Lakesman 2017 a view from the other side

Last year I took part in the Lakesman having said never again to an iron distance tri. I'm so glad that I did do it as the event is a fantastic event in an amazing location and the fact I knocked half an hour off my best time.

This year I was back but this time as a volunteer, I wasn't sure what I would be doing but I wanted to give something back as a thank you to all that organised and volunteered last year.

I arrived at site around lunchtime on Saturday and was set to work giving out timing chips as competitors racked their bikes.

There were 3 of us there and we seemed to have a good system going, I would find the helmet chip sticker one of the ladies would find the ankle chip and we would both give them to the other lady who would attach the helmet chip and hand the ankle chip with strap to the athlete. Sorry I didn't get my colleagues names, I was a but late arriving and dived straight into dishing out chips.

Then the worst thing possible happened number 377 came in, I had found his helmet sticker but his ankle chip was not there. What would we do now someone had the wrong chip. Despite being horrified that she had given out the wrong chip the young lady had the presence of mind to realise that the wrong chip had been given to someone else with a 7 at the end of their number. Very quickly we had checked through the helmet stickers with the chips and realise that number 347 had the wrong chip. A phone call made and fortunately he was still on site and came back to swap his chip. Phew!!

As the athletes racked their bikes something seemed odd with the racks and they were bending more than expected. After transition was closed the race director, Phil, came in to see what could be done. The same number of bikes were on each rack and they were the same racks as last year so why were they bending. Quickly Phil saw the problem that some of the legs were in the wrong place.

An hour later we had managed to adjust the racks and all was good!

Now my shift had finished it was time to make my way back to Andy and Nicky's where I was staying for the weekend. Now where did I park? I had followed Andy and Nicky to the venue but they had left after Nicky had racked her bike and bags etc. Fortunately I did manage to retrace my steps to find my car.

Sunday morning arrived all too quickly and we were off to site about 4:15am!

On arrival I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be doing but was given a medium T-shirt and directed into transition chuffed that the shirt actually fitted!!

Once in place I was just doing what I could to help triathletes prepare for what they were about to take on, which for me was interesting having been through it the year before.

Then once they had all started it was down to the lake to see what else I could do and I was soon shoeless standing on the edge of the carpet on the exit to the lake ready to help any athlete exiting the lake on their way up to T1. It was here that the funniest moment of the weekend occurred with Andy King helping an athlete out and loosing balance completely and both of them ending up under the water, there is photo evidence somewhere but unfortunately I don't have access to the photos.

After everyone had left the lake I had some time as the next job I had was to marshal at the Bike In, ensuring that all riders dismounted before the line, a few came in a bit quick and ended up on the floor, fortunately no one badly hurt.

We did have a few offers to take their bikes off them as they never wanted to ride them again and a few comments that were too rude to publish online!

As the last few riders came in I was then free to go and support Nicky as she started her final lap of the run which she did as lead woman, then it was quite a nervous wait for her to come round again hoping that she had maintained her lead.

Then Docker on the mic pipped up that she was indeed heading to the finish to cross the line as first woman a fantastic achievement and great to be able to watch.

The Lakesman is a fantastic event with the Race Directors putting their all in to organising the best event that they can for the athletes, this was only the  2nd year of the event and it was clear that they had listened to the feedback from the athletes that competed last year and make some changes to the event and that is all you can ask. No one is going to get everything right first time or even 2nd time but as long as you listen and act on the comments coming through that is what will make the event even better than it already is.

I feel like I have unfinished business with the Lakesman as I didn't have the best preparation last year, so I will be back next year to take on the Half!! Entries open Monday 26th June at The Lakesman go on you know you want to!!

Now all that is left for me to do is check their online shop to see if I can buy a new Hoodie having foolishly left mine lying around on Saturday evening! Doh!!

London 2 Brighton Ultra Challenge

A while ago I phoned to have a chat with Dave and he mentioned that he and his brother James were taking on the London 2 Brighton Ultra Challenge, now this sounded like a great idea at the time and I jumped at the chance to join them!

