Mind over matter

Sometimes when you mix with people who take on crazy challenges as a matter of course, the desire to join them is too much to ignore.  Such was the case for me in 2011 when I decided to take on the challenge of Ironman Regensburg in Germany.  I didn’t come from a sporty background, and…

Swimming not drowning

Having decided to get my shit together (finally) and start building up training so I can cope when the actual training plan begins for my August triathlon, last Sunday I realised I had the week from hell coming up, and I suddenly worried that I’d fall at the first hurdle.   Four nights out of five…

Softly, softly catchee monkey

Today marks one week in to the start of my training build up.  At the moment, I’m just building up to the start of the official training plan.  I’m so out-of-the-way of it, and so out of shape, that it’ll take me a bit of work to get to the point I can cope with…

The 5 P(ea)s

Last week I spent a brilliant week in Lanzarote with some of my Pirate pals.  In what is becoming an annual tradition, we head to the Canaries for some winter sun, and for a triathlon training week.  Well, sort of.  Mostly it’s a cocktail drinking week with training thrown in.  Last February I smashed the…

Nearly there

As the sun nearly sets on another year, thoughts inevitably turn to the future, and the year ahead.  This year has had its ups and downs – thankfully mostly ups – with the downs reminding me that life is too short and thus to be lived to the full.  I lost focus a little towards…

Race Report: Tricera-TROT

In 2016, by this point in the year I think I’d run about 10 races altogether, this year, I’ve run zero, until today.  Injury put paid to a few events i’d signed up for early on, and then I’d gotten out-of-the-way of running, but also didn’t want to pay to sign up for more races…

Nicko’s Eulogy

Nicko   Although we first met through running, I mainly knew Nicko as one of the Pirates, a lot of whom are here today in our pirate colours, yellow and black,  in memory of our dear friend.  It’s an unusual club – you don’t pay to join, there’s no membership card.  We all have nicknames…

Letting Go

Today we said goodbye to our lovely friend Nicko.  I didn’t realise just how anxious I was about this day until it arrived.  Speaking on behalf of my friends to talk about how much Nicko meant to me/us was scary, but I hope people feel I captured the essence of what our friendship with Nicko was…

Change

I’ve not written for a while; it’s been a stressful few weeks if I’m honest.  A dear friend lost his fight against the bastard that is cancer, but this isn’t really the place to talk about that, well not right now at least.  Too much to say, but not enough words at the moment. Life…

Refocus

It’s been a good year.  I’ve finally started to achieve a few things that have been missing in my life, or at least things that I’ve always wanted to do but just never done.  Financially I’ve managed to get to a much better place.  I’ve paid off almost £10K in debt in the last year.…