Mark O

On a plane. To the sun. Cannae wait. WOO HOO!!!!!!! 

Just like to say WOW! in respect of Katie's performances on the track in Rio. Gold medalist and WR holder (OR too???) Totally deserved her selection.
 
A credit to you Ian, and the rest of the Archibald clan - she's done you proud. Long may we continue to enjoy watching Katie shine at this rarefied level of elite competition. 

Just like to say WOW! in respect of Katie's performances on the track in Rio. Gold medalist and WR holder (OR too???) Totally deserved her selection.
 
A credit to you Ian, and the rest of the Archibald clan - she's done you proud. Long may we continue to enjoy watching Katie shine at this rarefied level of elite competition. 

Just like to say WOW! in respect of Katie's performances on the track in Rio. Gold medalist and WR holder (OR too???) Totally deserved her selection.
 
A credit to you Ian, and the rest of the Archibald clan - she's done you proud. Long may we continue to enjoy watching Katie shine at this rarefied level of elite competition. 

Just like to say WOW! in respect of Katie's performances on the track in Rio. Gold medalist and WR holder (OR too???) Totally deserved her selection.
 
A credit to you Ian, and the rest of the Archibald clan - she's done you proud. Long may we continue to enjoy watching Katie shine at this rarefied level of elite competition. 

Just like to say WOW! in respect of Katie's performances on the track in Rio. Gold medalist and WR holder (OR too???) Totally deserved her selection.
 
A credit to you Ian, and the rest of the Archibald clan - she's done you proud. Long may we continue to enjoy watching Katie shine at this rarefied level of elite competition. 

Just like to say WOW! in respect of Katie's performances on the track in Rio. Gold medalist and WR holder (OR too???) Totally deserved her selection.
 
A credit to you Ian, and the rest of the Archibald clan - she's done you proud. Long may we continue to enjoy watching Katie shine at this rarefied level of elite competition. 

Possible appearance of the lesser spotted skinny boy on the cards.

Busyish tourist route (Glenfinnan railway viaduct) but nothing outrageous. I'd put it on a par with the Tyndrum to Oban Road but fewer of the larger lorries. If you survived the ride through Glencoe and over Rannoch Moor, which is much busier you'll be fine. Been a wee while since I've been up that way on business so can't comment on the road surface. 
 
Got to ask, what you planning and not sharing?
 
M

Sorry Chung, I'll be on holiday overseas. If I can assist beforehand let me know.
 
M

So, I had dipped my toe into this triathalon malarky in June, with a sprint distance event. This was a benchmark and taster for an olympic distance event (1500m swim, 40k (25mile) bike ride and a 10K run) I had been talked into by Heather. It is now done and here is the report.
 
The scores on the doors are
 
Total gun time 2:40:48
 
Splits
Swim 00:25:34 
Ride 01:10:55
Run 01:00:37
Transitions were 2mins+ and 1Min+ respectively.
No details as to how I compare within my age category as yet.
 
My time puts me in 137th spot and in the top half of the field.Pretty happy with all of that tbh, given that I had never done a tri of this distance and this was my second attempt at the sport and there were some real proper classy athletes taking part. This seems to be quite a notable event on the Tri calendar, with a big club turnout. So onto thoughts and comments
 
My plan was to swim within myself so as not to be knackered leaving the water and suffer from dead legs. I had a target time of 27-29 mins based on training swims over a 1400 m course. Really please with my time for this element as I didn't push it to hard and there was the usual kicking and punching scrum at the start. I soon got out of that and into fairly clear water, except for one girl who clearly fancied me in my wet suit and fetching cap and kept swimming all over me - bonkers!!! Came out the swim well place and feeling good.
 
Stage 2, the cycle. The aim was to ride at 20mph average in order to keep something in the legs for the run. A time of 1 hr 15 mins or thereabouts was in my mind. The course is a circuit and pancake flat. It is however very exposed!! It was hell. Wind speed was 20mph on the day and the initial 6 miles of the course was arrow straight, head on into that wind. The remainder of the route is a zigzag of lanes which never offered much of a tail wind to compensate for the initial effort, often appearing to double back into the wind. To add insult to injury the last 2 miles or so was back to transition were into the head wind. I spent the whole ride fighting the bike, trying to find an aero position (riding old school I'm afraid) and ride as smoothly as possible, mind full of the run still to come. At one point I did think of the DA boys, if it was windy where I was on a flat course, what had Arran been like???? My Garmin packed up early on and I rode on feel. What seemed to be loads of riders did pass me - all on tt bikes.......and some in a nice chain of 6 enjoying the draft. Sorely tempted to jump that last wheel!!! My time shows I did far better than I intended doing or thought I was going to do. Never have I been so glad to get off a bike and go for a run......or so I thought! Looking back I am more than happy with the time and ave speed (21.2 mph), but I paid for it later. It was a brutal ride due to the wind and it seemed relentless. It was the big talking point of the day.
 
