Time for a change ...

I worked out that I've been raising money for Pregnancy Sickness Support for seven years! It all started with a coffee morning - from which I then set up the charity's annual "Big Brew" initiative. Since then, I've done more coffee mornings, pamper evenings, triathlons, open water swims, bike rides, the Great Midlands Fun Run (a few times), the Birmingham half marathon and not forgetting the epic Wild Women Challenge in Snowdonia. During this time, I also became a trustee of the charity.  I have thoroughly enjoyed my time volunteering and fundraising for Pregnancy Sickness Support and I have met some awesome people along the way.

But with the start of a new decade, I have decided that it is time for a change of focus. In 2020, I'm going to be raising money for two fantastic charities, the Triathlon Trust and The Children's Trust. Both charities do wonderful work with children, but in very different ways.

The Children's Trust is the UK's leading charity for children with brain injury. Every year over 40,000 children in the UK are left with a brain injury as a result of an accident or illness. The charity provides rehabilitation, education and support for children and their families.

The Triathlon Trust aims to inspire children from all backgrounds to lead more active and healthy lifestyles through the sport of triathlon. The charity works in schools and communities across the UK to introduce triathlon to children and families who might not otherwise have the opportunity.

I'll be sharing my own reasons for choosing these charities shortly, so keep an eye out for my next update. In the meantime, please take a look at the charities' websites to find out more about the wonderful work they do.

Snowdonia challenge - Only 6 weeks to go!

In just 6 weeks (eek!), at the end of October,  I'll be taking on a slightly crazy challenge to hike and kayak from Llanberis across Snowdon all the way to Black Rock Sands. We start on the Friday and finish on the Sunday, camping along the way and dealing with everything the Welsh wilderness and fickle mountain weather throw at us.

This week, I've ramped up my training but I've still got a long, long way to go and I have to confess I'm pretty worried about my lack of proper hill training. There really aren't many hills round here, and the few hills there are, are absolutely nothing compared to what we'll be dealing with in Snowdonia. Finding the time for lengthy walks in between mum duties and work is also proving to be a big challenge.

As part of my training, I'm now aiming to do one long hike a week, increasing the distance each time. Here's a summary of this week's effort:

Distance - 15 km
Time - 3 hours
Pack weight - 6 kg (including one of my dumbbells!)

I'm doing this challenge to raise money for Pregnancy Sickness Support.  You can read more about the challenge on the link below. Any sponsorship would be much appreciated. Thank you.

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-display/showROFundraiserPage?userUrl=SusieNicholas1&pageUrl=5

Today is Hyperemesis Gravidarum Awareness Day

Today is Hyperemesis Gravidarum Awareness Day. HG is the hardest thing I have ever had to go through. It is physically and mentally debilitating and made me a shadow of my former self. I was very fortunate to have amazing family and friends who supported me through both my pregnancies and today I would like to say thank you to them - I don't know how I would have got through it without you! I am now blessed with these two wonderful little people who are my absolute world. I have since become a trustee of Pregnancy Sickness Support, the UK charity that supports women who are suffering and works with healthcare professionals to improve HG care. If you know anyone who is struggling with any level of pregnancy sickness, please tell them about the charity. Thank you.

 #youarenotalone #hgaware #hgday2018 #peersupport #hyperemesisgravidarum #HG

Three things I learned from today's long run training

I wasn't really in the mood for a long run this morning but, with hubby away all weekend and no childcare, it was my last chance to get this week's long run in, other than risking life and limb by going running with two kamikaze kids on their scooters! 

After I got sidetracked by chores and errands, my planned morning run soon turned into more of a lunchtime run and my two slices of toast were just a distant memory. I decided there was only one thing for it.... to purchase some running supplies to keep me going. This cheered me up as I happily munched on some jaffa cakes, and stuffed some jelly babies into my running belt, safe in the knowledge that such gluttonous behaviour was entirely justified by the forthcoming 8 mile run. With hindsight, I realised this was a mistake when only a few minutes into my run I was hit in the side by the stitch from hell.

So here are my three important lessons of the day.

1. There will always be chores and errands. So forget about them, get out there and do that long run. You might spend the rest of the day lolling around listlessly on the sofa with no energy to even lift a dirty pot, let alone wash it, but who cares. There is always tomorrow.

