Being inspired, feeling the fear and doing it anyway

I've been inspired this week by the incredible achievement of one of my friends, Andrew Simpson, who's just competed - and did incredibly well - in The Cape Wrath Ultra. If you've never heard of it and would like to know more, you can check it out here. It's worth a look - if not for details of the race, then just for the wee video showcasing some of our stunning Scottish scenery...! 

Basically, it's an extreme ultra running event where the competitors run (yup, I did say run) 250miles in 8 days from Fort William to Cape Wrath (the furthest north-westerly point in the British Isles) over the mountains and through the glens, navigating themselves all the way with no set-out route on the ground for them to follow. 

Coincidentally, this time last year I was about to be inspired by another of my favourite ultra runners; Andrew's wife, and my smiliest friend, Lois. Lois was about to run the length of the West Highland Way - all 95 miles of it - in under 30 hours. I remember being knackered just helping out with a bit of support along the way, so I have oodles of respect for Lois and Andrew, and all the other ultra dafties, who attempt these challenges - never mind complete them!

Of course, inspiration doesn't always come from the people who tackle extra-ordinary sporting events. I remember shedding a few tears last year when photos popped up on Facebook of my pal Linda after she'd crossed the line of a 5k run with her friends and family by her side. Linda's journey to get to that place had been a scary, tough and extremely challenging one. But she set herself a goal, faced so many of her fears, and bloody well did it. I was so proud of her then, and I'm feeling a wee lump coming on thinking about it now..!

Emotions were also running high in November last year when I crossed the line of the Supernova 5k at The Kelpies alongside my oldest and dearest pal Karen. Just a few months previously Karen had hardly been able to walk, due to some ongoing health issues, but she took off from the start line that night and there was simply no stopping her! It was an unforgettable moment for me to be with her (once I'd caught up...!) when she flew across the finish line. Karen's determination was awe-inspiring stuff and I'll never forget it.

Andrew, Lois, Linda and Karen are just four among the many, many people who inspire and motivate me - with my husband and my kids being at the very top of the list. And I'll be pulling on all of their stories this time next week when I'm needing a wee bit of courage before I set foot on the plane that's taking me to Tanzania!

It's become a bit of a cliche since the publication of Susan Jeffers' book a few years ago, but 'feel the fear and do it anyway' still resonates with me.  

Whether the fear is setting out with a group of women that I don't really know (but who all seem lovely!), to a country far far away; or wondering how I'll manage with the call of nature when I've got issues even using public toilets in the UK...; or thinking about just how sore my bottom's inevitably going to be..; or fretting about how my roomie will cope with the foostiness of my holdall that's been up in the loft for too long and smells like an old lady but I don't want to waste money on a new one; or how much I'll miss Alex as this is the longest we'll have been apart since we were, em, 17; or having niggling doubts about whether I'm physically (and mentally!) up to the challenge of cycling 250 miles over sometimes difficult terrain under the African sun; or any of the jumble of other things swirling around in my puggled head at the moment...whether it's one of those fears or any of the others that are bound to crop up before I leave and while I'm there - I'll be facing them, then doing it anyway.

Yup, I'll be feeling the fear - then I'll be grabbing life by the handlebars and going for a ride!

(Me and my roomie Sally, the only time we've met, at a recent training weekend. I think I'm saying 'remember to bring a clothes peg Sally!'...)

Why Cycle Africa? Reason 1: Safari

It's nine weeks today till I fly out to Tanzania to take part in the Women V Cancer Cycle Africa challenge. Help ma boab!!! To take my mind off thoughts such as: 'I've not done enough training...Help!' and 'Will I collapse in a heap in the heat..?' and 'Will my bum be hardy enough...?', I thought I'd focus instead on some of the reasons why I decided to attempt this challenge in the first place, one blog post at a time:

Reason 1: Safari!

I'm sure I'm not the only person who's signed up for a challenge with a bit of an ulterior motive behind it, but I do feel a wee bit guilty about this one! I mean, of course I want to raise money for three superb cancer charities, raise awareness about signs and symptoms and push myself with a long bike ride in the process - but it was the word 'SAFARI' that really attracted me to this challenge.

