25th August 2008 (the big day!):

So there I was, staring at the alarm clock at 4:50am this morning, wondering "should I try and get that extra 10 minutes sleep before the alarm goes off at 5am, or just get out of bed now?!?!". I knew I wasn't going to sleep much anyway as I hadn't all night! It's fair to say that although I was very excited about the triathlon today, I was also pretty darn nervous!

We got there as registration opened at 6am and I picked up my race numbers along with a pack of goodies before proceeding to rack my bike in the transition area... all so far, so good! My race number was 296, and with the swimmers starting in number order (starting with 1) every 15 seconds, I knew I had a long wait ahead of me! I ended up hitting the water (well, more like slowly gliding in) just after 8am. This was the hardest stage for me, both due to my poor swimming ability, plus I hadn't done any warm up and the water was very, very warm (yes, this actually made things trickier!).

With the swim over I headed into the transition area. First thing was to put on my tri top and race number belt, of which I hadn't practiced either of this simple tasks, as they are just that... simple! Well, simple apparently if you aren't soaking wet! Trying to pull on a tight fitting top while wet is actually apparently quite difficult. The good news is that once I'd got past this phase the rest was easy... we were now on the bike!

The bike section was on the main road, which had various road works and gravel sections... nice! It was compulsory to stop at the road works and walk your bike through and then get back on once through. Simple enough, even when you are running with the bike in cycle shoes that clip into the pedals, therefore having big blocks on the bottom of each shoe. This was probably the easiest stage for me and gave me a chance to fuel up on Lucozade sport before the run started. There was a slightly strange "seven minute non-competing zone" at the end of the bike course. Essentially, once you finish the bike section you have a maximum of 7 minutes to get back to transition before your clock restarts (because of the course layout). In the end the total cycle was just over 23k (include the non-race part).

Into the run and the jelly legs began!!! After a number of "brick" training session I'd started to get slightly used to this feeling now, but it's still very strange (apparently after a cycle you generally run on a slightly different part of your foot for a while). For the first time in a long, long time I was getting "pins and needles" in my feet whilst running so ended up stopping briefly a few times to stretch my feet out (plus a quick "call of nature" behind a tree!). This all meant that my 5k time was a little slower than normal, but still I'd now finished the race!!!

My final times can be found below. Overall I absolutely loved it and I can see why so many people get addicted to the sport! The people and the organisation on the day was ace and I can't really fault it - obviously though I don't have much to compare it to!

To date, we've raised £1868.97 for the Sam Beare Hospice which is awesome!!! I'll be chasing more people now it's completed to see if we can't push this total up to the big 2k mark! Please, please, please point all your friends, family and colleagues to www.justgiving.com/paulrisk!

24th August 2008 (the day before the triathlon!):

Over the last four months I've clocked up 82.5k in my running shoes, 302k on the bike and approximately 2.5k in the pool and it's now the day before the big day!

I'm currently sat here on my sofa, on a very wet Sunday morning, watching the last few events of the 2008 Olympics on TV. Various thoughts are running through my head, "am I ready?", "have I done enough training?", "what should I eat for breakfast tomorrow?", "is my tri suit I bought too tight!". The point is that it's almost here and it's too late to do anything now apart from focusing on getting ready to enjoy tomorrow.

For those that are interested in how the swimming has gone, I've hit the pool 4 or 5 times since my lesson with John last week. My "water confidence" has come on leaps and bounds, however I still can't get my technique right for the front crawl. I end up absolutely knackered by the end and still can't get my breathing comfortable to maintain it for the whole distance. I've worked on trying to improve my breaststroke so fingers crossed I should still be able to improve on my 12 minutes 30 seconds predicted 400m time (remembering that this race is 426m).

I've done one final run in the last week (with some new trainers) and did my best time around my local route so far (29 minutes 57 seconds for 5.4k) so this all feels ok. I've not been on the bike for a while now, however this is hopefully going to be my best event out of the three so I'm not so worried.

I've just logged onto the Thames Turbo site and found out my race number. I'm 296 (out of 495) which was a slight surprise! I was told that the swimmers start in their predicted 400m swim times and that the slowest swimmers went out first. There is either a huge number of people that are more useless at swimming than I am, or this is just not the case at all. This should mean that I'll be starting about 8am tomorrow (the first swimmer going out at 7am). For those of you that want to come along to support/laugh, the event takes place here:

Hampton Open Air Pool,
High Street,
Hampton,
Middlesex,
TW12 2ST

I'm now off to pack up my gear for the morning, check the bike is ready, and perhaps there is just enough time for one last trip to the pool. Wish me luck everyone!!!

