Duathlon Result

Well, the '09 fundraising campaign got off to a decent start at yesterday's DB Max Chilly Duathlon - a 2 mile run, 10 mile cycle, 2 mile run, orbiting a very windy Castle Combe Race Circuit.

My challenge was to take it steady on the first stage, which can be tough if you're feeling great and get carried away. Luckily I remembered my heart rate monitor this year, so I was able to rein myself in. That meant I finished the first stage fully 1 min 27 secs slower than last year, and I cost myself another 16 secs in transition. But it was all plain sailing from there. The bike leg was 2 mins 42 secs faster than last year - and I even had some jelly beans left to top last year's final stage by 31 secs. Overall, a 1 min 30 sec net improvement at 58:17.05.

Next stop: Mallory Park for a rowing triathlon on May 4.

Please take a moment to donate a fiver or so to Prostate UK if you can.

Another Season In Aid of Prostate UK

Another season begins!

This will be my third competing in aid of Prostate UK in various rowathlons (row, bike, run - I hate swimming lengths!) and duathlons arranged by Will Whitmore at DB Max, and culminating in Marlow Rowing Club's Rower's Revenge in October.

The pressure's on, because this year I've followed Mark Allen's base training suggestion and spent much of the past 4 months training below my maximum aerobic heart rate to try to improve performance when the rowathlons start in May. The first 'warm-up' event is the DB Max Chilly Duathlon at Castle Combe Race Circuit next week, on 1 March - a cheeky 2 mile run, 10 mile cycle, 2 mile run that took me 59 mins and 47 secs last year. So whether the extra time and patience has been worthwhile is about to be sorely tested!

Will it all be for nought? Not if you donate a tenner each... ;-)

I'll post the stats on my Justgiving page, and share the highs and lows right here, as the season progresses. Last season's results were:

Trybike Mallory Park Rowing Tri - May 5th - 2.5k row, 20k bike, 5k run (time 1:19:13 - 21st overall). Dodgy transitions definitely cost me a place.

Castle Combe Rowing Triathlon - August 10th - 3k row, 20k bike, 3k run (time 1:11:51 - 27th overall and beating 2007 time of 1:13:29). It was all down to the run; more training time on the bike required.

Reading Rowing Triathlon - August 16th - 2.5k row, 7k bike, 2.8k run (time 36:22 - 19th overall). Went too quickly in the row, which killed the run, but it felt good and I couldn't resist ;-)

Marlow "Rowers Revenge" - October 5th - 4k row, 25k bike, 7.5k run - (time 1:42:50). Beat previous time (2005) by about 10 mins :-)

Mens Sana in Corpore Sano

Now that I'm "rising 43" (as my children's school might put it) any motivation to keep in shape is critical.

So I'm competing to raise money for Prostate UK again this year in a series of "rowathlons" organised by DB Max.

Rowathlons are triathlons with the swimming leg replaced by a stint on an indoor rower. I find them satisfying to train for because of the variety in the three elements and the need to build gradually towards an event. So I can train all year to avoid the beer belly and still not get stuck in a rut. Oh, and I can also sit down to watch inane daytime television during the rowing sessions, instead of staring at the black line on the bottom of a pool.

Of course, the events themselves are where the rubber hits the road, and you really get to see the results of all the training (and any missed sessions!).

These are niche events, with 100 to 150 competitors - not some giant crowd - and tend to be run at race circuits or parks to avoid the hassle of traffic (and hills!).

So far, there are three events scheduled for this season:

• Trybike Mallory Park Rowing Triathlon - May 5th - 2.5k row, 20k cycle, 5k run
  
• Castle Combe Rowing Triathlon - August 10th - 3k, 20k, 3k
• Reading (Green Park) Rowing Triathlon - August 30th - 2.5k, 7k, 2.8k

Why not give one of them a go?