Peer pressure has a lot to answer for, that’s how I found myself on a cold Sunday morning the start line of Newbury Duathlon.

My mate Lisa says go on you know you want to do it really- and I don’t, but here I am anyway, and its drizzling- did I mention that earlier? And I'm no runner ask any of the members and I will have to run twice and I haven’t been out on my TT bike since last summer because the weathers been so rubbish. But I need some practice.  I'm watching some very useful looking person doing side planks with upper leg extension, thinking christ I thought this was just a little local event and wanting to disappear but the turn out is so low that I will definitely be noticed sneaking off.

Thats when I decided well what have I got to loose? And someone always has to come last and and by then the race had started ! The rest of the field went off like greyhounds leaving four of us trailing in their wake, but despite it being muddy and very muddy in places it was a lovely off road 5K run and I did mange to come back into transition in under 30 minutes.

Onto my bike, we had been warned of the atrocious conditions on the road-gravel, mud, potholes so just normal really, but not about the hills…..this wasn’t flat, but I did mange to catch up and overtake a few people that were ahead of me on the run, so I was pretty chuffed about that and bonus- no punctures.

That just left that 5K run again, couldn’t run the hills this time round-my legs just weren’t having any of it but it I came over the finish line in just under 2 hours and much to my amazement won first place in my age group - super vet or something like that, I must add though that there only two in my age group! But you’ve got to be in it to win it.

Of course despite being really tired I was very happy that I had done it, but I’m not telling Lisa that and I'm off to spend my wiggle voucher.

It was a lovely friendly event and its just sad that like so many of these at the moment the turn out was so low that they might not be run in the future because its just not financially viable and that would be a great shame.

Will I be back next year - of course I will! I've discovered an advantage to being so ancient. I think I made a profit