This is me

I’m a 47 year old woman, I work for the Scottish Ambulance Service, and I live in the Scottish Highlands with my partner (Mark, aka Broon), and our Border Collie Riof (pronounced Reef).  I recently took up triathlon with a view to completing Celtman Solo Point Five, and the full length Celtman, and I love coffee & cake. 



So that’s the formalities out of the way… and of course, nothing is ever that simple, is it?  We all have history and a backstory, and I’m no exception.  I’m starting this blog partly to document my journey in sport & fitness, and partly to help me with a sense of perspective so that I can look back on events as they unfold.  


A few more important bits about me… I tend to throw myself into things I take on at 110%, I love being outdoors - except when I don’t - and have particularly enjoyed taking up open water swimming recently.  In my last previous life I was a sea kayak coach working full time on the water, and I’ve always been heavier than I’d like to be. That’s by far my biggest struggle in life: my weight. 



I’m writing this blog for me. To process the ups & downs, and the two-steps-forward-one-step-back. To record the adventures, whinge about the tough days and celebrate the little victories. But if you enjoy it, are interested by it, or get something out of it, then great: I hope you keep reading. I’ll try and include some decent photos and the odd anecdote along the way. 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Diary of a Celtman DNF

Image
Kate (Support Crew): "Hi Paul, it's Kate, Zoe's support crew, race number 157, she is withdrawing" Paul (Race Director): "Ah that's a huge shame"... Me: "Hi Paul.  Yeah, I'm done.  Today's not my day..." Paul: "Are you absolutely sure?  We really want you to finish.  Do me a favour and sit down for 5 minutes & think about it, then phone me back". Me:  And so Celtman 2024 came to an end for me, sitting under a tree in Gairloch, feeling frankly awful.   So... what happened?  The short answer is I don't know for certain.  I can assess what I think might have gone wrong, but I don't think I'll ever know with absolute certainty.  So I'll try to dissect it here in order to learn from it... for next year 😁. ***** 3am and we're in our van at Shieldaig campsite.  It's still dark despite being almost midsummer in the north of Scotland.  The alarm went off at 2:15, breakfast eaten, Kate arrived at 0245.  So ...
Read more

Why?

Image
I'm laid up on the sofa at home with a cold just now, full of snot and with plenty of time to ponder where I am with my Celtman training, what I still need to do, and how I can recover from an illness setback.  I'm a bit nervous about writing this post as it's very personal, but I'll write it down and then work out whether to publish it when I get to the end.  I do know there are a few people who read this blog and take a little bit of inspiration or motivation from it, so perhaps I will put my big brave girl pants on and press 'publish', for me and those people, and to hell with anyone who wants to be critical.   Preparing for this race is occupying most of my waking moments just now.  When I'm not at work, or sleeping, body and mind are on Celtman.  Thankfully I have a patient and accommodating parter in Mark- and he is also involved in Celtman, so he's not entirely immune to the obsession himself.   Yes, I'm a fully paid-up Celtman bore.  You kind...
Read more

Blood, Sweat & Gears: Celtman training through the Menopause.

Image
It's 2am, and I'm vaguely awake... struggling to get back to sleep.  I've woken to find that my hair and my pillow are soaked in sweat.  It's not hot, but I'm tossing & turning, trying to get comfy, trying to ignore the damp pillow... It feels like the middle of July... but it's February.  Yuk. I'm standing on the poolside, speaking to a young lifeguard about something or other, and I suddenly become aware that I'm bleeding... far more heavily than normal.  I make my excuses and make it to my locker and the ladies toilet in time to catch the blood before it makes it out of my swimsuit and down my leg.  My periods used to happen like clockwork, predictable and manageable. But not any more.  It's day 3 of a 7-day stint off work, and I should be training.  But I feel flat, low, a bit depressed if I'm honest. I feel tearful for no reason at all.  Is it the short days?  Or am I fatigued?  I make myself get out on my bike in the wind, and ...
Read more