I SURVIVED!! - Race report

Where: Torridon/Shieldaig, Scotland
When: 23rd June 2012
Organiser: Celtman Extreme Triathlon http://www.cxtri.com (Durty Events http://www.durtyevents.com)
Course Details: Linear swim from one side of Loch Torridon circumnavigate a small island then head into Shieldaig, Very hilly bike inland past Torridon then heading out to the coast, follwing the coast for a while before heading back inland and looping back in to Torridon. Run, 2 options - 12 hour cut off at 13 mile point meant a high level run up Beinne Eigh, after the 12 hour mark there was a 'low level' course.
Distances:3.8km swim, 200km bike, 42km run
Marshalling: Excellent throughout! Due to the nature of this event you didn't really want too many but at aid stations (for 1st part of run only) major junctions (2 only) and at strategical points along the mountain there were enough folks doing a stirling job. particularly those on the mountain!
Facilities: Race HQ at Torridon Community Centre. 3 well stocked aid stations on 1st section of run (water, chocolates, cake, pretzls energy bars and bananas). Portaloos at T2 & T2a.
Technical: Race was timed using 'dibbers'...can't quite remember what the system was called but similar to those used on Mountain Marathons etc.(sportsident maybe??)
Freebies: Post Race Buffet (soup, pasta, garlic bread, salad, tea and coffee) and finishers T-shirt (Blue for high level route, White for low level route), car sticker!

My Race

Logistically this race was always going to be difficult and seeing as the whole family were coming (I'd turned it into the opportunity for a family holiday) it seemed military in it's organising! It meant packing up the car 2 days before and then leaving for Shieldaig at 3am on 22nd. Registration was between 12pm and 2pm on that day...we arrived at 2.15pm! Luckily they let me register no problems. We stayed for the race briefing at 3pm which in itself was amusing as there were no chairs in the hall so folks came in and sat on the floor in rows, a la primary school stylee! What followed was some good information and some good banter between competitors and organisers. Those competitors looked gnarly...I was out of my depth! By this time I was beyond shattered and Andy Butler had arrived after an equally long drive so we headed to Shieldaig, settled in to our respective B&B's (Bracken B&B, recomended!) and then after having a meal, fish and chips obviously, and a pint of local beer it was time for beddy byes!


Loch Torridon from Shieldaig. We came around the right side of this island as we look at it from the far side of the loch

Race day morning, having been awoken by crying child at midnight, I got up pretty quickly at 3am! (I was worried about this bit!) and was shocked to see that my eldest son, Michael, and eldest daughter, Amy, had both also got up to see me off. I was a bit choked by this. So in what seemed like a second I'd racked up, had breakfast and was being told it's 4am - time to get on the bus (they had a bus taking competitors from Shieldaig to the far side of the Loch for the swim start). Up until now I'd been pretty calm about the whole thing but sat on that bus, surrounded by proper triathletes the doubts started creeping in...
At the far side of the loch the event of it all started. Both the get out point at Shieldaig and the get in point had been identified with a runway of lit beacons flickering in the wind. To our left there was a Celtman symbol hanging from a frame which was lit as well. To lend the event even more atmosphere from no where the sounds of bagpipes started in this ampitheater in the hills providing a stunning, and I mean stunning, start to this soon to be iconic race. I had goosebumps. I must have looked overwhelmed as the film crew from BBC Scotland came over and interviewed me, starting the interview with "If you don't mind me saying you look a wee bit anxious?" f*ck knows what I said to them but I babbled for a bit before they went on their way leaving me to the pre-swim brief. The temperature for the swim was cold and so they decided to cut the loop of the 1st island which took it to probably a 2 mile swim?

So that was it, I was in the water floating with the rest of these racers thinking no matter what happens I'm here. At the start. At the 1st EVER Celtman and the weather couldn't be better. This is going to be an epic day.


Dag Oliver's pic, 'borrowed' from the Celtman FB page

HONK! off went the klaxon and the swim started through the darkness and into the unknown. I was really worried about the swim because my shoulder is still buggered and it seems when I try front crawl it just aggrevates it and makes biking difficult on long rides so I'd decided I was going to breast stroke all the way and save risking a sore shoulder for the bike section. having said that I hadn't really swam for about 6 months anyway! Silly Boy. As it turns out I was very happy with my choice. To me, this race was not about times, it was not about position it was about the experience, it was about pushing myself to my own limits. If I finished that was a bonus but this was about soaking it all in and testing myself in a very real way amongst the wonders of the environment. Those wonders showed themselves right off the bat. As well as the very atmospheric start not long into the swim I started noticing some white clouds in the deep and it didn't click for a while but as I continued there seemed to be more and more of these beautiful jellyfish with the 4 rings on their head looking like eyes I imagined they'd all come to see what all the fuss was about. A seal had done the very same thing at the get out and apparently was swimming about having a good old luck. Wish I'd seen that. The shear position of the swim, the location was stunning and I didn't think it could get any better until over my left should a golden gleam of light started peaking over the Mountains overlooking Torridon. This is where my choice of stroke was a master piece as I managed to swim AND watch the sunrise over the mountains with the light gradually increasing and bouncing and rippling off the water. It was soul enriching. The swim seemed to last forever and those islands just didn't seem to be getting closer and so I found myself in an almost trance like, rhythmic state. Just swimming, and in no time I was at the get out point. But could I get out? Hell no! I heard the marshals say keep swimming until the very end, it's easier to get out. "stand up"...erm....I'm terribly sorry chap...I don't seem to be able to work that one out. I was spaced. I took a moment on my knee to try and work things out but eventually managed to stand. "Dad!"...eh? wha? I could see a girl I recognised but wasn't sure so I waved and moved towards T1. It's all a bit of a blur but I found the bike because Claire and Andy where there shouting me and after a while I'd managed to dry off, get changed, next some Ibruprofen for my back and get on my bike. It took me a while to get my head together and know what was going on and by this time I'd climbed the first hill out the village and was on my way to Torridon. It was a very surreal experience!

