Brighton

Training Update – 3 weeks to Fred

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Fred Whitton isn’t far now, just 2 weekends left in between. Training has been going well, almost. Had planned to ride 2 big rides in April – one with lots of ascent, and the other long in distance.

Rode the first one on 12th. Joined Andy, Nick and Damian for the Leith Hill Octopus, and followed it up with 3 reps of Box Hill to make up some more climbing metres. Combined with the ride home, over Ranmore Common, Greendene, and the home climb, the climb totalled up to just over 3000m of ascent. Item one: checked.

The 3000m ascent ride
The 3000m ascent ride

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Training Update – 3 weeks to Fred

Disappointment. Inspiration. Optimist. Or Plain Crazy?

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Earlier today went swimming only the 2nd time this month. Suffered.
Even managed to get a cramp finishing just 40 lengths.

Haven’t run in 16 days. Hate myself.
Disappointed in myself.

There was just one big target for this year – to finish a standard (Olympic) distance triathlon. After working hard for 5.5 months towards it, I’d completely slacked in last month to go completely off course, laying all that work to waste1.

My main pre-triathlon target was the Thames swim from Hampton Court palace to Kingston bridge. The event happened a week ago. I didn’t even go close.

The Tri I had planned to do is on 8th September, the Diamond triathlon, at Dorney rowing lake. After the swim today, I came to grips with reality, and accepted defeat.

Between the cramp and giving up on the triathlon target, the day had turned gloomy.

After sulking a few hours, I chanced upon Alan’s race report from his first Ironman. He’s an Outlaw!

I’m inspired again. So inspired that I can’t sleep thanks to the adrenaline rush.

And I’m planning again.

Thinking of adding an early season open water swim event to the usual Tour of Flanders, and the planned Brighton marathon. Then planning to target a tri in May or June, instead of leaving it for later in the season. And if all goes well, training rest of the year for an ironman in 2015.

How does it sound – optimist, or just crazy?

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Disappointment. Inspiration. Optimist. Or Plain Crazy?

Four Fifths

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July Centuries - four-fifths
Four Fifths

Fun, musical ride led by Lucy, from Bike2Basics.com, and Jim, from Brighton, for company.
Bad start – got heavily rained upon, while riding along the road I hate most (A217 towards Dorking).
Good break – lunch 2.5 hours in, soon after crossing Gatwick – ham & cheese baguette with a pint of pale ale.
Fine end – again got rained upon, but this time it happened as we were on the South Downs looking down at Devil’s Dyke (a small diversion), and then headed down all the way into Brighton.

Worst bit – the distance was a fair bit short of my daily 100km target, and I too wet and cold at the end to go for an extended solo :(
Best bit – girlfriend too cycled all the way, despite threatening to give up many times along the way. Next target is to get her to ride to Oxford ;)

Loved the South Downs both times I’ve been there – twice up the Beacon for the London-Brighton-London ride, and now on the Devil’s Dyke. Must find ways of cycling down there more :)

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Love the rain in LDN these days it…

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Love the rain in LDN these days – it pours well, more like the monsoon back home than the dreary, fickly drizzle this city usually gets.
I love the sun – always have, but more so in LDN since I know I’ll soon be spending months in a row begging for a good sight of it.

The rain, accompanied by those loud thunderstorms and lightening, wrecked my plans for a century ride to Brighton today. Still, finding it really hard to diss it. In fact, wishing for some more… rather lots more… before a dry day tomorrow :)

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