The last installment

This blog is now history. I still keep it on the web for reference, but won’t be posting to it in the near future. It has 68 posts, chronicling my training and fundraising- feel free to browse.

It was a good run…

Fund raising summary

Here is a brief summary of the RBMIND-London Triathlon Fund Raising Plan and the results.

The first step was to create a communications strategy. We outlined the goals and then the steps to reach them. These included a monetary target, but also, professional development and raising the exposure of RBMIND. Sorting the technical side- website, blog and draft emails- was done at this stage also.

We then focused on getting a large commercial sponsor to contribute early. This set the standard going forward and gave us credibility with smaller donors.

Lastly, we went out to community groups, friends and family, communicating the importance of RBMIND and how their contributions can make a difference. The blog was very useful tool for this segment- it created a personal connection with individuals.

The results: We raised over £2000. Intangibly, we raised the profile of RBMIND across the local community and about metal health issues to a wider audience.

I’m now writing personal thank you notes to the donors, including a small picture of my finish.

The results are in!

Total time- 2:54:06

Swim- 34:28
Bike- 1:25:13
Run- 44:49

One of my goals was to complete the race in under 3 hours- accomplished.

I'm pretty happy with the result.

Now, bring on the pizza and beer.

Done.

All finished. It was a beautiful day and a cheering family came out to support me.

The results aren't in yet and we're still raising donations for RBMIND, but things look good at this point.

Thanks to everyone who helped out in their various ways.

What to look for

Here's the top to look for in the 100's of people. Thanks to Emma, our Executive Director of RBMIND, for sorting it. It arrived by post this afternoon.

Remember: I'm in the water at 8am, and should be done by 11. Get there early.

And remember also: My number is 4982

Goal # 1 accomplished!

Yes, we've raised- as of this writing- £1700 for Richmond Borough MIND. Truly, a great accomplishment.

Thank you to the many, many contributors. I appreciate your efforts.

I hope we've spread the word a little bit further about the good work that RBMIND do for people who have experienced mental distress.

Sunday race day schedule

If you're coming out to the race:

I'm in the water at 8am. The swim should take me 35 minutes. Then maybe an hour and a bit on the bike, and a 45 minute run. I hope to be done in 3 hours- one of the goals.

I'll most likely be in a bright orange tee shirt. Here's my number.

Here is a link to a map of the course.

The last easy weeekend

So far (it's Saturday eve), it has consisted of two things:

1. Me biking to a pub on Friday night for a pint.
2. Me carrying C around Petworth House on Saturday afternoon.

I may get in a short swim on Sunday.

Time to coast

I did my last heavy workout this past weekend.

Swam for 1600 m on Saturday, biked for 21 miles and ran for 7 miles on Sunday.

Over the next two weeks, I'll do a few short runs, and maybe a bit of hiking with B and C.

The post has arrived

The post delivered my number and all the essentials for the big race.

If your eyes are keen, you can look for this on August 5th.

Why we're here

Here's the response I got from a contributor from my thank you to him:



No worries – its a good cause and one much under exposed (if that’s the right term). One of my brother suffers from schizophrenia so I can see how important some of these day centres can be.



This is why we're doing this.

We're movin' on up!

As of this morning, we've raised £905 for RBMIND. A good result so far, but still short of the £1500 goal.

We did crack the Top 10 Fundraisers for the London Triathlon on the justgiving site though! See here.

You can still contribute (and yes, you can contribute twice, if you'd like) here.

Getting the local press involved

I drafted a press release for the local Richmond media over the weekend.

“Local resident rides in circles for charity”

Hopefully, we can get it into the right hands and we’ll raise the exposure of RBMIND in the community.

If you’d like a copy please leave me a request in the comments.

A light weekend

Since the race is three weekends away, I made this weekend a light workout, knowing that next weekend will be the last big push.

So, I did a short run on Friday.

And even after copious amounts of fairy cakes, scones, and grilled burgers this afternoon at the Ashridge Fun Day, I did manage a quick 6 miles.

A big donation

Well, Freelance Global- the company I work for- really kick-started the fund raising by donating £500 to RBMIND. This is a big step towards my goal of £1500.

I appreciate the contribution, and I know that these Freelance Global funds will make a difference to the people we work with in Richmond.

Two goals

I have two goals for the London Triathlon:
First, raise £1500 for RBMIND.
Second, get it done in under 3 hours.

A brick for the sunny weekend

Since my work weeks are already packed, my long distance training takes place on the weekends. And when it's sunny like this past one, I take full advantage.

Saturday, the entire family spent time at the local pool. After Bella did her laps and Christian splashed about, I settled into completing 75 laps in about 35 minutes. This is 1500 metres, which is the length for the upcoming tri.

Sunday, we all piled in the car and went to Richmond Park. While Bella and Christian spent time with Aunt LM, I biked 21 miles and then immediately ran 7 miles (a "brick" of exercise).

We then walked around Ham House, a National Trust property, to finish off the sunny day.

Fundraising!

I've just set up a fundraising page at Justgiving. This allows people to contribute directly to Richmond Borough MIND- the mental health charity where I am a Trustee.

Please donate as much as you can. Any funds you donate go directly to the local organization- helping people in the local community. And even an amount as small as £5 (US$10) helps RBMIND help people.

Wales 3

As they say:
"A bad day surfing is still better than a good day at the office"

Adam and his rented surf board; Rossilly Bay, Wales

Cross training in Wales 2

Well, it rained for 3 1/2 of the 4 days we were in Wales.

That meant not as much cross training as I would have hoped for.

On the one sunny afternoon, we ventured to Rossilly Bay. The beach was beautiful and I did get some surfing in there.

We also did some walking with The Boy on my back, but not enough to call it training.

And to top it off- we ate well. Lots of Welsh lamb and Welsh cakes.