Running Machine - 30 mins - 4.34km

So the plan with the running machine is to get faster and to run for longer. I appreciate that it's not the same as road running but it's a useful tool. At the moment I'm doing 8.6km/h and plan to increase it by 0.1 every run and once I've reached the 5km mark on the machine I'll start increasing the time by 5 minutes each day.

We'll see what happens!

North Berwick Cycle - 40km - 1 Hour 59 mins

Tash and I did this 2 weeks ago. It was a great ride but really more of a gossip and catch up than any kind of training ride.

It was great to be out on the coast road down to North Berwick and there was loads of other cyclists and not much in the way of traffic. I'd never been down that neck of the woods and the scenery just made the miles disappear without even realising it.

The plan is to do this again but at speed but after deciding that we opted to jump on the train back to Edinburgh and have a quick coffee with some more chat and banter. All in all a really nice day out on the tarmac.

One annoying this is that the rear derailier on the Trek is playing up really badly since the Glasgow-Edinburgh crash. I've footered around with it for ages now but I guess it's time for the professionals to get in on the act as it's no fun pedalling up hill when your gears have a mind of their own.

Arthur's Seat Run - 5.3km - 40mins 31 sec

I really can't make my mind up if today's run was good or a nightmare!

The time posted if obviously faster than last time and only slightly shy of the 40 minute mark. I think we both knew that it was going to be a faster time as we only stopped for 3 very short walks. The weather was also better in so far as it was dry and sunny.

However, it was sooooo windy and it didn't matter which direction we ran in, the wind was always in our face... and it blowed (in more ways than one!) We really struggled and it was definitely at it's worse during the up hill segment.

Thankfully the down hill was great and we cruised to the end of the run without to much of an issue. The usual sprint finish was obligatory but we missed out on 40 mins by a few seconds but at least it gives us something to aim for next time.

Of note, weirdly so, the cycle there and back took exactly the same as it did last time... to the second.

Arthur's Seat Run - 5.3km - 43 min 10 sec

OK. I've been bad. It's been ages since I've ran and this is the first time I've EVER run since coming to Edinburgh. Thanks to Simon for making me get off the couch today and jog round Arthur's Seat.

The weather was a bit miserable which was unfortunate since I had the camera with me and was hoping for some tasty pics from the top. Alas it was not to be and what was more unfortunate is that yesterday it was lovely which was when we were suppose to run it. The view was still not too bad though - as shown above.

Next time!

Also the cycle over to the Parliment Building and back is 13.3km so that an extra wee bit of exercise thrown in. Very hilly though and took 42min and 42 sec. Poor!

Pedal For Scotland - 55 miles - 3 hours 56 mins

I don't' know how I got talked into this annual event... wait, now I remember - Stuart berated me on the phone a couple of nights earlier until I finally gave in and agreed to sign up.

So what is Pedal for Scotland? Well it's a Glasgow to Edinburgh cycle that had around 5500 particiants. However it wasn't a race and so there was a whole range of cyclists and unfortunately the variety of "speed" meant that we were slow-to-walking at many of the bottle necks.

The day started at 6am. I was up and on the bike trying to find Victoria Park in the North of Edinburgh. It took a while of cruising around until I met a bunch of other cyclists who also seemed lost. Our peleton increased in size till we eventually found the park. There was already a fairly big queue but it moved resonably quickly and soon my bike was on a random truck and I was on a double decker heading over to Glasgow.

It took quite a while to get all the bikes off our particular truck but when mine was handed down to me I was glad to see that it was in one piece. It didn't take long for me to find Stuart at the Winter Gardens and after quickly registering and a rapid porta-cabin pee break we were at the start line. There seemed to be no real start time and groups of people were leaving every few seconds. This was all egged on by a very camp "Radio Presenter" who's nail of a voice scraped down the blackboard of my ear drums.

Over the next hour we slowly snaked our way out of Glasgow spending much of our time avoiding the ubiquitous green glass of shattered Buckfast bottles. The route was also hampered by lots of day-tripper cyclists free wheeling en masse and the odd jackie asking us if we wanted a can of beer from his blue plastic bag.

The first sign of countryside came at the first break. It was at Drumpellier park and there was loads of free munchies for everyone. Bananas, red bull, water, Tunnocks caramels, Lion Bars to name a few. However everyone decided to stop here and there was no way through the crowds so we ended up pushing the bikes through everyone and finally gave up and joined in the feast. After shoving a couple of spare Smarties chocolate bars in the back packs we set off again.

The next stage of the ride was really nice. We cruised through Airdrie and out towards Avonbridge. The sun continued to shine on and off and there wasn't a hint of rain. The wind blew from the side but never blew from the front so that was one battle we didn't have to content with. We missed out the pit stop at Avonbridge and continued onto Linlithgow. This was perhaps the nicest part of the ride - lots of downhill coasting and chatting and everyone in this section seemed to be having a great time.

In no time we reached Linlithgow where a couple of wardens waved us into what can only be described as a hole in a wall. However on the other side the wall was the very beautiful and picturesque Linlithgow park and castle. A big marquee was set up and volunteers were serving free pasta, sandwiches and soup. The view was incredible and we sat out in the sun for 30 mins or so enjoying the atmosphere.

