The A Team
Ironman is no easy feat, especially when you havn't done any kind of triathlon before! I am not going into it blind or over confident - I know I couldn't finish a single distance at the moment let alone all 3 BUT I know what I can achieve.
I am a dreamer and in my mind when I'm running and biking I'm winning age groups and qualifying for Kona but I love the saying 'aim for the stars and hit the ceiling, aim for the ceiling and hit the floor'. I know it's not realistic but it's what keeps my mind focused.
None of this is down to how great I am, I have an amazing team behind me. Most of them don't know it or see me as part of their team - running and triathlon are individual sports. All the glory and suffering is with yourself. You can't even draft in Ironman!! BUT support, help, training together on those tough runs, encouraging each other, banter is all part of the team that keeps us pushing harder.
My wife has to put up with me sneaking off for runs, rides and swims all hours of night and day. She is my cheif nutritionist and has to plan our lives around my selfish hobby. She has to put up with the self doubt and the moping about when things aren't going well (and bare in mind I had an entire year of shite running in 2011) and she stands with 3 screaming bored kids at races just to see me for about 30 seconds on a 3 hour day out. On runs from home she has various strange lycra clad men she has never met turn up and fetch them water, tea, coffee and sometimes food.
My kids are my life, everything I do is for them. I want to be their hero not some fat deadbeat scratching his arse on the sofa and I want them to be proud about what I have done. Every training run the want to know if I won and they collect my finishers medals for finishing 15th in the Trumpington 10 or whatever like Olympic medals.
The #StIvesElite are my running buddies. DC is the go-to man when you need a pep-talk and the leader of the gang. He's Mr Optomistic and always there to tell you it will work out next time. He's also a bloody hard trainer and if you need a tough run (which is usally easy or steady for him) then he's always about and won't let you slack. When we first started running together in 2010 we shared the effort but it's fair to say he has carried me for about 90% of our runs since. Ian D, Ian T, Ed, Brooksy & Dan are my regular training partners. We have loads of banter on Twitter and always hoping to see each other nail sessions. Kye is an occasional training partner if he's not somewhere else doing some crazy session he heard about or read about online. We are all different standards but having running buddies makes it easier to get out the door for a session on a freezing cold and snowy Tuesday night!
Josh D is my swim coach. I need all the help I can get here and he's giving me 1-2-1 lessons to improve my technique. I started swimming 2.00 per 100m. With Josh's help I am down to 1.55 and I need to be 1.45 by next July.
Ian T is my bike man. He seems hell bent on trying to kill me at the minute - here is me trying to get used to cycling and get my distances and bike fitness up and he wants me to cycle 20 mph everywhere - absolute loon on the bike but probably what I need!
Andy C - my business partner and man who got me back into running. We trained for 2008 London marathon together and have run 1 or 2 times per week at work together since. Got me into Ironman by doing the same race this year. We have put some serious hours into our trainers together and our Monday afternoon 10k around the nature park is almost an automatic diary entry.
So I have a big team. Appologies if I have missed anyone. There are loads of guys that I train with here and there and have helped massively but with such a bit team I surely cannot fail in my challenge!!
I am a dreamer and in my mind when I'm running and biking I'm winning age groups and qualifying for Kona but I love the saying 'aim for the stars and hit the ceiling, aim for the ceiling and hit the floor'. I know it's not realistic but it's what keeps my mind focused.
None of this is down to how great I am, I have an amazing team behind me. Most of them don't know it or see me as part of their team - running and triathlon are individual sports. All the glory and suffering is with yourself. You can't even draft in Ironman!! BUT support, help, training together on those tough runs, encouraging each other, banter is all part of the team that keeps us pushing harder.
My wife has to put up with me sneaking off for runs, rides and swims all hours of night and day. She is my cheif nutritionist and has to plan our lives around my selfish hobby. She has to put up with the self doubt and the moping about when things aren't going well (and bare in mind I had an entire year of shite running in 2011) and she stands with 3 screaming bored kids at races just to see me for about 30 seconds on a 3 hour day out. On runs from home she has various strange lycra clad men she has never met turn up and fetch them water, tea, coffee and sometimes food.
My kids are my life, everything I do is for them. I want to be their hero not some fat deadbeat scratching his arse on the sofa and I want them to be proud about what I have done. Every training run the want to know if I won and they collect my finishers medals for finishing 15th in the Trumpington 10 or whatever like Olympic medals.
The #StIvesElite are my running buddies. DC is the go-to man when you need a pep-talk and the leader of the gang. He's Mr Optomistic and always there to tell you it will work out next time. He's also a bloody hard trainer and if you need a tough run (which is usally easy or steady for him) then he's always about and won't let you slack. When we first started running together in 2010 we shared the effort but it's fair to say he has carried me for about 90% of our runs since. Ian D, Ian T, Ed, Brooksy & Dan are my regular training partners. We have loads of banter on Twitter and always hoping to see each other nail sessions. Kye is an occasional training partner if he's not somewhere else doing some crazy session he heard about or read about online. We are all different standards but having running buddies makes it easier to get out the door for a session on a freezing cold and snowy Tuesday night!
Josh D is my swim coach. I need all the help I can get here and he's giving me 1-2-1 lessons to improve my technique. I started swimming 2.00 per 100m. With Josh's help I am down to 1.55 and I need to be 1.45 by next July.
Ian T is my bike man. He seems hell bent on trying to kill me at the minute - here is me trying to get used to cycling and get my distances and bike fitness up and he wants me to cycle 20 mph everywhere - absolute loon on the bike but probably what I need!
Andy C - my business partner and man who got me back into running. We trained for 2008 London marathon together and have run 1 or 2 times per week at work together since. Got me into Ironman by doing the same race this year. We have put some serious hours into our trainers together and our Monday afternoon 10k around the nature park is almost an automatic diary entry.
So I have a big team. Appologies if I have missed anyone. There are loads of guys that I train with here and there and have helped massively but with such a bit team I surely cannot fail in my challenge!!
Comments
Post a Comment