Tri'd and Tested

Shut Down

2011-01-07T10:08:00.000Z

Just to let everyone know that Tri'd and Tested will be shutting down permanently as of today.

I may start up another blog at some point soon but there will be less emphasis on triathlon as I don't foresee myself doing many of those this year. It will probably be more running based...I'll let you know.

Thanks for tuning in.

Good luck for the season ahead.

Cancellation

2010-12-20T14:58:00.000Z

Am having to cancel the Winter Series this month due to adverse weather.

Banks of snow are piled up on the roadsides at the moment and it would be virtually impossible to get any kind of decent run in.

The forecast for today was supposed to have been particularly bad...there was a bit of snow this morning but since then...zip...nada? Maybe we are in for another heavy fall during the night?

Anyway run is cancelled.

There's always January to look forward to.

Take Me Back To The Black Hills....

2010-12-10T20:07:00.001Z

Ah yes the snow had mostly gone and had been replaced with a steady drizzle by the time that Stuart and myself toddled along to last night's hill session.
Stuart was going to be slightly late so I just went out and made a start at 5.30....I had four in the bag by the time he arrived and was pleased to note that I was getting a minimum of 10 secs rest on each rep....This is very pleasing as up until recently I've need the full three minutes to get me up and down the hill.
Have decided to take on board what Robin said and try to maintain my stride and form for as long as I can remembering to use my arms as much as possible....I think it helps....maybe even psychologically.

Managed 10 hills on 3 mins....chuffed with that.

Still struggling, a bit, with the snotteritis and have taken tonight off. Am definitely planning to head for the boating shed tomorrow morning....anyone that's interested. I realise there's a duathlon on but am in no shape for that at this precise moment. I will need to be re-introduced to my road-bike before then......I have done the necessary maintenance....so we're good to go.....sometime.

BBBBrrrrrrrrrrr!

2010-12-07T20:42:00.000Z

Okay that's my first run for a few days.

I was looking out of the window fairly anxiously around five o'clock as another heavy snow shower belted down covering everything in a thick white blanket....I'd made my mind up that I was heading out......5.15pm, the snow had stopped and everything seemed pretty still so I got the gear on and headed out.

It's pretty hard running in the snow as there isn't much traction, even on the browner bits on the road. However, I wasn't slipping and sliding too excessively and managed to make my way around the Pulteney half of the town. Must admit I didn't really warm up at all...the feet were like blocks of ice....but I enjoyed it.

I'm not really into this macho bulls**t so I'm not going to kid you on....it was cold and I was knackered by the time I got home. Kirsty had made a lovely pork dish for tea and it was sitting on the table when I stumbled through the door....ace!

The Bug Hits Again...

2010-12-05T11:39:00.000Z

I've got a sore throat.....this bug seems to be doing the rounds just now.

I haven't run since last Wednesday and am starting to get a little antsy. The combination of not feeling too well and the cold weather has left me with little motivation....both effort sessions were cancelled last week as underfoot conditions were a bit dicey....but now, although I can still feel my throat a tad raw and my ears blocked I want to get out for a run...that's a good feeling.

I've found that Beecham's Hot Lemon with a spoonful of Manuka is an outstanding beverage to take...I would thoroughly recommend that you try it....take out a second mortgage for the honey first though.

So looking forward, the Winter Series time trial isn't until the 16th so hopefully I'll get some miles in before then....can't say I'm not well rested!

Into December.

2010-11-30T16:06:00.001Z

Well, this cold snap seems to have caught us all off guard.

After the hill session on the 18th I went for a run ( just 5 miles ) the following night and felt extremely tired. That was warning enough for me that I needed to rest so I took the next three days off and got my wind back.

Thankfully, on Tuesday last, Robin and Stuart were missing so I could go for a nice slow run around the town...it helped me get my legs back under me for the hill session on the Thursday and I found that I was managing a slightly faster climb and, occasionally, a longer wait at the bottom.

We did..

4 x Long Shore Road (on 3.00 mins)
4 x Harbour Tce (on 1.30 mins)
3 x Scalesburn (on whatever I could manage)

I felt much, much better but haven't managed a proper run since then....not very hard-core. It's very cold this evening with freezing fog and snow to boot...not exactly fartlek weather but I'll see what the boys say....definitely running, that's for certain.

That was hard.

2010-11-18T23:26:00.000Z

I'd forgotten how difficult Scalesburn was for hill reps....

3 x 3 tonight

3 Long Shore Road
3 Harbour Tce
3 Scalesburn

Windy and hard....what doesn't kill you etc etc

Winter Series #2

2010-11-16T22:15:00.002Z

Second timed run tonight. Terrific turn out of 11 runners and a few new faces which is always refreshing. Very pleased with my run...next month is going to be hard....will need to put the work in and train sensibly. Interval sessions are obviously paying off.

V.3.0

Ear Wax and Hill Reps and Warm Woollen Mittens

2010-11-12T16:43:00.001Z

Busy, Busy!

Plenty going on at the moment....entirely from the running perspective. Managing to stick with the programme so far.....five runs per week.....two effort sessions on Tuesday and Thursday, steady runs on Monday and Friday with the long run on Saturday...only doing 8 miles at the moment and want to be capable of a decent half marathon time somewhere down the line next year.

Those hill reps are very hard and I haven't managed to get up to double figures yet...I don't feel I'm too far away....another couple of weeks on 8.....had some quick company last night which took me out of the comfort zone completely and I struggled to complete the set....got there though.

Tomorrow is the long run then I'm heading for some Hopi Candle Treatment with Joe and Treasa....looking forward to that and hoping that I may feel a difference in my sinuses afterwards...we'll see.

Winter Series #2 is on Tuesday....come along and bring all your friends.

Big Gaps

2010-11-02T22:59:00.000Z

Yes good people...big gaps are appearing in this blog as I turn my attention, over the winter months, to my beloved NBA.

Got to get me one of these

It's not that I'm wishing to neglect T&T but time is very tight at the moment and life isn't all that interesting....you don't really want to hear me whine about these damned elbows....(which are very much improved.....friction massage and ultra-sound recommended.) or the usual bouts of sinus infections....(touch wood....I've had none.....new nasal spray.....dairy free diet (almost).....no chocolate......seems to be working!)

So I'll check in from time to time to make sure you're all still healthy....or if anything of note crops up.

There's a duathlon this weekend...I won't be there....all the more reason to roll along.
No, the physio advised me to stay off the bike for another couple of weeks....given the good work they've done on me I'll be obeying their every word.

The running is sorting itself out nicely now......

Monday......5-6 miles (steady)
Tuesday.....5 miles ( fartlek session)
Wednesday....5-6 miles.....(easy)
Thursday......hill reps ( 8 on 3 mins - upping to 10 this week)
Saturday.....long run (hour and a half (max))

Not really concerning myself with too much else at the moment.....will get back on the bike in due course.

Fartlekking Across the Universe.....

2010-10-27T08:17:00.000+01:00

That was the first session last night.

As part of a five and a half mile run around Wick we did six (yes only six! It's my first session remember!) intervals of one minute effort ( race pace ) - two minutes recovery........I found the last two very hard but I suppose they were going up George Street and Hill Avenue so shouldn't really moan.

I completed them which is the target at this precise moment.

Worked out our weekly training plan for running last night and have settled on Tues (speedwork), Wed (tempo), Thurs (hillwork)....that means I can pick up the slower longish run on a Saturday.

Sounds like a plan.

What's The Hampden...?

2010-10-22T15:44:00.001+01:00

Well dear readers it's been a busy old week.

Was very apprehensive on Tuesday when I had to go for another double dose of cortisone in the elbows but the pain had become such that I decided being a "brave soldier" was silly because I'm basically not a brave soldier...in fact I'm not a soldier at all, to be fair. In the general scheme of things one tends to feel like one is moaning about nothing and would do well to shut up....but....these niggling little injuries which drag on for months...18 months, in fact....drive you crazy. It also is good to share these things as there may be others out there struggling with the same symptoms.
It turns out that this injury has a name....medial epicondylitis....apparently anything with the suffix "itis" means inflammation, so my medial epicondyles are inflamed....okay, okay the bony bit on the inside of your elbow where the tendons connect the muscles to the bone.
What has happened since? I'm sure you're all dying to know.....I was at the physio today and suggested to him that I thought the injury had started and been exacerbated by swimming.
How sad am I?
Standing in my bedroom this morning doing front crawl....anyway, as I did the front crawl stroke I could feel the pain just at the beginning of the catch phase.....ping! generating in the elbow and right along the forearm.
Sounds daft but it did highlight where the pain was. So I told the physio all of this and (much to his credit) he didn't laugh....instead it was friction massage, which is fairly intense until the body's own analgesic kicks in and then a bit of ultra sound.
I'll be at the physio for a wee while I reckon to see if this course of treatment does the trick....fingers crossed.

Winter Series #1

2010-10-21T22:40:00.001+01:00

Please note the Americanisation of the dates once more....I do know there aren't 19 months in a year, I think!

Winter Series

2010-10-19T23:06:00.000+01:00

First Winter Series of 2010 has been consigned to the history books.

A great turn out on a bit of a mucky night....7 runners took off on the "set-go" but 8 finished ( thanks for the head start Joan). It certainly seemed, pre-race, that we would be in for a head wind for the entire inward stretch..didn't turn out that way. The worst of the weather occured on the way out as we ran through Papigoe and into Staxigoe - not what was expected at all.

Anyway Stuart Anderson took off, disappearing road-runner style in a cloud of dust on his way to a very fast time. The rest of us sorted ourselves out and got on with posting up a decent marker for the months ahead. Stuart's wife, Lindsay, also ran really well......lots more to come from both of them. Belated well done to Laura Laing who competed in her first half marathon (Aviemore) on Sunday....and turned out to give the 5 miles a bash tonight.

I was surprised and pleased at how good I felt.

Maybe less is more.

Times as follows...I'll post up the spreadsheet next month

Stuart Anderson      31.33
Joan Henry             35.44
Gordon Smart         36.00
Kevin Farmer         38.29
Brian Grant             39.10
Lindsay Anderson   41.02
William Sutherland 42.53
Laura Laing             47.37

Winter Series

2010-10-18T09:05:00.000+01:00

First five mile timed run of the winter series is upon us and takes place tomorrow evening at 5.45pm.

I'll be there just to make up the numbers and put down a marker for the six races that lie ahead. If you are interested please check the dates that I posted a couple of weeks ago....they are on this blog....I'll stick them on facebook and do another email with them on.

Haven't been doing much over the last week to ten days...had one run down in Ayrshire of about 4-5 miles.

Need to get motivated....

Throw Your Curtains Wide.....

2010-10-07T22:04:00.000+01:00

Okaydokay......hurtling headlong towards the school holidays and looking forward to getting some running done in the beautiful Ayrshire countryside.

Finally pulled on the Nikes for a four mile canter with Kirsty this evening.....great night for a run.....nice to get some fresh air in the lungs and feel the remnants of this infection finally subside.