All too soon we were back on the bike and decided to forego the final pitstop and continue through South Queensferry to the finish line. The legs were beginning to burn by this point and my lack ot training was showing. There were plenty of people at the sides of the roads clapping and cheering us along so we found the extra strength to keep going.

No story would be complete without a crash and this trip didn't disappoint. About 1 mile from the finish I overtook someone on a narrow part of cycle path. It was reasonably steep and we were doing 35-40kph when my front tyre slid in some moss at the right hand side of the path. I careered into the front of the bloke on my left and went over onto my right elbow then slid along the ground for several metres with the other irrate cyclist onto of me. Both of us were clipped into our pedals and it took a while to untangle us. Thankfully nobody was properly hurt and I escaped with a grazed elbow. My handle bars were slightly damaged and the other guy was missing a few spokes but although he was obviously pissed off he refused my offer to pay for new spokes.

I should point out that although I didn't have a bell and didn't warn him that I was overtaking he was chatting up a girl on his left and while not paying attention he moved slightly to the right on the narrow path just as I was overtaking which pushed me into the verge. So although in the world of cycling I was at fault, if it had been on the roads in cars, he would have been the one that was at fault.

We were thankfully close to the finish line and minutes later crossed it basically in one piece. The time was lame but my original plan was to attempt to do it in under 4 hours which we did. Had it been a straight ride with none of the obstacles I'm sure that we would have made it in nearer 3. None the less I was happy that we made it and I'll definitely be up for it again next year.

Edinburgh to Livingston via don't know where - 45km - 1 hour 59 mins

Right,

I've not bloody idea where the hell I went today. I tried to cycle out to Livingston on the B roads and got totally lost. One of the consultants at work said "hey make sure you take a OS map or you'll get lost. Took me ages to find the correct route".

I said that I'd find the way but eff me I didn't. Anyway, I finally found the way to Howden which was close enough and then headed back. Originally I thought I was going the right way but soon I realised that I was on the B7015 which was a totally different road that I'd cycled out on.

Eventually I was on the A71 and although faster was much much busier. Still it was a good distance althought the overall speed sucked. At least I know that I can make it out to work and back on the bike.

West End Loop via Norval - 6.8km - 47mins 10secs

Well well. A big improvement today and an non-stop effort. It just goes to show you that managing to keep going without a walking break makes a huge difference in time - more than 2 minutes faster than the last time we did this.

Next we'll have to increase the distance.

Western to Partick via Norval - 3.5km - 22min 46sec

A slow one and a painful one to boot. I've decided that it sucks running home from work with a backpack. My Chi is all off center when I've got that thing bouncing up and down with every step. Also the mesh lining of my jacket is now totally ruined from the friction.

Worse though is even on this short run I'm looking at a 10k time of 65mins. D'oh.

West End Loop via Norval - 6.8km - 49min 35sec

Well this could have been better. Adam's been in the midst of a house flit over the last few weeks and so hasn't run at all. Also this is the longest distance that he's run so a stop or 2 was to be expected.

In the end we had 3 walks due to stitches but at least we are creeping closer to that elusive 10km mental barrier for Adam. I doubt a sub-hour 10k will be achiveable by the Glasgow Race in September but I guess that's not really the point.

The Pain

Don't really know what's going on with my legs but I've not run since the sore ankle episode. Every day since I've had a variety of leg aches and pains from sore knees to sore shins. Only my toes seem unaffected.

Supposed to be running with Adam tomorrow but I'm not sure how I'll be feeling then. opefully he's done no running for a few weeks and my agonising shuffle will seem less noticeable.

Western to Partick - 6km - 40min 02sec

Ran this yesterday as promised and it felt much harder than it was the day before despite bring almost a minute faster. Unfortunately I awoke with pain in my right ankle this morning which was so sore that I had to take some Ibuprofen.

I don't think I'll run today!

Western to Partick - 6km - 40min 55sec

I've been a bit crap in the last few weeks since the Triathlon. Since then I've only done 5 runs, no cycling and no swimming (no surprises there). This one yesterday is the only one that I've timed and I was taking it really easy.

I've started doing this route on the way home from the Western and it's got the potential to be stretched out a wee bit if I feel the need. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true and if I get bored or tired I have several alternative routes that I can bail out on and drop the distance easily.

I've also temporarily lost my running partner to the vices of maturity and he's busy moving house and mortgaging and shopping in Ikea etc. All the things I've got to look forward to in the next few months. Worse luck. Anyway, we've got a run planned for next Tuesday and I'm planning to always run home from work from now on.

We'll see how that goes!!!

Stirling Triathlon - 1st June 2008 - 1 hour 42 mins

Sorry,

I've been totally remiss in writing this damn thing. So for a quick catch up read on...

I became quite slack with my training but the day of the big race came and I still did it. It took longer than I thought and I was shattered at the end but it was worth it.

The swim was a joke - I'd put myself in quite a fast heat even though I'd not swam since Sydney. I should have put 18 mins as my time but I was in a 14 min heat and I got overtaken so many times that I spent more time hanging onto the side of the pool letting other folk pass me than I did actually swimming. I'll not make that mistake in the future! I was so slow that I ended up doing my last 4 laps by myself. Not only was I the only person left in my lane - I was also the only person left in the pool from my heat. The one consolation is that I got a big round of applause when I eventually got out.

