Dartmoor Demon

I recently mentioned the importance of goals when searching for motivation. I have entered my second triathlon, a middle distance event consisting of 1.9 kilometre swim, 56mile cycle and a half marathon to finish. I filled in the entry form months ago, popped it in my diary and rather stupidly put it to the back of my mind. That was until I received an email from the organisers asking how my preparation was going with just ten weeks to go – a timely reminder that I actually need to start some serious training.

I had the pleasure of spending a few consecutive days at home in Devon and realised there was a cycling event passing my back door - it would have been rude not to be involved. There is a fine line between a fun Saturday out and a tough training session; a distinction which became rather blurred as I stared up at the start of the fifth large hill of the course.

Sometimes ignorance can be bliss but living on Dartmoor I did not have that luxury at the weekend. I know every hill like the back of my hand and normally plan routes to avoid the steepest ascents. The ‘Dartmoor Demon Epic Route’ certainly lived up to it’s name, all ninety-five miles of it. I had to constantly remind myself it was a perfect training ride as the realisation of the exact route dawned on me. The temptation to unclip and push my bike up the final couple of hills reached a peak when it became clear I could have crawled faster. I cannot describe the feeling of dread when you are already slogging it out in bottom gear and a 25% incline sign looms ahead. On a more positive note, I am still buzzing with the sense of satisfaction from conquering hills I genuinely believed were impossible to cycle. I am at least one step closer to my goal.

The drive

What drives you? That is a question I am often asked and frequently ask myself. It is always presumed that successful sportspeople are highly motivated, that they leap out of bed in the morning ready to battle any challenges ahead. I always needed a reason, a purpose, if the goal was there I would continue to work towards it without so much as a second thought. Take away that goal and I would have failed to succeed.

If you watched the coverage of the London Marathon you will have heard the stories, seen the passion and felt the sense of achievement for those tens of thousands of ambitious runners. Thanks to social media I expect all of us will know someone who completed the iconic race. You might think your friends are crazy to voluntarily put their bodies through such a gruelling training schedule just for a few hours of pounding the streets of London. If you have not already can I suggest you ask them why? I can guarantee there will be a clear driving force behind their decision. For some it is a charity close to the heart, others it could be a fitness challenge, for the professional athletes it could be the title, the record, or Olympic qualification. Pure determination and drive was perfectly demonstrated in the elite women’s race when Kenyan Jemima Sumgong took a serious fall in the final few miles of the race. She picked herself up and pushed on to win the this years title. 

Ignore the sore legs this week, any London Marathon finisher will be on cloud nine as they look back at their accomplishment. You can not beat that feeling of elation as you reach a goal. Relish it, reflect and be brave - set yourself a new one today.

What a contradiction

Our government are constantly pushing the agenda for healthy active living.  Increased exercise, eating less sugar and having a more balanced lifestyle are apparently the perfect ingredients for living longer and relieving the ever stretched National Health Service. I wholeheartedly agree with all of those factors and do my best to live by them for my own benefit. So you can imagine I was outraged when I heard the news that a Westcountry Town Council have decided to charge runners taking part in the weekly free ParkRun.

For those of you who are unaware ParkRun is an event organised by volunteers every Saturday morning in public parks around the world. It is a marked 5K route that participants can enter for free online, printout their barcode and turn up to join hundreds of likeminded individuals for a run, walk or jog.

It was us, the UK that lead the way with this initiative, originating in Bushy Park, London. Countries across the world have followed suit and totally embraced this regular mass participation event. In February I had the opportunity to join a Parkrun in Johannesburg, South Africa, I was blown away by the sheer numbers  on that start line, a total of 1060 runners completed the 5K. Just think the concept started right here in the UK, we should be proud.

What example are we setting to the rest of the world, if we, a country spending billions of taxpayers money promoting the increase in physical activity , start to charge participants for the opportunity to get out and run? Think back to the “thisgirlcan” campaign, Sport England threw money at this in the hope of getting us out doing more exercise. Surely all those efforts are being contradicted if we can no longer join likeminded people for a free 5k run once a week.

Staycation

Unless you are a teacher or parent the only warning of any upcoming school holidays is the dramatic hike in flight and holiday prices. If you live in the Westcountry the first physical sign is often the increase in traffic jams often caused by the number of slow moving caravans blocking up the roads. The early arrival of this years Easter and the poorer than average weather forecast did not deter British tourists from packing up their cars and heading to various UK destinations. The appeal of keeping it local has been significantly increased as a result of the recent terror threats in Europe, at least that is having a positive impact on local businesses.

It is usually the appeal of some “guaranteed” sunshine that lures me back to the airport to catch a flight for a foreign holiday. After the busy travel fuelled past few months my own bed and home cooking had a much stronger appeal than a sandy beach. I embraced a “staycation” and actually unpacked my wash bag for the first time since the beginning of February, it was the most uplifting and refreshing experience.

The challenge of holidaying at home is switching off. Two separate trips with family and friends to a local spa for some indulgence significantly helped with this, complimented by a mini shopping spree and plenty of spring fresh air. We are so absorbed in our day to day lives with the constant bombardment of jobs to do, social media to be distracted by and friends to keep up with that it is easy to ignore what we have on our doorstep. Previously I struggled to understand the thinking behind a staycation, now I am already looking to book my summer holiday, at home.

Cote d'Azur

The British seasons feel less distinct than I remember; they have started to mould into each other with our temperamental weather and more frequent storms. According to the clock change we are now officially in springtime, the flowers and my hay fever confirm that too, but sadly the temperature is yet to follow. As my friends and I get older it also seems that the wedding season has become less defined. Until recently I had never been to a winter or foreign wedding, now these invites have become the norm.

The most recent was only a short flight down to the South of France, no harder to travel for than the next wedding up in Scotland. Having never experienced the Cote d’Azur I could not pass the opportunity to make the most of this trip and extend the stay, it was the Easter holidays after all. The wedding itself was further inland set amongst stunning vineyards, so the days prior I chose to make the most of the famous Mediterranean coastline.

As you probably know, I love to incorporate sport into my travels. Hiring a road bike was the perfect opportunity to explore this part of Europe. Day one consisted of a coffee stop in Monaco followed by lunch in the Italian town of Ventimiglia. Three countries in one ride sounds impressive but I have to admit it was only two hours of cycling. To compensate for the frequent stops and large quantities of food and coffee I ambitiously set off up Col de la Madon, a mountain just shy of 1000m in height. Comparing this to home it sounded impossible, a hill three times the height of anything on Dartmoor with no let ups. The smooth road surface, lack of traffic and continuous yet gentle incline made it surprisingly enjoyable. I found my steady pace provided plenty of time to absorb the incredible scenery and views. As for the descent - I am still dreaming about that now.