Equipment fiddling!

Getting up early last Saturday, sitting outside in -2.5 degrees, and fiddling with bolts, screws and cushions for four hours is not every girls dream...but I was determined to make the most of meeting Alan Rayment, who has spent years making Triathlon accessible and possible for people with disabilities. With cups of tea supplied by his wife Nat and his mum, plus eighteen month old son wielding a screw driver, we sorted out a better riding and propulsion position.

Alan's enthusiasm for Paratriathlon is infectious and I came away more positive about putting in an application for the British Triathlon Paralympic Affiliate Squad. So, I've applied. There was a 50% increase in applications this year, which can only be good for developing our sport in the future. I'm keen to make the squad of course. Fingers crossed!

To test out the bike, my daughter and I went out on Sunday together. This was only the second time we have been able to cycle together in five years and I really enjoyed it. Our aim was to ride for 30mins and see what distance I could cover. I managed 7km out with a couple of quick rests, including one where Bex had to pick up my front wheel and pull me round as the road was too narrow for my turning circle! A total of 14km in 60 mins was a vast improvement on 12km in 1.5hrs on my very first ride out on the road two weeks ago, so we are aiming for a 10% increase in distance every week until we reach 24km, then we'll work on speed.