The cycle was really nice and pleasant but as my group were over 3 minutes ahead of me there was no way that I was going to catch them. Infact, I didn't even see any of them so I had noone to chase. It meant that I had a nice leisurely cycle round the Stirling Country side which never felt like a race at any point (until a group of 5 guys from a later heat caught me just before I reached the run section).

The run was actually easier than I thought it was going to be. I think it had more to do with the fact that I had spent almost no energy in the previous 2 sections by going so slow than the fact that I'm a highly tuned triathlete!!! What did suck though was that the route was actually 2.5km and i required 2 loops to complete it. Therefore everyone had the agony of reaching the finish line but alas had another lap to do.

I crossed the line finally with a sprint finish which I was pleased with and I hadn't stopped at any point during the event. That was my real goal but I like to think that with a bit of training I'll be able to break 1:40 without a problem and if I really put my mind to it I'll get sub 90 mins at next year's event.

Anyway, that's where I'm up to at the moment. I'm still going to do a few 10km races this year and once I'm finally settled in Edinburgh I'll join a club or two and really try to get into it.

Here's hoping!

Broomhill Loop - 5.7km - 43min 55sec

A very slow run by virtue of the fact that we had to run all the way UP crow road first. The sun was boiling and Adam had a few crampy moments which lead to a couple of walks. Despite it being slow it was still a major achievement in that the length of time we spent running was fairly long and we are still over the 5km distance now with some varied terrain.

West End Loop - 6km - 38min 57sec

A goos run from the point of view that we started off with Isla who pummeled us into the ground for the first 3km and then left us as dribbling wrecks for the remainder of the run. Surprisingly we made it but it felt rather difficult having such a quick start.

West End Loop - 10km - 1 hour 8 mins 47sec

I just wanted to see if I could do this without stopping and I was quite pleased to see that I could. However, the time was dreadful as I was hardly moving but I suppose the important thing is that I made it.

West End Loop - 6km - 38min 4sec

No internet in the flat means no updates on this site. Sorry.

Did this run today with Adam and Isla. She runs far too quickly for us and I found it really hard to keep up. It was unfortunate as it made the run miserable and tough on both Adam and myself. None the less we made it round without stopping and I even managed to throw in some Fartlek on some of the hills. I didn't enjoy those that much but I can see how it would make you a faster runner.

Soon we'll try 7km and then 8km. By July we should be doing the 10km distance regularly... hopefully.

Meall Fuar-mhonaidh Walk - 8km - untimed

Although this isn't really a training run or cycle it was hard work and took around 2.5 hours so I'm including it in the Blog.

The walk started near Drumnadrochit and wound up the boggy hills up to the the summit over looking Loch Ness. Most of it was quite steep and slippy but we made it too the top without issues. Thankfully there was no rain and we soon found ourselves at the viewpoint or 602m just shy of a Corbet (610m/2000ft). As with most climbs, the way down was tougher on the knees than the way up which is a shame as I don't think I'll be running tomorrow.

No sign of Nessie today!

Inverness Isles - 5km - 28:38

Told you I could run this faster. I wasn't expecting a PB but bloody hell I'm chuffed. Also glad as I've not done much exercise since the 20th April.

Inverness Isles - 5km - 30:33

I came up to visit Matt and KP in Inverness and there is this convenient loop round the River Ness which, fortunately, they live on the banks off. I decided to run this yesterday and it was incredibly beautiful. Unfortunately, I wasn't really paying any attention to the run as I was too busy looking at the scenery. It was a completely flat route so I'm sure I could have run it faster.

I'll give it a shot later...

Arran (Anti-Clockwise) - 94km - 4 hours 51 mins

This was overall quite horrible yesterday.

It started off with a great tail wind that blew us over Lochranza and then down most of the coast to Blackwaterfoot. However, it was in our face for the entire rest of the cycle. The going was tough and Stuart made the ferry by the skin of his teeth while Natasha and I arrived in time to watch it cast off it's ropes and head to the mainland... without us!

So we went to the pub. Watched the Rangers vs St Johnstone semi-final (which was actually very exciting as it went to penalties - and normally I hate football). Drank about 4 pints of coke. Then got the 1920 ferry back home.

I now have an aching right knee which has got me worried slightly for future training. I think I'll take the next couple of days off!

Short Southside Loop - 4km - 26:17

This was just a short run tonight as Adam had other stuff to do. None-the-less it was a full run at an ok pace with no stops. If my calculations are right then we would have done a 5km run in 32:51 at this pace which is great but more importantly I know that we are now well on our way to running the 10k with no stops in Sept.

Here's hoping we keep it up!!!

Skelmorlie Loop - 5km - 28:49

Whoo Haa!

Look at that! I actually beat my time and by a very significant 40 seconds! There is hope afterall for the next 6 weeks. One thing that was different today was that I didn't run with the iPod which I read actually slows you down as you tune out and start listening to the music and not your feet. Hence you don't "talk to yourself" on the way round and encourage yourself to run faster/longer etc.

Today I was definitely urging myself on and so it made a difference - but man, it's boring without the music!

West End Loop - 5km - 33:11

Spectacular effort today on Adam's behalf.

I was pushing for us to make it all the way to Byres Rd before our first walk but when we got there Adam said he had a bit more in him so we carried on down the street. We were aiming for Uni Ave which then became Church St which then became Dumbarton Rd and before I knew it Adam was saying, "Shall we just run the whole thing?"

So we did. He says he's not being doing any extra running but I'm not so sure!!!

