Commitment time....

Things have been a bit slack on the training front - I've been pootling along, but without really getting stuck in to the training in any meaningful way. I've been cycling quite a bit (don't love it yet, but am working on it), and running a couple of times a week, plus 4-5 swims, but I haven't really been pushing myself as hard as I should be. It's been quite nice in a way, and I've been feeling great for all this regular, but relatively gentle, exercise, but I really have to start getting my head down a bit now because..... today, I got the contract for my Channel swim from my pilot, Paul Foreman, along with the excellent news that I've been bumped up a slot and am now first on the tide (17-24 August, 2010). So, the contract is signed, the cheque written, and it will all be off in the post tomorrow. Commitment time.


One of the reasons that I have been slacking off is that I just got back from 2 weeks in New York. I went to give a paper at the launch of a journal special issue that I had co-edited, and to spend some time working in the glorious New York Public Library:

Plus I made plenty of time to play tourist...

I did a boat trip around Manhattan - it was a beautiful day, and the city looked amazing. The Round Manhattan swim has now been added to my to-do list.

Anyway, I didn't get to swim at all while I was there - I was struggling to find a pool that didn't require annual membership, or have an exorbitant day membership, so I made do with a bit of running, and lots of walking around the city. A really great trip.

And while I was away, 7 members of my local triathlon club headed off to do Ironman Florida. Special mention goes to my swim training partner, Penny, who did an impressive 12.41, taking an amazing 55 minutes off her previous best. Fabulous performance, Penny. She brought back this wind-up swimming man for me from Florida, and I have him perched on my desk in the hope that Penny's training determination and race day performance will magically be transferred to me.