13th August 2008:

Well, it's been three weeks since my last update and I'd love to say that I've spent that time either in the pool, on my bike, or wearing my trainers and pounding the streets! Sadly it would be a lie! The truth is that it's been a very busy few weeks both inside and outside of work and sadly I've either been just too busy, or too tired to do much.

However, let's start with a few highs! The good news is that the total amount of money raised so far, including offline donations and gift aid supplements is £1,720.77!!! That's amazing and has already beaten my personal target of raising £1,500 for this. A big thanks to everyone who's donated so far!

I've also done a bit of training in the last few days. On Sunday I did another brick session of a 12.61k cycle (32 minutes 32 seconds) followed by a transition into a 5.4k run (34 minutes 15 seconds). Yesterday I hit the pool in the morning to do a few lengths and followed this up by a 5.4k run in the evening (30 minutes 41 seconds). Notice how quickly I skipped over the swimming part!

So on the swimming front, this has always been my biggest concern about doing this triathlon, on the basis that I can't do a front crawl! I attempted this on my own in the pool yesterday and it just feels horribly wrong and ends up with me just doing a lot of splashing!!! My friend John has kindly agreed to pop over tonight to try to teach me how to swim properly (although I've left it a bit late to get some help with only a few days to go until the real thing!). Fingers crossed I'll have some good news to report in the next few days.

I've watched a few triathlons on telly the last few months, to try to get an idea of how it will go on the day. The interesting difference with the Thames Turbo that I'm doing is that it's a pool swim, not open water. I foolishly thought that if I find a few videos of pool triathlons online that it would put my mind at rest. Sadly the only one I found was this, and I'm now totally terrified!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2YEyrSa49E

Just to finish this update, I desperately need to go and buy my tri suit for the event which I'll hopefully do on Saturday. I've also found that my trainers are starting to hurt my feet and are a little warn so I really need to go and get some more and try to run them in. With only 12 training days to go until the big day, it's all getting a bit nervous now...

23rd July 2008:

Another few days have past and another few updates to talk about. I've started doing what are apparently called "brick sessions". This does not mean that I need to carry bricks with me while running or cycling, nor does it mean that bricks are tied to me while I try to swim (as if this bit wasn't hard enough already!). It means that you do two or more of the events back to back, including transition. So far I've tried this twice (cycling into running) and it's shown me just what a simple, yet complicated thing transitions can be!

On the first attempt on the 17th July I did a 7k cycle, followed by a 4k run (24 minutes 18 seconds), and then a further 5.65k cycle (I was measuring some other routes during this second cycle). Yesterday I did a 15.5k cycle (37 minutes 28 seconds, with lots of stopping for traffic) and a 4k run (24 minutes 19 seconds).

I was quite pleased with all of this as I'm getting closer and closer to the distance I'll need to do on the big day (less than 5 weeks away now!). Now all I need to do is add in the swim... oh dear, the swimming...

All this has also given me some valuable experience. For example, I've now fitted some super speedy pedals to the bike which some special shoes clip into. It's a slightly odd sensation at first and a real pain in the backside when you need to stop at traffic lights and then get yourself clipped back in. It does feel like you can really push a lot harder though, plus gives you the ability to "pull up" as well as push down on the pedals. I've also replaced my normal trainer shoe laces with special elasticated ones which mean I can slip my trainers on and off in just a couple of seconds (all valuable I guess).

Anyway, ignoring the swimming (notice a pattern here now), I've used the wonders of Microsoft Excel to work out a few "predicted times". The interesting (and quite encouraging) thing is that based on some of the training I've done so far, my predicted triathlon time for the Thames Turbo should be about and hour and a half. I've looked at the last Thames Turbo results and the winner did a time of about an hour and 2 minutes, and the last person finished in about 2 hours and 10 minutes. My time would leave me somewhere in the bottom third I think <-- still, not last then! :-)

With just over 4 weeks to go I've put together a bit more of a structured training plan (which includes some swimming at last), plus I'm reading every book and magazine I can find with various tips on how to save a few seconds. More soon...