2. That trick for getting rid of a stitch actually works. You know the one where you put both arms in the air and then bend over as though you are doing some strange yoga move while running. You might get strange looks from passersby but it's worth a try.

3. Most importantly, and tempting though it is, I must not, REPEAT must not, scoff an undisclosed number of jaffa cakes just before the Great Midlands Fun Run. A good breakfast plus a banana shortly before the start is probably a much more sensible option.

I am part of team of more than 20 people taking part in the Great Midlands Fun Run on Sunday 4 June to raise money for Pregnancy Sickness Support.

You can support the team by sponsoring us here. Thank you.

The Great Midlands Fun Run - Team PSS needs you!

Having taken part in the Great Midlands Fun Run for the first time last year, I'm really excited that this year I will be joined by a team of Pregnancy Sickness Support trustees, volunteers and their families. The trustee team were so keen to register that the Midlands contingent headed down to the official launch and were some of the first people to sign up! Other trustees are coming from as far afield as Devon and Cornwall to take part - that's dedication for you!

The charity run takes place on Sunday 4th June, starting in the centre of Sutton Coldfield before snaking through beautiful Sutton Park for most of the 8.5 mile course. This is the first time the charity has entered a team and I was delighted to get some publicity in the local paper, the Sutton Coldfield Observer, this week.

As the article says, it would be fantastic if we could have a 30-strong team taking part for Pregnancy Sickness Support and, by my reckoning, we are well on the way to that figure. Don't worry if 8.5 miles sounds a bit daunting - you don't have to run, in fact plenty of people walk the whole way. There is always a fantastic atmosphere with lots of families, walkers and people in fancy dress taking part alongside the more serious runners. It really is a great event for everyone, whatever your ability.

If you would like to take part and raise money for the charity, please let us know by getting in touch:

Telephone - 01208 872801

Email info@pregnancysicknesssupport.org.uk

Twitter @HGSupportUK

If you would like to support the Team PSS you can sponsor us here. 

Thank you.

Great Birmingham Run - I did it!

It was really tough but I did it!

Yesterday, I ran my first half marathon, the Great Birmingham Run!! I was determined to run all the way and I did, even up the notorious hill at mile number 11 when everyone else around me was walking! I really struggled at times and felt physically sick for some of it, but when I was tempted to walk, I gave myself a talking to and reminded myself why I was doing it - for all women suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, who are going through much, much worse - and that kept me going to the finish line. Ladies - this one is for you!

This is my final of three challenges. I'd like to thank everyone who has sponsored me so far and encouraged me along the way. I've raised more than £1,500 for Pregnancy Sickness Support.

If you would like to sponsor me, it's not too late. My fundraising page is here:

Thank you!

I'm ready now - bring it on!

I'm being super organised and getting my kit ready for Sunday's half marathon. I've heard from various sources that the biggest and easiest mistake to make is getting carried away at the start and going off too fast. So I'll be really watching my pace and making sure I run my own race. Other than that, my plan of attack is pretty simple: enjoy it and finish!! I'm ready now - bring it on!!

**The Great Birmingham Run is the third of three challenges I am doing in 2016 to raise awareness and money for Pregnancy Sickness Support. If you would like to support me and the charity, you can donate here. Thank you!

Never say never

This is so true! When I first started running in 2014, I could only manage a few hundred metres before I was totally out of puff. I never imagined for one minute that 2 years later I'd be training for my first half marathon, the Great Birmingham Run in less than 3 weeks!!! It just goes to show that you should never underestimate what you are capable of!!

I'm taking on three challenges in 2016 to raise money for Pregnancy Sickness Support. 

You can read about my three challenges here.

If you would like to sponsor me, my fundraising page is here. Thank you.

11.5 miles and making progress

Today my Facebook news feed has been filled with photos of inspirational ladies who last night completed Shinewalk for Cancer Research UK, walking through the night to complete the full marathon distance of 26.1 miles! What an amazing achievement! I'm totally in awe!

My own third and final challenge is to run just half that distance, but it will be a big challenge for me - it's the first half marathon I've ever run and it's only 3 weeks away! This week's long training run was 11.5 miles. I'm officially one of the "foxes" of the SE Fitness half marathon group ... which is a polite term for the slower runners who set off early and get chased down by the rest of the pack. Last week I was overtaken after about an hour but this week it was more than 2 hours before the first of the "hounds" overtook me.

