Artemis Arch to Arc Challenge

LIVE UPDATES

2008-09-16T14:09:00.000-07:00

Hiya

From now on please follow the pre-race updates and the news from the road during the event via

http://pub38.bravenet.com/forum/3187759048/show/701522

it's very user friendly and you can leave your messages by clicking the reply button

Cheeers
Nino

SUPPORT CREW

2008-09-16T00:20:00.000-07:00

Hiya

With only day's now, actually almost counting the hours, till we leave things are getting exciting.

Given that this is a three day event and that all the updates as we go along will come from the road I think it's fair I let you all know who will be in the cars and up all night and making sure I stay healthy and focused during my attempt ... that responsibility falls to my support crew.

Eddie Ette (Whole Event)

Enduroman World Record Holder
Invigilator and
Man in charge

Gino Baglione (Whole Event)
Mr Communication and will keep you updated from on the road via our blog page

Karly McKay (Whole Event)
Physiotherapist and will be in charge of keeping the body in good shape or patching it up as we need.

Craig Twigg (Whole Event)
Mr Motivation and as a ex-elite and current Long distance triathlete bring a host of knowledge to the crew.

Carrie Bolt (Run Section Only)
Our Master Nutritionist who has kept me though out all my training and will help ensure I east and drink enough to limit the damage on the way to Dover.

Neva Watt (Cycle Leg Only)
Fresh body and mind and will help us all stay focused on the final leg to Paris.

Tom Underhill (Cycle Leg Only)
Mr Mechanic, yeah Tom will be sorting out all the bikes on the way to Paris.

Extra Helping Hands

Jeremy Newell
Our hands and ears back in London. Should anything happen that we need help out on the road.

Andy & Neva
Will both be travelling from Scotland to accompany me for the graveyard shift on the run to Dover.

Andy Galbraith
My Sport and Exercise Scientist at the University of Kent, that has put me through all my Vo2max and Sub Max tests this year and has helped with predicting the race pace for the run section.

Cheers

BIKES ARE READY TO GO

2008-09-14T15:43:00.000-07:00

Hiya

The final weekend of prep has now been done and I'm feeling good about things.

Just wanted to say thanks to Prolgue Bikes, these guys have done everything possible to keep my bikes running this year and thanks to them I've not missed a single cycle session due to bike problems.They have also supplied me with all the spare bike kit for the challenge.

cheers

nino

REALITY CHECK

2008-09-09T06:06:00.000-07:00

Hi,

Today reality has hit hard as last night I sat in front of my PC watching the blog updates of Thomas Beavers Arch to Arch Challenge as he pounded on for 21hrs in order to successfully cross the channel. Well done Tom awesome swim. Be is now on his bike heading for Paris.

I guess there is nothing new to the challenge I have discovered overnight but I am realising more and more the enormity of the challenge and how much of a beast that stretch of water can be. Hopefully this will help me sleep better and rest up before next weekend and maybe not. Both ways there’s nowhere to hide and I’m feeling ready!

The plan is to get in one last sea swim at night; the swim

will start at about 3am. Then keep to my 3 x 60-90min runs a week and a few more swims too along with one last bike test after Prologue Bikes have done the final service at the weekend.

It’s fair to say I’m now nervously excited!!

Cheers

Nino

TODAY'S TELEGRAPH

2008-09-09T01:01:00.001-07:00

ES & DAILY MAIL

2008-09-08T14:29:00.000-07:00

Hiya there,

The Artemis Arch to Arc Challenge has made the London papers

KIT SELECTION

2008-09-04T15:24:00.000-07:00

Hiya,

Well time is ticking my and I'm getting geared up for my attempt only 2 weeks tomorrow (19th Sept) weather permitting that is. Currently the conditions over the channel remain as unpredictable as they have been all summer.

Thanks to Madisons I'll be riding a new P2C frame and thay have also supplied me with a road and Time Trial helmet. Take a look below.

cheers
Nino

VIDEO BLOG - 3 SEPT 08

2008-09-03T15:27:00.000-07:00

DIG DEEP!

2008-08-27T02:07:00.000-07:00

Hiya,

There isn't long now until my Arch to Arc attempt and I'd like to ask you all to "dig deep" and make a donation in support of the Tusk Trust!!!

you can do so by click on this link http://www.justgiving.com/artemisarchtoarcchallenge

Thanks you .... your donation will help make a difference

Cheers

Nino

THE NEW MACHINE CERVELO P2C

2008-08-19T11:22:00.000-07:00

Hiya

Thanks to the guys at Cervelo I will be able to tackle the flat roads on the way to Paris on a new Cervelo P2C!

