Between my laptop charger breaking and
moving house I've not had chance to write a blog for a few days but
here's my latest update on what I've been up to. On Thursday I went
to Manchester with Alice to watch the National Track Cycling
Championships. I've always enjoyed watching the track cycling on TV
but I'd never even seen a velodrome before. Seeing as I'm back in
Chester and Manchester isn't too far away, we made the most of free
entry and went to watch some cycling.
Sunday, 30 September 2012
Thursday, 20 September 2012
Budget Buys - Speedo LZR Tri Comp Shorts
Does my bum look big in this? |
It's not every day I go into a tri shop and pick out a bit of proper tri gear (in fact this was the first time) but I was desperate. I picked them up as a last minute panic buy the day before the Derby triathlon because I had nothing to swim in. Luckily it was my birthday recently and I had a little bit of birthday money left over. Seeing as I had to dish out on new swimming shorts anyway, I decided to upgrade my kit to tri shorts. A quick look online found end of season sales meaning the budget buy was on. But was the upgrade worth it?
Tuesday, 18 September 2012
An Upcoming Marathon, An Unlikely Time Machine and a Random Memory of Stingray
So
with 19 days to go till the Chester Marathon I'm going to start
training. It's only just dawning on me that I may have left it too
late.
Monday, 17 September 2012
Budget Buys - Claud Butler Criterium
A review of my bike which will hopefully explain my new system of scoring budget buys.
My Latest Brain Wave
So I've used the few braincells in my head that seem to be working today and I've come up with an idea. So here goes...
Sunday, 16 September 2012
Post Race Thoughts
Well... in the end all the stressing was unecessary. I went out and bought some tri shorts (more on this to come), my knee didn't hurt when I woke up and all went smoothly. In the end I swam, cycled and ran round the Derby triathlon in 1:16:39, not the fastest time but a good 8:37 quicker than last time, therefore my new PB.
This triathlon lark is easy... erm |
Saturday, 15 September 2012
Pre Race Thoughts
It's the day before the Derby triathlon and all is not going to plan. For starters I've left my swimming trunks in Southport and have no way of getting them before the race.
Thursday, 13 September 2012
The View From The Afternoon
I've just been out on a run and it was made much easier by these sights. Running by a beach at sunset completely distracted me from how difficult the run was. So a quip tip on how to make training easier for free... find a nice route and get lost in the scenery.
Scenery to make a run fly by |
The sunset over Southport beach |
P.S. I was struggling to think of a title so I shamelessly stole one from one of my favourite bands. Well done to anyone that guesses who the band is.
Tuesday, 11 September 2012
My Mechanic: Part Man Part Bike
My Dad out on one of our rides |
Cavendish, Constipation and Crashes
Not a bad way to spend a Monday, I went with my girlfriend and her brother to see stage 2 of the Tour of Britain. We couldn't get to the finish line due to logistical problems (i.e. not having a clue where we were going and a police man telling us we couldn't walk down the dual carriageway to the finish) but we got a decent view of the peloton flying by with 2km to go. Watching the pros fly past was pretty inspiring but it wasn't till I looked at the pictures afterwards that I realised just how funny the faces were. Half of the peloton pulled faces that looked somewhere between determination and constipation. After they passed us we found a way to the finish to look round as the crowds poured out. I tried to get into the background of Ned Boulting's interviews (it didn't work but I did see myself on the highlights at 2km to go), saw Wiggins signing autographs (sadly not for me) and tried to catch a bottle thrown by Cavendish (Yeah I didn't get that either). Alright, I know I was like a big kid but I was having fun and a got a freebie in the end anyway some driver chucked me a free hat! And the funniest part of the day? As we were leaving an expensive looking jag bumps into the back of another car. To a big cheer Dave Brailsford gets out the car and appologies to the driver infront ooooops not the usual kind of crash you see in cycling. O well don't worry mate, everything Dave Brailsford touches seems to turn to gold so your car will be winning the F1 soon. In the end it was a good day and great to see some of the heroes of cycling in the flesh. Who knows, maybe one day it'll be these guys turning out to see me race!
Wiggins and Cavendish in the peloton |
Cavendish behind the race leader |
Me and Alice at the finish line |
Saturday, 8 September 2012
Birthday Presents
The other day I turned 21. For some reason unkown to me that seems to be a big deal. While I don't particulalry feel any different it did mean I got some good presents. I used the opportunity to ask for a few bits of tri gear I couldn't afford to splash out on myself. For example I've stepped up from my battered old pair of nike running shows to a sparkling cushion like pair of asics. I've never owned much cycling gear other than a bike and helmet but now I've got some gloves and a jersey. I also got a book about running that I'm hoping will help motivate me through my marathon... my marathon which yesterday was a month away. I'm running regularly but only a few miles at a time. O well. On a brighter note I now have a bit of birthday money that I'm thinking of spending on a budget buy, I'll let you know what I get.
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