Well, after some pretty damned outstanding results from our school multisport team, and after marshaling on the inaugural Wanaka Challenge Long-Distance Triathlon last January, I decided to bite the bullet and put myself up for the race in 2008. It’s an ironman distance race, and thus is the biggest athletic challenge I’ve ever contemplated. Borrowing extensively from a number of sources online, I’ve synthesised a training programme for myself to get me from here to there, and I have even published the training programme on here.

Of course the first thing that happened once I made this decision is that I mysteriously stopped exercising. I did the Lake Hayes Triathlon with Nikki and the students from school (and came tenth in my category - which was pretty good under the circumstances) I had a sore shoulder and a sore calf and suddenly.. poof! Exercise stopped. It took me 5 weeks of nothing and trying not to be alarmed before it all started up again, and thank goodness it has (the calf pain seems to have gone, so that was miraculous - the shoulder is free of pain too, but the pool’s open this week, so we’ll see how long that lasts).

All seems well though, so I’m feeling daunted and excited - and it’s coming into winter, so the next three months will be the hardest to fit the training into, with early dark and cold weather. I want this, though.

I just saw the film “The Flying Scotsman” and found it totally inspirational, and familiar. Of course.

Let’s see how we go then, eh?