What a lovely bike it is to ride and with the aerodynamics it’s worth a fair chunk of time over the 180 mile course.

Big thanks must also go to Prologue Bikes who yet again have done the business by building the Cervelo in a day for me. They have done everything possible over the last year to keep my bikes running smoothly.

Cheers to you all

Nino

ONLY 31 DAYS TO GO!

2008-08-19T11:02:00.000-07:00

Hiya,

For those of you who have been counting down the days like me you will know that today is precisely 1 month will the start of my Arch to Arc attempt.

It’s now time to enjoy the final training sessions and put the final touches on the race plan… I think the hard work has now all been done!

Cheers
Nino

Nino's off to Paris

2008-08-08T04:29:00.001-07:00

Hiya

Have a read and see if you can spot the typo?

http://www.times-series.co.uk/sport/3574356.Nino_is_off_to_Paris/

Cheers
Nino

ANOTHER SCOTTISH WEEKEND

2008-07-29T07:41:00.000-07:00

Hiya All,

I have just returned from another weekend in Scotland and to be precise Loch Tay. Yes just two weeks after a long weekend of training which ended with the Artemis Great Kindrochit Quadrathlon I returned for the Artemis Highland 100, www.artemishighland100.com, and it was a good weekend.

With the week focused mainly on my biking I managed to rack up 100km plus on Monday after work. The ride was more of a mental than physical workout because I did the whole ride as laps of Regents Park.

Tuesday was a day out the office and with a 3hrs swim and a 125km bike done I was happy with how the weekend was turning out.

On to Wednesday and another day out on the bike and another 5hrs30mins on the bike and then a dip in the local lake.

Rested up Thursday and packed up for the weekend. With a 4:30am wake-up and a 6:50am flight it was setup for a long weekend. Leaving Edinburgh on Friday midday I biked the 160km’s to Loch Tay and then did an additional loop of 50km around the Loch to registration.

The plan was to ride the Highland 100 fairly fatigued so at just after 11pm on Friday I headed out for a 3hr run along the Loch in the dark, and it was very dark at stages, lucky the head touch lasted the distance. Back in the hotel and in bed for 3am only for a 6am wakeup for breakfast and off to the start.

The Highland 100 is a 110km ride with a 12km off road (MTB) section so as training I thought it would be best to do it on my road bike and run the off road section.

I set off with Mark Beaumont and we split at the off road section, running just isn’t as quick as carrying my bike. So mark headed off while I trotted the next 12 km’s before remounting and riding the final 45km’s finishing in 4hrs45min and in second place.

This is a great day out and all money raised by the cyclists goes to charity and one of the charities that benefited was TUSK and they were there in person manning a water station and cheering all the riders on.

It’s not long now till the training is all over just on 3 weeks left and on Friday it’s back in the Lab or the final tests before the start.

Got to go now

Cheers
Nino

SCOTLAND'S TOUGHEST ONE DAY EVENT LIVES UP TO ITS REPUTATION

2008-07-28T04:45:00.000-07:00

http://www.edinburghguide.com/forums/otherandofftopic/eventsbeyondedinburgh/2033

ANOTHER ARTICLE

2008-07-24T06:02:00.000-07:00

Hiya,

Another artical about the Arch to Arc Challenge, please click on the attached photo to read the piece

To make a donation please go to my homepage http://www.artemisarchtoarc.co.uk/

Cheers

Nino

It makes running a hedge fund seem like a stroll in the park

2008-07-21T14:59:00.000-07:00

Hiya

The Herald in Scotland reports on the Artemis Quadrathlon and guess who got a mention too!
http://www.theherald.co.uk/business/comment/display.var.2403404.0.It_makes_running_a_hedge_fund_seem_like_a_stroll_in_the_park.php

cheers
nino

SEVERFIELD-ROWEN PLC

2008-07-21T14:51:00.000-07:00

Severfield-Rowen Plc have made a very generous donation to TUSK in support of the Arch to Arc Challenge

thank you for your support it will make a difference.

TENON GROUP SUPPORTS A2A

2008-07-21T14:50:00.000-07:00

Another generous donation to TUSK in support of the Arch to Arc Challenge

Thanks you

SUPPORT FROM EAGA

2008-07-21T14:48:00.000-07:00

EAGA have made a very generous donation to TUSK in support of the Arch to Arc Challenge

Thanks you very much your support will help make a difference

Nino

THANK YOU TO BBA AVIATION

2008-07-21T14:45:00.000-07:00

BBA Avition have made a very generous donation to TUSK in support of the Arch to Arc Challenge

Thanks you very much

Nino

ARTEMIS GREAT KINDROCHIT WEEKEND

2008-07-21T14:28:00.000-07:00

Hiya

Another good week of training with he highlight being the Great Kindrochit Quadrathlon.

