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Racing in times of Covid19 – Ultimate Aquathlon at Alderford Lake

Posted on August 18, 2020August 18, 2020 by Alison

We had to wait until August, but finally multi sport events are back in England. I had my first outing of the season at the Ultimate Aquathlon organised by UK Triathlon at Alderford lake in Shropshire. Here’s my race report.

As well as 2 aquathlon distances, there were 3 triathlon courses – a full iron distance, a half and a ¼ . I’m doing a standard distance in 3 weeks so opted to do the aquathlon as a warm-up event. This was a 1.2 mile swim and 6.5 mile run. My husband, Simon, also chose to do this event – his first multisport competition.

Why I wanted to start a club for slower triathletes

Posted on July 23, 2020July 23, 2020 by Alison

My experience with triathlon

Tail End Triers is something that’s been in my mind for a while now.

I’m a member of Manchester Tri club and they are really great and supportive of all abilities. But they do struggle to provide training that is relevant and enjoyable for slower triathletes -and they are one of the biggest tri clubs.

I’m someone who has always loved sport but always been completely useless at it. Slow, poor coordination and always last pick for any school teams. I’ve had a go at lots of things over the years but it wasn’t until I hit my fifties and got diagnosed with cancer that I discovered triathlon.

I’m now 58 and have been doing tris for 4 years now. I’m a competent but slow swimmer, a weak cyclist and a slow runner but I absolutely love it.

Life at the back of the triathlon pack

Posted on July 3, 2020August 21, 2020 by Alison

It’s almost exactly 4 years since my first triathlon. What was meant to be a one-off has now become a way of life. In the last 3 years I’ve completed 9 more – mostly sprints with a couple of Olympic distance. Plus some open water swims and an aquathlon.

One thing hasn’t changed – I’m still slow. Slightly faster than that first time but I won’t be troubling the podium any time soon.

Luckily you don’t have to be fast to enjoy triathlon. But life at the back of the pack has it’s own quirks……

Run/Walk intervals (Galloway Method) – why I’m a big fan

Posted on June 5, 2020August 21, 2020 by Alison

My running journey

Like many, I started running with the Couch to 5k program. I made it to the point where I could run just about run 5k non stop – then my hip started hurting. Eventually I was diagnosed with bursitis – common among middle aged women who suddenly take up exercise apparently!

Every time I tried to start running again, it flared up. Eventually, after over 6 months of physio and no running, I tried again. This time I added just a few short bursts of running into my power walks.

Gradually I extended the run intervals. Then someone told me about Jeff Galloway and his run/walk method. I became a complete convert.

No longer was I “having to walk” because I wasn’t fit enough. I was “choosing to walk” to increase my overall speed.

Since then I’ve stopped trying to get back to running non stop and have become a committed fan of the run/walk method.

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My running journey

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