Curry Night Success :-)

Well, the last couple of weeks have not been very good for my training (dark nights, rain, cold, hubby on shift meaning no one to look after Toby if I go out on my bike, plus dreaded exams looming in.....eeek! less than 2 weeks!!) BUT I have made great progress with my fundraising :-)

I held my first Curry Night fundraiser on Tuesday 11th November and was getting increasingly nervous during the days beforehand, especially when a couple of people had to cancel at short notice :-( Hubby stepped in to save the day, not only by keeping the numbers up with both himself and Toby coming along to join me and my colleagues for a FANTASTIC meal at The Empress in Leman St, E1. but also by paying the ENTIRE drinks bill for the evening, meaning that all contributions from those present could be added to the charity 'pot'.

Together with a couple of additional donations from those who had to cancel, we raised a whopping ONE HUNDRED & EIGHTY POUNDS!! :-D

Unfortunately I had forgotten to take my camera, so no photos to record the event but I have another curry night being held locally this coming Sunday so will take some then. (Am also getting to meet my brother-in-law and his family for the first time at this event, so if I didn't feel nervous before - I am now!)

Almost 4 weeks since my last post - tsk, must try harder!

What's been happening in the last 4 weeks? Well, I took part in a sponsored cycle ride for my local hospice - there was a choice of 12 or 24 mile routes along the Thames Path so I opted for 12 but along a different stretch of the path than I am used to :-)
It was a gloriously sunny Sunday, perfect weather for the ride and I thoroughly enjoyed it. As I approached the finish I was thinking "next year I will definitely do the 24 mile route" - and then realised that if it is organised for the same weekend next year then I won't be able to take part as I will be in Jordan - and cycling an awful lot more than 24 miles!!

Training hasn't really progressed much over the last few weeks, partly due to lack of time (college/exams etc) and partly due to me not being well for a few days - but I am sticking to my twice weekly gym visits and weekend cycling whenever I can.
I had my first ever Personal Training session and it was so much fun I hardly realised I was working out - but boy! did I ache the next (few) days. I know that I will need to step up my training soon & I am actually looking forward to it! (I never thought I would hear myself say I was looking forward to more exercise!!)

My fundraising total has reached £970 to date - and I now have not one but TWO curry nights planned for November so I am hoping to see a good boost to my total next month.

This weekend I am going away for a Scrapbooking weekend, I am hoping to make a good start on recording the beginnings of my Journey to Jordan :-) BUT it is all-inclusive with lots of lovely food so next week will be back on the diet for me!!

Curry Night Go-ahead :-)

Yay! Tonight we went for a curry at our local indian restaurant (OK, so it doesn't quite fit with my healthy eating regime but hey ;-) - and I asked the owner whether he would be willing to host a charity evening for me............

He said YES! :-)
and what's more, he even said he'd be happy to host several - One a month if I wanted! BIG thumbs up to Eastern Curry in Welling :-)

We have provisionally agreed a Sunday in early November (looks like the 9th) so now I "just" have to agree the menu/invite people/sell tickets/decide whether to offer a raffle etc etc - better get busy....

Countdown ticker

I'm not sure yet whether having a countdown ticker on my blog is going to be a good thing or not - it could either spur me on with my training & fundraising efforts, or induce a mild panic as I see the time ticking away!! I hope "my readers" (ooh, that makes me sound important!!) will like it :-)


Should it stay?.......... you decide!

Lots of ideas

I have lots of fundraising ideas buzzing around my brain, but I need to get them organised and into reality.......... I'm thinking Curry Nights, Boot fairs, selling handmade cards, even having a calendar printed (subject to deciding on a theme which will appeal to the widest range of people & therefore likely to sell a reasonable number).... I will even sort through my cherished craft supplies and sell any items I feel able to part with!

Training is progressing - slowly - but I am assured that slowly is the best policy at this stage ;-)
I am managing 10 miles in an hour both in the gym & out on my real bike (although I will admit that the gym is easier due to not having to worry about balancing (and/or falling off!), traffic, braking (and not falling off!), route (and not getting lost!) - do you sense a theme emerging?? ;-)

40-60 miles in a day still feels like an enormous task - and rightly so - but I am feeling quite pleased with myself so far....

So far so good....

Yesterday I went for my first "proper" bike ride - 8 miles along the Thames Path on the National Cycle Network route 1. I'm actually quite pleased with myself! Hubby came along to keep me company (and, I suspect, so that he could have a good laugh if I did fall off - which I didnt, so there!!) having bought himself a bike just as the shops closed on Saturday. All we need now is for Toby to learn how to stay upright on 2 wheels & we can all go out together at the weekends :-) Of course, as I build up to longer distances I will have to be going it alone most of the time as Toby is only 6! (or 7 after this coming Saturday - where did that time go??!)

Fundraising is going well too - £905 so far plus some people who have said they will definitely sponsor me but haven't yet said how much ;-) So a BIG thank you to everyone who has sponsored me so far or is about to do so.......I know that there is a long way to go yet.

Stabilisers???

Well, it's here :-) my lovely shiny new bike...



....although, if my first couple of attempts are anything to go by, it won't be shiny for very long!! My son, Toby (who had better be careful if he wants to live to see his birthday in 2 weeks time!) cheekily announced that perhaps Mummy should have stabilisers & elbow & knee pads "to start with" !

