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

It was nice to be back for my 6th running of this race. I missed it last year and was very sorry to have broken my run of completing this event. I got myself into Leeds bright and early this morning, something that turned out to be just as well. It was quite a bit busier around the race area than it has been in the past. This appeared to be due to there being road closures in the area for roadworks as well as for the race itself.

This was another new race for me, but one that I was expecting to enjoy as it is run by a group whose races I have enjoyed in the past. This race is another one organised by Freebird Events. I went just hoping to enjoy the race, clearly after what I was saying about last weekend, I hadn't done enough training (seems like the story of my life at the moment), so I just wanted to get out there and enjoy racing.

I ran this race once before, but in very different circumstances. The last time I tackled it was in 2004, it was my very first half marathon and I'd taken the training very seriously indeed. I've never been that well prepared for any subsequent half and have nearly always ended making excuses to explain my slowness! I'm afraid their will be similar comments being made here. I was doing really well with the initial training for this race, so much so that I was up to 13 miles about a month and a half a go and thought I was on course for a good race.

I was really looking forward to taking part in this race. My training had been going pretty well, I'd been doing quite a lot of running with a view to the Half Marathon in a few weeks time and I actually felt relatively well prepared. Mind you, I was still feeling nervous, especially as it's a race that I hadn't done before. My day prior to the race probably wasn't ideal pre-race stuff, I was out all day long shopping with my Mum and my sister - but hey! It was fun.

In the Pool

In Transition

Transition

This is a race that I really like to fit into my calendar. It's nice and handy, there's a good atmosphere and it's one that I can do with April. We didn't manage to fit it in last year because it clashed with one of the Swim Run races, so it was good to see it on a free weekend this time.

This race seemed like a good way to round off the season, with races for children as well as for adults.  April was feeling brave enough to venture into another race involving swimming and I fancied something short and sweet to complete my year's multisport activity.  This race took place at a school in Loughborough, fine for us as we have family there.  We were able to go down the day before and be handily on the doorstep in the morning.  There was no rushing to get there as it took less than ten minutes from Daniel's Mum's house - great.

My Mum had been telling me for a couple of years now that this race existed, right on their doorstep, and I'd been thinking I'd like to give it a go.  It turns out that I did so just in time as this year saw the last running of the Balerno Ladies Triathlon.  I have to say it's a shame too, the race was great - small but perfectly formed as they say.  The race was set up for a maximum of 64 ladies to take part, 62 doing so on the day.  I really enjoyed the race, was very impressed with the organisation that would put some bigger events to shame and would have been keen to

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

This year saw my seventh running of the Derby Triathlon, a run that I'd like to keep up.  I enjoy this race and certainly wouldn't want to miss it.  I can't quite believe that I've been doing triathlon long enough to have done anything seven times, but it would seem that I have.  This is always a good race, a beginner friendly one which is probably why it was the first race that I ever really enjoyed.  The first time I raced there was my make or break for triathlon, was I going to keep doing it or was I going to decide that it really wasn't for me after all.  All th

The Bike

Busy Road

The Swim

This was my second and final olympic distance race for this year and I approached it feeling pretty hopeful.  My preparation had been okay, better than the run up to the last one, that's for sure.  I never do quite as much in the summer holidays but it had been working out so that I was still getting a fair amount of training fitted in.  That really, was why I started making sure I had an August race, to stop from me from downing tools for six weeks, losing loads of condition and fitness while putting on weight - not a good combination, especially as I then always wanted to r

Allerthorpe Country Park