Skelmorlie Loop - 5km - 30:58

First full 5km run in a while without stopping and the time was not bad especially since I did the Arran abomination less than 48 hours ago. The first flat and the hill seemed really slow and my stride was tiny. I tried to open up on the down hill and the home flat and didn't think that it was making much difference but obviously it did.

Still haven't beaten my single sub-30 time yet and a day like today would have been the one to do it on - although it was only 3C the sun was shining and there wasn't a breeze at all. It's not often that the Clyde looks so glassy.

Arran (Anti-Clockwise) - 94km - 4 hours 29 mins

Well, I don't think I'll be doing any exercise tomorrow morning.

This was awful. Actually, perhaps I should quantify that statement. Firstly it was only a trial run for next week's cycle with Natasha. In all honesty, I just wanted to see that I was up to the challenge and before I go any further I have to say this - I cycled the whole way without having to stop (apart from scheduled breaks) and there was no rain and thankfully no wind - bbc weather wrong again!

Which brings be onto my next point - I arrived at 1040 and I was planning to get the 1640 back to Ardrossan. For some reason I had it in my head that that's what we'd done on the previous Arran cycles. So I made my usual stop at the Distillery to pick up a mini of that cold filtered whiskey which always marks the victory of crossing the Lochranza hill (incidently, it's now 10 years old - the whiskey not the hill - so is in a different bottle which provided a great deal of confusion with the girl at the desk but got me a free taste).

After that I headed to Blackwaterfoot which has to be the nicest section of the ride. It's almost completely flat and the scenery was incredible as there was no wind and the water on the west coast was completely still. With snowcapped Goat Fell in the background it was quite serene.

I really wasn't going all that fast as I had planned a more leisurely inspection of the course than next weeks ride. So you can imagine my confusion as I sat outside the pub in Blackwaterfoot drinking a pint of coke and eating a packet of salt and vinegar crisps, looked at the clock and realised I only had 2 hours to catch the 1640 ferry. I couldn't quite work it out - last time we'd stopped there for a full meal - not to mention we had some really slow cyclists with us who were miles behind.

Then it sunk in... Last time we had taken the 1920 back and if I didn't get a move on then I was going to have to wait about 3 hours for the next ferry. With that I powered on and suddenly started having flash backs to the time that Serban and I had to walk a great deal of the next 20 miles.

Thankfully, I didn't miss the ferry and I managed the whole section without stops but it was terrible. Not because I couldn't do it but because time was against me and this part of the Island is particularly hilly. At points I was only doing about 4.5mph and I cursed and swore and screamed at the seemingly endless gradient.

Finally with about 10 minutes to spare, I freewheeled into the ferry terminal and boarded the boat. It was a relief to say the least but I'm glad I did it. Now I have to try and decide if next weeks cycle is going to be a race for the ferry or a meandering sightseeing tour for the first-timers. I'll be voting for the second motion.

IBM and Back - 20km - 45mins

Dismal day this morning. Freezing rain and a whole 3C on the speedo meant that my toes and fingers were numb by the first 10km. I was planning to do the 35km Greenock via Gourock route but it was just too cold. Anyway, I've not done this route since Feb and I was only 3 minutes faster - but faster none-the-less.

I'm really hoping that the 20th isn't like this as 55 miles round Arran in those conditions will be impossible. I'll need to take a back pack full of dry clothes and whiskey.

West End Loop - 5km - 35min 48sec

WOW!

A significant improvement today - not just the time but the fact that I made Adam run as far as possible. We managed only 2 stops and the first one was at least 3km in. Now we have a bench mark for future runs and as long as we keep the pace slow we should make the 5km distance without stopping by the end of the month.

After that I think we will go up to 7km then 8km then 10km. if we do those in monthly increments then we will have the whole of August to try and reduce our 10km time to a sub-1 hour time. Mind you, I did say to Adam today that the most important thing was to be able to run the race without stopping - the time is just icing on the cake.

West End Loop - 5km - 36min 20secs

Did this 2 days ago with Adam. It was our first run together in over 2 weeks and I'm pleased that we were only 12 seconds slower than our fastest time. It was a bit nippy and spat a little but otherwise was good fun. We even had the questionable joy of stopping in at the GUU for a piss which brought back a lot of even more questionable memories.

I see a definite improvement in Adam so I think that the run we are doing tonight I'm going to push him to run non-stop for as long as possible. Hopefully we can crack the 3k mark without a walk! Check back later to find out...

Bullring and Back - 20km Split 49mins, 40km Total 1 hour 29 mins

Felt quite fast today but again it was very windy. It still looks like I'm going to do the 20km cycle section in about 44 - 45 mins depending on the wind at Stirling but hopefully it won't be snowing like it was this morning.

And it was only 4C again!

Bullring and Back - 20km split 47mins, 40km total 1 hour 32 mins + Skelmorlie Steps Run (3km untimed)

Well today was difficult. I really wanted to see if I could actually run after a big cycle so I headed on the 40km round trip to Greenock and back. It was tough on the legs after yesterdays ride but I made it back in average time. Then it was off with the bike shoes and on with the trainer.

Oh dear. It was hard. I felt like my legs had no bones in them as I wobbled along the street at the pace of a crawling neonate. In saying that I still made it up the hill and down the steps and back without stopping so I'm really quite pleased.

