Well, Sunday came and went. The weather was windy but I kicked some ass! I am going to do a brief race report soon but for the moment, I'm just gonna keep smiling! Thanks to everyone that came to support - you guys are amazing. By far the best supporters in the whole crowd. I had a truly brilliant day from start to finish. For those of you that don't know, I did 12hrs 22 and finished 424 out of about 1200 people.

* * * *

Hey!

Thanks for visiting my sponsorship page.

As you may be aware, I have decided to tackle the UK Ironman in September this year (swim 2.4 miles, cycle 112 miles followed by a marathon).  Why, I hear you asking yourself, would anybody want to compete in such a race? It's like going from London to Nottingham under your own steam in one day - in fact, if you haven't finished in 17 hours you are disqualified!

Well, I was lying in bed one wet Saturday morning early in December 2007 and I decided that I needed a new challenge. I vaguely remember drunkenly telling a group of friends one evening in 2006 at a party that I would finish an Ironman. Needless to say they heckled my drunken jibberish and nothing happened (apart from my hangover).

They knew that my triathlon career only consisted of a penultimate placing in the Windsor triathlon 3 years before and a good solid wooden spoon in the Salford triathlon (I'm sure when I finished I heard the race commentator announce, "Here comes number 3645, Jonathan Bramley, and we can all go home!").

I researched which countries hosted Ironman Events (Austria, Switzerland, France, Lanzarote, UK). The UK has to be the flatest course. I get the credit card out. The die is cast.

I knew that if I was going to complete this event, things had to change. I got a new bike, cycling shoes, swimming aids, (all the gear, no idea), oh, and a coach, who gives me monthly training schedules.

Training has been a colourful journey. Below are a few excerpts from my training diary.

Sat 15th December "I met with my coach this afternoon. Apparently the UK Ironman is one of the hilliest on offer. Bugger!".

Sun 6th January "I went on my first Sunday cycling trip this morning with some guys from the bike shop. At about 20 miles there was a long hill. By the time I got to the top they were nowhere to be seen. Where the hell am I?"

Sun 13th January "I went back for another go today. After 15 miles my chain came off and I never saw them again!"

Thurs 21st February "I did 2000m in the pool tonight. There was a girl in the next lane (who can have been no more than 14) that was swimming faster with just a kick board than my best front crawl."

Friday 22nd February "I was on the turbo trainer in the front room tonight. Then suddenly, I was lying on the floor."

Weds 23rd April "I went to the lake this morning for my first open water swim. It was 6.30am and I had to break the ice to get in."

Sunday 27th April "I did my longest every cycle today. 88 knackering miles around Henley. Something does not feel right downstairs."

Monday 28th April  "I now understand the condition "Numb Nuts". I bought a new saddle today."

Tuesday 6th May "A mate of mine is a friend of Mark Foster's (5 times Olympic swimmer - watch out for him in Beijing). He has arranged a lesson for me. Bloody amazing'"

Weds 14th May "I've been abroad with work most of this week. Too much vino, lager and not much exercise. I must get back on it"

Thurs 15th May "I dreamt last night that it was race day and I had forgotten my wetsuit and goggles. By the time I got in the swim everyone else had exited. I get on my bike and it falls to pieces as I'm riding along and I am left on the tarmac. I think my brain is trying to get a message to me."

Friday 16th May "I fell off my bike tonight to avoid a bus. T*sspot."

Monday 19th May "I received my new training schedule for the next 4 weeks this morning. As always my eyes scan the weeks for the word "Rest". I don't have a day off until 4th June. He must've made a mistake."

Monday 19th May "A new piece of training has appeared on the schedule this month 5 x 1 mile sprints (each one faster than the previous!). I did 4 laps of Richmond Park on my bike tonight. The funniest thing happened - nobody overtook me and I was picking them off."

Tuesday 20th May "I have lost a stone since December".

Weds 21st May "I have about 3 months of training left until the taper. I have no idea if I am on track. I guess I will find out in a few weeks when it is Windsor triathlon."

Weds 28th May "I had my first sports massage today. My legs are so tight that the only way to mask the pain of the massage was to howl with laughter. The bloke must have thought I was a total nutter!"

Sat 31st May "I am visiting my parents who are on holiday in the South of France for some warm weather training. It has been raining for 48 hours! The swim training is going well and I'm sure I'm getting faster."

Sat 7th June "I got up early this morning to get my training in before cricket this afternoon. 3 laps of the park on the bike and an 8 mile run. I was catching people on the bike. I was trying for a while to catch up with one bloke. I finally caught him after a few miles. As I went past I noticed he only had one leg. There were also a lot of wheelchair athletes in the park today. Now they are something else."