Before saying any more the 10Km run turned out to be 10.7kms. I am therefore claiming a sub 1 hour run and unofficially knocking 4 mins off my overall time. The switch from bike to run is unpleasant. I had worked out that running at Heather's pace for a Km or two lets my legs settle before picking up the pace. Before the middle of July I had never run 10K, ever. At Christmas, I would refuse to run the length of myself!! I still hate running but I was looking for a time of 55 mins based on training runs. Coming off the bike I did feel quite bloated from having dabbled with energy gels - these really don't agree with me! so running at an easier pace was continued until the 4 Km marker and a water stop. Feel more settled I sought to lengthen my stride and up the pace. At 5Km feeling relaxed and going well, Disaster. The cramp sniper bullseyed my right hamstring. Emergency stretching and massage required. My increased effort on the bike due to the windy conditions had come back to extract an untimely revenge. My race for a quick time was done and it was merely a matter of finishing the distance, which if I'm honest was the original goal. I was restricted to my original 'off the bike' pace. Anything more would result in further cramping. Slightly disappointed with my run time but more disappointed at the fact I cramped up. I did nonetheless keep going and finish the run. I didn't exactly sprint over the line but didn't limp over it either.  
 
Overall, I'm more than happy with my performance in my initial foray into this world of madness at this distance, particularly as I was doing this more in support of Heather rather than me be uber dilligent with my training and looking to smash it. I had concentrated most of my efforts in training to actually be able to run 10Km and be in a position to get out of the water reasonably fresh. As a result I didn't do anywhere near enough specific cycling training or hard training efforts at my full capacity. I had been relying on the training I did  for Spain seeing me through. Definitely room for improvement in this respect
 
Learned a few lessons along the way. Kick and punch back in the swim scrum - take no prisoners. It appears the law doesn't apply and murder by drowning is permissible. Ride your tt bike! Draft at all times if you think you can get away with it. Listen to your body in terms of what it likes/doesn't like in the way of liquids and food. Do more runs at my race pace after a hard bike ride.  Being a total skinny is not to one's advantage in this sport.
 
All in all another interesting experience and personal challenge. Could I have done better or gone faster? On the day I doubt it, taking the wind into account. I do think I could shave a whole lot of time off this bench mark. Could I have trained harder for it? No doubt I could have, but that wasn't necessarily the priority or point this time. Will I do more......we'll see. 
 
M

So, I had dipped my toe into this triathalon malarky in June, with a sprint distance event. This was a benchmark and taster for an olympic distance event (1500m swim, 40k (25mile) bike ride and a 10K run) I had been talked into by Heather. It is now done and here is the report.
 
The scores on the doors are
 
Total gun time 2:40:48
 
Splits
Swim 00:25:34 
Ride 01:10:55
Run 01:00:37
Transitions were 2mins+ and 1Min+ respectively.
No details as to how I compare within my age category as yet.
 
My time puts me in 137th spot and in the top half of the field.Pretty happy with all of that tbh, given that I had never done a tri of this distance and this was my second attempt at the sport and there were some real proper classy athletes taking part. This seems to be quite a notable event on the Tri calendar, with a big club turnout. So onto thoughts and comments
 
My plan was to swim within myself so as not to be knackered leaving the water and suffer from dead legs. I had a target time of 27-29 mins based on training swims over a 1400 m course. Really please with my time for this element as I didn't push it to hard and there was the usual kicking and punching scrum at the start. I soon got out of that and into fairly clear water, except for one girl who clearly fancied me in my wet suit and fetching cap and kept swimming all over me - bonkers!!! Came out the swim well place and feeling good.
 
Stage 2, the cycle. The aim was to ride at 20mph average in order to keep something in the legs for the run. A time of 1 hr 15 mins or thereabouts was in my mind. The course is a circuit and pancake flat. It is however very exposed!! It was hell. Wind speed was 20mph on the day and the initial 6 miles of the course was arrow straight, head on into that wind. The remainder of the route is a zigzag of lanes which never offered much of a tail wind to compensate for the initial effort, often appearing to double back into the wind. To add insult to injury the last 2 miles or so was back to transition were into the head wind. I spent the whole ride fighting the bike, trying to find an aero position (riding old school I'm afraid) and ride as smoothly as possible, mind full of the run still to come. At one point I did think of the DA boys, if it was windy where I was on a flat course, what had Arran been like???? My Garmin packed up early on and I rode on feel. What seemed to be loads of riders did pass me - all on tt bikes.......and some in a nice chain of 6 enjoying the draft. Sorely tempted to jump that last wheel!!! My time shows I did far better than I intended doing or thought I was going to do. Never have I been so glad to get off a bike and go for a run......or so I thought! Looking back I am more than happy with the time and ave speed (21.2 mph), but I paid for it later. It was a brutal ride due to the wind and it seemed relentless. It was the big talking point of the day.
 