As time passed and my friends and colleagues were asking me about what my next challenge was and I had to explain that my London to Brighton was not the famous bike ride but actually an Ultra Challenge by foot my great idea seemed to becoming less so!

I had entered and now I was stuck with it I had to do it, no pulling out! I had arranged with Dave that I would leave my car at Brighton Race Course on the Friday night so we had some way of getting away from the finish on the Sunday morning.

Getting my kit ready and making sure that I had all I needed I received a text from Dave, he had a bronchial infection and his Dr. had told him he would not be able to do the challenge, James was still doing it and Dave could still provide transport and support.

At about 4pm on the Friday Dave arrived at my house to follow me down to Brighton to drop my car off, not the best of time on a bank holiday weekend to be travelling through Brighton but we arrived at the racecourse and found the Ultra Challenge banners around and signs to indicate the field that was allocated for the Event parking. There was no one around to advise where we should park so I abandoned my car in what seemed like a suitable place.

4.30am on the Saturday Dave once again knocked on my door to collect me to drive to the start in Richmond, quickly back to his house to collect James and his family and we were on our way to London.

At the start I was quickly registered and make use of the breakfast provision and stocked up on some energy tabs and bars for the first leg of the challenge, a quick visit to the loo and all set for the off.

We watched as the runners in the 6.30 wave left wondering how anyone would be able to run a 100km! then all too soon it was our turn to be called to the start pen for the 7.00am start!

Setting off we decided that the best option was to start slow and get slower, so started off at walking pace along the park and up to the Thames. Walking along with James we chatted about a wide variety of topics including bizarrely the expense management employed by our respective companies, not sure how that subject arose, the other main topic that ran the length of the challenge was how Dave had pulled out!

We arrived at the first mid point rest stop and I realised that James had not been exaggerating when he said that there was loads of food provided on route. A banana, packet of crisps and a mars bar were consumed along with a cup of tea before we headed off to the first main checkpoint.

Arriving at the checkpoint again there was an amazing array of food on offer to keep energy levels and spirits up, more crisps and tea before heading off taking a couple of mars bars with us for the trek!

 The next stage took us to Tulleys Farm which was just over half way and where we would meet up with our families for some food. There was to be a mid point stop again for tea and snacks to keep us going. I think it was as we left this stop that we came across a field with a red phone box in all quite strange!

We headed on to Tulleys Farm and I was aware of time as Amanda had to be home for 7pm to pick William up from a party so we had to be there by about 5:45 to have any chance of spending any time together before moving on.

As we passed under the M25 there is a steep slope the other side, not very long but quite steep and i think this change in terrain did for my heel as I suddenly felt a blister on my left foot and had to stop to apply a blister plaster. We were not even half way yet and I was wondering if my feet would hold up.

The sign advising that rest stop is approaching is actually quite a distance from the actual stop which couldn't come quick enough for me! As we approached the stop Dave and Sam were there to welcome us in, as we turned the corner Amanda was there to give me a much needed boost!

We sat down and found some food to aid in our recovery, as we did a guy at the table gleefully announced that the 2nd half of the challenge was Brutal, nice to know as he wasn't going on any further as he had torn a calf muscle!

The time came and we had to leave to start on the next section, my feet and legs were really suffering now and I was starting to think that I wasn't going to get to the end.

The next stop was Ardingly College which is close to where Ed lives so Amanda had contacted him to see if he would be able to get there to meet us, he was waiting for an Asda delivery but said he would if he could.  As we were walking towards the stop Amanda text to find out where we were as Ed was at the stop.

If Ed had been in his car rather than on his motorbike I think that would have been the end of my challenge, I had already told James that if he wanted to press on not to let me slow him down.

After a few snacks and more tea we left on our way to the next stop, each section was getting harder and I could have done with them being a few KM's closer together.

We forced a Jacket potato and chilli down at the last main stop as we needed the energy, We were so close now that even though my knees, ankles and feet were immensely painful I was keen to not show this as we walked past marshals in case they pulled me out.

As we hit the last rest stop it was a bit disappointing that they had no tea making facilities but it was also getting a bit cold so we couldn't stay too long before making a move for the last 6K to the racecourse.

