2015 as it nears the end

As we get towards the end of 2015 I can look back from a position I didn't expect to be in.

I signed up to do the Newcastle to London this year but dropped out after my partner asked me to. I wasn't prepared and it wouldn't have gone well. I did spend the year doing sportives for the first time. I did 4 this year totalling 300 miles riding at speed. This is something I intend to keep up and I've already booked my first for next year. Regularly pushing myself with a group of friends meant I went out most weeks and rode hard. On my own.

I didn't do another triathlon. After the broken foot I was scared to. But I'll be back and I already have a duathlon booked for the end of next year.

I've lost weight through the regular exercise and I've done almost as much yoga as I have cycling. I've found the calm, intense, slow stretching and introspection good for improving both my physical and mental flexibility and resilience.

I didn't buy a new bike. Emma is still going strong although she has a few new parts. Some of the remaining original parts have got to be replaced after last weeks adventures.

I now work in a different field for different people at a different organisation. 12 years at Lewisham and now 6 months in a new job.

Post triathlon blues and a thank you to the NHS

I have pretty much been limping since the triathlon. I'm starting to walk normally again and am not quite as depressed as I was straight after the event. Finishing something you have been training for and then watching your fitness decline sharply, because of injury, is quite demoralising in a way I wasn't expecting.

I’ve been to casualty, fracture clinic, sports injury clinic and physiotherapy.  I've been back in to hospital because a second opinion (unsolicited within the hospital) wanted convincing I wasn't fractured; and I’m currently waiting for an MRI before my physio programme is finalised.

If I had gone private all this would be sorted by now, but that misses the point somewhat. I have been treated by professionals keen, not only to get me back on my feet and make me a productive worker, but to make me back into the person I want to be.

All free at the point of service.

No one needs to get rich to make healthcare a worthwhile end in and of itself.

We have one of the best healthcare systems in the world and it is being dismantled in a single term of government. A government nobody voted for, of which neither party prioritised demolition of the current system of healthcare.

Photos from the triathlon

I can still barely walk after last week's triathlon but it still seems worth it...

The London triathlon 2014

Sunday 3rd August is a date that has been burnt into my thoughts for the best part of a year now. Late last year I signed up to compete in my first triathlon. When I signed up it seemed a very long way off but the time came around really quickly in the last couple of months.

Getting to the venue was an interesting journey in itself. The road closures were already in place so we had to do a long loop into the venue. The organisers had done a fantastic job and every aspect of preparing to race went smoothly, or as smoothly as possible in a venue that size utilising mostly volunteers.

The swim
We queued up in the swim assembly. Me and 300 other men in my age group. One guy that I got chatting to suggested that I keep an eye open for the billingsgate turn on the first cycle loop as he had missed it and added 15km onto his ride the previous year.

At the instructed time we walked outside onto a pontoon in the dock and we were instructed to jump in as quickly as possible. I balked it a couple of times before just jumping in. I sank quite deep, but the wetsuit buoyancy popped me back out on the surface quite quickly.

At the horn we started swimming. For the first 100 metres or so people kept bumping into me a one guy swam straight though me. As a result of the crowding I kept my head up and swam a slower crawl than I expected to. This stroke with my head up caused the wetsuit to rub the back of my neck and I realised that I would need to swim my practiced stroke if I was to get around without wearing through the skin on my neck. I settled for around 20 strokes of open water front crawl, with a pause of paddling on the surface to check directions and surroundings before another 20.

After what seemed like an age I reached the buoy for the turn. Thankfully the second side of the loop was much shorter, maybe only 20 metres. At this point I started to need a wee. The only snag was that I couldn't wee and swim. Each time I stopped to try, one of the lifeguards on the kayaks would check if I was OK. In the end I just put me head down and started swimming the stroke that I had planned.

Before I knew it it was all over and I was climbing out of the water.  One of the assistants asked if I wanted help with the wetsuit zip. Thank you yes.

At this point I realised that Sophie was watching. The volunteers held open a bag for me to put my wetsuit, goggles and swim cap. There was a 200 metre jog to the bike racks

The bike
I took my time getting dried and changed. I was only a few from the back in my wave anyway so I thought I'd dry off and double check I'd got everything. The bike section was actually really pleasant. The route went from Excel up to Westminster on closed roads. The usual motley crew of time trial bikes, road bikes, the odd single speed and even a mountain bike. The route came back past Excel and then up to Billingsgate. It was lovely except I still needed a wee.

I'd spotted my parents with Sophie by this point which I was pleased about but I'm also embarrassed when I'm being watched.

I don't normally get to ride quickly in London so the closed wide roads and the empty roundabouts were an absolute joy. That said the last 50 were a climb up a ridged ramp to the first floor of the excel.

The run
I'd felt pretty good on the bike but the moment I got off I realised the run wasn't going to be easy. My foot which had been uncomfortable all week was now painful to run on. I had just 3 laps of the running circuit to go but I was thinking that finishing this was going to be something of a challenge.

