Today is the 1st September. Yesterday Mike hosted our first annual Grazing Saddles Triathlon Team BBQ.  Neil was missing due to being a poof and getting a dodgy stomach from eating pizza, but the rest of us were there along with our WAG’s and kids.  It was great to see everybody sitting around together socialising, Mike cooked up a storm and the weather was hot hot hot.  

L-R Andy, Curry, me, Bushy and Mike (with the Noodle at the end)

Before the BBQ we went for a swim in the sea near Mike’s house and it was superb to see Curry scything through the water like a pro.  For somebody who (by his own admission) couldn’t really swim at all at the start of the year, he has done superbly well and is on target for a 35 minute 1500m swim at the Chichester Tri next weekend.  I would be happy with that myself and considering swimming is the only bit of a triathlon I am actually good at, it goes a long way to show how far Curry has come.

Whilst swimming along with the gang, and later whilst sitting around the table discussing our plans for the Half Ironman and then Full Ironman next year, it occurred to me just how far our little team has come in a year.

Mike has always been a superb athlete ever since I have know him, but this year he has come on hugely and is now talking about targeting a sub 10hr Ironman, which is truly amazing to simply be considering in the first place.  

As usual Bushy has continued to astound me with his athletic ability considering he does almost no training what so ever.  He has beaten me at both of the triathlons we have competed in together and I must have done treble the training he has.  Well done mate (you w*nker).

Both Neil and Andy have joined our team and proven that despite the fact they are very very old, they are two very fit fellas.  Both are monsters on the bike, Neil runs like the wind and I have a feeling that Andy will do rather well on Sunday in his first Tri.  Welcome additions to the gang, and proof that if you are fit you are fit, regardless.

And finally onto Curry, who is my co-founder of this little team.  His dedication to training and sticking to a training plan would be the envy of any triathlete.  He is also impervious to injury and seems to have an endless budget for buying the next bit of kit.  I have been hugely impressed with his performances in triathlons this year and cannot wait to spend the winter talking him into the Ironman 2015 (which he still hasn’t quite committed to yet).

So I guess that leaves me.  One year after embarking on this crazy plan to compete in an Ironman I am a bit fitter and have a lot more training gear (something which my wife Cat simply loves).  Having struggled massively with my running I can now see light at the end of the tunnel and am hoping to have these issues behind me by Xmas time.  I have learnt a hell of a lot about the wonderful world of Triathlon and am convinced that the enjoyment I get from training and competing will stay with me for life.  Most importantly I have realised just how hard I can push myself.  Having competed in horrible conditions, been out training in driving rain and freezing conditions, gotten cramp on about 100 occasions and had pretty much every run step I have taken cause me pain I am a better man at the other end of it.

One year from now I will be blogging just ahead of the Ironman (as we are going to do Challenge Weymouth in September 2015).  Just the thought of this makes me nervous already. Only 12 months to go. Between now and then I will Swim, Ride and Run 1000’s of miles and if I am honest I simply cannot wait.  This triathlon business certainly gets under your skin and I can say with all certainty that it is AMAZING.

TTFN

Snooky