I’m over-the-moon and overwhelmed to have been chosen as a Trigirl brand ambassador for 2013.
When I heard the news I was delighted! Great company, great kit – recommended by my sister (a 2012 Blenheim finisher) – and, I confess, I shed a tear. This may seem overly emotional to you, but is quite a big deal for me. I’m not very fit, you see. I don’t really do exercise.
Well, I didn’t use to do any. I do now. And it turns out I’m not as bad as I thought! This is a shame really, as I have spent my entire life avoiding being fit, or anything that might be construed as exercise. Being almost 6ft tall this came from a lifetime of, “You’re tall. You’re sporty. You can play/run/throw”. No. I’m just tall, you see. Now, at 36 years old, this seems a bit of a wasted opportunity. But – as they say – better late than never, so I’ve every intention on making up for my years of couch-dom by being an inspiration to my three daughters and a training partner for my husband and friends whose fault, I mean encouragement, got me to this fantastic point.
Three months ago our daughters went on holiday with their grandparents. If you don’t have kids this won’t mean a lot. If you do, you’ll know that two weeks without your kids is utter joy-filled freedom. We did what all people experiencing newly received freedom do – we went to the pub. This is where it started. Several glasses of wine later and a dare had been set. Could I cycle to the next town to meet my husband, who would be swimming in a lake with friends the next day? Easy! Anyone can ride a bike 5 miles, she slurred! Next day came and off we went. Turns out it was indeed very easy. So then they dared me to join them for a 5k run afterwards. Easy! Anyone can run 5k, she blurted! Turned out I couldn’t. But I managed about 2k and spent the rest of the day not only with leg ache and terrible blisters, but sky high on adrenalin and a feeling of achievement not experienced since giving birth (again, one for the mums out there!).
That was in August and while the kids were away, I ran. And when they came back, Like Forrest Gump, I kept on running. I nearly feinted at 3km; could not speak (nor breathe) on my first bike/run effort (20km bike/5km run). But by our 7km run, in the rain, I lept in puddles with glee! I kept on going. Husband bought new Asics trainers. I bought some for £25 in the sale. Husband bought new running kit. I got a gorgeous purple set from Lidl – £9.99. Then he got a new road bike. Our friends got road bikes. He signed up for Blenheim. Our friends signed up for Blenheim. I bit the bullet and I, too, signed up for Blenheim. My newly found kudos with the men in my life was sealed (!) My husband and our little training group of three have taken me from nothing to a 10km run and a 30k bike ride in three months. So after months on a mountain bike, trying to keep up, I got a road bike, too.
I fell off. Hole in knee and a bashed up back (and ego) meant an enforced training break and a bit of thinking time. Need to get fitter. Clearly need to work on my riding skills. A training plan, that’s what I need. And entry to more competitions. Fingers crossed for the Great North Run. A local duathlon? Oh, Hever Castle Triathlon looks nice… Ah – and one final thing. The swim. Must address that issue fairly quickly! Breaststroke at Blenheim just won’t do.
So these are my targets. Run faster. Ride without falling off. Learn to swim. In cold dirty water. In a rubber cat suit. It’s going to be a journey. I look forward to sharing it with you!
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