I was really struggling for the final few kilometres but James was always there encouraging me to get to the finish, this last few kilometres felt like much longer and as we hit the race course with just over a kilometre to go I was more shuffling than walking.

There really was no better sight than the finish line approaching:

So there it was 100km after leaving Richmond we had arrived at Brighton Racecourse 22.5 hours later!

It was definitely an experience and a challenge that I am proud to have achieved but not one that I intend to repeat ever!

Thanks to everyone involved in the organisation of the event, this really was a mammoth task to arrange everything and I could not fault any part of the organisation. Thanks to James for getting me through it, I really would not have made it otherwise.

Thanks to Dave for driving us around and the support during the event, even though he should have been walking with us!

Thanks to Amanda and Ed for their support on the route, especially thanks to Ed for going out on his bike rather than his car! 

Thanks to Anita and Sam for their support throughout the weekend, and Sam for the finish photo above!

Normally I listen to Heart Sunday Breakfast on my Sunday runs or when I am on my way to an event so it was quite strange listening to Jenni Falconer whilst driving home from an event for a change! 

Brighton Marathon 2017

In 2010 a new Marathon arrived in Brighton, I hadn't actually seen it advertised but Dave mentioned it to me as he had entered. When I checked, they were not taking any more entries which was disappointing, however being only a week before London the organisers had offered a deal whereby if you entered and subsequently got in to London you could cancel your entry. This meant that they then opened entries again to sell the spaces that were returned, so I did manage to get a space.

I then managed to get a place at London through work but the running of 2 marathons a week apart is another story.

I have since ran Brighton every year that it has been run, with the most recent yesterday 9th April, I am already signed up for next year to maintain my 100% record at the event.

On Friday I made the short drive to Brighton to collect my race pack and sign up for next year at the race Village on the beach just after the finish line. The weather was bright and sunny an ideal day to be off and spend some time at the beach. There were a number of us who headed straight to the entry for 2018 stand only to find that the systems weren't working correctly but would be up in 10 - 15 minutes if we wanted to come back. All being very keen we stayed where we were to wait! after about 20 minutes they were still saying the systems would be up in 10 -15 minutes, oops!

A wonderful young Lady from Texas who was in charge of the entry process made several phone calls but it was clear that there was something wrong and we would be waiting a while longer. Eventually she decided that as long as we were paying the deposit in cash she could take details to be entered into the system later, I was duly entered and then headed off to the number collection point.

Whilst we had been waiting people had been commenting about how long the queues were and the collection didn't open for an hour after the village had opened, so I was dreading what would confront me when I got there. On arriving I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of queue due to the fact that the organisers had made the decision to open early so by 10:45 I was entered into 2018 and collected my 2017 number.

Sunday morning came and I drove to Burgess Hill to get the train to Brighton for the short walk from the Station to the start in Preston Park, once again the weather was great, no shivering trying to keep warm whilst waiting for the off. Bag sealed and dropped off at the lorry all I had to do was wait until it was time to make my way to the start coral. Trying to time my last visit to the loo right, I didn't quite get it right but the fact that they had loos in the start lane meant that I was OK!

 

Fortunately due to the weather there was grass in the start coral this year as opposed to the heavy mud last year and moving from the coral to the start line was very smooth. Once in the start lane we were off and running, doing the lap of Preston Park.

Once back past the start line and off into Brighton it was clear that it was going to be a warm race!

About 3 miles in and getting into Brighton proper I heard some familiar voices cheering me on and managed to catch a glimpse of Dave and Jenni, a quick wave from the opposite side of the road and a shout from Dave that I was on 4:05 pace and I was gone. I knew that pace wouldn't last in the heat.

About mile 10 I was passed by a Unicorn and at the following water station I had to queue to get a cup of water, this was something that I had never experienced before at a marathon. The volunteers manning the station were amazing they were just swamped with runners and could not keep up with demand due to having to fill cups!

I never really recovered from this and my running began to slow. I have never liked the water being given out in cups but this year's heat just proved what a bad decision it was to use them. With the bottles and pouches that have been used in previous years and in London you can take the water with you for longer. I was really struggling between drinks stations and could have done with being able to take a bottle with me.

