tag:,2008:/281 2007-09-03T19:19:12Z Join Daily Post sports reporter Gareth Bicknell as he embarks on a training programme to prepare himself for a mini triathlon later in the year. Here you will be able to follow his progress and chart the ups and downs he has before the event. Movable Type 3.31 tag:www.triathlete.northwalesblogs.co.uk,2007://281.23489 2007-09-03T19:17:30Z 2007-09-03T19:19:12Z

SIX months ago I could barely swim a couple of lengths without getting out of breath, but after yesterday I can proudly say I’ve done a triathlon. I’ve even got a free and quite stylish T-shirt to prove it!...

Gareth Bicknell http://www.dailypost.co.uk SIX months ago I could barely swim a couple of lengths without getting out of breath, but after yesterday I can proudly say I’ve done a triathlon. I’ve even got a free and quite stylish T-shirt to prove it! This time last week I'd only just bought a bike and was still unsure of whether I could swim the distance without stopping. But a session in Llanrwst pool last week gave me the confidence that I could, so when I got my start time of 8am a few days before Sunday's race I was raring to go. The only problem was the early morning! At 5.45am on Sunday I could have thought of a hundred things I'd have preferred to do than get up to race a triathlon - going back to bed being the number one choice. But the good thing about being in the first group to set off was that I had no time to get nervous about the race. By the time I'd driven to Llanrwst, registered, run back to the car after realising I'd left my helmet on the passenger seat and legged it back to the swimming pool, it was time to start. After months of worrying about how my swimming was going, I was surprised by how easy it eventually was on the day. Turns out it was the bike I should have been worried about! Having bought my racer less than a week before the race and ridden it for the first time only the day before, I still had no idea how the gears worked! Okay, it's not rocket science and on the road out from Llanrwst towards Tal y Cafn I figured how to change up through the gears. But then I realised I didn't know how to change down again, so stayed in the same gear for the rest of the race! I came unstuck on one of the hills on the way back towards Trefriw, and ended up jumping off the bike and running with it to the top of the hill. Then my ineptitude was confirmed when my mate Steve, who started his swim a full 10 minutes after me, overtook me and pedalled away into the distance. Then for the run - the easy part, I thought, just a nice 5km. What I wasn't ready for, though, was that as soon as I jumped off the bike my legs felt like jelly - it was like learning to run again! A few minutes into the run Ifound my legs again - the course took us along the Marin trail up into the Gwydir Forest, uphill for the first 2.5km. Afer 400m swimming and an hour-long bike ride this part was tough, but knowing it was nearly over and the last half of the run was all downhill made it much easier. Plus, on the way down you pass all the poor souls who are still struggling up the hill, so I hope they didn't think I was being smug when I shouted words of encouragement at them as I made a dash for the finish. I've found out today I finished in one hour 33mins 38secs - a respectable effort for a first-timer as far as I know. Afterwards I felt great and wanted to do another one, so I'll definitely be doing some more next summer. What else am I going to use my new bike for (when I finally figure out how the gears work!)? Thanks to everbody who turned out to help the race run smoothly. There were stewards everywhere on the course, you were never in danger of taking a wrong turn and everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves thanks to way the event was organised by Carneddau Triathlon Club. Finally, last year the race raised over £8,000 for Hope House Ty Gobaith Children's Hospice, and hopefully it will have raised even more this time around for the same worthy cause. Keep up the good work - see you next year! tag:www.triathlete.northwalesblogs.co.uk,2007://281.22890 2007-08-27T17:02:42Z 2007-08-27T17:05:27Z

REMEMBER back in the mists of time when I used to write a blog on my triathlon training? Well, it's back!...

