January - sick and tired, you been hanging on me....

This month has just been about building them hurting bombs and shedding Xmas weight gain. Just the one event this month and a toughie to boot - myself, and Ian from the Wheelers trike collaboration ventured up to Sheffield on Saturday the 8th to essentially take part in a 2-up run, entitle Round Sheffield Run.

The run was a stage race and you checked in and out of each stage, with a walk in between. If you ran everything it would be 15 miles, but our event was approximately 11.5 miles in total with a heck of a lot of climbing thrown in.  

9.45 was our start time on a boggy morning at Endcliffe Park. The organisation was well planned out, co registration and pre-match toilets no issue at all. A 10 minute warm up run ensued, and then we went to start early but they made sure to make us wait until 9.45 did come around - I can see why to be fair. 

There were something like 15 stages ranging from the shortest 0.4km to the longest which was 2.8km. That was the first one , leaving Endcliffe Park it would gently upward and was a good leg to start the event with. The second leg though was a real leg killer, lots of climb and that was the story of the day. Lots of undulations, some frankly scary steep muddy downhills, and some muddy climbs. It was great fun, but the stop starting, and the cold getting into the legs made sure that by the three quarter stage I had started to not think it was so much fun and longed to see Endcliffe Park again so that I could finish and have something warm to drink.

Great event though, finished 23rd pair which was respectable, and with both of us over 50 we surely were right up there in the old farts category.

First medal of the year -  done ! 

The remainder of this month will be long rides, and long runs, whilst watching sunrise and sunset get earlier and later. Get through these long days and March will be here sooner rather than later.

Week 12 of the Don Fink ' Be Iron Fit' complete as at time of writing with Ironman Lanzarote the focus in the medium term, swiftly followed by Roth and then to Tenby and Wales in September.