Dare to Tri Affirmations ?

What's your dream ? If you're a triathlete, distance runner, endurance swimmer or cyclist chances are you have a personally important race date in 2012 or 2013 already fixed in your mind. The longer the event distance or the greater your desire to improve means more planning, training and preparation. Dreaming of a cycling century ride, a marathon or Ironman 2 or 3 years distant is the easy part : - Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, June 2015. Easy. Even using the Visa card to book the entry slot is relatively painless (at the time - if not when the bill arrives !). But doing that strength and conditioning session, stretching, an early morning swim set or completing a scheduled long run on a gloomy Tuesday in February ? Often not so easy.

Reaching the event date in your best condition or achieving an outstanding performance is a series of good decisions. These small good decisions build into best performance eg. packing your kit the night before, logging your workouts, good meal choices day after day, disciplined sleeptime, keeping in mind the purpose and best outcome of every workout - and prioritising training events to make sure they happen. For me it's a constant struggle to find the time for workouts. But - this is my choice and too often I'm choosing worklife over "real-life". If I prepared better and focused more I'd leave on time more often and gain a better life-balance. I need a constant reminder to make time for what I value.

So just how do we breakdown life into manageable short term goals and, day by day, "hold onto the dream" that leads us to those major landmarks in our lives ? While formal goal setting itself is critical you should also consider Affirmations as a tool. The "Queen" of affirmations seems to be someone called Louise L Hay. In her "I can do it" book she writes ...

"An affirmation is really anything you say and think. A lot of what we normally say and think is quite negative and and doesn't create good experiences for us. We have to retrain our thinking and speaking into positive patterns if we want to change our lives. Every thought you think and every word you speak is an affirmation. All of our self talk, our internal dialogue, is a stream of affirmations. You need to pay attention to your thoughts so that you can begin to eliminate the ones creating experiences you do not want in your life. However it's time for all of us to wake up and begin to consciously create our lives in away that pleases and supports us. "

This technique is perhaps under-used because it seems quite self-absorbed or at least self-indulgent. Perhaps a touch saccharine for inhibited UK Ango-Saxon types. Linda Wallenfels on trifuel.com writes ...

" Some people have difficulty with affirmations. They feel they are deceiving themselves when they make statements about something that may be true in the future, but is not true now. The Tao philosophy states, affirmations are not self-deception but self-direction".

Done properly affirmations can be a potent and constant reminder of why we do what we do and why it's important to us in the first place. To begin with the process of introspection actually helps us define what we value so we can put energy doing more of it.  So time taken writing affirmations can help us to confront our existing choices and places our decisions into context.

Think of it a different way - do you have a "power song" or a playlist you use on your MP3 ? You probably have this to motivate you - to get you out the door in the morning or to put in that extra effort to get through a tough workout. That you put that song there and use it in training is partly a recognition that you benefit from help to achieve those tough goals. Affirmations can pull us back to what we hold as important and to inspire progress towards what we value.  Remez Sasson has this definition...

Affirmations are positive statements that describe a desired situation, and which are repeated many times, in order to impress the subconscious mind and trigger it into positive action. In order to ensure the effectiveness of the affirmations, they have to be repeated with attention, conviction, interest and desire.

Dr. JoAnn Dahlkoetter writes :
Whenever you want to maximize your chances of getting the results you want, affirmations are one of the fastest ways to arrive there. If you want to create real changes in the way you train and compete, use affirmations to:

• Improve concentration

• Relax and sleep well

• Build self-confidence

• Accelerate learning of athletic skills

• Deal with fear and negativity

• Heal quickly from injuries

• Increase endurance and strength

• Train faster and lighter

There is an excellent (and free) podcast explaining affirmations from Bevan James Eyles - find it here to download. You'll also be able to find a PDF worksheet to work through on the site & it's great value for money & easy to access. Listen to the podcast then give yourself a clear afternoon to get maximum impact from the worksheet.

If you remain in any doubt that affirmations can work for you then think of the opposite effect ie. negative thoughts, negative attitude or negative speech. Remember the quote from Henry Ford : “Whether you think you can, or you think you can't - you're right.”  We all recognise the danger of negative speech when dealing with family or work colleagues. If we are carelessly negative we so often lower the self-esteem, confidence and motivation of others - it's the same with our "self talk". You wouldn't talk yourself "down" ahead of an important athletic or social event would you ?


Affirmations help to talk ourselves "up". Livestrong.Com have an excellent summary article (here) which gives many examples of negative scripts and positive self-affirmations.  Bevan James Eyles starts the process by asking us to think about inspirational quotes which already have meaning for us. We all have these sayings. They could be from any part of your life eg. a religous quote, Shakespeare, a family saying - the Simpsons even ! Something inspirational I read recently was from a talk given by Chrissie Wellington and relayed by Simon Ward -

Q. How many hours do you train each week Chrissie ?
A. 168

A 168 hour training week sums up Chrissie's attitude perfectly - every decison she makes throughout that week is related to her training and her training is designed to deliver the goals which are important to her. Ward writes :

There is the physiological training which probably occupies 25-35 hours per week but then even when she’s not engaged in these everything else she does is geared towards making these hours as productive as possible.  For example – eating (which involves choosing the right food for refuelling and repair), stretching, relaxing, sleeping, planning) she admits to being anally retentive and obsessive but in my experience this could apply to most successful athletes in a range of sports and similar traits are shared by the most successful entrepreneurs and entertainers.

Other examples of quotes that might make it onto your worksheet  :

• Be the change you want to see in the world
• Think Win Win
• Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail
• Does it matter that it matters ? - Prioritize what is truely important.
• Focus on your strengths
• Ever tried ? Ever failed ? No Matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
• The only way to get rid of the fear of doing something is to go out and do it.