So I'm definitely making progress and feeling a lot more confident than I did a few weeks ago. Let's hope I feel as confident on the big day!!

Vanishing jelly babies

It turns out there is more to this half marathon training malarkey than just running a bit further! After my bad experience with last week's long run, when I really struggled to do 7.5 miles and felt physically sick and shivery afterwards, I took myself off to a briefing and training session run by SE Fitness, a local running group, to see where I was going wrong. I learnt how important it is to stay hydrated and to have the right food at the right time.

So, with a proper breakfast, plenty of water and Jelly Babies to keep me going, this week's long run was much more successful - I managed more than 9 miles without stopping!!! My longest run ever ... and I felt fine afterwards too so I was pretty pleased! I have since been out to purchase provisions, although I have to confess this is the second packet of Jelly Babies I have bought "for running purposes". The first packet mysteriously disappeared one evening while I was watching t.v.!!

This is the third of 3 challenges I'm doing this year to raise money for Pregnancy Sickness Support.

You can read about my three challenges here.

If you would like to sponsor me, my fundraising page is here. Thank you.

Great Birmingham Run - 6 weeks to go!!

We have just come back from two weeks in France but, with less than 6 weeks to go to my half marathon (eeek!!), there was certainly no slacking for me even on holiday and I somehow managed to fit in 4 runs a week in between all the relaxing and wine-drinking! Of course, having a lovely beach and beautiful scenery on my doorstep made it just a teeny bit easier to drag myself out of bed and go out running while everyone else was still snoozing! It's just a shame all runs can't all be like this! Sadly, there are no beaches and considerably less sunshine in Sutton Coldfield!

I'm taking on three challenges in 2016 to help Pregnancy Sickness Support raise enough money to put its information leaflets in Bounty's Pregnancy Information Packs. This would enable it to reach every single mum-to-be in the UK with details of the vital support and information the charity can provide to sufferers and their families. You can read about my three challenges here.

If you would like to sponsor me, my fundraising page is here. Thank you.

Seemed like a good idea at the time ...

It's proving tricky to fit in 4 training runs a week at the moment with the children off school for the holidays and hubby working late. So, the other day, I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone and go for a run in the park while the kids went for a ride on their scooters. Surely this was a win-win situation - the children get fresh air and fun and I get to go for a run.

Alas, my perfect vision of quality family time didn't quite pan out. One child spent most of the time zooming too far ahead and the other kept lagging behind up the hills and getting upset because I was a bad mum and had left her behind. And when they weren't doing that they were both almost tripping me up by scooting too near to my heels or stopping right in front of me without warning! Anyway, I survived without injury but, much as I love my kids, I think I'll stick to running on my own in future. It's far less stressful!! (The photo was taken at the beginning of the run when I was still smiling!!)

There are only 8 weeks to my final challenge, the Birmingham Half Marathon. I'm up to about 6 miles so far with my long runs so I've still got a long way to go before I can run anywhere near 13.1 miles!!

I'm taking on three challenges in 2016 to help Pregnancy Sickness Support raise enough money to put its information leaflets in Bounty's Pregnancy Information Packs. This would enable it to reach every single mum-to-be in the UK with details of the vital support and information the charity can provide to sufferers and their families. You can read about my three challenges here.

If you would like to sponsor me, my fundraising page is here. Thank you.

My biggest challenge yet

Not the weather I ordered!

Arriving at Lake Bala for the second and most daunting of my challenges last weekend, I was struck by how bleak it looked. The sky was grey, the mountains were shrouded in mist and it was pouring down. Most worrying for me, it was windy and the water was choppy! This was definitely not the weather I had hoped for and nothing at all like the calm swimming conditions I was used to.

I felt genuinely scared. I always knew that the hardest part of the 1km swim would be the mental challenge and overcoming my panic, but the weather conditions had just made it a whole lot tougher.

As I entered the lake, the first thing that hit me was the cold - 16 degrees to be precise - the coldest water I have ever swum in.

