The best inspiration is not to outdo others, but to outdo ourselves

This was probably my last trip to Stratford for this race in the forseeable future.  Not because of the race itself, which I really enjoy doing, but because of it's distance from home.  We're trying to find races rather nearer here for next year, trying to cut down on the fuel and accommodation bills that go with racing.  It can become a very expensive business, especially with prices rising as they are doing at the moment.  And what a trip it was!  We made a bit of a thing of it this time and stayed down near Stratford, after all, we've generally just blasted in an

I didn't do this race last year because it clashed with Salford, but there's no Salford this year, so back I went to Trentham.  It's a lovely backdrop for a race and a good family destination for a weekend away.  That's what we did, got ourselves organised nice and early, booked ourselves into the Premier Travel Inn that's actually on the site and made a family break out of it.  This is another fun2tri race and as such I expected, and got, a well organised race.  I did have mixed feelings going into the race though as I've had a rather chequered history when it comes to

The Swim

Leaving the Water

They're Off

This was my fourth running of this race and it proved to me again why it it that I keep going back.  I know I must sound like a fun2tri advert at times, but they really do know what they are doing and it makes all the difference.  This race has the potential to be quite confusing with split transition areas and the need to collect your stuff in it's numbered bag at the end (which I did without any trouble at all), also with the swimming through the pool.  The reality is that it all goes very smoothly because they know exactly what they're doing.  Having said all that, we

Cycling

Outdoor Pool

The Run

I'm not really sure where to start with this one.  What a brilliant race!  It was great in lots of ways.  I like this race anyway because I've done it a few times before, I know what to expect and it's always really well organised and enjoyable to complete.  I do like to go back to a race and to try and better my previous times.  I was also happy this time because my full cheering committee were with me and it gave me such a boost towards the end of the race tosee the three of them there and hear them shouting encouraging things to me.  The weather was beautifu

Fun2Tri organise two excellent races each year starting from the Stratford upon Avon Leisure Centre. Both the Stratford 220 Trathlon and the Warwickshire Triathlon start in the pool there and follow the same course through the Warwickshire Countryside and along the River Avon.  The Straford 220 is the largest pool swim triathlon in Britain and is accompanied by a Triathlon Show where you can see and buy all manner of triathlon related kit.

Be warned, some self-congratulation is unavoidable here today!  Right, that's my stall set out, now I can get on with telling you about the race.  This swim run was the last in the winter season run by fun2tri, so I'd decided to give the longer distance a go as a good pre-season race.  When I applied for the race I was hoping for a positive result from it to send me towards my first tri of the year in a good frame of mind.  Bearing in mind the fact that my training has been going pretty well, I was hoping that I might realise this when it came to race day.  On the o

Today saw me take the start line at my second swim run outing of the year (the fifth in fun2tri's series).  I continued my habit of finishing it in a very similar time to my previous ones, but managed to be slightly slower overall.  Argh!  However, I shall tell you my tale and stress from the outset that I enjoyed taking part and at the end of that day that's the most important point anyway.

This was the fourth in the series of swim run races, but my first foray into it this time around.  I did take part in a couple last winter.  I also have another couple lined up for this year in the coming months.  My main concern in the run up to this race was the weather, it has been absolutely foul.  Rain, rain and more rain.  Oh, and quite a lot of wind too.  Earlier on in the week the forecast for Nantwich was dreadful, so there was rather a lot of finger crossing going on.  Driving over the tops to get there the weather was atrocious, standing wa

Mummy's Fan Club

Swim Run at Nantwich

Mummy's Fan Club

I've now competed in the Cheshire Triathlon three times, like all Fun2Tri events it's popular and well organised. However, there's always something that you miss or that's not mentioned in the official documentation so I hope this will help anyone who's not competed here before.  The Cheshire Triathlon is run in Nantwich and it's an unusual race because there are two seperate transition areas, one near the pool and the other in Barony Park.

This race was run over the same course as the Stratford Triathlon was earlier in the year.  It still comprised a 400m swim, followed by 23K on the bike and 5K on the run.  It is also still ably run and organised by the fun2tri team, who are very good indeed at what they do.  I wasn't too sure how it would go, especially as I was heading into it with the tail end of the cold that upset matters for Derby.  Also, it's been a bit of an up and down year, with some successes and some disappointments.  However, bearing in mind what I said after Derby, I intended to go into