We started out a minute before the faster group. Chatting and cruising easily until they passed us. After that it didn’t take long for Ais to politely suggest that I should head on over and run with them. I knew what she was actually saying was “you’re annoying the shit out of me by running one step ahead and dragging the pace up. So why don’t you go and see how you get on over there half wheeling people”

At that stage they had opened probably a two minute gap from us but I took the hint (I’m not completely stupid) and picked up the pace.

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Some of the best living is spent behind bars. Solo, misty, morning rides. Coffee, cake, country roads. Rolling hills, flats or full on climbs.

The silence of the countryside only broken by the sound of the chain on the cassette, the wind in my ears and the tyres on the road.

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Since I’ve stopped proper, structured training I’m enjoying doing things I haven’t done in a long time. Saturday morning coffee rides and Sunday morning group runs are just two.

On both there’s some playing around. It’s the sort of stuff that I don’t tend to do when I’m training hard. I tend to do what I’m told, although Ais might beg to differ on this point. When I’m training seriously sessions are done (mostly) as prescribed as opposed to just going out and racing up hills and stopping for coffee with Durnin every 45 minutes or so.

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I used to be (in my mind anyway) a cool city boy. I matched my kicks to my t-shirt, my jeans were clean, I drove a Porsche.

Now I live in the country, I drive a ride on lawnmower, match my work boots to my dirty old skinny jeans, have a sunburnt neck and have taken to eyeing up farm machinery on my bike rides.

You’ll note they’re no longer called training rides. Anyone who has as many coffee and cake stops as me isn’t training (are you listening Durnin?)

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There’s an anticipation of the Saturday morning ride. I’ve been looking forward to it for days. I’ve had a couple of chances to ride during the week but have mostly managed to find reasons not to.

It was raining…

It was cold…

There was wind…

I couldn’t find shoes that matched my helmet…

I’m a soft lazy shit…

You know, just the usual stuff.

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Your life needs to be uncomplicated for triathlon.

Maybe that’s not quite accurate. Your life needs to be uncomplicated for Ironman. I think you can only have so many draws and pulls on your time and attention before you start to drop things.

Or start to lose focus. Or maybe just shift focus.

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“Jaysus Rob you’ve got the silhouette of an athlete” John said half way through Sunday mornings run.

“A friend of ours used to say he had a thirty minute arse” Aisling answered. “As in a thirty minute 10k…” she added just in case further explanation was needed.

“The only problem is that the thirty minute arse is attached to a pair of forty minute legs. Neither of which are being helped by the current rate of chocolate and cake consumption…” I said.

And on that note let’s get on with the weeks training… Read More