Tuff Arundel Assortment

 

The first thing I would like to say is a big thank you to the members of Tuff Fitty Tri Club for being kind enough to invite Steve and I to join them for one of their summer social sports evening at Arundel Lido last night. 

It was a bit of a come back in a way, although I had not really been far, but I had felt way off my usual self for a while and this was a chance to gentle myself back into a multi sport event. It was not a great challenge its true but having got through it without irritating any of my recent injuries made me feel much better. 

When the invite came along on a Facebook message I looked at it and thought immediately that it was something that I could do and it would be a gentle test of the Hamstring/Glute pain and tightness that had been keeping me off my usual training.

 

Anthony Towers running considerably faster than me

 

The Tuff Arundel Assortment was really just a social gathering but since Tuff Fitty is a triathlon club (that actually Steve and I founded twenty five years ago) then some sort of mini challenge was bound to be included. TFTC Chair, Clive Harvey and Glen Parisi were still planning the course when Steve and I arrived very early. The event had been posted as 1km run/200 swim/1km run/ 200 swim/1km run. It was the run that was being considered and after taking a test walk around the perimeter of the Lido complex they decided on each of the 1 km runs consisting of three laps, going from the front of the Lido, across the car park, through the gate on to the path by the river then back into the car pack and into the Lido to jump into the pool and do a lap of each lane before climbing out and doing the three lap run again etc.

 

 

Steve and I had decided on wearing our GB kit since in my case it was the only tri-suit I possess. I usually wear shorts and a light tee shirt for training and events since I feel like a jelly baby wearing a tri suit. However, this format called for a tri-suit because of getting in the water after running (twice). I wore my goggles on my head for the first run, where instantly I was last, in what was after all a fast twitch event. I don’t do fast if we are totally honest, so I was happy to see the rest of the men and women in the event disappear quite quickly. Then they started to pass me quite quickly too.

 

Steve stayed with me for the duration of the event and though I told him off several times for not leaving me; I was perfectly safe after all on a run course that would be run nine times. He stayed anyway and I know that he just wanted to make sure that I was ok because I had been a degree under for a while. 

There was lots of shouts of encouragement including two young boys who shouted at me every time I ran through the car park toward the river. My GB suit has BELT emblazoned on the front and the lads had fun changing the BELT to Usain BOLT every time I passed which put a smile on my face since there is just a bit of difference between me and the great Olympian in height, width, depth, not just speed. 

Everybody else in the field had finished the course before I even went out on the last three laps so there was a nice reception waiting when Steve and I crossed the line. So thanks guys for asking us to share your fun evening and also help eat your bar-b-que food. We really enjoyed joining you.

 

 

My favourite Fire Officer, Steve Jones, tending the flames on the Bar-b-que