I should point out though that I really, REALLY, didn't enjoy running after cycling and it was a crazy sensation. It's going to take a lot more practice and I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and start running after most of my cycles.

Might give tomorrow a rest even though it's Sunday and a good day to be on the bike - but it's forcast for snow and high winds so perhaps a long lie would do me more good. Besides, I'm running with Adam in Glasgow on Monday so there's no escaping that.

Greenock Via Gourock - 20km Split 38mins, 35km Total 1hour 19mins

It was a very respectable 9C this morning and with the new tyre on the bike but a shady rickety noise coming from the back wheel (which I could attribute to anything appart from perhaps a ball bearing in the axel) I headed out for this 35km round trip.

It's been a while since I've done this one but the 20km split is the same route as the Bull Ring ride so I was really pleased when I crossed the 20km mark at 38mins. Actually, I'm tempted to say 37:59 as I saw the 37 change to 38 at the split. The fact that the seconds are broken is a bummer so I would have to put 37mins down and that would be ages before I broke that.

As you can see from the total - not much changed for the round trip but there was a horrific head wind (32mph gusts) on the way back (at one point I was in my third lowest gear ON THE FLAT). However, I think the time would have been even worse if I'd not put the new tyre on. On hindsight, I remember a massive difference in Sydney when I put that all weather tyre on the back wheel to replace my rear race tyre after it blew up. So it seems that the Schawble has been a good investment.

Skelmorlie Loop - 5km - 31:14

It's about time that I got out on the road again. I think it's over 2 weeks since I ran which it poor show to say the least. The time proves that!

Anyway, it started out at quite a good pace but towards the middle I crumbled again and the last 2km was more of a shuffle than a run. Also my right gleut started giving me gip which it's been threatening to do on the bike for ages. On the final stretch I had nothing and it was incredibly hard work getting to the end. But I did and should use this as incentive to get back to a sub 30min time.

Of note - Adam has been galavanting for the last couple of weeks also but wants to hit the tarmac on Monday evening so that'll be a definite run for both of us.

Incidently, I think the indoor trainer has destroyed my rear tyre. There's a single bald patch which is now warped as the inner tube tries to make a bid for freedom. Having investigated what's going on I think that the turbo-trainer fly-wheel gets so hot during a cycle that if I leave the bike attached afterwards then the metal melts the rubber. Bought a new tyre to replace it but I don't want it to happen again. Perhaps I should just brave the traffic and spend more time on the road with my lovely new Schwalbe tyre - I got the blue one!

F-athlete

That is supposed to be fat-hlete but doesn't really work due to the "th" sound.

Anyway, I have had a major rethink of the training situation and come to the conclusion that weight loss is going to be the single biggest thing that will help my tryathlon time. I've looked through all my times over the last 2 months and there doesn't seem to be much of a change. Obviously I've been doing that thing of "hey I've just exercised therefore I can eat anything I want now" and that sort of self-justification isn't healthy - literally.

In 1997 I went from 15 and a half stone to 12 stone 10lb in 2 and a half months by cycling every day. Although that's a bit to dramatic to be long term it still tells me that decent weight loss is possible. So what was the difference there?

Well, firstly I cycled EVERY day. I was on a mountain bike which takes more work than the racer and I was doing between 200 - 250 miles every 7 days. At the moment I'm probably doing around 100 with a bit of leisurely indoor trainer thrown in for good, but perhaps fruitless, measure. Also I was eating only 2 small meals per day and I wasn't snacking AT ALL. From the alcohol point of view, I would only drink when I was going out (which was rarely as I was staying at my parents) and then I would only have vodka and diet coke - which now would turn my stomach actually.

I guess what I'm trying to get at is that I was committed to dropping fat and that regime worked. It stayed off for quite a while but lack of will power and reduced commitment lead to it all coming back. I have to put some blame in the court of the GUU with all the free beer and free crappy food during the 2 years I was on the Board there. However, ultimately the fault is mine and I need to get that mind set back into my head.

I was reading that every extra kilo you carry requires an extra 3 watts of energy per meter to get you up a hill on the bike. Therefore, I am about 30kg over my ideal body weight so for a 100m stretch of climb I have to generate (3w x 30kg x 100m) 9000watts. If I did a 10km climb I would require almost a megawatt worth of extra energy. Crazy when you look at it that way. I'm sure that if I lost even 10kg by the triathlon then my times would be drastically better so that's the plan.

Absolutely no snacks

2 or 3 small meals per day

Moderate, low-cal booze if required

Plenty of water daily

Some exercise EVERY day

Mix together, cook at 36.5C for 9 weeks and serve up with your favorite sports drink on a platter of Stirling Triathlon - remembering to keep fingers crossed at all times.

Cloch Lighthouse and Back - Split 10km 22min - Total 20km 44min

Not very impressive. At least it was 4C today instead of the freezing 1C yesterday.

I tried to do this at "race-pace" and this was all I could manage so it looks like I'll barely manage to do the cycle segment in under 45 minutes. Every time I've had a split of around 40 mins I've had a huge tail wind and from the look of the route it's going to be a loop so tail winds will become head winds and vice versa.

I suppose it'll at least be a bit warmer and I'll not be wearing a big wind-catcher jacket at the time. As I remember though, Stirling is quite hilly in places and it could be a total nightmare on the road bike. I guess weight loss is where it's at. If you think that people pay thousands of pounds for lighter bikes when all they really need to do is shift a couple of their own kilos it kinda puts weight into perspective.

