Sometime during September 2009, Steve Haywood will be competing solo in the
Enduroman Deca Iron UK. A 24 mile swim, followed by 1120 mile bike ride
along the rugged coastal roads from Bodmin to Fowey in Cornwall, then
a 262 mile run along the extremely demanding and undulating South West
Coast path. Follow Steve's training blog along his journey to complete
the 'Toughest Deca on the Planet!'

Another good week's training behind me and the winter timber is finally starting to fall off.  Some friends took me out for my birthday so I guess the 2 days around that didn't consist of the training that I had planned!  The milder and lighter evenings have meant that I can move my bike interval sessions back out onto the roads and it was great to hit the country lanes around Staffordshire again. 

I travelled down to Cornwall again at the weekend to recce the Deca's run course and to have a look around for potential double and triple courses should I move the races down south.

I had a great 22 mile run along the coastal path (1 lap of the Deca course).  Below is the stunning Polkaris Beach which will be point where the athletes will complete their first lap and head back out towards Charlestown.



I averaged around 9min/miles which on that terrain was pretty good going.  In tow, was my Sister's German Shepard.  She is a big girl, but still young.  I was really looking forward to it as I have been running with a husky for years and I grew up with Shepard's, however after a while, she gave up the ghost and lay down or should I say fell down.  I was really worried as we weren't going fast.  I honestly thought that she had a medical condition.  My Sister was watching my nephew race in Taunton so I couldn't get a lift back.  My only choice was to carry her 2 miles back to Polkaris, ask a nice couple eating their lunch outside a pub to watch her for me, then run back up to the campsite to collect my car.