Live life on the wild side

 Hey guys, Jess here, this post is a little different. Today I want to talk about a transition, the transition of becoming a butterfly.  I am a little bit of a bug enthusiast, that's not to say I can identify lots of different bugs but they fascinate me and I am always curious to find out more, butterflies have always interested me (and moths) how they go from these small wriggling caterpillars and literally cocoon themselves where they essentially destroy themselves to turn into something new, its a fascinating process and what gets me the most is how they completely break down but still recall key information such as where to feed.  The more I go through motherhood the more I associate it with the transformation of caterpillar to butterfly, you grow, break down and then are weirdly reborn, there is a shift into motherhood and you come out as a new person, sometimes its hard to let go of the old you and that can cause some issues with a loss of identity.  I naively ...

 Hey guys!  Welcome back to the blog and the first (sort of) adventure bag challenge off 2024......Well i don't think I can actually count this one as an adventure bag challenge, but it was definitely and adventure!  This year Chris and I went back over to Girona for a week away training camp, This was something we did in 2023 and thoroughly enjoyed, in 2023, we took on some running, riding and taking in the sights. This year however was a little different due to me being as late as I was in my pregnancy! At about 7 and a half months pregnant my training plan had to change a bit, running has become more difficult and actually as I write this now I have pretty much stopped the running and opted just for a walk instead. I managed to tackle one short run/walk in Girona and the rest of the days were filled with hikes, walks, stretching and yoga. This year I found myself more exhausted which is to be expected! Chris still got out on some really good long rides, took on some de...

 As 2023 comes to an end and the Festivities have been in full swing, I want to take a moment to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy new year.  This year has been filled with mini adventures, the challenges of pregnancy, the journey of navigating a new job role and fitting in general health and well being as well. As for 2024 well that is a whole new adventure!  In my older years i have never really been one for new years resolutions but i do like the idea of making commitments and agreements with myself, and each year they are usually just things that i want to continue working on to continue to support and improve myself, so rather than giving up chocolate or hitting the gym every day I usually focus on things like, lets make sure i focus on my sleep routine, take on more adventures and make sure i move a little daily.  These are normally my big three, there are may things I want to work on and goals come and go, things change and plans get adjusted, fo...

 Welcome to the Prologue.  This is where i explain a little bit about what I am doing, why I am doing this and the rules around the challenge! Connected with each Chapter of this adventure story is a video to watch as I go on 12 months of as many adventures as possible with one kit list!  So let's start at the beginning. I have had a sense of adventure for as long as i can remember, I am the kid that climbed trees, trekked through the forest and just enjoyed being outside. I still like to do those things but I find they take more time, planning and prep.  This year on my annual journey to Reading for tough mudder I found myself really looking at my travel bag and a thought struck me, 'what it I had a dedicated adventure bag?', 'what if that bag had everything in it i could possible need for an adventure?', then the challenger inside my kicked and and asked, and 'what if when you added those items you couldn't add any more.?' That's it the seed was pl...

 Hi!  It's been a while, actually it's been over a month..... So life got a bit busy, work got busy, and the weekends just kinda disappeared...but here's what I have been up to over the last month and a bit!  January was my last time at working working in my old place, before I took on a new role somewhere else, that started in feb, but in between the job changes, we also went on a training camp over to #girona!  We enjoyed long rides, trail runs, fantastic coffee and just taking in the sites. The pace of life is different there and the days are more at ease, it took a bit of adjusting when we got back!  Once we got back I started my new job, I've been in it about a week and a half now and it's quite possibly the most epic start to a job I've ever had. Despite everything going on its an exciting role and I'm so happy to be there.  We wrapped up this week by getting up at 4am and driving 2 hours to go for a run and a ride up a big hill 🙃 apparently it's ...

Hiya guys Jess here,  This week didn't go to plan, it was suppose to be a week of smashing out training, starting the festive challenge and getting to the Christmas work event, instead it was a week of a back injury and then a cold, flu lurgy type thing......  So the start of the week went well, till i realised part way though Monday that I have pulled a muscle somewhere in my back, either the top or the bottom, all i know is it hurt the whole left side of my back and triggered my sciatic nerve... that derailed the first half of the week, its mostly gone now with just the occasional twinge but i spent the last 11 years of my life battling on going back pains, aches and niggles, its just part of my life.  come the second half of the week and everyone at work is coming down with all i can describe as is the flu, that really snotty, chesty, lurgy that make you feel like utter crap! With most the team being hit by it and not feeling well we postponed the Christmas party in pl...