The next thing to hit me (literally) was a wave, right in the face. I lost my rhythm and came up for air, panic starting to set in. Doubts started to fill my head. What if it was too far? What if I couldn't do it? What if the weather got the better of me?

Then I heard the reassuring voice of one of the safety kayakers "Let your breath settle, you'll be fine". I tried again. The wind and another wave hit me in the face. Again the kayaker reassured me and again I tried to relax. Each time I breathed to my left, I caught a reassuring glimpse of the kayak and gradually my breathing calmed down and slowly I got into my front crawl rhythm.

Badly timed waves made sighting the buoys tricky at times and I veered a bit off course once or twice, but I made it to the first buoy. I started to relax and my confidence grew. At that point I told myself I could do it, I just had to keep going. I was buffeted by the waves and I collided with another swimmer, but I stuck at it. When I reached the second buoy, I heard my friend in the kayak again. "You're nearly there" she shouted. She was right, I was on the homeward stretch and I was actually going to do it. 

As I approached the third and final buoy, the swimmer I had collided with was just ahead of me and my competitive side kicked in. It was only a mini battle (we were way behind the leaders), but one I wanted to win. I picked up speed, passed the other swimmer and made it to the jetty a few seconds ahead of her.

I had done it! Challenge number two was complete!

I did it!!

I'm taking on three challenges in 2016 to help Pregnancy Sickness Support raise enough money to put its information leaflets in Bounty's Pregnancy Information Packs. This would enable it to reach every single mum-to-be in the UK with details of the vital support and information the charity can provide to sufferers and their families. You can read about my three challenges here.

If you would like to sponsor me, my fundraising page is here. Thank you.

Why I do what I do ...

If you are a regular reader of my blog you will know that last year I completed my first triathlon to raise money for Pregnancy Sickness Support.

This year, I again wanted to do something to raise money for the charity and highlight the condition, hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) so I decided on my "Triple Challenge for Pregnancy Sickness Support". If I'm honest, when I embarked on my three challenges, I had doubts whether I should be doing it all. Was it too soon after asking for sponsorship for my triathlon? Would I end up annoying my friends and family who had been so generous in the past? Would people tire of hearing about my challenges? I still don't know the answers to those questions, but I sincerely hope not.

But then in May, I spoke at the Pregnancy Sickness Support Volunteer Conference and it gave me renewed confidence in what I'm doing and hoping to achieve.

I was privileged to meet some of the charity's fantastic volunteers who have all suffered from HG themselves. By far the hardest part of the conference was hearing the heartbreaking stories of women traumatised by their experience of pregnancy; women desperate for another child but petrified of being pregnant again; women told they must not have any more children because of HG; women unable to continue with much wanted pregnancies because HG made it impossible for them to look after their older children. But how truly inspiring it was that all those brave women are now so motivated by their own terrible experiences that they want to do something to make a difference to other sufferers and their families!

And that is all that I'm trying to do - to make a difference so that other women do not have to suffer in the same way that I, and so many others, have suffered in the past.

You only need to read some of the comments received in response to Pregnancy Sickness Support's joint study with BPAS into women's experiences of termination for severe pregnancy sickness, I could not survive another day, to realise the importance of the work being done by the charity to improve the treatment and care received by sufferers.

And then there is the feedback from sufferers who have been supported through their HG pregnancies by PSS and its volunteers:

"Thank you for everything you do - you have saved me and my baby’s life”
“I really honestly believe I would have died if it hadn't been for all support from PSS”
“I can't talk highly enough of the charity which acted as a lifeline for me.”

On 22 June, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) released the first National Guidelines for the Management of Nausea and Vomiting in Pregnancy and Hyperemesis Gravidarum. This is an important step forward and will make a huge difference to sufferers, giving GPs the confidence and the knowledge to treat the condition effectively. Three of my fellow trustees co-authored the guidelines and dozens of the charity's volunteers commented and reviewed the guidelines while in development.

This is just one example of how Pregnancy Sickness Support is helping to shape the way sufferers are cared for. But this is just one step and there is a lot more work still to be done.

In one week's time I will attempt to swim 1 kilometre in open water in Lake Bala. Until 2 years ago I couldn't even swim a stroke of front crawl. One  year ago my 200m open water triathlon swim was a disaster - I panicked and ended up doing breaststroke (very slowly) most of the way and was exhausted at the end of it. I've been training hard for months in the pool and in open water to give myself the best chance of completing my second challenge. I really hope all my training pays off!

