Triathlons & more for Macmillan

2015 is all about pushing my limits… and raising as much as I can for Macmillan.

A bit of background

A quick Instagram selfie of me in my new trisuit
Green’s definitely not my colour, and this trisuit is hella tight!

Late 2014 I decided that a triathlon sounded like a good idea, at the time it was a pipe dream, but after a bit of researching, and an impulse decision later I’d signed up for the London Triathlon in August 2015.

I’ve never done a triathlon before.

As part of the sign up process you’re asked if you’re fundraising for a specific charity, and it dawned on me that I could turn this journey of intrepidation into something that might (in some small way) affect someone else’s life for the better.

Why Macmillan?

It’s estimated that more than 1 in 3 people will develop cancer in their lifetime, chances are that you know someone that has battled, or is currently battling it.

The help Macmillan provide, and the support network that they’ve developed is second to none; whether it’s explaining proceedures to those with cancer, comforting and reassuring confused loved ones, or helping assess whether someone might need to go and see a doctor.

I’ve witnessed first hand the sensational work that Macmillan do every day, so couldn’t dream of a better charity to fundraise for… even if green isn’t my best look!

How can I help?

Fundraising

Fundraising is always a bit of an awkward one, but here’s it straight:

I’d love it if you could donate anything you can towards my effort.

No amount is too small. If you want to pick a specific triathlon and sponsor me by the mile, or by the number of times I cry as I struggle through Tough Mudder.

Donate to my fundraising campaign

Awareness

But! I know that sometimes it’s difficult to donate, and if you can’t, then don’t; instead I’d ask that you spread the word about the amazing work that Macmillan do, and have a read through their website to see if you’re due a screening.

Stretch goals

Amazingly, I’ve surpassed the – what I thought unsurpassable – goal of £1,000 in donations.

A huge thank you to everyone who donated, I still can’t quite believe it.

I’ve decided to extend the goal to £1,500 to see if I can push it even further than I thought possible. Any further donations would be amazing! The more we can raise, the bigger the difference that Macmillan can make

Training

Entering a brand new sport from a somewhat unhealthy lifestyle was always going to be a tough ask, but I’m now at the stage where I can comfortably run long distances (and look to push out at least one of those a week). I can ride my bike for hours on end, and genuinely enjoy the fear of diving into the murky waters of the reservoir.

I’m not on some crazy training plan (although for the Olympic distance triathlon, and marathon in 2015 I probably ought to be), so it’s pretty much just run, bike, and swim as much as possible whilst listening to my body’s warning lights.

Simple.

See more on Strava

Events

Jan-water-ary

1 January–7 February 2015 (with a week off for skiing)

Still haven’t found a catchier, less-rubbish name for it, but meh… This January, I decided to go one further than the no-alcohol Dryathlon and only drink water.

For most this may have been an easy challenge, but I love my diet coke and coffee too much so it proved tough.

Completed This was easier than I’d thought. Only found myself missing coffee a few times, and everything else was simple to cut out. Counting what I would have drunk proved to be trickier though, so at the end I decided to go for a round £5 per day rather than a Diet Coke here, a Starbucks there.

All in all I raised £155!

Tough Mudder London West

2 May 2015

I’ve seen people complete Tough Mudder, and it’s always looked like a twisted form of fun; until this year I’ve not had the bottle to sign up.

The hope is that the mental toughness will add an extra level and that it will help me hone my ability to dig deep for the later events where I might need it.

Completed 2 May was one of the best days of my life, albeit also one of the hardest. The elation as I came through the final obstacle, combined with the sense of achievement after every hurdle was unbelievable. I’d summoned up every ounce of my strength, and pushed through!

It also came on the morning that I passed £500 in donations to my fundraising effort, which was also pretty damn overwhelming!

Tough Mudder was great fun, hard work, and the first of many more to come.

You can check out some of the photos on my Instagram.

The Colour Run

7 June 2015

Supposedly the most fun 5k I’ll ever do… This one is more of a fun-run rather than a race, so no training for this one. Just turn up and enjoy getting caked in powder paint with mates. Very much looking forward to this one!

Completed It was billed as the happiest 5km on the planet… and boy were they right!

We had a riot of a time; skipping, jogging, and mostly walking through the four paint sections.

It was never going to be my fastest 5km, but it helped me remember that enjoying these events is just as important as destroying my personal bests.

Jenson Button Trust Triathlon

12 July 2015

This will likely be the first triathlon for this year, and will be my first real experience of one. The plan is to use this to get used to the way transition works, and how mass water starts work before the big day in August!

Completed I am a triathlete.

A novice triathlete, but a triathlete nonetheless. The JB Trust Tri was a fantastic day which saw me tackle two turbo distance triathlons – 200m swim, 10km bike, 2.5km run.

It didn’t come without drama though; I had a pretty tasty fall in the first one, spilling at 42kph on the bike on a rainy corner – that wasn’t enough to stop me though, and it made setting a second PB on the afternoon race even easier!

Read about it in my journal

The London Triathlon

8 August 2015

This is the big one!

The London Triathlon is the reason I started this mad journey, and it’s the one I’m probably most excited (and equally terrified) for.

To be able to compete in an event this big in the city I grew up in will be great.

Completed One of the best days of my life.

Read about it in my blog!

Read about it in my journal

Tough Mudder London South

27 September 2015

One Tough Mudder for the year wasn’t enough, so I’ve decided to take on London South’s muddy offerings. Bring it on!

Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon

11 October 2015

This is a half marathon that I’ve always wanted to run, so I was super gutted when I missed out on this place in the ballot.

Thankfully, Macmillan had places and I was very lucky that they’ve given one of them to me.

This will likely be my last event of this calendar year, so I’m hoping that I’ve enjoyed the previous series of challenges and that this rounds the whole experience off nicely. Here’s to hoping!