Chavtastic!!!

"Dear Colin Bradley
Membership Number: 12788

Congratulations on your selection to the Great Britain team for the ITU Triathlon World Championships – Gold Coast Australia, Sprint Distance. I hope that you continue to train safely before heading over to the Gold Coast for the 13 September. This letter confirms your place on the team."

I received this email from the BTA this week. Good, innit?

This week I’ve been reflecting back to my result from Blithfield and my selection to the GB team.

I have had many emails, texts and calls congratulating me on my selection, but perhaps the most poignant was from Richard, a fellow coach from my football club, who admitted that he hadn’t avidly been following my blog (tut, tut), but that he had been following my progress from time to time.

Richard said that when we were kids we would all dream about representing our country and that I was now actually going to do that. It was only after reading that that it really dawned on me what I had achieved. Yes, I HAD always dreamt of representing my country, although it was as the next Kevin Keegan and obviously that never happened. So, what better way than by doing so in the sport which I now love – triathlon. So, I suppose I should be quite pleased with myself, really.

Still reflecting back to my days as a kid, it was all the rage to wear designer tracksuits (Diadora, Kappa, Lacoste, etc., etc.) in the early 80’s when I was a teenager. As a bit of a fasionista, I could always be seen in my favourite Kappa jumper, Diadora tracksuit bottoms and Nike trainers. Until, that is, one day when I was 'taxed' (the practice of being mugged of your designer clothes) by a local thug named Vince Hughes.

Not since those days have I worn a designer tracksuit. Nowadays, such clothing is the reserve of the audience of the Jeremy Kyle show and the shell-suit posse. Until now, that is, because this week I took delivery of my GB Age Group team tracksuit kit (see photo up top and below), and I haven't felt so 'cool' wearing it since my teenage days. Very chavtastic, don’t you think?



Hopefully, I will receive my named trisuit (currently on order) in time to show it off at my next race which is the Hyde Park Sprint at, yes you’ve guessed it, Hyde Park, in two weeks time.

The race is a Euro qualifier, and although I have tentatively put my name down as trying to qualify, to be honest the pressure is off now that I am going to Australia. The weekend promises to be very exciting with the elites racing on the Saturday and I shall be going down to watch them strut their stuff with my mate Dan from the tri club.

Big, big congratulations this week to some other friends from my tri club – Sarah, Paul (aka Pablo), Tony and Andy – who all took part in this weekend’s UK Ironman in Bolton. Sarah came 10th female overall (beating an elite) and Paul and Tony successfully completed the course. Unfortunately, Andy DNF’d – haven’t yet heard what happened, but hopefully he is OK. As has been said many times before, it’s getting to the start line which counts. Finishing is just the icing on the cake. Well done guys and gals.

My training last week was almost non existent which was how I had planned it. Back to the serious task of training this week for a rather important race in just over a month. I certainly WON’T be wearing my tracksuit though – that’s packed away for special occasions. Now, where’s my audience ticket for the Jeremy Kyle show…

Cheers.

C