If you would like to sponsor me, my fundraising page is here. Thank you.

My first Great Midlands Fun Run

This time last week I was feeling the after-effects of running my first Great Midlands Fun Run. Thankfully, my aching leg muscles have now returned to normal and going downstairs is no longer excruciatingly painful!

Boldmere Bullets friends 

The "Sutton Fun Run", as locals call it, is not officially one of my three challenges but I thought I'd throw in an extra event as a bit of a warm up for the Birmingham half marathon I'm planning to do in October. I was also excited about running alongside many of my friends from the Boldmere Bullets as part of a large team raising money for local cancer charity, Breast Friends.

Don't be deceived by the name though, the so-called "Fun" Run follows an 8.5 mile route up and down the hills of Sutton Park and includes the ominously named "Cardiac Hill". Even "proper" runners say it's a tough course. 

The finish line

I'd never run that distance before and, although we started in overcast conditions, the sun came out from behind the clouds shortly after the start and we were soon running in scorching heat. Not the cool, slightly drizzly weather I'd been hoping for! I found the conditions pretty tough, especially on Cardiac Hill, and I was extremely grateful to all those lovely people outside their front gates with hose pipes and water guns to cool down the runners.

The medal

The event was well organised with a great family atmosphere. Lots of families and groups of walkers were taking part for a wide range of charities and many were running in fancy dress. I was overtaken en route by three men pushing a bath and I finished just behind a Dalek! Olaf and Zippy were way ahead!

My fan club

I'm proud to say that I did it - I finished my first ever Great Midlands Fun Run. My time was not my fastest but I enjoyed it and that's what matters! I will definitely run it again next year and I wouldn't be surprised if I'm joined by my two cheerleaders!

I now know that I have some more work to do before I tackle the half marathon in October. Fortunately, there's plenty of time to train before then ... and at least it should be a bit cooler!!

I'm taking on three challenges in 2016 to help Pregnancy Sickness Support raise enough money to put its information leaflets in Bounty's Pregnancy Information Packs. This would enable it to reach every single mum-to-be in the UK with details of the vital support the charity can provide to sufferers and their families. You can read about my three challenges here.

If you would like to sponsor me, my fundraising page is here. Thank you.

Three challenges for Pregnancy Sickness Support - 1 down, 2 to go

It was my son who first inspired me to enter a triathlon after he took part in one to raise money for the RNLI when he was just 7. I'm constantly amazed at his eagerness to give anything a go and the fact that he always does it with enthusiasm and a big smile on his face.

So, a few days before the first of my three challenges, as the nerves really started to kick in, I decided that I could learn a lot from my son's attitude. I decided that it didn't matter how fast or slow I was, that my mountain bike would look a bit rubbish next to all the fancy road bikes or that I would probably be older than most of the competitors; the most important thing for me was to smile as much as possible and to enjoy it.

And that is exactly what I did.

The Lichfield Triathlon took place on 24 April and consisted of a 400 metre pool swim followed by a 20 kilometre cycle and then a 5 kilometre run.

It felt a long way and I found it tough but I'm very proud to say that I did it!

And as I had promised myself I would, I kept smiling and enjoyed every single minute.

I certainly wasn't one of the fastest competitors - in fact my children's favourite shout of encouragement was "hurry up mum"! But it didn't matter to me that I finished way down the field. I was pleased with my time (just over 1 hour 45 minutes) because I know just how hard I have worked over the last year or so and how far I have come since my knee surgery.

The triathlon was the first of three challenges I'm taking on to raise funds and awareness for Pregnancy Sickness Support, a charity that supports women with severe pregnancy sickness and, particularly, hyperemesis gravidarum, a condition I suffered from in both my pregnancies.

My next challenge is the one I'm dreading the most - a 1 kilometre open water swim on 9 July. It will be a real test of my physical as well as mental endurance but, if I managed to endure nine months of hyperemesis (twice), then I figure it should be no problem. At least that's what I'm telling myself!

If I'm honest, I'm quite scared. The distance itself is daunting and will involve me swimming out a long way into the middle of the lake. I will also have to deal with cold and potentially choppy water, weather conditions and other swimmers around me. My biggest fear is panicking and so I'm planning to get in as much open water practice as I can over the next few weeks to help me overcome my fear.

