Travel, Triathlons and Challenges

Well there is a heading I never thought I would write.

We are currently travelling quite a lot as a team for work, with clients in Europe, Leeds, Portsmouth, London, Cheltenham, Cardiff, Hamble, Cornwall – and the team are delighted Bristol!  As a virtual team, folk are also spread out across the country, which works well for stop-overs and we all love travelling by train, so that is a bonus.

This week Lesley and I were in Essen, Germany and last week I was in Nuremberg. Tomorrow four of us are in Portishead, a mere hop skip and a jump for us; our clients are so varied and the work is so interesting, we know we are very very lucky.

On Saturday I turn 46 and am celebrating by attempting my first triathlon, it’s what they call a ‘sprint’ triathlon I am reliably informed this is all about the shorter distances not the speed with which one needs to complete it.  Thank goodness.  So I have been training for the 400 m swim (which I am not looking forward to at all), 25k bike ride and 5k run by taking every opportunity , including those when I feel tired – as I reckon after the swim I’ll be tired, after the cycling I will be very tired and after the run I give if five mins in the car before I am asleep.

Then my next challenge is a half marathon, and I am doing that to raise money for the Taylor Bennett Foundation; more of that later.

And to keep challenging myself, get fitter, push the boundaries of what I think is possible and be a good role model to as many women and girls as I can, I am developing a 50 before I am 50 list.  Here are the first 15:

1. Complete a sprint tri (Portishead sprint-tri booked for 11 August 2018)
2. Complete a half marathon (Royal Parks half booked for 14 October 2018)
3. Complete my first trail run (Gower 10k booked for 10th November)
4. Run the Sonoma to Napa half marathon (scheduled for summer 2020) – this involves drinking wine at the end!
5. Volunteer to become a Run Maker with This Mum Runs and help more women to run
6. Go back to NYC: run in a 10k, drink cosmopolitans, see my lovely friend Emma and shop
7. Swim in open water with my amazingly inspirational friend Penny
8. Walk some of the Camino de Santiago with my best friend Kate – and then go wine tasting…..
9. Take miniteampg walking on Dartmoor with my dad, ex-Ten Tors and Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme leader (he knows Dartmoor so well)
10. Launch the Sprint Forward Mentoring Programme and Spring Forward 2019
11. Complete the Prudential Ride London 100 mile bike ride (booked for July 2019)
12. Take my godson Christopher back to London Zoo and go with him into the reptile enclosure (when he was about eight, I made him go by himself, I am still scared….)
13. Commission an original piece of artwork for our huge kitchen
14. Go to Sri Lanka with TeamPG
15. Take miniteampg to see the Winnie Mabaso Foundation in action, led by my wonderful friend Lisa Ashton

if you’ve any ideas for the remaining 35 – let me know!