Now I know why I don't like swimming

Dragging myself out of bed at 06.30 this morning to get into a cold swimming pool (having been out v.v. late on Weds in London and getting up at 05.30 yesterday to get a flight home), I realised why I never really wanted to get into swimming.

It seems that swimmers go out early, get their swim done and then get home again, all before 08.00. Well, that's fine if you are not constantly knackered or travelling as I seem to be at the moment.

Still, swam 1500m in about 34 mins. Not sure if that if that is good or bad, but it was fairly leisurely so I was pleased.

Already looking forward to the next tri in July.

These guys were really good on TV on Saturday

and the Mum was lovely as well!

Too busy to swim

Up at 06:45 ready to go for a swim only to get to the pool and find it practically full. Don't the Dutch have anything better to do at that time in the morning?.

Nevermind, resourceful as ever I went home, worked for a couple of hours and returned. Even busier so i just threw myself in and tried to avoid loads of OAPs whose mid morning "swim-morning" I seemed to have disturbed. And they don't swim - they just stand at the end of the pool, talking and getting in the way. Next time I will swim early and just barge my way through the traffic.

Anyway, swam 1400m, in about 32 mins, got bored and came back home to work.

ps pic of KT looking cool. Her words not mine. Nice colour hair.........

All that way for a coffee

Yesterday I had a decision to take - run the Leiden half marathon which takes place just around the corner from me and you can sign up pretty much up to the last minute, or go for a cycle ride.

Cycling won as it was a lovely day and I didn't really want to put anymore pressure on my over worked limbs by running an unplanned half.

So clippy shoes on I went out for a 60km cycle - 30 km out, stopped for a coffee, then 30km back (average speed 31km). What I am not quite used to yet in this cycling business is that I am not actually very good at it. So when I bust a gut to over take someone, seconds later they fly past me barely breathing deeply. I must learn to pick my targets better and not try and over take the fit ones.

Girls are coming round later which is real fun - attached pic of CB showing me how it should be done on the trampoline. Makes your eyes water...........

It's just the thought of it

Having failed to get into NY I think NE and I have chosen to run Amsterdam marathon this autumn. Nice and flat, have never done it before, close to where I live and easy to enter. That's the easy bit.

It is just the thought of a marathon training plan that is so daunting. Hal Higdon has done me proud for the last 4 marathon's but now I think it is time for a change. I am on the look out for another training plan.

Still with half an eye on the Henley tri in July I was up with the larks today to swim for 30 mins. Probably swam about 1.500m in all but must say I lost count of the lengths so it could well have been more (but quite probably less).

First outing as a Pirate

A short report on the sprint tri that I did on Sunday. Firstly, I could not believe all the preparation that was needed. It made running look positively straightforward - just turn up wth a pair of shoes and off you go. I was hoping to go under 1:30 :00

My splits were:

Swim 8:27 I had hoped to do it in 8:45 so that was a PB as all my training was around 9:00
T1 1.59 If I had heard the lady asking me for the swim cap back when I had got out of the pool and not had to run back to give it to her then I might have done this in half the time
Bike 44:45 This was the best bit. I surprised myself in averaging 32.5km for the bike leg
T2 1:30 Reasonable I suppose......not sure what time I should be doing this in.
Run 23.57 was the hardest part and frankly I was a bit disappointed in this time - but it was x country.....

Total time: 1:19:58 placed 247th out of 514

I was delighted to beat 1:20:00 and reckon that it may be hard to beat at Henley in July.

Thanks to NE for coming with me and putting up with the early start and of course to all the Pirates for the support.

Just found out last night that I did not get a place in the Lottery for the NY City Marathon in Nov. Oh well, that means a guaranteed place in 2009 as that is 3 rejections but I must now find something for the Autumn. I am so tempted to find a tri 70.3 but there again may run Amsterdam.

It's back..................

Nearly a year since the last post and I'm back. Thank goodness that the technology seems to be pretty similar!

Due to the fact that KT and others asked me a few weeks ago to get it up and running and because I have so much to say, the Go Bedders! blog rises from the ashes.

Quite a bit has gone on since the last time - I have had a long injury to my foot which has kept my running down to a minimum during the winter (I pulled out of an Autumn marathon as I had planned to run Amsterdam) and I started to get a bit bored of the marathon training schedule. I said when I was 40 that I would run a marathon a year until I was 50 then take a rain check. So far so good.

What I didn't promise myself was that I would also take part in triathlons. I finished my first yesterday and will write up my experience later.

One of the reasons I have not written this blog is that since I last hit the blogging keyboard I have been rather busy divorcing my wife. While this is a running/tri blog and will remain that way, I say now that I have always used this blog to mentioned unusual/bizzare/ridiculous things that happen in my life and I now have an endless source of blog material thanks to my ex wife. Probably worth a blog on it's own. More later.

Anyway, it's back and hopefully will inspire others to get involved in running (and now cycling and swimming!)

By the way, a quick "hi" to KT and CB (who had her 10th birthday yesterday) without whom over the last few months I do know how I would have got where I am today. I love you both so much. Thanks for the inspiration.