As one door opens however.....having to go for some more cortisone on the 19th of October....elbows again. The doctor told me it would be the best way to ease the pain meantime until I can see the physio....when I don't know. I have no idea why this pain keeps flaring up, it's mad!

At least things are moving forward now. Unfortunately the 19th is the date of the first winter series run....won't be missing that though....I'm determined to do all six and put up a decent time for a change.

Was planning a long run this Saturday but forgot that I'll be learning how to apply lime mortar up at Castletown Heritage Centre....should be fun. Will see how the arms feel before I make a decision on the Sunday cycle.

And Now I Feel.....?

2010-10-05T17:40:00.000+01:00

Pretty stupid for moaning......

Was left a message by Lorn Pearson which pointed out to me that for some people Sunday's Kilomathon was a day of "actual" tragedy. Our deepest condolences go out to the fiancee and family of 25 year old runner Andy Dunne who collapsed and died whilst taking part in the race.

Kind of puts things in perspective eh?

Edinburgh - Kilomathon 2010

2010-10-04T18:05:00.001+01:00

First off....I'm disappointed.

I'm disappointed that practically a whole season of training for longer runs all went down the plug-hole two weeks before this race. Hind-sight is a wonderful thing.....maybe I shouldn't have done the standard?...maybe that left me a bit low and unable to fight of the bugs....maybe I should have gotten onto the anti-biotics sooner....maybe, maybe, maybe.

Whatever.

In the end the Kilomathon was both a disaster and a triumph.

Let's start with the disaster shall we? that means I can end on a positive note.

Okay, so we're all set....I'm into the run and heading towards Kirkliston.....I'm glancing down at my HRM my heart rate is climbing way too high and quickly....can't seem to get it to settle at all. Grant holds back with me until 10K which we complete in 54 mins...nothing startling but steady....I still feel a bit heavy and short of breath and know that I'll be climbing back over the Forth Road Bridge in about five minutes time...I tell Grant to push on and catch up with Colin and Alan who have forged on ahead.
I reach the midway point which is on the bridge and feel terrible....runners are streaming past me in a steady procession and I have absolutely no response...a couple of times I try to latch on but lose contact within 50m.
Over the bridge now and down into South Queensferry where....I think....I'm fairly sure....there was the time check for 16K. I was clocked at 1.27.13 but was still feeling pretty grim by this stage and my mood didn't improve any when I saw the hill that we had to climb coming out of the village.....it took everything out of me and I had to give in and walk/jog for at least a quarter of a mile.
When I tell you that it took me 1 hour and 16 mins to cover the 10K that was left it should give you an idea of how slowly I was moving...drained completely....I eventually shuffled across the line in 2.43.30.

So what are the positives....well, I've enjoyed my running this year and know that I can do this distance without much problem. I've managed to build upon my stamina and this has given me a good base for next years triathlon season. I started off this year hardly able to string two consecutive miles together...didn't think I'd manage 16.3....yet I did, whilst on antibiotics for a sinus and chest infection. I've found that, at last, I really enjoy running....it's a great sport and you meet so many friendly and supportive people ( they normally don't have ear-phones in ).

Further positives.....Alan, Colin and Grant recorded an excellent time of 2.18.04 and Robin in his usual style burst two hours with a terrific run of 1.56.35. My thanks to both Grant and Robin for supporting me with my running this year and getting me motivated.

Most importantly I raised over £600 for an extremely worthy cause - Parkinson's Research - and the money is still coming in....... think on that and any pain I experienced on Sunday pales into insignificance.

Everywhere You Go.....

2010-10-01T19:43:00.000+01:00

This is an excellent website for keeping an eye on the weather...

http://www.harbourexchange.com/weather/xc-weather-uk/

This is the one that gets used by Wick Harbour Office...it's pretty darned good. Think I'll add it to the menu bar at the side. Looks like it's going to be a windy but bright duathlon this Saturday....the Kilomathon? cool and damp, little wind....should be ideal.

If you don't belive me...check it out.

Oh Dear God...

2010-10-01T19:26:00.001+01:00

Another Orbea....this time the 2011 Orca Dura-Ace Di2....if that's too much of a mouthful, feast your eyes.

I'd love an Orbea bike....I've decided.....now where did I stash that £7000

First Run....

2010-09-30T22:37:00.001+01:00

......For very nearly a fortnight.

Yes no matter how much of the New Zealand honey I lashed down my throat I eventually had to resort to antibiotics in order to clear up this infection before the weekend and the Kilomathon.
Not exactly the best preparation I'm sure you'd agree but it is what it is and there's no point bleating about it. So headed out with Robin, Grant and Colin for a short 4 miles this evening at 5.30pm. Pleasingly I felt a lot better than I expected to feel. There was an obvious back lash of "clochers" but once these were expelled and the tubes cleared I felt okay.....
So we head off on Saturday morning for the Sunday morning event.....26.2KM

Thank you to everyone who has donated over the past months. Your generous contributions have been sent on to a very grateful Parkinson's Research UK.

So far, thanks to you, I've raised £560....£702 ( with gift aid ) although this is well short of my intended target it's still a very sizeable sum, every penny of which will be put to good use.

Good luck to everyone heading to Inverness for the Baxter's running festival...my daughter Kirsty is taking part in her first 10K...she couldn't pick a better one for her first....Inverness is a nice flat course.

Walk Out To Winter.....

2010-09-25T12:10:00.001+01:00

....Swear I'll be there..

So that brings to a close the Summer Series for 2010.

8 runners turned up this morning which is a good attendance especially given the fact that one or two regulars, like myself and Brian were missing, and others had prior commitments or injuries. We do well to get around eight or ten folk.
Nice to see Willie Miller there. Willie has now started his training in Glasgow and is away from home Tuesday-Thursday. This means he'll miss most of the Winter runs but might be able to get in on the action in the duathlons...more of that later.
Three girls today, Laura, Fiona and my daughter Kirsty having her first real stab at the tough 5.2 miles. She managed to break 50 minutes which really pleased her and sets her up nicely for the Inverness 10K next weekend.
I think that most people turned out to just "support" the series today which is great and I really appreciate that. Stuart Anderson did however really burn up the last mile and I would have liked to have had a clock on him. I passed him and Robin at the top of Newton Hill, just after Robin had told Stuart to "go for it".....he was still "flying" when he crossed the line at 35.11.....lots of potential there....low low 30's for him next year..no doubt about it.

And so, good people we move on.

Had a brief chat with David, who organises the duathlon series over the winter months, and he's decided that the duathlons will be held on the first Saturday of every month. That means, if my calendar is correct your first one will be next weekend...check out these dates for your diary.

Race #1 - 2.10.10
Race #2 - 6.11.10
Race #3 - 4.12.10
Race #4 - New Year's Day ( Nice one David ...could we re-instate bring-a- pressie?)
Race #5 - 5.2.11
Race #6 - 5.3.11

Those are the duathlons. Now for the Winter Series - These will be on the third Tuesday of every month over the winter and will take place at 5.45pm from Mackay's Hotel. For those that don't know it's a straight out and back course..the turn-point being Staxigoe Harbour. Here are the dates.

Run #1 - 19.10.10
Run #2 - 16.11.10
Run #3 - 21.12.10
Run #4 - 18.1.11
Run #5 - 15.2.11
Run #6 - 15.3.11

Hope to see as many of you as possible. Please try to encourage new faces along whenever you can.

The "Nearly" Number of the Beast.

2010-09-25T08:51:00.000+01:00

My number, pins and tag arrived for the Kilomathon today...( yes there's still time to donate...my sincere thanks to all you readers who already have)...665....dodged a bullet there eh?

I'm just wondering if the dark lord himself is going to make an appearance?
It must be very tempting for the person who does draw the number 666 to get the old trident and horns out of the cupboard and have a bit of fun with it?

Would love to hear from anyone who has been in this situation and what you decided to do.

Or if you are no.666 in the Edinburgh Kilomathon and inadvertantly trod upon this blog...please, give us a shout.

Does anyone else smell sulpher?

Last of the Summer.....eh, Series'

2010-09-24T21:56:00.000+01:00

That will happen tomorrow and my man-flu hasn't abated enough to allow me to take part.

I'm sticking to a strict diet of manuka honey and whisky until this goes away.

Looks like it's going to be a bit blustery but there is to be no rain...according to the forecast.

I'll be on the stopwatches.

From Our Friends..The Bees

2010-09-23T19:32:00.001+01:00

We've been known to advertise the odd thing or two on T&T....well, recommend at least.

This, latest, essential piece of "kit" comes recommended by my school janitor.....here's why.

Ever since the weekend I've felt a bit under the weather....I put this down to a few things.

(a) swimming in the North Sea in September then jumping on a bicycle
(b) picking up Brian's bug
(c) just the usual crappy bout of diseases that the onset of autumn and winter bestow on me.
(d) I'm knackered and run down

Could be all of the above or none. I have been gorging on echinacea as I'm trying to avoid going down the antibiotic route this year but the cold and sore throat has taken hold pretty firmly so...what to do now...well, when our Jannie heard me coughing and spluttering this morning he came up with an immediate cure.....Manuka Honey......Now, my friend Grant swears by the healing properties of honey, a belief passed on to him by his mum who was true believer in homeopathic and alternative remedies. I've never really taken this route and have always bailed out - heading straight for the GP's surgery and some chemical relief.

Anyway I'm kind of desperate as I want to be in as good shape for October...that means getting rid of this as quickly as possible.

One teaspoonful of the old Manuka Honey and things are already looking more positive.

It is, however, very expensive....I paid £12.30 for a tiny little jar....but hey that jar does have a UMF of +15...if you want to know what that means and find out lots more about Manuka.....go here.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/wellbeing/5979247/The-benefits-of-Manuka-honey.html

or here

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/3787867.stm

or here

http://manukahoney.com/

I'm in Love.

2010-09-22T23:34:00.000+01:00

This isn't just a crush....honestly. The Orbea Onix Durace 2009......a thing of beauty.

Wick Standard 2010

2010-09-21T16:05:00.000+01:00

My legs are sore.

That is, quite possibly, the worst bout of cramp I have ever experienced.

One thing is for sure....I'll be a lot better prepared next year.

I could bore the xxxx off you all by moaning and groaning but that wouldn't really achieve anything....would it? So let's just say that it was a good day and I got another 2 hours and 50 minutes(+) training in. The swim was a blast...I really enjoyed that....even though I meandered slightly on the inward stretch and had to be headed off by a kindly kayaker....it's sore when you hit a kayak, by the way.
The rest...och well....

Y'know.

Received a great CD of photos from Norrie...I've put a selection over on facebook (allow me!).....one is appended here as you can see.

REMINDER.....SUMMER SERIES THIS SATURDAY....9.30AM.

A Quick Moment of Laddishness

2010-09-12T20:54:00.000+01:00

Oh dear me.....for all you red blooded males........

May I present.....

Jenny Fletcher....model turned triathlete.

As good as it gets, I suppose.

The Highland Warrior

2010-09-12T20:49:00.002+01:00

Here's what the website www.aboutlochaber.com has to say about today's event. Wick Tri club had a competitor in the field and Robin completed the tough course in around 5 hrs 40 mins....well done Rob.