 3.30 am alarm rings.... turn it off and roll back over, not ready to wake up yet, doze back off and eventually drag myself out of bed just before 4 am.  Spending time getting ready for the next adventure, running kit on, breakfast made and coffee in a take away cup, pack the bag with bits i need and sort out my 33 fuel gel for the run, sort out some tail wind and water and they gather it all together, 4.20 ish heading out the door off on our next adventure. Its dark out, not to cold, but not overly warm, bundle the bags in the car and put the bits in the front we need access to and then off we go, today we are going to wales, off to hike up Pen Y Fan, one of the three mountains/peaks i will be taking on in April, its and early start to get to our parking destination for 7 am, all in aid of an early start to the hike, the car journey is long and dark, but cosy with the layers of clothing.  Arriving at the storey arms car park we park up and jump out the car for a stretch ...

 Double post this weekend guys! (only just got round to posting my Halloween one)  This week has been a mostly chilled one with a week of lighter work outs and more rest before I kick start my first hard week of three, I'm going to be following a three weeks on one week off system, so 3 weeks of harder efforts and then an easier week, the easier week will still have runs and rides, just a lower intensity.  This week I have also been working on my plants, I dropped a small fortune on plant care stuff, pots and an orchid but I finally have everything i need to complete my indoor gardener badge, so all i have to do now is keep them alive till January.... If you're wondering what i am on about talking about badges, I am working through the Rebel Badge book  a book that gives you tasks to do to earn badges much like scouts or guides but for adults! Its a fun little book with a great community around it.  So one expensive shopping trip and a huge mess later I have all...

 Hi guys, welcome back to the Blog!  This week I am sharing with you my adventure to go see the Abingdon Marathon, but first a little back story.  On the 17th March 2022, I made the decision to sign up for the marathon, I had big races coming up any way, and Its a race i want to tick off my bucket list, so i committed myself to the idea, knew i had plenty of time to train and booked my space. Fast forward to the weeks after Seriously brutal and It came quickly apparent that the sporadic (but better than before) training toward to marathon and the higher level of fatigue from brutal than i was expecting, I wasn't going to get enough done to be ready for race day, so with a heavy heart I made the decision to park the race, take my training back to basics and look at it for 2023. So roll around to today where i didn't race but I did go and get footage so off i set on my new adventure and chance to face a new fear! Riding in the rain.  Okay so the rain itself isn't a pro...

 Hey guys,  Welcome back to the adventure blog! A weekly Blog where I share with you my adventures through sports, fitness, life and everything in between! This week I want to share my first solo bike ride, well it's sort of my first solo bike ride.  Okay so background check, its not my first time riding solo on a bike, I use to do it to and from work, and I've been round the park several times on my own, and growing up back home I was always out on the bike, but this was my first solo bike ride that was just a bike ride, not a commute, but a self navigated bike ride, on a road bike, by myself.  I am not as confident a cyclist as i was growing up, but growing up I always stuck to paths or trails and there were a lot less cars, where I live now is busier for cars and I generally try to stay off the path unless its a cycle path, this has meant working my way through building my confidence on a bike.  Chris has taken me out on several bike rides, some long ones som...

Rest and Recover The week after brutal was a quiet week, focused on rest and recovery, restful days, easy sessions and plenty of sleep.  The day after race day was a challenge in the way of walking, added with the combination of more than two flights of stairs a day because of my job at the time and movement was more tricky, I think it finally took till about Thursday to be walking like a normal person. Running was swapped out for gentle walks, stretching was added throughout the days during long periods of time waiting round and lots of focus on massage as well.  I did manage to get out for a run through the week through, a short social on Thursday more walk than run and a short run on Sunday, a good way to start getting back to some sense of normal, recovery also saw me prioritise more time on sleep, getting to bed at a decent time and because of the change of shifts more focus on a lie in and less focus on early starts, the increase in sleep was a huge benefit to my recover...

  Hi, it's been a while, actually it's been a long while So the last time I clicked on this blog was.....2017? Were now in 2022, I have been through a lot, the world has been through a pandemic, I've worked in 3 different places since then, and I'm very much a different person (in some parts anyway) So let's start over shall we.  Hi my name is Jess, short for Jessica, I also respond to Jessie, I class myself as an adventuring kind who seeks a challenge and loves getting into anything that really years me, a few to mention being sea kayaking, becoming a manager, my first marathon, a bungee jump, jumping out of a plane, attempted a race across Wales and many MANY more.  So what is this all about? Well, recently I have undertaken a new project, well several new projects with the rebel merit badge book, its kind of like brownies or girl guides, for adults and it is amazing! One of the merit badges is the writers badge, and one of the options is a blog..... you see where...