Just before half way I was beginning to think that my record of finishing every Brighton Marathon was under threat, and I had only just found "The Ever Presence" group on Facebook!

One of the amazing things about the Brighton Marathon is the Spectators who are all out on the side of the road cheering on complete strangers (and lying to us, telling me I look good and strong when I really don't!) one such spectator around have way saw that I was having a tough time and thrust an ice pop in my had and said here have one of these. Nothing could have been better for me at that point, it really gave me a boost and set me up for the 2nd Half.

Going out to the Power Station leg was hard but forcing one foot in front of the other I managed to get around it and back to the seafront and into the last 3 miles, I'm sure Fatboy Slim was on that corner cheering us on with the comment It's the final straight.

I had joked with Tim Hutchings on Twitter earlier in the week about course measurement and could they make it a couple of miles shorter. His response was "You wanna miss the last 2 miles? Where the crowds are thickest & roar you home? he was quite right the crowds all round the course are amazing but the masses in the last few miles are truly outstanding.

Everything was hurting in the last 3 miles, my knees, my legs, my feet but I kept on going I had to get that 8th medal. As I got close to the finish those familiar voices were cheering me on, Dave and Jenni had hung around and were there to cheer me to the finish, I managed to turn and wave before heading off down the final stretch to the finish line.

Just after the finish line I saw Tim again and told him that I had got it wrong on twitter earlier in the week and that on this occasion the run was about 10 miles too long!!

As I reached the end of the finish area and collected my bag Dave text to say that they were just near the finish and did I want a lift home, that sounded great to me and I went to meet them at the exit to the village. Getting out of the village was horrible there was gridlock of people and no-one could get in our out, eventually we managed to climb over a fence and walk along the beach.

The volunteers, spectators and medical teams around the course were fantastic, I'm sure with the heat the medical teams were busier than in previous years, my thanks go to all of them for their support of the event, without them the event couldn't run.

I have managed to make it 8 from 8 and will be back next year to try and make it 9 from 9. I am also hoping to be able to make it 10 from 10 in 2019 when I will be 50 at the time of running, but I do think that there are 2 major things that the organisers need to look at:

1. Hydration - Cups really do not work for such a large scale event
2. Entry and Exit from the Beach Village.

  

Ride London 2016

I have entered the ballot for Ride London every year and never been successful, I have however been lucky enough to ride the event 3 times through winning a place!

The first year it was run I won a place through a competition run by Skoda, the 2nd year I marshalled at the start, the 3rd year I won a place again with Skoda and then this year I won 2 places through Evans Cycles! More than just lucky I guess.

Having won 2 places this year I needed to find someone to ride with me and Dave Hughes duly volunteered to take the extra space. Dave had also ridden the first year of the event and we had a few issues with logistics of getting to and from the event. This year however I had a plan, perfected last year, I would drive to The O2 and park then we would ride through the Blackwall Tunnel, which is closed specifically for the event, to get to the start. Then having finished on The Mall we would go back to my office which has a secure garage for the bikes, have a shower, take in some of the events in Green Park before getting the tube back to The O2, collect the car and drive home. I would then bring the bikes home Monday and Tuesday.

I duly collected Dave about 4am and headed off, I had volunteered to take some photos for the BBC Get Inspired team throughout the day so this meant stopping regularly throughout the ride which was a great incentive for me to really enjoy the ride rather than going all out to get to the finish as quickly as possible which I had done on the previous 2 rides.

We arrived at the Olympic Park, dropped the bags off and made our way to the start pens, just about perfect timing getting into the pen about 5 mins before it closed. We met a guy called Carl who had ridden the event every year, he had also won his place this year in a competition. Before long we were moving round to the start, I am always impressed that they seem to get the waves away almost exactly on time, no mean feat for so many riders!

Soon after the start there were a mass of riders stood by the side of the road, no doubt waiting for friends who were in a different wave.

The first few miles go past really quickly through London and Richmond Park then out to Hampton Court and the first of the Hubs, we stopped in the park and at the hub to take some photos and enjoy the fig rolls and other food and drink that was on offer. After we were suitably refreshed we set off again and before too much longer were near to Newlands Corner. 