Before saying any more the 10Km run turned out to be 10.7kms. I am therefore claiming a sub 1 hour run and unofficially knocking 4 mins off my overall time. The switch from bike to run is unpleasant. I had worked out that running at Heather's pace for a Km or two lets my legs settle before picking up the pace. Before the middle of July I had never run 10K, ever. At Christmas, I would refuse to run the length of myself!! I still hate running but I was looking for a time of 55 mins based on training runs. Coming off the bike I did feel quite bloated from having dabbled with energy gels - these really don't agree with me! so running at an easier pace was continued until the 4 Km marker and a water stop. Feel more settled I sought to lengthen my stride and up the pace. At 5Km feeling relaxed and going well, Disaster. The cramp sniper bullseyed my right hamstring. Emergency stretching and massage required. My increased effort on the bike due to the windy conditions had come back to extract an untimely revenge. My race for a quick time was done and it was merely a matter of finishing the distance, which if I'm honest was the original goal. I was restricted to my original 'off the bike' pace. Anything more would result in further cramping. Slightly disappointed with my run time but more disappointed at the fact I cramped up. I did nonetheless keep going and finish the run. I didn't exactly sprint over the line but didn't limp over it either.  
 
Overall, I'm more than happy with my performance in my initial foray into this world of madness at this distance, particularly as I was doing this more in support of Heather rather than me be uber dilligent with my training and looking to smash it. I had concentrated most of my efforts in training to actually be able to run 10Km and be in a position to get out of the water reasonably fresh. As a result I didn't do anywhere near enough specific cycling training or hard training efforts at my full capacity. I had been relying on the training I did  for Spain seeing me through. Definitely room for improvement in this respect
 
Learned a few lessons along the way. Kick and punch back in the swim scrum - take no prisoners. It appears the law doesn't apply and murder by drowning is permissible. Ride your tt bike! Draft at all times if you think you can get away with it. Listen to your body in terms of what it likes/doesn't like in the way of liquids and food. Do more runs at my race pace after a hard bike ride.  Being a total skinny is not to one's advantage in this sport.
 
All in all another interesting experience and personal challenge. Could I have done better or gone faster? On the day I doubt it, taking the wind into account. I do think I could shave a whole lot of time off this bench mark. Could I have trained harder for it? No doubt I could have, but that wasn't necessarily the priority or point this time. Will I do more......we'll see. 
 
M

So, I had dipped my toe into this triathalon malarky in June, with a sprint distance event. This was a benchmark and taster for an olympic distance event (1500m swim, 40k (25mile) bike ride and a 10K run) I had been talked into by Heather. It is now done and here is the report.
 
The scores on the doors are
 
Total gun time 2:40:48
 
Splits
Swim 00:25:34 
Ride 01:10:55
Run 01:00:37
Transitions were 2mins+ and 1Min+ respectively.
No details as to how I compare within my age category as yet.
 
My time puts me in 137th spot and in the top half of the field.Pretty happy with all of that tbh, given that I had never done a tri of this distance and this was my second attempt at the sport and there were some real proper classy athletes taking part. This seems to be quite a notable event on the Tri calendar, with a big club turnout. So onto thoughts and comments
 
My plan was to swim within myself so as not to be knackered leaving the water and suffer from dead legs. I had a target time of 27-29 mins based on training swims over a 1400 m course. Really please with my time for this element as I didn't push it to hard and there was the usual kicking and punching scrum at the start. I soon got out of that and into fairly clear water, except for one girl who clearly fancied me in my wet suit and fetching cap and kept swimming all over me - bonkers!!! Came out the swim well place and feeling good.
 
Stage 2, the cycle. The aim was to ride at 20mph average in order to keep something in the legs for the run. A time of 1 hr 15 mins or thereabouts was in my mind. The course is a circuit and pancake flat. It is however very exposed!! It was hell. Wind speed was 20mph on the day and the initial 6 miles of the course was arrow straight, head on into that wind. The remainder of the route is a zigzag of lanes which never offered much of a tail wind to compensate for the initial effort, often appearing to double back into the wind. To add insult to injury the last 2 miles or so was back to transition were into the head wind. I spent the whole ride fighting the bike, trying to find an aero position (riding old school I'm afraid) and ride as smoothly as possible, mind full of the run still to come. At one point I did think of the DA boys, if it was windy where I was on a flat course, what had Arran been like???? My Garmin packed up early on and I rode on feel. What seemed to be loads of riders did pass me - all on tt bikes.......and some in a nice chain of 6 enjoying the draft. Sorely tempted to jump that last wheel!!! My time shows I did far better than I intended doing or thought I was going to do. Never have I been so glad to get off a bike and go for a run......or so I thought! Looking back I am more than happy with the time and ave speed (21.2 mph), but I paid for it later. It was a brutal ride due to the wind and it seemed relentless. It was the big talking point of the day.
 
