On reflection..........

It is now the end of the season and I've been reflecting on how my season went. 2009 was the first year I "went long" with Ironman Austria being my A race for the season. I quickly realised that to simply finish an Ironman race I would have to take my training more seriously and in that vain I decided to get Neill Gowans on board to coach me through the year (this was one of my smartest moves of the season). My goals at the start of the season were:

1. Sub 12 hours at Ironman Austria
2. Sub 5 hours at The Vitruvian
3. Sub 1.30 at the Cardiff half marathon

After a few trials and tribulations (those who follow the blog will know what I'm talking about), I'm pleased to report that I achieved all of my goals! I managed to go 11:12 at Austria, 4:57 at The Vitruvian and 1:28 at the Cardiff half marathon. All in all, a great season! The key for me this year was the consistency of my training, I hardly missed a training session (apart from the enforced break with the burst appendix!) and that is, for me, what made the difference. OK, I didn't pull up any trees, but for my standard of racing it was a significant improvement, and a success.

Ironman training is hard work, no doubt! And behind any success there are always many people, not just the individual. Without the support of my wife, family, friends, coach Neill, club members and work colleagues, it wouldn't have been possible; so I thank you all for your love and support. Here's to next season and another crack at the Ironman! Train smart all!