Diary of a newbie

I’m a 48 year old self-employed triathlon newbie. I did my first sprint last year and, er, it was fun. I didn’t throw up, didn’t drown and didn’t come off my bike. Who cares about my time?!

For me, triathlons were crazy, something only for the super-fit but I’ve never been an ‘athlete’. I grew up tubby but by 30 I was fit: I did aerobics, kickboxing, spinning and ran like a maniac. I lived in Atlanta, USA, and it was great to be fit and active and I was certain I would stay that way. But, 13 years ago, I moved to the UK and my activity level plummeted.

What happened? Two-and-a-half years ago, I had major surgery and, though I did some yoga and walked our dogs, I was unfit. To rub salt into the wound, my Mr started cycling. It was annoying to see him zipping around feeling better and eating whatever he fancied.

Enough! I missed the rush of intense exercise so I started cycling with him; but triathlons would sit on the back burner as I had barriers to overcome: cycling solo, a bad knee and I only did breaststroke.

Then I met Andrew Middlebrooke, Doctor of Exercise Science. I decided to improve my fitness; after my assessment he put me on a schedule to prepare me for a charity ride which I completed, but afterwards he threw me a challenge “Do a tri. This year!” And I did, in September. It was crazy but it gave me that old buzz!

So my course is set. I’m on a new training programme, preparing for three triathlons: Sprint (May), the London Triathlon (September) and a duathlon (November).

Join me as I talk about how this 48 year old fits it all in: events, work, exercise, walking dogs, shopping, oh, and relationships too. Will I ever break records? Only my own, but it’s only for me anyway…