Before saying any more the 10Km run turned out to be 10.7kms. I am therefore claiming a sub 1 hour run and unofficially knocking 4 mins off my overall time. The switch from bike to run is unpleasant. I had worked out that running at Heather's pace for a Km or two lets my legs settle before picking up the pace. Before the middle of July I had never run 10K, ever. At Christmas, I would refuse to run the length of myself!! I still hate running but I was looking for a time of 55 mins based on training runs. Coming off the bike I did feel quite bloated from having dabbled with energy gels - these really don't agree with me! so running at an easier pace was continued until the 4 Km marker and a water stop. Feel more settled I sought to lengthen my stride and up the pace. At 5Km feeling relaxed and going well, Disaster. The cramp sniper bullseyed my right hamstring. Emergency stretching and massage required. My increased effort on the bike due to the windy conditions had come back to extract an untimely revenge. My race for a quick time was done and it was merely a matter of finishing the distance, which if I'm honest was the original goal. I was restricted to my original 'off the bike' pace. Anything more would result in further cramping. Slightly disappointed with my run time but more disappointed at the fact I cramped up. I did nonetheless keep going and finish the run. I didn't exactly sprint over the line but didn't limp over it either.  
 
Overall, I'm more than happy with my performance in my initial foray into this world of madness at this distance, particularly as I was doing this more in support of Heather rather than me be uber dilligent with my training and looking to smash it. I had concentrated most of my efforts in training to actually be able to run 10Km and be in a position to get out of the water reasonably fresh. As a result I didn't do anywhere near enough specific cycling training or hard training efforts at my full capacity. I had been relying on the training I did  for Spain seeing me through. Definitely room for improvement in this respect
 
Learned a few lessons along the way. Kick and punch back in the swim scrum - take no prisoners. It appears the law doesn't apply and murder by drowning is permissible. Ride your tt bike! Draft at all times if you think you can get away with it. Listen to your body in terms of what it likes/doesn't like in the way of liquids and food. Do more runs at my race pace after a hard bike ride.  Being a total skinny is not to one's advantage in this sport.
 
All in all another interesting experience and personal challenge. Could I have done better or gone faster? On the day I doubt it, taking the wind into account. I do think I could shave a whole lot of time off this bench mark. Could I have trained harder for it? No doubt I could have, but that wasn't necessarily the priority or point this time. Will I do more......we'll see. 
 
M

So, I had dipped my toe into this triathalon malarky in June, with a sprint distance event. This was a benchmark and taster for an olympic distance event (1500m swim, 40k (25mile) bike ride and a 10K run) I had been talked into by Heather. It is now done and here is the report.
 
The scores on the doors are
 
Total gun time 2:40:48
 
Splits
Swim 00:25:34 
Ride 01:10:55
Run 01:00:37
Transitions were 2mins+ and 1Min+ respectively.
No details as to how I compare within my age category as yet.
 
My time puts me in 137th spot and in the top half of the field.Pretty happy with all of that tbh, given that I had never done a tri of this distance and this was my second attempt at the sport and there were some real proper classy athletes taking part. This seems to be quite a notable event on the Tri calendar, with a big club turnout. So onto thoughts and comments
 
My plan was to swim within myself so as not to be knackered leaving the water and suffer from dead legs. I had a target time of 27-29 mins based on training swims over a 1400 m course. Really please with my time for this element as I didn't push it to hard and there was the usual kicking and punching scrum at the start. I soon got out of that and into fairly clear water, except for one girl who clearly fancied me in my wet suit and fetching cap and kept swimming all over me - bonkers!!! Came out the swim well place and feeling good.
 
Stage 2, the cycle. The aim was to ride at 20mph average in order to keep something in the legs for the run. A time of 1 hr 15 mins or thereabouts was in my mind. The course is a circuit and pancake flat. It is however very exposed!! It was hell. Wind speed was 20mph on the day and the initial 6 miles of the course was arrow straight, head on into that wind. The remainder of the route is a zigzag of lanes which never offered much of a tail wind to compensate for the initial effort, often appearing to double back into the wind. To add insult to injury the last 2 miles or so was back to transition were into the head wind. I spent the whole ride fighting the bike, trying to find an aero position (riding old school I'm afraid) and ride as smoothly as possible, mind full of the run still to come. At one point I did think of the DA boys, if it was windy where I was on a flat course, what had Arran been like???? My Garmin packed up early on and I rode on feel. What seemed to be loads of riders did pass me - all on tt bikes.......and some in a nice chain of 6 enjoying the draft. Sorely tempted to jump that last wheel!!! My time shows I did far better than I intended doing or thought I was going to do. Never have I been so glad to get off a bike and go for a run......or so I thought! Looking back I am more than happy with the time and ave speed (21.2 mph), but I paid for it later. It was a brutal ride due to the wind and it seemed relentless. It was the big talking point of the day.
 
