JUST SAY NO

It's one of the shortest words in the English language, but Brunty doesn't seem to be very good at using it when he should...

- MARTYN BRUNT

“No!” See, it’s easy. “No, no, NO!” There, I can say it after all. Except, it seems that I can’t say it - at least I can’t seem to when I should.

There have been several times when not being able to say “no” has led me into a world of aggravation. Examples include:

• “Do you want to come and do the Superman Triathlon Vlaanderen in Belgium?” This was asked when I had literally just completed my first-ever triathlon. “No” should have been the answer because I was nowhere near ready. Sadly, “yes” came out.

• “Are you going to do Ironman Lanzarote?” said my great friend Neill after I had just completed my first Ironman in Canada. “No, f---off” should have been my answer, because it’s the hardest IM in the world. Instead, I heard myself say: “Go on then.”

• “Do you fancy doing a 24-hour swim?” said my friend Kelly.

“No!” was the correct answer. “Yes,” said my stupid mouth