Greetings - 22 weeks today I will be attempting my first ever physical challenge for charity!
On Sunday, 4th August, I'll be competing in the 2013 RideLondon- Surrey 100 road race: RideLondon100
I'm a road race newbie and, following a few worrying cycling escapades in 2012 which included a collision with a car, almost getting my leg torn off by a dog, a near miss with a maverick Jordanian driver, and a general inability to balance on 2 wheels, you'd be forgiven for thinking "it'll never happen" because it's crossed my mind as well!
So, in order to make sure I have as few get out clauses as possible, I thought I'd write a little blog, set up a fundraising page: Cathy'sCharityCycleChallenge, and make it a challenge where others will benefit too.
Thankfully, I am not completely alone in my endeavour because I have applied and been accepted to ride on behalf of Mind a mental health charity who provide support to people with mental health problems.
Not all of you will be aware (well, it's not exactly easy to talk about, right?) that I have battled with depression and am seasonally affected by SAD (Mind have written a brilliant article on this subject, if you're interested in learning more about it: UnderstandingSAD ). Hitching onto the back of the "Time to Change" campaign you may have seen publicised in the media recently, I thought I'd do my bit to change attitudes and help raise awareness for great organisations such as Mind, and Rethink.
I am lucky in that I have family, friends and colleagues (you know who you are) around me who support me and help me through the hardest times. Others don't have such a great support system but there is help available through these amazing charities. Their work relies on everyday people who give their time, money, energy and passion to make sure that Mind and Rethink can be there for anyone who needs them.
Looking ahead over the next 22 weeks, I have to admit, is pretty daunting. I've never taken much interest in exercise, and fitness might as well be a foreign word, but I'm taking this opportunity to:
1) Get fit before I'm 40 - better late than never,
2) Give me something to aim for to help me get through the rest of this winter, and
3) Raise some cash for a good cause - this is where you come in ;-)
It's worth pointing out that I'm not only interested in your money, however, as I would also be very grateful for any advice on training, motivation, fitness and cycling in general. I am, after all, only a novice!
So, thank you for reading this far, and I have a little favour to ask - if it's not too much trouble, but no worries if you'd rather not, please help me get the word out by sharing, liking, re-tweeting and commenting on my blog, facebook, twitter and event.