The Fort William Highland Warrior 70.3 Triathlon has the potential to become a legendary race within the triathlon community. Based in the Old Fort and passing the Commando Memorial, Prince Charlie’s Monument and through the mythical Glen where Braveheart and Rob Roy were filmed.

Fort William is the OCUK and is the perfect stage for international sporting and cultural events. It is already a world class events destination, the town has demonstrated it’s ability to host events that include The Mountain Bike World Cups and World Championships, The Adventure Race World Championships, the Fort William Mountain Festival, The Scottish Six Day Trials and the National MOD.

The swim venue has successfully hosted four Big Ben Nevis Triathlons and works well, with participants leaving the water and making the short transit to T1 in the Old Fort that gives the iconic town its name.

It is going to require a fighting spirit as the participants in the Highland Warrior Triathlon embark on a classical cycle route travelling north on the A82 through the great glen towards the Commando Memorial just beyond Spean Bridge. At the memorial turn left onto the B8004 to Banavie, where the route then heads west on the A830 for a long fast run to Glenfinnan Monument where Bonnie Prince Charlie gathered the clans for the Jacobite up rising in 1745. The return leg heads towards Fort William before the final treat a return route to the Lower falls in Glen Nevis.

Solo Venture

2010-09-11T22:33:00.000+01:00

My bike needs a bit of tender love and care. It's a bit the worse for wear having travelled the length of the country and today Brian, kindly breathed some life back into it. What he did I don't know....I just know there was something shoogling a bit in the rear wheel and things that needed tightened up. I'm going to have to give it a good old scrub down and clean before unleashing it for winter.
Anyhow, after dropping the bike at Brian's I headed out to do a longish run on my own. The reason for that being I intended to finish up at Bilbster to do some work at the cottage. It was a beautiful morning for a run and the setting down at Ackergill and Reiss was absolutely idyllic. The sea looked very inviting.
The run was enjoyable...1 hr 32 mins. More time on the clock. Seems like I got the best of the day too.

Good luck to Robin in Ft William tomorrow. I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything.

Nice One!

2010-09-08T21:01:00.000+01:00

Received a lovely letter from the Rosebank Four ( well, Mike - he who crashed his bike and borrowed my Peugeot)........I'll paraphrase a bit

Dear etc

Sorry it's taken so long but I'm glad to hear that your bike finally made it back to you. I thought I would let you know that the bike was great, it nearly made it the whole way without any trouble until the last day when it had 2 punctures - still, pretty good going eh?
I really can't thank you enough for your generosity and kindness in lending me the bike. It was certainly a story for us to tell along the way and people couldn't believe how lucky we had been bumping into you. We had a great time making our way down to Land's End, which took us 13 days in total. The other 12 days were much less eventful than the first! The only story that came close was waking up in the middle of the night to find 5 horses trying to eat our tent!
We all agreed that Northern Scotland was our favourite part of the trip. Thank you again for everything.

Best wishes Mike

ITU Budapest

2010-09-07T14:56:00.002+01:00

David Sutherland, Gemma Scott and Peter Fenwick are on their way to the Hungarian capital to represent Team GB in their respective age-group categories. If you plan on following their progress you can click on the link above and go directly to the site. Here's some details you may find handy and a table of wave start times.

David   Race No. 2144 50-54 Age Group Sprint
Gemma    Race No. 1385 20-24 Age Group Sprint
Pete         Race No. 1565 30-34 Age Group Sprint

That, as far as I can ascertain, means that Gemma should be underway at 7.05 am...Pete at 7.25am and David at 8.05 am. The race is takes place this Saturday and I'm sure you'll join Tri'd and Tested in wishing our guys all the best.

I'd imagine that's Budapest time which would put them an hour ahead...will check on this.

Vitruvian

2010-09-07T14:22:00.000+01:00

Brian got in touch over the weekend from Rutland Water, home of the tough Vitruvian Triathlon.

By all accounts things seem to have gone pretty well and he recorded the following splits for the 1900m open water swim, 85Km bike and 21Km run.

40.33 (swim), 2.39.21 (cycle), 2.01.38 (run).....stick in the transitions and you get an overall time of 5.27.17 which gave him a half a minute advantage over younger brother Kevin, who also competed.

Well done Brian, another solid performance

Cub on the Box

2010-09-06T10:15:00.000+01:00

Imagine my surprise yesterday morning, whilst watching Channel 4's recent coverage of Ironman UK, to see Rob Walker interviewing our very own Helen Richard pre-race.

Here's the link.....scroll forward to see a "horrified and nervous" Cub at about the 7.45 minute mark.

IRONMAN UK C4

There's also a very brief glimpse of her finishing towards the end.

Well done Helen....putting WTC on the map!!

Phew!

2010-09-03T15:41:00.000+01:00

That's been a busy old week...not just at work but training wise too.

Felt really tired at the beginning of nthe week but have picked up as it has gone on.

Monday - Lane swimming...in excess of 2000m (good drills in preparation for open water swim)
Tuesday - club cycle 25 miles....couldn't stay with the group - blown out the back
Wednesday - Sea swim....approx 1500m.....quite hard to start with...very enjoyable.
Thursday - run...10km....standard course, negative split. started very conservatively and tried to build up my speed
Friday - shorter slowish run (4 or 5 miles) and swim (probably 2000m or so again)

Sat and Sun off.....going to a PE course in Strathpeffer.

Good luck to Brian who is competing in the Grendon Triathlon at Rutland Water this weekend....I'll let everyone know how he's doing as soon as I hear anything.

My Virenque just arrived home......we shall be reunited later.....expect a gushy blog-post.

Summer Series #5

2010-08-28T16:01:00.000+01:00

There were a few call offs this morning.....including Joan HENRY...not Sutherland as I absent mindedly called her in yesterday's press....I'm having too many of these C.R.A.F.T moments, not good.

My apologies to you Joan and to Mr "Sutherland" also...won't happen again....I hope

Anyway with Joan, Robert and Grant all calling off at the last moment and with other regulars unable to attend, it was with some trepidation that I jogged down to the Mackay's Hotel meeting point. Thankfully, Laura was already there and I knew that David and Brian were coming.....five minutes later Pete Fenwick and Gemma Scott arrived from Thurso so that gave us half a dozen.....

We had a humorous moment when we realised that David, Gemma and Pete had all turned up at the start wearing the same t-shirt....something similar to the one on the left.....nice work guys....try getting the personal dressers to contact each other in future.

On to the summer series. I still hadn't made up my mind what I was going to do as I set off up Sinclair Terrace.....haven't run properly since I was away in Ayrshire and knew that if I was going to the double loop I'd be doing it myself.....so I just lashed on.

Felt fairly comfortable all the way round....Charity Farm is always a challenge but was happy with my recovery at the top. My time of 41.29 was okay, I suppose, Gemma and David had a nice steady training run just under the 40 min mark and Laura, accompanied by a tapering Brian did a low 45. Pete gave us a head start and caught up at the farm, he more or less cantered to 34+ mins. It was an enjoyable run.

After a wee blether I headed off to do another loop....not of the same route....I ran along the riverside, cut up Lover's Lane and did a loop of the Wick side of town. This gave me around about another four miles, which is fine.

The last summer series run is scheduled for 25th September....stick it in your diary.

10,000 Up

2010-08-27T21:11:00.000+01:00

This is a big thank you to you...dear reader....for helping Tri'd and Tested push through the 10,000 hits barrier.

It's been pretty overwhelming recently with approximately 300 hits per week....amazing really.

I know it isn't much in the general scheme of things but hey.....

Nowhere To Hide....End of the Road

2010-08-27T08:41:00.000+01:00

Well, that just about wraps up the season as far as tens go.

I've had a funny old year, mainly (as stated already) due to the fact that there was no winter base in the legs. I had thought that running over the winter may have helped....but in reality that never happened either....so all in all I can't honestly be too disappointed about recording 28.45 as a season's best.

I had a quick look at the Wheelers spreadsheet today and notice that I recorded 28.51 in May....exactly the same time as I recorded last night....in very nearly the exact same conditions (slightly colder/slightly less wind) just about evens itself out....go figure.

Still, I've enjoyed the TT's this year...it's been good to see faces old and new (re)appear and hopefully the numbers can be built upon for next season, when this series will return....under a new, snappy, title ofcourse.

Well done Charlie on becoming champ...you deserve it.

Well done to everyone who turned out.....see you all in 2011.

Busy End To The Week

2010-08-26T08:42:00.000+01:00

I must admit, I feel really tired after our open water swims.

Last night we were back on the beach for another 45 minute session and it was pretty tough going. It was, it has to be said, slightly chillier than last week....but after the first 25m the temperature seemed fine....I always judge it by how long it takes my feet to heat up afterwards....it took a while.

Waking up this morning was a bit of a chore...one or two aches and pains in all the weak spots.....however, onwards to tonight and the last 10 mile TT of the season...weather looks excellent but it's only 8.40am....it could change...it could change within the next five minutes!! Hoping to record a decent time - anything under 29 minutes constitutes a decent time for me, this season.

Then it's onto the Summer Series on Saturday...haven't decided what to do yet...I may double it up again, I may not. I've been neglecting the running slightly so will need to get the finger out. Race time decision. Hopefully we'll get a wee crowd if the weather stays clement.

Rosebank 4 Reach Their Goal....

2010-08-22T15:36:00.002+01:00

D'you know what I like best about this picture?

It's a two fingered message to "The Man"

I reckon that Land's End won't be any better than John O'Groats in respect that they prey on End-to-Enders, buzzing with adrenaline, charging them the earth to get a "just finished" photograph taken under "the signpost".

This handmade sign probably means the world to these boys as it has been made by people who genuinely care that they have travelled the length of the UK in order to do some good.

I've been reading Dave Gorman's book - America Unchained (for the second time) and I can see quite a few parallels with the story that unfolds in it and the journey these lads have taken. I'm just glad that we were able to play a walk on part and that my bike will surely be nominated for an award in a "best supporting" role.

Headhunter....Done and Dusted

2010-08-22T15:16:00.000+01:00

We'd all been keeping our eyes on the weather forecast with Saturday's 80 mile road trip in mind. It's a fair hike if you get soaked early and it makes for a miserable day. The weatherman was saying that there would strong SW winds with a high possibility of rain.....hmmmmm.

As we set off (in a group of 11) towards John O Groats with the wind firmly in our sails we met a huge group of End to Enders heading the other way. It was nice to hear the encouragement they gave us not knowing that we'd just set off from Bexley Terrace approximately 5 minutes prior and not Land's End some days prior...We, ofcourse, reciprocated.

We reached J.o.G in jig-time and set about tackling the steep brae up to our first port of call...Duncansby Head. It was ( always is ) a hard climb made more difficult by the wind which was really starting to gust forcefully. We stopped for a short "comfort break" (see Bruce for details) and then wound our way back down the hill. Kait, my good lady wife, doesn't mind a back wind...or a head wind for that matter....she's pretty tough on the bike but gusting sidewinds petrify her so she almost had both feet on the ground as we made the descent....it was a bit hairy.