The importance of chosen inspirational quotes (eg. here) are that they have a deep resonance with your own personality and values. Keeping you reminded of them helps you to choose the behaviours that flow from those values.

Bevan's worksheet will guide you through a process that helps you identify the behaviours or habits that "work best" for you & which you want to do more often. These are habits that will help to deliver those big life goals and help eliminate "stuff" that gets in the way. In my own world it can be as simple as knowing that I'm at my best in the morning ; that I am more productive when I have a prioritized workplan for the day (set the day before) and that I feel at my best when I eat along paleo lines. Certainly I feel most alive and energized (and actually work better) on the days I complete a structured workout session. I also want to keep the main goals in sight to ensure I have the right context.

While Bevan is focused on getting you to explore, understand and write down your chosen affirmations (so you can refer to them daily) he also describes reading them while listening to a motivational song - some music that thrills or uplifts. It is possible to go a step further and select a playlist that you can use in the car on the way to work or even during an excercize . Endurance athletes spend so much time training that this is a great way to keep affirmations in your mind. Affirmations are dynamic and will change over time - they evolve as your life situation and your own goal-set changes. Review them every 3 months to keep them fresh. If you weave them around your own inspirational songs it can be a very powerful motivation. Take this example from Julie (running her 1st marathon in Oct):

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Podsafe Playlist provided by MusicAlley.Com and featured ...

Hope is Calling, Fishing for Comets

Get Up & Go Out, Senor Happy 

Happy, Jerico 

See the Sun, Black Lab 

Fly Fly Fly, Adrina Thorpe

One Million Dollar Theme, The Dead Rocks

You could download this from here. So what's on my PowerList ? That's a very personal question but since almost no-one will ever read this or get this far ....  here goes my London 2012 Marathon list ...........

• Feeling Good, Nina Simone
• Don't need to justify this selection if you're a human being and alive you'll get it !
• I Like The Way You Move, Bodyrockers
• Upbeat, blood pumping, positive, the sheer joy of athletic movement
• River Deep, Mountain High, Glee or Tina Turner
• The joy of a life lived with Dearly Beloved (and a spooky puppy reference)
• Hot, Avril Lavigne
• A reflection on how just how lucky a guy can get (see above).  
• Bohemian Like You, The Dandy Warhols
• Free, easy, original & carefree. Just like Tom (and a spooky cooking reference)  
• Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, The Blues Brothers
• Mum, Sister, wider family & the amazing people I work, swim & train with
• Come as You Are, Beverley Knight
• Involve who I can when I can - no barriers to entry - infinite approachability 
• Proud, Heather Small
• Keeping focused on the major goals but respecting the steps that get you there
• 100 Years, Five For Fighting
• Remember life is fragile and fleeting - make the most of every moment
• Right Here Right Now (Freemasons Remix), Fatboy Slim
• This moment is all there ever is - what can I do to make the best of this situation - Right Here, Right Now (remember brain training from DareToTriLife Book Club ?)
• Planetary (GO!), My Chemical Romance
• Hugely energiziing. You can achieve anything after this track. No limits. Let yourself loose on the world.

Get the idea ? Enjoy Julie's Affirmations - think this could work for you ? If you'd like help in setting up your own Affirmations PowerList I suggest you start with Bevan's podcast & worksheet (link above). Then scan YouTube for some motivational speechs / texts. Julie (above) used Steve Jobs and Lance Armstrong. There's loads of great content out there. Select your own "power songs" from your library and c'est fini. If you want help in doing any of this drop an Email to DareToTriLife@GMail.Com 

Need more on Affirmations ? Try here  ...

Reasons the BBC Got It Wrong

Tonight the BBC's flagship sports programme "Sports Personality of the Year" will air on BBC1. It's a national and compulsive view - much like Children in Need or the Last Night of the Proms. Even people who don't like sport watch this programme. It is simply a showcase of sport and is highly motivational. I won't be watching this year and I urge you to boycott the show and Tweet your disapproval. The system of selection is to canvas the sports "experts" from 27 major UK newspapers : The Guardian, Sunday Times, The Mirror, The Sun, The Western News, The Belfast Telegraph, The Daily Mail, The Independent etc etc. These guys (and I bet they are overwhelmingly guys) create a shortlist and the BBC takes it from there. That's where the flaw is in the system - how many non-football, non-rugby, non-F1, non-cricket or non-horse racing column inches are in your paper today ?  Of these how many concern female achievement ? There are no females in the 10 finalists selected. The BBC got this so wrong. It's a disgrace - they should have had the courage to pull the list and start again.

Elsewhere on this blog I've considered Chrissie Wellington to be the BBC's Sports Personality of the Decade in Waiting (see podcast here). Chrissie's got personality to burn and she's a 4 time World Champion. Yes, it's true that triathlon cannot rate with football in the national sporting consciousness - all but surely at the very least Alistair Brownlee could have made the list - he dominates in Olympic distance triathlon and will almost certainly take gold next year - he's the reining World Champion for a reason.
Here's the BBC listing ...

• Mark Cavendish
• Darren Clarke
• Alastair Cook
• Luke Donald
• Mo Farah
• Dai Greene
• Amir Khan
• Rory McIlroy
• Andy Murray
• Andrew Strauss

You can watch presenter Luke Humphry wriggling to try and justify the selection below. Yes Luke you're so right "it's disappointing" ...



Lets forget the sexism and focus on pure performance - just how many world champions do you see on this list ?  Here.  There are 3 golfers & while I'm certainly triathlon biased there is a real and genuine debate as to if golf should even be considered a sport - a skill yes - but an athletic pursuit ? Check this entry from the Huffington Post : here. Golf a sport - like darts maybe ?

Looking for a UK female World Champion for Sports Personality of the Year ? Here's 8 amazing World Champions just from triathlon and duathlon ...

