ALAN MURRAY

Earlier this year (2015) I took the daunting decision that I wanted to take part in a Full Ironman Triathlon in the challenging island of Lanzarote, next year in May 2016. My only other experience with endurance events was the Edinburgh Marathon in 2011. With already being a keen runner, I took up cycling in 2014 and it was at this point that I started wondering if I could take on an Ironman challenge. After some thinking, I decided that if I wanted to go ahead with this challenge then I needed to get advice off someone with experience in this type of thing, maybe a triathlon coach. After asking around the name of Fran Delgado came up, so I decided to call him and arrange a chat. Within a few minutes of meeting Fran I knew straight away that this was someone with great experience in endurance training and that he was professional in his work. He asked me what I wanted to achieve, what my history was in triathlon events (none, only running) and how he thought we should go about achieving my goal.

Now that I was into running and cycling the last of the 3 events I had to train for was the swimming part. 6 months down the line I feel I am a stronger swimmer having gone to Fran´s pool/ beach lessons, although there is definately still room for improvement (There always is). Quote from one of Fran´s swim coaches on one of my first lessons- “first of all don’t swim like a dog”… That’s how bad I was 
The first phase of my training was to end with a 70.3 Triathlon event “Challenge Paguera” in Mallorca, 6 months after my training started. I ended up being unwell in the weeks leading up to this event, but with Fran`s encouragement and advice in the build-up, I managed to complete this event in 5hrs 27minutes.
The next phase of my training will be aiming towards building on my strength and endurance before taking on another 70.3, early in 2016, before the Full distance Ironman Lanzarote in May 2016. I must admit I’m looking forward to the challenge having recently sampled my first triathlon.

One of the great things about training with Fran is that he has a real passion for his work, and his enthusiasm really rubs off when you’re feeling a bit down or tired and struggling to follow the plan. It’s not only the training that he offers but also nutritional/ dietary advice, which naturally leads to a healthier lifestyle. I know that I’m definitely feeling the benefits since starting training with Fran and I have every confidence that I will be able to achieve my goal next May. (Alan Murray finisher IM LANZAROTE 2016)