Live life on the wild side

 As I write this I am 6 days out from the due date of our little one, starting a family is a huge transition for people, it's a big change as you bring a tiny human into the world for many reasons.  One you and your partner are going to go through a range of changes as you get ready for this tiny little creature that basically can do nothing and needs you to do everything for it. Two as the pregnant person your body goes through a mass amount of changes, this varies from person to person and can affect every aspect of your being! Three baby items just take over, it doesn't matter how much you try and streamline the items you're bringing in, or how much storage space you create it just seems to be everywhere!  As hubby and I took on the adventure of family life we have also gone through these changes, the last 9 months have been a journey of learning about my changing body, getting ready to care for a tiny human, making space for said tiny human to live and trying to navig...

 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...

 Welcome back to the adventure blog, and this post is something a little different, this is less about my adventure and more about our adventure. By ours, I mean the whole of bikes and laces!  Lets dip into a bit of background, this year started with another year of planning, we had races lined up, I resigned up for the marathon in Abingdon (third time lucky? )we even pencilled in Brutal again because apparently one time of brutal race events wasn't enough for us, However despite all the planning, pencilling in and events there was a slight caveat to each of them. That was the fact that we may not be able to do any of them.  This year Chris and I decided that we would actually just stop with the contraception and see what happens, I mean were not stupid we know what happens but from the perspective of a woman who has been on the pill for a while you start to get doubts on if it actually will ever happen or not, we already knew we wanted to try and have a family and as we ...

 The plan set, the route planned and the campsite booked. Tomorrow I will be taking on the first adventure of a 10 km hike followed by a night of camping, Chris invited along to join me opts for a bike ride to the camp site, we plan the kit and as we were going together we decide to ditch the tarp as he could carry the tent, the bonus of this it won't impact my kit list.  On route I had made plans to take on some Geocaching, there were quite a few on the path I had picked and most of the route was familiar to me as I had been down it before. Saturday morning came the bag was sorted, breakfast eaten and clothes ready to go, It wasn't a super early start which gave me a chance to finish any odd jobs before leaving.  The route itself was 10 km of trails, cycle paths, field crossing and country lanes, the weather was pretty warm and nice and dry, and added bonus to the route. I took water on route and snacks to nibble on. I had removed some of the items i knew i definitely wo...

 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...

 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 Blog!  This week's adventure sees us visit the ock street fair, usual work stuff, dinner, a show and a Sunday bike ride date for coffee.  The fair lasts just two days and runs the whole length of Ock street in Abingdon, officially called the Michaelmas fair it is the longest street fair in Europe. It comes round every year and being residents of ock street it is right outside our door, two evenings of fun fair food, treats and walks up and down, as well as late nights due to the noise and later morning starts to make up the sleep.  We usually go on the waltzers but this year I wasn't really feeling it so we mostly just took a wander, got some food and treats and chilled with some TV, the cold I spent most the previous weekend fighting off hadn't gone, and even as I write this now a week later its still not fully gone, but its nearing the end.  The rest of the week wasn't really much different to normal, in fact the only change really was...

 Hi guys Jess here,  This week I haven't really been up to anything too exciting, I've been working on sticking to a usual wake up routine as part of my recovery from brutal, and taking care of my plants. Dave needed a lot of TLC this week.  Most the week has just been the usual week of work, commuting with the chaotic traffic (although I have been really bad at taking the bus instead of walking), a run with my friend and just keeping up on general life.  I was super excited for this weekend with plans to go to Park run while Chris raced down in London and then a Sunday morning coffee date ride. However my immune system had other ideas.  As the weather changed along came the coughs, colds, and general sniffles, I don't normally get hit with these till later in the year (occupational hazard) but I think the over hanging fatigue of brutal knocked down my immune system quicker, so this weekend I have been fighting of a cold that's been threatening since about Wedne...

 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...

 Well what an adventure! I mean where do I start, let's take it back to race night.  Friday 9th September. We are back at the hotel, food has been eaten and we are packed, I'm still frantically trying to figure out what I have forgotten, but I haven't, I have everything I need, We pop on the TV, try to settle down and get an early night, Its an early 4 am start for us tomorrow.  Saturday 10th September.   Race day- 4 am alarm rings, weary eyes eventually open, we get dressed, fill the bottles, make sure everything is packed and make sure all the chargers have been unplugged. The nerves have kicked in, I feel sick, I honestly don't know if I can do this.  4.40 am we head to the car, laden with bags, heavier due to the water bottles now being full, the drive is long to the start, or at least it feels that way, we get to the parking and in my haste I mess up the payment then need to try and do it again, only I haven't pushed the button and now I'm trying to do it i...