Hopeful return to racing

I have entered the Driffield Triathlon to be held on the 16th May 2010. Hopefully this will be my return to racing. Hopefully I will start this race as I haven't managed to start any other event so far this year. This is going to be my first race since injury in early Feb and my first race since the 11th October 2009. I have been doing a bit of running and even managed a couple of bike to run bricks in the last week so given its only a sprint event I feel all being well I should "get round it". I've not really been finding any form what so ever in the pool so i'm not holding out any hope of a fast swim but the biking is going ok although i've done little on the speed front and can comfortably get round 5k with no knee pain so I will just see what the day brings. I am looking forward to it though, seems like a lifetime ago that I last raced.

On a change of subject Beth seems to be settling in to school now and dare I say actually enjoying it a little. She's home this weekend for the bank holiday so it might be hard getting her back on Monday evening but I know its for the best. I think she will really enjoy it once she settles completely.

Beth has started boarding school

Well yesterday was the day that we set off for Stamford High School for Girls. A car full of bags and coat hangers full of neatly pressed uniform. Beth has started her new school. She seemed in good form when we left so hopefully she will settle in quickly. She has only got a 2 week stretch to push before bank holiday weekend and then she will be home. Didn't think I would miss her so much already :-(

Consistent Swimming

Yes my splits were consistent in the pool today, unfortunately they were consistently slow! I did some 400m splits as my first race will be the Driffield Sprint Tri on the 16th May. I hope I actually start this race given the start I've had to this year so far. I have decided to focus on what I can do instead of what I can't do and I know I can run 5k at the moment so a sprint race makes sense. I've had a good week on the bike this week managing to clock 178 miles which is my best week on the bike since Lanzarote and that knee injury. A week on Sunday will see me watching the London Marathon on TV for the first time in three years having ran in 2007/2008/2009 so I think it will have to be done in style with good coffee and bacon butties!

I had an email today saying that the latest day to pay the entry fee for the European Championships is the 15th May which gives me a bit more time to see how the running progresses before I decide if its another non starter for me. Will this year be a complete write off? hopefully not as I have Antwerp 70.3 in July as well. I watched the Abu Dhabi Triathlon on Eurosport today, that looks fun, especially when you get to cycle round the F1 track, I think that race will have to go down on my "to do" list before I give up triathlon. Not much else happening at the moment, bye for now.

What's a faster race set up?

I've been wondering which will be a faster set up for this seasons flatter races? Both have the disc on the rear but which is a faster front? I didn't buy the spinergys to race on but reckon it could be a fast wheel on the front but the cosmic carbon is a quick wheel as well. Any opinions would help thanks.

Time to accept facts

Ok so this season was due to begin a couple of weeks back at the Clumber Classic duathlon, entered and DNS. Next up should have been the Fleet Half Marathon, entered and DNS. Next race should be the London Marathon, entered and you guessed it...........its going to be another DNS. There is a bit of a pattern going on here and its not very good! When I first injured my knee in Lanza back in Feb I thought I would be back in time for London but with only 4 weeks on Sunday until race day its time to give up that hope/dream that I will be fit and ready to race. I am actually doing a little running but not a chance of any distance or speed. I feel at this stage its far more important to avoid further injury and try and recover for the European Championships for the GB Age Group squad in June and the Antwerp 70.3 in July. Being an athlete really sucks sometimes I hate injuries.

Champions bike for sale!

Ok so if you've seen my previous post you will be aware I now have a new time trial bike from my sponsor this season. As a result I don't need my other time trial bike which was the very machine that took me through last season to become the Yorkshire and Humberside Champion. This is in very good condition as you can see from the pictures. Its been fitted with a brand new set of michelin ironman tyres and is ready to go. I'm looking for £900 for it. Also I've popped a quick pick on of my TCR with my retro wheels I picked up recently for a bargain price. Nice set of wheels for training on and despite the age I think they still look cool.

New bike pics

Ok, so a quick update, total hours training last week...........zero, hours training the week before.........zero, hours spent painting the house before it went on the market 18-20. So i've been a bit busy lately, but it didn't matter much as my knee is still not fixed. Finally got my arse into gear and picked up the new bike from Paul and Lisa at http://www.hilderthorpecycles.co.uk/ / Cyclelife. So Friday was the first ride on it to sort out my position. After a 20 mile loop I went back to the shop and swapped the stem from my Giant Trinity TT bike which is now in the shop for sale. I fitted the stem and then today (Sunday) did 26 miles on the turbo trainer so I could finish tweaking it, only changed the saddle position by moving it forward on the rails. I am now sure of the tri bar length and will speak with Paul to get about 2 inches taken off the length so the bar end shifters are closer and that should be it all set up. Initial thoughts after Friday's road ride are its a nice ride. It corners well and descends nice and steady. Haven't climbed to hard on it yet due to the knee injury as its still not ready to be pushed hard. Its a full carbon frame with full carbon fork and topped off with full SRAM Red groupset. So what are your thoughts, do you like it, be honest with your comments.