On our way to Newlands we were temporarily stopped due to an accident but were allowed past once the ambulance had arrived. Once at the top of Newlands Corner we again stopped at the Hub to take on food and water, on leaving the hub it was clear that something had happened back round the course as there were very few riders coming up the hill and we were 2 of about a handful of riders going down the hill.

As we hit the bottom of Leith Hill my legs felt quite strong and I knew it was going to be difficult to try and ride up with Dave alongside all the other riders so I decided to go up at my own pace and meet Dave at the top. When he arrived at the summit I discovered that his chain had come off on the approach to the hill.

From Leith Hill we progressed on to the iconic Box Hill and once again we agreed to meet at the top of the hill for some food and water provided by the amazing volunteers.

Returning to London there is a final rise at Wimbledon and then a final run in to swing under Admiralty Arch and onto The Mall to the finish line and a quite amazing medal.

Ride London is a fantastic event giving a unique opportunity to ride around London and Surrey on closed roads, a massive thanks to all involved with putting it on. An equally massive thanks to all the volunteers around the course who were always smiling and cheerful providing not only the food and water but  heaps of encouragement.

Obviously the event suffered a sad event and my condolences go to the family affected.

The Lakesman!

A few years ago I agreed to take part in an iron distance triathlon and stated after that I would never do another one, that was 2012 and I have entered one each year since!

The most recent was The Lakesman which took place in Cumbria on 19th June, I had sworn off doing anymore after the Bastion last year and only just making the cutoff time for the finish.

I jokingly tweeted that if I hadn't promised my wife that I wouldn't do anymore that I would be there, this tweet made it's way back to Amanda and she conspired with my parents to get me an entry for my birthday, so actually it is Jennie, Amanda and my parents fault not mine!

Anyway having entered I tried to train for it but suffered several issues with running, so wasn't as fit as I hoped.

I drove up to Cumbria on Friday and found the studio that I had booked for the weekend and let Andy King know that I had arrived. Shortly after Nicky came to pick me up and we went to register to avoid having to do that on the Saturday.  Having registered we met up with Dave and Jennie who had left Sussex about half an hour after me but had a much longer journey, I think I just missed the worst of the traffic.

Saturday was quite a relaxed day spent watching the rugby in the morning and having lunch before travelling back to Keswick to rack the bikes and for Jennie to get her instructions for her marshalling duties for Sunday.

When all was set we returned to Andy and Nicky's where Andy had prepared a wonderful pasta meal before heading off for an early night.

Now things started to go a bit wrong, as soon as I got into bed I must have moved awkwardly and something went in my neck, I spent the whole night trying to get comfortable to get some sleep, eventually getting a couple of hours propped on the sofa. I was convinced that I would not be able to start with my neck feeling the way it did.

Dave and Jennie picked me up about 4.15 to head to Keswick in order to get the last minute checks done in time for a start at 6.00am. I took a couple of paracetamol, spotted by the ITU referee who commented on me taking drugs!

My neck was not feeling too bad so I decided to give it a go, the swim started well but there just seemed to be buoy after buoy that were never ending! after what seemed like an eternity the finish pontoon came into site and Andy King was there to pull us out of the water.  The finish of the swim was a little awkward with it being quite shallow leading to the pontoon but having been dragged out I then ran (well walked quickly) up to transition.

Having changed into my bike gear and taking a quick comfort break I was out on the road, the first few miles were quite difficult to get going, I always struggle after the swim to get my legs going on the bike. After about 30 miles I started to get into a rhythm and my average speed was higher than I had hoped. Getting onto the circuit at the top of the course with the wind behind us the speed was good, I was suffering with my neck though and it meant that I found riding on my tribars painful so they were just extra weight on the bike this time around!

As we turned at the top of the circuit we hit the headwind and some hills so the speed dropped dramatically until we turned back onto lap 2 when we again had the helpful wind. Getting back to the end of the circuit having again battled against the wind we had about 30 miles to go, it was quite obvious that the last 30 miles were not going to be easy, into wind and several hills!