Before saying any more the 10Km run turned out to be 10.7kms. I am therefore claiming a sub 1 hour run and unofficially knocking 4 mins off my overall time. The switch from bike to run is unpleasant. I had worked out that running at Heather's pace for a Km or two lets my legs settle before picking up the pace. Before the middle of July I had never run 10K, ever. At Christmas, I would refuse to run the length of myself!! I still hate running but I was looking for a time of 55 mins based on training runs. Coming off the bike I did feel quite bloated from having dabbled with energy gels - these really don't agree with me! so running at an easier pace was continued until the 4 Km marker and a water stop. Feel more settled I sought to lengthen my stride and up the pace. At 5Km feeling relaxed and going well, Disaster. The cramp sniper bullseyed my right hamstring. Emergency stretching and massage required. My increased effort on the bike due to the windy conditions had come back to extract an untimely revenge. My race for a quick time was done and it was merely a matter of finishing the distance, which if I'm honest was the original goal. I was restricted to my original 'off the bike' pace. Anything more would result in further cramping. Slightly disappointed with my run time but more disappointed at the fact I cramped up. I did nonetheless keep going and finish the run. I didn't exactly sprint over the line but didn't limp over it either.  
 
Overall, I'm more than happy with my performance in my initial foray into this world of madness at this distance, particularly as I was doing this more in support of Heather rather than me be uber dilligent with my training and looking to smash it. I had concentrated most of my efforts in training to actually be able to run 10Km and be in a position to get out of the water reasonably fresh. As a result I didn't do anywhere near enough specific cycling training or hard training efforts at my full capacity. I had been relying on the training I did  for Spain seeing me through. Definitely room for improvement in this respect
 
Learned a few lessons along the way. Kick and punch back in the swim scrum - take no prisoners. It appears the law doesn't apply and murder by drowning is permissible. Ride your tt bike! Draft at all times if you think you can get away with it. Listen to your body in terms of what it likes/doesn't like in the way of liquids and food. Do more runs at my race pace after a hard bike ride.  Being a total skinny is not to one's advantage in this sport.
 
All in all another interesting experience and personal challenge. Could I have done better or gone faster? On the day I doubt it, taking the wind into account. I do think I could shave a whole lot of time off this bench mark. Could I have trained harder for it? No doubt I could have, but that wasn't necessarily the priority or point this time. Will I do more......we'll see. 
 
M

Paul,
 
Forget small islands in the Firth of Clyde and go large. Work up a plan to have a JWCC crack at the LEJOG record. No idea what the record is but it would keep you out of trouble and there is no way you are going to be able to punctuate LEJOG into your posts. This will save you hours of typing and let you train more.
 
Even if the attempt fails it is a fine ride.
 
M

Paul,
 
Forget small islands in the Firth of Clyde and go large. Work up a plan to have a JWCC crack at the LEJOG record. No idea what the record is but it would keep you out of trouble and there is no way you are going to be able to punctuate LEJOG into your posts. This will save you hours of typing and let you train more.
 
Even if the attempt fails it is a fine ride.
 
M

So, I had dipped my toe into this triathalon malarky in June, with a sprint distance event. This was a benchmark and taster for an olympic distance event (1500m swim, 40k (25mile) bike ride and a 10K run) I had been talked into by Heather. It is now done and here is the report.
 
The scores on the doors are
 
Total gun time 2:40:48
 
Splits
Swim 00:25:34 
Ride 01:10:55
Run 01:00:37
Transitions were 2mins+ and 1Min+ respectively.
No details as to how I compare within my age category as yet.
 
My time puts me in 137th spot and in the top half of the field.Pretty happy with all of that tbh, given that I had never done a tri of this distance and this was my second attempt at the sport and there were some real proper classy athletes taking part. This seems to be quite a notable event on the Tri calendar, with a big club turnout. So onto thoughts and comments
 
My plan was to swim within myself so as not to be knackered leaving the water and suffer from dead legs. I had a target time of 27-29 mins based on training swims over a 1400 m course. Really please with my time for this element as I didn't push it to hard and there was the usual kicking and punching scrum at the start. I soon got out of that and into fairly clear water, except for one girl who clearly fancied me in my wet suit and fetching cap and kept swimming all over me - bonkers!!! Came out the swim well place and feeling good.
 
Stage 2, the cycle. The aim was to ride at 20mph average in order to keep something in the legs for the run. A time of 1 hr 15 mins or thereabouts was in my mind. The course is a circuit and pancake flat. It is however very exposed!! It was hell. Wind speed was 20mph on the day and the initial 6 miles of the course was arrow straight, head on into that wind. The remainder of the route is a zigzag of lanes which never offered much of a tail wind to compensate for the initial effort, often appearing to double back into the wind. To add insult to injury the last 2 miles or so was back to transition were into the head wind. I spent the whole ride fighting the bike, trying to find an aero position (riding old school I'm afraid) and ride as smoothly as possible, mind full of the run still to come. At one point I did think of the DA boys, if it was windy where I was on a flat course, what had Arran been like???? My Garmin packed up early on and I rode on feel. What seemed to be loads of riders did pass me - all on tt bikes.......and some in a nice chain of 6 enjoying the draft. Sorely tempted to jump that last wheel!!! My time shows I did far better than I intended doing or thought I was going to do. Never have I been so glad to get off a bike and go for a run......or so I thought! Looking back I am more than happy with the time and ave speed (21.2 mph), but I paid for it later. It was a brutal ride due to the wind and it seemed relentless. It was the big talking point of the day.
 