Once we had re-grouped in Groats we turned West towards Dunnet Head and into the teeth of the gale. We were lucky that our group contained guys like Brian, Robin, Graeme and Michael who all did long turns on the front as we ploughed across the county...not only did they provide shelter for the group but they set a sensible pace which meant that the rest of us could conserve some much needed energy for later.

I'd , very kindly, been leant a road bike by Robert as my trusty steed is being carefully packaged in Exeter ready for its long trip home to Caithness. It was probably a silly decision to jump aboard a strange bike and think that I could cycle 80 miles without any difficulties. Robert, to be fair, told me that the bike had been out on loan and that he hadn't had time to perform any maintainance on it since it's return. I felt that because the bike was a Specialized it would be a fairly good fit for me and everything would be fine. There were, in general, only one or two niggling physical and mechanical issues....not enough to spoil the day.

So thanks to Rob for getting me on the road.

It took us a while to slog up to Dunnet Head and it was fairly bleak and inhospitable when we got there. The geographical position of the switch-backs on the hill meant that we were being helped by the wind half the time and blasted by it the rest.

Onwards to Castletown....then to Thurso....the wind relentless.

We were made to wait for quite a while for our lunch....no real idea why. There were one or two achy backs, legs and shoulders around the table. Brian guaranteed us that we had another 12 miles (or so) of hard work ahead and then we'd be free wheeling back to Wick. Once everyone had eaten ( haggis and cheese paninis....oh yes!) we were back on the road.

The head wind prevailed until we reached Glengolly and then it transformed into a very gusty sidewind....more anxiety for Kait.....as we neared Westerdale, Ben suffered mechanical difficulties and the group fragmented a wee bit but by the time we reached the Causwaymire we were back together and the wind was now squarley, as Brian had promised, behind us. Bruce, at this point, felt as though he was running out of fuel ; power bars, fudge and other sweet goodies were produced and we horsed on towards Watten.

Back on the main road we rode in a close group so as not to antagonise the traffic. I normally try to be fair to drivers and once again most showed us complete courtesy...however there was an alarming amount of bad driving on show yesterday....when I say bad, I really mean "dangerous".....there are still too many neanderthals out there who seem intent on putting cyclists in their place....the ditch? I can count at least half a dozen incidents yesterday where things were just a bit too close for comfort.

Anyway...all 11 Headhunters made it safely round and we arrived back in Wick at about quarter to five....a bit later than last year but weather conditions and an extended lunch-time need to be taken into account.

My personal thanks to everyone who came along... and to those of you cycling 80+ miles for the first a big well done, you deserve it.

Oh...and guess what?......no rain.

Nowhere to Hide - Penultimate Episode

2010-08-20T19:36:00.000+01:00

And so with one race to go that just about seals things up.

Charlie recorded another sub 26 minute ride and put the points race to bed....it's possible he'll claim fastest time of the year too...unless there's a mega-effort from within the group next week.

25.42 is the time to beat if you fancy giving it a pop.....I probably won't bother.

Last night I recorded my fastest time of the season!! whooo-hooo!!.......28.45 - shows you the kind of season it's been. It doesn't really bear much scrutinizing....lack of a winter base finds you out come July/August. Still there's one week left...maybe I can shave a few more seconds off given a decent night.

Graeme Clyne came home with another PB, I make that six for the season, and elsewhere in the field there were personal bests recorded by Gemma Scott and Peta Donnachie...well done ladies.

It's the Headhunter tomorrow....80+ miles await and the forecast is for strong winds......you wouldn't think it looking out over Wick Bay at the moment. We seem to have a good group now of about 10 or so....here's hoping things go well and we have as enjoyable a day as we did last year. Thankfully Robert has entrusted one of his bikes to my care so that I can take part. The Virenque has made it to Land's End in 13 days....very proud of her.

On The Open Wave

2010-08-18T21:35:00.001+01:00

Tough night at the beach. The swim out to the wreck (which is a tad longer than I thought, if you look at the picture here...and that's in a straight line!!!) was fairly hard against a pretty strong tide....much easier heading back.....but then we swam back up again for a wee while so must have swum for about 1500m all told.

Good group tonight, nice to see young Stephanie there again and it was especially heartening to see Michael giving the open water malarky a go. Now, Michael would be first to admit that he doesn't find swimming easy...even in the pool where it's flat calm...so you can imagine the "culture shock" as we waded out into Sinclair Bay. He let himself get to grips with things and, sensibly, didn't go for any heroics. An excellent first outing on a tricky night for a "baptism"....well done Mike.

The water temperature was fine and that allowed us to stay in for a good 50-55 mins. Unfortunately it was very murky with a lot of sand being churned up. I'm back to my old tricks of straying off course and must get back round to doing the correct "sighting" technique.....the choppiness of the water made it difficult tonight....a couple of times I tried to get onto the heels of stronger swimmers but after a matter of seconds they were gone into the cloudy green-ness.

Really enjoyed the outing.....no wildlife this evening.

Standard Update

2010-08-17T17:35:00.000+01:00

The numbers are climbing...6 entrants from the tri club and 6 from outwith....if we got 20+ that would be excellent, I reckon. Let's keep the entries ticking over.

Headhunter Update

2010-08-17T08:30:00.000+01:00

Numbers are dwindling....there are now only 6 "confirmed" riders for Saturday.

Running.

2010-08-16T21:19:00.000+01:00

I've done a fair bit of running in the past five days

Thursday 6.2 miles
Friday 10.22 miles
Saturday 4.0 miles
Monday 6.2 miles

The 10.22 miles on Friday was nearly the end of me. It was a very hilly outing. Kait's Mum and Dad stay in the village of Sorn in Ayrshire which nestles in a valley. Needless to say to get out of it you climb...and climb. On that run there was at least five hard uphill sections, the most difficult took me from mile 6 to mile 8 and I came very close to folding. Still it's all good ( as they say ). I did feel a wee bit jaded tonight when I ran but I'll put that down to having a bit of a stressful day.

The rest of the week looks like cycling and swimming before the Headhunter on Saturday.

Sorry for the mix up with the dates....I need to get back to planet reality now.

MAMILs

2010-08-16T12:48:00.000+01:00

Interesting email from Bruce.....relating to this story

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-10965608

I suppose at the age of 45 I fall right, slap, bang in the middle of the Mamil genre.....however in my defence may I contest that I have been wearing the aforementioned, stretch and shiny material, for more years than I care to remember.....

This ain't no fad, man.

Tell you what, once these plonkers fall out of love with road cycling there'll be some nice second hand Pinarellos on the market. Keep your eyes peeled on e-bay!

Virenque Report.......Update

2010-08-15T20:05:00.000+01:00

Just had the latest report from the Rosebank Four and they are currently in Bristol having traversed the Severn Bridge ( upon which Mark is pictured here).
They are hoping to make it to Land's End in 13 days which will be an excellent effort for an unsupported group. The old bike is still looking in good nick and holding up well.

They are very much on the home stretch now with Exeter a mere 75 miles away and Land's End, I'm guessing, approximately 200 miles.

We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat...

2010-08-11T22:57:00.011+01:00

Blogger is playing up today....I've tried to write this post several times.

Brilliant story from last night about the basking shark joining in with the Wick Tri Club open water swim. I wonder if the water turned a bit brown when the dorsal fin appeared? I mean Orcas are no strangers to these waters and the have a penchant for playing volleyball with seals.

Anyhow, I'm completely jealous of the group, not something you experience everyday I would imagine?

Open Water

2010-08-11T10:07:00.000+01:00

Sadly having to miss tonight's open water swimming at Reiss Beach.

Looking at the weather it's wet but there's no wind to speak of...also the water temperature gauge...over on the right...informs me that the water temperature has risen 14 degrees ( have to write the word degrees as I don't know how to do the little circle thing), so that's got to be good!

Enjoy yourself if you go.

Wick Standard

2010-08-10T23:56:00.000+01:00

Robert Cormack was speaking to us earlier on and made a very good point regarding the Standard, which is now only a few short weeks away. He said that unless the numbers on Entry Central don't go up, seriously, within the next wee while people who are undecided might just ignore the event completely and we may end up having to scratch it again.

So I suppose this is a bit of a rallying call to WTC members (self included ) and anyone else who reads from afar to get your entry in and let's see if we can't generate some interest.

I notice that last year's overall winner, Ayrodynamic's Angus Peden is signed up to defend his title...good stuff!

Virenque Report - Latest Update

2010-08-10T23:33:00.001+01:00

Last time we heard from the Rosebank Four they were relaxing in Fort William...let's see how things are progressing....

It's Mike here. We're now 6 days in and we are at Penrith (just south of Carlisle). We've probably been averaging about 70 miles a day as we haven't managed to start all that early in the mornings. Unfortunately over the last 24 hours we've had 5 punctures between us (none for the trusty bike you lent me though), but other than that it's been going great. Cycling along Loch Ness was really lovely and then up in the Highlands after Glencoe was brilliant. Cycling through Glasgow wasn't quite so pleasant. I'll try and keep u guys posted with more photos when I can.

Great to hear from the boys and to see my bike ( lump of pride in throat here). It's lovely to hear that she's proving to be a trusty steed. I'm sure they must feel a surge of confidence as they head back into England. Looking forward to more updates as they close in on their target....all the best lads!

Wick Sprint Triathlon 2010

2010-08-08T17:28:00.004+01:00

Okaydokay.....not a blow by blow account of the whole event, that'll come later and I'm sure that Rob will be blogging his wee socks off over on the Tri Club blog. So this space will be set aside for me to ruminate over how things went for me, myself and I over the three disciplines....still awake? Then I'll begin.

Swim (750m) - second off in the lane behind a fine lad from Shetland called Bonar Barclay. We both had 12.30 estimates so I reckoned we'd share the duties along the way...that's how it turned out. Having nipped past Bonar at the 300m mark I gave him a tow for the remaining 450m. We worked our way up to Beccy May who had started off fourth and were gaining but ultimately didn't get near to catching Sylvia Robertson before the end of the swim.
Bonar and I parted company there and I wouldn't see him again until the run...where he lapped me. Swim time 12.31...how's that for prediction?!! I think I may have gone to the front too early and pushed it a bit too hard but hey....

Bike (20K)- This was more or less, without getting all "Broadway" about things, a bit of a minor disaster. Just and I mean just managing to break 38.00 mins isn't great in the general scheme of things. Admittedly I haven't put in anywhere remotely near the miles that is required but it's strange.....I allow myself to get into a bad place very easily on the bike and my attitude isn't what it should be. From being first out of the pool in Heat 2 I found myself passed by five competitors before I had reached the turn. The head was going down and it was hurting into the breeze. All I could hope for was that by the time I reached the run I wouldn't be too tired and that the miles I've been putting in would see me through. Bike 37.49....very poor.....and deserved.

