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.

Cross Training in Wales

We're off to Wales- The Breacon Beacons and The Gower- for a few days. I ran home from the office yesterday- about 8 miles- with the idea that I could cross-train a bit in Wales.

So that means surfing on The Gower and carrying The Boy on my back up and down the hills.

In the zone

On Saturday, I swam 1500 meters- the full distance for the Tri in August.

It felt great.

On Sunday, I ran 5 1/2 miles- just short of the full Tri distance.

It also felt great.

I feel like I've gotten through a psychological wall of resistance. On both days, I felt like I'd found that zone where you just go on autopilot- just glide.

Fundraising

If I can get the pieces in the right places, I'm planning on using the London Triathlon to fund raise for Richmond MIND. I'm a trustee there and it's a good opportunity to create awareness of mental health issues and help our mission.

Today, I've applied for a justgiving account on behalf of the charity. This will allow me to do everything over the net and people to contribute from anywhere in the world.

I hope to have my page up and running by the end of the month and spend July getting the message out.

Windsor Triathlon

Christian and I got up at the crack of dawn today, and drove out to Windsor Castle. We got to see my friend Mike come out of the water here after getting in at 6:40...





This is the start of the bike stage.














Showing up this early and seeing all the people really makes me want to have competed.

By the way...

Here's me at the bike to run transition.

Taken clandestinely with my mobile.

Swimming in Circles

I swam for 30 minutes on Saturday at the pool at Ashridge, and I had the whole thing to myself.

So, I got in the pool and didn't touch the walls or bottom for 30 minutes.

Since I figure the swim portion of the triathlon will last about 35 minutes for me, I need to be prepared for that length with no stopping.

So, I swam in a big circle.

Calm & Cool

Calm and cool while doing sub 8 minute miles.

Blenheim Tri- elites

The top 200 finishers:

Ave:
Swim 00:14:20 Trans00:03:47
Bike 00:35:04 Trans00:01:54
Run 00:23:35 01:18:17

Breakdown:
Swim: 9 minutes per 500 meters
Bike: 21 miles per hour
Run: 7:40 per mile

Per X Breakdown

On the swim:
12 minutes per 500 meters

On the bike:
17 miles per hour ave

On the run:
7:45 minutes per mile

Results: Blenheim Tri

2231 Adam Park

Swim00:18:01 Trans00:06:16
Bike00:43:49 Trans00:02:07
Run00:24:54
Total01:35:06
Place:1171 out of 2071

750km/20km/5km

Last run at ease

I ran home from work today (3 miles) at a slow pace, and now have two days to rest up for the Tri. We're staying at a B&B nearby for Saturday night, so we'll inevitably have a nice country stroll on Saturday afternoon.

My resting pulse rate this evening is: 48 beats a minute.