Who am I?
Well, I'm a nobody really, I'm just a guy who turned 30 and thought he needed to do something to keep fit. I've done a fair amount of sport over the years but I'd never call myself an athlete. I started at the beginning, I started running. Last spring a 3km jog seemed like a big effort, to increase my motivation I did a local 10km at Wollaton Hall, Nottingham. The Marrowthon for Anthony Nolan, I completed it in a reasonable 43minutes. When I finished, I just kept running. Next target... the Great North Run, September 2011, I finished in an ok 1:40:43. During my summer training the monotony got to me and someone suggested triathlon, I bought a bike as an occasional training substitute, with the longer term goal of trying triathlon. After the Great North Run, I joined local triathlon club, Absolute. Without doubt one of the best things I've done in a long while. That was 3 months ago, and now... I'm signed up for The Outlaw!
So, what is The Outlaw?
The Outlaw is an Ironman distance triathlon, it involves a swim of 2.5miles, a cycle of 112miles and finishes with a full marathon (26miles). All in all a gruelling 140miles in a day. The swim is open water and takes place at Holme Pierrepont, whilst the cycle and run take in the surrounding Nottinghamshire countryside. It takes place on July 1st 2012, exactly 6 months from today.
And finally for now, the big question why?
Why The Outlaw? Well I guess it just stems from the feeling of needing to do something I can look back on, and to push myself to see how far I can go. I've been inspired by a lot of people since joining Absolute Tri Club, who make it seem very achievable. At the moment I'm somewhere between fear and excitement and the road ahead seems like a long one, but I'm sure it will be worthwhile. Not to mention the chance to raise money for some great charities which I'll come to in a later post.
Why the blog? The fear and the demands of this challenge are pretty daunting, any support I can gain will defo help me along the way, it's also a great tool to help with fundraising which you'll no doubt get sick of if you choose to follow me on this amazing journey.
For now, @matto_w out x
keep up the good work
ReplyDeleteAs you are a decent runner, id concentrate on the cycling, and just get the swim basics covered, so you can do the swim without being knackered.
ReplyDeleteThe bike is where most of the time is lost/gained.