The Quadrathlon is one of Scotlands toughest one day multisport events, and to highlight this the BBC Scotlands Aventure Show was there to capture the day.

For me it was a great chance to get some long training done with 2 of my Arch to Arc support team, Karly my Physio and Pete, before the Quadrathlon started on Saturday morning. So at just before 7am on Friday we set off on a 58km run around Loch Tay before setting off on a 120km bike ride and then finally finishing the day with a night swim.

The Quadrathlon went well setting off with my race partner, Philip, we knocked off the 1.5km swim across the Loch with ease before tackling the 24km run/walk over 7 munro's (peak over 1,000m's) which finishes back at Loch Tay and the starting point of the 7mile kayak before the final leg of the quadrathlon a 56km cycle around Loch Tay. All in it was a good day the legs held up well thanks to the awesome work by Karly's magic fingers. The toughest leg had to be the walk/run and Philip was strong which was great as he kept me going though the tough conditions and I returned the favour on the bike stage by giving him a wheel to follow.

We finished 8th overall in a time of 10hrs 27mins. I was well happy with that as it was over 10min quicker than last year when I finished 2nd overall.

I have to say thank you to Peter and Karly for there help, it's looking good for the Arch to Arc. Also Thanks to Artemis to a great event and to the Artemis Support Team that kept us well fed and motivated throughout the long day.

Now it's easier week before another weekend in Scotland on the 26th.

cheers
Nino

TOUGH WEEK BACK AT HOME

2008-07-06T15:11:00.000-07:00

Hi

Having returned home earlier this week I have found it tough to settle back into my routine. Feeling a little off the beat and slowly adjusting to the London weather has meant its been a mental battle this week.

A few pool swims and a couple of long rides have to by the main sessions in the past week. Although with out Prologue cycles my ride today would have been cut badly short. While out rding this morning I managed to jam my chain and bend my rear-mech and chain but a quick F1 type pit stop at Prologues shop in East Sheen and I was back on the road.... thank guys top effort on a Sunday.

For the coming week, its a big one. Next weekend the Artemis Great Kindrochit Quardrathlon starting at Loch Tay in the Scottish Highlands. Last year we finished second but this year the focus is on a long couple of days finish with the quad. Basically on Friday I will knock out a 54km run followed by a 160km bike ride and a 2-3hr night swim before starting the quad which is a 1 mile swim, 15 mile walk/run over 7 munros then back to the loch a kayak 7 mile and finish with a 54km cycle. Member of the Arch to Arc support team will be with me for the weekends activities so this will be our 1st outing together.

I will post more details of the Quarathlon later this week.

Off to sleep long now, go to get out ridding again tomorrow before work.

Cheers
Nino

FUND RAISING HAS STARTED

2008-07-06T15:02:00.000-07:00

Hi

I have now started the fund raising push, with a tahget of £50,000 and now with 75 days to go I have approched a a handful on companes to support the great work TUSK trust are doing.

These selected companies will have the chance to have their company logo displayed on the websites homepage.

If you would like to make a donation and have your company logo displayed please contact me directly via email nino.baglione@artemisfunds.com

Thank you for your support.

Nino

RUNNING KIT

2008-07-06T14:38:00.000-07:00

Just arrived from the printers, the offical Artemis Arch to Arc running tops.

Thank you to my running kit suppliers Asics and the Artemis desgn team for sorting it all out.

Cheers

Nino

Back from Kenya

2008-07-04T08:33:00.000-07:00

Hiya,

Well I returned to the UK earlier this week having spent 7 days out in Kenya visiting the projects that the money I raise through the Arch to Arc will help support and running the Safaricom Marathon in Lewa.

So where should I start? Well seeing 1st hand the projects Tusk support out in Kenya was brilliant. It’s really inspiring so see how much of a change our donations make for so many people out there.

As for the marathon, well it’s a tricky one! There was a half as well as the marathon and running along side 5 work colleagues two of us opted for two laps of the 21km course while the rest did their 1st half marathon. I loved their enthusiasm and hats off to them you wouldn’t find many people flying 8 hrs to run their 1st half at 5,500ft and against the best long distance athletes in the world including world record holder Paul Tergat.

