I am a 50 something  British male, and for many years of my life was the epitome of un-athletic waster, drinking heavily, smoking 40 plus a day, avoiding exercise and eating whatever I wanted saw me reach over 100kg in weight . A health scare in my late 30s got me up off the sofa and I started going to the gym and then racing for a while, but after a few years fell back into my bad ways. After an operation to open a blockage in my heart caused by “lifestyle” and an epiphany early one morning in January 2012 over a bottle of rum and a full ashtray, I got back on the wagon and haven’t had a drink or a smoke since then, have run every day (other than a month for an operation) and completed various races from ekiden through to Ironman.

I recently became aware that I had lost my mojo, and that I was just going through the same routines, so I decided was time to shake things up and reset my goals. This blog is the first step of the journey that will hopefully see me qualify for Boston, go under 12 hrs in an Ironman and (whisper it) complete the Marathon de Sable. I also have plans to get some form of coaching qualification and start to pass my knowledge and experience on to others… if a drinker/smoker/eater such as myself can eventually reach a point to be called sporty (I have been compared to Forest Gump, Mr Bean and a bullfrog in the past), then believe me, anyone can!