Gareth Bicknell http://www.dailypost.co.uk REMEMBER back in the mists of time when I used to write a blog on my triathlon training? Well, it's back! It's a fair cop guv, I've been a bit distracted for the last few weeks. But I was jolted back into action over the weekend when I found out to my horror that the Llanrwst triathlon isn't on September 9 but September 2 - this Sunday! Yikes!!! Thinking I still had two weeks to go, I'd already planned a weekend of partying when my mate Steve – who’s also doing his first tri at Llanrwst - phoned me on Saturday to tell me I had the date wrong. Cue panicking about how bad my swimming still is and the fact I still didn't have a proper road bike! But there's nothing like finding out you've got just seven days to go to focus the mind on training. So today I've bought myself a bike and done 15 minutes of continuous front crawl - hopefully as long as I'll need to be able to go for on Sunday in the 400m swim leg. The plan for the rest of the week, then - following the advice I was given at the weekend by a former swimming school swimming star - is to go to the pool a couple more times and keep upping my time until I know I can definitely go the distance. Swimming lessons I've been having at Eirias Park leisure centre over the last couple of weeks have been really helping me in that respect. I'll also need to practice my bike in the mornings before work now I've got my new wheels. The running should be fine - as long as I remember to keep my shoelaces tied! Thanks, Rocky, for the advice on shoelaces by the way... only five days to go now! tag:www.triathlete.northwalesblogs.co.uk,2007://281.19950 2007-07-30T23:24:17Z 2007-07-31T00:07:50Z

YOU'D think I'd have learned my lesson after my episode in the Llyn Alwen trail race. But there I was at track training tonight, two of us shoulder to shoulder leading in the home straight of a 300m sprint, when...

Gareth Bicknell http://www.dailypost.co.uk YOU'D think I'd have learned my lesson after my episode in the Llyn Alwen trail race. But there I was at track training tonight, two of us shoulder to shoulder leading in the home straight of a 300m sprint, when my schoolboy error struck again! Monday night is track night with Colwyn Bay Athletics Club - short, fast sessions which are really good for improving speed and sharpness during races. While my biking and swimming still leave a bit to be desired, I'm chuffed with how the running's going at the moment. Last night we started with four laps of the track at Eirias Park (1600m), which felt nice and comfortable, then it was five lots of 300m sprints. I was right up for the 300m reps as it always feels good to let off some steam with a sprint. I went well on the first three reps and led each one, but one of the other lads had been saving something and tore ahead of me on the fourth rep. With my legs by now feeling like jelly I couldn't stay with him, but I don't like being beaten - not even in training - so I was determined to give it everything for the last one. Unfortunately I hadn't checked my shoes - no excuses now, but at around 150m with him just ahead of me my right lace came undone. Doh! I pulled level going into the home straight but with every stride my trainer was coming off the back of my foot, and with 50m to go I gave up and stepped off the track. It was a shame because it would have been a great sprint between the two of us for the line. It might seem a bit sad wanting to win so much in training when there's nothing at stake, but it's more about getting everything you can out of yourself rather than beating someone else. That's what gives you the confidence to go and do the same in a race situation. At least I know the running's going well, though. I'm also close to buying a proper racing bike, which means I can join club rides without getting left behind. Not too far behind, anyway! tag:www.triathlete.northwalesblogs.co.uk,2007://281.19692 2007-07-27T07:00:00Z 2007-07-27T07:14:44Z

WITH the cynics revelling in the shambles surounding the Tour de France this week, it's a good job people like Tanni-Grey-Thompson are still talking sense....