With over a 1,000 athletes on the start line at shortly after 7:15am the mass start saw the local Kenyans quickly disappear into the distance in cloud of dust. Pushing through the course which started climbing at the 8km mark and rolled through to the 16km mark meant that it was a tough course and that was proved by only 100 athletes having opted for the full marathon.

The game drives were awesome in Lewa and in the first 2 days we had seen almost everything you could wish to see including Black and White Rhino, Lions and Cheetahs.

And the finishing times were impressive too. 1st Home was Harry in 1hr58 followed by Neva in 2hr 23 next in was Matt in 2:48 and then John in 3hrs dead.

While they all enjoyed a fell local brews and re-lived the race Andy and I had a mental and physical battle on our hands. It was like a solo race out there at the athletes were strung out by now with most of the Kenyans (48 of them) finishing within 3hrs30 leaving mostly the Europeans and the USA runners to bring home the rear of the race.

Andy crossed the line in a very respectable 4hrs10 followed by myself in 4:12.

Runners work had the marathon on the top 10 toughest in the world and I now know why!

Sadly I have to end on a sad note upon my return I home I have found out of a tragedy in the family and my thoughts are with my aunt and my two cousins in Cape Town at this time.

Regards
Nino

PodCast Available

2008-06-18T04:04:00.000-07:00

http://www.competitorradio.com/details.php?show=240

Please remember this was done at 5am!

cheers

Nino

COMPETITOR RADIO

2008-06-15T22:36:00.000-07:00

Hi,

As many of you triathletes out there know that Bob Babbit & Paul Huddle host Competitor Radio, you can also listen to a shorter version of their two hour show on a podcast

http://www.competitorradio.com/index.php if you are interested in Triathlon then you should listen to their show they have some awesome interviews.

Anyway I was lucky enough to have a few minutes on their show this morning discussing the Arch to Arc.

I just wanted to say to Bob ... thanks for his time.

Cheers,
Nino

WEYMOUTH SWIM

2008-06-15T22:23:00.000-07:00

Hi there,

It’s been a good few weeks for me. We’ve broken through the 100 barrier now and it’s roughly 98 days left.

After the disappointment of the MB2MC trip being cancelled I’ve got in some really good sessions. Mainly focused on the swimming still and that was because this weekend I ha my first 6hr sea swim planned in Weymouth.

Well I be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous on my way down on Saturday morning. But at just after 7am I entered the fairly calm water. The swim went really well I felt good and maintained a steady stroke rate through out the 6hrs swim only needing to stop and feed every 45mins. Surviving mainly on a custom carb blend from Infinit and some sugar chews as a treat. The next swim will be the next big test a 10hrs also from Weymouth. I kind of enjoyed the swim but I now have a better understanding of how long the channel will take to swim!

I must thank the boat support team, Tom the skipper and Eddie were a great source of encouragement.

Cheers,
Nino

CANCELLED FLIGHT

2008-06-15T21:58:00.001-07:00

Sadly my trip to join the MB2MC group was cancelled at the final moment. It was gutting to have my flight to Geneva cancelled and with the next fight available 24hrs later it was too late to join the group.

So instead of riding 400 miles in 4 days through France I had to settle with the same distance on the roads of Surrey & Oxfordshire.

I can report that the MB2MC.com trip was a great success.

Cheers,
Nino

OFF TO JOIN MB2MC

2008-05-28T06:43:00.000-07:00

Hi,

All is going well and things really are gearing up now. Injury free I am heading off to Chamonix tonight to join the Active Earth Group for the cycle stage of their Mont Blanc 2 Mont Cinto Challenge. It should be great fun but will be the first of my big bike training sessions as the route winds from Chamonix to Hyeres on the French South Coast.

the route is unsure at this stage as there is still alot of snow over the Cols and high mountains which might make them unpassable by bike so we may have to stay lower and ride further in order to reach the coast.

check out the events website http://www.mb2mc.com/ for more details and our progress.

cheers

Nino

SUNSHINE, SWIMMING & SPORTS DRINKS

2008-05-12T13:15:00.000-07:00

It’s been a week now since the Mid Wales Ultra. I started last the week with some light training to let the body recover and by mid week I was back to full training. There has not been much excitement this week on the training front but the highlight has to be the unexpected summer sunshine.
It must be said the sunshine does help to softness the blow of having to wake up at 6am on Saturday and Sunday to get down to my local lake, which is now at 15.5 degrees (that’s warm!), for a 2hr session.

