I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike!

Actually, I think it'll be a little while before I want to ride my bike again... This is the story
of 3 amateur cyclists and their battle with wind, rain and scottish hills. It was an epic
challenge so why not make yourself a brew then settle back in a big comfy armchair to
hear all about it.

Our adventure began when we arrived in Glasgow and survived the first few miles out to
our accommodation. Si and Susie were being housed in Chez Marion and lovey it was
too. Less lovely was hearing that I might have booked Bri and I in to a homeless hostel
for the night. Thankfully it is now a Guest house. Admittedly a basic one but it provide a
place to rest up before the big day.

I'd love to say the we were woken by the sun streaming through our windows then made
our way to our glorious continental breakfast... But I've been taught not to lie... We were
woken by the sound of torrential rain to a tiny bowl of rice crispies. Hmmm... We refused to
be out off though and putting our best 'Today is going to be such fun' faces on we headed
out in to the rain.

Part One - Glasgow to Loch Winnoch

By the time we arrived in Paisley we were damp to say the least but feeling good. The
worst car section was behind us, none of us had fallen off and really, there's only so wet
you can get. We found our way onto the cycle path to Ardrossan and started to whizz
along. We whizzed over some police tape lying on the ground then came up against more
police tape. This time it blocked our way.

Decision time. 2 secs later we decided it was old tape and went under it. Around a corner
or two, past a man and his dog and then straight in to 3 police officers. Si did some fast
talking that got us out of trouble for entering a crime scene, we turned around, took a few
wrong turns in a housing estate, hovered under a bridge to read the map then found our
way back on to the cycle path further down the road. A bit too much excitement before
9am on a Saturday morning.





We timed out arrival at Castle Semple perfectly with Susie in our support vehicle and took on some welcome calories. It was too wet and cold to stop for long - quick photo
opportunity then off we went again.











Part Two - Lochwinnoch to Ardrossan

On and off roads, up and down hills, considerable amounts of rain and we found ourselves
in Kilwinning. With a text from Calmac telling us we might not be booked on the boat to
Arran since the morning boat had been cancelled due to weather. In fact our boat might
also be cancelled due to weather. Great news! My thinking was that if the weather was too
bad for boats, we maybe shouldn't be out in it on 2 wheels... But we carried on regardless.
The car was dispatched to ensure it had a place on any boat that did go and we peddled
on.






Arriving at Ardrossan felt delightful. Susie had managed to get the car booked on the boat and there was a warm bathroom for us to wring out the socks. Nice. Thankfully Calmac
allowed the boat to go and we prepared ourselves for the next leg of the trip with pies and coffee aplenty.









Part Three - Broddick to Lochranza (Crossing Arran!)

Our very own time trial. A race across Arran to catch the next ferry - this was the section
I'd been most worried about so had decided to push hard on the flat section round the
coast before we hit THE hill. Trickier than planned as the flat section was also the coast
section.... It was windy... Into the face... I wasn't panicking at all about missing the boat!
It was almost a relief to turn the corner out of the wind. But then we hit our hill. The
Boguille on Arran would be a category 4 climb in the Tour de France. It was a mental
battle to keep the legs moving and slowly slog away. Well, it was for me and my bike
with a basket on it. Bri took it all in his stride as he flew up with seeming ease. It was a
delightful sight to see both Bri and Si waiting for me at the top of the hill... A quick shout
of 'have we got enough time' as I refused to stop and took on the descent.

Turns out we had plenty of time - we made it to Lochranza with half an hour to spare. Time
to take shelter in the wee shop and refuel with hot chocolate. Mmmmmm.... Then onto a
rather bumpy boat journey to kintyre.

Part Four - Claonaig to Kennacraig

Waiting in Claonaig was a delightful surprise in the form of my dad (Scott) who'd decided
to have a little day out and join us. It gave me a much needed boost to get up that next
hill. He'd also managed to perform some sort of magic trick and turn off the big tap in the
sky. This section was mercifully short at only 6 or 7 miles and we were soon at Kennacraig
ready to catch our last ferry to Islay.

The 2 hour boat journey was a much needed chance to stretch, rest and refuel (in the boys
case, they decided a pint was the most appropriate refuelling to do!). Time also to read the
article about our challenge in the local paper (the Ileach) - fame once more. We were also
given some generous support from Calmac staff and the golfers who made our collecting
tin that bit heavier.