14th July 2008:

"Can somebody please get me a cushion to sit on!?!?!". Yesterday I completed the Capital2Coast charity bike ride from Esher down to Hove (all 60 miles of it)! Suffice to say that today my butt and legs are very, very sore! Had a blast doing it though, and in the end it took me 5 hours and 22 minutes of cycling to complete it.

So it's clear that the cycling is progressing well, and the running it getting there. What about the swimming? This... well... isn't really progressing at all. I've worked out that I have exactly 6 weeks until the triathlon so need to come up with a plan to fix this... and fast!!!

9th July 2008:

"I don't want to run, you can't make me!!!!". This was what my body was saying to my mind last Monday. I had absolutely zero motivation to go and do anything that evening, yet after some words of encouragement from the misses I donned my trainers and hit the streets! Suffice to say, 1, I really enjoyed it, and 2, this was the first time I'd ever managed to do over 5k without stopping for a few seconds to recover half way through! This was a monumental mental barrier that I'd now broken through!

Other than that, I thought I'd get in some well overdue cycle practice for the 60 mile charity bike ride that I'd signed up for this weekend. I felt this was particularly overdue as the most I'd ever ridden was about 10 miles! I ended up doing 40 miles in about 3 hours and 25 minutes... this felt good! I then proceeded to fall asleep on the sofa for the next 4 hours of Saturday afternoon... this too felt good! I then remained on the sofa for the rest of Saturday night and most of Sunday due to the feeling that my legs were broken and no longer felt attached to my body... this did not feel good!

Another important lesson from the bike ride was that I really, really, really, really, really needed to go and buy some cycling shorts!!! This has now been done!

The final update for now is that I hit the pool again before work on Monday and managed to do another 400m swim time, this one shockingly slower than last at 13 minutes 20 seconds. This was still doing breaststroke as my front crawl is laughable, but the difference this time is that I wanted to make sure I didn't rest/push off at each end of the pool, and so my time was quite a bit slower. I think I've realised that swimming may now be my weakest event. This was backed up in the evening when my running improve further when I did another 5k run, my 2nd consecutive without stopping, in over a minute and a half quicker than before!!!

I need to spend some serious time in the pool...

27th June 2008:

In the style of Gordon Ramsay... 18k bike ride... "DONE"... 1k run after... "DONE"... jelly legs... "DONE"... big stitch... "DONE"!!!!!

After being inspired (change that for "terrified") by watching the tri on Wednesday, I thought I'd better at least attempt to try a cycle, followed by a run last night. The cycle was good, as I hadn't done any for a few weeks now so managed a comfortable 18k in just over 40 minutes. I was expecting to find getting off the bike and running hard... which is was! It was a very "strange" sensation where your legs feel like they have just been put through some serious work (duh!!) and then been told to do some more. I've been told that this feeling subsides after a while, but considering I could only manage about 1k after the cycle I probably didn't give it long enough to find out!

In other news today, following on from my list of cool (err... "essential") things to buy for this, I went down to Snow and Rock in Chertsey where they have their CycleSurgery. I picked up some new pedals for the bike that you clip your shoes into, and as a result also picked up some new shoes that were compatible with the pedals. Can't wait to see how silly I look trying to get on and off the bike with my feet essentially tied to it! I've been warned to "tri" (<-- get it) to do this on some soft ground first as I'm apparently guaranteed to fall off!!!

26th June 2008:

In the words of Janice from Friends "OH... MY... GOD!!!!!!!". Some of my, so called, "Friends" thought that it would be a really good idea for me to go and watch a triathlon for real last night (one that they were racing in). I watched as a bunch of what can only be described as "penguins with orange hats" scampered from the banks into the lake and swam for what seemed like an eternity. If that wasn't enough they then continued to race around for 20k on the bikes (of which all the bikes looked far more "race worthy" than mine) and then power their way through what looked like the longest 5k route I've ever seen!!!

All in all it's made me think "why on earth did I think I could do this!". I've no doubt that, assuming I don't drown, I'll be able to get around the course, but these people seemed awesomely fit and anyone watching on the day will be clapping me along in pity about half an hour after everyone else has finished! My only saving grace was watching how hopeless some people were at the "transitions" (that's "event change-overs" for those who don't remember). I watched several people with jelly legs get off of their bikes and almost fall over trying to run, two people collapse off of their bikes with cramp (not funny... well maybe a little!), and one of my "friends" (you know who you are) who had clipped their shoes to their bike for a speedy transition, set off, dropped their shoe while trying to put it on and then proceeded to run over it!!!!! Classic comedy!!!