1. Helen Jenkins, ITU World Champion, Beijing, September 2011
2. Chrissie Wellington, Ironman World Champion, Kona, October 2011
3. Katie Hewison, ITU Duathlon World Champion, Edinburgh, September 2011
4. Rachel Joyce, ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Champion, November 2011
5. Lesley Paterson, XTERRA World Championship, Maui, 2011
6. Faye McClelland, ITU World Champion Paratriathlon Female TRI-4, Beijing 2011
7. Jane Egan, ITU World Champion Paratriathlon Female TRI-1, Beijing 2011
8. Charlotte Ellis, ITU World Champion Paratriathlon Female TRI-6, Beijing 2011

OK, yes, I'm triathlon obsessed but what about England's most successful ever cricket captain ?

Check out Charlotte Edwards achevements here.  Then there's a huge groundswell of support for Sarah Stevenson - World Champion in Tae Kwon Do and the Guardian's Sports Personality of the year read about Sarah here.

Kerry Ane Payne is World Champion in the Open Water 10k and was crowned Open Water Swimmer of the Year.

Hayley Turner is the inaugural William Hill Sportswoman of the Year. She won 83 races in 2011 - including 2 prestigious Group 1 wins. Find out more here.

What about 3 times World Champion Beth Tweddle then ? GB's women's team made their best ever result at the 2011 World Gymnastics Championships (here). Not good enough for BBC Sports Personality of the Year though - what's a girl gotta do ?

Contrast the Engand Woman's rugby team with the derided male performances of 2011. Maggie "The Machine" Alphonsi scored her 25th try for England in the outstanding 10-0 defeat of World Champions New Zealand in November 2011. Find out more about Maggie here and here. Engand's women went on to claim the series with 2 wins and a draw and hopes for the 2014 World Cup are bouyant. Kate Youde in the Independent sums up the problem and exactly why the BBC should have done better.  "The profile of women's sport is a "chicken and egg" problem ..Women's rugby does not get the coverage, so people don't know about it, he says, and it is difficult to put it on a bigger stage at the moment to give it that profile." Sports Personality of the Year is that stage.

BBC - this is not political correctness. With these Awards you have a duty and responsibility to showcase exceptional people and inspire us all towards activity and wellbeing. The newspapers are notoriously myopic in their coverage - you should have had the moral courage to rip up the list and reflect on the world class performances of 50% of our population. Woman's sport needs showcased, promoted and equalized with the men. 2011 was not an exceptional year for Andy Murray - it was an exceptional year for Chrissie Wellington as retained her unbeaten World Title for the 4th time and where Sarah Stevenson became the most successful Taekwondo athlete in history. More than that - Sarah's story is moving, dramatic and inspiring. Sarah is the perfect Sports Personality of 2011. 

London Marathon : 22nd April 2012

On my sixth attempt at trying I've finally made it into the London marathon. Yippee. It's not as if it's Boston where you have to qualify by running the famous BQ (Boston Qualifier) time for your age group at one of many approved marathon courses. But if you're not a charity runner or a club runner it's tough to get a London slot.  Lewis Birchon wrote (here) that there are only approx 12,000 ballot places available - with other places offered to regular club runners via affiliated athletic organizations and most of the rest available as charity spots. The marathon does offer a "good for age" entry system which is more accessible for "top end" amateurs.  In 2009 over 155,000 people applied and 49,995 were accepted - with approx 37,000 actually making it to the start line. The London Marathon is the largest city marathon in the world and this race will become my major training focus for the next six months. Completely randomly I hope to complete my winter / spring training in parallel with Podcast Diva Kelownagurl 8 hours distant in British Columbia. She is attempting her 1st marathon in Vancouver just a few days after London. Follow her progress here. I guarantee you will be inspired by her progress.

Starts Near Greenwich - Ends at the Mall by Buckingham Palace.

The London marathon will take place on 22 April 2012 in London's Olympic year. How special is that ? The finish, running up the Mall, will be the same for both the London marathon route and the Olympics in August.  I guess my 5 previous attempts to secure a place are because this race is simply iconic. It's absolutely our national marathon where for a few hours the streets of London are handed back to the people.
The race gets great prominence on BBC television, radio and national press coverage and is televised live in over 150 countries. In fact it has become a Sunday morning ritual each April for those (like me) who didn't secure a place to sit sadly wearing their "sorry you didn't make it" commiseration running shirt glued to the BBC coverage. The pro field are worldclass and Paula, Mara or Liz create the genuine possibility of a British winner. The amateur field TV coverage is far from NBC Ironman saccharin - it's much more understated. Most are fundraising in memory of an ill or sadly missed relative or friend. A small photo pinned to a singlet or a simple "running for Mum" logo. No less impressive or poignant. You just know that every charity runner has a story - and each "couch to marathon" journey certainly took deep inspiration.  

 London is also a very flat course which lends itself towards competitive and sometimes unpredictable times. The (rightful) world record holder Paula Radcliffe completed her history-making time here in 2003. This marathon engages most of the UK population - even those who have no interest in running and certainly no interest in multisport. London is one of the five World Marathon Majors which includes Berlin, Boston, Chicago and New York City.

These annual races together with the IAAF world championships and the Olympic games constitute a championship style competition that defines the leading marathon runners on the planet. As of writing Patrick Makau of Kenya and Lillya Shobukova of Russia top their respective leaderboards. If it stays that way after New York Patrik and Lillya will share a $1M prize purse.  (For the record the leading British female is Paula Radcliffe at 18th and Scott Overall the best placed British male in 29th place. Kenyans hold 8 of the top 10 male positions and represent 5 of the top 10 females  !)

London Marathon - It's flat !