Now that the “summer season” opening times have kicked in and all the lakes around London and outdoor lido are open later the aim is to swim up to 8 times a week with some double session. This is should really help getting use to my new BlueSeventy Helix suit before I head into the open sea next month.

At the moment I’m still working a lot with my nutritionist regarding my carb requirements and liquid intake during my long training swims and I have to thank Infinit (www.infinitnutrition.eu) who make my personalised sports drinks and it’s available to you too! It’s rather simple and makes so much sense. There are up to 7 components to a sports drink (flavour, carbs, calories, electrolytes, protein, aminos and our new love caffeine) you simply can adjust these to fit your requirements on screen and then you can order it by the tub in 3 flavour Orange, Fruit Punch and my favourite Lemon and Lime. The tub will then turn up on your doorstep a few days later … it’s a simple as that. I’m currently using 6 different customised mixes across the 3 disciplines and I haven’t had any of the usual issues I’ve experienced before with off the self products.

Right got to get some sleep, 5:30 wake up tomorrow so I can be in the lake by 6am!

Cheers
Nino

MAKING YOUR DONATION

2008-05-12T04:14:00.000-07:00

click on the link below to make your donation in support of my Arch to Arc Challenge and help me raise money for the Tusk Trust (www.tusk.org)

http://www.justgiving.com/artemisarchtoarcchallenge

Thank you for your support!

cheers
Nino

RACE REPORT

2008-05-09T03:35:00.000-07:00

http://www.accelerace.co.uk/ultratrimidwales

This was the first big test event in preparation for the Arch to Arc Challenge and I was a little nerves. I had arranged to do the event with Tom Beaver, who is doing the Arch to Arc two weeks before me, so at least we had some company for the event and he’s a top guy.

The ultra event actually seemed to start when I decide to ignore the SatNav and try and negotiate the shortest distance between North London and start of the event at Llanrhystud on Welsh coast. So instead of a 4hrs drive we ended up taking 6.5hrs to get there. Surprisingly my support team did not entirely see the funny side of this. It was the scenic route though and the high spirits that we had started the journey in had almost died away.

The good thing was we had night of camping ahead of us, along with all the other competitors, but not before my strategic stop at the local pub to help rejuvenate the support crew’s spirits. After some good pub grub and a few pints spirits were high again and there was even some nervous excitement amongst the support crew.

5am Saturday morning we were woken by the alarm and in contradiction to the MET offices weather prediction of rain we were greeted with a warm and sunny yet windy morning…result maybe a chance of a tan.

With a 6am swim start planned we headed over along with the other 11 athletes to the local beach only to find that the organisers, top lads with a real passion for the sport, had decided to shorten the 4 mile for safety reasons and having tested the water temperature I wasn’t that gutted.

Anyway enough of that 6:15 the hooter went and we tip toed into the cold yet not yet frozen water for what was more like a mile and a half swim.

Out the water and the support team was there to greet me, with the line “you must be crazy” which would turn out to be a regular phrase over the next 23.5hrs. Olivia had the coffee and towel to hand while Shaun took on the official cameraman role and had sorted out my bike.

Changed the wetsuit for a nice dry and warm set of cycle kit there was even time for a bite to eat and a chat with the supports before we set off on the 175”ish” mile ride which included 16,715ft of climbing. We set off a steady pace and event though we missed the 1st turn the support crew quickly corrected our mistake and had us back on track. For the next 14hours we wound our way through some the UK’s most amazing country side and things that really have stuck in my mind is that Wales is not flat by any stretch of the imagination and the route is not the most direct but these made the event a really mental and physical challenge.

With the support crew stopping ever 15 – 20 miles to treat us to some culinary delights the highlight was proverbially at about 50 miles in when pulled up into a small lay-by to find Tom’s wife making bacon sandwiches and coffee. That’s what I call a race … when you have time for a bacon sandwich.

We pushed on through the afternoon and the support crew were great just like the weather and the views. Olivia and Shaun along with Toms support crew always had a smile on their face and a word of encouragement usually followed by “you must be crazy”. With the sun fading we approached Snowdonia and the finish at LLanberis. With one final climb left to Tom and I found time to reflect on the ride and we both agreed that the course was amazing and the Accelerace boys or as we called them the “ish” boys (based that in the true ultra distance manner precise mileage was overrated and “ish” mileage was just fine) had found a awesome event and I encourage you all to think about one day doing it.