I've wanted to go to Africa to see the big wild animals for as long as I can remember.

When I was little I'd ask my mum and dad if we could go on safari, but it was just a wee bit out of their price range, so a trip to Blair Drummond Safari Park and a cone in Callander had to do.

When I got older, going on safari was still really out of my price range, and my dear other half's heart was never really in it anyway, or my children's:

'You don't fancy going in a big aeroplane to see lions and elephants and monkeys and giraffes doing their thing out in the wild...??' '

'No mum, why would we want to do that when we live a mile from Blair Drummond and can see lions and elephants and monkeys and giraffes doing their thing from our car then have a shot on the bumpy slide and then have a cone in Callander..??'

This goes some way to explaining why none of my kids were ever really bothered about having a pet...

So, when I was cajoled into having a look at the 'Cycle Africa' challenge by some of my WvC pals who'd already signed up, I didn't really pay much attention to the part that said, '...350km in challenging conditions over sometimes difficult terrain...' or the part that said, '...you have to raise a minimum of £3000...' or '...you'll need all sorts of jags that are sore and cost a few bob...' or '...you'll wild camp...!!' and so on and so forth.

But, I did see 'Africa', 'raising awareness', 'cycling', and, of course, 'SAFARI!'

It was a done deal.

I am, of course, paying for the one day safari *myself and I'm really hoping that seeing some of those big animals out in the wild will live up to the dream I've had ever since I was a wee girl - and, of course, be just a wee bit more exciting than a day trip to Blairdrummond...

*Just to reassure everyone who donated their hard earned coffers - all of the cash you donated went straight to the charities and none of it's paying for any of my costs, such as travel, bike hire etc :)

A weekend of wonderful women

I'm knackered tonight after spending the weekend down in London with a bunch of wonderful, inspiring women.

First, there was the pair that I hooked up with on Friday night. I 'met' Zoe and Shara during the build up to the Ride the Night cycle last year. We 'met' on a Facebook group for the event and, before Friday, I'd only ever met them in person once (very briefly at Windsor Racecourse before the Ride started). However, anyone passing us by as we whooped and hugged in the middle of City Airport's arrivals lounge would've thought that we were long lost close and crazy old friends! We hit it off just as much in real life as we had done online; we had a blast, from the minute we met at the airport till the minute Shara dropped me off at my daughter's flat on Sunday. Social media gets a lot of bad press (much of it well deserved), but it does have its plus points - and we three are proof in the pudding that real - and special - friendships can indeed form on Facebook!

Next, there was the two hundred fellow women cyclists and speakers at Saturday's Cycle Africa Information Day. Even though I signed up for the Women V Cancer challenge to cycle across Tanzania months ago, I think it only hit me on Saturday just how 'big' an event this is going to be in my life.

Inspirational speeches from representatives of the charities that we're supporting; inspirational presentations from women who've been helped by the charities which reinforced my determination to keep on raising awareness and funds for Ovarian Cancer Action, Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust and Breast Cancer Care; inspirational and informative presentations from the organisers and Tour Manager (they even managed to convince me that camping will be fun...); inspirational and motivational talks from women who've participated in previous Action for Charity cycling events... I was, you'll have gathered, well and truly inspired! I was asked to read out a poem from my wee book and, even though I've read it many times at other events, it was such an emotional moment for me.

It was a special day, and I'm guessing that I'll always think of it as the start proper of my
Cycle Tanzania journey.

Yours truly trying to inspire...

I'm almost starting to believe this might just be so...

Lastly, there was my daughter Gemma. What a joy it was to spend a leisurely Sunday afternoon with her and be reminded how settled she is in London. We didn't stop blethering - over lunch, during our lovely stroll around Greenwich Park, and over coffee and cake - till it was time for me to head to the airport and home.  Gemma makes me so very proud with her attitude to life. Ever since she was a little girl she's loved learning, looking for new opportunities, stretching herself, making the best of things, throwing herself into everything she does with passion, taking responsibility for rejections or 'mistakes' and using those experiences to move forward with renewed vigour and determination - basically, always being up for feeling the fear and doing it anyway! You know, I consider it an important part of a parent's job to inspire and motivate their children, and I've always felt a great sense of satisfaction and pleasure when I've been able to do that for any of my kids. But, that sense of satisfaction and pleasure is nothing compared to the feeling I get when one of my, now adult, children inspires and motivates me. And Gemma did that by the bucket load during our Sunday stroll. 

