Triathlon

So here’s the problem. Most of the triathlon / fitness blogs I read are written by real people. People like you or me. And they do really amazing things. At the moment, I’m not even a triathlete at all - it’s more than 12 months since I last got painted, dunked, wind dried and pounded....
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Today I had to visit three customer sites - one in Walker, one in Sunderland, and one just up the road from home. Unfortunately, our car’s suspension went ‘pop’ at the weekend, so the car was in the garage . . . So I had to go by bike! To prove that this evening I...
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In the blue corner, we have ‘global’ £625 Giant SCR Ltd ‘07. In the red corner, spoiling for a fight, the all American hero. It’s the £749 Cannondale CAAD5 Tiagra ‘07! OK, I’ve just got back from the bike shop, where I took both of these out for a quick tour around Byker’s rush...
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The Bike Fairy (pictured left, by Frank Jackson) has got approval to fly! Who said that only children could do emotional blackmail. With my 20% off token from the Edinburgh Bicycle Cooperative in hand, the choice is now down to  . . . . Giant SCR LTD ‘07, at £625 £500  Cannondale CAAD5 Tiagra Tripple ‘07, at...
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I wanted to have a look at my swim stroke, and figured that the best way to do this was to get it filmed. So I asked the management of the gym I use if they’d allow me to do this - normally there are very strict rules about cameras and filming at poolside. They...
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Before I write the rest of this post, I’d better clear something up about The Bike Fairy. (This is a non-PC gag, so if you’re offended by this sort of thing, skip the rest of this paragraph). Contrary to popular opinion, The Bike Fairy is a supernatural being who brings good boys and girls...
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At the end of January, I splashed out (sorry - that’s a really bad pun) on a new pair of goggles. I bought a pair of Arena Cyclone goggles, which are more like a traditional diving mask, but without enclosing your nose. The idea of this kind of swimming goggle is that you get...
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After yesterday’s breakfast disaster, you could be forgiven for thinking that I’m a complete Muppet when it comes to food. But hey, as the saying goes, “the man who never made a mistake never did / learned / achieved anything”. So here are a few sensible things you can do with porridge (all together now,...
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I had a great session this afternoon - a full 25k bike and then 5k run. Setting off from Walker, at just after noon, the weather was just perfect. Sunny without much heat, so that I knew I wouldn’t get too hot. I was wearing some long cycling trousers over my ever so attractive...
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I’m getting toward the race season now - my first race is a 10K on Easter Sunday. So the training intensity is increasing, with longer and more strenuous workouts. After the mess I got myself in earlier in the year, I want to avoid over-training. The key to this is taking the appropriate rest periods...
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