Skibbereen Adventure Race

I love doing one day adventure races, it’s such a collection of different challenge’s ,not only physicial but deffo mental.

This one was the last one of the season and I had two target’s,

one to finish it and two to avoid injury,which happened in my last one.The event distance was short by many standard’s but made up for it in all it’s numerous challenge’s, in cycling,in running, and in kayaking.

The route featured the stunning coastal scenery of the Wild Atlantic Way,specially from the top of the mountain. The course hugs the sea from Skibbereen through Castletownshend, Union Hall, Tragumna, and the finish is a nice leisurely run in the fabulous Liss Ard Country House Estate.

I have to tell you about one of the cycle’s, which we were warned about, it start’s with a normal flat road that gradually introduce’s you to rolling hill’s , fair enough , to be expected. But then you come to the “Wall”, and believe you me, it was christened correctly. Even to the expierienced cyclist this was above and beyond, I had to get off my bike less than a quarter way up and I did not see anyone cycle to the top, it was tough. This defined the SCAR, short in relative term’s but tough and willing to break you. I laughed afterward’s when I saw a photograph of myself just getting to the top, it caught exactly how I was feeling, shattered.

The kayake section was straight forward, but the water was cold and it took a good kilometer or two to get the feeling back in them after. The runs were very enjoyable , even though running up a mountain any day can be tough on the leg’s but I love trail/mountain run’s. An enjoyable day that was well organized and very well marshalled always smiling.

Since that event I’ve done a  number of short run’s ,10k’s, but the main section that I’ve been consentrating on is gym work, to increase my strength and my flexibility. The plan is customised to my need’s and  I know that my body need’s strengthing and an overall increase to my ability to take long cycle’s, run’s and of course swimming. On that subject my swimming lesson’s have started and I’m very please with my progress, a first step on the 2.4ml ladder

With that it’s time for a run, today is a 15k.

Belief in a Dream

We all have dreams of different things in life that we wish we could do and yes they stay as dreams. But what’s stopping that dream, YOU.

Yep, that’s what I realised about myself and the limitations that I created along with the dream. So what if I took another approach, now I’m no genius or the Alpha body is not what I possess but this time I have decided to believe in myself. Does this belief come with age,nope,nothing to do with it. My life could never be called a plan to follow if you want to succed in life, I still work, yes the dreaded shift pattern of days and nights, it pays the bills. Yep I’m you’re ordinary Joe soap.

My dream and belief, here it is,

Qualify for Kona Ironman in Hawaii before I’m 65.

Nice one isn’t it.

Consider this, I can’t swim, I’m an average runner, and an average cyclist. Along with that my body is no holy grail. Oh one other thing I have a terrible, terrible sweet tooth and l’m 60.

All in all I do believe that I have a major challenge ahead, not only to achieve the physicial ability to do a full Ironman but to keep myself mentaly focused. But every road has its first step and this is mine. No doubt along the way I shall have my up’s and my low’s, yet I have the belief in that this is something that I Can achieve.