Passing over the final climb, PEN-Y-PASS, it was all down hill to Llanberis. This meant a change of kit again and a 31”ish” mile run. At this point we had some difficulties with the support car as one of them, with Toms running kit in, had a double puncture which left us waiting in Llanberis for Tom kit for almost an hour. With no sign of his kit he borrowed some kit for the organisers and we set off with Olivia alone in the support car behind us. With the strategy of run the flats and down hills and walk the climbs we moved through the first 10km without a problem at which point we met up with Toms support team again and he managed to change his shoes from the borrowed size 12s to his own size 10’s.
With the support team back together and with the met office prediction of rain no where to be seen Tom and I set off on a loop that took us through some small country lanes not really suitable for cars. Tom’s dog, Hamish, joined us for the next 6km’s while the support crews waited on the main road with the food and drink and by now we had shifted from normal solid foods to sweets and chocolates after all it was midnight by now and the craving for comfort food had set in.

With the support team just in front of us we pushed through another few miles before we decided it was time for the support team to get some sleep back at the finish while we pushed through the final 10 miles.

Once they left us there was no way back to Llanberis other than following the route and over the Welsh Wall so that’s what we did, with the sun rising we started the final climb up the wall. I ran this part of the course at the end of the Snowdonia Marathon last October and found it tough then and it didn’t let me down … it was tough and I think the 2 miles up the wall tha chat between Tom and I became the off word or grunt as we focused on reaching the top. Over the top an on our way down to Llanberis just after 6am and who did we see first but Shaun cycling up the road towards us the support team was back with us and even if it was only with a mile to go. It’s always good for motivation to have some support again and not long after that Tom and I crossed the line in a time of 24hrs 02mins.

It’s fair to say we were called crazy again before hitting the sack for a 3hr nap before heading across the road for a good old fashion fry-up and then starting the long journey back to London.

All-in-all it was great training session and we were back out light training on Monday.

To complete events like this as an athlete you need endless support and I’m grateful to everyone that is involved in my team.

The Support Team
Olivia and Shaun were awesome from start to finish their enthusiasm was brilliant over the entire 24hrs

Prologue Cycles
175 miles without a single bike issue, thanks for the guys at Prologue who insisted on servicing my bike fore that race. Cheers guys it’s great to finish a ride with no grease on my hands J

Stinger Bars and Infinit Nutrition
Under the advice of my nutritionist, Carrie, and thanks to Stinger for my Energy Bars and Infinit for my customised sports drinks I finished the race with no problems at all. A lot of endurance racing is about getting your nutrition right!

And all my other sponsors may I say thank you!

Cheers
Nino

MET OFFICE

2008-04-30T00:43:00.000-07:00

Weekend weather forecast

Outlook for Friday to Sunday:
A fine start, but scattered, sometimes heavy, showers will develop on Friday, becoming less widespread later. Cloudy with rain, some heavy, this weekend, although eastern parts may stay more showery.
Updated: 0345 on Wed 30 Apr 2008

Next Event 3rd May

2008-04-29T05:35:00.000-07:00

Accelerace Mid Wales Ultra Triathlon
http://www.accelerace.co.uk/ultratrimidwales

Swim 4 miles – Cycle 163miles – Run 32 Miles
And that’s why they call it an Ultra. Starting at 5am on Saturday morning from Llanrhystud on the west coast of Wales while many of you will be tucked up warm in bed I will be plunging into a cold but hopefully calm sea.

This is the first big test for Arch to Arc and I do mean it. I’m not 100% sure of what to expect but that’s really exciting for the first time in a while I’m truly out of my comfort zone in a triathlon type event. This after all is one of my reasons for doing the Arch to Arc.
Let me set the scene as I see it. Looking back at the 2007 race the winning crossed the line in a time of 22hrs and second place finished 5hrs later, no what you’d call a close race. But then I don’t think this is a “race” it’s more of a survival event. There is only 17 athletes entered so not a mass start either and there’s no feed station every 10k on the bike or every mile on the run in stead like on Arch to Arc I’ll rely solo on my support car for all my food, drink, navigation, spares and more than anything else motivation to get through the dark hours.
I want to thank both Olivia and Shaun who have kindly sacrificed a bank holiday weekend to support me through the event!

TIMINGS
Usually this would be when I put my neck on the line and set out rough times but I feel that would be a error, basically the aim is to finish and learn from it as I’ll be doing a very similar race in June again.
O well wouldn’t be me if I didn’t make some sort of prediction so here I go swim 90mins or so, bike around 17hrs and the run about 6-7hrs

LIVE TRACKING
I’ll be using the live tracking updating my location along the course every 20min’s that is if we have mobile reception out there. To follow the events go to
http://www.sportsdo.net/Public/ActivityBlog.aspx?user=ninob otherwise just give my mobile a ring.

