Tag Archives: Tony Russell

Ironman Insanity

10 Sunday Feb 2013

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Ok folks – we all think that all this “Ironman” malarkey is just another Triathlon, an excuse for a weekend away in the south of France, a nice dip in the water, a cycle through the countryside and a jog around the city. And the weather will be pretty good in late June too, wont it?

Its not just the distances that are unimaginable to those that don’t relish a sprint for that proverbial bus. Its the number of other bodies thrashing through the water, elbows, feet, blow back, I mean no breast stroke and keeping your new bouffant dry for the evening celebrations!!  then in the cycle, yes granted one is now seated! but its no best of DFS, with integrated recliner function, what is not always obvious to the untrained observer are the inclines, from sea level to nearly 1200 ft and pretty sharply too!    Then the run… not much to say about that, we are all pretty impressed at the thought of Paula Radcliff running a marathon, but not after swimming and cycling.

So lets recap:

3.8km swim

Swim

180km cycle (Note the course profile graph!!)

Cycle

42.2km run (reminding you yes this is a full marathon)

Run

Not just for Girls

09 Saturday Feb 2013

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altAvh9oEcKVXh0fpgXYTQurz_09te_4U2Y6sP4CCyMJKhB_jpg

Shoes are obviously not just the realm of the fairer sex.

These little puppies are from Adidas, the Adizero Tempo 5 (obviously superior to the 4th version with more go faster stripes!)

So today they will be put to the test with a 4k run (gently with shoulder still pre operation status).

Editor: I wonder whether these were subject to the same dismissive statement upon their discovery in the bottom of the cupboard “oh these old things? I have had them for ages”

Tony’s Topup

03 Sunday Feb 2013

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So two weeks in and here are the stats…….55 Donations amounting to £2,629 (£3250 with giftaid)

  • 8,497 hits on the blog from 2,978 unique visitors from 32 countries
  • 163 @IMHeadcase Tweets
  • 79 @IMHeadcase mentions
  • loads of Facebook likes

Feb 10 stats

However our best week was the 21st January with 4,498 visits in one week, our big launch of the blog, Since then we have promoted the blog and circulated tweets, but it needs your help with spreading the work and getting people to take a look, then hopefully donate.

All excellent so where to next…..

Before I go into that I just want to put on record that Colin is fast becoming in my eyes the first member of the ‘Chelsea Supporters club – hall of fame’ what a top bloke supported by an equally top family. He has in adversity found a new vocation! his story and weekly diary are truly inspiring, a blend of humour with a real touch of reality and detail. So if Colin can raise his game then it is up to the rest of us to at least try and match it…not going to be easy !!!!!

So what’s been happening this week ?

  •      Lee one of the Chelsea boys is planning a collection at Heathrow from the cabbies ! full day but great effort, will keep you updated…..
  •      Ronnie is moving the ‘three peak’ boys along, I suspect a further update soon..
  •      We now have collection jars, well stickers for jars for coins collections, let me know how many you want…
  •      A football night – led by ‘Chopper’ Harris and Jimmy Greaves…that could be interesting !
  •      An ‘Insurance in the City’ event is being planned for the 23rd Mary in Minster Exchange, Mark Lane,

My favourite message of the week was from Faye…..on her Facebook !

‘Ok everybody…….its finally the end of January so everyone will have been paid by now, diets out the window, alcohol back in the fridge…and a daunting unused gym membership…..but its pay day so do something to make you feel better…don’t scroll past this to read some irrelevant post about someone’s weekend plans or breakfast (yes guilty of those types of statuses myself)…….go to this web site and donate for an amazing cause…….Thank You’.

I will be doing this sort of propaganda every last day of the month until June so plenty of time if now is not the best month for you to donate !

Other ideas………

  •      We have now had 55 donations taking us 8% of the way…if all of those 50 people persuaded 5 additional people a month to contribute £1 we raise a further £1250..easy !!!!
  •      Challenge yourself to get one COMPANY interested in contributing to the cause…..
  •      Arrange to do something, do you have a skill that could attract people to part with their money….or arrange a collection or something similar….

Colin is fighting with the gloves off…the least we can do is support him and the cause !!!! Happy funding……

Its about time to start

18 Friday Jan 2013

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After more than 22 triathlons and half Ironman races one would think it would be a natural progression perhaps to start stepping up the training for the double or quits. And there is a valid case for the observation that this may be the last viable year to do it. 55 years years old, knackard knees and now other, granted unnecessary at this stage, organs are giving up the ghost. So do or die.

But Christmas is a funny time of year in the City of London, a series of necessary business lunches and evening drinks gatherings, so a steady routine of swimming in the morning and where at ll possible an evening cycle. Then make up the shortfall at the weekend, that should be ok and in the New year we take matters seriously. Agreed?

But first let’s shop….

But why?

18 Friday Jan 2013

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So what’s this all about…….well some of you will know, some wont, but a good buddy Colin ( a true blue – we have shared some great blue moments over the past few years with our group ) has been diagnosed with a brain tumour, type GBM 4, last August.

Prognosis is not good. Terminal 14-18 months from diagnosis.

With the exception of the brainstem gliomas, GBM has the worst prognosis of any central nervous system (CNS) tumour, despite multimodality treatment consisting of surgical resection of as much of the tumor as possible, followed by:

  • This brain Tumour kills 5000 people a year
  • concurrent or sequential chemoradiotherapy,
  • antiangiogenic therapy,
  • gamma knife radiosurgery, and
  • symptomatic management with corticosteroids. Prognosis is poor, with a median survival time of approximately 14 months

Headcase Logo Brick

Headcase Cancer Trust provides funding to The Cellular and Molecular Neuro-Oncology Research Group at Portsmouth University. The Group is led by Professor Geoff Pilkington.

It is the There is a ton more info and stats on this disease, which will be shared with you but for now Colin is keen to raise money for the only charity that is looking to find a cure, 100% of all money goes to the research programme, and therefore it’s a great cause. The charity is HEADCASE, anyhow in order to raise funds this father an son (Dan) team are going to have a go at completing an Ironman in Nice……There will be a just-giving site for your convenience but by whatever means the aim is 30k, its a big ask… but hey so is an Ironman!

24 weeks to the event so time to get going………

Is this as insane as it sounds

18 Friday Jan 2013

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TR 1When you are sitting enjoying a well earned pint of cold beer at the end of November’s Lanzarote’s half ironman, after 6 hrs 48 minutes hours of nuttyness  it would normally be the last thing on ones mind, but no, as muscles returned to sense of normality a light-bulb moment occurred about a week later… why not do twice as much.

Afterall the knees had only had a fifth clear out Arthroscopy, then a small matter of an appendix removal halted training for a few days but hey, why not? But when deciding in November to do something mad, “next year” it just seems to far away.

So competitors Tony and Dan from Harpenden and Dubai now have father and son competition and support and no possibility of chickening out!