Santa arrived and brought a bike. One fit for a 2.5 year old. He is up to 4 miles a week now. We are going to practice our brick sessions next month. Dismounts are second nature at this point. ‘I winning daddy’ are words we hear a lot around the house as he escapes through the kitchen door and down the hall. ‘I did it’ and ‘Watch this’ are heard regularly throughout the day. The new thing is standing while riding or using his 9 month old sister as a cone to go around. Where he gets it from I’ve no idea.

I am preparing for my first season racing in the pro category. Technically I am a pro but Baldwin Jewellers still pay the bills. It’s very easy to say this and make the big decision to race pro but there is the little detail of ‘extra training’ that needs to be addressed. There’s no hiding place. If I want to compete and race a bit harder I need to get out rain hail or snow. I still work, so everything becomes an even bigger juggling act. To give you an idea of my normal week last season it would consist of something in the region of 8-12 hours of training per week. Now I am training towards 20 hours a week. Still way off what the big guns are at or even the wee guns at that! The body cant just jump straight into that sort of bulk so a sensible approach is required. That’s why I have got back into the Gym and started to lift the metal again. Under the tutorship of Barry Martin who operates out of the Avenue Road gym I am in good hands. Barry has extensive knowledge and has tailored a programme suited for my type of activity.

70.3 miles: That’s from Belfast to Drogheda… and then keep going

I’m in good nick for this time of year… for me! I raced a couple of foot races over the festive period and they went well. I laced up in a partner 10 miles over the lumps, bumps and CLIMBS of Castlewellan with Gary O’Hanlon. I NEVER EVER want to do that race again… but I will. It’s the hardest race of the year. I reach heart rate levels I rarely touch in that race. We finished 2nd. I was the bad cog. Gary O’Hanlon is a sub 15min 5k, sub 29min 10k, and Dundalks finest runner! I can boast I ran with the famous Gary O’Hanlon hehehe! When Gary wanted to chat I wanted to breathe.

Back to SA

I know very little about the race and the course. The field is full of top quality athletes, including the world record holder Mario Vanhoenacker. There are a few Urber bikers in the race so It will be good to lock horns. Hopefully come the 22nd I’m fit and healthy enough to give a good account of myself. Rob has got me to where I want to be. Myself and my accomplice / bag handler Pat fly out Saturday 14th. ;-)