A week lost.....

To continue the lost theme of the last few weeks, work has been really busy and I seem to have lost a weeks training. Since the race last weekend I have managed a 6 mile walk and a very short pedal which is not the training of champions. I felt pretty tired after last week's adventure race and I think it was wise to recover from that. In addition the week has been manic with a project handover completing a complex fit out yesterday before a dinner that was being hosted in the space last night.

I recently sat down with Iain Taylor and we decided against the Ireman. A number of reasons behind the decision but as I feel behind with my bike training I confess feeling a little relieved at the decision. We are more than likely going to enter the Scottish Long Distance Championships in Kenmore which co-incidentally takes place on the same weekend as the Ireman. This is a half distance event including a mind numbingly cold swim in a dark Scottish loch, a 90km bike course that takes you over Schehallion twice and a very pleasant half marathon to finish off. I have done it once before and Iain had a successful outing there a couple of years ago running the final leg for Perth Triathlon.

So what to do instead? Do I save myself for Ironman Kalmar in 2014 or just go for one of the later Challenge events in September or October. My 50th birthday is in October and I'm planning to run the Dublin marathon 4 days after the big day with my friend, Fiona Stalley. She has been beating herself on the insanity DVD that Danielle, my wife, has just completed and I know will be in fantastic shape for the marathon later in the year.

This should be the year that as an age grouper I should be racing seriously within my age category as I'll be in the young 50 to 55 age group! However, I'm not a racer against others and have always raced myself so the fifty something me is hoping to be able to beat the best the forty something me could do in the past. I guess we are all like that as we strive to beat our previous personal bests in whatever the race or even on a Saturday bike ride looking at the clock and Strava!

The plan at the start of the year was to beat my best Ironman time of 14:15 and to this end I have been looking at the flatter races that are still available. So at the moment I think I can still get into most of the Challenge series races that are being held around Europe with a choice of Vichy in France, Almere in Holland or Barcelona. They are exactly the same as the Ironman distance just a different brand that offers a similar experience. Almere and Vichy are in mid September with Barcelona at the start of October.

Travelling to Vichy looks a nightmare and flying to Barcelona direct seems a challenge as we'll since the demise of Globespan so I thinking might pack the bike into the car and take the ferry to Amsterdam and try Challenge Almere. The bike course is going to be flat with the main potential test being the wind, the swim is in the harbour area which looks pretty unappealing but assuming I avoid vials disease should be fine and the run loops around the harbour area.

The race looks fast and is apparently on of the oldest triathlons in Europe which I assume has been bought by the Challenge group as part of their 'family' of long distance races. I've not ventured away from Ironman yet so it will be interesting to see how the races differ from the original. Ironman do the events brilliantly and I love the whole hoopla around the events that starts a few days before each race. They are brilliantly organised with good race villages tempting you to spend on the latest kit and must have accessories. I remember sitting outside having lunch the day before Ironman Austria beside a Spanish racer also completing his first Ironman. We got chatting, in English of course, and shared each others worries and nerves. He looked fit, tanned and ready to race but was nervous about the swim and how he was going to feel on the run. I think our shared lack of confidence somehow helped us both as we realised that we weren't alone feeling uncertain of the journey that lay ahead. I bumped into him about 30km into the run, he was just ahead of me and struggling. We stopped as we crossed on the out and back course and I offered a bit of encouragement as he did with me and it the little things that give you the extra shuffle to get you home. I didn't see him at the end but I checked and he finished a few minutes ahead of me.

Ironman is a great place to meet people and I know that I have made friends at races that I will stay in touch with for ever. I know that Iain T had the same experience in Wales a couple of years ago and still shares contact with people from around the globe who raced and commented on the race that day. I hope that the Challenge series builds the same camaraderie but I suppose I will need to wait and see.

Danielle is happy to come over and it's always good to have her around post race to pick up the pieces. She assures me that spectating is harder than competing an ironman and she will be more exhausted than me at the end of the day. I think I agree as it must be difficult watching someone you love push themselves to the max for 14 hours. Danielle is always encouraging and seems to know exactly what to say when I'm trailing my heels after 30km of the marathon!

I suppose I should change the name of the blog to something else as the up for down reference was up for County Down where the race was being held. If I go to Almere it is close to Amsterdam so there are a few opportunities around that as I do like 'swimming below the sea (level)' or 'just another (al) mere ironman!' but I guess I leave it as it is.

I have the next week off and whilst I'm off I'm planning a few bike rides and some runs. I might do some swims as well but have decided to focus on the other disciplines this week to try and start to get myself back on track. My weight is going well with me back into the 13's again having now shifted around one and a half stone.

There is a glimmer of hope that Spring might leap into action with some giddy double digit temperatures forecast but I'm not packing away the winter kit just yet.

Tickets for the event on 11 May have sold like hot cakes with only about 20 left so if you are interested you will need to move fast. The band has been working on some writing related covers for the night such as 'Saturday Nights All Right for Writing' and 'All Write Now' - should be a blast with the race night as well.