Husband and I, plus two friends, entered the 2013 Blenheim Palace Triathlon, for a dare.  You may think this unremarkable; however I was a renowned couch potato and he hated running. We began to exercise, but as spring crept closer, we realised that we were going to have to practice doing a triathlon. Before the proper triathlon, if you see what I mean.

We entered the Human Race Super Sprint at Eton Dorney, simply to find out what it was going to be like. (And if I would drown in the lake).  Olympic venue, too – exciting.  Standing where the greats stood etc etc. That would be inspiring, I  thought.  Plus, I simply wasn’t prepared to panic or suffer overwhelm at Blenheim.  To practice properly I decided that no parents or children were allowed; we (husband and I) just wanted to get a feel for it and see how it all worked.