Running is by and large a solitary venture...Unless you are running on the same narrow path with a thousand other people, whose friends and family are screaming support. The other runners were either going for it or hurting by this point. Everyone was also suffering from wind. Too many gels and sugary snacks. I however also still needed a wee.

I had to walk up the ramp back into the excel on all three laps but was pleased to have run the rest. Warren had joined my folks by this point so I was even more embarrassed but happy to see him.

As I crossed the finish I heard them announce my completion over the tannoy and I was presented with a medal. I declined the alcohol free beer and headed straight for a long overdue toilet stop.

I could barely walk but was happy to have completed my first triathlon.

Why I'm doing the triathlon

This August I'll be swimming/cycling/running the London Triathlon in aid of SCOPE. Scope exists to make this country a better place for disabled people and their families through advice, providing services and campaigning on their behalf.

On the 3rd of August I have chosen to compete in the Olympic distance: which involves a 1500m swim, A 40km cycle and a 10km run. I can currently do two of these things but not on the same day, so there is a little training still to go.

You can read more about why I’m doing this and what it involves, as well as hopefully sponsoring me, on my fundraising page. Please support me and this excellent charity.

The Lee Valley Duathlon

"I'll be coming to the gig, but I'll need to take it easy though as I'm racing a few days later"

I am not sure how it all happened, but I found myself saying the above phrase out loud on Saturday over a few beers. A few years ago the quickest that I moved was to catch a train if I was running late, or last orders if the pub was closing.

Late last year after some cycle touring and a couple of really quite long rides, I started running again with the express intention of entering the London Triathlon in 2014.Whilst my fitness has been growing, I have started to find myself a little daunted by the whole finish-get-changed-try-another-sport-straight-after part.This is usually referred to as transition.

I'm one of those people with little, or no,sense of direction. When under pressure I often take the wrong turn. Worse than that however is the inability to locate items such as keys and a bicycle helmet when they are in the flat. After seeing the transition area at the Hyde Park Triathlon last year I am genuinely concerned that I'll:

a) never find my bike
b) never find my way out

With that in mind I started looking for small/short multisport events that are close enough for me to get to without having use the term 'logistics' to describe getting there

To this end I now find myself entered in the Lee valley Duathlon. It is a relatively straightforward 2km run/5km bike/2km run mostly contained in a park 6km from my house. At present there are only 15 entrants, so I should be able to spot my bike with ease. Even if that is because afterthe 2km run it'll be the only bike left in the transition area.

I've started looking at some quicker pacing and maybe doing a trial run using the bike rack outside the flats as a transition area. I don't normally put on cycling gear for a journey this short - I'd take the brompton.

As the conversation in the pub turned to the perceived lunacy of any absolutely non essential exercise, David piped up.

"You're not  doing it naked are you? Or is that something else?"

You could have heard a pin drop

New year, new me?

Unfortunately not. Same old me...

So this will be the year I run a triathlon and as a result finally get into the shape I should have been in years ago. Don't misunderstand me. Whilst I have wanted to sort out my body shape for years, it is an irony that a non-vanity based motivation finally seems to be working. My body is to be an engine capable of powering itself in many different modes for sustained periods. To do this it must be more streamlined and better fuelled, stronger and able to push hard for longer. This is what has finally tricked it into shedding the kgs added over the years through cheese, bread, beer and sugar.

Dramatic though that all sounds it is the little things that have really started to make a difference.

• Less eating and drinking out in the week. 
• Taking my own lunches to work (Today I have wholegrain barley and vegetable stew - fortified with pea protein). 
• Riding the Brompton most days to get just a bit of exercise in even when I'm doing nothing else

Eventually it is treating it better and not denying myself that is turning out to be the key.

I've also bought a little more new kit

• Merrell Bare Access 2 running shoes
• Asics Windstopper tights and winter shirt
• Garmin Forerunner 310XT and bike mounting kit
• Masters and beyond - book about training in middle age

All of which I'll cover the why and wherefores shortly but all in all I'm quite excited about the future. 

Morning run

We had Miss S's sister staying (I see a tongue twister forming in my mind) last night. What that means on a practical level is that not only is the spare room full, where I normally breakfast... go figure, but also that somebody is up before me in the morning. Sophie's sister needed to leave at 07:00

I set my alarm for 06:30 figuring that as Sophie and I both needed to be out by 08:00 I could go for a run and the shower would be free when I got back. Who says it's difficult to plan training around a job eh?

It was pitch black as I set off in the drizzle, not quite sure where I was going to run to today. I knew I wanted to be gone for about 35 minutes. After 5 minutes I stopped and stretched by the park. As it was shut (what you don’t want us charging round the park in the dark??) I decided to head up to the pub on the corner of the park and do a lap on the road around the back. This route is roughly equivalent to 2 laps around the park.

Within a few minutes (leaping out of the way of an unlit cyclist on the pavement excepted… really) I was in a little world of my own. This consists of an acute awareness of what my body is doing, that cycles into vague day-dreaming and back into awareness. I used to find that I stayed mostly in the dreamy/vague stage once I’d got there, but it is too easy to forget to think about form and niggles.