Before saying any more the 10Km run turned out to be 10.7kms. I am therefore claiming a sub 1 hour run and unofficially knocking 4 mins off my overall time. The switch from bike to run is unpleasant. I had worked out that running at Heather's pace for a Km or two lets my legs settle before picking up the pace. Before the middle of July I had never run 10K, ever. At Christmas, I would refuse to run the length of myself!! I still hate running but I was looking for a time of 55 mins based on training runs. Coming off the bike I did feel quite bloated from having dabbled with energy gels - these really don't agree with me! so running at an easier pace was continued until the 4 Km marker and a water stop. Feel more settled I sought to lengthen my stride and up the pace. At 5Km feeling relaxed and going well, Disaster. The cramp sniper bullseyed my right hamstring. Emergency stretching and massage required. My increased effort on the bike due to the windy conditions had come back to extract an untimely revenge. My race for a quick time was done and it was merely a matter of finishing the distance, which if I'm honest was the original goal. I was restricted to my original 'off the bike' pace. Anything more would result in further cramping. Slightly disappointed with my run time but more disappointed at the fact I cramped up. I did nonetheless keep going and finish the run. I didn't exactly sprint over the line but didn't limp over it either.  
 
Overall, I'm more than happy with my performance in my initial foray into this world of madness at this distance, particularly as I was doing this more in support of Heather rather than me be uber dilligent with my training and looking to smash it. I had concentrated most of my efforts in training to actually be able to run 10Km and be in a position to get out of the water reasonably fresh. As a result I didn't do anywhere near enough specific cycling training or hard training efforts at my full capacity. I had been relying on the training I did  for Spain seeing me through. Definitely room for improvement in this respect
 
Learned a few lessons along the way. Kick and punch back in the swim scrum - take no prisoners. It appears the law doesn't apply and murder by drowning is permissible. Ride your tt bike! Draft at all times if you think you can get away with it. Listen to your body in terms of what it likes/doesn't like in the way of liquids and food. Do more runs at my race pace after a hard bike ride.  Being a total skinny is not to one's advantage in this sport.
 
All in all another interesting experience and personal challenge. Could I have done better or gone faster? On the day I doubt it, taking the wind into account. I do think I could shave a whole lot of time off this bench mark. Could I have trained harder for it? No doubt I could have, but that wasn't necessarily the priority or point this time. Will I do more......we'll see. 
 
M

So, I had dipped my toe into this triathalon malarky in June, with a sprint distance event. This was a benchmark and taster for an olympic distance event (1500m swim, 40k (25mile) bike ride and a 10K run) I had been talked into by Heather. It is now done and here is the report.
 
The scores on the doors are
 
Total gun time 2:40:48
 
Splits
Swim 00:25:34 
Ride 01:10:55
Run 01:00:37
Transitions were 2mins+ and 1Min+ respectively.
No details as to how I compare within my age category as yet.
 
My time puts me in 137th spot and in the top half of the field.Pretty happy with all of that tbh, given that I had never done a tri of this distance and this was my second attempt at the sport and there were some real proper classy athletes taking part. This seems to be quite a notable event on the Tri calendar, with a big club turnout. So onto thoughts and comments
 
My plan was to swim within myself so as not to be knackered leaving the water and suffer from dead legs. I had a target time of 27-29 mins based on training swims over a 1400 m course. Really please with my time for this element as I didn't push it to hard and there was the usual kicking and punching scrum at the start. I soon got out of that and into fairly clear water, except for one girl who clearly fancied me in my wet suit and fetching cap and kept swimming all over me - bonkers!!! Came out the swim well place and feeling good.
 
Stage 2, the cycle. The aim was to ride at 20mph average in order to keep something in the legs for the run. A time of 1 hr 15 mins or thereabouts was in my mind. The course is a circuit and pancake flat. It is however very exposed!! It was hell. Wind speed was 20mph on the day and the initial 6 miles of the course was arrow straight, head on into that wind. The remainder of the route is a zigzag of lanes which never offered much of a tail wind to compensate for the initial effort, often appearing to double back into the wind. To add insult to injury the last 2 miles or so was back to transition were into the head wind. I spent the whole ride fighting the bike, trying to find an aero position (riding old school I'm afraid) and ride as smoothly as possible, mind full of the run still to come. At one point I did think of the DA boys, if it was windy where I was on a flat course, what had Arran been like???? My Garmin packed up early on and I rode on feel. What seemed to be loads of riders did pass me - all on tt bikes.......and some in a nice chain of 6 enjoying the draft. Sorely tempted to jump that last wheel!!! My time shows I did far better than I intended doing or thought I was going to do. Never have I been so glad to get off a bike and go for a run......or so I thought! Looking back I am more than happy with the time and ave speed (21.2 mph), but I paid for it later. It was a brutal ride due to the wind and it seemed relentless. It was the big talking point of the day.
 