Run (5K) - The first half mile was dogged by the muscles in my right calf seizing up but it didn't seem too bad and by now you kind of expect it a wee bit. The cramp soon subsided and I managed to get into my running by half way round lap 2. The trouble with doing a lot of distance stuff is that there is a distinct lack of pace so when you go to push it a wee bit there is little or no response. Going into lap 3 I felt comfortable and wished that the run could go on for a bit further. In the end I managed to finish strongly and have found that the recovery was very quick. Run 25.05...content with that.....it spells a 59 second improvement on last year...should probably be more.

Y'know, for a small tri club, Wick put on an excellent sprint triathlon ( and mini and standard too!!). Everyone involved and I mean everyone should be very proud of what we achieve. It's testament to all that hard work that we get such good numbers and generate such a friendly atmosphere year in, year out.

Well done everyone.

Virenque Report....making progress

2010-08-07T15:50:00.000+01:00

Here's a wee picture of the boys ( The Rosebank Four) sitting refuelling at a very picturesque Loch Ness, yesterday.

They are currently at Fort William and are obviously doing things the right way - drinking in the sights as the head homewards.

The old bike is apparently holding up nicely and thankfully so is Mike's knee.

Looking forward to more pics as they progress.

Sunday's Sprint Triathlon

2010-08-06T10:34:00.000+01:00

This Sunday Wick Tri Club will host, what I believe to be, its 15th sprint triathlon.

I wonder of there is anyone around who has taken part in all fifteen?

Anyway, I was looking back through the blog posts from this time last year and noticed that I was predicting a 1.15.00 finish for myself and was stating that I'd be very happy with that. I managed 1.15.10. So what is the prediction for this year?

Well.....let's strip it down and see what I think I can maybe manage

2009.....swim 12.13 ......might struggle to replicate this. Swimming has been at a premium due to these glass elbows but given a decent set of bubbles I may scratch my way along to a 12.30.

2009....cycle 35.17.....again could struggle here and am probably looking at a high 35, even a 36 possibly.

2009...run 26.04.....this run was ridiculous last year I feel that I should be able to run level 8's but who knows what shape I'll be in. Been doing more running than anything else but mainly long and slow in preparation for the Kilomathon. We'll just have to see....how about a shade under 25mins?

Given my lack of input in the pool and on the bike 1.15.00 is still the bench-mark for me.

Interesting Day

2010-08-05T21:44:00.000+01:00

Today has been....well....different.

It started fairly ordinarily, or so we thought, with a wee shopping trip to Homebase. As we made our way up the Cliff towards the crossroads and traffic lights we noticed a group of cyclists, obviously End to Enders, hanging around the doorway to the Spot Shop....running repairs, we thought to ourselves as we glided past....however something didn't seem right. There were one or two cars sitting at funny angles and the cyclist were in deep discussion with a lady who was quite definitely "animated".

We continued on to Homebase and conducted our business there and as we were leaving Kirsty (eldest daughter) phoned to tell us she'd witnessed an accident at the Rosebank crossroads. We took a run back down..mainly because my wife has this rogue "Good Samaritan" gene...not because we enjoy a bit of voyeurism.. and lo and behold the cyclist were still there....looking a little "lost" if the truth be known.

We went over and started chatting.....Mike, the fellow that had been, unfortunately, the cause of his own downfall...missing the lights entirely and pulling out into traffic...was a bit bloodied and sore but refusing to go to hospital ( we had hoped he would and still hope he does somewhere down the line ). His bike, a nice carbon affair which apparently he'd borrowed from his cousin was goosed...the forks were cracked and it was well out of commission. They were on their way South...not North.

Kait insisted that we help them out and the four of them ended up at 2 Bexley for a cup of tea and a bite to eat. By this time I had agreed to lend Mike my Peugeot-Richard Virenque and was trying, without much success to remove the Look pedals so that he could put on his SPDs. As per usual I didn't have the appropriate tools and needed Robert to come over with a decent spanner to budge them. Once done the lads got themselves together and having exchanged mobile numbers and taken a couple of photos, they were off on the first leg of their journey.

They are doing the cycle unsupported...not sure if I would.

They've promised to send me photos for the blog so that I can chart the progress of my bike as they head towards Land's End. Once they get home to Exeter, they'll have a tale to tell. Hope they make it.

Swimming The Peedie Sea

2010-08-04T22:48:00.000+01:00

The story of Frank Chalmers, an open water swimmer setting off on the challenge of his life. Having successfully swum the English Channel, Frank has been training for over a year in preparation for his toughest swim yet - to cross the Pentland Firth.

This notoriously treacherous stretch of water separates the Orkney Islands from mainland Scotland and is home to some of the strongest tides in the world. The Firth has been named Hell's Mouth by seamen as its fearsome forces have earned it the reputation of being a graveyard for ships.

Local seafarers, whose lifetimes have been dictated by these unpredictable conditions, team up with Frank and his wife Ros as they set out on this moving and unexpected journey.

I have a new hero.

If you missed it click on the following link to watch......The only thing that confuses me is the title....I always assumed that Orkney was still part of Scotland....I'm splitting hairs, she obviously meant "mainland" Scotland.

SWIMMING TO SCOTLAND

Bike....Bike for Sale

2010-08-04T16:46:00.000+01:00

Currently taking offers on the TT bike as I'm looking for something new.

If you feel that you want to know a bit more about it give me an email on kfa444@gmail.com or leave a comment here.

New PB.

2010-08-03T14:25:00.001+01:00

Now you may be wondering..why on earth I have included this short video in Tri'd and Tested? You would be right to wonder...it's a bit strange....but let me explain.

Today I decided to insert the little Nike+ sensor into my Nike Air Pegasuses (Pegasusii??)and go for a short blast of between three and four miles. I wanted to try to increase my speed a wee bit and thought that the Nike+ would give me a reading of how things are going (approximately) until I can afford a slinky Garmin.
Hey it's my birthday soon...who knows?
Anyway with speed being very much the theme of the run I set off on my calibration mile...about 8.10...all good, tapped the wheel and carried on for the rest of the run at a brisk tempo, for me at least....everything has been long and slow recently.

Got home and the screen showed me that I'd run 8.01 minutes per mile....pleased with that although I am aware that these NIke+ things aren't completely accurate. The big disappointment came when I couldn't upload my data as the run seem to have vanished into thin air.

The plot thickens.

Anyway it wasn't until later that I found out just exactly why my run had disappeared and the data was not, as I had first assumed, lost.

I received a phonecall from my friend Grant who is one of my "friends" on Nike+ (I only have two I think Grant and Lorn Pearson just took pity on me...saddo that I am) and he told me that when one of your friends uploads a run it is displayed on your homescreen...he noticed that even though I seem to have started my run today at 09.30am...I finished at 22.53pm on the 4th of January 2000.

I had, in fact, gone so fast that I had time travelled....now, I'm not going to go into the machinations of Einstein's Theory of Relativity at this point but just let me say that guy was onto something.....obviously the Nike+ is the latest development in the pursuit of answer to the enigma that is the time/space continuum....your very own "flux capacitor".

Either that or I just forgot to set the date and time before I set off?

Which would you rather believe?

Ironman

2010-08-02T17:54:00.001+01:00

If you're thinking of this guy then you're thinking wrong.
Ironman UK event took place on Sunday and Wick Tri Club had two members competing.....Helen Richard and Inverness based, Terry Gallacher. Both did themselves and everyone proud by finishing the race in 14.29.11(Helen) and 12.09.42 (Terry)...that now brings the Ironman count in the club to 4 ( I think?). Somebody will correct me if I'm wrong.
Who'll be next to take on the challenge?....well done guys from, T&T

Sunday Cycle

2010-08-01T16:27:00.000+01:00

I had made a commitment in my head to get out of bed this morning, no matter how I felt and trundle along to the Sunday constitutional. It turned out that I didn't feel too bad, surprisingly, but it took at least 10 miles or so before I felt like my legs were spinning in any kind of meaningful fashion below me....by that time the group was getting ready to fragment.

We tried to keep the pace honest after the turn off and I was delighted that my legs didn't feel too weary after the 30 miles had been completed. Having a complete rest tomorrow and will pick things back up on Tuesday with a short run and a cycle in the evening. Wednesday will be a swim, Thursday a run and a cycle, Friday a swim...then we're into the weekend again.

Happy days.

Ironman UK updates

2010-08-01T16:06:00.000+01:00

Cross over to the Wick Tri Club blog for updates on Helen and Terry's progress.

Things are going well so far...only the marathon to go.

Fifteen Miles....count them.

2010-07-31T19:42:00.000+01:00

So with the Kilomathon a mere 64 days away... today, Saturday, was picked as the occasion to officially up the mileage to something bordering on serious. With a Kilomathon target distance of 16.3 miles in mind we decided to run 15 miles on a course that Grant and myself cobbled together from parts of old established runs and stretches of road that would help make up the distance. We were joined by Michael Sutherland and Colin Davidson. Michael, who has returned from holiday in Tunisia looking fit and rested hadn't run as much as fifteen miles for some time and Colin who's a relative newcomer to the sport hadn't run more than 7 miles as of 9.30 am this morning....a tall ask?
Not one bit of it. With Michael and Grant keeping a sensible pace we ticked along nicely. This was a huge step up for Colin...it's inadvisable to increase your distance by so much in one fell swoop but he met the challenge head-on and finished the whole route strongly....a fantastic effort....and a brilliant marker for the Kilomathon.
The run itself was very pleasant and Reiss Beach was nothing short of idyllic...the tide was way out which meant that there was plenty of firm wet sand to run on....I had been dreading this section and the subsequent journey in across the Golf Course but to be honest once we got in a bit, out of the jungle, it was pleasurable...spongy and forgiving underfoot with the incessant rain we've had (for what seems like forever).
Anyway that's fifteen miles in the hip pocket and a good shot to the self confidence. I don't really know what I expected, never having run that distance before...you are always wary that things could go wrong...however, nothing did and it was a first class way to spend a Saturday morning.

Tired bunny now though.

Nowhere To Hide - Episode #17

2010-07-29T21:49:00.000+01:00

So along I went to this evening's Time Trial.

In the end up it turned to be a night when the wind got slightly complicated and swirly rather than the straightforward "head wind out and back wind home" scenario that was apparent earlier in the day. Not much to anyone's liking....apart from Brian that is who torched everyone, including a refreshed looking Michael to scoop up the 30 points. It's a case of the tougher the better for Brian.

I turned in another less than scintillating half hour but don't feel too despondent about it....I'm sure I'll crack a 28 before the end of the season given the right conditions and a couple more longer runs. The elbows have been giving me less gyp, so that has afforded me an opportunity to click up the mileage on the bike....all a bit too late for this season and the Wick Sprint Triathlon but heartening nonetheless.

Disappointingly there was more drafting again this evening and there are now rumblings of discontent amongst the hardy few...the problem I assume is that no-one desires to go out on a limb and actually lodge some kind of complaint.....we are, after all, only a small club held together by a strong nucleus...and to alienate any of our members would be insanity. However it should be brought to all of our attention that to contemplate drafting in the time trial shows complete disrespect for fellow competitors and for the sport in general

Go Cub!