Gareth Bicknell http://www.dailypost.co.uk WITH the cynics revelling in the shambles surounding the Tour de France this week, it's a good job people like Tanni-Grey-Thompson are still talking sense. Le Tour has been thrown into turmoil with the race leader sacked by his team, the pre-race favourite failing a blood doping test and a whole team pulling out, bringing Brit Bradley Wiggins' race to a heart-breaking end. Cycling has to do more than most sports to defend itself from accusations of widespread drug-taking at the highest level, and it must be demoralising for the millions of people who train just for the love of the sport to see its showpiece event descending into chaos. Yesterday some people were even claiming drug-taking should be legalised in cycling so that it could be properly monitored - the cynical implication being that everybody at the very highest level is cheating anyway. So thank goodness one of Britain's greatest ever sportswomen spoke out yesterday on behalf of those who still believe you can succeed in sport through sheer hard work and determination. Tanni's solution to the drug scandal rocking cycling was so simple but so right - if an athlete fails a drugs test, ban them for life from ever competing at that level again. That's how they do it in the Olympics. Of course people will still cheat, but they'll know that if they caught, instead of getting a two-year ban they'll have to quit the sport in disgrace. Tanni is Britain's greatest wheelchair athlete, a pioneer who fought for her sport to get the recognition it deserved and won 16 Paralympic medals - 11 of them gold - in a fantastic career. She's one of the few people I've interviewed who I could listen to for hours, she's so passionate and clued-up about her sport. She said if the rules were changed to allow drug-taking, sport would no longer be sport but would become warfare. Playing by the rules makes sport what it is. It's heart-warming when so many unscrupulous sports stars are prepared to cheat that somebody like Tanni is still there to remind us of the true values of sport - integrity, team-work and reaping the rewards of endeavour. Being the best you can be. tag:www.triathlete.northwalesblogs.co.uk,2007://281.19415 2007-07-24T09:32:48Z 2007-07-24T10:23:43Z

WHAT'S the best music to train to? I started thinking about this after reading an article in a triathlon magazine about how listening to music can help the body and mind respond to the stresses of training....

Gareth Bicknell http://www.dailypost.co.uk WHAT'S the best music to train to? I started thinking about this after reading an article in a triathlon magazine about how listening to music can help the body and mind respond to the stresses of training. My own favourite music to listen to before training or a race is Imsomnia by Faithless. It just gets me really pumped up, especially as I've seen them live a few times and they're awesome. I'm not one for listening to my iPod while cycling on the roads - it's always seemed a bit dangerous to me. But if I had to pick some tunes to gee myself up on a bike I don't think you could go far wrong with Bicycle Race by Queen. I wouldn't recommend it once you've got off the bike and are the running leg, though! Keep On Running by the Spencer Davis Group might be more appropriate. For the same reason I wouldn't listen to I Like Driving In My Car by Madness while on the bike! The next invention they'll have to come up with is an underwater iPod. I find swimming the hardest of the three triathlon disciplines to motivate myself for, so if I could listen to music while in the pool I'm sure I wouldn't have to stop so often! But what to listen to? Underwater Love? Definitely not "Drowning". Not because of the lyrical content, just because the Backstreet Boys did a version of it! tag:www.triathlete.northwalesblogs.co.uk,2007://281.18685 2007-07-16T16:25:43Z 2007-07-25T10:50:46Z

THEY say you don't know what you've got until it's gone... well, in my case on Saturday I didn't know what I'd lost until I found it!...

Gareth Bicknell http://www.dailypost.co.uk THEY say you don't know what you've got until it's gone... well, in my case on Saturday I didn't know what I'd lost until I found it! Snowdonia Running Guides) while Sarah's blog will be of interest to anyone into mountain running. I'm no closer to getting myself a racer, which I'm going to need for the Llanrwst triathlon in less than two months (aaargh!). It'll have to be a second-hand one as I can't afford brand new. Meanwhile, more congratulations to Carneddau Triathlon and Colwyn Bay AC member Rhian Roxburgh, who won her third Welsh title of the season at the weekend when she triumphed in the sprint triathlon. I remember a few months back cycling up Penrhyn Hill near Llandudno - the gradient got the better of me and I had to get off and walk the bike part way up. A couple of minutes later I was overtaken by Rhian, who was out on a training run! No good for the male ego, even if she is a world-class athlete. Needless to say I never got off and walked again! ]]> tag:www.triathlete.northwalesblogs.co.uk,2007://281.18016 2007-07-09T12:41:05Z 2007-07-09T13:11:23Z

TWO months to the day until the Llanrwst Triathlon, and I reckon it's time to step up my training....

