Leeds-Liverpool Canal

Leeds-Liverpool Canal

The plan was simple enough. Catch the early train to Liverpool, find the end of the canal, and follow it the 200km back to Leeds. The good thing about riding along a canal is that it follows the low ground, so tends to be a flat route. The bad thing about riding along a canal is that it follows the low ground, so tends to go all round the sodding houses and takes hours to get anywhere.

Yorkshireman Triathlon

Yorkshireman Triathlon

Yorkshire’s first iron distance triathlon! How could I not be involved in that? I’d said at the end of 2018 that, having spent a lot of money on events, I wasn’t going to enter anything this year. Let’s face it, we all knew that resolve wouldn’t last. And it didn’t survive the announcement of this race at Newby Hall near Ripon.

Enduroman Weekend

Enduroman Weekend

I had entered the 3-2-1 Swim, which was a three day event involving a triple, double and single iron distance swim across the three days. However, because I didn’t want to get bored in the breaks between swims, I had also entered the Run to Max 48. This is a pretty simple concept that involves running as many laps of the 1.1 mile circuit as you can in forty eight hours. My plan was to swim in the mornings, run in the afternoons, sleep at night, and see how far that took me.

Cycle Circuit Racing - Sarah Hobbs

Cycle Circuit Racing - Sarah Hobbs

Yesterday was my first experience of a bike race! It’s something I’ve been wanting to have a go at for about a year. British Cycling are actively encouraging more women to race and so are increasing the number of opportunities for women to try racing. I entered a category 4 race , which is open to all women of all ages and abilities.

Guest blog by Sarah Hobbs, who raced her first cycle circuit race this weekend.

Control the Controllables – Puncture Session

Control the Controllables – Puncture Session

We have been working on controlling the controllables and not getting stressed about the things you can’t control. What if it pours with rain on race day? There is NOTHING you can do to prevent that, but you can control your reaction to the conditions – think about your clothing choices, test out all the potential kit you might use so you are comfortable with whatever you need on the big day.

What if you get a puncture? Bloody annoying. Easy to allow something like that to derail your race, but there is no point getting stressed about the possibility. Much better to think about how you would react in a race situation and, if needs be, practice.