11 Years of Blogging

It is nearly 11 years since I started this Blog. Time has flown by! So much has changed in my life that has impacted my racing ambitions. I do feel like my personal Tri community has shrunk somewhat since leaving the RAF in 2017. I have found the transition from RAF to civilian life incredibly difficult - mostly due to the fact that my departure from the RAF was somewhat of a 'cliff-edge' drop, rater than a calculated leap into a planned phase. But as I have said so many times in this Blog, the focus is training and racing; not an emotional dumping ground! So let's look at the end of 2019 and look ahead to 2020. Crikey! that date sounds almost science fiction! The fact that I am still racing is a success in itself, I suppose! But enough of reminiscing. The end of 2019 is today. As far as racing goes, it has been another low-key year. I started my 'second career' in March 19. A last minute opportunity to work with the Leidos, supporting the MOD arose. This job was a better prospect than joining DE&S as a civil servant. This meant my working in Bristol during the week and returning to Newcastle Under Lyme each weekend. This dynamic has taken some getting used to. In fact, I don't think that I will ever get used to it. I had tried to target a middle distance triathlon but illness, work, 'life' etc etc put pay to that. I managed a few 10 mile TTs, a disastrous 25 mile TT, a few sprint Triathlons and a few Duathlons. At best, I maintained some sense of fitness. Then, in August, I caught a bad chest infection. Any aspirations of a late season middle distance triathlon were binned as the illness dragged on for weeks. As October came, I started to focus on running more, and started track sessions with Bristol West AC. I also joined Newcastle (Staffs) Tri Club (NTC), recently voted THE BEST TRI CLUB IN ENGLAND!!! Awesome. So now the focus is to hit the age group duathlon races and see what can be achieved. I have not been in the pool for months and do not really miss it. The track sessions have been consistent and I am hoping to see some progress on the run speed. Add to this, regular conditioning sessions and I hope to start 2020 It's Parkrun day tomorrow. Let's see where the run fitness is. The track sessions tell me I am not ready to break 18 mins for 5k. . . . .