I've made a start on open water training but it's early days yet. Watch this space for updates on my progress ... and wish me luck!

I'm taking on three challenges in 2016 to help Pregnancy Sickness Support raise enough money to put its information leaflets in Bounty's Pregnancy Information Packs. This would enable it to reach every single mum-to-be in the UK with details of the vital support the charity can provide to sufferers and their families. You can read about my three challenges here.

If you would like to sponsor me, my fundraising page is here. Thank you.

Crying into my cappuccino

You would think that, 5 years after having my youngest, I'd be over it by now. But sometimes something triggers memories and emotions that are buried deep inside. To be fair, it hasn't happened for a long time but a few days ago, completely out of the blue, it happened again. I'd taken the children to a local coffee shop for a babyccino. As I stood in the queue two women came over to say hello ... it was my community midwives from when I was pregnant with my children.

After we'd hugged and chatted briefly, they left. Then, as I sat down with our drinks, I started to shake and my eyes filled up. I tried to hold it in but found myself having to explain to my children why mummy was crying into her cappuccino.

Pregnancy was not a good time for me and seeing my midwives after all this time brought back memories I'd prefer to forget. My experience is relatively minor though compared to others and many sufferers of hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) have much more severe, longer lasting symptoms than me. HG robs the woman of an important life event and sufferers experience misery, anxiety and feelings of loss. Pregnancy, which should be a special and happy time, is a physical and mental trauma. So it's not surprising that poor mental health and depression are common both before and after birth and some women go on to suffer symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder.

For more information on HG and mental health, including links to useful resources, please see the Pregnancy Sickness Support website.

I'm taking on three challenges in 2016 to help Pregnancy Sickness Support raise enough money to put its information leaflets in Bounty's Pregnancy Information Packs. This would enable it to reach every single mum-to-be in the UK with details of the support the charity can provide to sufferers and their families. My first challenge is a triathlon in less than 4 weeks! You can read about my three challenges here and can support the campaign by texting NOHG16 £5 to 70070. THANK YOU!!

Triple challenge for Pregnancy Sickness Support

In 2016, I am taking on three major challenges to raise awareness of Pregnancy Sickness Support and hyperemesis gravidarum.

Challenge 1

The first of my challenges is a triathlon on 24 April which involves a 400m swim, a 20km bike ride plus a 5km run.  It's just 8 weeks away and I haven't even been on my bike since last year ... HELP!!

Challenge 2

The second of my three challenges is the one that will definitely cause me the most sleepless nights. On 9 July I will be swimming (or at least attempting to swim) ONE KILOMETRE in open water in Lake Bala (an event organised by the British Long Distance Swimming Association)! Not only will the distance itself be a massive challenge for me, but I will also have to contend with the weather conditions, very cold water and other swimmers around me.

Challenge 3

My final challenge will be ... *drumroll* ... the Great Birmingham Run (Half Marathon) on Sunday 16 October. It's more than twice as far as I have ever run in my entire life!!

Unlike last year, I'm not asking for sponsorship. Instead, I'm inviting you to support the charity's campaign to raise enough money to have its information leaflets included in Bounty's Pregnancy Packs. These are given out by midwives to pregnant women across the UK. 

The charity needs to raise enough money to cover the cost of printing 800,000 leaflets. Achieving this goal would enable the charity to reach every single mum-to-be in the UK with details of the support the charity can provide and ensure that more women struggling to cope with severe pregnancy sickness and hyperemesis gravidarum are able to access the vital support and treatment they need. How amazing would that be!!

You can help by texting NOHG16 £AMOUNT to 70070.

THANK YOU!!

Fame at last ...

A few weeks ago, I was very honoured to be featured on the British Triathlon website talking about my experience of GO TRI events. Click here for the article.

GO TRI is an initiative run by Triathlon England aimed at getting more people involved in triathlons for the first time no matter what their age or ability. Events are low key and reasonably priced and I have completed several of them this year. If you have never done a triathlon before and feel a bit nervous about it, GO TRI is a great way of having a go in a low-key environment. Everyone is very supportive and it doesn’t matter how fast or slow you are or what kit you wear.

