We're all going on a Summers Holiday

Well then blog readers,

What can I say has happened since my last blog?

Well for starters I have realised I'm not as sea sick as thought following a trip to the Scilly Isles.

I went there for my oldest friends wedding. It was beautiful and the wedding was perfect. The Scilly Isles are a very tranquil place. On day one I went to the bike hire shop to ask if they had any road bikes, I received a look of disdain to this question and the following response "There are only nine miles of road on this island" I was dumbfounded as to what to reply so I just said thanks and promptly left.

The fitness I did on the Scilly Isles consisted of

1. 2 games of rounders on the beach.
2. a game of frisbee on the beach.
3. a circa 1 mile run on the morning of the Wedding as I was pushed for time.
4. a game of piggy in the middle on the beach.
5. a game of scatch on the beach
6. a game of boules on the beach (I am now the reigning 2012 Porthcressa Beach Boules Champion after beating my oldest friend - the groom and I will never let him forget this as it was on his wedding day), in 30 years he will be reminded of my victory on his anniversary.

Not a great deal but boy running on sand is hard work, I also did quite a lot of walking over the 4 days.

Now for some news on the bike front. The bike I wanted was reserved by someone else an hour before I rang to reserve it. I then proceeded to vent about my frustration via Twitter and received the reply as below.

Woohoo. Twitter really does have its uses. My Trek Madone is now ready for collection. Can't wait for Sunday when I get to collect it.

Following my four day trip to the Scilly Isles I was relieved to get back to the mainland as there was hardly any data on Scilly which meant that I couldn't track my run on the Wedding Day. This was a tad frustrating as I felt good but have no idea how far I ran.

A two day stopover in Tintagel followed. I dragged my butt out of bed on day one to go for a run. I've decided to follow a training plan. I'm using Abvio's Cyclemeter for iPhone which has a built in 5km and 10km training plan. Hopefully this will be a little more structured than my previous efforts. My route can be seen below.

I'll admit at this pace it will take ages to complete my 10k run but following a trip to TriUK on the way home, it appears I may have a valid excuse.

I called into TriUK to pick up a trisuit and rent a wetsuit. Job done or so I thought until I asked about the various niggles in my calves when running and knees following runs.

The very helpful member of staff then asked which trainers I was using. I said Asics Gel Cumulus 13 and he looked worried. He then gave me a gait analysis wearing various trainers. It appears my overpronation has not been corrected by these trainers and my running style is causing my injuries and stiffness as I am twisting my knee when running as my arches are flattening on impact. He recommended I purchase some Asics Gel Kyano 18 trainers as they have a stiffer midsole and should prevent my collapsing arch which will stop my knee twisting. I was amazed that all this mechanics went into a pair of shoes.

So I left TriUK with a wetsuit, trisuit, wetsuit glue, bodyglide, a top tube bag, race belt, new CO2 bike pump, bottle cage and needing a new pair of trainers. This triathlon lark is expensive. I think it would be cheaper owning a horse.

I have however learned an important lesson. I will never buy something again without seeking advice. I now have an excess bike and an excess pair of trainers. I suspect an eBay session is needed to recoup some funds.

Now I have all the necessary kit, I have entered another triathlon as a warm up to the London Triathlon as I feel entering the largest triathlon blind could be a mistake.

I have entered the Hatfield Triathlon on the 29th July in Doncaster. The timing and location suit me and will allow adequate recovery time if needed. It is a Sprint Distance Triathlon which is half the distance of the one in London which is 8 weeks afterwards.

The rest of this weekend will involve exercise in varying quantities.

• Tomorrow morning will involve session 2 of my run training plan.
• Saturday is day one at the gym and who knows what my trainer has planned for me.
• Sunday will undoubtedly involve a bike ride on the new steed.

I'm still not smoking and have now reached 7 weeks nicotine free. I'm really pleased with myself.

Remember you can sponsor me via Justgiving by clicking the link or by texting NSMK50 £X to 70070 where X is the amount you wish to sponsor, it will take less than 30 seconds. Please do as it is for a great cause.

Thanks for reading,

Michael

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