Why ?

So one of the great questions of our time …. Why ? 

Why anything, Why get out of bed in a morning, why spend all day stuck in an office, or as I type this why be on a train at 6:30 am…. And more importantly in this arena why do an Ironman ? Well many reasons I suppose, To quote Edward Mallory “Because it’s there”, Cathy Freeman “Cos I can”, Vicky The Viking “Cos it will be fun” 

The jury is still out on if it was Viking or Holgs that first got the ball rolling, what is certain is that the 1^st September has become the focus of attention of a small band of people / raving idiots / hooligans (delete as applicable). And the Runners World Scouse Forumites, Viking, Minnie Two Bikes, Holgs, Cath and myself find ourselves facing the prospect of 2.4 miles swimming, 112 miles cycling and then running a 26.2 mile marathon. But that is what we are doing, it doesn’t explain why ! 

OK enough of the what, to the  philosophy … Why in my case.   It’s a challenge. Quite a large challenge, but a challenge all the same. As everyone knows not only is 2007 the year that Lucy & Will got married, Holgs & Emm will get married, But also the year I turn 50, and what better way to celebrate than to do something a little out of the ordinary.  We have all seen the round robin e-mails, ref children of the 60’s doing this and that.. But I was lucky enough to grow up by the sea in the 60’s, where during school holidays I leapt on my bike at 8am and headed out to see what mates were around… And Mum knew I’d be home when I was hungry ! I didn’t have a mobile phone (we didn’t have a telephone at home till I was 14 ) she didn’t know which mates I would hook up with, but just I was OK. I look today at our kids and it all so different, have they missed out ? Not sure but the world is a much more sanitised place. Safer in many respects, and little to push many children away from the TV or PC, not I’m happy to say that can be applied to any of our 4.  So to  me aged 38 and a bit and wondering where that childhood had gone… Well many years sitting behind a desk took their toll on my waist line, blood pressure and cholesterol, So like many man of my age I joined a gym…. And I did a bit of messing about at the gym, and even longer watching TV in the bar. Then possibly the most unfit person I know (Sorry Roz) entered the London
Marathon…..  Watched as she lost a couple of stone and managed to limp round in just under 6 hours. Now I really wanted to do that. So I decided I would, and anyone who has witnessed the last 4 years will know when I set my heart on something (or someone I get them ) . So I started to train, and entered London and didn’t get in so I did Stratford and Nottingham instead, finally in 2002 I managed to get round
London.. In still my best
London time of 4:08 

Over the next couple of years:- Ran away with another woman, changed job, moved 150 miles away from my daughter, but arrived ultimately at happiness with my soul mate Sue. Carried on with running, now joined by a willing training partner in Sue, and did another 2 “London’s”,  But when it came to entries for London 2006 I wasn’t tempted, not even when offered the club place. I needed a new challenge, So after another job change, getting married and buying a cottage in the
Lake District to renovate all in the space of 2 months, The triathlon again raised it’s head. I had said a few years earlier to my daughter that if I didn’t get into the London Marathon I would do the London Triathlon. And as we watched the LM on TV she reminded me, and why do 3 challenges when you can do half a dozen ?Only a couple of minor obstacles, I couldn’t swim and I hadn’t ridden a bike in 25 years, but why let little things get in the way ? So I umm’d and ah’d for a couple of months til fed up with my indecision Sue pointed out that I’d just got my bonus from work and why not treat myself to a bike, and another challenge came over the hill to face me ! I entered a couple of sprint pool based triathlons, without telling my Scouse mates, failed to finish the first one when I broke the bike, But soon after came out of the closet to find I hadn’t been alone in this idea. The next outing saw me up against Cath and Brownyboi, with a cheering mob (well Minnie, Loon & Will) to support us. 

And that reader (if you are still awake ?) is where it might have ended, a few local Tri events mixed in with some running and socialising with a great bunch of Scouser’s (pseudo Scouser’s, and Lancastrians), until the fateful day when the idea of the Big Woody was mentioned. I printed off a couple of entry forms and left one on the kitchen table…… Over breakfast a few days later Sue casually asked if it was going to clutter up the table or was I going to fill it in and post it ? Sue you will note, lives life with a “Great, Let’s do” attitude rather than a “What do you want to do that for”. So I admitted I had already posted my entry.  

So here we are in March, finally joined a Tri club and started learning to swim properly (Thanks Colin and all at Chester Tri), lots of new bits for the bike, and a wonderful Christmas present of a turbo trainer from Suzie.. Still haven’t lost any weight, but I am getting fitter… Honest. And every one else’s reaction ? Well Annie is happy, She is convinced I will kill myself before I have chance to kill her mother dragging her up the
Himalayas (that’s next year), crazy the rest of the kids, and best from my Mother. after we had explained that it involves swimming from her house to our house, then cycling to my daughters house in the
Midlands then running a marathon.. She declared that she thought it would be better if I did them on separate weekends ! You just have to love my Mum ! 

Re-reading that I note that I still haven’t answered WHY !!!!!Cos whoever said it .. It’ll be fun, it’s an excuse for another tattoo, and cos it’s there…….. and we can’t have Minnie, Holg’s, Viking and Cath have all the fun now can I ?