Equalled my Sept time 1hr 54mins, 1 minute faster on the swim (6.38 400m) 1 minute slower on the run but considering I had a knee op at the start of December its not too bad. I would have been faster if I hadn't been so girly about drying my hair before the bike but it was cold and I didn't want to get ice cream headache. Anyway like most of my school reports said, "could do better" so lots more running
Wiggle ups and downs 24/4/10
Not an instruction a 100 mile bike ride around the surrey hills starting in Dorking. The BBC said it would be the hottest day of the year with not a cloud in the sky so I turned up in my new 6xl white tee shirt and set off in the pouring rain and howling wind with Mark Smith and Phil Payne.
The first 20 miles were very hilly The steepest was before the first food stop at about 25 miles every time I stood up to get more drive my rear wheel spun so I sat back down to get grip and proceeded to pull a wheelie, cue lots of swearing but I managed to stay on and to keep going . Then with the summit in view gasping for oxygen (its the altitude) a car came past me and the passenger shouted "come on thunder thighs you can do it". laughing doesn't help you breath in these situations so I will avoid it in the future. I made it up and round the rest of the course although we lost Phil who took a detour.
Got a puncture in the last 10miles and with the help of Marks CO2 inflator still managed to get round in in 6hrs38mins. Respectable but no Lance.
Dover 2/5/10
The first channel swim at Dover with the team who have been telling me for weeks how cold it was going to be, Kevin even recommending that I take a photo of my wedding tackle so that I could look at it in the future and remind myself of glories past. I was surprised how many other idiots there were there all doing the cold water acclimatisation swims but I was pleased to see that there were plenty of athletes like myself of the chunkier physique, channel swimming must be to swimming what sumo is to martial arts.
It couldn't be avoided and as Julian had driven us down in his car I couldn't run away and in just a pair of speedos two rubber hats and a pair of goggles, in we went. It was mind numbingly cold 9 degrees , my common sense screamed at me to just get out! Luckily my inner idiot the pig head one that my darling wife so loves made me just get my head down and swim hard and surprisingly after a while it wasn't so bad. I was buddied up with team captain Mike (he had obviously seen me eyeing up escape routes). I tried to talk to him but my lower lip felt like I had had an injection from the dentist and I couldn't sthpeek poperly.
We swam about a 1K in 20 minutes got out, got dressed drank hot chocolate and tommy soup and had to wait for 2 hours to warm up before going back in for the second stint. Hero of the day goes to Sue who only just stopped shivering in time to get in for the second swim which showed real character. Andy won fall of the day when his legs didn't work on exiting the second swim but he soon regained his composure.
3/5/10 30km Bike + 5km Run with Mike and Dave Cummins
Lost Dave on baileys hill, he is doing the London to Paris bike ride so he is probably starting to realise what he has let himself in for.
It was pouring down and Mike and I decided that seeing as we were wet and cold already we might as get the run done which at 27 minutes was my fastest yet. Probably Mikes slowest!
4/5/10 10km Run in a bleeding hail storm there is a pattern to this weekend and I want an end to it now bring on the sun.
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