Bullring and Back - 20km split 45min - total 40km 1hour 30min

Did this again yesterday. I don't really know what the problem is. I just can't get my legs to pedal any more. It's not that they are tired and I'm not out of breath - it's just that they feel weak.

What's worse is that my time isn't changing at all. Strange.

Today is a bank holiday - perhaps I should get on the road again? Dunno, thinking about the indoor trainer instead. More importantly though that that I've done no running in over a week. Bad.

Bullring and Back - 20km split 50mins - 40km total 1 hour 29 min

In total this was slightly faster today but given that I did a long cycle yesterday too, perhaps it could have been faster. The way up was awful again and it seems that for the first 20km my legs have nothing in them. That's going to be an issue on the day of the triathlon surely as the cycle stage is only 20km.

On the plus side, the second 20km was 39mins and that is my fastest 20km to date.

Nice.

Bullring and Back - 20km split 48min - 40km total 1 hour 30 min

This was a bit of a disaster today. It took 48 mins to get to the 20km mark which is the longest time so far and I was so upset that I decided to come back the same way - adding 5km to my normal 35km loop but at least giving me the chance to try and beat 48 mins.

It wasn't hard although on the way back I still only managed 42min so all in all I'm a bit disheartened with the performance today but I suppose on the up side, I added some extra distance. I think I'll try it again tomorrow morning and see if I can do a bit better. Here's hoping.

Another thing that is frustrating to say the least is that there is very little in the way of improvment going on and I don't know why. I'm running or cycling 6 times a week now and yet I don't seem to be making much head way. Shame. Perhaps I need leg transplants...? I think the bloke in the picture is browsing the real life catalogue!

Skelmorlie Loop - 5km - 30:05

Frustratingly, this time ties with my second fastest time but is still half a minute slower than my fastest. What I find most perplexing is that my legs felt good and I wasn't out of breath at all. The hill at the start was no trouble and I rocketed down the slope to Weymss Bay and I was expecting to cross the finish way under my PB.

Why then was I so slow? There was no wind to speak of and the weather wasn't that cold. It wasn't raining and my cadence felt good. I just don't know. I realise that the day I did the 29 and a half minutes I had a massive tail wind for most of it but still I can't help feeling disappointed when everything felt in tune but still the time wasn't my best.

Them's the breaks I guess. Oh well, can't worry about it anymore as I've got my interview for GP training today and that's the only thing that should be on my mind.

West End Loop - 5km - 36:08

Qudos to Adam. A very respectable time today and we had some very long stretches of constant running. More important than the time though was the fact that we were able to chat the whole way round which I think means things are getting easier as well as faster.

Nice One.

Shawlands Loop - 5km - 36:35

So after that horrible cycle this morning I went up to Glasgow to run with Adam. For a bit of a change of scenery we ran round Shawlands and Victoria park which was good fun until the "Hill" and the return of the rain. Also there was one or two massive puddles that we ended up having to wade through.

All in all, not bad - and again a few more seconds shaved off the runs avec Adam.

Greenock Via Gourock Loop - 20km split - 40min, 35km total - 1 hour 20 min

Well the temp on the speedo went from 7C to a glorious 4C today. This happening in the middle of a downpour that soaked me. My jacket kept me dry but despite my over-shoe cover (which are supposed to be water proof) my shoe filled with rain and my toes and feet froze.

It was unbearable. At one point I rode past another cyclist who had taken refuge in a bus shelter. I felt his pain. Perhaps I should have joined him and waited for the storm to pass but my feet were in such agony by that point I decided just to try for home ASAP.

I have to say I was quite pleased that I made the 40min mark again without as much of a tail wind as last time but I was sorely disappointed with the final time. I suppose that's not all that important and the weather played a big part in that but still it sucks.

One thing that was interesting though - as I was on the way home I had to get off my bike at the IBM dual carrage way to move a huge bucket some moron had left in the fast lane. The process of running those few meters was horrible and I'm dreading the feeling in my legs the first time I do a trail run of the second transition. It's going to be very strange trying to run any distance after a 20km road cycle.

Giffnock Hills - 7km - 47:17

Tried this route with Sophie tonight and it was hard. Mainly because I was chatting so much about the new Xbox I've just bought but also because of the damn hills in Giffnock. Therefore I'm calling this, not only over-distance training, but also hill training.

I might try and do this route with her more frequently as it's good for my triathlon training but she's quite a bit fitter and faster than me and although I managed to keep up (barely) today, it's her first run of the year and I'm sure in a couple of weeks she'll be soaring ahead.

Better to train with people that are better than you though?!?!

Skelmorlie Loop - 5km - 30:05

Although today's time was not my fastest it certainly is the biggest victory as it was -2C when I went out and it was snowing. That's devotion for you. Actually the legs felt OK but breathing in that cold air was a nightmare for the first 500m and I thought I was having a major case of angina.

Got back in one piece thankfully, despite a fairly trecherous bit of icy down hill I had to contend with. Then spent half an hour on the indoor trainer - low gears though and a DVD to take my mind off the RPM so not much in the way of effort. Might try to run every day now. Not sure, but soon with have to go onto the over-distance training which I'm dreading.

West End Loop - 5km - 37:48

Amazing.