I'm not sure if it's just me but when I looked at the course profile before the race the only thing I took notice of where the biggest hills. This first section just wasn't on my radar and it was a tough start. Jeez...what have I got myself into? The undulating ride was a constant throughout the entire 200km. about half way up the climb to Torridon my bloody chain came off and jammed itself between the ring and the frame...feck! Quick stop and try to free it up. It wasn't budging. Shit. Within a blink of an eye I was swarmed by midges all taking their lunch straight from my bare skin. Little buggers. So in a fit of frustration I yanked the chain and it came free! Quick sort and on I went but something wasn't right and something slipped making my right foot to fall to the bottom of the pedal stroke and my ankle twist out right but my shoe stayed in the cleat and I thought something had damaged. There was no way I was stopping with those bloody midges and my chain was still on so I just pedalled away hoping that wasn't the end of my race so early on. Luckily the hills took my mind of things and I'd soon forgotten all about it.

The plan was to meet Andy after the largest climb which was about the 60 mile mark and things were going pretty smoothly, managing to take a couple of folks early on. The route followed the coast and it wasn't long before I found myself daydreaming along the coastal road just soaking it all in. It wasn't until the route turned back inland that things started feeling a bit painful. I knew the bigger climbs were at this point but I also knew that my left knee was beginning to niggle. I also knew that I wasn't meeting Andy until about 60 miles. My water was now low so seeing as the big climb should be on me soon I finished it off and decided to dig deep, I'd soon be with Andy and replenish supplies. I'm not sure what happened but I got my head down and spun out the hills, knowing there was still a long way to go after the big climbs had finished, and watched my garmin tick off the 60 mile mark...then 65...then 70...where was Andy!? Things were getting serious now, my knee had got progressively worse, I had no water and was down to my last 2 bars. I started questioning whether I'd got my figures wrong when I saw another guys support vehicle ahead of me so I begged them for any spare water they may have. They apologised and said 'zey unly hav limonade' (Norweigien obviously) I thanked them and they gave me about 200ml. It was an absolute lifesaver! I don't know who they were but they helped me massively. I asked if there were anymore hills. "No, all downheel frum ere". Great! but...not so great...WHERE WAS ANDY!? it was the team realy transition all over again!! SO on I pedalled, 75miles...no Andy.....80 miles....no feckin Andy! That man was definitely getting 2 rounds of F*cks from me at this point! At the 80 mile mark you meet the main Ullapool road heading back to Inverness and I'd had about 20 miles of screaming pain, no water and was running low on bars and run out of gels. Things were at a tipping point when I saw a red car racing towards me.....ANDY!! I'd expected to let rip at him but I was so relieved I just explained how I was and that I needed water.
The psychological boost this gave me was immense and the next 20 miles was about the 20mph mark and I was able to zone out from the pain in my knee. The pain was now shooting from the outside of my left knee and up to my hip on EVERY downstroke. This was not good. about the 90 mile mark I stopped with Andy again and in the absence of Ibruprofen we managed to scavenge some anadin type tablets from another support crew. Didn't even touch the pain. Once I hit the 100mile mark and came off the main road heading inland the incline increased again, not nearly as much as earlier but pushing things on this knee for the past 40 miles had really taken it's toll and from that 100mile mark the pain reached levels I just didn't believe existed. It hurt. A lot.

I pushed and pushed with every stroke being like a red hot poker being jabbed into the knee. How much could I take? I don't think I can finish the race like this? I slowly limped towards Andy who was in a layby at the 110 mile mark. I couldn't do another 15 miles like the 10 I'd just done. It simply wasn't possible. At this point I'd started to feel nauseus. Andy assured me it was the gels but I'd not had one since about 70 miles opting for solid food I suspected it was the pain. When I got off the bike in that layby I was done, I'd been taken to my limits and was far, far over them. I couldn't take another mile with this knee. We had a chat and Andy said to me it's only me who knows when enough is enough but don't injure yourself for the sake of a race. And he's right, but this wasn't for the race this was for Bea (http://www.justgiving.com/celtman). HOW could I get back and say sorry, couldn't do it because of...pain!? FFS the poor girl has just gone through a terrible ordeal and is sitting in hospital improving. I was in a very, very dark place and I was quitting. I mean it, I just couldn't see it happening. I'd pushed on an injured knee for about 50 miles. I should have stopped 20 miles ago but I'd pushed on through. How could I continue? I wasn't going to. I looked at the bike. Felt my knee. felt the dispondancy of knowing I'd failed and I reached for my bike about to tell Andy "that's it, I'm done" but in a nanosecond, something changed. 15 miles? I'm going to let Bea down and everyone who took the time to sponsor me for 15...miles....? Am I f*ck! I don't care about injury I'm doing this bike and if I can't run then I can walk. I'm NOT letting that little girl down. Andy jumped on this change of heart and started breaking things down, 5 miles then the roundabout we'll re-assess then? Come on just 5 miles! This is were the real word 'support' came in. Awesome work dude.