The young and the old in Greenwich Park, beautiful together...

So, I headed off to the airport feeling very tired, but very grateful for all of the fantastic and inspiring women in my life - not just down in London, but also at home, and beyond. And, with a very strong feeling that the ten month journey to Tanzania - and the trip itself - is going to be about so much more than just the cycling.

I guess, then, that there might be a fair few more Stories from the Saddle to come that aren't actually from the saddle! Hopefully though, you'll still tag along - and enjoy the ride...!

p.s. I should mention that two of the wonderful speakers at the information day were men, with one of them being the son of Jo Maxwell - the woman who inspired her family to set up Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust...

Story 39: Getting excited about Tanzania

I'm so excited! A recce group from Action for Charity has been in Tanzania for the past few days, sussing out the Cycle Africa route, and Ann Frampton (the organisation's director and contributor to a certain little book...)  shared some of the details and photographs on Facebook. Aw man, it sounds so much more challenging than I was expecting but it also looks even more fantastic than I could possibly have imagined! 

In one of her posts Ann reminded us that we're not going to Tanzania next October for a holiday; we'll have to train hard in preparation for cycling at altitude over some pretty rough terrain, we'll have to be all set for camping out in the wild for a couple of nights (I'm trying not to think too much about that aspect of the trip just yet...), we'll have to be fit enough to cycle 217 miles over the course of a few days and we'll only reach the finish line if we can manage a 25 mile uphill slog on the final day of the trip. 

Ann's right, it won't be a holiday. It's going to be tough. But it will be incredible! We'll see some amazing sights (like Mount Kilimanjaro), we'll cycle alongside wild animals (like zebras, baboons, giraffes and maybe even lions!!) and we'll have the privilege of meeting some of the locals along the way (like Maasai villagers). It's all so exciting!

October 2015 seems like a long way off, but I've got a lot of money to raise, and a lot of saddle hours to clock up, before I set one foot in Tanzania. It's absolutely right that it's going to be tough (did I mention the camping...?). Just like the woman who runs a Race for Life, or the man who doesn't shave, or the child who parts with her pocket money for Pudsey - I committed to Cycle Africa because I wanted to raise money and raise awareness for Women V Cancer while rising to a personal challenge.

And, after looking at the photos today, I know for sure that I've picked the perfect challenge to rise to.

(Photo courtesy of Ann Frampton)

Story 34: From Arran to Africa...

Last July Alex talked me into going for a wee cycle in Arran. We ended up cycling 53 miles in two days all the way round the island, and I ended up hooked on not-so-serious cycling. 

After that, and following some lovely rides through the summer, I managed to raise some money for the STV Appeal by cycling 47 miles from Glasgow to Edinburgh in the Pedal for Scotland event. 

I enjoyed it so much that I immediately looked for another challenge, which came in the form of Women V Cancer Ride the Night, and last week managed to cycle 62 miles through the night from Windsor to London and back to Windsor again. 

I loved the whole experience so much that I've already signed up to do it again next year - but it won't be as much of a challenge next time around as I'll already have cycled the distance. I am, however, passionate about the Women V Cancer organisation and definitely want to continue supporting them.

So, I've signed up for another challenge. In October 2015 I'm aiming to cycle 220 miles across a mixture of dirt tracks and tarmac, starting in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro and finishing at the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania. I'll be raising funds again for Women V Cancer, sharing the experience with some incredible women, and hoping to see some lions and giraffes and elephants along the way! It's a serious challenge, but I'm seriously up for it. (Well, as seriously as a not-so-serious cyclist can be).

From Arran to Africa - who would've thought...?!