Even though I had ran already this morning and Adam hasn't run since last week, we still managed to know over a minute off our time this week. The run itself was really fun and again made me think how much better it is running with someone. All in all a very successful day on the running front. Hopefully things stay that way. Going to run with Adam again on Sunday after my shift. 5km round Victoria park on the South side - a nice change in scenery!

Skelmorlie Loop - 5km - 29:29

That's right folks 29mins and 29secs.

I wasn't supposed to be running this morning as the weather was due to be crap and I'm also running this evening in Glasgow with Adam but when I woke up the sun was shining and I thought "What the hell!" It spat a bit after I started but I continued round and although I felt a bit out of breath today I still felt quite good. I think I probably was at my maximum though as I had almost no sprint at the end and I was please to reach the house.

So that's it - 30 minutes has been broken. Now it's just a question of shaving off the odd 10-15 seconds here and there and trying to get it down to 25 minutes before the race.

On a random note I was treating a Triathlete the other day who was in his fifties and his best time for a sprint was 1 hour 6 minutes which is impressive. He also just finished an Iron Man in 11 hours. That's just crazy. The good thing was he says that I won't be last as there are plenty of people who drop out during the race. He also said that sometimes people only swim one length of the pool then stop. In saying that, I could still be the last person who actually finishes the race! Anyway, here is a picture of Hillary Swank running. Inspiration for slobs like me!!!

Greenock via Gourock Loop - 20km split 40min - 35km total 1hour 19min

I almost bailed out of this one today.

Looking out the window this morning there was trees being blown all over the place and the rain was lshing down so I opted for the indoor trainer. After about 2 minutes I realised that the rain had stopped and the wind seemed to have died down somewhat so I thought "F*** it!" and took the bike off the trainer, got my warmest and wind/rain proof-est gear on and braved the weather.

I'm glad I did. It stayed dry for the whole route and the tailwind out to Gourock gave me an artificially fast 20km split that knocked 4 minutes of my previous time. Still I'm going to count it as my new PB and that gives me a reasonably decent time to aim for more consistantly.

Overall, I lost a lot of time on the way back as the headwind was awful and at points I was only doing about 15 kmph. Not exactly the stuff of legends but regardless of all that I'm just happy that I got out on the road today.

Skelmorlie Loop - 5km - 31:00

And once again the 30 minute mark eludes me.

I was eager to try out my new jacket today and it lived up to it's windproof/waterproof claims. However, there was such a headwind - 29mph according to BBC weather - that I'm actually quite pleased with the 31 minute time. If there had been little or no wind then I think I'd have crossed the finish line in under 30 minutes.

Next time Gadget!

West End Loop - 5km - 39:02

SO I met up with Adam again this evening and we had our second "buddy run". Once again it was good fun and we did more running than last time (and a lot less walking). As you can see from the time - while still slow - smashed that of last weeks 42:32. Very impressive I thought. I'm looking to shaving seconds off this time over the next few weeks and hopefully we can get under the 30 minute mark together by May.

Now for a shot on the bike trainer for a cool down!

Shore Road Screw Up - 31km - 1:06

Although freezing day on the bike - a grand high of 7C. I tried to do the Greenock loop via Gourock that I did last weekend but the road is closed at the Gantock Hotel as the whole thing is a smoldering wreck. I think it must have burnt down over night. It's been derelict for some time now so I can only assume that it's was vandals.

So I got as far as that and then had to double back then go up the IBM road as far as the hospital turn off then back down to Skelmorlie. I'm sure that I could have done more but my feet were going to fall off and I'd forgotten to put on my shoe covers so that didn't help much.

Incidently, the only split I took was at 10km and that was 20 minutes so I think I was on course to post a faster time than last week. I guess I'll have to wait till next Sunday.

Another thing that you might have noticed is that I have only be posting complete minutes - I broke the speedo in Australia and I'm afraid that I can't read the seconds or the km fractions. Bummer.

Skelmorlie Short Loop - 3km - 19:34

This was awful today.

I had nothing in my legs going up the hill and for the first time since starting my training I had to stop. I wasn't even 2/3 up. I started running again once I was at the top but there was nothing there. So when the opportunity to take the stairs down to Shore Road appeared... well I took it.

As Brad Kearns says - sometimes there's no point pushing through as you're going against what you're body is telling you. Well my body is telling me that I'm not a pro athlete and carrying 16st around is not good for me. In all honesty, as I've said before, I think that just going on a diet and losing 3st before the race will do me more good that the exercise (from a race time point of view).

Anyway, after reassessing the situation I think that the problem is the indoor trainer. I was on it again for 40 minutes yesterday and although that's not a great deal of time it really does take a toll on my legs and I do feel it late into the evening.

Tomorrow is my long cycle to Greenock and back - by cutting the run short today I hope that I can beat my split for 20km and my 35km time tomorrow. That will have made today worthwhile.

West End Loop - 5km - 42:32

This was my first run with Adam. He's just starting out so we did walk/run/walk/run for this loop. I like to think of it as interval training as opposed to being lazy/unfit. Despite the slow time it was a good laugh and fun to run with someone else. Our next run is on Wednesday.

Meanwhile on the Skelmorlie Loop front - I'm going to try and break 30 mins tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

The bike trainer has also been treating me well but my legs hurt like nobody's business in the evenings especially after trying to do one-legged training. It kills.