What I thought made the London marathon so special is that it becomes a hugely impressive focal point for charity fundraising. In true UK style this means people dress up in crazy, large, hot and unfeasable costumes. Not just Elvis - but as tigers, bears, batman ; there's a now-famous rhino and a 12ft tall nurse - you name it. It makes for great spectacle and it draws the crowds. Since 1981 event has raised over £450 million for charity and the event holds the Guinness world record as the largest annual fundraising event in the world.

Well over £50 million was raised during 2011. In the UK it is almost guaranteed that someone in your family will be sponsoring someone in the London marathon. It also draws celebrities who are also often fundraising. We'll list some of these during this blogpost (thanks to RickRuns.Com).

What I didn't know makes the London marathon even more special. For example the idea of it was conceived over a pint in a pub ! John Disley and Chris Brasher were "top end" club runners who were inspired to train for and run the New York marathon in 1978 (Chris actually paced Roger Bannister for the first 800m of his breakthrough mile). Fellow club members had mentioned the atmosphere and crowd support - which was quite unlike the UK marathon scene of the late 1970's. The pair sucessfully finished the race but were inspired with a vision of a ‘city mass marathon’ for London. The capital had it all - world famous landmarks, a potentially fast course and a huge population from which to draw support. Brasher wrote an article for The Observer where he makes plain his motivation : ‘The World’s Most Human Race’. He wrote of New York ...

“To believe this story you must believe that the human race can be one joyous family, working together, laughing together, achieving the impossible. Last Sunday, 11,532 men and women from 40 countries in the world, assisted by over a million people, laughed, cheered and suffered during the greatest folk festival the world has seen.”

Brasher and Disley had the vision and set out their goals as follows :

• To improve the overall standard and status of British marathon running by providing a fast course and strong international competition.
• To show mankind that, on occasions, they can be united.
• To raise money for sporting and recreational facilities in London.
• To help boost London’s tourism.
• To prove that ‘Britain is best’ when it comes to organising major events.
• To have fun, and provide some happiness and sense of achievement in a troubled world.

The importance of the London marathon is probably hinted at by the average finishing times in the race. I wonder if you can guess what I'm going to say ? Check this out : here. As the numbers of finishers have grown from maybe 7,000 in 1981 to 35,000+ in 2011 the average time taken to finish the marathon has actually increased ! You'll see in the chart below that the number of 2h:30m runners has fallen by more than 60% over the 24 years. The average time has increased as people like me have been inspired to try and not felt excluded or alienated from the distance. That's the legacy of Brasher and Disley. Accessibly and inspiration. Quite astonishingly by 2009 over 750,000 people have now completed the London Marathon. Many of these folk would never have dreamed they were capable of such an achievement.
So yes, London boasts an elite race capabe of setting world records but it also provides a life-changing opportunity for almost anyone with a basic standard of physical health and the mental determination to see it through. Almost certainly YOU can do it too. The tone of that BBC article is "a good runner but not great" - well I know what they mean. In this blog you've seen my own relative placings from a low-key half marathon with 300 people (Balloch) who were largely dedicated club runners compared with the 11,000 of the Great Scottish Run (Glasgow) - where my position was relatively much higher with a worse time. But that's not the point - look at that last goal Brasher and Disley set for their race. What a superb aspiration. The London marathon is a celebration of what extra-ordinary achievements can be made by apparently ordinary people. If the guy in the ostrich suit can do it ... No seriously - here's a BBC quote from the 2010 London Marathon ...

"Financial analyst Ben Afforselles from Kent was fastest Leprechaun while Kevin Robins from Sevenoaks became the quickest runner dressed as an animal, in a tiger outfit. He said he was racing against a lobster who was also going for the record. "Coming up the Mall I thought he was going to run past me," the 33 year old said"

In fact 10 Guinness World Records were set in 2010 - including (I know this is the internet but this is also true) Sally Orange who was the fastest runner dressed as a fruit (4:32:28). Lloyd Scott competed in the 2002 London marathon wearing a 110 lb deep-sea diving suit. It took him five days and eight hours to complete the course, breaking the world record for the slowest marathon time. Hey Brasher and Disley got their market absolutely right - and Nailed It !

It's time you paused and thought what's stopping me from doing this ? Well maybe not exactly the London marathon - or maybe not yet - but a 5k in the spring is perfectly possible. Stever Runner tells you why in this podcast : it's really worth a listen. It will change your life if you let it.

Lets rattle through some London marathon facts before we look at who's done what.

• It's likely that 1 in 6 runners will contact St John's Ambulance crews during the race
• Only 1 in 10,000 are likely to need an A&E referral
• 60%+ of the runners will be male
• The most represented age group for both sexes is 30-39
• Males aged 40-49 are almost 30% of the overall male field
• Only 3% of runners will finish under 3H
• 30% of runners will finish under 4H 
• Estimated number of spectators: 1 million
• Largest field: 35,694 finishers in 2007
• Number of people that applied to run in 2010: 162,000
• Oldest runner: Jerzy Kolodziej 86
• Most common occupation of runners: Teacher/Education
• Number of portable toilets: 1,250
• Number of volunteers: 6000
• Number of ambulances: 50
• Bottles of baby oil: 200
• Amount of vaseline available: 100lbs
• Number of foil blankets: 40,000
• Bottles of water: 750,000
• Pubs on the course: 81
• Rubbish bags filled after race: 3,450
• Fastest time in a Santa outfit: 2:55:50
• Fastest time in an animal costume: 3:42:27 [ostrich]  
• Fastest time dressed as a vegetable: 3:34:55 [carrot]  
• Fastest time dressed as a fruit: 4:32:28 [orange] Hey, we know that - Sally Orange !
• Most linked runners to complete a marathon: 29
• Most money raised by one individual: £1,841,138

If these guys can (and George W actually did - although not in London) then you can too ....

