What a tough one!  This was the 30th anniversary of the Blaenafon Triathlon, and it now shares the title of longest running tri in the UK with a race in Ireland.  A huge milestone, but it’s not surprising, as it’s such a challenging race.  No one who finished this one yesterday doesn’t feel a real sense of achievement today. I entered partly because it was local, and partly because it fit in nicely with my Ironman...

First race of the year! It’s going to be a fun, action-packed 2013, with Isca Duathlon, Blaenavon Triathlon, the Grafman Half-Iron distance, and then Ironman UK.  Following that, the small matter of Men’s Health Survival of the Fittest, the Cardiff Half Marathon, and the Snowdonia Marathon.  So I started off the year’s racing with a nice gentle 10k. And what a great race!  350 entrants, including lots of runners from...

My legs hurt. This was my first race for some time, and the longest I’ve raced since the Lakeland Trails Marathon in July!  After the apocalyptic weather we’ve been having lately, I was keeping my eye on the website just in case the event was cancelled.  But there’s no wimping out for trail runners. Just before the start, the organiser shouted into his megaphone, “You’re the hardest of the hardcore!”...

So what’s a Challenge Distance Triathlon?  In this case it was an 800m swim, 40k bike ride, and a 10k run.  So almost an Olympic distance.  Almost… Because of my still-not-quite-there swimming I predicted a 22+ minute swim time, so I was in the first wave.  At 7:30 in the morning.  Shite.  So after getting up at 4:30, eating porridge and a banana, driving to Bath, stopping for a leak beside the road at 6am and seeing a...

Got to admit, I was pretty nervous about this one.  Two reasons.  First, if you’ve read about my first marathon, you’ll understand my fears about it all happening again (in my first marathon I had bad leg cramps from mile 12 until the finish).  And second, I haven’t done any long runs over ten miles in almost two months (since my first marathon, in fact), and I was worried that my fitness levels might let me...

Like the time you lose your cherry, they say you’ll never forget your first triathlon.  I’ve spent years trying to forget the former (really … ask me over a pint one day…).  But I know for sure that I’ll always remember yesterday’s City of Bath Sprint Triathlon. It was an amazing experience.  And I am now officially hooked. I arrived early, registered, and was immediately set at ease by the lovely...