How hard can it be!?: October 2011

Monday 31 October 2011

First run of the Autumnal dark nights

Clocks went back to GMT yesterday so welcome to dark evening running again! Did a 3.5 mile loop around Sandbach in 34.5 minutes this evening

Tuesday 18 October 2011

Crewe Tigers Swim training session

Managed to muster enough enthusiasm tonight to get down to the Tri club swim training session and do an 1,800m swim session. Without an event to train for it's alwasy a struggle to keep up the fitness training but feel better for having gotten myself into gear!

Sunday 9 October 2011

A gentle bike ride after a week off

I've been absolutely shattered since Capesthorne Triathlon so decided I need a week off!

Got back in to the training with a fairly gentle pace bike ride this morning. A 15 mile circuit from Sandbach through Bradwall Green and Brereton Green, through Arclid, Hassall Green, Hassall and back home through Wheelock. Averaged 16mph and completed in 57.5 minutes. :-)

Sunday 2 October 2011

Cheshire Triathlon at Capesthorne Hall ~ Done (Time 3:09:29)

After a week of 'Indian Summer' weather in the high 20'c range got a bit of welcome cloud cover for today's Olympic Distance Triathlon... Was hoping to go under the three hour mark and was on track until the run when I ran out of steam which was really disappointing :-(

Although the water was black and so shallow my hands were touching the bottom in some places the swim went really well covering the 1500m in 36mins and 21 seconds which was 6 minutes less than the Tatton swim :-). The trip to transition was a 350m run around the lake?! and time through T1 was 4mins 44 secs!

A really good bike ride! 1 hour 24minutes for the 39km. But should have had the energy gel I'd taken as it might have kept me legs working for the run!

T2 (bike to run) took 2mins 36secs.

The run was awful! :o( 1 hour 1 minute and 46 secs for my worst ever 10km!?!! My legs gave way on the 3rd lap of the park. I didn't realise I could run so slow!

Missed the 3 hour target but otherwise really enjoyed a good Triathlon in a lovely venue. A T-shirt in the goody bag but no finishers medal so my sister-in-law Bev made me one! (see photo :-) Thanks Bev!

Why am I doing this?!

I got drawn in to running in 2007 to raise funds for charity and discovered it's a great way to keep in shape! I expanded the fundraising to open water swimming last year and loved that too so this year I'm pushing the envelope and going the whole hog with a couple of triathlons!

I've kept a training blog for the past two years and found it a huge motivator to get out and do something to report on so here I am again!

I'll be keeping a record here of all my training ups and downs as well as a few deviations on my hobbies.

I'm planning a few events this year for my own benefit and two major events to raise funds again for two charities that mean a lot to me:

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution ~ http://www.rnli.org/

In September 2007 I had an accident whilst sailing my Laser Pico dinghy out at sea off Abersoch, North Wales. The Abersoch crew came to my aid and I'll be eternally grateful ~
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xk6edftmHtg

I spend a lot of time out at sea with family and friends and it made me realise just how dependent we are on this life saving volunteer emergency service funded entirely by charity.

I ran the Great North Run Half Marathon to raise funds for the Abersoch RNLI station in 2008 & 2009 and continued last year with a one mile open water at The Great Salford Swim.

This year I'm rolling it all up and expanding the RNLI fund raising challenge by taking on the Tatton Triathlon Olympic Distance event on Sunday 11th September. It's a 1,500 mtr swim in open water followed by a 38km bike ride and then a 10km run!