2010-07-29T13:51:00.000+01:00

In a little over 2 days and 16 hours, Wick Tri Club's Helen Richard is competing in Ironman UK 2010. This is a tough proposition for any triathlete given the gruelling 140.6 miles that has to be covered. Helen has trained very hard for the event including hours and hours on her turbo trainer ( which highlights her dedication - turbo sessions are mind and arse numbing at the best of times ). Anyway she travels to Bolton with the best wishes of Tridandtested, Wick Tri Club and all her family and friends....We're sure she'll give it her all and do us all proud.....Remember to sponsor her, the link is on the right. Helen is raising money for Parkinson's Research which is a charity of special significance to her.

I'm fairly certain that there will be a way of tracking her progress online or through texts from Robert Cormack.

I'll check with Rob and keep you posted.

Second Wind...

2010-07-29T13:34:00.001+01:00

We had friends staying over the weekend, so, the Summer Series on Saturday was the last bit of training I did until Wednesday. We had an improved turn out for the penultimate Summer run....six in all. One runner was very keen, turning up at 9.00 instead of 9.30.....this was as a result of being fed duff gen...by me..sorry Joan!
Anyway the weather was excellent...warmish conditions with a light breeze...I was glad I'd stuck on the running vest. Robin, Grant, Brian and I had decided to run the course twice giving us a shade over 10 miles to cover and it turned out to be a decent effort. AHR160bpm.

I'll post the times up later.

By the time Wednesday came around I was feeling ready to do something and Grant and I tried out the Standard Triathlon 10K course. I've run parts of this before but never the whole course, given my withdrawal after the bike leg in last year's event...it's quite a toughy...even without the swim and cycle. AHR 154bpm.

Surprisingly, I felt quite good afterwards and when my daughter Kirsty asked me if I wanted to go lane swimming later that evening I thought - why not? The Wick Sprint Triathlon is coming up on the 8th of August and I've been tinkering with the idea of entering....the only thing holding me back has been the swim....basically I haven't been swimming for fear of injuring these glass elbows....well, I've decided that if there's going to be a wee bit of pain, what the hell. I managed the full set, which must mean that the running is paying off as regards endurance....the last time I tried to join in the swim training I was jettisoned out the back of the props. My stroke is fairly good and economical so as long as the lungs are operating okay I'll manage. There's no speed but at least I could keep going and not be dropped significantly.

So Thursday is upon us and I have thoughts about going along to the 10 mile time trial this evening. Again I've missed a few of these this season and won't manage to amass the requisite 15 "counters" but it's always good to get a couple in before the Sprint Triathlon which I've now decided I'll do. Kait and I went out for about 20 miles this morning...it was quite breezy....if the conditions prevail into this evening it'll be a slog out and a blast home.

Might swim again on Friday and then go for my longest ever run - 15 miles - on Saturday morning. This will be the best indicator yet as regards how ready I'll be for the Kilomathon in October.

Headhunter 2010

2010-07-24T08:40:00.001+01:00

The date for the Headhunter Tour, this year, is set to be Saturday 28th August.

September seems to be chock-a-block with events so thought it would be better to slip it in here. The only clash I can see is the Orkney Middle Distance Triathlon and I don't recall many people making the crossing to participate in that last season. Hopefully we'll get a good turn-out for the 80 mile trek around Caithness. As before if you want to email me at.... kfa444@gmail.com....I'll post your name up on the blog. We'll stop at the Upper Deck for food as it seemed to work out quite well last year even though I was out of steam by Halkirk!!

Rude Awakening

2010-07-21T11:19:00.001+01:00

Home from our short break in London Town....very busy.

Had running gear with me but decided that I'd leave it in the suitcase. Didn't have any excuses...Hyde Park was just across the street and there were thousands of runners dotting back and forth every day...but I felt pretty beaten up if the truth be known. Big Cities tend to have that effect on me. So I never chalked up one running mile.....lots of walking ones though.

As I'm a teacher and receive a great many weeks of holidays per year I have recently lost track of what day it is. Yesterday, for example, was Tuesday which is Club group cycle night..obviously I went for a 5 mile run at five o'clock - thinking it was Wednesday. Kait set me straight when I got back and press ganged me into cycling as well. As a result the cycle wasn't very pretty and I was caught with two miles to go and unceremoniously spat out the back. Enjoyed it though.

Today it's raining pretty heavily and I'm headed out for a run later on.

Nowhere To Hide - Episode 14

2010-07-11T14:07:00.001+01:00

Well...against my better judgement I went along to the 10 mile TT last Thursday evening.

I had tried a 20 mile cycle with Kait on the Tuesday and the pain in the elbows had been manageable, dissipating quickly once finished....what I had forgotten was the pain which is synonymous with the 10 event.....you do tend to forget.....we aren't talking elbows here.

I struggled....big time. Probably due to a bit of miscalculation on my part I seemed to be "up" ever so slightly on Joan and Chris at the halfway point....remember, in my three week absence both of them have gone under 29 mins and here I was chasing them, foolishly. I had already blown up at about the seven mile mark when David and Les came funneling past in close formation (?).....my aim then was to stay ahead of Ben who was running me down for three minutes on his way to yet another PB....managed that....just....by the skin of my teeth.

On the subject of Ben I have a theory as to the shy teenagers's meteoric rise to stardom this season....and no, before you say it, it isn't to do with any banned substances or any such tripe....it's to do with his clothing. Yes folks, his clothing. Let's explore this train of thought......Ben wears his dad's cycling gear............a little unhygienic but hey, he's fourteen, what has hygiene got to do with anything! Now, those readers of a certain age will be familiar with the old comic book character "Billy Dane".....Billy Dane of "Billy's Boots" fame?

I rest my case.

Not so much Billy's Boots as "Alun's Apparel".......if you're reading this Alun you have a duty to the old guard to ban your son from wearing your gear and using your bikes......26.52 is now beyond the joke.

Then again, maybe it's just talent....yeah probably.

Good on you Ben..... keep those times tumbling!!

I'll miss next week's TT as I'm away in London. Won't be doing any cycling but will take the running gear with me....Hyde Park here I come. Hoping to make an effort at the Club run on Tuesday though, before we go.

Consider This

2010-07-11T13:23:00.001+01:00

Bought a new pair of running shoes at "Run For It" in Inverness last week. I thought I'd do things correctly and make sure that I was purchasing the best shoes for my feet. The nice girl there asked me lots of questions and then stuck me on the treadmill with a pair of neutral shoes....Nike Air Pegasuses. It was interesting to see that my feet are hitting the ground fairly square and there isn't the amount of roll that I thought I had, especially in my left foot. So, the upshot of it all was that I left the shop with a nice new pair of Nikes which were only £50, which goes to show you that these shops aren't all designed to rip you off. I certainly will go back ....good business.
The other interesting thing that happened in the shop was that the sales assistant showed me a way of tying up my shoes which ensures that the laces won't slacken if there's some movement of the foot in the shoe. I've been using it ever since. The video below shows you how to go about it....try it out....if you don't already....might work for you?

25 mile TT

2010-07-08T13:13:00.000+01:00

On Tuesday night there was the Club 25 mile TT.

As usual the wind was howling and there were only four competitors...eventually.

Here's what looks like a watercolour painting of Charlie in full sail...that's not to suggest he was moving so slowly I actually had time to get out the easel and pallette but the wind was pretty strong on the way home....and the light was fading badly...so the old camera phone couldn't really handle the task I set it.

The results will appear on the Wheelers website in due course, I would imagine.

10 mile TT tonight...am giving it consideration as I've tried a wee cycle this week...elbows were sore during and straight afterwards but then the pain subsided relatively quickly once stopped. Progress!

Planning cycling on Orkney next week so will need to get organised and out in the breeze.

A Few Pics

2010-07-07T23:18:00.000+01:00

Our day on the hill....

From The Mountain of Morven There Can Be Seen......

2010-07-05T20:52:00.002+01:00

Quite a flippin' lot if you get decent weather.

Set off up the hill on Saturday in a tight group of six...the weather was windy but warm and overhead the clouds weren't causing too much of a concern.

Shaming as it is to share this fact with you it was my first trip up Morven...classic case of it's on the doorstep so why bother...daft.

Anyway the trip was excellent fun and with Andrew's eagle eyes we were able to spot some interesting flora and fauna along the way, including an adder which I managed to capture (on camera!) just before he slithered away into the dense heather.

Once on the hill we all found it pretty hard work to make progress as the slope was a lot steeper than we first-timers expected. There was quite a bit of stone to traverse and then, when we found the path, it was a fair old pull to the top. Once on the summit all the tiredness seemed to disappear. There were stunning views in every direction and we could clearly make out Hoy on Orkney and well out into the Moray Firth.

After refuelling we made the descent which, much like Ben Nevis, was much more painful than the ascent. There were one or two comical tumbles along the way. Once back at the car park I quickly got the boots and socks off and sank my feet in the cool burn....heaven.

The day was rounded off with a slap up dinner, lovingly prepared by Shirley....a perfect end to a perfect day.

Share The Damn Road

2010-06-29T23:03:00.000+01:00

Received an email from Jonathan Ciaccio the other day who is the webmaster at the above.

The site www.sharethedamnroad.com specialises in cycling jerseys which send powerful messages out to drivers who seem hell bent on getting a little to close or who enjoy honking irately as they speed past in a cloud of road chippings.....middle finger extended ceremoniously.

Now, me personally, I'm not sure I'd be brave enough to wear some of them as they'd probably only serve to incite the more neanderthal motorists out there (and there are a few)...but hey....some are fun and they do reflect statements that lots of us make on just about every training ride these days.

Go along and have a look.

Summer Series

2010-06-25T20:14:00.000+01:00

Things have been very hectic lately and I haven't been able to get the time or find the motivation to write anything here.....thanks to everyone who has continued to look in.

This is a quick post to say "Sorry".....I forgot that there is a summer series race tomorrow morning. I'll go along to the start and will be doing the five miles myself....I had a couple of injections this week so won't be going for the normal long run.

Please come along if you can manage....looks like it might be a pleasant morning for a run?

Nowhere to Hide - Episode #9

2010-06-04T23:01:00.001+01:00

Windy old night for all. The kind of night where it would be really good to get on someone's wheel and be sooked along for a couple of miles....but this is the Wick Wheelers 10 mile time trial and as the title suggests there is NOWHERE TO HIDE and none such jiggery pokery is evident.....am I right?

Yes sir. You better believe it.

I was fairly tired when I got back to Langley Lane at a little before 7.45pm having tried pretty hard for a shocking 30 mins to make my legs go round in a meaningful fashion. Didn't happen. This season has been one of patchy training at best and now I'm questioning whether it's wise to take part in any triathlons. Stamina is poor, the elbows are sore again.....I'm thinking, with the Kilomathon as my main target for the year, I should just concentrate on the running and do the other things when and if I feel like it.....may be a sensible option.

Anyway nothing startling happened last night.

It was nice to see Neal Clyne back in the fray....seems the Boy Wonder's doings have awakened the old fella from his slumbers....and 31 minutes isn't too shabby for someone who's been out of the game for a number of years....good on you Neal.