Gareth Bicknell http://www.dailypost.co.uk TWO months to the day until the Llanrwst Triathlon, and I reckon it's time to step up my training. I've been neglecting the bike a bit recently - perhaps a subconscious result of my muscle-busting trip with Rhos on Sea Cycling Club when, my legs aching from 40 miles of hard slog, I realised a mountain bike wasn't going to cut it come race day. So this week I'll concentrate my efforts on getting myself a racer. One thing that is going well, however, is the running. I thoroughly enjoyed yesterday's inaugural Llyn Alwen Trail Race - the results haven't been published yet but I think I came about 12th out of around 125. My performance wasn't helped, though, by a total lack of preparation on the day which meant one of my trainers was nearly falling off for most of the race! Normally before a race I'm neurotic about making sure my shoelaces are double-knotted - but having got to Llyn Alwen at the last minute yesterday this particular paranoia evaded me, and sure enough, about five minutes into the race one of my trainers had come undone. I carried on, not wanting to lose any time, but about half way around I'd had enough of not being able to run full pelt down the slopes for fear of my trainer flying off and hitting another runner in the face. So I stopped and tied it, but - and you'd think I'd have mastered this basic skill at the age of 28 - five minutes later it was undone again! Once is a mistake, twice is a schoolboy error. Full credit to Martin Cortvriend and Denbigh Harriers for organising such an enjoyable and challenging race. An undulating run over the slopes of Mynydd Hiraethog and through woodland bordering on the Clocaenog Forest, the course treated runners to beautiful views of Llyn Alwen and the surrounding countryside - an ideal race for a summer Sunday. I'll definitely look forward to this one next year. tag:www.triathlete.northwalesblogs.co.uk,2007://281.17866 2007-07-06T12:56:09Z 2007-07-06T13:24:02Z

GEORGE BEST, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo - what do these Manchester United legends have in common?...

Gareth Bicknell http://www.dailypost.co.uk GEORGE BEST, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo - what do these Manchester United legends have in common? The answer, of course, is that they've all graced the number seven shirt at Old Trafford. Shame they all played for the wrong Manchester team. Now I'm ready to join the list of great number sevens - that's my entry number for the Llyn Alwen trail race, which is where my triathlon training takes me this Sunday. I'm joking, of course. I could never compare myself to such luminaries. I don't have Ronaldo's mind-boggling ability to bamboozle defenders, nor the late George Best's luck with the ladies. Not even David Beckham's sarong. But seriously, the Llyn Alwen race is a new event in the running calendar and needs your support. Hosted by Denbigh Harriers, the multi-terrain race is a one-lap course of roughly 11k in the scenic Denbighshire hills. It follows woodland trails around the Alwen reservoir, near Cerrigydrudion, then on to the moorland of Mynydd Hiraethog with stunning landscape views of the surrounding countryside. So whether you're taking part, know someone who is taking part or are simply in the area and fancy watching, it should be a good one so make sure you turn out and give your support. And don't forget to cheer on number seven! For more information about the race, go to www.denbighharriers.com Meanwhile, my legs are aching badly today. I've been out for a run this morning with Ben "Ask Ben" Thornley, but it's not so much the training as the fact I haven't been stretching properly lately. So listen up kids, don't forget to stretch - it ain't cool! Finally, good luck to Geraint Thomas - the first Welshman in 40 years to take part in the Tour de France - and to the other four Britons involved when Le Tour starts in London tomorrow. Bon chance! tag:www.triathlete.northwalesblogs.co.uk,2007://281.17588 2007-07-04T09:39:38Z 2007-07-13T15:42:19Z

JUST time for a swim session this morning as I have to be in work early today. I'm running the ship on the sportsdesk as my superiors are off - so in tomorrow's Daily Post expect plenty of coverage of...

Gareth Bicknell http://www.dailypost.co.uk JUST time for a swim session this morning as I have to be in work early today. I'm running the ship on the sportsdesk as my superiors are off - so in tomorrow's Daily Post expect plenty of coverage of Manchester City and a big picture of Maria Sharapova! their website. Right, where are those goggles...? ]]> tag:www.triathlete.northwalesblogs.co.uk,2007://281.17427 2007-07-03T00:10:00Z 2007-07-03T00:22:52Z

IT'S divebombing season again - I nearly got attacked when I went for a Monday morning training session yesterday....