Arriving back into Keswick proved a bit dicy getting back to transition having to make your way through all the cars that were trying to get through the town too with a few roads closed. When I arrived back in transition I struggled to find my bike space as I was looking on the wrong side of the pole, fortunately a friendly volunteer (actually there were nothing but friendly volunteers!) pointed out my space and I was back into the tent to swap to run gear.

On entering the tent more friendly volunteers (see told you they all were) arranged to sort out getting your bag of the hooks and emptied on the floor in front of you to get changed, as soon as I had discarded clothing it was picked up and bagged ready to be hung back up for me.

Leaving the tent to start the run I found that I had left my legs out on the bike course and also as soon as I started to run a stitch kicked in! Fortunately I had remembered the hair bands that Nicky had sorted out for us the night before to keep track of our laps, I just had to remember how to use them!

Jennie was the first marshal post leading onto the run and it was great to see a familiar face cheering me out on to the run course.

At the end of the first lap I think I must have looked a bit rough as Andy King was there asking me if I was alright and then double checking again and again! I had managed to get off the bike and onto the run before the rain started which I was very glad about as I don't mind running in the rain but not too keen on cycling.

On my last lap of the run I caught up with Dave who was accompanied by Jennie who had finished her marshaling duties, I stayed with them for a while before trying to run again, I say run it was more like a shuffle.

At the end of that lap I could turn and run down the red carpet to the finish line, at this point I had no idea of the time and what sort of finish time I was on for, so I was amazed when I came down the carpet to see the clock at 14hrs 20 this meant that I had completed the course in a 30 minute PB for the distance!

Once again Andy was there to cheer us in and guide me to a chair which was much needed! Nicky gave me a cup of tea and then another arrived from somewhere, another friendly volunteer!

Despite Nicky having completed the event too she took me up to the athlete tent and went to get me some food, still she had had about 3 hours to recover before I finished. Having polished off the food I went to find my clothes and get changed to avoid getting too cold, then returned to the tent where yet another friendly volunteer produced sticky toffee pudding with cream!

I had managed to recover enough to make it back to the finish line to welcome Dave across the line.

The Lakesman was a new event this year, it was extremely well organised and a fantastic event to take part in, the Lake was great to swim in, the bike was hilly in parts but nowhere near as hilly as it could be in Cumbria! the run was ok but suffered from having to be changed from the original route due to the aftermath of the flooding that the area has seen recently I believe, mind you by the time I get to the run I don't really notice that much anyway!

If anyone is contemplating doing an iron distance triathlon I can fully recommend the lakesman, entries for next year are being taken at  The Lakesman just don't expect to see me on the start line again. To borrow a phrase from a famous knight "If anyone sees me suggest entering another iron distance triathlon please shoot me!" oh wait didn't he go on to do another event, oh well I definitely am retired from iron distance triathlon!

I must thank so many people for all that they have done for me before during and after this event:
Amanda for agreeing to me doing the event in the first place and arranging the entry
Jennie for having grassed me up to Amanda which prompted her to arrange the entry
Mum and Dad for the entry
All the encouragement from people on twitter and facebook
Andy and Nicky for looking after me all weekend
Dave and Jennie for transporting me around
All the organisers and people behind the scenes who made the event happen
All the spectators who cheered us on throughout the day, especially to two ladies on the out and back section of the run who made so much noise, they can't have any voices left today!

My last thanks are reserved for the amazing volunteers and marshals around the course who not only fed an watered us on the course but were so amazingly friendly and cheerful despite being out in horrible weather, giving so much encouragement as well as the nutrition.

Thank you one and all!

Brighton Marathon

Yesterday saw the 7th running of the Brighton Marathon and I have taken part in all of them. I really enjoy Brighton, being close to home the logistics are easier than mos for me but other than that it is a really nice event.

I collected my race pack on the Friday, leaving home a bit later than I planned to meant that I was not there at my customary time and the queues were longer than I had experienced before, not sure if this was due to the time or the fact that the organisers had changed the process so that numbers and start corals were assigned on the day.