Quick as a flash I was again on that bike and the agony was back with avengence. I thought the previous 10 miles were bad, they had nothing on the next 15! I'm not ashamed to admit but I literally broke into tears on that bike, tears of self pity and pain which turned slowly to tears of real anger and then they stopped only to be replaced with primeval screaming everytime the knee was used. Something I think some of the folks who overtook me must have been downright confused about! One guy passed me literally seconds after one such episode. "everything alright?" to which the rather lame and obviously untrue lie came out, "yeah mate, fine thanks" PMSL! At this point I'd picked up a jacket from Andy at the 5 mile marker and the heaven had opened which made the whole thing just that little bit...well...awkward. Slowly but surely I limped into T2 I watched the garmin clock 125 miles...eh 125? T2 should be here!? oh now...a cruel joke for Mickey boy...T2 was at the 126 mile point. Feckers.

Rolling into T2 I seemed to have come out of a tunnel and into the light. I was standing. I could feel a niggle in the knee but no pain on the scale of the past 60 miles or so. Quick change and loo stop and that was it. Decision made. I was doing this shit! The 1st section had aid stations on it approx 5 miles apart so after a walk up the first hill, mainly as a tester for the knee, I broke into a run and managed to get into the aid station fuel up and head out again. The Coulin pass section is a stunning half marathon in itself and I started to feel good about things once again. The dark times were over and I was enjoying tings again. OK I wasn't going to break any records with this walk/run strategy to try and save the knee but I was a far cry away from that point of reaching for the bike to give to Andy. I actually thought I was last but at one point I glanced over my shoulder and could see 2 people running in the far distance? How the hell was I not last??

Running along the road and towards T2a, the mountain checkpoint, I spotted a recognisable face in Andy all dressed and ready for a run! He'd come to meet me and run into T2a. Quick kit check at T2a and off we headed after a quick swig of Ironbru...well...when in Rome! The idea of doing the high level route had been superceded by the idea of just finishing a long time back and to be honest I was just happy to still be moving and we soon found ourselves taking the long walk up to the Col. Low level my arse! This is where Andy showed his lack of mountain experience which was a real shame as the situation of being on this terrain, coupled with no knee pain, had spurred me on and I was chomping at the bit. Once up on the Col we started running only for Andy to drop back whilst he negotiated the foreign terrain. This was Andy's first introduction to fell running! So, that was that from then on in this became a walk. now I don't want Andy to read this and think shit I let him down. This couldn't be further from the truth! I want to stress categorically that without Andy there would have been no race. Without Andy I would have crumbled on the bike. Without Andy this would just not have happened. Yeah, I may have finished in a faster time if he could have run over boulder fields but Yeah, i wouldn't have started if he hadn't been there to support from the begining. SO a massive thanks to you Andy, you made it possible and for that I owe you massively.

That walk through very diffcult terrain seemed to take forever and at this time legs, knees, ankles, back were all crying out in pain but we soon found ourselves on the road heading back to the finish. Luckily Claire phoned Andy and, realising where we were, headed from Shieldaig into Torridon. Rouding off that final corner and seeing Claire and the kids there was such a boost, such a welcome. I knew it was over. I KNEW I'd done it and I knew I'd achieved something very, very special. We ran together for the last few hundred metres and Andy insisted on hanging back and allowing me to finish and bask in the 'glory' of it all. I picked up and finished strong, I felt strong, and that was it. Done. Kisses and cuddle from the family. A well done and thanks to Andy and that was it, I could stop now. 17 hours of the widest range of experiences and emotions all in one day amongst the back drop of stunning scenery. The highs and lows the pain and emotion all invested in this extrordinary race which has world classic written all over it. And I did it. I was there at the very begining and I did it for Bea.

The problem is though, doing the low course and getting a white rather than blue t-shirt, is that......now I'm stuck with a tiny pang of disappointment and the thoughts of 'next year' already going around my thick skull.


The first ever gaggle of Celtmen







Blurred Pic of Blurry eyes!

tick tock tick tock....

OK, so it's 23:11 and I'm sat here after a truly hectic day. Not just the usual family stuff but also trying to pack and get everything ready for tomorrow. I'm aiming to be gone from the house by 3am and if the AA route planner is correct it'll mean us landing in Shieldaig at 1pm, but I'm hoping we can make up some time and arrive a little earlier than that.

Up to this point I'd assumed it was just me in my little world who was aware of what I was doing. I mean I know I've spoken about it to folks and had some great banter as always from the lads and lasses on BCTTT but somehow I didn't believe people had taken notice, were really that interested or were bothered at all. Today though it seems that everyone have sent me positive good luck wishes, wished me well and asked me to keep them informed about how it goes and updated on the day if possible. It's sort of taken me by surprise to be completely honest and if I'm truthful I now feel a sense of expectation and added pressure to succeed which I've not felt until now? Not that it's a bad things, just...unexpected.

The great news is that the fundraising is still progressing onwards and upwards and up to now it's at £430! Much more than I'd expected and down to Scibbby from BCTTT who has brilliantly drummed up interest and even sold some of her own kit to put into the kitty! Secretly, I'm hoping to go past that £500 mark so fingers crossed!!

I'm just having a little cuppa now everyone's in bed. A bit of chill out time before I hit the sack. Come tomorrow I don't think I'll be resting until Sat evening. I think, I hope, I can do this. The swim may be a long a slow progress having not swam for such a long time (through injury and lazyness! not a good combo) but I can fuddle my way through and then providing everything stays injury free I can only hope I manage to run along those hills happy in the idea of doing something worthwhile for a very poorly girl and her amazing Dad. If the thought of helping their situation doesn't spur me on then my soul is damned and there's no hope for me!