I have also had an article published on Henpicked, a website and community which is all about "sharing the wisdom of women".  I wrote about why I decided to take on a triathlon and what I learned from the whole experience.You can read the article here.

The reason I wanted to share my story is firstly to raise awareness of the charity, Pregnancy Sickness Support and the fantastic work it does to support sufferers of hyperemesis gravidarum (HG). This was one of my main motivations for deciding to do a triathlon in the first place; to raise money for the charity.

In 2016, I have decided to take on three separate challenges to raise awareness of the charity and hyperemesis gravidarum.  Keep an eye out on the blog for more details of my "triple challenge for PSS". More details will follow soon!

I also wanted to show that you don't have to be super fit or sporty to take on a new physical challenge. All it takes is a bit of determination and a willingness to put in the training.  If just one person reads my story and decides to have a go at something outside their comfort zone then that would make me very happy indeed!

My triathlon challenge - what I've learned

As the end of 2015 is fast approaching, whilst many of us will be busy with Christmas preparations, it's also a time to reflect on the past year and to look forward to what the year ahead might hold.  It was about this time last year when I decided that in 2015 I would take on a challenge that was way outside my comfort zone - my first triathlon. You can read about what inspired me to take on that challenge by clicking here and here.

Well I did it and I loved it! In fact, I've since done another triathlon, an aquathlon (swim plus run) and my first ever 10k race.  If you're toying with the idea of taking on a physical challenge in 2016, my advice would be to go for it!

I'm certainly no expert, but here are some of the lessons I learned from my own triathlon challenge.

Don't underestimate yourself

Don't sell yourself short. You would be surprised what you can achieve if you put your mind to it and work hard. Before I started training, I hadn't done any proper exercise for a long time after being plagued by a knee injury for over 20 years.  I couldn't run more than a couple of hundred metres without having to stop for a breather and I had just taught myself to do a bit of front crawl. The only race I had ever won in my entire life was a three legged pub crawl at uni when I was dragged round the course by the rugby player I was attached to! But I worked hard and, little by little, I ran further and my swimming got better. When I eventually crossed the triathlon finish line, I felt a huge sense of achievement - the hours of training and all the hard work had finally paid off.

Pick something challenging but achievable

Choose a challenge that's outside your comfort zone but also be realistic about how much training is involved. There's no point signing up to an Ironman triathlon if you just don't have the time to commit to the hours and hours of training needed each week as you will be setting yourself up for disappointment. Consider your own lifestyle and other commitments, decide what time you will have available to train and choose your challenge accordingly.

Sign up for an event

Having a particular goal to aim for is a great way to focus your mind and stay motivated.  There's nothing quite like the date of an event looming to keep you motivated, whether through excitement or shear panic!

Join a club

It's easy to find reasons not to train, especially if you're mainly training on your own. Maybe it's cold or wet outside, maybe you're feeling a bit tired that day, or maybe there's a bottle of wine with your name on it. Whatever the reason for not wanting to put your trainers on, joining a club can really keep you motivated. It's great sharing your experiences with others and the camaraderie and encouragement you get will spur you on particularly if you're feeling low. Not only that, but you'll probably make a great bunch of friends too!

Get some coaching

In January I signed up for some swimming lessons to improve my front crawl technique. At the time I thought I would probably only do a term of lessons.  Almost a year on and I'm still going! The coaching is hard but fun, I've been pushed far more than I could ever have pushed myself and I have improved enormously in both technique and endurance. I never used to like swimming much when I was younger but I have definitely been converted. 

Enjoy it!

On the day, don't worry about how fast you are or what position you come in. Try to relax, enjoy the event and cross the finish line with a big smile on your face. And don't forget to ask someone to take lots of photos!

Finally, make sure you have another goal in mind

After the initial high of completing the challenge you have worked so hard for and focussed on for so long, it's very likely that your mood will take a nosedive and you will start to feel flat shortly afterwards. This is quite common. The solution is easy - sign up for another event as soon as you can.  This happened to me and that's exactly what I did to banish the post-triathlon blues. Two weeks after my first triathlon I was doing it all over again. And you know what? It worked!

So, if you're thinking of taking on a challenge in 2016, go for it! You won't regret it! Good luck!