The Triathlons Begin

The fun of triathlons stated today with the Brecon Triathlon.  I honestly mean that as well, I really do enjoy them.  OK, I enjoy them once I’ve started.  Getting my kit together the night before and the hanging around to start isn’t the best and I always get nervous before hand but I honestly do enjoy them!

Despite this being labelled by the organisers as a “novice” triathlon it is a fantastic one to do and the field is always a mixture of complete newcomers and first timers to highly experienced and competitive triathletes using it to build their form for the bigger races coming up over the summer.  For me there were a few reasons for taking part this year.  Firstly, it’s quite close to home so it means that all the family (and we’re quite a crowd!) can come along and see what it’s all about, have a laugh at me in my tri suit but also cheer me along.  It was great coming up to the finish line hearing them all shouting and cheering and I’m really really grateful to them all for coming to support me.  The other couple of reasons are that it was a good way for me to get a triathlon in before the UK 70.3 in a couple of weeks time but also, because I did it last year, gave me a chance to see how I’ve improved over the last year.

The race itself went well.  The swim stage was in the leisure centre swimming pool, so no open water to worry about, that will come next week!  I wasn’t overly pleased with how it went but despite that, I still improved on last year’s time so can’t complain too much.  The bike and run routes went well, both being long enough for me to get into some sort of rhythm but not long enough to cause any problems or major tests.

My total time was 1hour 33 minutes and 43 seconds which was around 22 minutes faster than my time last year.  I’m chuffed to bit about that because it shows that I’m made a big improvement in the last year and that the training I’m doing with the tri club is working.  I’m also pleased that I the time was knocked off in all 3 stages (2 minutes on the swim, 10 minutes on the bike and 10 minutes on the run) which shows the all-round improvement that I’ve made.  Obviously there were parts today that I wasn’t completely satisfied with and would chance if I could go back and do the race over but that’s part of it and why we all keep training week in, week out.

The events are coming thick and fast now with the Blenheim Triathlon waiting for me next weekend which will be another good tester before the UK 70.3 especially with the already mentioned open water swim!

Don’t forget you can sponsor me at www.justgiving.com/huw2013 and surely the embarrassing photo of me below in my tri suit is worth £1 at least!

 

 

A Tough Day in the Saddle

The Wye Valley Warrior – without a doubt the toughest thing I’ve taken on. It put me face to face with my biggest weakness, climbing hills on the bike and I definitely lost. Ever since I started doing this type of thing I’ve always had a little bit of doubt in the back of my mind that I won’t be able to complete them. Until now, I’ve been lucky but today the luck ran out. Now, don’t get me wrong, I made the finish line, however I didn’t do all 97 miles that I set out to do, instead I had to settle for 85. For those of you not familiar with sportives, when there is more than one distance, the route will split at various points and meet back up again somewhere down the line allowing everyone to start and finish in the same place but meaning the different distances on offer are covered. The reason for the missing 12 miles today was that I missed the cut off time for the final split, meaning I had to follow the shorter route to the finish. This left me with mixed emotions. Partly relief that I didn’t have to do those 12 miles but also disappointment and a little bit of embarrassment that I wasn’t able to finish the job fully. That said, 85 miles isn’t a bad and also I’ve discovered that the Isle of Wight sportive that I’m doing in July is 101 miles, not 95 so that means I’m only 6 miles down on my total and I promise, I’ll make those up before the end of the year, probably at the Wales Cycle Sportive.

Despite the mixed emotions, today has made me realise that I can no longer get away with just saying I’m no good at climbing and do nothing about it. I’m determined to at least give it a shot and see what happens. I can’t get any worse, that’s for sure! The events are coming thick and fast now and I’m looking forward to getting back into the triathlons, especially my first one in Brecon. I did the same one last year for my first ever triathlon so it will be interesting to see how I’ve improved in the last year, especially as I’m sad enough to still have my results page from last year!

Before I go, I just wanted to say thanks to Ben who did the ride with me today. I really appreciate you hanging around at the water stations for me to catch up and only you will understand this, but for not answering your phone after I’d done that hill at 70 miles!

