After the disappointment of the Rio 2016 Paralympics decision to exclude visually impaired men it would have been very easy to take my foot off the gas, be lazy, drink beer and get fat. I did do a bit of that, but it’s called an end of season break, and it was REALLY needed! 2014 felt like a long season with trips to Japan, Austria, Canada and Spain clocking up some good air miles. I was feeling quite under the weather by the last race of the season. I had a good 4 weeks off training (OK 5 but who’s counting?). I did almost no exercise for 2 weeks. After that I just did what I fancied; the odd easy bike ride to work and back, maybe 2 short runs and 2 easy swims – what a sloth! I did continue to attend my fortnightly coached swim/run sessions in Cambridge with Tim Williams (Perfect Condition) as I wanted to have some continuity in terms of the technical work we have been doing together over the past 18 months.

I’m now well into my winter training which so far has mainly consisted of some base work with a big focus on technique, especially swim-wise. I seem to be going OK for this time of year although might have a couple of kilo’s to lose:-). To keep things interesting in the winter months I signed myself up to a couple of fun events: –

Tri-Anglia Olympic Velodrome session

30 club members and friends took to the boards of the London Olympic Velodrome for a 3 hour taster session in mid-October. There was a mix of first-timers and a few slightly more experienced riders amongst us. I had hoped to get my custom-made Matrix track tandem out for a little spin but it wasn’t possible for safety reasons in the end – So  I just rode solo which probably worried the coaches much more! In all honesty I’m not bad on the track having ridden on several velodromes over the years ( solo and tandem). I also have decent bike handling skills and know my (visual) limits!

We had a great session which everyone seemed to enjoy. I certainly enjoyed riding around the top of the banking and swooping down the track for the odd fast lap. We even managed a ‘fun’ race at the end which was great except for one guy having a high speed spill as the final for the line opened up. Thankfully no major damage was done.

It was nice to go back to the velodrome after watching some of the Paralympic cycling there in 2012, but it seemed strange how quiet the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park was in comparison to my previous visit…

Thanks to James Millson for organising this trip. I hear we might try a dip in the Olympic pool next time! Here are a photo’s: –

Norwich Half Marathon

I’ve always fancied running a half marathon.  Since I got back into running a few years ago through triathlon, I’ve considered entering the Norwich event a few times but either got injured when I ran more than 7 or 8 miles, missed the entry deadline or was  away doing something else. This year everything seemed to work out OK so I thought ‘why not’. The answer is probably ‘because you’ve not really done any training’ but that’s a minor detail, right? I was keen in part because the event was supported by Sportlink and Salming UK, two of my awesome sponsors,

The big day came a month into my winter training. To say conditions weren’t favourable would be an understatement. It was cold and raining hard with the roads gradually getting more and more flooded. Despite this, I quite enjoyed myself. The event had a different feel to it compared to the shorter stuff I normally do, much more relaxed. It was nice to chat to friends and club-mates as we ran along ticking off the miles. I felt pretty comfortable despite the distance and conditions although inevitably it felt a bit tougher towards the end and the second time up the hill past Easton college. The main issue was I was just bloody cold by the end. I was happy with my time of 1:41:08 considering I didn’t push the pace. Congratulations to the twins Danial Watts and who finished 1st in 1:08:08  and brother Glen Watt’s in 2nd who are also sponsored by Salming.

Post race with Ironman Pro Joe Skipper, Guide Matt Ellis and Sportlink’s former GB marathon runner Neil Featherby

Full results can be viewed here.

I’ll now  continue with my winter training and will hopefully have some news on my racing schedule for 2015 soon.

Iain