On September 23rd I will be taking part in the Sussex Original Triathlon, it’s a half Ironman distance event and I will be raising money for Blind Veterans UK.
You can see my story and donate here
It’s been quite a while since I completed a half Ironman distance event so I’m keen to get a decent amount of training in to make sure I finish it.
As ever the hardest thing about triathlon isn’t the individual distances that have to be covered: 2km swim, 80km cycle and the 20km of a half Marathon. The tricky bit is putting it all together, getting the kit right and getting the nutrition right.
The biggest fear of any triathlete is hitting the wall or running out of fuel. Super fit youngsters use gels and such like. Being an older gent I’m more likely to have a peanut butter sandwich and a pocketful of raisins. The kit is all coming together thanks to Aqua Sphere, Rapha and Greepers and me of course.
Less than a month ago we were gripped by a heatwave and training was all about battling the heat. All of a sudden autumn appears to have arrived. This dawned on me this week.
My commute to the office is about 32km each way and offers a great way to get some miles in on the bike. I decided this week to double that up with a lunchtime swim in the (unheated) Brockwell lido.
At 7.30 in the morning it’s chilly so on went a jacket. The cycling apparel specialist, Rapha, has offered me some cycle training kit and I will certainly look forward to its arrival. The swim was at work so without the wetsuit. It’s a 50m pool so 30 lengths seemed a reasonable target even without the aid of the Aqua Sphere Racer wetsuit I have been loaned for the event.
I completed the swim but within about five mins I suddenly realised how cold I had got. I think I will be donning the wetsuit from now on especially if the mercury continues to tumble.
Fingers crossed that reports of an Indian Summer are accurate.