Two weeks in Europe after the sandpit...

Two weeks in Europe after the sandpit and Bo writes for the first time – and that is the first point: shall I write as Bo, or as me?  To be decided another time.  Let’s see how it sounds as I go...

In France, home, without internet means that I write on Word to be uploaded at the local library later in the week.  However, I had said that I would update Yalla Bo on a more regular basis and after a couple of days I soon realised that I was not going to keep up with training rides and runs and their write-up daily (notice no mention of swimming – it will be addressed!!), and so my intention became to write after each event of the forthcoming summer but, and I’ll re-write that again: BUT.  And a big BUT – in bold!! – the first event was planned for Sunday 30^th June, or should I write juin?  The semi-marathon de lac de Vassiviere.  A half marathon in the Limousin region of France around a beautiful lake, following the circuit de Raymond POULIDOR (it even has a cycling theme, France after all – more on Poulidor in posts to come; I’ll tell you about the photo, albeit a print, I bought of him shoulder to shoulder with...  Like I just wrote, another time...).  I have known about the semi-marathon de lac de Vassiviere from the paint markings left on the road previous summers but I committed to entering the event when I saw their stand at the marathon de Paris expo and knew then that it would make a good opener to my summer way back in April, before the disappointment of the Paris marathon...

But: I entered and I was detailed at the end of the results published in the paper with the French equivalent of DNS after my name rather than 1 hour 20 something...  The first, and I pledge now, my only event that I will not start, or finish, having paid up and entered.  Circumstances meant that I was unable to compete but I also pledge that circumstances and ready-made excuses will not affect the forthcoming summer.

So now is the time to introduce the summer events:

Sunday 21^st July: Tour du Mont Blanc: 330km cycle around the Mont Blanc with Nick starting in France, via Italy, into Switzerland before returning to the start in France.  Oh boy; a very long day in the saddle...

Wednesday 24^th July: L’Aple d’Huez Long Course Triathlon: I felt it beat me, or at least the weather did, in 2011 and so a return this year in preparation for the next event... Oh dear; L’Alpe, a very hard day, but there is no easy way...

Sunday 1^st September: ETU European Long Course Championships at Challenge Vichy: Ironman distance triathlon representing Great Britain as an age-grouper and aiming for a sub-10 hour.  Oh my; so much training still to do in the next nine weeks...

Sunday 8^th September: Ironman Wales: It is a hilly course in Tenby; am I being too ambitious to aim for a Kona spot and the World Championships in Hawaii...? Oh bugger; two Ironman distance events a week a part, I am exhausted already just thinking about it, and I must be mad, but it will be September and I won’t be working so what the hell...?!

Mid-September: mountain biking the South Downs Way in one day with Toby... Oh joy: this is the big one – re-visiting childhood haunts!

And oh; the Henley half-marathon at the end of September has been mentioned too with Craig before one last go at a sub 2h45 marathon, or didn’t I say earlier, 2h40 (but where?) in Autumn...?  But I will need to consider circumstances before I commit to this one...

But before that, the next post will be about my last two weeks, the first of the summer in France: rides and runs in la Creuse (and I must admit, I have actually been swimming).  I will try and write about the training so far before the green and the trees and the hills and the rain and the countryside become commonplace and I become accustomed to the surroundings and unable to write about the rides and runs, and swimming, without originality.

Tomorrow, a ride then to collect some thoughts...