I suspect my next blog entry will be sometime post race but in case I don't make it and my body is left rotting at the base of a Scottish Munro I would just like to say a heartfelt thanks and complete gratitude to all those who have found the time and inclination to sponsor me in this endeavour. It really is appreciated and I hope it brings a smile to Andrew and Bea's face knowing there's someone out there who things they're lives are worth helping.

The final countdown!

Well, times ticking along now....less than a week to go. I did a 12.5 mile run a few days ago and unfortunately my legs are paying for it. Nowt serious, a few tweeks in the ankles/achilles. So I'm gonna chill this week, maybe ride some short, slow rides jog a couple of 3 milers? Just to keep the legs moving but something that'll allow the legs to heal a bit?

I've had a few people ask me if I'm nervous and to be completely honest I'm not? not even slightly? Which is weird. I should be but I'm fairly relaxed about it. I think maybe because I've got so much else to concentrate on (getting a big family up to Scotland for one!) that I've not really thought about it. Or maybe, and I think this is more likely, I just have that mindset I had when I signed up in that it's not to be a flat out race but rather an awesome event which I want to savour? So long as I survive the swim then I should be in with a chance to finish on the high level route.

The past week has seen a massive surge in sponsorship as well, in that time it's gone from me having about £90 total up to me breaking the £300 mark!! This has lifted a huge weight of my shoulders as I was getting worried that it would all be for nothing. The week has also seen Beatrice being admitted to hospital. She's a poorly girl and had to go to ICU. Andrew, her Dad, was all set to leave for his own Ironman challenge in Germany the day she was taken in so needless to say he didn't go and his Ironman opportunity was let go of. Rightly so but I know Andrew will be gutted as surely as I know he'd have it no other way than to be at Bea's side when she needs him. That's what dad's do. That's the reason he took up the Ironman challenge. For Bea. That is why I wanted to raise as much as possible to help.

I've just finished my last night shift at work so I'm now officially on leave! The next few days will be mostly concerned with checking kit, getting it ready and generally making sure that everything we need is sorted. The fact the shower in the family bathroom has just packed up and needs a new one installing is just one of the many things that I'm sure are sent to try me!

So, head down. Organise, organise, organise and fingers crossed things will go well for this forthcoming once in a lifetime experience.

Long Rides and generous folk!

So, it's getting close. Very close in fact and I've been reminded regularly that, actually, I've never ridden over 100 miles on my bike before!

That was it. I decided that I'd do a couple of long rides and get a few good hours in the saddle. But...I've also done quite possibly a rather silly, if not slightly romantic, thing and decided that I'm not actually going to break the 100 mile ride barrier until Celtman itself! I know, I know! My thinking is this, Celtman is going to turn out to be one of the 'moments' in life that means so much. Anything I can do to enhance that experience is a worthwhile decision I reckon?

I'd eyed up a trip heading through Mansfield, Edwinstowe, Ollerton and then into Lincoln, returning along the A46 through Newark before heading back home through Mansfield again. It was just short of the 100 miles mark but it worked on my weakness. That weakness, I believe, is dealing with the monotony of long flat rides. Hills, I can do (sort of) but the challenge of constant pedalling at one pace for a long time is a definite difficulty. This ride dealt with all that, and some! Headwinds. Bugger.



The ride eventually came in at just under the 90 mile mark. Unfortunately, the gels I'd taken were out of date! A long way out of date, so the ride includes a long lunch stop at 'The Pride of Lincoln' pub...NOT recommended! Fish and chips but the fish was wet and watery all the way through..eurgh! I just had to get it down my throat otherwise I just wouldn't make it back in any fit state :o(

All in all, this was a good ride. Dealt with the psychological weaknesses I have and gave me a few more miles under my belt.

Everything seems to be going as well as can be expected, especially with the shoulder injury and the big chunk of training lost due to illness. The accommodation has been booked with Fri night being spent at Bracken B&B which has an advert on Steve Carter's great local site and can be found here.

Accommodation for the rest of the Week we've decided to have up there is going to be spent at the beautiful Minch View

The only downside is that Lulu, our lovely chilled out Beagle, can't come with us :o( The owner, Tracey, has been great already and we're not even there yet!! She's OK'd my support runner staying overnight with us, even though this means some sleeping on camp mats etc! She's also managed to arrange for me to get a massage post race by Sarah Almond! And if that's not all....she's just sponsored me!! I've not met her yet and already we love her.

That's meant that I've just broken through the £100 mark for my sponsorship (not my strong point, I hate asking for money!! lol!) I'm now up to around the £150 mark and I'm hoping I can actually get past the £200 mark....maybe? hopefully? If you fancy helping go to www.justgiving.com/celtman and donate what you can.

Thanks in advance!!

Back in the game!

Well...now that was a tough time! Completely knocked out of the game at, quite possibly, the most important part of my training period.

I've not been on top of the blog for exactly that reason. I've been trying to get things back on track. And it's been hard. VERY hard. You know when you've not done something for a while? and become sluggish and...well....lazy! It then becomes more and more difficult to get off your backside and go for a run and even when you do get out the enjoyment seems to have gone and your wishing it away, never really getting a rhythm and never really settling in to enjoy it. That's been me. For what seems like an age!

I think...I'm over that hill now.