(To be fair that doesn't sound like such a bad idea! :-)

Still, I'm pleased to find that yes indeed, it is true that you never forget how to ride a bike :-) Yes, there is a LOT more wobbling than I remember, and yes, I am a little bit scared about falling off (OK, more than a little bit) but YES, I CAN still ride a bike (just about).

Good job I have a year to go before Jordan :-)

Wow!

Enormous thanks to my employers, who have agreed to sponsor me to the tune of £500 - that makes a huge difference to my fundraising target :-)

AND...I have just heard that my bike is ready & will be delivered to me this evening :-) How's that for service.

Now I "just" have to learn how to ride again!!!!

Oh No!

I've just heard from the bike shop that I can't collect my bike today after all :-( The model I originally put on the order is in stock, BUT after chatting to the owner I had decided to go for the next model up in the range (as it has some seat suspension!) and this particular model won't be in stock at the shop until Friday. Oh well, nothing I can do about it.

It will be a bit tricky for me to get to the shop over the weekend as I will be at work on Friday & at college on Saturday and the shop is closed on Sundays - but Peter has said he will call me as soon as the bike arrives & we will sort something out so that either I can collect it in the evening or he will arrange to deliver it to me :-) Thank you Peter, that is much appreciated. So - one way or the other I should be riding by Sunday, better start praying for dry weather!!

Tomorrow is the day...

...when I can finally go & collect my new bike. I'm not sure whether I am excited or scared! Maybe a little of both.

I have a day off work tomorrow as it is the last day of the school holidays, and as Toby has invited a friend round for the day it means that I will have not one but TWO 6 year old spectators with me when I try to balance on two wheels for the first time since 1980-something! Cue lots of giggles from the 2 boys!! I suppose I should be grateful that they are not older as at least there will not be any photographic evidence of my embarrassing first attempt.

I have already told Peter at the bike shop that fitting the gel saddle is top priority - and have added a cycle computer to my list of equipment as I definitely need to know how far I am cycling each time.

Watch this space for tales of bruises & embarrassment, aching muscles & "does my bum look big in this" type questions (well, cycling shorts are just NOT flattering are they! especially with padding!) ;-)

Fundraising begins

My info pack has arrived, WOW it's going to take a bit of reading - there is so much information provided :-)

I am pleased to say that not only have I set up a fundraising web page via justgiving.com - see the natty little "widget" on the right of this page, but donations have already begun! Special thanks must go to my colleague, Adam, for making the first donation on my justgiving page and a very generous one of £25 at that. Many thanks also to my boss, Nigel, for promising to sponsor me £100.

Funny thing though, a large proportion of my male colleagues have, upon finding out that this is an all women event, offered to come along as part of the support team!! LOL

I was, unrealistically, hoping to get my bike this weekend - but I think my Cyclescheme voucher will take a few more days to come through, so it will likely be the following weekend before I can actually go & collect it. In the meantime I am using the exercise bikes at the gym - question is, can my bottom tell the difference?? We shall see!

Oh, and before I go - a big MWAH! to my new buddy Karen. No one has ever said I was an inspiration before!

I've done it! I've registered!

..despite still not having been on a bike! No backing out now!

This weekend has been a bit of a wash out weather wise, and I have come down with a heavy cold (which I am in the process of passing on to the rest of the family LOL) so the planned "test run" bike ride hasn't happened - that particular embarrassment will be saved for another day!

However, I did still get myself down to the local bike shop , so with the help of Peter at Welling Cycles I have selected a bike and safety equipment and have a quotation to submit through the government Cyclescheme which will save me VAT, Income Tax and National Insurance off the price :-) plus I get to repay the rest over 12 months so end result is a brand new bike, helmet, lock, lights etc etc for something around £20 per month. I'll hardly notice. Wish I could say the same for my muscles over the coming months!

I also have a new email buddy - Karen :-) who lives in Germany and is also signed up for the challenge - the plan is to spur each other on, and get each other through the tough times as well as becoming friends I hope! It is reassuring for me that Karen (and a few other ladies on the justgiving community) are "first-timers" and many have, like me, not ridden for a very long time. Others were in this position last year and went on to complete the ride & have one of the best experiences of their lives AND have registered to do it all again - If they can do it, so can I.

As soon as I recieve my official info pack I will be able to set up a fundraising page & link to it from here so you can see how that is going....

You never forget.....or do you??

What is it they say about riding a bike?? You never forget? Well, I am about to find out if that is true. This weekend I will be attempting to ride a bicycle for the first time in well over 20 years!! (OMG - almost a quarter of a century - NOW I feel old!!)

Why? I hear you ask. Well, that's a good question.

I think I am at a point in my life when I need to challenge myself more than ever before. I also need something to keep me motivated to lose weight & get fitter, so when I was reading a slimming magazine last weekend & came across an advertisement for Cycle Jordan 2009 I thought "why not?"

What is Cycle Jordan? It is an all women cycling challenge which will be taking place in October 2009 and involves a 300km cycle (over 4 days) through breathtaking scenery across Jordan. The aim of the event, other than a personal challenge, is to raise funds for the very worthwhile charity Women for Women. Not only must I re-learn (?) to ride a bike, and reach a level where I can cope with several consecutive days of cycling up to 100km per day (!) but I must also raise a minimum of £2500 for the charity. Better get started!!

My friends & colleagues have all been incredibly positive & supportive ( thanks guys, what would I do without you?) although I think my family will take a little more persuading! Perhaps that's because they know just how long ago my last bike ride was (and how short!)

I will try to keep this blog up to date with my progress over the coming months, so please check back whenever you can to see how I am getting on.