Second Birthday?

I'm on the bike today and working on getting some fitness going as it's only three months now to my Half-Arsed Ironman.

However, L is worrying more. She worries that she will be on the sidelines for my more imminent birthday run, which is looking like it could be in Vienna. I suppose I could have a second birthday like the Queen and I do quite fancy Malmö Half in September.

She says she hopes to have the body of a builder by September. I assume she doesn't mean like the plumber who did our bathroom. Ah, body builder.

It's dog training tonight with a pint in the Masons to follow of course but there's no Wainwrights, it’s Robinson’s Dizzy Blonde instead.

(Tuesday 7^th February)

The Six Percent

'Less than 6% of adults in UK can run a mile non stop'

L quotes that to me. Now if I’d quoted that to her, she’d have come back with ‘but I’m sooo unfit...’ I know her so well.

Now if only 6% can run a mile, how many can do a sprint triathlon? And how many can do a half-ironman? Then again, how many would want to?

I wonder how I’m going to get my stiff legs through dog training tonight, then find out I won’t have to. The weather returns to Outlaw Half mode, once more becoming wet and windy. Dogging is cancelled. It's too windy, it will blow everything over and probably blow our little dog off the equipment.

I rush home and hobble out into the rain to chuck some grass seed down instead. You have to take these opportunities.

Then we get the foam roller out, I have some restoration work to do before Sunday.

(Monday 1^st June)

Flailing Fins

Having turned down my running overtures, L announces that she wants to start some... speed work. I’m always available.

I go to the pool, as a late-ish training session for Sunday’s half ironman. Naturally it’s packed and I have to share a lane with a couple of girlies (not too painful) and flipper man (which is painful if he catches you with a flailing fin). I swim 70 lengths without getting too much cramp and only one flipper bruise, which is a result.

Steve McClaren is gone from Derby. I’m not particularly happy about another managerial change as I think we can now right off next season as the new chap beds in but the philandering McClaren has no one to blame but himself for flirting embarrassingly with Newcastle United. That’ll end in tears. Anything involving Newcastle always does.

(Tuesday 26^th May)

Run And Swim Day

I’m on dog walking duty again this morning and then I hand over to L for the ball chucking before heading off to work in the car. It's a run and swim day.

L’s hobble must be improving as she’s wearing the trainers that she couldn't reach down to fasten on Monday.

A speeding fine arrives by email from Switzerland. Bugger.

My lunchtime training run is more of a trot than a run and is a massive 3.9k. Wow. It would have annoyed L all night if she'd stopped at 3.9k but I actually stopped just in time. 4k is next week’s project. I’m well on my way to half ironman distance, just 17k to go. 

Then it’s straight from work to the pool where I have 50 lengths to do. The pool is packed and there are only three lanes in use. The slow lane is standing room only, whilst the fast lane has one guy who is attempting to drown himself by trying to keep up with the two fast women in his lane. Can't be done mate. I've been there, done that and had the post-attempt CPR.

In truth I’ve only been slaughtered by one of them and I know she is incredibly fast. I haven’t seen the other one before and she seems to be even quicker... avoid me thinks. So the middle lane it is then, despite the four people already in there and one of them wearing flippers.

I get my lengths done then I head home, hopefully with some power left in my limbs, where a woman and two dogs await my attention. Busy night.

L had promised that MD had so much ball chucking this morning that he'd be begging me not to throw it tonight. Hopefully. Wishful thinking. She’s wrong, as she probably suspected.

(Friday 24^th April)