Before saying any more the 10Km run turned out to be 10.7kms. I am therefore claiming a sub 1 hour run and unofficially knocking 4 mins off my overall time. The switch from bike to run is unpleasant. I had worked out that running at Heather's pace for a Km or two lets my legs settle before picking up the pace. Before the middle of July I had never run 10K, ever. At Christmas, I would refuse to run the length of myself!! I still hate running but I was looking for a time of 55 mins based on training runs. Coming off the bike I did feel quite bloated from having dabbled with energy gels - these really don't agree with me! so running at an easier pace was continued until the 4 Km marker and a water stop. Feel more settled I sought to lengthen my stride and up the pace. At 5Km feeling relaxed and going well, Disaster. The cramp sniper bullseyed my right hamstring. Emergency stretching and massage required. My increased effort on the bike due to the windy conditions had come back to extract an untimely revenge. My race for a quick time was done and it was merely a matter of finishing the distance, which if I'm honest was the original goal. I was restricted to my original 'off the bike' pace. Anything more would result in further cramping. Slightly disappointed with my run time but more disappointed at the fact I cramped up. I did nonetheless keep going and finish the run. I didn't exactly sprint over the line but didn't limp over it either.  
 
Overall, I'm more than happy with my performance in my initial foray into this world of madness at this distance, particularly as I was doing this more in support of Heather rather than me be uber dilligent with my training and looking to smash it. I had concentrated most of my efforts in training to actually be able to run 10Km and be in a position to get out of the water reasonably fresh. As a result I didn't do anywhere near enough specific cycling training or hard training efforts at my full capacity. I had been relying on the training I did  for Spain seeing me through. Definitely room for improvement in this respect
 
Learned a few lessons along the way. Kick and punch back in the swim scrum - take no prisoners. It appears the law doesn't apply and murder by drowning is permissible. Ride your tt bike! Draft at all times if you think you can get away with it. Listen to your body in terms of what it likes/doesn't like in the way of liquids and food. Do more runs at my race pace after a hard bike ride.  Being a total skinny is not to one's advantage in this sport.
 
All in all another interesting experience and personal challenge. Could I have done better or gone faster? On the day I doubt it, taking the wind into account. I do think I could shave a whole lot of time off this bench mark. Could I have trained harder for it? No doubt I could have, but that wasn't necessarily the priority or point this time. Will I do more......we'll see. 
 
M

So, I had dipped my toe into this triathalon malarky in June, with a sprint distance event. This was a benchmark and taster for an olympic distance event (1500m swim, 40k (25mile) bike ride and a 10K run) I had been talked into by Heather. It is now done and here is the report.
 
The scores on the doors are
 
Total gun time 2:40:48
 
Splits
Swim 00:25:34 
Ride 01:10:55
Run 01:00:37
Transitions were 2mins+ and 1Min+ respectively.
No details as to how I compare within my age category as yet.
 
My time puts me in 137th spot and in the top half of the field.Pretty happy with all of that tbh, given that I had never done a tri of this distance and this was my second attempt at the sport and there were some real proper classy athletes taking part. This seems to be quite a notable event on the Tri calendar, with a big club turnout. So onto thoughts and comments
 
My plan was to swim within myself so as not to be knackered leaving the water and suffer from dead legs. I had a target time of 27-29 mins based on training swims over a 1400 m course. Really please with my time for this element as I didn't push it to hard and there was the usual kicking and punching scrum at the start. I soon got out of that and into fairly clear water, except for one girl who clearly fancied me in my wet suit and fetching cap and kept swimming all over me - bonkers!!! Came out the swim well place and feeling good.
 
Stage 2, the cycle. The aim was to ride at 20mph average in order to keep something in the legs for the run. A time of 1 hr 15 mins or thereabouts was in my mind. The course is a circuit and pancake flat. It is however very exposed!! It was hell. Wind speed was 20mph on the day and the initial 6 miles of the course was arrow straight, head on into that wind. The remainder of the route is a zigzag of lanes which never offered much of a tail wind to compensate for the initial effort, often appearing to double back into the wind. To add insult to injury the last 2 miles or so was back to transition were into the head wind. I spent the whole ride fighting the bike, trying to find an aero position (riding old school I'm afraid) and ride as smoothly as possible, mind full of the run still to come. At one point I did think of the DA boys, if it was windy where I was on a flat course, what had Arran been like???? My Garmin packed up early on and I rode on feel. What seemed to be loads of riders did pass me - all on tt bikes.......and some in a nice chain of 6 enjoying the draft. Sorely tempted to jump that last wheel!!! My time shows I did far better than I intended doing or thought I was going to do. Never have I been so glad to get off a bike and go for a run......or so I thought! Looking back I am more than happy with the time and ave speed (21.2 mph), but I paid for it later. It was a brutal ride due to the wind and it seemed relentless. It was the big talking point of the day.
 
