Fishman?

Could I be turning into a Fiashman?! surely not! A week has passed by since my last blog. To avoid driving away any people who may read these ramblings, I will get my rant out of the way quickly. . .

Been ill. Glute/hamstring injury lingers on. . . bla bla. . . not training well. . . bla bla. . .

Right, so what’s been going on? I collect my box trailer tomorrow or Wednesday. It depends on whether my tow bar is difficult to fit. Either way, I am excited about getting a trailer for the trivan – sad eh?! But during these long, dark and wet days of winter, I am dreaming of my trip to the French Alps in July. Throw all the luggage in the trailer (including bike) and drive in luxury for 10 hours.

Although I stated that training is not going too well, my swimming is actually not too bad. With various leg injuries going on, I have been hitting the pool quite hard – when not coughing up green junk. . . . nice. . .

Clocked a 6:04 400m and a 2:54 200m in training. Quite happy with that considering my swimming has been so dire for the last 2 years.

This Saturday is Ironman Western Australia. Really looking forward to this because Andy Fisher and Neill Gowans (both RAF Tri) are racing. Andy is a complete animal and super fast. It is his first Ironman so it could be REALLY quick or the distance will grab him and chew him out a wreck! Neill has completed a few Ironman triathlons. But this one is different. He has reportedly lost 4 Stone in weight! He has ballooned in weight over the last few years but there is a very fast triathlete in there just waiting to return! Not sure what his goals are for the race but I suspect that the weight loss alone will see him take a PB for the distance.

Best wishes to them both; race strong and wise. . . just like I always do . . . cough cough. Sorry, more green stuff there. . . .

British Sports Personality of the Year Award. Oh dear, not a good prospect! Press reports are all over the place at the moment, mostly berating the way we shortlist individuals for the title. I like this report:

Looking at the BBC’s list of nominees for the 2009 Sports Personality of the Year, you have to wonder what so-called ‘minority’ sports stars have to do to get the recognition that they undoubtedly deserve.
Win three back-to-back World Championships and break a World Record in one of the toughest sports on earth?
Maintain a 100% record in an International series at the age of just 21?
Or perform above averagely – but by no means be a world-beater – in mainstream sports and get the nod because bods at the Beeb does not have enough faith in the format of the show to put together a Sports Personality of the Year Awards that does not include the pre-requisite footballer, cricketer and tennis player?
To say that this year’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year is a bit of a joke is harsh. But fair? Every single athlete on the list is undoubtedly worthy of praise, and they have all performed to levels that most of us can only dream about.
But few on that list have excelled in the manner of either Chrissie Wellington or Alastair Brownlee in 2009. Bradley Wiggins and Tony McCoy have – but somehow didn’t make the list. Jess Ennis and Beth Tweddle have. Even David Haye deserves credit for his battle with the Goliath in Germany.
But some of the others? It’s incredibly disappointing.
And you have to ask why?
This week in Australia, Craig Alexander was crowned Sports Performer of the Year – the Aussie equivalent of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards. In a country where sports stars are revered and their passion for winning is second to none, Crowie triumphed against the biggest names in Rugby, Cricket and Athletics. Those are the big ‘three’ down under. What’s more the names that Crowie beat have already been Internationally recognised as being the best players of their respective sports in the World. Alexander was a rank-outsider going into the ceremony, but the Aussie public was given the opportunity to vote, and because of what he has achieved he won. He got the recognition he deserves.
The Great British public won’t even have the opportunity to recognise Chrissie Wellington and Alastair Brownlee.
Why? Because the nominations were made by ‘experts’ from local newspapers, lads mags and the tabloid press (all of whom have a very specific demographic). Not one of these ‘experts’ shortlisted Brownlee (including the Yorkshire Post), while only three cited Chrissie. Sporting experts indeed…
And that means that for yet another year, BBC pundits will roam the floor pouring accolades on a player yet to win a Grand Slam, a veteran footballer whose best days are way behind him, and a driver blessed with undoubted talent (and a better car than everyone else for the first half of a season).
Meanwhile, a couple of Internationally acclaimed World Champions will be looking on, probably wondering what they have to do to get on that short list. That is if they’re invited to the ceremony at all.