• Matthew Paris, former politician and journalist, London Marathon, 2:32
• Ronan Keating, Boyzone, London Marathon, 4:20
• Cheryl Baker, Bicks Fizz, London Marathon, 5:19:46
• Nell McAndrew, Model, London Marathon, 3:08:25
• Iwan Thomas, 400m Champion, London Marathon, 4:24:52
• William Baldwin, Actor, New York City Marathon, 3:24:29
• Will Young, Singer, London Marathon, 4:02:35
• Muzzy Izzit, footballer, London Marathon, 3.22:36
• Henry Holland, Fashion Designer, London Marathon, 3:28:50
• Dwight Yorke, Footballer, London Marathon, 3:31:56
• Gordon Ramsay, Celeb Chief, London Marathon, 4:05
• Anthony Edwards, Actor (ER - bald Dr), Chicago Marathon 3:55:40 New york 4:08:20
• Princess Beatrice, as part of a "human caterpillar", London Marathon, 5:15:57
• Will Ferrell, Actor, Boston Marathon, 3:56:12
• Michel Roux, Cleb Chef, London Marathon, 3:59:39
• Chris Newton, Olympic cyclist, London Marathon, 2:58:52
• Oprah Winfrey, Marine Corps Marathon 4:29:20

Oprah (on the left)

• P. Diddy, New York City Marathon, 4:14:54
• Richard Branson, London Marathon, 5:02:24
• Amanda Holden, TV type person, 4:18:22
• Lance Armstrong, Rode a bike apparently, New York City Marathon, 2:46:42
• David Lee Roth, Van Halen, New York City Marathon 6:04:43
• Björn Ulvaeus, ABBA, Stockholm Marathon. 3:23:54
• George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States, Houston Marathon 3:44:52
• Michael Dukakis, Former Governor of Massachusetts, Boston MarathonI 3:31:00
• Al Gore, Vice President of the United States at the time, Marine Corps Marathon 4:58:25
• Sarah Palin, Former Alaska Governer, Anchorage Marathon 3:59:36
• Alanis Morissette,Singer, New York City Marathon 4:28:45
• Eddie Izzard, comedian,ran 43 marathons in 51 days best was 5:00:30
• Dexter Holland, The Offspring, Los Angeles Marathon 5:09
• Mike Malinin, Goo Goo Dolls, Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon 5:07:53 Chronicle Marathon 3:23:56
• Chris Boardman, former professional cyclist, London Marathon 3:19:27
• James Cracknell, Former British Olympic rower, London Marathon 2:59
• Alastair Campbell, Communications Director to Tony Blair, London Marathon 3:53:45
• Joe Strummer, The Clash, London Marathon, 3:20

So having taken October off completely I'm rediscovering my legs one workout at a time. The goal is for 4 runs this week at very low intensity (did I ever do anything else ?). Then building up to 6 days by the end of November. All nice and easy. Getting the chondroitin, Glucosamine and Elderberry in each day and starting on that core work (yeah right !) . The first benchmark will come in the New Year with a 10k. Join the journey, stay tuned to the blog .....if you dare. Twitter updates between posts: @daretotrilife

Ok, you're right - this wasn't a good idea ...

Tilly : not keen on hill repeats - me either !

Tri for Sarah : Mid Argyll Sprint 2011

The day really began the day before - as it always does on these occasions. The Saturday Mid Argyll Masters swim session focused on an easy, low-volume workout with short sprint intervals. The context of the swim in the overall triathlon was discussed. The shorter the triathlon the more important the swim in the overall result but... did you know that over-exertion on the swim can adversely impact your cycle and run ? If you didn’t know this then check it out here. The Masters practiced their quick turns, optimal glides and super-fast "power aways" after passing a competitor. They dominated their DoJo’s, found any missing MoJo’s and were ready for battle. The weather was great too. Sadly just a day too early.

The Marshalls - The guys that "make it happen"

The MacQueen Bros Mid Argyll Sprint was to be 10 events old this year and the volunteers set about their defined tasks with gusto. The Masters Swim now finished a veritable bee hive of tri-activity was unleashed : Kirsty (the dominant Queen) directed, the Hazels, Lorna, Richard, Rebecca and many others (formidable workers) hastened into action, while Matt droned on and on and on and on (but in a good way). The Lochgilphead CoOp, Argyll Forestry Commission, Glasgow’s Achilles Heel, Scottish Sea Farms and Crinan Cycles all gave donations ranging from mugs to bananas. Each competitor would also receive a high quality sports T-shirt thanks to the generosity of MacQueen Brothers. These were prepared and stuffed into 150 goodie bags. The non-alcoholic beer arrived safely, the Marquee was erected, signs prepared and transition scaffolding assembled. This done the hive dispersed and each of us made for home and final preparations.  

The rain probably stayed less intense than we expected but the wind was brisk from early Sunday morning and for most of us would kill off any possibility of a PB on the bike. But "Hey.. it’s the same for everyone". The impressive new Mid Argyll Tri & Cycle Club flag was bent double in the breeze but the temperature was pretty good for late September. Matt, Tim, Richard and the team did a great job mobilizing an infinity of cones and the signage was really clear – even if some of it was in Spanish. Chip timing mats were laid out and at 08.30am Nina Simone was belting out "Feeling Good" signaling 30m until Registration opened. I had time to make up the Marshall’s packed lunches, get the new transition layout in my head, tape up some cones, view the run crossing points and make the introductory announcements before heading off to collect Rachel and Jonathan – who were lap counting in the pool.