CHARITY
Okay so you think I’m mad but nevertheless I’m going to be out there and not just for no reason as you know I am raising money for the Tusk Trust www.tusk.org so I would be grateful if you would make a donation in support of the event http://www.justgiving.com/artemisarchtoarcchallenge

Thanks for supporting the cause.

thanks
Nino

A BUSY WEEK

2008-04-28T11:27:00.000-07:00

Hiya there, Less than 145days now and things are coming together nicely. The past week has been really good for a variety of reasons which always helps motivation and that’s what I really need at the moment.

TRAINING
The highlight has to be a the first real open water swim of the year, yes Sunday morning 7am I found myself slowly edging my way in to the local lake for a 1h15 swim and after 10mins of conditioning I acclimatised to the water temperature and got the swim done. After about 4.5kms the swim was up and I was rather happy to be getting out the water only to discover that I could hardly move my jaw…frozen! Now that I’m warmed up I’m really looking forward to getting more open water swimming done. It’s a lot better than following the black line at the bottom of the local pool.

Also a nice 6hr ride that started in the sun and finished in the rain! Guess the upside is I got to test out my new Prologue Windproof Rain jacket … it works really well. So now I hope I don’t need to test it again.

In total it was a 22hr training week which I’m really happy with.

LAB TEST
Well Wednesday was a busy and I had a date with the treadmill in the Lab! Yes another Max & Sub-Max test and loads of lactate level blood tests. Not wishing to bore you but the important fact that came out of it is that my VO2 increased by 15% but more importantly my point 1 Lactate Threshold (LTH1) is still reached at the same Heart rate as it did in February but this time it is 2km/h quicker than in February. So I think we’re doing something right!

NUTRITION
So logically if I’m training 20-25hrs a week between my full time job I’m going to have to take my nutrition seriously. I was put in touch with a London based nutritionist, Carrie, and after a long chat and run through of my weekly program Carrie quickly pointed out how my current diet was falling horribly short of my requirements. Basically I need to be taking in about 800gms of carbohydrates a day in other word I needed to increase my daily intake by about 300gms of Carbs a day!

WHATS NEXT?
Accelerace Mid Wales Ultra Triathlon, more details will follow shortly.

Cheers Nino

Prologue Bikes join the Cause!

2008-04-22T00:07:00.000-07:00

I’m extremely happy to report that Prologue Bike will be supporting my challenge. Supplying all my bike needs in preparation and during the challenge itself. Prologue Bikes are based in South West London , East Sheen, and run by guys who are best described as top lads they are extremely knowledgeable and in so will prove to be an excellent resource to the challenge.

Basically if you looking for a new bike or some sound advise head to their shop www.prologuebikes.com

Once again thank you guys!

152 days to go!

2008-04-22T00:02:00.000-07:00

It’s been a while since I last wrote an update and that was just after the disappointment of the triple back-to-back marathons being called off mid race.
The good news is that things have been going to plan since then.

The Last 2 Weeks
Well training has been going well and I am really motivated again as the clocks have gone back and the longer days sure do make the training easier. My running has been going well and as I’m racing in an Ultra Tri on the 3rd May I have cranked up the bike miles.
I have to also confess to having just return from 3 days in Dubai. I got a whole load of sea swimming done and got to catch a few rays which was great.

The Next 2 Weeks

Jam packed is the best way to describe it. This week is another visit to the lab for a range of performance tests. My last tests were in February and I’m hoping to see a big chance since then. This weekend is also the final weekend before the ultra tri on the 3rd May so there are two long sessions planned. There is also a visit to The TriLife facilities and another swim session in their endless pool.

Accelerace Mid Wales Ultra Triathlon
Swim 4 miles Cycle 163 miles Run 31 miles

As I’ve mentioned I’m racing starting the 3rd May and the Ultra will last something link 24-27hrs. Now I’m not sure if you race over 27 hrs or if you just survive but I think I’ll be focusing on the survival part.

Updates will be coming through thick and fast now as we enter the final stages.

Cheers

Nino

ONER is call off!

2008-03-29T15:52:00.000-07:00

Sadly just after 8pm this evening due to force 10 gales and a storm that has been pounding the coast the race was called off due to bad weather and the risk to athletes.

We only managed 12.5kms or 1 tenth of the distance. Its a sad way to end the race but I guess safety first.

From a wet cold and wind dorset.

