Mission Accomplished

Just over 7 months since this challenge began I finally reached the last event at today's Cardiff Half Marathon.  It's a really strange feeling to have reached number 20 but I'm certainly glad that it's here.  It doesn't seem that long ago that I did the first one, the Pontypool 10k back in February.  Since then there has been plenty of sweat and even some blood and tears along the way.

The run itself today wasn't anything spectacular time wise or performance wise to be honest.  It certainly wasn't going out with a bang but I got around with the help of my Dad alongside me and we managed to match our time from the Newport Half Marathon back in March.  I appreciate that this means I haven't made an improvement in all that time but I haven't been able to do any specific training for this and I've hardly trained at all in the last 2 weeks with various injuries.  I suppose with that taken into account it's not that bad after all!

It's been a fantastic experience doing all these events this year and I certainly taken on things that I would never have thought possible a year ago.  Strangely though I still haven't put everything together yet in my head, it feels like a lot of little achievements rather than one big one. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing to be honest and I'm sure it will start to sink in over the next few weeks.  There is as well the one black mark on the book for me in Wimbleball and I've already signed up to take that on again next year.  I'm determined it won't beat me twice!

I just wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone who has sponsored me because without you then all this would have been pointless.  I also want to say thanks for reading this, for every single good luck and well done message that I have received and also the help and support I've had from so many people in the tri club with my training but especially Ben, Gareth & Nic.  Thanks also to Laura, Paul, Ben and my Dad for keeping my company and dragging me around some of the events.  Things could have gone very differently in some of the events if you hadn't been there.

Finally I want to say a massive thank you to my Mam and Dad who have not only come along to almost every event to cheer me on but also supported me from the very start when I began putting all of this together and throughout the year with my training.

I'll do another update once all the sponsorship money has come in to let you know the final total which will hopefully be in a couple of weeks time.  I'm now going to have a couple of days to enjoy this before I start training for next years big challenge - Ironman Wales!

The Last Of The Triathlons

They Wye not Tri today marked not only the penultimate round of this crazy journey that I started on back in February but also the last of the triathlons.  I've got to be honest I was a bit sad packing my kit last night knowing it would be the last time until next year.  Granted that is extremely tragic but I have really enjoyed all the events so far this year but especially the triathlons.

Anyway, the race itself took place at the diving centre in Chepstow so was nice and local for me and is actually somewhere I've spent a bit of time over the summer doing some training so it was good to be able to do a race there.

The swim itself went quite well.  I was a bit apprehensive at the start because I've still got quite a nasty cut on my knee from Tough Mudder last weekend so wasn't sure how that was going to be both in the cold water and also with the movement of my legs for all 3 stages.  The cold water part was fine and it gave me no problems swimming.

After the swim, there was a run up what I would call a substantial hill to transition.  To be honest, anything other than flat I'd call substantial but it was quite steep, honest!  From transition it was out onto the 2 loop bike course which included 2 climbs of a hill that I'm gutted to say I didn't make all the way up on the bike.  There were 2 small sections that I had to get off and push up.  Although it's disappointing it just shows that whilst I've made quite good progress this year, I've still got a long way to go.  After the hill, the rest of the lap was either flat or downhill which was enjoyable.  It was also really good to go past the dive centre to start my second lap and get cheered on by the supports there including a large number from the tri club.

Finally, the run.  Now the route wasn't for me at all.  It was all off road and a mixture of loose gravel, wet grass/mud and forrest meant for it was uneven and not much fun.  Just after the turnaround point on my first lap I also managed to go over on my ankle.  I was able to carry on after a few minutes hobbling around but since the event it's got a bit worse.  I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that it's better by next Sunday for the Cardiff Half.

I don't know what my overall time was but I know that it wasn't anything special or close to a PB but I'm happy that I got around and had fun doing it.  It was also nice to race again with so many people from the club and there were lots doing a triathlon for the first time.

So there's just 1 more event to go now and then that's it.  It's definitely not too late to sponsor me if you would like to.  The address for my donation page is www.justgiving.com/huw2013 and here is the finishing photo from today.

Tough Mudder

Hi everyone.  It's been a little while I know but I was back to it today with Tough Mudder.  I'm not going to do my usual thing for this one for various reasons but just wanted to let you all know that I got around.  On to the next one now which is my last triathlon of the year a week today so I'm looking forward to that.

Parc Bryn Bach Aquathlon

I just wanted to do a quick update about tonight's aquathlon at Parc Bryn Bach. It was a first for me doing on of these events and was also a bit strange not doing any cycling, especially as that got me into the whole triathlon world in the first place!  None the less it was a very enjoyable experience and one that I will definitely be looking to repeat next year.