Skelmorlie Loop - 5km - 30:25

Well I have to say that I'm surprised that in the space of 2 weeks and only 5 runs I've already dropped 4 minutes off my time. I guess that's what happens in the early stages - it's the later ones that get harder. Today however was still tough as it was only 2C outside and there was frost on the ground. The roads were quite icy too and on the steep descent to Wemyss Bay I really took my time. Shame though as I probably could have been sub-30 today if I'd not had to slow down.

On th plus side - the cycle trainer arrived yesterday and it's harder than I thought it would be. There are 7 levels of difficulty and I barely managed the first three. I also had a shot of that "one foot cycling" and that was impossible. Only managed 2 minutes a time with each leg. There's a really noticable dead space between about 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock where it's horrifically difficult to get the pedal over the top. It's going to take a long time and a lot of practice I think!

Also, I don't know if I mentioned, Adam is keen to do the Glasgow 10km and run with me once a week until I get back up to Glasgow. Then it'll be 3-4 times a week buddy!!

Greenock via Gourock Loop - 20km split 44min - 35km total 1hour 19min

Got up this morning and did the above route. Actually it wasn't too bad and despite the 8C temp there was almost no wind and it was relatively dry. They turning of the pedals was a bit difficult though as I'm still not back in cycling mode and it'll be a few weeks of regular use of the newly purchased (but still not arrived) indoor trainer. None the less I managed to knock 3 mins of the 20km split and I reall would like that down to about 35-37mins by the time the triathlon comes around.

On an totally different note - I dropped in on Adam and Emma before my shift this afternoon and Adam is quite keen to do a 10km race before his 30th Birthday which is in Sept. That coincides nicely wity the Glasgow 10k which I'm also keen to do. He's never really run before but is going to shop for running shoes this week and then we are meeting on Thursday evening to do a 5km walk/run to get him into his stride. I'm sure within 3 weeks he'll be running the 5km and then we'll move up to 10km and finally try for 10km under 1 hour. Fingers crossed.

Skelmorlie Loop - 5km - 31:07

...and the seconds are shaved away. Closer and closer to 30mins and then the goal will be 25mins but I think that's a bit of a stretch even with 4 months left to train. Fingers crossed for dry mornings and windless cycles/runs.

IBM and Back - 20km - 47mins

Stupidly I was out at 5am in true triathlete syle.

It wasn't till my ears had gone blue, the speedo temp said "4C" and it started raining that I realised this wasn't the best day to start my cycling training. I have to say that I was dissapointed with the ride and my poor time since my fastest in Sydney for the 18km trip back from work was 33:05.

Next time Gadget - next time!

Skelmorlie Loop - 5km - 32:05

No wonder it seemed much harder today! That said I didn't think that I was in the middle of knock off more than two and a half minutes. However, I gues I'm still not even running it at 10km/h yet.

I think that most folk are in agreement that it's the running part of the triathlon that makes the winner (unless of course I can somehow pull a sub-35min cycle out of the proverbial).

Perhaps I should just concentrate on shedding some pounds!!!

5km Skelmorlie Loop - 34:41

Well that's the first of many 5km runs in the bag. Not as hard as I thought it was going to be but the weather is totally appauling outside just now and the wind was so strong that it kept blowing my right foot into my left ankle so I constantly kept tripping up like a bit of a fool. I'm sure all the commuters were pissing themselves. Also, as you can tell by my dreadful time, I wasn't exactly pushing it!

So I guess the plan now is...

1. Run on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays

2. Cycle on Saturdays and Sundays.

3. Piss about on Tues and Thurs

4. Start swim training once I'm back in Glasgow (as there's nowhere to do that here)

I think that it might be worth making the weekend cycles fairly substantial ie round various islands etc. If your interested email me and I'll keep you posted.

...and so it begins!

Well at least that was the plan. Today was supposed to be the inaugural training run but the weather at my folks is so bad that the waves are crashing over the road and into the garden. I don't know whether to put on my running gear or my swimming gear!

Anyway, I've decided to do 5km in the morning and hopefully by then it'll be a bit less wet.

As for the Stirling Triathlon - Tash and I have already signed up and there is a bit of interest from Finnie, Tim and Brian. Paul Webber had also made some noises about doing it. Decent comment from Duncs though - "Triathlons are biased towards runners" and I'm a shit runner so I'm fucked.

Oh well. Bring on tomorrow.

UP 4 IT?

Hello everyone! Well it's about time that I got around to attempting this triathlon nonsense. I've been reading about this bloke, Dave Alexander, from Phoenix who is about 300lb and has done about 280 triathlons now - hence, if he can do it then so can I.

So what's the plan? Well there are 2 that I'm planning to sign up for the first in Stirling and the second in Peebles. Both of them are in June and that gives me and/or us 4 solid months to train. I hope that'll be enough. They are also both sprint distances ie, 750m swim, 20km cycle and 5km run and I would like to try for a time under 1 hour 30 mins although I think I'm having a laugh.

Anyway, if any of you are interested then please keep and eye on this and on the blog calander which will be running soon. There will also be a forum up and running where you can leave ideas and comments about any old rubbish. Finally, I'll have an email address for this site so you can stay in touch that way if you prefer.

One other thing... I'm going to be doing "Thirst for life" again this year which starts on the 6th Feb for 40 days of no boozing. Goto www.thirstforlife.org for more details.

Z