Caerphilly 10km

It was back to the running today. Now normally the thought of a 10km run for me is horrible. I know that might sound a bit stupid given what I'm planning to do this year but I'm not the best running in the world and it certainly doesn't come naturally so frim start to finish is hard work. However today I was glad to be going for a run, if nothing else it mean I could get over the disappointment of last weekend and get back into the thick of it in terms of my challenge list. There's not too much I can say about the run really. It was very well organised, was a nice route and I enjoyed myself doing it. I was hoping to do the run in under 1 hour but crossed the line in 1 hour, 1 minute and 20 seconds. Despite being just over my target it was difficult to be unhappy given that it was still a good 2 minutes quicker than my personal best on a 10km so all in all I was pleased. It was also nice to see so many people from the tri club and some other familiar faces there and the local residents were fantastic for coming out onto their doorsteps to cheer us all on. All in all it was a really good boost. Last weekend will take some time to get out of my system, but it's getting there slowly.

I mentioned in my last post that I was hoping to extend my challenge to 20 events. Well, that's more or less confirmed now so I thought I'd give you the revised list. The two things that I want to point out are that even though I didn't do the actual half marathon last weekend, I did go out and do it this Tuesday, so I've left that mileage in there. Also, I know I was 12 miles short on the Wye Valley Warrior but I've reduced that to the 85 miles that I did do, increased the Isle of Wight ride to 101 to reflect that change and also I've switched from a single to a double distance triathlon at Top Barn. This will make up the mileage difference and mean I'm actually doing more than I originally planned, despite not adding any new cycling events. I know it wouldn’t be the end of the world being a few miles short but I just want you all to know how determined I am to meet these mileage totals! Anyway, here is the new and definitely final list:

Pontypool 10km Run - 24th February (6.2 miles)

Newport Half Marathon - 3rd March (13.1 miles)

Gwent Levels Bike Ride - 17th March (46 miles)

New Forest Cycle Sportive - 13th April (87 miles)

Wye Valley Warrior Cycle Sportive - 19th May (85 miles)

Brecon Triathlon - 1st June (0.2/12.4/3.1 miles)

Blenheim Triathlon - 9th June (0.4/12.2/3.3 miles)

UK 70.3 Triathlon - 16th June (1.2/56/13.1 miles)

Caerphilly 10km Run - 23rd June (6.2 miles)

Top Barn Triathlon - 30th June (0.9/34.8/6.2 miles)

Isle of Wight Cycle Sportive - 6th July (101 miles)

The Wales Cycle Sportive - 13th July (70 miles)

Mic Morris 10km Run - 21st July (6.2 miles)

The London Triathlon - 28th July (0.9/24.8/6.2 miles)

Brecon 10 Mile Run - 4th August (10 miles)

Cotswold Classic Triathlon - 11th August (1.2/56/13.1 miles)

Parc Bryn Bach Aquathlon - 29th August (0.4/3.1 miles)

Tough Mudder - 22nd September (10 mile obstacle course)

The Wye Not Tri - 29th September (0.4/12.4/3.1 miles)

Cardiff Half Marathon - 6th October (13.1 miles)

In total I will be covering 5.6 miles swimming, 597.6 miles cycling and 116 miles running throughout the year.

Finally, here is the photo from today and also the link to the sponsor page www.justgiving.com/huw2013