Don’t forget, you can sponsor me if you’d like at www.justgiving.com/huw2013

 

My First Sportive

My first experience of a cycling sportive was a mixed one to say the least.  The day started nice and early with the event kicking off at 7:30.  Having checked the weather forecast last night, I knew that there was rain expected around 10 o’clock so the plan was to get away with the first group to give me as much time as possible in the dry.  The plan almost worked, I didn’t get away until just after 7:45 which didn’t really matter because I was going to get wet either way.  The ride in general was a really nice one.  There were no really massive climbs (there was one 25% gradient but it was so wet and greasy when we got there that the majority of us had to walk it!).  There were however lots of undulating roads with some fantastic sweeping descents and also some long, exposed straights.  There really was a mix of more or less everything you could want.  The one big problem though was the weather.  As predicted, the rain started to come down around 10 o’clock and was quite heavy (or at least it seemed like it!) for a lot of the time.  It was also very windy for the majority of the day, which was great when it was pushing me along but unfortunately for me, most of the time it was pushing me back!

Despite this, the first half of the ride went swimmingly (no pun intended!) but as soon as I hit the half way mark, I noticed that the back end of my bike seemed a bit bouncy.  I pulled over and sure enough, I had a puncture.  The is the first time I’d had a puncture during something other than a training ride and was also the first one I’d had on my road bike.  Now whilst I’ve been very lucky to go a year without one, I was gutted that it happened during the sportive and it did cost me because it took me a little longer than normal to change so I cooled down and found it hard work getting going again.  This had a knock on effect for the next 10 or 15 miles but I’m pleased that I got through it and finished the event.  That wasn’t the only thing to happen between the 40 and 55 mile mark; sadly, I saw the bad side of cycling.

I LOVE riding my bike.  It’s what got to into triathlons in the first place and I guess is therefore the reason for me doing all these events this year.  The thing is though, despite my enthusiasm, I’m not the best or indeed the quickest cyclist in the world.  Unusually as well for a cyclist, I’m not very confident cycling in a group, especially when I’m surrounded with people I don’t know and have never ridden with before and the one thing that makes me the most nervous is having someone on my wheel.  For those of you not into cycling, this is when some rides right behind you so take advantage of your slip stream.  The bad side that I referred to was when someone was on my wheel up a hill and then when I approached a slower cyclist in front; I slowed down behind them as I was unable to overtake with this other person overlapping my rear wheel.  Said person then decided to give me a mouthful of foul and abusive language because I didn’t pull out and over take.  The truth is, I wasn’t comfortable having him on my wheel and I certainly wasn’t willing to tire myself out providing a slip stream for a complete stranger.  The bit about this that upset me was his aggression.  Cycling’s profile and popularity has improved greatly in the last few years and there are now far more cyclists (of varying ability) out and about now.  Shouting and swearing doesn’t do anyone any good at all.  I don’t think I did anything wrong but if I did and he had pointed it out to me like a grown up, I would have taken the advice and even thanked him for taking the time to give me some advice.  I hope that in the same situation again, this is what the person behind me would do.  Maybe this way, cycling can get rid of its stigma of being a bit elitist and cliquey but instead seen as a sport open and accessible to all.
Anyway, I’ll get off me soap box now!  Despite the weather and the events of just after half way, I managed to make it around and even though I was soaked through (despite my new rain jacket and overshoes) I’m glad I did it and I guess I did enjoy it!

So part 4 of the challenge is done.  The next part is the Wye Valley Warrior sportive which will be a different animal all together with it being longer and hillier.  Let’s just hope for some nice weather for it!

Finally, before I forget, I’ve had to change one of my events.  I’m unable to do the Little Woody triathlon in August so I have replaced it with the Cotswold Classic triathlon earlier on in August.  The mileage is the same so in effect nothing has really changed but just wanted you all to be kept up to date!

Now that I’ve got sponsorship forms, the names and the money is starting to build up so a big thank you to everyone who has sponsored me already.  If you haven’t already but would like to you can either see me for the sponsorship form or go to www.justgiving.com/huw2013.