Cheers

HAPPY EASTER

2008-03-24T14:33:00.000-07:00

SNOW, RAIN & SUNSHINE

First off can I wish you all a happy Easter and hope you have all have an enjoyable weekend.

TRAINING
Another week of training has gone to plan and Good Friday had another six hour run pencilled in. There are normally two things you can rely on in England over a Bank holiday weekend, major delays on the train network and bad weather and true to form I can say this weekend has not let us down on at least one of these factors.

Fridays run was more that just clocking in the steady miles but instead I have to over come the weather factor. During the 6 hours there were 4 snow falls, a few hours of rain bitterly cold wind and patches of bright summer sunshine … four seasons in one run!

I clocked up the 59km’s mainly around Richmond Park and the along the banks of the River Thames. It’s fair to say the London terrain is nothing like the route for next weeks VOTWO ONER race along the Devon Coast but it’s the best I can do for now.

LIVE TRACKING
Thanks to Sport Do Software, GPS & Mobile phone technology you will be able to track my progress throughout next weekends Ultra Marathon. Starting at 6pm (GMT) my route and pace will be plotted on a map every 20-30mins. This is a great piece of technology and I have been using it throughout my training as Sports Do also allow you to keep an online training diary. So if you want to follow my progress through the 126.6km course you jus need to follow this link on the day http://www.sportsdo.net/Public/ActivityBlog.aspx?user=ninob

Got another morning run to get done and a swim later today so I’ve got to head off.

Cheers
Nino

Still Running

2008-03-18T13:33:00.000-07:00

Days are ticking bye now and we are now touching on 6 months before the big event but for now my focus is on the VOTWO Oner event. It’s a 126.6km (3 Marathons) ultra distance run on the 29th March. The route winds along the Dorset coastline. With the starting at 6pm it means we will be battling the course throughout the night. Anyone got any lights or night vision goggles

TRAINING
Last week proved to be another successful week with two more long runs under the belt and a 6hrs bike ride on top of the usual volume of swimming. The highlight of the week has to be my Saturday afternoon run along the Ridgeway following the River Thames through the Chilterns. It was an awesome run and the sights and terrain are some of the best I’ve run through in the UK. I’ll be heading back this weekend for more of the same as I look to clock up an 8hrs run ahead of the Oner.

ASICS
I must say again thank you to Asics for supplying my running shoes and kit as again my shoes have been put through the paces and spent hours covering all types of terrain and have not let me down in anyway.

Time is precious and training is important. I will post another update over the Easter weekend.

Cheers
Nino

200 days to go!

2008-03-05T03:41:00.000-08:00

Hello and welcome to my first blog posting. You will be able to follow my progress throughout the next 200 days via this page. I will keep you updated on training, as the blog on the event website to keep you up to date with my training and fund raising targets.

NOT LONG NOW
It's some 6 months now to the big event and the volume of training reflects the situation. I’m currently fit and healthy, my knee injury that plagued my run training during December and the start of January has settled down and I am back to full training and motivation is high.

TRAINING
My main focus still remains my swim and run training. This weekend, 8th March, will be my first cold water conditioning session, not sure I’m looking forward to the idea of submerging myself into the freezing water on a Saturday morning but it's all necessary in preperation for the Channel swim. My long runs are now 5hrs and hopefully up to 8hrs over the Easter weekend. This is in preparation for my first real Arch to Arc preparation race this year. It’s the VOTWO ONER run an 78.6 mile (3 marathons) race in 24hrs along the Dorset Coast. This will be my first all night run as the race starts at 6pm and guess what? I’m really looking forward to it!

I’m still swimming 2-3.5hrs a day in the pool six times a week and I am now really looking forward to the summer so we can start open water swimming. At the moment I am getting to know the black line on the base of the pool extremely well and the thought of cold dark water will be a well come change. Once the water warms up a few degrees that is! I am also really excited by the thought of using my new Helix Blue Seventy Wetsuit and accessories that Guy at Blue Seventy have supplied for the challange.

LAB TESTING

Two weeks ago now I under went a variety of Lab tests. I am working with Andy Galbraith at the University of Kents Centre for Sport Studies. We are looking for a variety of results like my VO2MAX and sub maximal efficiency levels, body fat percentage, lactate threshold and Haemoglobin levels. These test results will help evaluate my physical condition and the effeteness of my training program and ultimately we are looking to calculate my optimal run speed whereby I can cover 140kms but have endured the least amount of muscle fatigue resulting in a shorter recovery time. I must say thank you to Andy for his support in the challange his input will be essential when we look at the final run strategy.

Well got to get back to work and training.
Cheers
Nino