Sun 8th June "Another early start today. I did a cycling race around the Oxfordshire countryside. It was bloody hot. I felt good for the first sixty miles but at 70 miles the mind games started and the last 20 were tough and hot."

Fri 27th June "I did Windsor tri a couple of weeks ago. The cycle and run were good but the swim went all wrong! I didn't get close enough to the river bank, swam up the middle of the river where the current was really strong and spent 44 minutes being swum over (literally) by other people! My coach has decided the swim needs more work which has resulted in a doubling of swim sessions to10,000m per week."

Sun 29th June "My longest session to date today. 5hrs 50 on the bike followed by an hour run. I felt great getting off the bike and the run went really well too - really chuffed and the tan is coming along nicely. Next challenge - see if I can stay awake for the European Cup Final! On the bike a mate told me he was doing Western Australia Ironman next April. Hmm... interesting I thought... I've just spent another 50 quid on food in Waitrose, I just need to find the energy to cook it.

Sun 6th July "This weekend has consisted of swimming on Friday night and Saturday morning followed by a 3.20am start this morning to race my first Half Ironman near Milton Keynes. The swim went ok this time - more water-based street fighting but I relaxed and tried to keep my heart rate down. On exiting the swim they were playing Don McClean's American Pie which annoyingly I couldn't get out of my head for the first 30 miles of the bike ride. In transition I needed a pee, rather than waste time I went through my tri suit. Note to self,  do it before you put your cycling socks on! Me and Don headed out on the bike, it was windy and raining but the bike went pretty well. The only trouble is that when I lose weight it comes off my backside first (it's true girls! Backside first!), as such the 56 miles were performed on the bones of my ass. Somewhat sore now. I finished the bike really strong (it was downhill!) and set out on the run. I felt pretty cheerful during the 13 miles and even managed to get a few laughs from the supporters. All in all, 5hrs 29 - pleased with that. Could I have done double the distances? I'll find out in a few weeks.

Sat 12th July "I did a 5km race today. I finished 12th which I was pleased about. Although, technically I finished 13th as I was overtaken after 400m by a bloke pushing his baby in a buggy! 2.4 mile swim race in the morning. Let's see how that goes."

Tues 15th July "I had a good swim on Sunday - 1hr 15 (although after about 40 minutes someone grabbed on my ankle and pulled me down - I was quite annoyed by that. If she did it again I vowed to hit her. The drive home was bad. I got home and was straight into the cycling gear. Did 4hrs 40 on the bike and then was feeling good so went out for a 3 mile run which turned into 8.5. Felt pretty ok by the end of it. Did 8.5 mile run last night - my knee started hurting slightly..."

Sun 27th July "I am pleased to report the weather was hot and sea was calm on the South Coast. 114 miles. 6hrs 10,"

Thurs 1st August " To celebrate my ride to the south coast and back I sat in the pub beer garden and had 7 pints on Sunday afternoon. Training has been a write off this week (funnily enough!). Today I tried to get it back on track with a 9 mile run home (during which I hurt my groin) followed by a swim. By the time I got in the pool I was good for nothing. I didn't finish the session (in fact, I didn't even get half way through). Again, instant karma - don't back off yet Bramley you idiot!"

Sun 3rd August "I went to the Ironman training camp this weekend - it was good to see the course, practice in the lake and generally meet other people who have been having similar experiences. One month to go."

Not long to go now. The training is increasing in volume which results in less free time - I am either now asleep, eating, exercising or at work. I feel guilty that I haven't been home this year. It is really bad. I need to schedule in a weekend oop north - perhaps during the last couple of weeks when training eases off.

Sut 18th Aug "A big day today - 2k swim, 75 mile bike and a 8.5 mile run - I had been intimidated by this session but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."

Sat 24th Aug "Another crazy saturday night slugging down Becks Alcohol Free (I got asked for ID in Waitrose today! Technically I wasn't even buying alcohol!). Training is easing off. I did a short ride this morning followed by 4k in Richmond's outdoor pool. I have decided there are a lot of similarities between having a baby and Ironman training.

* It is non-stop for 9 months

* Your body changes shape and your clothes no longer fit

* Your social life is ruined

* Your sex life is terrible

* You're knackered by 9pm

* When you go out you drink lemonade

* Oh, and you get nipple rash on a bad day!

So there are some of the lighter moments from my training schedule. It's been hard, but enjoyable in a weird way (apart from falling off the bike which is pretty humiliating). I estimate that over the last 8 months I have swam 150,000 metres, cycled over 3000 miles and ran over 400 miles. It would make it all worthwhile if you could help me raise as much money as I can for my chosen chairty, The Motor Neurone Disease Association.

I'll keep this page updated and let you know how I get on.

Thanks a lot.

JB

* * * * * * * *

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: the Motor Neurone Disease Association gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.