 

 

Back In The Comfort Zone

I was back in my comfort zone today, on the bike.  Cycling was what got me into triathlons in the first place so today was always going to be enjoyable.  Or at least it should have been enjoyable, but I was far from looking forward to it last night!  Now I’m not going to have a moan about being unwell and how severe man flu can be.  All I’ll say is that I haven’t been well all week so it’s hardly the best preparation for a bike ride and that coupled with the heave sleet/snow shower that hit Abertillery last night left me feeling far from thrilled at the prospect of hitting the road this morning.  If you have read any of my posts from Christmas time, you’ll know the experiences I had of riding in bad weather and I wasn’t ready for a repeat.

Anyway, once the rubbish weather had passed, there was a bit of good news for me.  My friend and cycling buddy Paul had rung to ask if he could tag along which lifted the spirits, if I was going to suffer, at least I’d have someone suffering with me!

Come this morning, all the worries about the weather had gone and I even regretted not taking sun glasses with me.  As for the cold, it was still there but was a little better so it was good news all round.  The route itself was 46 miles, starting and ending at Caldicot Castle.  We headed out along the Gwent Levels and then (I have no idea where we went or how we got there!) up through Wentwood Forest.

The first 26 miles flew by and we were going at a brilliant pace.  The roads also allowed me to test out my new tri bars which I had bought with some of my birthday money.  Good practice ready for the tri season!  After the 26 mile mark though the real test began as we were presented with a series of hills to climb.  This wasn’t a surprise to us having done a similar course 2 years ago.  In fact, it made it a bit worse because we knew what to expect!  Needless to say the speed dropped but this time, unlike last, we didn’t walk a yard, we cycles every bit of the way which I am very pleased about.  It shows how much we have improved with our cycling.

Overall I was really pleased with our time of 3hours 45 minutes and it was good to get back on the bike and get some mileage under my belt ready for the next event which is an 87 mile ride in the New Forest.

As usual there is a photo from the finishing line at the bottom.  I have to apologise, firstly for the horrific camera angle that makes me look like a baby elephant and secondly for having my one arm behind my back!  I have a load of stuff in my hand and for some stupid reason though it would be a good look to hide it all.  I was very wrong!  Finally, thank you to those who have already sponsored me and if you haven’t yet but would like to then you can at www.justgiving.com/huw2013.  I’ll hopefully have a sponsor form as well sometime next week so if you see me in person and would like to sponsor me that way, you’ll be able to.

 

 

"It's All Downhill From Here"

So today was the first big test for me and what a test it turned out to be!  The City of Newport Half Marathon, to use its full title was set to be my first half marathon and also my longest ever run by a good 3 miles.  I took the “don’t over train” advice very seriously!  Luckily, I wasn’t going to be alone for this test.  Like last week with the Pontypool 10k, I’d drafted in help in the form of my Dad.  We’ve done a bit of training together and it was going to be nice running a new route that neither of us knew, rather than the now overly familiar training runs where we know every turn, bump and hill. 

The route itself was quite a nice one, heading out from Newport’s International Sports Village and essentially following a foot/bike path along the river to Caerleon and back again.  There were a couple of little hills, but compared to Abertillery, nothing too daunting.  Before we started though I was feeling a little nervous as the furthest I’d ever run before was around 10 miles and that was only once.  The doubts as to whether that had been a particularly good day were playing heavy on my mind and it took me a while to settle into a pace and get my breathing sorted.  By the time I’d done that we were around 5-6 miles in but this uneasiness must be a good thing as it was a PB for that distance!  By this point as well, the front runners were already passing us on their way back to the finishing line.  If any of you happen to be reading this, hats off to you because never in a million years would I be able to achieve that kind of pace, let alone maintain it over that length of time and distance.

The return from Caerleon can only be described as bloody hard work.  The final 3 miles were torture with my calves feeling like they were being electrocuted as the crap set in.  In the end, we made it around in 2 hours 26 minutes.  I had aimed for around 2 hours 30 so was really pleased with that, even if it was just under.  I also had a mixture of feelings that my Dad had done it with me.  Pride that we had completed it but also a bit of embarrassment that despite him having nearly 30 years on me, he was still taking it easy to let me keep up!  I’ll have to get some more training in to put that right at the Cardiff Half Marathon in October!  That said, this is how I feel now that the run is over, this is really just a starting point for me in terms of training.  I now need to maintain and improve on my running whilst also incorporating swimming and cycling ready for the half Ironman in June.