Rachel and Jonathan - Counting Laps

That done I’m changed, registered and body marked. Tyre pressures are checked, trial cycle has been completed, start-off gear selected and the beloved Specialized is racked. My poor old 2006 Transition Comp increasingly reminds me of the Eagles song "There’s a new kid in town." Once it turned heads but every year it gets overtaken by new arrivals – this year Matt and Stephen both upgraded and Stephen has posted stunning time-trial PB’s upon his new steed. Matt has put in untold hours on the bike and has extended his endurance out to Middle Distance – meaning he now joins John and Tim with Half-Iron experience. These guys will have fantastic bike fitness. That said the old Transition has had something of a makeover – Kevin at Crinan cycles replacing crank hubs and both chainrings – and of course there are those Planet-X wheels that dominated the Stirling Duathlon in March. In honesty the wheels don’t make much difference under about 33km/h and with this breeze that’s unlikely.

Kirsty was really keen this year to have a "clean" transition area – meaning no bags and no boxes – and therefore absolute minimal clutter. When you think about it she’s exactly right. You really only need the bike on the rack, bike helmet on the bike, race belt on the bike, bike shoes and run shoes on the ground. If you use socks these can be in the shoes and if you must have nutrition (you don’t need it : here) put that too on your bike. So there’s no need for boxes and bags. The oddest thing was that some people had bags preventing their saddle being wet ! This is the same people who have just come dripping from the pool and who are about to ride 20k in a monsoon. Go figure ! Anyway these are the folk new to our sport and we embrace them. The Marshalls that police transition need our love – they have a tough time. People are tense, anxious and somewhat uncertain of the layout. This year the poor lady in slot 106 had her place usurped and the offending bike had to be moved away - causing new anxiety to that competitor. If you find yourself confused in transition then over-communicate. Be polite and explain your problem – the Marshall’s will help you.

The race got underway with the teams & most striking of these were a male and female team from Glasgow's Fusion Tri Club. Themed as "Baywatch" and "Batman" respectively these guys brought colour and fun to the event – even completing the run leg with an inflatable swim-aid. Stylish or what ?

Teams are a major feature of this event as the Committee are focused on accessibility and for many people the thought of linking 3 sports is daunting. It's an excellent entry point to triathlon and is a defining feature of the Mid-Argyll Sprint. The lead team swimmers were the Fusion ladies who left the 500m swim in a stunning 7 minutes. I watched the teams start their bikes and retired to the car for some breathing and visualization exercises. Being in "Heat 7" meant a lengthy wait and a lot of visualization. I was to share a lane with Peter - with whom I have had a cat & mouse relationship the past 3 years - and with John and Matt. John was on his first event since being thrown from his handlebars and hospitalized during the Craggy Island Tri while Matt is probably in his best ever triathlon form - with appearances this year in all distances up to Half-Iron. Tim and Stephen were appearing in the elite "Heat 8" - which was a pity given the good-natured rivalry we enjoy- but it reflects the major swim progress of the pair this year. Truth be told I ate a banana and kept hydrated. If you need to know more about banana's in multisport (and who doesn't ?) you need this podcast : here. Post-banana I actually did some relaxation breathing to try and strip away some pre-race nerves. This worked really well until Simone's excellent briefing when I genuinely felt very anxious. Peter, Me, Matt, John was the start sequence and I felt sure I would not hold my own in a Peter-Matt sandwich. I did warn Matt that I'd be giving way to him very soon and would try not to hold him up. In my best version of this swim I'd cling onto Peter's toes for as long as possible and take the first 100m slower than "best" pace. This year we had a good 2m to warm up and the water felt good. The anxiety thankfully ebbing away. People reading this should not expect triathlon swims to be stressful - they aren't and especially not in a pool setting. This is something specific to me and I'm trying to work through it. Many people : Sharon, Sally & Hazel have been so helpful on this during the year.

Liz - fastest lady out of T2

Matt : approaching T2 and ready for action

Once started the swim actually turned out to be the least stressful I'd had in over a year now. I don't know if it was simply "having a plan",  keeping focused on the "now", the pre-start relaxation exercises or of taking that 1st 100m more calmly. Perhaps it was a combination of all of the above. I did manage to keep Peter's feet just within reach & I know I must have annoyed him 3 or 4 times by accidental impacts but he kept just ahead and perfect for the draft. Matt's expected grasp of my ankle never came and by halfway it was apparent he and John were losing time to Peter (and by default to me too). Maybe at around the 400m mark I lost touch with Peter and think he could have gained good time here - but I suspect he started to close down on Matt,  would have slowed a little and suddenly those miracle feet were back. With 4 lengths to go I think Peter finally lapped Matt enabling me to do the same 2 lengths later - something completely unexpected. Race day is so different from training - it's essential to keep in the moment. Peter left the pool 1st from our lane but in hot pursuit I left T1slightly ahead. Matt has always focused on speedy transitions and his example is making us all better triathletes. Here's the facts : Matt's T1 and T2 times combined are 58s. Stephen's are 1m 22s and Tim's are 1:46 - giving Matt a 24s advantage over Stephen and a whopping 48s over Tim. This means Matt can be almost 4s per km slower than Stephen on the run or 8s slower per km than Tim and turn in the same result. How much work do you need to put in to shave 8s off your km run splits compared to an efficient transition ? It's free time and Matt does well to focus on it. Check out his cycle photo in the Mid Argyll Gallery - note his foot position on his bike shoes as he approaches T2.

You want to know something amazing ? Liz Feeney took just 16s to negotiate T2 and Super-Vet Arthur Bolwell needed only 10s !  How cool were they ? Inspired by Liz and Arthur ? Want to know more .....

 

My bike was a largely lonely affair - me, the Specialized, the rain and my Garmin telling me to up my cadence and move those legs. I took off like a rocket. Honestly, for 2-3k my Planet-X wheels experienced what life would be like with a proper cyclist. Of course the southerly gale on my back probably had something to do with this and on a circular cycle route there would soon be a price to pay. Nonetheless 2 individual km splits were in excess of 40 kph. The heat leader from the swim was ahead and I caught him fairly early on & from then it was just me alone with the elements.

