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...

So, did entering Ironman UK change the way I approached training this week? Firstly, what I did: Monday – 4 mile run Tuesday – 4 mile run, 1 hour swim Wednesday – 10 mile bike & 4 mile brick Thursday – rest Friday – 1 hour swim & strength training Saturday – half hour run with sprint drills Sunday – 19 mile bike & 4 mile brick More brick sessions, faster runs, more concerted effort to...

It’s getting better.  At the SwimFit session this week I swam maybe 40 lengths front crawl, and it’s feeling better too.  My technique still isn’t great … I know what to do, but concentrating and trying to do all of it at once means I just turn into a mess.  At present I enjoy swimming with a pull-buoy, and find that a lot easier and much less exhausting.  Basically, until now I’ve been sprinting...

Well … for most reading this it’s hardly even a warm-up, but this morning I managed 4 lengths front crawl without stopping, and for me that’s something of a breakthrough.  How did I do it?  I stopped kicking.  Or kicked very slowly and very softly, at least, and still found I was moving almost as quickly as I have been previously!  Much less exhausted.  My style and technique are still all over the place, and...

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...