Happy Birthday Harry

For Harry's Birthday

Nicola gave him 16th at English Schools, whilst a bunch of the academy kids also gave top 100 runs. Piers gave Harry 22nd at the Ballbuster
Emma gave him 1st u25 female at Ballbuster and Steve gave him 11th in his age group at Ballbuster. James G Also smashed the Ballbuster showing that Wareham Swimming makes you very very strong. Hopefully James will give Harry a late birthday present by joining the quest for World Domination!

Cheers guys, some awesome early season results. Keep it Simple and keep it consistent and the season will go well.

I'd better pull a result out tomorrow or I will be the odd one out.

Weekend Preview.....The Ballbuster Cometh......

A small but select group of the Driven to Tri team will be laying the smackdown this weekend at the Ballbuster. Piers and Steve will be making sure they don't let Emma fly by on the bike and I'm sure will be making an attempt to keep up with Mr Gilfillan and Mr Tri Monkey himself! If your racing on Saturday look out for the Driven to Tri kit and be afraid, be very afraid......

Thanks Emily!

The Weather in Tavistock was gorgeous yesterday. Ian and Di came down for a quick spin on their bikes before they head off for a week in Lanzarote. Ian's new Planet X (named sonic) needed a couple of little tweaks and we went through how to pack a bike bag before riding the climb to Princetown. We made the most of the tale wind on the way down the hill to break some new speed records and get back in less then half the time.

The best part about the day is that I was given Birthday cake! Not just any bit of birthday cake though. Emily had especially saved Super mario's legs for me. Clearly if I eat Super Mario's legs then I will become a faster runner. THANKYOU Emily, I tried to think super Mario legs at running club last night and fully cake charged I should be on for a flyer at Sundays final Westward league.

Purbecks Bite Back .. Big Weekender Mash Up

So there I was, in that surreal place quietly gliding along the beach from Swanage toward Portland when 20 something athletes came pacing the other way .. damn! They'd turned before I could catch them up after shepherding a couple of tired legs homewards .. So, what the hell, the chase is on .. Harry and I picked it up for the return towards Pete and his truck of love .. or jammy dodgers and water! Smooth ocean on the left, firm sand underfoot, and a warm setting sun on the right. Heaven.. it really was in Dorset last Friday evening.

At 7am the following morning we're out on tired 22km legs and spin the coast path before brekkers. Then onto the bikes for a punishing 6 hours or so, knocking the stuffing out of all by the last climb. Nathan .. you owe me buddy! An evening of Italian food, fine wine and doling out the odd massage, everyone's asleep in good time. Sunday and Harry takes a hardy total of 2 for 30 mins around the block before we set off to Wareham for a 2.5 hour road 'race' at pace - a quiet road circuit is the scene of many pained faces trying their best to focus and deliver a good effort. Pop Pop Pop ... Back at the Sports Centre safe and sound (Emma!) and into the pool for a good session .. of 150, 100, 50's increasing with a 400m time trial thrown in for good measure.. Harry solo against Tash solo, against all the other athleles on one team. Well, needless to say, the race was won in just over 4:30. Good going!! Before you know it, we're having a goodbye coffee and swapping sore leg stories, but more importantly thinking about the next camp and how good and strong it will make us all!! Thanks to our Athletes, thanks to Harry, Pete and of course The Brady Monkey, awesome weekend!! For more info click on the Camps tab..

It were 'ard

That's what it says on the back of the T-shirt I was given for finishing alive. And on the front, a picture of crazy Wayne.

Wayne Randall is an animal. Not a normal animal, more a machine that keeps the pace high, ably assisted by henchmen fondly referred to as the Barnsley Mafia.
Glancing around occassionally and calling people thru', it seemed that for 2 days we spent our time trying to out maneuovre a photographer and all our support vehicles. If it looked like anyone wanted to stop for a pee, the whip cracked and a funny guy called Dieter with tin foil bar tape accelerated up the road dragging an elastic band of riders behind him.
Just a couple of my observations from the last 2 days .. or 350km, or 10.5 hours of riding.

The Boggle Hole weekender, the official 2009 Planet-X bikes team launch has led to a lot of carbon zipping along great roads, over big hills, gasping for breath, chewing bars and generally not stopping for anything! It was a kind of a 3 way battle betwen the locals, the roadies and the triathletes. I'd like to say we came off best .. but I'd settle for us holding our own! Harry, Pete and myself spent 2 days in this fast group defending our love of water and running .. we've come back smashed but with a true sense of achievement from the miles covered. Plus we ground up the steepest road in Britain - Rosedale Chimney - a 1 in 3, and learnt to cram down croissants and bananas at high speed. Oh yeah .. the new bikes - Planet-X Superlight Pro Carbon's - well I can report that mine goes like a missile (it didn't have a chance to do much else!), and is very comfortbale to boot. Next up is the Big Weekender .. Pete, Jim and Harry get a chance to dish it to their athletes .. be very afraid if one of us wears the red hat!