The swim went well, despite me freaking out a bit at the start.  The weeds in the lake were very thick and close to the surface so it did feel a little claustrophobic in places but I managed to keep a cool head and calm myself down.  I don't know the exact time for the swim but I knew it must have been a fairly decent time by my standards because I knew my run and overall time so I was pleased with that.  It's strange though because the swim always seems to take forever when I'm doing it but so far this year I haven't been disappointed with my times.

During transition from the swim to the run I felt like I was completely drunk (for those of you who know me well, I'm guessing on this!) and was completely off balance when trying to get my trainers on and when I sat down to try and make things easier I got cramp in both of my calves which wasn't a great start to the run.  I managed to get going though and soon settled into a rhythm.  This was helped as well by the marshals being member of the club so not only did I not want to stop out of embarrassment, it also meant I had a lot of encouragement as well.  It must have worked because I managed to run what I think was a 5km PB but was definitely the fastest I've done it at Parc Bryn Bach so I was thrilled with that.

So it's 17 down and just 3 left to go now which is a really strange feeling because it only seemed like 5 minutes ago that me and Laura were lining up in Pontypool for the start of my first event.  Anyway, here is the photo from tonight.  Sorry it's a bit blurry but it is me I promise!

Middle Distance Success!

Ever since the disappointment of Wimbleball there has been one date firmly set in my mind which was today, August 11th. That is because it represented the next chance I had to complete a middle distance triathlon and prove to myself that I could do it.

The day started nice and early with a 4:30 alarm to ensure I was at the lake, set up and ready for my 6:30 swim start. I had mixed emotions last night as I was trying to get some sleep. There were nerves that the same thing was going to happen again mixed with a knowledge that the course was almost completely flat, leading to the how fast can I go question. Thankfully, this morning turned out to be quite frantic for one reason and another so I didn't have too much time to dwell on anything and before I knew it, the starter had gone and we were away.

The swim went really well, even if the lake was a bit shallow in parts meaning my fingers were dragging along the bottom! A good swim is becoming a bit of a regular occurrence for me in triathlons now and I have to say a massive thanks to the coaches and my swimming buddies in the club for really helping me improve in the way I have. Hopefully I'll be able to keep it up and improve even more. It also shows that hard work and time spent training really does pay off.

Once out of the swim it was onto the bike and I decided to use my Wimbleball trick of having the lap (every 5 miles) time and distance, rather than the overall so that I wasn't trying to push too hard to beat a certain time but also to stop me getting disheartened if I'd missed a time as well. It seemed to do the trick. The route itself was in lovely surrounding but I did find it a little bit tough mentally in some parts as there wasn't much to look at apart from the straight road in front of you. The only plus side to that though is that I could see how flat the road in front of me was! There was a little hill around half way through the lap which despite being similar in profile to one that I ride up all the time, it did come as a shock to my legs, especially thon the second lap after spending so much time on the flat! Thankfully, I'd been warned about that so was prepared for it (thank you Mr Beck!). The bike was mostly uneventful which was a massive relief and my time was more or less what I was expecting so no complaints at all!

Finally, onto the run route. I knew that it was going to be a tough one for me but I certainly wasn't prepared for how mentally tough it would be. For starters, I definitely hadn't eaten enough during the bike stage which is something I need to work on. After 1 lap of the course I could feel that I had very little energy and was firstly struggling and then finding it impossible to keep even and 11 minute mile pace. I managed to grit my teeth and get through the second lap but the final one was horrendous. I had the shakes and there were definitely some dark moments where I wasn't sure if I would finish. The water station around half way was a very welcome sight and I also made a friend along the way and we dragged each other around that last lap. My overall run time was shocking, absolutely terrible but at the end of the day I finished and that was all I set out to do. My time in the end was 6hours 26 minutes and 45 seconds which is not bad if you consider I'd told my Mam and Dad I was expecting to finish in around 7 hours the night before.

Once I'd finished it was back to mixed emotions though. There was the expected exhaustion along with the pain coming from my legs and feet. There was relief and joy that I'd finished but also a little part of me that felt a bit flat. I always knew that this wouldn't make up for the Wimbleball experience (hopefully I'll be able to do that when I attempt it again next year) but I thought it would at least satisfy me in knowing I could do the distance. Maybe it'll take a couple of days to sink in and perhaps I'll feel better about it after a good nights sleep. At the end of the day, this was something that I thought was beyond me even 9 months ago, so to have finished it is an incredible achievement for me. I think though that the real satisfaction won't come until I've conquered Wimbleball.

Anyway, here is the photo from today (you might be able to see as well that the number 1 from Top Barn is still visible on my awm! and you can still sponsor me if you would like at www.justgiving.com/huw2013  After stating this current run of events on 1st June, I've got a couple of weeks off now so I'm going to enjoy them!