However after passing through registration and being given the smallest kit bag ever I wandered round the expo, signed up for next year and headed home. Having run every year I feel that not entering each year is a problem. I have decided though that in 2019 that if the event is still going it will be the 10th running and I will be 50 at the time of the race so that seems like a reasonable time to stop.

My morning prep for Brighton has been quite similar each year, drive to Burgess Hill listening to Heart with Jenni Falconer, train to Preston Park and walk to the start. British Transport Police in their wisdom decided that Preston Park station should be closed during the period that people would be travelling to the start, so all the way to Brighton it was and then walk back to the start.

The start corals were different this year, rather than around the path in Preston Park they were side by side in the actual park, this seemed to be a better option with people able to move through easier, however the torrential rain on Saturday did mean that our trainers were about twice the weight with all the mud they had collected. Moving onto the path gave us opportunity to scrape the mud off our trainers before crossing the start lane.

Zoe Ball was the official starter and giving high 5's as we started the race, hope her hands are not too sore today.

I have been suffering with my calf muscle during training with my left leg giving me grief after about 2 miles, I have had some physio, rest and exercises which convinced me that I could actually complete Brighton. The first few miles passed without incident and I was going well and certainly on target for my sub 4 aim. Then at mile 5 my right calf gave way with a shooting pain, I tried to carry on and after a while the pain was manageable so I pressed on to try and finish.

I was surprised to get through half way in under 2 hours and thought that although I would not get sub 4 I may actually be able to get a PB.

The last 3 miles seemed to go on for an eternity and when I went into the last mile my left calf gave way too, so I was in quite severe pain getting to the finish and as soon as I crossed the line my legs gave way and I slumped to the floor. A first aider was with me immediately to try and get me moving to keep the finish area clear,

I managed to get to my feet with her help and headed off down to the road past Jenni Falconer who said Well Done as I limped by.

After getting my medal and kit bag back I headed off to the beach for a brief rest before getting back to the station for my return home. It felt like it took longer to get from the finish to the station than the first half of the run.

This morning I am in more pain than ever before after a marathon and hope that I can recover quickly so I can get back on with preparations for The Lakesman in June.

Brighton is a great event although marred a bit this year by the kit bag issue, there were so many different stories coming out about why the bags were so small, but in the end common sense seemed to prevail and as long as the right number was stuck to the bag they were accepted onto the lorry.

Thanks to all involved in the organisation and volunteers that made it such a great event, thanks also to all the supporters out on the course especially those in the last 3-4 miles without whom I wouldn't have got round, I'm sure I heard Zoe Ball again in her now customary cheering position.

Lakesman Progress

I completed my first Iron Distance triathlon in 2012 at The Outlaw in Nottingham and after I finished I vowed Never Again!! I have said those words after Ironman UK in Bolton in 2014 and The Bastion this year. I probably would have said them after Challenge Henley in 2013 if I had finished it!

After the Bastion I really meant it and promised my wife that I would not do another Iron distance triathlon, The Bastion was really tough and has a name for being one of the toughest! so it seemed only fitting that I should see this as my last one.

Then The Lakesman was announced as a new Iron Distance triathlon for 2016 based in such a lovely part of the country and my mate Andy was involved with the event. I saw so many comments on Twitter and Facebook and replied to one tongue in cheek that if I hadn't promised my wife that I wouldn't do another I would be there.  This comment found its way back to Amanda and she plotted with my parents and I had an entry to the event as a birthday present!

I am cycling to work as many days as I can which is 16 miles each way and is keeping a base level of fitness, I need to get some longer riders in but for now I am struggling to find the time.

I woke early one Sunday and couldn't get back to sleep so decided to go out for a run, I managed about 6 miles and all before 8am. It was great to get a well done comment from Nicky who was the inspiration for me starting the madness of doing iron distance triathlon, she was apparently still in bed at the time. Despite the fact that she was still in bed while I was out running I know that she will be doing more training than I and will finish the event a good few hours before me!

This early morning Sunday running seemed like a good plan so has become part of my week, I just need to find time to get those long cycles in along with some swimming and I will be good to go in June!!