Before saying any more the 10Km run turned out to be 10.7kms. I am therefore claiming a sub 1 hour run and unofficially knocking 4 mins off my overall time. The switch from bike to run is unpleasant. I had worked out that running at Heather's pace for a Km or two lets my legs settle before picking up the pace. Before the middle of July I had never run 10K, ever. At Christmas, I would refuse to run the length of myself!! I still hate running but I was looking for a time of 55 mins based on training runs. Coming off the bike I did feel quite bloated from having dabbled with energy gels - these really don't agree with me! so running at an easier pace was continued until the 4 Km marker and a water stop. Feel more settled I sought to lengthen my stride and up the pace. At 5Km feeling relaxed and going well, Disaster. The cramp sniper bullseyed my right hamstring. Emergency stretching and massage required. My increased effort on the bike due to the windy conditions had come back to extract an untimely revenge. My race for a quick time was done and it was merely a matter of finishing the distance, which if I'm honest was the original goal. I was restricted to my original 'off the bike' pace. Anything more would result in further cramping. Slightly disappointed with my run time but more disappointed at the fact I cramped up. I did nonetheless keep going and finish the run. I didn't exactly sprint over the line but didn't limp over it either.  
 
Overall, I'm more than happy with my performance in my initial foray into this world of madness at this distance, particularly as I was doing this more in support of Heather rather than me be uber dilligent with my training and looking to smash it. I had concentrated most of my efforts in training to actually be able to run 10Km and be in a position to get out of the water reasonably fresh. As a result I didn't do anywhere near enough specific cycling training or hard training efforts at my full capacity. I had been relying on the training I did  for Spain seeing me through. Definitely room for improvement in this respect
 
Learned a few lessons along the way. Kick and punch back in the swim scrum - take no prisoners. It appears the law doesn't apply and murder by drowning is permissible. Ride your tt bike! Draft at all times if you think you can get away with it. Listen to your body in terms of what it likes/doesn't like in the way of liquids and food. Do more runs at my race pace after a hard bike ride.  Being a total skinny is not to one's advantage in this sport.
 
All in all another interesting experience and personal challenge. Could I have done better or gone faster? On the day I doubt it, taking the wind into account. I do think I could shave a whole lot of time off this bench mark. Could I have trained harder for it? No doubt I could have, but that wasn't necessarily the priority or point this time. Will I do more......we'll see. 
 
M

I might consider this, although the dates might prove tricky as a trip to le Tour is in the mix for next year.
 
Reading Alex's post, La Marmotte is shorter than La Sufrida and offers only a tiny bit more climbing - dunno what the fuss is about. I think this may constitute a retrograde step in my evolutionary path to cycling greatness.

Can't do the 6th. Triathloning (is that a word?) that weekend.
 
Thinking about it, between, a wee cheeky weekend in London the following weekend and proper sunny hols  thereafter I'm not free for selection until the middle of September!!!! I doubt I'd be in DA or even SA shape by then. Good luck guys if you do go for it.
 
Paul, I have a wee sneaky feeling that you might need to shelve this til 2017 to have the necessary bodies to do this. Perhaps a focus for the winter boggers miles and aim to leave the last Saturday in the month from March onwards free to go for it at the drop of a hat should the weather be set fair.
 
M

Andy,
 
see Darryl's recent thread elsewhere on the forum. A fair number of physios recommended therein. 
 
M
 
PS I hope it is nothing serious and just a mere age related tweak - none of us are geting any younger!!

A massive well done and congratulations to Katie Archibald, daughter of Ian Archibald, on her being named in a 26-strong Team GB cycling team for the Rio Olympics.
 
Nice one Katie, and the best of luck for Rio.
 
 

Last year's survey identified that we would like maps of the Bunch Rides to be avaialable on the website (and also linked to the Bunch) to help new members and those like me with no sense of direction to have a vague idea where the ride goes, the length and climbing profile.
 
I know from the main bunch we have some classic rides we repeat frequently (and not just the trips to the Bagel Basket) and presume its the same for the other Bunches.
 
Can I ask members that are recording their rides on their Garmin, etc to save the ride as a route and message this to me. It will take time, but eventually we'll have a great selection of great route maps on the web to link to bunch ride posts.
 
I hope this makes sense. If there are any techy issues please post and I'm sure some of the more computer literate members can advise (I'm thinking of Jan and Chung!).
 
Thanks for your help.

Allan,
 
Firstly welcome to the club. I think it is fair to say your journey to deciding to join a cycling club mirrors that of many in the Wheelers. We've all been down this road and survived. Depending on your level of fitness I recommend a ride with either the 30 milers, the intermediate bunch or the Wednesday evening socials. The guys and girls in these groups will make you most welcome. See how you go with these rides and take it from there.
 
As for group riding, you'll pick the do's, don'ts and how to's up as you go along. Watch, listen and ask questions, even if the questions might seem daft. Those riding with you will keep you right. If there are specific aspects you wish to cover on group riding, or indeed anything else, there are a number of coaches (myself, Billy Mac (Moi on the forum), Tom Hill and a variety of coaches attached to the jets) within the club who would be more than happy to give you advice and guidance.
 
Get yourself along to one the rides and enjoy.
 
Mark