I Would Have Been Drier Swimming

It was another of the late additions today with the Brecon 10 mile run and with the rain pouring down the way it was, I was starting to wish it had never made the list!  None the less, I took to the start line to brave the monsoon and hopefully have some fun.  Although I quite enjoyed myself I wouldn't say it was fun though.  As I'm getting used to now with running events, I quickly fell out towards the back of the field and began quite a lonely run.  There were a couple of other runners I caught up with and passed along the way but the majority of it was spend looking at empty roads so I just imagined this is how the leaders view must be and got my head down!

The running itself went quite well.  I finished in a time of 1hour 45 minutes which I know isn't exactly going to set the World on fire but for me it is quite good.  I also managed to maintain a fairly steady pace throughout which I was pleased with.  To be honest, I was treating this as more of a training run for next weekend's half ironman distance triathlon so to come through with a decent time and no aches and pains is great.  I struggled to initially settle into a rhythm at the start but once I had done so, I seemed to zone out and go into a sort of trance which was quite surreal.  I haven't done much work on my running recently, other than the races I've been doing, so to experience that and kind of float around for 4 or 5 miles was actually quite a nice thought.  Hopefully I'll have the same thing next weekend!

That's all there is to say really about this one.  Nothing really exciting I know but all good work ready for next Sunday when I'll have another crack at finishing a half ironman distance.  Fingers crossed I can do it this time!  Until then here is the picture from today and also the link if anyone have anything they can spare to support the fantastic work that St David's Hospice Care do www.justgiving.com/huw2013

London Triathlon

The London Triathlon, the thing that got me into this crazy world in the first place! I did this race last year and was the first triathlon I signed up for and was also my first one at Olympic distance. Almost one year on (it was held in September last year because of the Olympics) and I was back. It might not be as long or challenging as some of the other events I’ve already done and will be attempting later on in the year but this, like Brecon, had something the others didn’t, a previous time! That meant I was feeling a bit of pressure last week. Granted, almost all of it I’d put on myself but still, the pressure was there. I wanted to beat last year’s time, not by much but just beat it enough to show an improvement.

The swim was held in the dock next to the Excel centre and as soon as the air horn was set off to signal the start I thought I had been transported to a boxing ring. There were arms and legs everywhere! Now I’ve done a few mass starts now so am used to a bit of argy bargy at the beginning but this was on a whole different level. I got caught a couple of times as well which was a first and the one hit to the back of my head had a decent connection to it so fair play to the bloke that threw it, his career in the ring will certainly take off! With the fighting aside, the swim went well although at the time it felt a little bit slow. However, once I’d finished and seen my time of just over 30 minutes I realised it couldn’t have been that bad.

The bike route was slightly different to last year but considering London is hardly full of mountains, I knew it wouldn’t make much of a difference and so my time from last year was still comparable. There isn’t anything really exciting for me to tell you about this part really. I just got my head down and got around the course as quickly as I could. The little nasty downpour that occurred during the bike wasn’t helpful but thankfully only lasted a couple of minutes so I can’t really complain. The bike in total took me just over 1 hour and 4 minutes which I was pleased with.

Finally the run stage which was 3 laps of what was a flat course for the majority with just 1 nasty little climb before entering the Excel centre to either begin the next lap or peel off for the finish line. Now when I say a nasty little climb, it’s not like anything you’ll find in the South Wales Valleys. Compared to that, it was a slight bump in the road but it’s surprising how sapping it was on the legs after I’d been running on the flat for the remainder of the lap. Anyway, that aside the run went really well for me. I got into a rhythm and stuck to it, only stopping to walk through the water stations. Doing laps suited me as well and I got into a little routine along the way. I couldn’t walk through the Excel because of the crowds of people, just after that was the section where all the charity supporters were cheering everyone on so again, I couldn’t walk through there. After that it wasn’t far to the water station so I just carried on until then knowing I could have a little 30 second walk to take on a drink. After that it was a short section to the turnaround point and back through again. I know it sounds a bit daft but having these little sections within the laps helped keep me motivated and keep me going. As I came around to the finish line I even managed bit of a sprint finish before looking up to see the time. I knew I’d beaten last year’s time and that I’d even gone sub 3 hours.

I had to wait then though for my time to come through on text which was an agonising hour or so. Finally it arrived. I’d done the run in just over 1hour and 4 minutes which for me is a really good time on its own, let alone after the swim and bike. Overall it took me 2hours, 47 minutes and 45 seconds which I am absolutely chuffed to bits about and was around 39 minutes quicker than last year. Now I know in the grand scheme of things that time isn’t the most impressive in the world and there is still a lot of improvements that I can make but for me right here, right now, it might as well be Olympic gold!