Elsewhere Charlie Mackay brought it home for the Wheelers behind Pete Fenwick who is a street ahead of everyone. Tuesday sees the Interclub CCC v WW......Wick to Thurso....I sincerely hope there are 8 faster guys taking part as I would hate for WW to be relying on my time to make a difference....because it won't.....the shape I'm in I'm only being brutally honest. However it's important to represent your club so go along I shall.

Staying with Edinburgh....

2010-05-31T22:57:00.002+01:00

Just back after a very tiring week in the Nation's capital....only managed two runs and this was the second of them.

I decided to run both Salisbury Crags and Arthur's Seat on Saturday morning....it's only about five miles from where I was staying at the foot of the Royal Mile but there was a couple of pretty serious uphills in there so I was quite chuffed that I felt so good during it.....maybe it was getting to switch off after a heavy week of school related tourism....who knows.

A nice run anyway and the views from the top were stunning.....sadly my camera phone doesn't do it justice. It was quite funny at the top when you think you're the only person there and all of a sudden another runner appears, then another, then another from all different routes....we shared a wee smile then headed off back down the hill.

Edinburgh Marathon

2010-05-23T19:32:00.001+01:00

Just a quickie to update you all on Robert's progress in the Marathon today....

It was hot and with little in the way of a cooling breeze Rob found it tough...he just failed to reach his target time of 4 hours coming home in 4.10.11.

Still good going.

Well done Mr. Cormack

Up,up and up

2010-05-23T09:52:00.000+01:00

Kait and I headed to Inverness on Friday night and then on to Fort William on Saturday morning. We were meeting up with her sister Wendy's family to climb Ben Nevis. I hate to admit it but at 45 years of age and having lived in the Highlands for all of that time-span this was my first trip up the Ben.

Very enjoyable it was too.

The path starts off relatively easily but quickly becomes quite rocky and very steep in several parts. We started in lovely weather conditions but could see that the summit was shrouded in cloud so didn't we weren't carrying many hopes of panoramic views once we got up there.

I'm not going to bore you with a blow by blow account it was just interesting, as we reached the summit, to appreciate how tiny, exposed and vulnerable you are in the general scheme of things....there was quite a bit of snow, still, and other walkers just appeared out of the mirk like ghosts.

I found the descent a bit more taxing on the joints.

A good day out and how welcoming the Ben Nevis Inn is at the end of nearly six hours.

Nowhere To Hide - Episode #7

2010-05-20T22:04:00.002+01:00

Remember the reason for the title?

Hmmmmm.

Och well on to the business of the evening.....there were some quizzical looks on faces at the end of the night....there was a wee wind blowing and was most definitely against for most of the way home.....however it seemed to be rearing up on outward spots too......tricky.
Graeme Clyne and Ben Arnold once more came through with big PBs....both lads chopping huge chunks off their previous bests.....I did joke with Graeme afterwards that he had me to thank as I was his minute man...one or two of the faster gentlemen are already looking nervously over their shoulders. Ben too is making massive and rapid progress. We have to remind ourselves that he is only 14 years old ( is that right?)....huge potential.
Me? Well....let's be honest, I don't even know what to expect when I climb into the saddle. Three weeks of bugs have obviously set me back a fair bit and, ofcourse, when you stand still everything else tends to pass you by. However, enough greetin', I'm back to nearly full health and have to start over....there's nothing else for it. 28.51 tonight isn't too bad.....I was sort of expecting a low 29....so hooray!....Oh and a wee word for Michael Sutherland here.....don't you dare give up the swimming!

I was sent a great CD of time trial photographs from Michael Beales and tonight was chatting to David Sutherland about the technicalities of the correct and incorrect cycling position and how Michael's photos showed this up in glorious technicolour. For your perusal here's Thurso's Gemma Scott (Dundee Uni Triathletes), who has obviously spent a fair bit of time getting all the angles right....we could do worse than to emulate this position.......don't know if I can get my back that flat though.......Gemma makes this look very comfortable and effortless.

First Open Water Dook....2010

2010-05-19T20:25:00.001+01:00

It's May......I was checking back through the blog and I didn't go into the water until June last year so we are two or three week ahead of schedule. That means (maybe) a degree or two of more safety as regards the sea temp for the standard triathlon.

We had a great turn out at the beach....wet-suited swimmers seemed to be appearing from everywhere and I think, according to my dodgy arithmetic, ten of us took to the water.

Now we're not going to kid anyone on here...it's still fairly cold out there....a guesstimate would be 8 or 9 degrees max....and as you can see there was a wee bit of trepidation as we entered the bay and the water started to find the nooks and crannies.....There's Pete sticking on the "industrial strength" skull cap.....

At this point the feet are complaining a tad but not so much that you're saying to yourself..."Sod this for a game of soldiers!"......the hands are next to go in and gentle waves are lapping against your chest.......although it's bracing there's a wonderful serenity to it.

As you can see before the off there is a wee "pow-wow" to ensure that everyone is okay and that we are all headed in the same direction. Tonight we are heading for the old wreck first which is about a 400-500m swim east. It's very cold on the face to start with but once you are into your swimming it just feels exhilerating.

Here we are on the way back towards the path. I had a good reading on Ackergill Tower but was swimming in fairly deep water which alarmed one or two of my comrades....they thought I was headed for Noss Head. I found it tougher on the way back but put that down to lack of swimming. My forehead was tingling slightly by this point.

So a good honest half an hour in Sinclair Bay came to an end. We couldn't realistically have asked for more benign conditions.....air temp was warm, sea was calm and not too cold, no wind.....brilliant.
This is as close to the "Baywatch" look that WTC will manage......as we emerge from the surf, fresh and invigorated.....aye right.

Just time for one last longing look out into the bay. Reiss is a fantastic place to be on evenings like this and to be able to get out into the sea and swim just makes the experience all the more vibrant.

My thanks to Michael for taking all these photos......you'll be in a wetsuit next time pal.....another Orca in the pod.

This Just In

2010-05-16T21:36:00.000+01:00

Nice photo of Valerie, Lisa and Fiona has just landed on the desktop at Tri'd and Tested HQ.

Sorry to hear of Lisa's accident at the beginning of the race....hopefully she's not too badly injured....must have been a fair bit of jostling for places going on......those ladies can be so rough.

All smiles at the end anyway.

Well done girls.

Busy Day

2010-05-16T20:32:00.000+01:00

Well......it's good to finally sit down.

The day started off with a cycle.....Kait was keen to go out on the bike this morning but because of timings didn't want to head off for the usual Sunday trip....so instead we did the Tuesday route at a fine steady pace.

That meant that we were home in plenty time to get a bit to eat and a cup of tea before heading over to sunny Mey for the annual 10K. This was my first time at the event and it was brilliantly organised. Absolutely nothing left to chance.It's a fairly tough course.

My run was less than startling, as I predicted yesterday. I didn't really enjoy it too much but it served it's purpose as a training run......I got a touch of cramp at 6K but managed to run it off slowly....I think the best way to describe it is like a conveyor belt - I'm the only one on it - and I'm going backwards....never mind, I shouldn't complain, it was a good day.........and my first "brick" for quite some time. There was a good representation of Wick Tri Clubbers at the event....hopefully all their times will filter through later.

Well done to all the organisers, spectators and, ofcourse, competitors who made the atmosphere very friendly. Hopefully I'll go back next year and slice a fair bit off the 53 mins that I managed.

Plans...

2010-05-15T17:30:00.000+01:00

The best laid ones...gang aft agley....the famous Scottish bard once wrote.

I had serious thoughts about moving the next Summer Series race to next Saturday ( the 22nd ) but find out that I'm going to be walking upwards towards the top of Ben Nevis, that day....so all my plans are scuppered once more.

Never mind, Mey 10K tomorrow and I'm giving serious thought to cycling out there and back....my run is going to be horrendous anyway so I may as well make it worthwhile.

Nowhere to Hide - Episode #6

2010-05-14T22:25:00.000+01:00

CLYNE SWEEP?

They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.......another PB for young Clyne 28.47 on a night where everyone else sort of trod water......

Your T&T correspondent was indisposed again.....youngest daughter's 17th birthday....which meant a nice plate of steak and chips with all the trimmings at the Smiddy in Thrumster. I was ready to go this week....not necessarily to "go", as in in "go fast"......but "go" nonetheless. I went along to the group cycle on Tuesday evening and set off for the home in a two-up with the aforementioned Graeme Clyne....it was all I could do to hang onto his wheel so I'm glad to see he's cycling so well....it means, I suppose, that I'm not doing too badly at the moment.....relatively.

I still think the one to watch this season is young Ben Arnold......another case of fruit, trees and gravity.

Michael and Charlie are having some ding-dongs up at the front of the field.....6 seconds between them this week with Michael again coming out on top.

Interesting note from Stuart regarding Graham Sutherland....it says on the time sheet .. DNF - "gear problems"....take from that what you will......my advice is to get onto "Wiggle" Graham and ask Dad to buy you some new "gear"

There's a massive selection out there....as you can see.

Just be careful what you choose.

Still Struggling....

2010-05-08T13:27:00.000+01:00

Well I managed to get to Haster and back.

The less than good news was that my AHR was in the mid 160's all the way, which isn't good on a long run.

Obviously I'm still under-par. My motivation goes right through the floor when these stupid infections kick in and it was a real struggle to get myself going this morning.

Long cycle is a certainty tomorrow and then a couple of runs and cycles next week before the 10K at Mey next Sunday......no predictions for that one.....breaking 50 mins could be difficult at this rate.

Weekend plans

2010-05-08T09:03:00.001+01:00

Surprisingly felt a good bit better yesterday....possibly due to the sunshine, that always helps to lift the spirits.

In the afternoon I took a small group of school kids out for an hour on the mountain bikes and then when I got home I felt inspired enough to take the dog and go for a wee run out along the Cliff Course. It's a while since I've been up there and I noted that some kind person(s) has/have built stepping stones across the watery bits. I love that run and was fairly satisfied when I got home that I'm just about clear of this bug.

I'm going to go along to the boating shed this morning with the intention of dropping off the run at some point....the only thing is, where? If we go to Haster I'm pretty much committed to at least 8 miles and don't want to end up in a greasy heap. I'll see how I feel once we get going and may just turn back at Haster if I'm struggling....that'll give me about six or so.

It's nice to be feeling a bit better. I think it'll be the long cycle tomorrow though....don't fancy a 25 mile TT at this point in time.

Nowhere to Hide - Episode #5

2010-05-06T20:06:00.000+01:00

Make no apologies for posting this before I even know what the results are...it's election day and I've elected to stay at home.

There's a north easterly, it's threatening rain and I've still got the bugs......a recipe for....well, feeling sorry for myself, I suppose.

Think I'm going to have to give in and go for some drugs tomorrow.

Grumpy.

The Mini Triathlon

2010-05-04T21:51:00.000+01:00

We were away in Edinburgh at the weekend and so missed the May Mini......