I've been biking to work in Derby regularly now which has put anywhere between 80 and 160 miles in the legs for my 4 days on and then I'm trying to get a longer ride in as well. I'm aiming to get those longer rides up to the 100 mile mark soon (it'll have to be pretty bloody soon as it's under a Month to the big day!).

This week has seen the back end of a good set of races which have all forced me into focusing in on things. These races included Eyam Half Marathon which I thought would be a good one from  training point of view as it's hilly. The Emergency Services Triathlon in Nottingham and The Wingerworth Wobble I know having 3 races in the space of 7 days isn't the ideal but it's worked a treat. Proving to me that I'm over the stupid feckin' illness and back on track! Unfortunately, it's also proved to me that my recurring shoulder pain is still about and is a serious threat to Celtman. Even now, 3 days after the Tri, I still have a pain in the shoulder. The light at the end of the tunnel is that at least I have the breast stroke to fall back on. Not something I wanted to do but...if needs must! I think the tactic would be to alternate and just feel what's happening with it during the swim. Hopefully even with breast stroke I should be able to manage it under 1 1/2 hours?

The best thing is that within this week I saw a couple of PB's!

Eyam Half Marathon was only my 2nd HM but it's a hilly one and the sun decided to pop out once it got under way. I'd layered up with my club running vest on over a t-shirt as it was a chilly start. 2 hills later and with the sun beginning to beat down I realised it was a mistake. Luckily I found a marshal and asked him if I could leave my t-shit on a fence post and come pick it up afterwards. He was a star and said he'd take it back to the finish for me! Stop no. 1. Stripping off, showing the big belly and moob combo to the world. Those women wanted me, and so did some of the men - I could see it in their eyes! Having just the vest on I soon realised that although I'd vaselined up on all the usual bits with a vest I need to put some on my armpits, which I hadn't seeing as I hadn't planned on running in a vest! frantically scanning the horizon as I continued running I saw an ambulance - RESULT! Stopping I shouted out, "Any vaseline!?". "Yes mate, in the back" - Stop no. 2. So I waited...and waited....he looked in drawers, in boxes, in the front, in the back. 5 mins later "Nope, sorry mate, can't seem to find it". Well thanks fella, thanks for keeping me waiting! My own fault really. Silly sod. I now needed to up the pace really. Only a few miles in and I'd stopped twice, one of them significantly. I ran along and met up with a guy running in a club vest, Steve. We chatted for a while before I moved on. Always good to meet new folks from the club. The run was a great one for views but the last few hills were a real killer. The very last section, the downhill into the village, I heard my name being called out. Almost stopping I realised it was Gary who'd I've not seen for a while due to the stooopid bug putting me out and it's just too late in the game for any swim sessions to do me any good now! A quick shout back and I was away again but I'd lost my rhythm and that last downhill section suddenly became very tough, weird? I got taken by a fair few on that section and it wasn't until the last section in the village where I managed a little upping of the pace to see me over the line in 1:49:39. A new PB! Considering the course profile, the weather and the stops I was very pleased with this but I was even more pleased with not walking. Good training for the Celtman, psychologically if nothing else!

I managed to catch up with Steve again after the finish. Apparently he had me in his sights the whole way and was hunting me down!



The Triathlon saw me come in on 1:16 after a very painful and nightmare of a swim. Coming out way at the back of the pack for the swim!



I can't say for sure but I think this, even with the swim, was a PB? Not much to be said for the Tri really, other than it was ridiculously hot and my transitions have gone to rat shit!

The end of the week saw me running 'The Wingerworth Wobble' which is a fell run by the Wingerworth wobblers, a very relaxed and very local running group. Unfortunately this was the day after the Triathlon and I really wasn't sure whether I should do it and possibly risk an injury. Needless to say I did it anyway, silly boy. The best bit about this race was the fact I could get on a bike, ride over, do the run and ride back! Relaxed and easy. Again, this run is a fairly hilly one but I actually felt quite good all things considering. I bumped into Steve again and this time we had a chat while running and I learned he's also into Triathlons having just done his first one at Southwell. In traditional style about a mile or so in I needed a pee so I nipped off and let Steve continue without me whilst I pee'd for England! lol! The rest of the run was as expected really, along a lot of the footpaths I normally run along. All except the finish. Straight up a fairly steep hill. No chance of walking as there's loads of people at the finish cheering you on so you don't dare stop, lol! There were a couple of club vests cheering me on including Debbie who finished first lady and minute ahead of me. I managed to finish in 40:57 which I thought was OK all things considered?



All in all, a good week for me. I actually feel like I'm back into my training again. It's just a pity times running out. Hopefully I can do enough to get me in a position to do myself proud at Celtman.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see?

Man down...

Well, I'd love to report that everything is back on track and training is going well.

It's Not.

The doctor finally diagnosed me with Flu, Sinusitis and an ear infection! Great.

My introduction to the world of Duathlon was cancelled, I just couldn't do it. I've not run/biked/swam for 3 or 4 weeks now and this is vital time. I even had to cancel my first session back with Gary.

But...I've not been idle (well not completely).

In the mean time I've managed to buy myself an OMM Ultra 15l running rucsac ready for Celtman. Claire has agreed to pay for a Video swim session or my birthday, today! whoo hoo! So that should be interesting and probably embarrassing as I'll be posting the vid up here no doubt. I've had my entry confirmed for the Emergency Services Tri. Held at Nottingham (Holme Pierrpont) in May, I've also entered the Eyam Half Marathon in May. It's a hilly race with good reputation and seeing as it's fairly local, and I've missed a lot recently, I figured why the hell not! I'm also playing with the idea of Newton Running shoes, fingers crossed I may have acquired myself a pair to try out...watch this space.