Always waiting for Matt and Peter but it was younger legs (without surgical stockings) that whizzed past just after the half-way. Try as I might I just couldn't stay with him and as I turned south at the 12k mark the wall of wind simply made it impossible to even pretend to stay in touch. As my cheeks rippled with the G-Force of the oncoming wind Graeme was getting smaller and smaller powering his way to the 5th fastest bike split of the day. Chapeau Graeme. So it was just a grafting slog all through the remaining 5k - some observers noting that athletes were pedalling just as hard down the hill as they had on the way up ! The improved road surface in parts did help though. Have to give major thanks to Matt for spray painting the worst of the potholes on the cycle route. He did a fantastic job and his alerts undoubtedly saved several punctures.

Arriving into T2 Graeme was well ahead but I clawed back nearly 40s in transition and embarked upon my 1st sockless Mid Argyll sprint run. A supportive cheer from the Armagh contingent shipped-in for the weekend was deeply appreciated. It was then I realized a deep flaw in my training. On bike-run bricks I had always taken a 15m cool down after the bike interval session - but today there was no cool-down. It was straight out there into anaerobic oblivion. The legs felt awful - heavy leaden things that probably should have belonged to someone else. I tried to stretch them with strides but it just felt grim. Graeme was my immediate target and I took my focus off the "legs-from-hell" and onto him. Crossing the road I noted my good friend Tom wrapped up against the rain and wind. What a great job these Marshalls do. Chapeau Tom & Stan and Caroline. Now the canal bank and the games begin. Michelle and Martin are on the return leg : High 5's and "looking Good".  Ahead Graeme is hurting and I'm gaining and it feels very primal. I want revenge for the bike. He dropped me and I had no answer. Now I sense it's different. I know I'm going to take him - it's just a matter of time. And when it happens it feels good. I want to say something like "that's why it's called triathlon" but instantly feel shallow (and 11 years old) and say nothing. Just focus. But I'm back on top - leading the heat. Feeling good and in control. But then - one year on and suddenly I'm Graeme. Peter ran me down in 2010 (see this blog) and I heard him advancing for the longest time. This is surreal - surely not again ! The "patter of talented feet" is gaining and the cadence is amazing - honestly it sounds almost musical. But with the inevitability of the Jaws theme competitor 51 gains, holds, passes and is gone - I know there is no way I can stay with him. The talent and form seems perfect to me and I'm lumbering while this guy dances his way to the turn-around. I have no idea who he was - I just know he wasn't Peter. But this Guy was "something else".

"51" - Danny : Grace Under pressure

It later turned out that 51 was Danny McLaughlin a Super-Vet from Greenock Harriers - he would complete the run in 25:45 almost a minute faster than anyone else that day. He was not from "Heat 7" but had punctured from "Heat 6" and nursed his bike round the course with 6 minute miles. Danny - you are an inspiration and so much embody what makes triathlon special. Your race was lost (he would have been top 5 easily without the puncture) but you didn't give up and ran a spectacular run. I will never forget your pace and the ego that escaped as I passed Graeme was boxed and bolted right there. Respect Danny - you ran a blinder ! Next year....

Reaching the half way was a great relief - I had held Peter, John and Matt this far at least. Hazel was marshaling the turn-around and we exchange greetings. So good to see her. Only 3.25k of the season is now left. Under 15m. Don't let yourself down. Throw in the surges and try to get at least 1km under 4m pace. I start to count the seconds until I reach Peter or John or Matt. It's Matt first, John's on his shoulder - then Peter. A few minutes later there's Stephen and Tim storming in from "Heat 8". I figure Matt, John & Peter will struggle to catch me - but I have no idea where I am compared to Heats 8 or 6 so I have to keep working - and anyway this Tri was part of the "Run for Sarah" fundraiser for NICHS. It needs to be as good as it can be. I am delighted to report that the 5th km split made 3:59 - a little close to the wire but under 4m all the same.        

                                                 

The crowd support on the last 500m was amazing. These people had been rained on for hours and still they stayed cheering and encouraging. Turning for the finish and giving all I can I see our family group waiting on the line - thanks so much to Pamela, Rachel, Jonathan, Tilly and Averil for the outstanding support. My overall time was well outside what I'd hoped and I blame the weather for a slower cycle. That said the overall winner (Torquil Clyde) improved his time by over a minute compared to last year and also improved his cycle time. Plenty of room for improvement then ? Absolutely. Despite Torquil's outstanding performance I think the weather prevented PB's for many on Sunday - especially for Stephen - which means there's a solid foundation for the 2012 season. Much to look forward to in a very special Olympic year.      

Torquil - going faster despite the conditions

So in this closing event of my 2011 season I have so very much to be grateful for - many thanks to all of the great folks at the Mid Argyll Tri & Cycle Club : Kirsty, Tim, Lorna, Julian, Stan, Sharon, Melanie, Matt, John, both the Hazels, Rebecca, Iona, Sally, Peter, Cliff, Arthur, Martin, Roz, Simone, Richard and so many more. You guys put on one hell of a good event and I hope you continue to do so for years to come. I met a load of great people on the way to Paris via Stirling and Balloch and the open swim groups have been especially important. This is a very special group of fantastic people. Special thanks to my partner in the PodCave - Stephen you were robbed by the conditions on Sunday but you will have your day. All of you take care through the off season - gain a little weight, get a little slower and bounce back stronger in 2012. Best of wishes to Leigh - you will be back next year.  

2011 Winners : Mid Argyll Sprint Triathlon.

 Very sad to say that during the writing of this Blogpost Sarah lost her battle and peacefully passed away on 27th Sept. Many thanks to all who supported the Run For Sarah and Tri For Sarah through JustGiving.Com. Live the Moment.  

