|
How it all Started |
||
|
A Bit of Background How it all Started
1989-1992
|
Well, if my story had to start somewhere, I guess that Windsor Great park on a cool and blustery day in 1984 would be a better place than any to start. It was at the ripe old age of 30 that my sporting journey took off and, like a lot of things in life, its something I stumbled into rather than as part of any great masterplan. It would be nice to be able to say that I took up running to lose weight, relieve the stress of work or to enhance the probability of me living long enough to pick up my index-linked civil service pension. But alas, the truth was far less honourable. Imagine the scene. A typical day in the office when the weekly staff bulletin arrives. Buried on the back page somewhere is a notice giving details of the forthcoming Civil Service and Post Office half marathon to be held in Windsor Great Park. This went unnoticed by ninety per cent of the office staff, except for a few of the younger members who were only too fond of reminding us geriatrics how old and feeble we all were. Well, to cut a long story short, this ended up as an argument about who in the office could get fit enough to complete the 13.1 mile race. For most, it was simply bravado, but in the end, I accepted the challenge and for a bet, entered the race and began training in earnest. So it was with some trepidation that I subjected my man boobs and expansive girth on the streets of Woking. As I write, it is a very feint memory and the mind can play tricks like enabling us to forget the bad points and remember only the good bits and the final victory. But I'm pretty certain that those first few runs around the block must have hurt. But I was determined to put on a good show and was gradually increasing the length of my runs but never went above 10 miles until the day in question. I had never participated in a mass start race like Windsor before and I can remember thinking at the time that this is something I could get to like. On the day, I completed the half marathon in a respectable 1hr 36min 10secs and it would be fair to say that that race sowed the seeds of what was to follow over the next 21 years. A year later, I had managed to get my half marathon time down to 1hr 17mins, a time achieved at the 1985 Camberley half marathon. I've included this photo because the sportshop in the background is where I bought my first ever race kit and race shoes. At the end of the race, I got talking to other finishers who suggested that I should think about joining an athletics club, which I eventually did later that year when I joined the road running section of Woking Athletics Club.
In the end, I enjoyed 4 happy years training with and racing for the club. Putting on a club vest and racing against friends from other clubs meant a great deal and gave me the motivation to train hard in all weathers. Being at the height of the "jogging" boom, it wasn't any surprise that my attention turned to the idea of completing a marathon. By 1985, it was clear to me that endurance, rather than speed, was my forte, and although I managed a creditable 34min 20s PB at the 10km distance, it soon became clear that I wasn't going to get any better over the shorter distance events. So my thoughts turned instead to the 1986 Abingdon Marathon. The race itself was pretty uneventful. I ended up racing with a small group of about ten and we stayed together for all but the last few miles. My inexperience showed as I slowed down over the last five miles but I still ducked under my target of a sub 3 hour run and after all the post race celebrations had died down, I was able to reflect on a job well done. But I knew that with a years more training and better pace judgement I should be able to better my time of 2hrs 50mins. I was lucky enough to get a club place for the 1987 London Marathon and trained as hard as I ever had for the big day. A time of 1hr 14mins at the Reading half marathon in March 1987 suggested that I was in good nick and so it proved. Despite poor pace judgement again (I felt too good at the start and went out too fast) I managed to clock a time of 2hrs 42min 59s. Good, but I knew I could do better, But alas, the high training mileage and a series of niggling lower leg injuries put paid to my marathon career and towards the end of 1988 I decided to throw in the towel. As a means of keeping a semblance of fitness and in an attempt to rest my leg injuries, I took up swimming at the local indoor pool in Woking. My early attempts were a joke. Two lengths of front crawl and I was dead but I persevered and was soon swimming something resembling front crawl. At was around this time that I stumbled across this fledgling sport called Triathlon. A copy of "Today's Runner" carried an article announcing a series of "Try a Tri" races in April/May 1989 and this got me thinking that (a) I used to be to run a bit (b) I was able to make something resembling forward progress in the pool and (c) anybody can ride a bike. And so it was with this in mind that I applied for a place in the Wokingham Try a Tri event in May 1989. So that's how it all started. One of life's happy accidents, fate, or whatever you want to call it. Apart from a seven year sabbatical when family and work commitments proved too demanding for a sporting career as well, I have retained my love of the sport of triathlon and the people who share it with me. When will I stop? Who knows, but as long as the body is willing, then I guess you will see me somewhere on the race circuit hauling my ageing frame through the water and over the hills. Carpe Diem. I did, and have never looked back.
|