I hope that the next update to the blog will actually have some activity, some resemblance of training back on schedule and ready to take on Celtman....we will see.....

Challenges, coughs and colds

Well, it's been a while.

I've been.......dead......

Training was going fairly well, so well in fact that when the chance to take a challenge presented itself I took it! I'd taken my bike to work as it had a puncture and I couldn't find my puncture kit or tyre levers. Mooey, one of the lads at work lent me his so I took the bike to work and fixed it up there. I then had a daft idea. I wonder if I left my bike at work whether I could run in the following day and then ride it home after a nightshift? Course I could...Imean...it's only 21 miles. Silly sod.

So that was it. The bike was left at work and the next day I was to run in. I'd had a grumbly headache that day but I shrugged it off and besides, I was committed. My bag and bike kit was left at work so the following day I had to pack what I needed (which was a lot more than I thought!) into a draw string bag and then fashion a way to tie it off on my back. I also took a drinks belt. Sunglasses on and I was off. I'd not gone further than a few hundred metres and the drinks bottle pinged out and rolled along the floor, feck. Not a good start. I picked it up, put it back in the belt and ran on. It wasn't the only time it fell out. The final time saw me retracing my steps and picking up a broken bottle which then had to be carried in my hand throughout the run. Bloody awkward but as it was sunny I just couldn't do with out it.

As it was a long way I'd brought a few energy bars and managed to chomp my way through them fairly well so felt OK on the nutrition front. The first 10 miles or so felt alright and even heading down from Ripley it wasn't too bad. Psychologically, it was tough to keep going as the route was...well...boring! Once I hit Coxbench area, about 16 miles in?, my hips starting screaming but this was exactly what I needed a tough run. The kind of run where you want to stop but you find yourself locked in that internal battle to try and keep yourself going no matter what. It was this I needed to practice in. It's this that I'll be needing during Celtman.

Surprisingly, apart from the aching hips I was surprised by what came next. No DOMS!?? No soreness in my legs but strangely a headache I just couldn't shift? Which was strange as I'd ensured I was hydrated and was obsessively inspecting the colour of my pee on a regular basis. All was good except that bloody headache. Unluckily for me, we had a busy night at work so rest was a no go. The ride home was tough to start but quickly I was back into it and was surprised to find it pretty easy. I think this was part of the reason for no soreness in my legs as it was a gentle movement for my legs which I think helped (That and the compression kit and recovery drink).

Although the body felt well after the run/ride, it wasn't. What followed was quite possibly one of the worst nights of my life. It was a night of hot and cold sweats, aching limbs and a pounding headache similar to the soul destroying headaches found at altitude. 8 days later and I'm still suffering. Gone are the achey limbs, headaches. The mouth has been filled, and then emptied, of ulcers. The nose blocked with blood and the agonising ear ache has now taken the place of the sweats as interrupter of sleep. I still feel rubbish but I'm due to run with Wingerworth Wobblers on Sat and believe it or not I have a race on Sunday (Duathlon). Hopefully, everything will settle by Saturday and I can get myself back on track.....I hope....

Another added decision has been made also, I've now made the major decision to leave MAD swimming club and return to my 1 to 1 coached sessions with Gary. The first of which is also...Saturday! I've just GOT to be better for the weekend!

4 seasons....one week!

This week has been a wee bit mental weather wise and we've seen Hot temperatures, sun and clear blue skies one day, A clear crisp spring day and even almost blizzard conditions another when the snow hit Beeley Moor!!

It was the day after the snow had hit and the sun had returned so off I went again determined to do the route I'd planned a week or so ago but missed a bit out.

I'd decided to use a drink on this run as we found Claire's drinks belt and I'd just bought some 'Nectar Fuel' to try out. I'm not sure if it was the drink or just the lovely day but I was feeling good and strong throughout the run. The only downside was the bit of the run I'd missed out on my previous attempt. The snow had worked its magic and it was a bloody quagmire throughout Walton wood which brought things almost to a standstill. I was slipping a sliding all the way and even went on my ass at one point!

Once out of the wood I managed to get back into some sort of stride before hitting Bolehill. Now, seeing as Celtman is.....hilly....Bolehill, I think, will prove to be a good training hill for me. This time round it was a classic training section, deeply psychological!

As it was still sunny the hat's peak came down partly to block the sun but more importantly to block my view of the top of the hill. I had tired legs from the quagmire of Walton wood and this hill is steep and goes on for a fair distance so it was most definitely a case of head down, rhythm going and plug away regardless of what the head was telling me to do! This paid off as, looking at the figures afterwards, the mile lap still came in under the 10:30 min/mile pace which may not mean a lot to others but put into the context that when I started running my pace was 10 min/mile and now I'm running up Bolehill, 6 miles into a run and I'm almost hitting that pace!

All in all, it's a great route varied in both vista and gradient so offers great variety in training.

I can tell the training is becoming better quality as this run was the first time I've felt the need for a recovery drink (FGS) and recovery tights!

Good signs..

Yesterday was the day that Andrew (Bea's dad) and I had put down in the diary to do a century ride.

I'm not sure if Andrew sensed the fact that my riding legs are still a way off or if it was the limited time we had before I needed to get back for childcare duties but either way we settled on a time rather than a distance.

