So, the time has come to actually take the step and enter my first Long-Distance Triathlon.
Blogging my way through the near future, you will find a complete catalogue of the Trials and Tribulations of an Amatur Athlete for your entertainment, hopefully providing one with a little inspiration to have a go themselves.
Over the next 11 months I'll be posting my various exploits during the build-up to the race known as .... Outlaw. 2.4km Swim, 180Km bike ride and 40.2Km run - identical distances are the commonly known Ironman.
Intro Post:
So this is me, Will Farrell. just tipped over the 40 barrier and currently ploughing well into the 'mid-life crisis' phase of life - Licra and all. (neither the sense of humor or cash flow as the famous US actor)
I've been a member of Ashford Tri Club, hereby now to be known as ATC (www.ashfordtriclub.co.uk) for about 4 years now - can't remember exactly ..... something to do with age apparently! Having moved back to Kent I somehow stumbled across the ATC annual Mountain Bike Duathlon at Kingswood. I entered before considering what I was doing and not knowing what I was up against. Really supprised that I finished it actually! More than that, off-road was really good fun and I needed more!
I joined the club and went along to a few evening training sessions and gradually caught the bug.
I suppose that initially I was not really motivated by the idea of competing it Triathlon events, but I did really like the comeradary of the training (especially the evening Circuits that were initially really hard), and secretly I had been aware of this word IRONMAN for years and always wondered 'what-if', quite amazed at the scale of the endurance feet of these madmen.
The enjoyment has only grown, and I became a Level One Triathlon Coach for the club in October 2010, and I've competed in a hand-full of events each year since - Running races, Mountain Bike races, cycle Sportifs and of course, triathlons.
All of this is now leading towards the ultimate goal of the full-on Iron distance to be run next year at Holme Perre-point in Nottingham.
I have the great privalage of being supported by my employer, Priorclave LTD (need an Autoclave? Give us a call :)) and will be flashing around on a bike resplendant in the Company colours for the duration. It's currently 'in-build' at the moment, but I'll post pics once it is completed, and of course it'll be the weapon of choice as much as possible during the forthcoming winter training and early '14 season events.
Expectations:
Now, I've always been a keen competitor, but never set the world alight at any sport, so a reality check here - I'm not going to be breaking records. My main goal for the event is to be able to race it with a smile and complete it with my head held high.
I am going to nail my colours to the mast nice and early, and I think that a sub-13hour race is on the cards. That'll consist of about 1hr 30 swim, 6hrs 30 bike ride and sub 5hr marathon. The run maybe a little conservative, but thats just fine with me at the moment!
I'll be re-assessing these targets regularly throughout the next year and try to add links to my 'Strava' training page to help monitor my progress. Please feel free to add any (constructive) comments.
I'll keep updating the Blog as much as I can so that you can follow my plan, schedules, training and performances (improvements hopefully). I may well jump around different topics over various posts. It's not intended to confuse, just an insight into me limited attention span ;D
TTFN.
Will