In case you are wondering about the title of this post, that became my Dad’s new catchphrase during the run. When I first started running it was “push yourself!” However, today, “it’s all downhill from here” took its place. From the turnaround point Caerleon back to Newport, that is all that Dad said, even when we were looking up a hill!

With that explained, all that is left to do is put the obligatory photograph here:

 And to say that I now have a weekend off where I will be combining Mother’s Day celebrations with my birthday (I can’t believe I’ve got to share it this year!) before the next event, the St David’s Spring Bike Ride in Caldicot the weekend after.

Also, don’t forget you can sponsor me online at www.justgiving.com/huw2013

And We're Off...

Well, the first one is done and the challenge is underway.  Today was the Pontypool 10km run and it was quite enjoyable!  The morning didn’t start too well when I saw a dusting of snow outside but once that initial panic was over it was all good.  There were around 400 runners in total today which was a really good turn out and being a local race it was nice to see some familiar faces amongst the runners and supporters.  Despite this I was very glad to have my friend Laura with me to keep me company.  I don’t mind doing triathlons and bike rides on my own but I find running a lot easier when I’ve got someone doing it with me and I can have a chat with them instead of checking my GPS every 2 minutes!  I’m very proud of her for coming along and getting around the course, especially when you consider she didn’t really feel well enough to be running and nearly didn’t make the start.  The route itself was quite a nice one with a nasty hill around half way.  There was a bit of a sting in the tail though because we thought we had made it to the end only to realise we had to do a lap of the rugby pitch first!  In the end we did it in 1 hour 9 minutes which I was really pleased with and it has set me up nice now for the half marathon next week.  Well, I say that but my left calf is playing up a little bit.  Hopefully that’ll settle down in time!  So it’s one down, 15 to go.  I’m relieved that I’m finally underway and looking forward to next week now when I’ll face my first big test.  As promised, here’s a picture from today.  Not quite at the finishing line though, it was a bit busy there but it was taken nearby.

Wish me luck for next week and don’t forget, you can still sponsor me online at www.justgiving.com/huw2013

The Plan Is In Place

Sorry that I’ve been a bit quiet on here recently but to be honest other than “I’m still training and it’s going ok” there hasn’t been much else to tell you about. Whilst I’m mentioning it, the training has been going quite well so far although I wasn’t able to stick to my original plan. I think I was a bit over optimistic as to how much I would be able to train but also undervalued the importance of a rest day here and there.

Anyway, the main reason for this post is to let you know that the plan is finally in place for this year and with the exception of 2 things, everything is booked. I wrote everything out the other night and the see it all was a little bit daunting but as the old cliché goes, I’m going to take it one step (swim and pedal stroke!) at a time.

You might have noticed on the right hand side that I have been updating my list as I have been booking things but here is the complete list with distances. For the triathlons the distances are swimming/cycling/running:

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 (97 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)

Top Barn Triathlon - 30th June (0.4/17.4/3.1 miles)

Isle of Wight Cycle Sportive - 6th July (95 miles)

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

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

Little Woody Triathlon - 24th August (1.2/56/13.1 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 4.7 miles swimming, 587.3 miles cycling and 87.4 miles running throughout the year.

So there we are. I just need to get on and do them now.

This is also where you come in. As I said in one of my first posts the whole point of doing these is to raise money for the St. David’s Foundation. I have set up a just giving page (www.justgiving.com/Huw2013) and hopefully I will have some sponsorship forms to carry around with me in the next few days. If you are able to and would like to support me in this “challenge” then any donations will be really appreciated and will give me that extra motivation to keep on going when things get a bit tough and painful as I’m sure they will during some of these events!

My first one is on Sunday so I’ll let you know how it goes and the plan is to have a picture at the finish line of all of these events so hopefully I’ll have that to put on here as well!