Boxing Day Challenge 2008

Following on from the Xmas Day swim at the Lido was the Boxing Day Challenge at the Cheltenham Racecourse. This was a cross country run over 4 miles around the racecourse, there were a couple of hills to negotiate and some mud. The sun was shining and it was bitterly cold waiting for the start. I felt really good during this event, the previous days swim may have helped. I finished in a not to bad time 7 mins ahead of Jeanette (hehe). Results here.

Time: 28.25

Xmas Day Swim - Lido

C.O.L.D ! We came, we signed the waiver, we swam, we got out and then went blue.

When competing in triathlons if the temperature of the water is 14°C or less then a wetsuit is compulsory as that is considered too cold. The water at the Lido on Christmas Day was 8°C and wearing a wetsuit here would be considered cheating, myself, Mark and Beano managed one width and then got out, it felt really weird getting out almost warm in the cold air with pins and needles all over the body. The mince pies supplied Debbie were very nice. Definitley worth trying once!

The Jolly Brewmaster - Boys are Back in town

Saturday evening before Christmas in the JB's and the Boys were back in town, Mad Goose was off but the Butty Bach was most certainly on..

Spoonful of Chips

Totti's nickname is 'cucchiaio' this translates as 'Spoon'. This name derives from his ability in chipping the ball when scoring. This video shows some of his best chipped goals. The penalty against Holland was in the semi-final of Euro 2000, and there is also a great chip against Lazio in the Rome derby.

As result his autobiography is called "Mo Je Faccio Er Cucchiaio", which means "Now I'm going to do the Chip Shot".

Old Trafford - 06 Dec 2008

Went up to watch Man United v Sunderland with Dean. Sunderland came for a draw and were very unadventurous and United were all over them although it took until the 90th for the goal to come

Seaford Triathlon

Seaford 08 was a great event helped by the one day in August where the sun shone all day long. This event was the first head to head between myself and my brother who lives near Brighton. It was also a chance to swim in the sea in competition conditions as I had already swam lake and river triathlons so far this year.

The course is very user friendly, conditions in the swim were fairly choppy but the water was warmish and there was lots of room during the initial scramble. The exit out of the water and run up the pebble beach to the bike transition was made comfier by a thin carpet which started after 5 or so metres after the water exit, coming out of the water breathing heavily i completely forgot about the painful pebbles under foot.

The cycle was 6 laps on the Seaford Esplanade, the road was good condition and there was little wind. The run took the same route but on the pavement adjacent to the beach. I thought this event was excellent for spectators as our watching family only had to walk from the beach to the esplanade area and were able to watch the cycling and running without moving again as watching triathlons must very boring!

My result was 1h21m finishing 22nd out of 92 competitors, a full eight English minutes ahead of Neil although i think next time he will be not taking so long towelling himself down during transition.

Overall: 01:21:17

Swim: 00:15:38

Bike: 00:39:41

Run: 00:25:58

Marco Bortalomi and Carlos Nieto at the Jug

, originally uploaded by davstar8.

The Captain of the Gloucester (and Italy) rugby team plus a Argentinian prop dropped into the Brown Jug today to officially open new extension out the back.

Upton Upon Severn Olympic Triathlon

The Triathlon Course for Upton was as follows

Swim: downstream open water swim in the River Severn. On the day it was raining throughout the start of the swim and river was flowing very fast which allowed for a personal best 1500 swim though conditions certainly helped with speed!

Bike: the new bike route for 2008 followed wide open roads out in the countryside. The standard distance was 2 laps.

Run: a flat 5km circuit; over half of the route was a combination of a quiet, rural lane and private farm tracks. The standard distance was 2 laps.

		Avg. Speed	Avg. Pace
Swim Time	00:19:06(60)	4.71km/h	00:12:44
Bike Time	01:27:03(115)	27.57km/h	00:02:11
Run Time	00:52:21(112)	11.46km/h	00:05:14
Overall Time	02:38:30

Worcester Sprint Triathlon

This was my first UK based triathlon time and I was nervous before the start, luckily being with Beano the season professinal helped calmed the nerves. That said no matter how many events you have completed its still a buzz to get the adrenalin rush at the start of any event.

The course included a lake swim out at the Top Barn activity centre near Worcester. Gusty wind conditions meant there was quite a strong current making the lake quite choppy for parts of the swim. The wind also made the hilly cycle even more challenging.

		Avg. Speed	Avg. Pace
Swim Time	00:18:40(56)	2.41km/h	00:24:53
T1	00:02:12	-	-
Bike Time	01:00:57(74)	24.61km/h	00:02:26
T2	00:01:15	-	-
Run Time	00:26:48(68)	11.19km/h	00:05:22
Overall Time	01:49:52

New Bike - Cannondale R1000 Sport

Well, 2nd hand. A very light and fast chariot with slick tyres and Look pedals, great for falling off outside supermarkets when you can't get your foot off pedal!

Melbourne Grand Prix 2008

Elwood Sprint Triathlon 2008

Overall Time: 01:24:41

Swim Leg
Time	0:13:16
Place	726
Bike Leg
Time	0:38:33
Place	601
Run Leg
Time	0:29:12
Place	667

Beach Road Bike Ride

View Larger Map
Total Distance 30KM

This is the bike ride route I take from my house in St Kilda. It is a loop so you do return the same way but this is worth it as the scenery is very good along the coast. The turn around point is the Clock Tower at Black Rock