Ironman Weymouth, well I needed a goal for 2016......



Oh balls, it's paid for now and at over £400 there's no way I'm backing out now. Remind me why I said yes to this particular "goal" for 2016?

Ironman Weymouth 2016

On the 11th September 2016 I'll be lining up on the start line in Weymouth with a few thousand other mad fools preparing to swim 2.4 miles, cycle 112 miles and then run a marathon - 26 miles.........

Now this may seem to some to be something of a step too far, a massive leap if you will, from the finish line of the Huntsman Sprint Distance Triathlon in October 2015 to a full Ironman - and the majority of the time I'd have to agree with you.  There is however slightly more to it that it first appears;

  • 2016 is training year - my wonderful wife has agreed to take a step back from her triathlon and running this year to allow me to, in her words, "train my ass off" for this event
  • 10 months - this is the time from sign up to race day, it can be done!
  • Cycling - this is my strongest event and while for some people the cycling is a real worry it's the one part that I'm really not concerned about; I know I can cycle 112 miles, the only question is "how fast will I be on race day?"
  • Swimming - for me this isn't in the same league as the bike ride but it's something I enjoy and getting to the pool 3 times a week is more of a pleasure than a chore; my focus here is technique
  • The Marathon - ok, this one's going to be a bugger!  I'm not a fantastic runner and it's certainly not something that I overly enjoy doing; previous forays into running have ended with, at best, apathy and at worst a self resolution to stick to cycling!
    However, I figure that it's 26 miles and I know I can walk that in one hit so worst case I walk the sodding thing.  But like I said, that's worst case - I'm not planning for worst case!
Yes, it's a road bike but it's bloody quick!
And so the training starts, well has already started to be honest but not quite as effectively as I would have liked thanks to a pulled muscle/lower back pain and 2 or 3 colds - thanks go out to my darling daughter who's ability to pick up and pass on every single germ going is beyond amazing!

But I do have a training plan and I also have a number of runs, rides and triathlons booked in for this year to take me through to September and to compliment my training;

  • Feb - Romsey 5 mile road race, Insanity sportive & Heartbreaker half marathon
  • March - 10k fun run
  • May - Winchester triathlon, Ride 4 Felix 100 & Swashbuckler half ironman,
  • June - Dragon Ride & Dartmoor classic sportive (possibly Endure 24)
  • July & August - not racing..... yet!
  • September - Ironman!! oh and then a 150 mile charity ride and the 3 day Dell Challenge
I'll be honest the run is the worst part for me.  I actually really want to enjoy running, I just don't. But the best decision that Donna ever made for me was to join Hedge End Running Club and their Triathlon club (HERC Tri) - being a part of a club was initially about meeting more cyclists in the area who could push me but it evolved into Ironman and everything that goes along with it.

It started by talking to people who ran, cycled and swam further, better and faster than me - people who are just normal. and that's just it, Ironman doesn't have to mean Olympian, it doesn't have to mean elite cyclist, professional runner or someone who's swimming puts a sea bass to shame, and that's the point. 

It's a challenge, it's personal, it's pushing yourself to see what is possible and for me that's it - there's nothing but me; my time, my finish line and my Ironman
Location: Hampshire, UK

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