So why a blog?
Well I've been competing in triathlon & quadrathlon for 6 years now, a few training buddies have done blogs detailing the build up to their first Ironman Triathlon, ive got a big year ahead in 2012 & already had a big set back, so thought this would be good way to get my thoughts down, detail my training and find my mojo.
So lets get the boring stuff out of the way, bring you up to date with my story so far, I started running at the age of 36, the only "sport" I'd been involved in since leaving school where I competed for the school in cross country, track (mainly 800m & 1500m), rugby & swimming, was snooker, not exactly a physical sport I know.
I still remember my first run, I didn't even make it to the end of the road, had to stop and catch my breath, anyway I managed a couple of stop/ start miles, after I'd recovered I thought yep this is what I need to do.
Entered a few 10k's & the Great North run that year and really enjoyed "racing", then around Christmas I came across triathlon and my world changed ...... triathlon was the future.
Did some sprints, joined the best club in the country, Lincsquad who only had 8 members at the time, now we have over 200 members, I'm club treasurer, club coach and help organise 4 events for the club.
In 2010 I completed my first ironman distance race, the Outlaw, a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike & 26.2 mile run in 11 hours 20 minutes, the swim was easy, the bike was painful and the run, well the run is all in the mind, its not about your legs, the pain or the clock, its a battle with that little voice saying stop, you just have to think "shut the hell up" and run/ shuffle to the next feed station. The last 2 miles was awesome, a loop around Holme Pierrepont, I could see the finish shoot across the lake, simply a fantastic feeling, but that paled into insignificance with the emotions that built up inside coming down the finishing shoot & over the line, seeing Sarah, my wife who had been marshalling all day on the bike route & had only just got to the finish line 10 minutes earlier, it was incredible, words can not describe the feeling, you'll have to go & experience it for yourself!
So iron distance ticked, what was next, well I decided to go short for 2011, sprint, olympic triathlons and concentrate on repeating a successful quadrathlon series.
2011 was my best year yet, I raced for GBR in the World Quadrathlon Championships finishing 15th, I pulled the GBR trisuit on again in September for the European Quadrathlon Championships finishing 11th.
I also qualified for the GBR age group Triathlon team for the 2012 European Triathlon Championships in Israel, and was overwelmed to be asked to be GBR Captain for my age group.
The National Team Relays was another highlight of 2011, simply no other triathlon quite like it, 4 team members racing as 1 of 200 teams around a closed circuit in a relay, the first team member swims 500m, then hands over to the second team mate who then ..... you get the drift, the fourth swimmer hands over to team member one again for a 15km bike who hands over to the second, etc, and again the 4th team mate on finishing the bike hands over to team amte 1 for them to start the 5km run and so on until the fourth team mate crosses the line. A huge grandstand of supporters makes this event second to none, a great weekend and our Lincsquad over 40's team finished 5th in the over 40 category and 35th overall.
Nearly up to date, thank goodness!!
So late in 2011 I was deciding what I wanted to do in 2012, and I couldnt get rid of a nagging voice in my head, if you know me, you'll know that I'm always up for a challenge, a real test to "see if I can" I suppose, well I'd been looking at races that were longer than ironman, yep thats right, pure nutcase material.
After hovering over the enter button late one November evening, I just clicked on it, I'd entered Double Enduroman for June 2012, a triathlon with a difference, and not the easiest course (by all accounts), so whats DEM, well its a 4.8 mile swim, 232 mile bike & 52 mile run, yeh ......... well how hard can it be? its only a swim, bike, run after all!
Deciding that 2012 was a "long event year" now (although the Euro Champs in April 2012 was sprint distance) I also entered Ironman Austria & Hell on the Humber (a 12 hour endurance run).
A big change at work also seemed to be playing part of an ideal plan for this mamouth year, when I had the opportunity to take redundancy, a nice cheque, meant I could have up to 2 years off work, but in reality I thought 6 months off takes me to after DEM & IMA then back to work (somewhere).
Everything was going just to plan, it was Christmas, I'd been able to really step up training over the last 2 months, putting in some big mileage on the bike & in the trainers, and was loving it .........
..... a lapse of concentration for a milli-second while out on a bike ride with a mate & I woke up in hostpital with a head impact and broken collar bone.
That night in hospital was .............. DEPRESSING .............. 6 months to train, without having to work & I'm starting it lying in a hospital bed not knowing how many weeks I'm going to be out !
Operation day 30th December came, I waited, it went ! 7 hours sat in hospital and no operation, I was last on the surgeon's list and he had been delayed with previous surgery's so mine was postponed till another day. When they told me it wasn't goping to happen today, I just got up & walked out, I didn't here anything else the nurse said, I was so disappointed & upset, I just wanted to get home to my family.
I had to ring the hospital later that evening to ask what was happening next, they were going to try and get me in on Tuesday 3rd Jan, but I would have to wait for a phone call.
Not a great New Year's eve .........
On 3rd Jan the call came, operation today, let's go :)
The operation was a success, I woke up in recovery and was presented with a kids well done certificate for being brave from a good friend who works there, made me smile.
It was great to see Sarah & Georgie at my bedside after the op, I felt pretty drowsy but still remember it well. I slept well that night till about 3pm, when I woke in absolute pain, it was like the pins in my collar bone were ripping through the muscles in my shoulder, the drugs had worn off & I'd tried to be "hard" and avoid using the self-dispense morphine gadget I was hooked up to, I was now regretting that decision. It took a while for the pain to subside ...... morphine is good :)
I was discharged early the next morning and told to rest ....... now that is difficult for me!
3 weeks later with no training (well a few turbo sessions, I couldnt resist!), ive got good movement in my arm and I'm off to see the surgeon this afternoon for an xray to check that the plate & 7 pins holding my collar bone together are helping me mend.
Ive found my training mojo over the last few days and put in a number of tough 1 hour interval sessions on the turbo, I'm starting to feel GREAT !
Hoping to get out on the bike soon and put the trainers on ..... fingers crossed.
Well thats the background done (I blooming hope so anyway), apologies no pics in yet, as I get more used to this, I'll add some in and try to make it a little more exciting but it's been quite a sobering experience for the last few minutes summarising my triathlon journey so far!
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