I'd travelled up to Whitely, Yorkshire, to ride in Howden's country as historically Andrew had come to me to sample the beauty of the Peak District and the hard work of them thar hills! This time was my time to visit Yorkshire.

He'd told me it was flat but bugger me...it was unnerving!

The ride itself was interesting, not so much the scenery as a fair bit of it was on busy roads, but just in the psychological aspect of a longer ride. There's something difficult about the sight of a long straight road in front of you. Obviously the wind whips around, in fact the return leg seemed to be directly into a head wind! I liked the challenge of maintaining the ride over a longer distance, the challenge of having to continually pedal, hills you can power up and then coast down if you want to. But what surprised me more was that after the 90km ride I still had more in my legs and feel that I could have continued to the 100mile mark. In fact as I write this my legs feel no more sore than if I'd done a 5 mile run. Brilliant!

All in all this was a great ride for me and it's got me thinking...it's about 100 miles to the east coast from my house.....fish and chips anyone? ;o)

Inspired by a smiling Legend

The commute...it's ON! To be completely honest it wasn't as bad as I was thinking it would be. Since the last time I did it (last year!!) I've moved house and added an extra 3 miles each way. Coupled with the complete and utter lack of biking, it was enough to worry me. I was OK and in fact as I was rushed in the morning it had to be swift and I got back in just over the hour which is good going for a 21 mile hilly ride!

So, running is becoming regular again, as is swimming and now the biking has found a place!

I've also, possibly, found a new swim venue which is very local...I may have to swim a la stealth as I can't seem to find out who to ask to get permission? It's used by a local fishing club but I don't think they own 'The great pond of stubbing'? I decided to check it out as part of a new run which takes in the 'pond' a bit of woodland running and, more importantly for Celtman training, a massive bloody hill!

This run felt really good, not the hill obviously, but after a grumpy start I settled into it and genuinely loved running through virgin territory. Maybe the run was a swift one as I needed to be somewhere later that day...

After a quick shower, Beth (my 11 year old daughter) and Bodhi (3 year old son) all jumped in the car and headed down to Bridgtown Bikes for a book signing with non other than CHRISSIE WELLINGTON!!

For those of you who don't know, Chrissie is 4 times world

Ironman Champion. The last one fo which was wonin a phenominal fashion only months after recovering from a bike crash. She's british, she's a champion and she's someone we should be massively proud of!

We managed to meet up with a few folks from BCTTT whilst down there so it was a great chance to meet up with friends (even though one of them reminded me that I'm entered into a duathlon on 1st April! I'd completely forgotten about it! lol!!) Beth seemed to be genuinely star struck and it was good to see that Chrissie is a brilliant role model for her - exactly why I went down!

We did manage to get a good photo as well!

The problem with that level of inspiration is that you tend to then go off and do something stupid. So not only had I done a good run this morning, buoyed up by the inspiration of the Wellington smile I headed back, grabbed the bike and did the commute again for my night shift!

Run, 21 mile commute, night shift and then 21 mile ride home....not a brilliant idea. It was the longest ride home yet!

My legs still hurt.

missed the boat but back on track!

A few months ago I made a decision to do something daft but something I'd wanted to do ever since a winter expedition across Canada when I was 16 - I bought some cross country skis! My thinking was this, last year we got shed loads of snow and I almost bought them then but didn't give in to the stupidity (which really isn't like me at all!!) so this year I wasn't going to wuss out again!

Just before Christmas I managed to get some skis and boots fairly cheaply but once everything arrived it became apparent that I had the wrong boots or the wrong bindings...either way they didn't match - DOH! After a few weeks of hectic searching for cheap enough bindings I finally found a pair......in France.

I paid and waited....and waited....and waited.....it snowed....I waited....snow melted....I waited and long story short after about 2 months of e-mailing back and forth the bindings came to the UK, went back to France, before finally arriving a few days ago about a day too late!

I Missed the boat....bugger

But it's not all negative, last night saw another swim session with MAD and I felt my technique was improved even though the majority of the session was leg work. By the end of the session my thighs were burning but it felt good and I didn't even get a beating from the wife for heading out for a swim session on Valentine's night! (The 3 course meal the night before may have helped?)

This morning I decided to stick in a quick run before work and although my legs felt tired the fact I was a bit late leaving the house meant that I couldn't hang around on the run.



All in all I was happy with this pace, tired legs and a section across a boggy playing field weren't perfect for me to keep a good pace but sheer fear of being late for work kept me going!

Tomorrow, I aim to leave early and try a commute from Chesterfield to derby....wish me luck!

Lethargy and Lazy Legs

A while back I went out for a ride with a few lads from BCTTT and long story short, my batteries fell out! so much so that I figured 'something must be wrong'....well duh! Not riding a bike for over 6 months will do that to ya. Feckin' eedjit.

With that experience, obviously I jumped back on the bike, did what was required, got my game face back on and brought back my bike fitness...........not......exactly.

Since then, I haven't even sat on the saddle. Like I say, Feckin Eedjit!!!!

Today though, today, was different. Today was the day I manned up got the bike out and went for a little ride. I decided on a 20 miler heading to Chesterfield then out and across to Beeley moor and back again. It has a hilly start but the finish isn't too bad so hopefully it'd be an alright choice to 'ease' myself back into things.

After dragging, and I mean DRAGGING myself out I was treated to a steady wind but lovely sun and even blue(ish) skies! Which was all the better because some bugger had definitely swapped my legs for those of a 12 year old X-box expert! Those Hills out of Chesterfield hurt!!