All in all, It's made me want to hit the bike tonight and put in some miles, plus also invest in some cool (but essential) gadgets. Namely a tri-suit, funky shoes that are clipped to the bike pedals and a number belt thingy (not sure of it's real name). In summary... it was great to go last night but I've realised just how far away I still am from being able to do this... properly...

24th June 2008:

On Sunday evening I had my first "downer" of the training campaign so far. Up until now I've seen my run times improving slightly and my general level of fitness increasing, however a short 5.4K run around the block proved to be an absolute battle! It was one of my slowest times ever and I even had to walk about 5 times during it!!! I'm going to put this down as just a small blimp so far (due to a busy day clearing the garden), but it does make me think I need to step up the training a bit, especially as the 60 mile bike ride is now just a few weeks away...

On a positive note, I'm off to watch my first live triathlon tomorrow night at Dorney Lake (click here for details). Should be interesting and it'll give me my first chance to really see what I've signed up for!

19th June 2008:

So I've been going to circuit training on and off over the last few months, and since deciding to do this triathlon-thingy it's been a more regular fixture in my weekly training plan. Last night for the first time I actually noticed a difference in my fitness level... horay!!!

Side note: In order to sound like I know what I'm talking about, plus because it's cool, I'll now refer to a "triathlon" as a "tri"...

For further inspiration I watched a recording of the World "Tri" Championships in Vancouver from the weekend and it's introduced me to the mentalism that is "transitions"!!! Up until now I thought transitions were a special pair of glasses that turned dark in the sun! It turns out that not only do I need to by able to run, cycle and swim, but also battle my way through everyone else to find my bike, put my helmet, shoes and race number on and then try to do all this within as little time as possible.

The worst thing is that apparently I need to remember to put my helmet on first before touching the bike or I get disqualified... and take it off last before starting the run stage (imagine completing the tri and then finding out you've been disqualified at the end... rubbish!!!). Also (as if it wasn't already complicated enough), I need to wear my race number on my back for the cycle, and move it to the front for the run stage... hmmm, I can see some safety pin stabbing injuries ahead of me...

16th June 2008:

This morning I did something that I've said for years I'd do but never quite got around to it! I set the alarm for 6:30am and by 7am I had cycled down to the local pool and was busy splashing around in the water (by splashing around I do mean my slightly lame attempt at breaststroke). Now I have my 400m (16 lengths) benchmark time of 12 minutes 30 seconds, I can at least officially enter the Triathlon in August. If I'm really keen I might even be able to fit in a quick run after work... (Jo if you're reading this, stop laughing!)...

12th June 2008:

Nan's funeral is today, which has prompted me to setup the sponsorship page on JustGiving.com. I'll continue to update this page with updates as I go...

10th June 2008:

"In for a penny, in for a pound" the saying goes!!! I've decided that I need to sign myself up for a few runs and cycle rides in order to make sure I stay on track. Currently signed up for:

Wedding Day 7K run in Bushy Park - 25th July

Capital to Coast 60 mile cycle - 13th July

Still need to actually enter the triathlon... not sure why I keep putting off that visit to the pool... perhaps I'm just too afraid of what my swim time will be!

8th June 2008:

So after talking to some friends, now I know it's the Thames Turbo Triathlon I'm going to sign up for, and the last one of the year is on the 25th August 2008. Distances I need to be able to cover are:

Pool swim - 426m
Bike - 21km
Run - 5km

Hmmm. So I know I can run a 5K (just not very quickly), but I've never cycled 21K, nor even attempted to do any kind of distance swimming. In order to enter the race I need to provide a rough idea of my swimming time. Really need to hit the pool...

1st June 2008:

Sadly, Nan passed away yesterday. I think when anyone dies it makes you think about your own life and it makes you very grateful for the things you have and the things you've done. The inevitable phrase of "must live my life to the fullest" enters your head...

I've been thinking about challenges for myself all year and I've been doing quite well so far. A triathlon has recently been something that I've wanted to do, yet I struggle with even the most simplest form of cardio excercise (the few times I've done a short 5K run around the block or 10K race have proved that!). This is a perfect chance for me to raise some money in Nan's memory for the great people at the Sam Beare trust in Weybridge who looked after her in the last few weeks.

Good... It's decided then... I'm going to do a triathlon... bugger!