One protein dinner under the belts at Carabella Steak house with mixed grills comprising Steak, Lamb,  Kangaroo,  and Vennison amongst the selections.  Yup you read right… Kangaroo. I am not sure if the idea was to add a bounce to the run leg of the race but Skipppy was on the menu!

The last day’s prep has a modicum of structure to it. 8 am swim to get a feel for the course, start and return angles and direction of first transition.

A hearty breakfast to follow, then with the whole group in place a quick photoshoot before bikes are checked in and the competitors meet for their briefing.

This evening will be carb loading at the pasta party and then an early night… Although the supporters are probably going to sneak out after lights out for a couple of Margaritas.

8:35 is the first of the Team’s wave with Peter and Tony in the water first. Then the youngsters get underway chasing their tails 20 minutes later, Then David forms the backstop 15 minutes after that.

Please, RT,  Like, forward and share to keep all the supporters in the loop back home.

So what will it be like?

For those not able to make it to the start line… Click here

 

 

So in the last 4 months Tony has cycled the length of New Zealand 3054km,

Peter has run from London to Nottingham 236km, and cycle the length of the Red Sea 2230km

Andy has run from London to Sunderland 428Km

Dan has swam the distance between Edinburgh and Livingstone

David has swam the Channel 40km, and if they’d all teamed up together the whole team could have cycled the length of the Mississippi river, almost 3 times!!!!

Which is also about the same distance from London To Cape Town nearly 9500km!!

Learning from previous experience the list of items one is expected to miraculously materialise from a Mary Poppins style bag is a long one. Everything from Arnica to Zantac, including maps, itinerary, timings, local restaurant guides and list of all available hotel rooms for last minute unexpected supporters.

So this time I am prepared…. Courtesy of a local football coach! I now have my very own med kit! So sprains, icing, upset stomachs, Blister plasters, deep heat, forgotten goggles or gloves….. the list goes on with some quaint inclusions I will leave for the gang to enjoy discovering whilst we calm the pre race nerves with some distracting conversation over an blueberry and protein smoothie.

However would someone please explain to me the artistic message of the PhysioRoom logo??

 

 

With gift ad the £35,850.20 turns into £41,621.81… the goal is getting closer. But we need to step it up people!

 

 

Colin Smith not Barnes – Journalists!

So three weeks, that is 21 days, or 504 hours, or a little over 30 thousand minutes) and the team will be in mid flow  (probably all racing and most on the ride about now – 10am)

The Oldies are given a head start with Peter (2061) and Tony (2062) setting off at 8:35 am, the babies Dan (1958) and Andy (2788) will be hot on their heals at 9:05 and David will be looking for their tails in the crowd. So lets recap: two more weeks of training and a week of  tapering – the pre race scaling down to rest the muscles….

Wiki states:  Tapering: In the context of sports, tapering refers to the practice of reducing exercise in the days just before an important competition. Tapering is customary in many endurance sports, such as the marathon, athletics and swimming. For many athletes, a significant period of tapering is essential for optimal performance. The tapering period frequently lasts as much as a week or more.

The race has FOUR parts, Swim, Bike, Run and the transitions, the guys have been training for these for the last 4 months, but there is more to it than just training…

Race choices are endless… Starting in order of importance:

Image: Well… pink is just not cutting it on the team colours debate. Looks like the football method of settling a crisis is being deployed. “Thy that organises it gets greatest influence…. plus the law of numbers and a smidge of playground “age and size” wins approach. So Spurs, Man City and Chelsea v Arsenal…. so Blue it is! In the race however it is all about scaring the competition, looking serious and professional, no laughing or “bromancing” in the line up…. any sign of weakness will be set upon by your neighbour in the swim, elbows and feet thrashing in a pretence it is all about speed when in fact the use of them as weapons to see off others around you is a well understood psychological technique. Covering the eyes is imperative, no inadvertent glances of fear or uncertainty, so very cool and probably expensive casual shades for the lead up, very cool reflective silvered goggles for the swim, very cool, reflective, silvered and probably expensive glasses for the cycle, colour coordinated with the Lid, and then well cant be seen twice in the same outfit so a different pair of equally cool, reflective silvered shades of the run!

Bike: Well what’s your budget and do you like toys gadgets and engineering, oh and the most important … colour see above

Wetsuit: Yes, No, Short, Long, weight, Release style…

Shoes: Well just ask a woman! remember four pairs,

1. Pre race fashion – to scare the competition,
2. Bike SPD cleats or toe clips
3. Running – with obligatory go faster stripes (socks or no socks)
4. Post race pair to swan into bar for evening celebration looking as though you are just fresh from a jog round the block but half a size bigger to hide the swollen ankles!

Nutrition: well that is akin to nuclear fission in complexity

One bottle or two on the ride?   Water or electro lights (back to Wiki: An electrolyte is a substance that ionizes when dissolved in suitable ionizing solvents such as water. This includes most soluble salts, acids, and bases. Some gases, such as hydrogen chloride, under conditions of high temperature or low pressure can also function as electrolytes. Electrolyte solutions can also result from the dissolution of some biological (e.g., DNA, polypeptides) and synthetic polymers (e.g., polystyrene sulfonate), termed polyelectrolytes, which contain charged functional groups.
gels and or bars,
and goodness me what flavours

Accessories:
Lid – See “Image” above, but on a more serious note apart from being mandatory accidents do happen.
Watch – see wiki definition for Tech Nerd
Goggles – incl demist spray – see above “Image”
Glasses – See above “Image”
Gloves – See above “Image”
Puncture Repair Kit
Anti Chafe cream: Lanacane, Body Glide or my personal favourite “Udderly Smooth”

 

 

 

 

The descent in Mallorca is a ride of your life, swerving amongst busses and cars in both directions, a what feels like break neck speeds and with hairpin corners… want to hitch a ride. click on the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psq1E_Tpp3s

 

Ok so just how have they been doing over the last 3 months.

(I absolve myself from any backlash to any perceived criticism that not enough has been done from a position of comfort on my sofa not sitting sweating on a bike or suffering injuries!!!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Andy , possibly the longest legs and definitely a natural engine being relatively newer to the Triathlon bug, but Blenheim showed Dan having the stamina to take him on the last leg. Not an avid swimmer in the weekly routine clocking up the second least swim total thus far at 17.4km, the least amount on the bike at 868 but by far the longest on his feet at 372Km running.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dan , suffering with the Flu so unfair to count the last 10 days, pipping Andy on the swim total at 22km and again on the bike at 895Km. But both of the younger members of the team deploying a more High Intensity Training style to training rather than racking up the miles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

David a solid cyclist putting in a fairly regular distance per week in the saddle and totalling 1649Km. a couple of impressive weeks of swimming pushed David in to second place over all with a total of £1.1Km in his speedos and keeping elder brother in third position with an impressive 221.016 (still converts from old money) on his feet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peter is our water shy contender, finding his water wings in week 12, thus to date only 5.25Km in the pool, but a healthy steady cycling score of 1837Km, an average of 153Km per week and whilst the least of the Brothers on his feet a stead score every week will be paying dividends. With an injury on the bike in week 12, ensuring it is stretched and protected is the priority.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ok last but not least, in fact in the saddle and in speedos, by far the highest score, 53.25Km in the pool and 2436Km on the bike, but those knees being protected from too much pounding the treadmill with an average of 16.5Km per week just under 200km thus far.