Yeh baby ! Like last time here’s a piccie – not sure I’ll be in it for long so will be sure to get a picture tomorrow. Anyway … to keep the tension I’ll write it chronologically (even though you know the ending).

Day started at 5:50am with a 2k run to the pool. Just needed to get 3k done so just cruised through it straight. Was swimming real comfortable but felt I was moving well. So much better now I could push off. Gordo jumped on my feet and managed to stick. Seemed Petro tried numerous times but didn’t stick. Completed it in 42 minutes – faster than twice my 1500m TT on day one ! Augers well for 10 x 200 on 2:45 and 20 x 100 on 1:20 (unlikely) – have to work out someway to stop having Gordo and Petro on my feet for that. Wonder if they have to go 5 second interval ? Gordo and I hung around briefly to watch Scott do his 200 fly … it was pretty amusing.

8k run with Gordo to get the 10k done. Nice and gentle but nice to be running quite comfortably.

Plan today was to try and go pretty easy and recover. Managed to do this through to lunch. Did a couple of big pulls on the front but felt totally comfortable. Jo commented that I looked so relaxed. It was a ‘friendly’ ride in to a headwind so when on the front I stayed on the hoods. To me if you’re on the front you’re meant to be pulling the group so you shouldn’t go down on your aero bars. It’s not cricket, especially if you’ve sat in for ages. We kept the group together pretty well till I punctured don’t know from then. Was happy to cruise in at my own pace to lunch.

After lunch I ended up on Clas’s wheel and he was doing a great pull. Not really aware of what was going on behind but feeling he was keeping a nice steady effort I was surprised to find only Douglas, Scott and Peter behind me. Scott was heard to say “Douglas do you want to drop off this pace is too much for me” to which Douglas replied “I want to drop off but on my own”. He stuck with us for another few KMs. It made me smile.

So for the last 50k or so it was just Clas and me. Great fun to be riding with him and chatting.  With about 30k to go Clas waved me through and after such an awesome pull I felt obliged to try and continue so bang went my recovery day. I put in a pretty solid effort for about an hour. As we approached the end the camera crew (we have a documentary crew following us on the camp) came alongside for a good long time and there was I with Clas on my wheel !! Hope it makes the cut – here I am pulling a 8:15 Ironman along.

Early in the ride I’d decided to tack on 10k since Gordo is only 0.25 points ahead so unless he ran I’d be in yellow tomorrow. Was keen to stir it up and see if he wanted the jersey everyday. By the end of the ride I was in two minds – should I be sensible. I have not run two days on the trot since february and have been wary about testing it. Now I’ve run three days on the trot and done 55k – so in 3 days I run my biggest week in 10 months ! So I felt perhaps I should be careful.

When Clas and Peter said they were doing 6k I thought what the heck I’ll run. The only flat bit was the track so round the track we went. The time passed so quick as we were chatting away and running 5 min Ks. Clas decided to stay with me for the full amount and we discussed training methods. He’s run a 2:42 marathon in an Ironman so it was really interesting to here his approach to run training. I think I may be trying some myself.

So …. Gordo didn’t run and I’m in yellow. Perhaps he was being kind because of all the help I’ve given him in the swims and he also knows he’ll beat me in all the races and the KOM. Tomorrow there is an aquathon and I’ll really have no chance to beat Gordo (or John, Richard and probably Petro) as I’m unlikely to be able to shake them off my feet. Then there’s another aquathon two days after that.

Anyway – it will be nice to be in yellow and more importantly my foot is feeling AOK running. For camp completion we need 105k of running and I’m already on 55. Worst case is later I can start skipping runs.

Oh yes … I notched up another Eddington number. Life is good ;o)