Running For Sarah : The Half Marathon

The World Record for the half marathon is an astonishing 58min 23s. That's for all of the 21.0975km involved. The time means that Zersenay Tadesse ran each km in approx 2m 46s. Can you conceive that ? I don't even pretend that I'll ever run any km under 3m and consider it a personal breakthrough to run even one single km of a race under 4m ! This is the context. On Sunday 4th Sept some 22,542 runners took part in Glasgow's Great Scottish Run and Kenyan Joseph Birech completed the half marathon in just over 61m. Delighted for Glasgow that the event attracts such a calibre athlete. That's a world class performance and I was privileged to be one of the runners taking part in a world class city half marathon.

Joseph Birech

The choice of the Great Scottish Run was to fundraise £1000 in support of Sarah. I have been overwhelmed by the generosity and warmth of support for her. As of the time of writing Sarah's choice of charity - Northern Ireland Heart Chest and Stroke Association - have benefitted in excess of £1800. A thank-you to all of you who contributed. At the time of writing Sarah is once again receiving care from the Craigavon Hospital staff and the messages of support are and continue to be much appreciated.

There is still an opportunity to support NICHS and the link is here. As it turned out Sarah was joined in Craigavon Hospital by 2 of my Aunts who were admitted for very different reasons. Margaret and Edna are now back at home and we wish them both speedy and full recoveries. All 3 of these special ladies were in my thoughts during the run.

The Sunday morning was bright and blue skyed and the atmosphere in George Square was buzzing. As it always is on race day. The 10k group got under way at 10am leaving the half-Marathon and wheel chair athletes starting at 11am. My employer, Scottish Sea Farms, had offered incentives for staff to participate and fundraise along the way. The group did well and have over £12k raised to date. These are tough times for charities as people have so much less disposable cash so congrats to the SSF staff and families who made the initiative work so well. Now more than ever charities need your assistance. So follow the SSF example.

Scottish Sea Farms : Great Scottish Run Team 2011

I always forget how "bottlenecked" these races can be but 11k people heading through Glasgow can be a squeeze. This year it was almost impossible to even get through the fence to the start chute. The closed roads help but people nearly aways start too fast with too high expectations and by the 1st km many are falling back down the field. The adrenaline of the start line is hard to counteract but 21k is  along way and demands realistic pacing. 

George Square : Glasgow

If you can weave your way through the opening 800m you will eventually have the opportunity to run over the famous M8 and out towards Bellahouston Park and onwards to Pollock Park. By 2k the field had thinned and I found myself with a group I was able to stick with for most of the next 90m.

While my own focus has been triathlon orientated for the last 3 months I have been conscious of giving as much as possible for this race. I know that many older, injured or infirm people would give anything for the ability to run or even walk 10k. Actually even 5k - or in some cases 100m unaided. We simply cannot take our health and fitness for granted. Yes, as individuals we have to work at maintaining our fitness but the freedom, good luck and privilege of being able to simply "turn up and run" is not universally available to everyone. If you can do it - appreciate it, cherish it, work at it, prize it and maintain it. So much quality of life is about movement - if you can walk, run, swim or cycle then "Just Do It !" Think about that and today buy a copy of Runner's World and get inspired. As for me ... well here's the data :

If you want to you can follow the route by clicking on "View Details" as above. This takes you to the Garmin Connect site where you can view the individual km splits (3rd KM is sooo wrong !) ; also by clicking on the green "Start Click" map (when in Garmin Connect) you can retrace my whole race (not in real time thankfully). 

What's the difference between 1h 29.59 and 1h 30.01 ? 2 seconds ? Don't think so. Any runner or triathlete will attest to the importance of certain time barriers. Is a 2:59:59 marathon really just 1 second different from a 3h marathon ? For many people these times are miles and months of work apart. It was important to make this a respectible time. I was running with a purpose and I didn't want to let a very special lady down (in fact on the day I was running for 3). Businesses such as Scottish Sea Farms, Storvik UK, Biomar UK and Fusion Marine had been extremely generous and I needed to acknowledge their support and contribution. People from Northern Ireland like Pamela, Rachel, Jonathan, Michelle and Eoin had felt a connection logged-on and wanted to help. Family in Canada wanted to show their support for Sarah and the charity she adopted. Many thanks to you all for that. So when it seemed a sub 90m half marathon was even remotely possible I had a huge incentive to dig deep and throw in any surges I could to make it happen.

The support of bands through the parks, being sprayed by hoses outside houses and the kind offers of jelly babies or oranges from the crowd helped keep the pace up : 4m13s per km, 4:14, 4:18 all through the 13-15k marks. The Garmin's shrill tone alerting the km splits was a constant reminder. Stay focused. The route descends a little from 17 to 20k and offsets the fatigue. By 20k my surges grew shorter and each more tough to get through. Legs heavier and the runners more sparse around me. Gradually the sounds of Glasgow Green and the finish line were evident - but no visual signs. 4:15 pace though the 20th km. Slower - but hanging in there. Doing this for Sarah. Approaching the 21k the route swings back, narrows and the crowd swells, the hub-bub of the finish line is all around but where is it.?  Where is it ?  21k pace : 4:11. Faster. Doing this for Sarah, for Edna, for Margaret. Don't let yourself down. Now it's 1h 29. 05 ... the pace must quicken. How far now ? It must be soon, surely ... then the joy, the absolute joy of the finish line. There - just there. A surge from somewhere - almost outside of yourself. But there it is. 1:29:35.

To be able to do this is a glimpse of what it's like to fully expereince life. I am proud to dedicate this small effort to Sarah and to those who work tirelessly for others in NICHS.