Today was more of a psychological hurdle more than anything and I'm hoping that my bike fitness is just 'hidden' and getting myself out a few more times will get me back into the swing of things and something will just 'click'



I logged the ride on Endo and to be honest it doesn't look as bad as it felt but I think that's down to a faster second half! The first half, like I say, HURT! lol!

Hopefully this is the catalyst to me getting out more, and more regular! If I can keep the mental strength then I may try the commute to Derby again as this gives me 45 miles in the saddle everytime I do it. That's what I need now, time in the saddle.

'Train' when ya can - secret of champions!

One of the hardest things for anyone training for events like Celtman is trying to do it around family life and other commitments. With 4 of the li'l buggers in my house this becomes a real issue to work around.

Luckily Claire's happy to help so Friday saw her taking them all in the car along to the gym whilst I decided to brave the snow and head over there on my MTB.



Actually not too bad a ride all in all, and as I said a quick 3 mile TT fitted in around kiddywinks! ;o)

The swim turned out to be almost as productive managing to sneak in 3 sets of 200m FC, focusing on technique rather than speed etc....man I need to deal with my technique! It was quite funny though, Claire in the pool dealing with 4 kids, me swimming a 200m set and then a WWF style tag team change over! That means recovery between sets was fairly long but full of handstands in the pool, catching kids jumping in with their waterwings on and splashing various little ones! It was also quite good in that I could give a little 'coaching' to my 16 year old who was trying to swim. He's got potential, just needs to fine tune his technique.

Bike route was replicated on the way back complete with the obligatory waving, beeping horns and raspberries blown out of windows from the family car as they whizzed on back for an early hot cup of tea to leave me pedaling!

All in all, not a massive session but positive in that I could fit in a bit of something whilst still being Dad.

Fame! and post Flu Floundering

The organisers of Celtman have decided to do a daily post of 'Athlete of the day' on their facebook page and as I was due to be one of the said 'Athletes' I decided that as well as providing a photo I would also contribute the following 'Bio'....

Mick Wyldbore-Wood, Chesterfield, England. Team: BCTTT

Age on race Day: 38

Achievements to date: School Conkers Champion 1985-87
Best Dancer, Butlins Prestatyn 1988
25m swim badge 2012 (awaiting sewing onto trunks by Mum)
Most lovable rogue, Liverpool probation service 1995

Reason for entering: After becoming a member of the eccentric online triathlon club (BCTTT.com) I found myself signing up for and completing my first ever 70.3 at Antwerp in 2011 all in the name of charity. I decided to up the challenge, continue the stupidity, and sign up for Celtman! Partly because, having been an Outdoor Instructor for years and leading expeditions around the world, I have a love of the mountains and partly because of an inherently damaged self preservation gene.
Either way I'm now signed up to raise as much money as possible for little Beatrice (for more info please visit http://www.getbeatricemobile.org/) or just head straight to www.justgiving.com/Celtman and donate!
I'm going to try and log my journey to the start line with my blog http://theceltman.blogspot.com/. I can only apologise in advance to all you nutritionally balanced, training program following, hardcore type athletes....there's a cuckoo in the nest. He's at the back looking fat and flustered.

You may hear him muttering various unrepeatable phrases all centered around the question of why. Please ignore him, carry on with your business....he may be some time - just ensure he gets a pint when he finishes.

I thought it was apt ;o)

I also thought that I should get my ass training and, maybe prematurely as the Man flu is still lingering, I went along to MAD swimming session. It's only 45 mins on a Tues so I thought that would be a bit gentler. Well that was a load of tosh! 'Warm up' was 2 lots of 400m front call with 15 sec rest between sets....FFS!

I needn't have worried though because after this 'warm up' we just did 3 lots of 100m Breast stroke legs with floats followed by 4 lots of 25m max effort sprints. Funny thing is though, my technique feels MUCH better during the 25m max efforts than it does during the much slower 400m sets? Possibly just down to a lack of fitness but I suspect it's got much more to do with my breathing, think I get hypoxic on longer sets?

Keeping it going!

So, it seems that I've now been kicked with....MAN FLU! I kid you not, it was touch and go at one point. I picked out what to be buried in. But never fear, I overcame, I conquered!

and while I was, I decided to do something positive at least!

So...I joined Matlock and District Swimming club (MAD swimming club...brilliant! lol!) who do a 'pre-masters' group - brilliant! I'll be going there at least twice a week and maybe three depending on life.

and secondly, I finally got off my ass and started up the Justgiving page. If you fancy sponsoring me feel free to head on over to www.justgiving.com/Celtman and give give give!!!!

Who knows, with this kind of impetus I may actually train!!

Shown for all to see!

Somehow I'm going to try to incorporate my training record into this blog, get it out there, get it shown for all to see....makes me accountable? somehow?

It makes sense for me anyhow!

So as a starter I'm going to bang up the latest Swim, Bike and run. they're all done and recorded through Endomondo which is really useful for me as I get to see, in one place, what I've done or more importantly what I haven't!!

Here they are then.....

Swim



Run



and Bike

well....I haven't actually recorded any of my bike rides but hey, I will....promise!

OK, life's settling down...I think

SO not only have I decided on the most ridiculous challenge it was also around the time we decided to move house, go from a 2 child household to a 4 child household with the moving in of my youngest daughter from a previous marriage as well as the birth of our youngest daughter, Himani.

To say things have been hectic would be a massive understatement!

Fingers crossed, things are now setting down somewhat. I've done a bit of running biking and EVEN swimming!!

All of which I'll start blogging about in the next few posts......