The Challenge has been set

Ok, so just entering the triathlon is a challenge itself and we’re already committed to doing the tri, but… Brighton & Hove Triathlon have featured me and Rachel in their campaign about Local Heroes – which kind of means we HAVE to do it now 😉

I’m not so sure of the hero title as we’re just trying to do our thing, but hopefully this will inspire others like us to get involved. If you see us training across Sussex or anywhere else for that matter, a few shouts of encouragement will go a long way! Or feel free to join us!

Full interview copied below and link to B&HTri here.

We caught up with two of our entrants, Matt and Rachel on their journey to completing the Olympic Distance at the Brighton and Hove Triathlon next year. Training together, Matt and Rachel are Tri Pals and you can click here to follow their training journey on their blog.

Matt

Why did you decide to do a triathlon?

I like keeping relatively fit, swim regularly and surf whenever possible but I needed something to focus my mind and training on. A few years ago, my wife and I did half the South Downs Way in about 12/14 hours and apart from my surfing, I haven’t had a specific goal to reach, fitness wise, for a few years. The Olympic distance tri certainly seems to have my focus now!

I also wanted to do something in memory of a dear friend of ours that we lost earlier this year. I’m pretty sure she would laugh at the thought of me doing something like this for her, but her memory will help keep me going when it gets tough. I’m going to be raising funds for the hospital that looked after her so well.

 Why did you sign up for Brighton and Hove Triathlon?

Rachel. It’s her fault.  We’d been talking about doing some sort of challenge for a while and then whilst recovering from an early morning swim, she texted to see if I wanted to do it with her and before the early bird deadline…so we did. And that was that. To this day, I swear her first text said Olympic Toblerone…

What’s been your biggest challenge in training so far?

I have literally never run more than one kilometre before in my life. I’ve swum a lot, but was just never a runner. At 6’6 and 15 stone, I was never particularly light on my feet. So to be honest, it was just getting the time in and realising that I could run past the end of my street. In about 6 weeks, I’m already now running for a constant 30mins to an hour, so I think I’ve got to keep that going before proper training kicks in in the New Year.

What do you think will be the toughest part of the day?

Joining all three elements together. Individually, in a reasonable state of fitness most people should be able to swim that far, ride that long and run that distance, but joining them together with the added nerves of our friends, family and the city looking over us, I think it’s going to be pretty hard.

Why is Brighton and Hove such a great place?

I love this place. I’ve been living around Brighton & Hove for about 12 years now and visiting for longer. Whatever sport you’re into you can do it. Whatever music you’re into you can listen to it (live). Whatever food you want, you can find. It’s an awesome place.

What’s your favourite coffee and cake stop after training?

Definitely Molly’s on the seafront in Rottingdean. Always friendly, great for the family and whether you want ice cream, coffee, some cake or a cup of tea, they have never disappointed. And you can keep an eye on your bike right in front of you!

What’s the benefit in training with your tripal?

Motivation. As I’ve never done anything like this before, having someone like Rachel to push you past the point of “but I’m just about to sit down on the sofa” and getting you off your backside really keeps you going. It’s the added push you sometimes need, especially since it’s started to get colder, windier and wetter! It’s also really good to have someone else to talk geeky Tri things with. Our families are already sick of hearing us go on about technique or what kit we may need. We haven’t even done one together yet!

Ever had any fear of swimming in the sea and how did you get over it?

To be honest, not really. My dad always said I learnt to swim underwater. Growing up in California, we always had some connection with the sea either sailing in the San Fran bay or diving into the surf in Southern Cali which is where my passion grew for travelling with various amounts of windsurfing /kitesurfing / surfing kit.

RACHEL

How and why did you start Triathlon?

We moved to a new area on the north east coast and I was looking for a fitness challenge after baby #2 – exercise makes me a much better mother but without a goal I’m rubbish at training. There was a pool on site where we lived and one day I got talking to a guy in the lane next to me who was about to do a sprint triathlon. It sounded a bit out of my comfort zone yet achievable, so I signed up for one. It was perfect for me training wise – having three kids 3 and under I have to grab mini training opportunities and I could easily do a pool session/5k run/an hours ride without being away from the kids too much. I normally find single sport training monotonous after a while so loved the variety of tri.

Which triathlon has been your biggest challenge?

St Anne’s at Lytham (Lancs) in June 2014. It was an out and back ride and run along the sea front and the wind was fierce!! Flying in one direction, pedalling like mad but almost going backwards in the other – it was the first time I realised how at the mercy of Mother Nature you are in a tri. You can train train train but if she’s blowing a gale on race day you feel like you’re just battling for survival to the finish line. In some other sports, conditions can be somewhat controlled. Not in tri! Oh and I found out later that I was 10 weeks pregnant at the time which explains why I looked pretty rotund in my tri suit.

What’s your proudest sport/triathlon achievement?

Rowing across the channel in 2009. It took a huge amount of training and organisation but we raised loads of money for a kids charity. Stepping into the sea in France was a mixture of delight and disbelief that we’d actually made it!

If you could give any advice to women thinking of doing their first triathlon what would it be?

Sign up for one, tell everyone about it so it’s too late to back out then turn up on race day prepared and ready to enjoy it….you will see so many women just like you. It is not some elite sport that only fanatically fit women can do. It is a sport that women just like you undertake, enjoy and gain a real sense of achievement from. You have to train, yes, but training will be so varied, fun and not like hard work that you’ll begin to miss it once the event is over, and you’ll probably sign up for your next one.

Why did you sign up for Brighton and Hove Triathlon?

It’s my home town and it’s going to be amazing.

Any training advice for newbie triathletes and experienced alike?

Get a tripal! Get a training partner, or someone that just keeps you motivated to keep going has been invaluable to me so far.

What’s the benefit in training with your tripal?

He is totally committed to us doing this tri, he lives round the corner so I never have to go far to train, he has similar family commitments to me so not only are his son and my daughter best buddies but his wife and my husband get on well enough to spend time waiting around in cafes/on beaches for us to finish training. He’s a bit of a tri geek like me and it’s good to have someone to talk to about it rather than bore our families senseless with it.

For the St. Albans Hercules tri I convinced my friend in Watford to sign up and we became virtual tri pals – using map my run, what’s app and social media to share our training and motivate each other. So although training with a tripal is better in person, it also worked really well as a long distance partnership!

What’s your favourite coffee and cake stop after training?

White cliffs cafe in Saltdean or Molly’s on the beach in Rottingdean. Both outdoors, totally child friendly and do good coffee. On my birthday this summer I did a late afternoon sea swim off Saltdean beach with a friend then finished off the day with a chilled sauvignon blanc in White cliffs café overlooking the beach.  It was one of the sunniest days of the year and it’ll never be forgotten!