I had to content myself with seeing "Les Miserables" at the Playhouse.....must admit it was pretty darned good. Apparently it is the 25th anniversary of the show....yeah that made me sit up and pay attention too.....25 years!? I seem to remember, only too clearly, the show debuting in London's West End. We went to the matinee show and the place was packed....think the SuBo effect is still very much in full swing.

It was my mother's favourite show and I can see why....by the end of it....we were pretty drained emotionally.....yeah, excellent stuff....and Gareth Gates remembered all his lines.

So, onto the mini triathlon. Sounds like it was a good day if a little cold on the bike.

Congratulations to all who took part...please come back for the other events later in the year.

I managed to post Fiona's timesheet on the Triathlon Club blog.....go there to see that and Robert's video....good stuff.

Cold/infection is finally improving. Had to take a half day today as I was feeling really bad but a hot bath and a sleep helped....should be ready for a run and a cycle this week at some point.

Nowhere to Hide - Episode #4

2010-05-04T16:14:00.000+01:00

Just my luck.

The best night of the season so far and I'm stuck at home....coughing and snottering.......curses!

Never mind there'll be other nights....possibly.

Another good turn out of 15 riders and the fact that the slowest time was just over 31 minutes tells you that conditions were very decent indeed.

There'll be snow next Thursday, you wait and see....

Lurghi Returns....

2010-04-26T20:55:00.000+01:00

Could there be a connection?

I'd reduced my swimming to once a week to see if my health would improve....it did.

I swam twice last week, with nose clips.....

I now have another sinus/chest infection.....could just be coincidence....and I don't really want to appear slanderous. I think it's something to do with my physiology rather than anything that's going on with the pool.

Whatever.....down I go again.....it's infuriating.

Anyway enough of that....I missed the first Summer Series run on Saturday as I was away building this out at the Casteltown Heritage Centre. Brian kindly gathered in all the times and texted them to me....seems that the first one of the season failed to capture the imagination. I see plenty of people out and about just now training, I would assume, for the Mey 10K....maybe we need to tap into that stream to try and invigorate ourselves. Please put the word out to anyone you think may be interested.

Unfortunately, I'm missing next month's race too due to a school trip to Edinburgh.....would anyone be averse to bringing it in a week?? Please email me kfa444@gmail.com.

Nowhere To Hide - Episode #3

2010-04-22T22:39:00.003+01:00

Yes.... as I said yesterday....."Tough" was the most appropriate word for last night's 10 mile TT.

Put it this way when you consider that Michael is winning with 28.15 it suggests that something wasn't right....that something was our old friend....the weather.

I know I harp on and on about the weather and you're all probably thinking ..."For goodness sake, stop moaning and just get on with it"....well.......it affected every single rider last night.....not just me, some tend to cope with it better.

First off, I was cold....I'm convinced there was a bit of North in that wind and it was into our faces again on the outward journey....okay, fair enough, we're getting used to that now....that's 3 TTs on the trot where this has been the scenario. However, last night there was a nasty shock in store for us once we got turned....the wind didn't seem to be helping much on the way home. I think after the first two TTs everyone was expecting to let rip on the inward five.....didn't happen.....not for me at least. I seemed to be working really hard and getting little response.....I think I maxed out at 26mph going down past Thuster Mains......and it was short lived.....keeping the speedo above 20mph took a lot of concentration.....then little flickers of cramp started to appear.....they never came to anything just let me now that they were there.

Funny old night.....but hey, you get them and it's early doors.

Good turn out again, nice to see Brian there....going well as usual.

Ben and Alun ditched the tandem last night, Ben making his debut as an individual and doing very well in 37.19....a chip off the old block me thinks.....definitely one to watch for the future......Liam Beales was back too, recording a very decent 36.42. These young lads are going to be the lifes blood of the club and we need to give them all the encouragement we can......it would be good if somewhere down the line this season they start to come along to the Tuesday night Club run.....that'll really bring them on.

I slipped out to 32.31 but really should be satisfied with that.

Results have been posted in the usual place.

Where HasThe Week Gone?

2010-04-21T22:44:00.001+01:00

Wow!

Wednesday already. I've juggled things around this week giving myself a couple of runs to start the week off on Monday and Tuesday...the weather took a turn for the worse....snow, hailstones, high winds etc....

Look, I'll run in that but the bike stays firmly on the hooks.

Had a wee bit of time to catch up on my emails tonight after swimming ( which I found pretty hard ). This came hurtling in from Norman McLennan. It's all about barefoot running......now it's about an hour long so set aside some time....I don't think you'll be disappointed....The guy is called Christopher McDougall and his book is called "Born To Run"....order yours now.

Here's a picture of these new "Five Fingers" running sandals I was telling you about lads.....believe me now?

Who do you reckon will be the first to get a pair?

Weekenders

2010-04-18T11:06:00.000+01:00

It's really cold and wet this morning and I am very tired, so my decision to stay in bed seems to have been vindicated. Good luck to you Sunday cyclists....it's 10.30 am and it looks miserable....glad I'm not out there.

Yesterday, Brian and I were the only two duathletes down at Langley Lane. The weather wasn't too clement with the wind really pushing you back for about half of the cycle.

We started off the run together and I reached the first transition slightly ahead. I knew that the cycle was going to be a slog for me so I suggested to Brian that I would just do the seven mile loop....this would mean less hanging about at the end....with that Brian disappeared in a cloud of dust.

I was fairly pleased with my second run which was much the same as my first one for a change.

Tough morning.

Run 18.36 Trans 1.09 Cycle 25.35 Trans 0.40 Run 18.38

Duathlon

2010-04-17T10:20:00.000+01:00

Just getting ready to head off to this morning's duathlon.

2.2 / 10 / 2.2 miles

Hoping for a better showing than normal. Haven't felt comfortable doing this event all winter and really struggled from bike to run. Must try to keep myself well hydrated and not cramp up for once.

Both running and cycling have been going okay....nothing special just okay.

We'll see.....will report back later.

Weather: dull and windy....judging by the sky I would say high probability of some dampness.

Nowhere To Hide - Episode #2

2010-04-16T08:52:00.000+01:00

A thunder plump at a around 6.30 pm last night all but had everyone settling down for a night at the fireside waiting for the Prime Ministerial Debate. However, it passed over and was gone by 6.40 pm so that left some time to mosey on down to the second Wick Wheelers Ten Mile Time Trial of the season.

No warm up, again, last night.....I'm going to have to rectify that soon or I'll do myself a mischief at some point.

So what conditions did we have to contend with last night?

Well, the wind certainly felt a bit fresher than it did last week and I was well layered up as were one or two others....even Charlie Mackay had long sleeves on last night ( must have been a bit nippy ). The wind was from the west again and fairly strong so we knew what to expect.

The only difficulty now would be negotiating the clouds of volcanic ash?

Fifteen participants last night which is up, I think, on last year ...so that's promising. Given the hard evening that it was it was great to see so many on the road. I suppose we could say that there were actually sixteen cyclists as Ben and Alun Arnold arrived on a shiny new tandem. I think after his speed bursts on Tuesday night the "Old Fella" needed you there to push him along Ben....lovely to see a tandem at the TT, there hasn't been one for a while....since Don Renwick's days probably.

We had one PB...Graeme Clyne recording 31.35 and at the top of the tree Michael Sutherland returned to put a bit of a squeeze on Charlie by edging the fastest time of the night by 6 seconds.

At the moment there is a gulf in times between the riders who can reach the 27s and 28s and the ones like myself, who struggle to reach that 30 barrier in the windy conditions. Still, I got closer with 30.37 last night....I had an excellent "minute (wo)man" in Helen who kept me honest from start to finish and made me work pretty hard on the flats......it certainly helped me concentrate as we were both passed, in a rush, by David Sutherland then Charlie Mackay in quick succession and it can be pretty demoralising.... just have to work harder.

Blown Out!

2010-04-13T23:09:00.000+01:00

Well....that was a wake up call.

Was coerced into latching onto the fast group tonight for the run in from Watten....it hurt.

They were kind enough to let me be a passenger into a slight head wind and I tried to latch onto the back of them like a limpet. I was doing okay until we rounded the bend, heading towards the lodge at Haster then someone....and I think it was that naughty boy, Alun Arnold, injected some pace that was well beyond my element........woooooosh!......out the back I was jettisoned.

Still...what doesn't kill you makes you stronger........am I wrong?

One more small point before I hit the hay. I have appended my donations page to the side bar.....and I dare say some of you will have received an email by now. Please do not feel obliged to contribute I am fully aware that there a great many of these fundraising sites on the go and we are, after all, in a recession....I would appreciate if you could spread the word though...all in a good cause.

Thanks.

The Sunday Cycle

2010-04-11T16:56:00.004+01:00

A nice group of nine took off this morning for the Sunday constitutional.

Nice to see Alun back, he's home for the next three weeks so will no doubt be joining us for quite a few training runs. Joe was also back in harness as was Phil after his head-cold....

A gorgeous morning again....we did think that the sea haar was going to spoil things as we sped down the Quoys of Reiss but thankfully we rode away from the sea and the fog just before the group split in customary fashion.

First split was when Phil, paying homage to the Paris-Roubaix, cut off at Lyth and headed off on his tod towards some farm-tracks at Canisbay....I don't think there's a road. or track, left in Caithness that Phil hasn't cycled.

Further up the road the group of eight divided evenly into two groups of four......some heading towards Olrig and the rest towards Bower- Gillock. Kait, Chris, Bruce and I headed in the latter direction and had a pleasant run across....in what must have been a rush of blood I suggested Dunn Hill......a phrase which caused a further split and a few minutes later Kait and I were toiling up the brae....Chris and Bruce pushing straight on for home.

After a well earned drink and snack we dug in for the homeward 10 miles.

As Wick approached we could see that the haar was just beginning to burn off.....and leave us with a sunny afternoon.....perfect!

Caithness is beautiful....especially when you can get out and about and enjoy it.....these photos were taken from my mobile and don't do the scenery justice.....Watten Loch was like a mirror today, the reflections were amazing....sadly, that photo didn't come out!!

A Run in the Sun

2010-04-10T17:29:00.000+01:00

Glorious morning for a run and good to see six bodies at the boating shed for the usual Saturday morning muster.

George Ewing has been making the most of his brief visit back to the county by getting involved in everything that's been going on.....we miss you George.....and it was good to see Andy Scollay who's obviously been keeping himself in decent shape as he covered the whole run of 11+ miles, including a wee "push" on the march Path.

I really enjoyed that today. I must admit, I felt pretty crappy running down to the riverside as my left achilles was complaining and my heels were a bit sore in general....especially on the underside.....however once I got four or five miles deep I was feeling fine.

To my surprise today I covered 11.3 miles in about 1hr 43 but what was most significant was that my AHR was 148bpm....I suppose that means I'm getting fitter....it's all good.

East Fife Triathlon

2010-04-10T16:56:00.001+01:00

David Sutherland will flying the flag for Wick Tri Club at the East Fife Triathlon tomorrow....as a warm up for his GB (?) qualifying race very soon.

He's been struggling with a niggling achilles injury recently and hasn't been doing much running at all so itshould be a good tester of how things will hold up under race conditions.

I'll update the blog as soon as I hear something.