Interestingly I was reading the other day that the perfect state of mind for endurance events is a balance between the ability to ignore suffering (and continue) and the total body awareness of form and injury potential from surface and surroundings.

I need feedback on how my feet are making contact with the floor. Whether I have traction or not? Is one foot form better than the other (Yes the right foot flows better)? Ignoring, or even worse not receiving in the first place, this feedback leads to problems. I need this onformation, it helps me to plan my next step. I found myself injured last year running on very wobbly high Saucony Triumph  running shoes, but am working better with their Hattori minimal shoe. I have changed my “foot strike” from a heel strike that ended up as a flat footed step flopping from the ankle to a forefoot strike that is more of a gentle step that quickly drops the heel then rolls through the foot to spring off the toes.

So far so good

Running progress

This friday evening I got in from work laden with three members of the onion family and some citrus foods. I put them down and decided to go out for a run. 

Where this differs from my running so far this year is that I have only gone running in the park since my physio. This means that half of any distance I've managed so far has been run on soft surfaces. It was overuse before proper conditioning that caused the injury that put me in a darth vader boot. 

As I set off from the flat I noticed that the the park keeper was blowing his whistle and asking people to leave. 

Sure I could probably fit in a run before the gates were locked for the night, but I'd rather not piss off the parky when everyone else was doing their best too. 

I set off along the pavement for about 400 metres when I realised I had not turned on my stopwatch. 

Then I realised my right leg felt a little tight. My mind started to wander. Then the road headed uphill. 

My right hip started to cramp a little. 

I then realised that there was a very steep camber to the pavement. I realised when it flattened out. Hip and leg felt better. 

For the rest of the run I felt fine. Well fine-ish. I got a few twinges, hot and cold, and a little tired. 

29 minutes later and I stopped outside my flat. 

Felt good. Non stop. Going to build up slowly till I'm up to an hour. 

With running the first few minutes can really puff you out. Make it to ten minutes and you're in a differerent place entirely. 

Run easy, run light. Fast is for later. 

ITU final

Sunday morning and we were due to head off down to Hyde park and watch the Men's final of the ITU World Triathlon Series. It was the Grand Final. Less than an hour from our house (flat).

Before anyone asks why we went to the Men's not the Women's race the answer is two-fold.

1. We got up at about 04:00 during the Olympics to watch the Women's race at the same venue. The Women's race Started early on Saturday, The Men's at Lunchtime on Sunday.

2. We knew people going to the Men's race, who importantly were working on the organisational team for the event.

As anyone who saw the event will know, Alistair Brownlee was running on  an achilles injury and Johnathon was beaten by Gomez in the last few yards. A shame to be sure, but the event encouraged  me in several ways.

1. As we arrived the age group races were underway. Marshalls were stopping people crossing the road to let runners by. The stopped pedestrians would then applaud the runner (who might be 19 they might be 60).

2. A lot of those age-group competitors were still in their kit 2 hours later cheering on the elite athletes

3. Next to our spot were under 23 group competitors from GB,  Ireland and South Africa all cheering along competitors from all countries as well as their own.

4. The amateur age-group racers are more likely to be riding the full carbon time-trialling machine than  some of the National elites. Lots of reasons for this but you can use good kit at any level and you don't need it to win.

5. There are age-group categories up to 85+.

I work with Social Care teams and am used to hearing 65+, 75+ and 85+ age-bands in relation to care rather than National Sport. Great stuff

What the future holds

I really regret not doing the ride London event at the weekend. I got it confused with another event going on this summer and decided not to do it. The idea of having to complete 100 miles in 9 hours or less would have seemed daunting as little as a few weeks ago, however after the Dun Run I am beginning to think it might be doable.The course is realtively flat with a couple of corkers by way of hills which should lead to relatively fast times.

The next event will be next year and I don;t have a spare weekend to travel to and complete one of the remaining sportives of the year.

So I've been looking into the idea of a triathlon as my next big challenge. Only a sprint distance, but I think the combination of a short run and swim being added to a cycling distance I can probably go flat out at might be a good training goal.

These are the distances for a sprint triathlon and the times I've already done them in

30 lengths - 30 min
20km bike - 1 hr
5 km run - 30min

Now when I say that the 30 lengths is in a pool with stops and turns and the run wasn't a race I reckon if I get my fitness up I can shave quite a bit off of that time. I know it doesn't work like that but I already know I can keep going on the bike, so what about other sports?

The last time I tried to run I eneded up with my leg in a cast and peroneal tendonitis. I intend to build up slowly this time.

Olympic triathlon

This saturday morning we got up at 05:45 to get down to Hyde Park and pick up Tickets for the Lido Cafe breakfast/triathlon event. As you can see from the pics, this particular part of Hyde Park was fairly uncrowded as it was a private event.Like much of the olympics, you got what you paid for.

A great time was had by all, which extended to watching Team GB's greatest ever athletics session and a bit of world class cycling.