After not finishing IMUK a few weeks ago, on Saturday 9 August I decided it was time to have another crack at the iron distance. At 7:30am I got into Stoke Newington reservoir ready to swim 3.8km, cycle 112 miles north to Peterborough then run 26.2 miles round the city. This is the story of [...]
Most of us are scared of failure. Of trying something and falling short. It stops us from even attempting many things that we’d like to do. And it’s stupid. I try to help my runners get over this fear when I’m leading my running groups. Each week that they attempt a new distance I’ll be [...]
Before the start of the race I made myself a promise: I wouldn't end my race unless I absolutely had to and would keep going until someone told me to stop. No matter how much I wanted to stop, I would ask myself the question 'can I continue?' and if the answer was yes, I'd [...]
I've read the poem below many times over in the past few weeks. It says all that I want to say to myself as I prepare for the Ironman on Sunday. There are many times that I could have failed over the past two years since I decided to do an Ironman despite not being [...]
The Ironman in Bolton is getting unnervingly close. I spend my waking hours flitting between being nervous about what's going to happen on the day and telling myself that I can do it. I've made a list of things to take with me, a list of things I'll need on the day and a list [...]
Guest post by Jon Wood; runner, architect and writer. As I cycled up to Hackney Marshes I started to realise the enormity of this half marathon event. I was overwhelmed by its scale: 12,000 runners, some say 12,500. It was here, about 6 years ago I ran my first half marathon. That was a much [...]
You don't train for an Ironman by yourself. At least I can't see how you can. I'm lucky to have a team of people around me who all help training happen, whether they realise it or not. My four-year-old niece who asked me why I cycle so much, prompting me to answer that I do [...]
Once upon a time, running kit was black. It was a sensible choice, it didn't show the dirt and sweat patches and, helpfully, everything matched. You wore it until it fell apart, the mud stains would no longer wash out of it or it stank so bad that it crawled it's way to the bin [...]
Last week as Katie and I walked across Hyde Park to the start of the World Tri London, many other triathletes were treading the same path. Many of them were weighed down by big bags and boxes balanced precariously on the crossbars on their bikes. "But what do they have in there?" This was one question [...]
"Why does it have to be so early?" asked my friend Helen. When she'd agreed to put me up the night before my race and then drive me to the start, she wasn't aware that triathletes like to get the party started so early. I woke her up at 6.30am and we were out the [...]
