even then I struggled to stay healthy. I think it is part of my personality that I found I couldn’t switch off from work on my two days out of the office. That’s why I initially decided to give up work completely and see if I could have a proper go at being a professional triathlete.
Learn more about Rachel: www.racheljoyce.org
Twitter: RJoyce09
Facebook: Find me Rachel Joyce
Sponsors, brands for promotion: I have been a member of Abu Dhabi Triathlon Team since 2010 (www.abudhabitriathlonteam.com)
I will be making announcements regarding my 2012 sponsors soon on my website…watch this space!
TRAINING AND RACING TIPS
How did you start in triathlon? I swam competitively throughout my school years, and remained sporty through university: swimming with the Uni swim team and I even dabbled in a couple of triathlons. I However, it wasn’t until 2005 that I really turned my attention to triathlon. I was getting bored of following the black line up and down the pool and having bought a bike and run a marathon, triathlon was the obvious target for my renewed competitive energies. I targeted UK70.3 in September 2005 where I bagged a qualifying spot for the inaugural 70.3 World Champs and haven’t looked back since.
Favourite Training Session? I love a good lung buster – I think that must be a throw back to being a sprinter in swimming. In the pool I love 20x100s off 2mins holding my best average time. On the bike I kind of love to hate a threshold session like 2×20 on my CompuTrainer, where I’m again holding my best effort throughout. It starts hurting after about 7 minutes and by the end my legs are literally screaming at me to stop.
On the run, I love a good quality long run which finishes up with some good quality race pace plus on the track. I guess another favourite is my weekly long ride too.
What is your favourite part of a triathlon? I don’t think I can pick just one thing. I really love the training and planning that goes into preparing for an Ironman, but I love race day too. Then there are all the things that come with training and racing around the world: seeing new places and meeting lots of different people. Of course there are moments when I’m away that I miss family and friends but generally the positives far outweigh these moments.
Oh, and the finish line is always a welcome sight too and usually a special moment in any race.
Where would you like to improve? Everything! But really this year is about continuing to improve my bike and my run.
Do you have tips for other women? Just get out there and have a go. Triathlon is such a great sport: a very welcoming community
Any tips for improving swimming? Swim as frequently as possible. Even if you can only get in for 20-30 minutes, frequency really helps in getting that “feel” for the water swim coaches talk about. 3×30 mins a week is better than one long session.
Any training tips to improve cycling? Join a club and train with friends. A lot of improvements on the bike can be made simply by getting the miles into your legs, and miles go so much quicker if you are out on the roads chatting with friends.
Any training tips to improve running? In the winter cross country and trail running is a
great way to gain strength on the run, and it also provides a change from the race season training.
Any tips about racing? A couple of days out from a race I usually run though my race and think about what I am going to do at various points. I will also run through a series of “what if” scenarios. For example, I think about how I will deal with a puncture, or what I would do if my goggles come off in the swim. By running through scenarios which are out of my control I put my mind at ease, as I have already thought about what I will do if they do happen.
Would you like to share any of your goals with Miss Triathlon? I have a few goals within triathlon. I will continue to target Kona, with the aim of reaching that top spot one day. I also want to go sub-9, and run a sub-3 hour marathon. It’s always to put in place mini-goals and use them as stepping stones to the BIG one
Why should more women participate in Triathlon? Sport has always been a part of my life. Even when I wasn’t doing sport competitively in my early 20s I remained active, as sport makes me feel good about myself, is an escape from the stresses that I may have in other areas in my life and I have made some life long friends through sport. I want other women to
Any other comments for women triathletes? Don’t be put off by the testosterone buzzing around triathlon