Gareth Bicknell http://www.dailypost.co.uk IT'S divebombing season again - I nearly got attacked when I went for a Monday morning training session yesterday. One of my regular running routes, which I use especially when I'm coming back from injury, involves as many laps as I think I can handle of The Oval, the field where Llandudno Cricket Club play. Yesterday I'd barely completed half a lap before I heard the angry screech of a mother seagull overhead, protecting her nest from what she thought might be danger. Now, I love running and there are very few things that can stop me indulging my passion - I'll try to run through rain, hail, a blizzard, whatever. I've even tried to "run off" a torn calf muscle and various stress fractures in the past, invariably with very painful consequences. But as I circled The Oval this mother-squawker became more and more incensed at me, and with each lap she swooped closer and closer to my head whenever I invaded her territory. By the sixth lap I swear this bird's shadow was the size of an albatross as it descended towards me, and I was getting angry, real angry - not to mention scared! I seriously just calling it a day, but eventually made it through unscathed after 35 minutes and too many laps for a Monday morning. Me 1 seagull 0. Apologies, by the way, to triathlete Rhian Roxburgh for getting her name wrong in my last blog! I called her Rhian Davies, which of course is her maiden name. Sorry Rhian, and well done on your second Welsh title of the season at the weekend (more of that in Wednesday's Daily Post). tag:www.triathlete.northwalesblogs.co.uk,2007://281.17226 2007-06-29T13:07:54Z 2007-06-29T13:23:55Z

THANK Crunchie it's Friday! A relaxing morning's training before work this morning - just an easy-paced half-hour run in the sunshine with the Daily Post's esteemed sports editor Andrew Gilpin....

Gareth Bicknell http://www.dailypost.co.uk THANK Crunchie it's Friday! A relaxing morning's training before work this morning - just an easy-paced half-hour run in the sunshine with the Daily Post's esteemed sports editor Andrew Gilpin. Post-Glastonbury I've been easing myself back into the training - a half-hearted swim on Wednesday sandwiched between trips to the gym on Tuesday and Thursday is hardly Iron Man stuff, but it's not a bad effort after five days of partying in Somerset. Rest assured that any lingering roughness I felt from quaffing back the gin and tonic last weekend was fully taken out on the rowing machine yesterday - and this morning we must have covered a good four miles, which even at this early stage in the training is further than I'll actually have to run come the day of the Llanrwst Triathlon (September 9, don't forget - it is for charridy after all!). Muchos congratulations, by the way, to Rhian Davies, who has qualified for her fourth consecutive World Age Group Triathlon Championships in Canada next year. The Colwyn Bay primary schoolteacher is currently the World bronze medallist in the 30-34 age group after she came third in Switzerland last year. That fantastic feat gained her automatic qualification for this year's championships, which take place in Hamburg in September. Rhian made her debut in the world event in Hawaii in 2005. Congratulations are also due to Rhian's Carneddau Tri and Colwyn Bay AC team-mate Vicki Ronald who was recently crowned Welsh veteran ladies triathlon champion. Well done girls! tag:www.triathlete.northwalesblogs.co.uk,2007://281.16930 2007-06-26T13:38:45Z 2007-06-26T13:49:41Z

THE Glastonbury festival got in the way of my training for the last week or so - but don't worry folks, after arriving home yesterday I was back in the gym this morning sweating out the weekend's excesses. Mind you,...

Gareth Bicknell http://www.dailypost.co.uk THE Glastonbury festival got in the way of my training for the last week or so - but don't worry folks, after arriving home yesterday I was back in the gym this morning sweating out the weekend's excesses. Mind you, I reckon the five-day mudfest was actually pretty good exercise... Sludging through ankle-high mud for the best part of a week was almost more like swimming than walking, and I'm pretty sure dancing around in the sludge is a good aerobic workout. When I got home yesterday I was sure my calf muscles had doubled in size. Before going to the festival I had entertained the idea of going for a run around the campsites each morning, but not only would this have been impossible given the conditions, I was also worried about being mistaken by security for a scally making a quick getaway after robbing somebody's tent! But anyway, it's back to reality now and that means back to training. I'm encouraged to hear that Carneddau Triathlon are now running beginner bike rides from the West End of Colwyn Bay each Sunday morning starting at 9am. After my ordeal trying to keep up on Rhos-on-Sea Cycling Club's Saturday ride a couple of weeks ago, it sounds like the beginner rides will come in handy for me! tag:www.triathlete.northwalesblogs.co.uk,2007://281.16379 2007-06-21T08:00:00Z 2007-06-21T08:06:16Z

