I had been nervous about this ride from the moment I entered. It's so far up north, has a reputation for bad weather, and is an environment that I have never ridden before. When I looked at the route, it was clear that during most of the ride I would be a long way from any escape routes, food stops, or 24 hour facilities...in fact ANY facilities for many hours at a time. But, on the other hand, the scenery looked stunning, and it would be an adventure. So I overcame my fears, and set about preparing for the ride.
Rosie Baxendine – Calming a self destructive mind.
Cycling sucks. Well it used to for me – it was a self-destructive obsession. I started cycling during a low point in my mental and physical health. I was underweight and had a hip stress fracture due to obsessive over training for an ultra-marathon. I couldn’t run, so I started cycling…..
NYE – Should we look back or look forward?
It’s that time again. The end of the year, and that time when we naturally look back at the last 12 months and reflect on all we have, and haven’t, achieved. It depends on your perspective whether you see success or disappointment....... An optimist might argue that it’s pointless to look back, after all, the past is done and it can’t be changed, we should focus on the future
Cycling, Mental Health & Living with IBD
I don’t know what caused my latest flare up, but once it starts it's a spiralling cycle of feeling dreadful, then feeling better, then a sudden urge to stay close to the bathroom, and then the inevitable hopelessness in knowing that you have little control over what happens when you’re away from your home unless you starve yourself. This is what living with IBD looks like…..
Podcasts
Since completing my LEJOGLE world record, I’ve been honoured to be asked to talk about it on a number of Podcasts. All the links are below if you want to take a listen. Although some aspects remain the same in each, they are all very unique, and you'll learn something different in each one.
When your body shouts what your head ignores
It's fair to say, that right now, I'm feeling pretty sorry for myself. It happens from time to time, especially around this time of year. The clocks have gone back, darkness seems to descend in the middle of the afternoon, and it's either cold, or wet, or both. This year however it's a little different....