You know when you've had a good night out: when you wake up and you haven't a clue where you are, feel like the cat slept in your mouth and you've been ran over by a bus. Zzzzzzzzzz back into dream zone.

48hrs earlier I started the weekend's adventure to go to Nottingham and take part in the National Club Team Relays.

Packing the van started early Friday morning and was an event in itself. You name it we packed it. Two gazebos and an awning, four bikes, a double bed, bar b q and all the trimmings, fridge, cooker, cutlery, food, wine (lots of) 3 adults and a very very little person. No Marky Mark drove down earlier that day with daughter Lucy, we had Joe! 4hrs later we set off and asked if we should call into Jewsons and pick up the kitchen sink that we had forgotten, jeeeez.

Travelling South was a slow affair but eventually arrived at Pierpoint ably directed by her ladyship, little helper and previously downloaded autoroute.

It's been 6 years since last visiting this particular venue and a lot of water has gone under the bridge (or past the wet suit) since then. Married, four grand children, grey hair (not the cause I might add) new job, new roles etc etc but still the same fascination to want to beat the other teams and be part of the mayhem of events.

Club secretary had done a grand job and pre-booked two hook up pitches side by side Swinney's van on one side of the pitch with gazebo and moi van on tuther with awning.

Joining the two was the very well used and much needed club marquee, a festoon of cables and lighting then later a double seated sofa from the van, banners etc and hey presto base camp Ryton-Tri.

As soon as, if not earlier than completed, the girls, Jaci and Denise cracked open the Alco pops while Swinney went to bathe his left ear following the battering from said two on the way down. Boy can they yak!!!!!

As (responsible) appointed team leader I thought I would get organised by checking in the night before and so leaving time for a much needed lie-in the next day. Diane was to arrive later that night with Rachel and Sue Chester due to turn up Sat morning (wor team).

Our entries into this year's National team event were a tad late so ended up having mixed teams only, very mixed. All different shapes and sizes from young and fast to old and fast-ish, short, tall and very short should have formed the categories but we mixed everyone up just for a laugh.

Jenny, Diane and Dr Jones (Kirsty to you and I) turned up with Laura Addyman and pitched up alongside. The two Batey girls, Nat and Jen had already beaten us to it and had camped up just over the way as had Marky Mark and the Gertigs (inc Helen).

A communal food bake off ended the evening washed down with a glass of red along with more alco pops from you know who.

A chink of light through yonder sliding door and a fresh cup of coffee broke the snooze, not for long though, zzzzzzzzzzzzzz, back to dream land.

Saturday morning started off very bright and breezy and during the morning the remainder of team members turned up in dribs and drabs. Tim and Sam then Stacey followed soon after. We all decided to recce the morning's events to get a feel of what was in store later that afternoon and as we weren't due to race until 1:30pm had time to join the short walk across to the lake to enjoy the sunshine and soak up the atmosphere.

Manic just about summed it all up but organised mania with bodies and bikes flying all over the place, support teams screaming and people in various forms of undress running around. Folk eating burgers, drinking lager (not our team I might add,) runners warming up and pointy hats all over the shop.

Jenny looked more scared than ever having witnessed all of the above with one or two others looking a little sheepish at the thought of being next up but a swift lager sorted any pre-race nerves.. Back to base camp for a bacon buttie (great race fuel) and fettle the bike, as Phil would say.

The skies looked a little ominous as the morning rolled on and by the time everyone's bike had been serviced and folk kitted up for the afternoon spots of rain rattled off the Marquee as a taste of things to come.

Every team had a game plan, not sure what ours was except Diane was to swim first and due to my inability to run she was going to double up and do my stint by running first then last in our group. Sue Chester then Rachel covered the mid section with me being last man!! Four other teams made up our contingent with Dave Garner, the anchorman of probably our fastest team of Jaci, Jane Mooney and Natalie.

The only three-man team was that of team captain Jenny who mothered them into shape. Sam the man first off followed by mother Jenny-hen, then Mark then mechano ankle, Deano the last man.

The other two teams consisted of Denise, Jen, Laura and Swinney and Helen, Stacey, Kirsty and Tim.

The first group of swimmers headed off for a faraway buoy on the opposite side of the lake and what followed was described later by Jaci as "bloody awful, the worst experience ever, thought I was going to die". Nothing like a competitive bunch of open water triathletes aiming for the same portion of water over 400m to liven things up.

Change over was a frantic game of hide and seek as every one in the next swim wave had black wet suits and the same coloured hats!!!!! Add to that a mild case of vertigo, jelly swim legs and another 100+ trying to do said same thing hence mayhem!

Second, third and fourth swim legs had a much easier task but still had to battle against a stubborn amount of weed (no not Tony) along the back straight and the odd plonka trying to drag your legs back or swim into you. It's amazing how a little cold water and total darkness can upset some people's navigation skills!! They obviously haven't attended our weekly open water swim sessions at Hetton which totally replicated the conditions, in fact the water felt like a hot bath in comparison and the weed was a much friendlier strain then the Trifids of the murky waters of the NE venue.

The heavens opened during the bike leg, which made the hairpin corners treacherous and the fast straights impossible to see and follow someone else's wheel. One or two had tried to take the corners a little faster than most and could be identified by the red scuffmarks on shoulders and bits missing the backside of tri-suits-ouch. The rain persisted throughout the afternoon interspersed with hot sunny spells and monsoon type showers, which by the end of the day had made all the supporters look like they had, swam the 400m fully clad.

All of our teams survived any incidents on the bike but am sure one or two had to change their nappies following some close shaves.

Run leg to finish and Dave G headed off at full pelt over the embankment onto the run course well ahead of any of our other teams. A weary and wet Mrs Chaney came seeking me for my timing chip to enable our team time to be registered over the mats but I had other chips in mind and had demolished half a carton before being caught out. Some kind group of enthusiastic bar b q party had donated a rather delicious well-cooked sausage to accompany the chips and a rain topped lager washed it all down a treat. During this time the biggest and heaviest downpour turned the pathways into rivers and the afternoon into farcical run conditions.
We all gathered around the finish straight to cheer each others team in as they crossed the line Dave G first, Diane second, Swinney close behind followed by Stacey then Hopalong Deano to finish.

Hot showers back at base camp and soon the bar b smoke filled the marquee and awnings as everyone gathered for the post race reports and experiences of the day.

Hot bar b food takes on a different level of taste following a cold wet day racing and is all the more appreciated when someone else cooks it for you, congrats to Swinney and Paul who took second shift and cooked well into the night before lighting up the traditional post bar b log fire. A hardy few stayed to chuck another log on the fire and chew the fat washed down with a little more grape juis.
Another knock on the van window and this time its move or be moved!! As I was saying the best thing to take that "cat in the mouth" feeling is a ready cooked bacon sarnie and hot coffee (stirred with a pet worm but don't tell Grace) but the worst thing to do with a hangover is to take down two awnings and a Marquee!!!!

Roll on next year, put the date in your diary (28th Aug) and leave some space in your race calendar for this fantastic team event, We have the talent to win things here so lets give it ago and put Ryton (and the NE) on the map in the tri world.