TO step up my training I had to ride with some proper cyclists. I joined Rhos-on-Sea Cycling Club's social ride, and I have to admit the experience taught me a lot about myself - primarily that I need a new...

Gareth Bicknell http://www.dailypost.co.uk TO step up my training I had to ride with some proper cyclists. I joined Rhos-on-Sea Cycling Club's social ride, and I have to admit the experience taught me a lot about myself - primarily that I need a new bike... The club rides every Saturday morning at 9am from the Black Cat roundabout near Glan Conwy, along the valley through Tal y Cafn and Dolgarrog to leafy Betws y Coed, then back through Llanrwst. Rather than the lung-busting effort the club put in on Sundays, when they go for a much longer, tougher ride, the social on Saturday was the best bet for me. The scenery travelling down the valley is beautiful and you feel much more alive cycling in the breeze on a Saturday morning than lying in bed trying to battle a hangover. The social ride also involves cake and a coffee at the halfway point, Tan Lan cafe in Betws y Coed, before riding back. Which was nice. Although by this point my legs were already beginning to ache, and on the return journey it wasn't all that "social" being stuck at the back! Just joking of course, the rest of the lads were fine about taking on a beginner who seemed to drop further and further back with every mile. Thanks especially to Graham Jones, also a fellow member with myself of Colwyn Bay Athletic Club, who hung back to make sure I didn't get lost. My main problem - apart from the fact that the 36-mile route was three times as far as I've ever cycled before - was that I ride a mountain bike. Everybody else had racers with "slicks" - tyres with barely any grip that speed away on the roads, while my legs were working extra hard slogging away to push a heavier bike. But we live and learn, and our ride covered the 25km route we'll be doing in the Llanrwst Sprint in September - and then some. At least I know I can do it, even if I am dragging my heels at the back! tag:www.triathlete.northwalesblogs.co.uk,2007://281.16239 2007-06-18T17:12:12Z 2007-06-18T17:15:05Z

So, I've signed up to do my first triathlon. It's all for Ty Gobaith children's hospice, so it'd be rude not to really....

Gareth Bicknell http://www.dailypost.co.uk So, I've signed up to do my first triathlon. It's all for Ty Gobaith children's hospice, so it'd be rude not to really. After all, how hard can it be? I've always enjoyed running, I vaguely remember being taught to swim when I was a kid, and cycling... well, you never forget how to ride a bike, do you? So when I heard about the Llanrwst sprint triathlon I thought, why not? The race consists of 20 lengths of Llanrwst swimming pool (400m), a 25km bike ride between Llanwrst and Betws y Coed, and a 5km hilly run up into the Gwydir Forest. Unlike most races, it is also for charity. The Llanrwst triathlon is organised by Carneddau Triathlon Club, who are based in the Conwy Valley, Colwyn Bay and Llandudno, and proceeds from the race go to the club's chosen charity Ty Gobaith/ Hope House Children's Hospice. Now for the hard bit. The race is on September 2, just under 11 weeks away, and it's high time I got into shape for it. So far my training has pretty much consisted of going swimming with my mates, cycling to work a few days a week (all of three miles from home!) and poncing around in the gym for a bit. It's the swimming I'm worried about at the moment. I swim at least 400m whenever I go to the pool - although I'm pretty sure the race officials don't let you stop and catch your breath for two minutes at the end of each length. And the armbands will definitely have to go! As the Ancient Chinese said, every journey begins with a single step. Time to get serious.