« If I can do it…

July 9, 2018 • ☕️ 5 min read

This is the story of how I ended up with the triathlon bug.

In 2016 I got fed up with public transportation, the Southern Railway was barely operating between cancellations, strikes, delays, overcrowded trains.

I ended up buying a Brompton, I was a consultant, so that was the best way to make sure I’d always be able to park it at various clients offices.

In just about six months I ended up cycling a 1000 miles with that little thing, I’ve built it up gradually, but by the end of the year I could easily cycle 20 miles a day every day all the way to work and back: folding it, after all, wasn’t so necessary.

Cycling Distance Progression (StravistiX for Strava)

In 2017 I started a new job, no more consulting gigs, so I started using more and more my old Road Bike, a Trek 1.2, upgraded in the summer with a Shimano 105. 2,827 km for that year, to a serious cyclist that might sound like nothing, but, I did get back into fitness and I started subscribing to various races.

It was in fact since 2013 that I wasn’t properly active, that year I’ve run the Brighton Half Marathon, injuring myself straight after by running too fast, too soon (classic) with a pair of five fingers Vibram.

So I started running again, and that old thought of mine, “I want to do a triathlon” came back from my pre-Brighton Half memories.

Which events did I take part in?

Now, moving on to 2018 I sold my Brompton, I’ve got a touring bike in January and the initial plan was to do a long weekend in the Lake District, which I had to cancel, given that I picked up a weekend during one of the biggest cold waves in Britain.

The Cannondale Touring — training with this one helped me develop more power

I ran the London Winter Run in February and it was fun (and hard) to run the London 10 miles in Richmond: a great race by the way, I think I’ll do it again.

Running Distance Progression (StravistiX for Strava)

But my A-race was another one, I managed to get trough the ballot for the Prudential Surrey 100, one hundred miles, blimey, I needed to train properly for that one!

Because the more you train the more you race the more you get addicted to it I also managed to sneak in, just before the London 10 Miles a Sprint Triathlon, I went swimming two or three times, I was definitely prepared for the bike and I was training for a 10 miles run, so no biggie! 
Despite getting lost in the bike for 5Km I still finished in a reasonable time!

The post-race feeling was insane, no other races ever gave me that feeling, I will never forget it, looking back now, maybe it wasn’t so hard to achieve but you really feel good after a triathlon, it’s hard to describe: you have to try.

So good that I decided to also go for the second event on the same series, this year.

How’s the Surrey 100 training going? Well, the Sunday rides are amazing, spending 4,5 hours in the countryside, around London is priceless, quiet, green, fresh air, the whole area between Kent, Surrey, Hampshire is of outstanding beauty.

One of the many Sunday Long Rides

I almost forgot to mention, I subscribed last minute to the London to Brighton, and I think I did very well with a 3 hours time on the clock!

Still upset I didn’t get an official timing, but they say it’s not a race…

I don’t know how I will finish the Surrey100, I am currently sick with tonsillitis and I will probably miss one or two long rides, unfortunately, but I’ll definitely finish it, my target was sub 6 hours, maybe something around 6 hours now.

I am also running another half marathon, the Cardiff one, in October, and I definitely want to beat my Brighton time.

Meanwhile, I am building up a routine of going to swim at least once a week, I am lucky enough to live just close to the Tooting Lido and I’ve joined their fantastic swimming club.

Hard to find anything better in London than swimming almost alone in a huge swimming pool…

What’s next?

Olympic distance, definitely, I know I can, swimming technique is my main concern if I fix that I’ll be able to compete in one without too much struggle.

And then you never know… Maybe a 70.30 IM, Weymouth 2019?

Oh, I will also swim half a mile at the Serpentine in September and… Who knows, maybe I’ll make it for the London 2019 Marathon.

I also found out recently about the London Classics and I am definitely keen on getting that trophy!

What did I learn on the way

I’d always cycle, the worst weather, the worst traffic would never be any worse than minutes wasted to wait for a train, swearing, packed like a sardine. It actually never rains heavily in England: I rather get wet under a winter rain than stuck in the underground.

Can you see this from the underground?

Cycling is freedom, to change routes, it’s fun to get to know your town, it’s healthy for you and the more you cycle the more you want to challenge yourself, cycle further, faster, the faster you cycle and the more you can sustain the mileage the more you can explore: London is beautiful and around there’s parks and areas of outstanding beauty.

Nothing will ever go according to plan, but you can limit the injuries and the illnesses, don’t overtrain and training as a triathlete helps you even if you are focusing only on one discipline: I cycle no problem for 5,6 hours now, I don’t fear to do the same running, I had none of all the small niggles and issues I had when training for Brighton in 2013, I had zero injuries so far, touch wood, it’s 2 years injuries free.

I’ve achieved all of this and I will keep raising my distance and time month by month to feel ready for the next challenge and still, I have a 2 years old daughter (which indeed, I take to the nursery with my bike!) and a startup to run as CTO. 
Lack of time is only an excuse if I think of all the Sunday mornings I wasted staying in bed… Now I wake up at 6 am and go for a ride, I never been happier.

Be creative with your commute, find a new challenge every day, it’s not just distance or speed!

Take it into steps: a Brompton, an old Road Bike, no need to splurge it all with expensive equipment, and build it up gradually, not on a strict calendar, but try to do more and more respecting how you feel, how your body responds to more workouts.

Woke up at 4:45 am to reach Hampton Pool — happy

If you can swim (even barely) 400 meters and if you know how to cycle and if you can run 5k you should try a sprint triathlon like the Thames Turbo one, it’s really amazing, I promise ;)

Accomplishing is more rewarding than anything else, I will never win a race, but being able to finish all of the races I mention above, wow, I never thought I would be able to do that!

Run Further, Run Happier

Want to follow my progress? 
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