Part 5 - Port Askaig to Conisby (the final push)

Bronwen (my mum) was waiting for us as the boat docked in Islay - the car covered in
balloons and banners. What a welcome! But arriving in Islay wasn't enough for us,, we
wanted to cycle door to door so, at 8pm, we had another 15 miles to complete. With
Bronwen joining us we powered up the Port Askaig hill as far as Keilles before a lovely
local lady shouted from her house and ran over to give us a donation. The generosity of
strangers astounds me.

The rest of the ride went smoothly - apart from Si and I being blocked for a short while by cows and dragons - and we reached Bruichladdich for the final photo shoot. Brilliant, destination reached... Almost... The last half mile to our beds was up another hill. But I'm proud I say we all made it up that last section without having to push.





Showers, wine, whisky, cheese on toast and mocha square were all much appreciated! Then the sleep of champions.

There are so many people to thank for supporting us in reaching our half way mark.
Simon - you are a legend. To take on that trip voluntarily once we'd seen the forecast was
admirable (or indeed foolish!) We can only thank you. Susie, your smiley face driving
the support vehicle was both required and appreciated. We literally couldn't have done it
without you. And you carried our snack! Bron and Scott (aka mum and dad) - thanks for
both cycling with us and for the hospitality. Marion, thanks for sending us off in style. And
finally, the people of Islay, your generosity and welcome was second to none. Thank you.

And so, we are halfway through. We've ran 25k, canoed lake Windermere, faced a barrage
of gym classes and raised nearly £3500 - http://www.justgiving.com/teams/FCF.

Bring on the next half!

Long-distance runners of the world unite!

Summer now appears to be out in force and we are onto challenge 5 out of 12 - this year is flying! Roz and I headed to Manchester for the Great Manchester Run last Sunday, 20th May.



Over 30,000 people in the biggest 10k event in the UK. So, a big enough challenge to make it round among the throng, you may think. Apparently not, fancy dress was the order of the day...





Now, I have always been about the running time and was decidedly sceptical about dressing up and making a physical endurance event that much harder. However, I am also far too sensitive about being challenged in any way on just at anything; so when Roz called me out I had no choice but to accept and help decide how embarrassing this was going to be. After some reflection, Roz being taller, Nintendo being a paragon of gaming excellence for decades, and the costumes not being too restrictive, we opted for Mario and Luigi of Super Mario Bros. fame.


It could have been worse, at least we just had to wear a large 'tache instead of giant kinky afro, even the hats were a loose fit. We had the added bonus of meeting a lovely lady in our hotel at breakfast, she spotted Roz's top promoting the Team's CF Trust fundraising and went on to thank us profusely. Her grand-daughter has Cystic Fibrosis and we discussed briefly all of the progess being made to help advance treatment. It certainly reminded us of why we were doing all the challenges, when she talked of all the medication and physio her loved one had to take. So we rolled out of our hotel onto the start line in high spirits. The conditions were good too, a little overcast and not too stiff a breeze.




It. Was. Awesome. The buzz of the event was good enough in itself as we set off all together, now the wave from Jessica Ennis at the start was fun, but the reaction from the crowd all the way round was phenomenal, it seems love spreads. We ran the first kilometre together and got loads of shout outs from the crowd. I hadn't even considered how popular we would be with kids along the route, but whether it was high pitched youngsters or parents pointing us out on the way round we had loads of well wishes and cheers helping us to step on. A personal highlight being at 7km as the route turned back on itself when a girl screamed, 'Hey, go Mario - we've just seen Luigi!'

The organisation was great, so much so we could arrange to meet up at a charity village and the CF Trust stall there at the GMEX centre. There we met a friendly support team with plenty of crips, juice and chocolate to aid us in our recovery - even taking time out to take a snap of us without moustaches but with some medallions!




So a shower at the hotel, a late check out and time to come home with a sit down on the groovy train back to Edinburgh. A cracking weekend all in. Onward to June and the Glasgow to Islay bike ride, around 90 miles to knock off. No worries...what were we thinking...

As always, huge thanks for all the support and generosity - it is really appreciated and is making all the effort more than worthwhile.

https://www.justgiving.com/teams/FCF - Over £3,000 raised, you guys are awesome!

Bri.



3 men in a boat (well, 2 men and a lady in a canoe!)

Easter weekend in the lakes isn't known for it's sunny, wind free days. In my experience it is more likely to be freezing cold, pouring rain and blowing a gale. So we woke up on the morning of challenge 4 feeling somewhat apprehensive. Thankfully however the day was still and relatively rain free. We couldn't have asked for more. Well, except for someone else to do it for us and let us spend the day in the pub. No? Best get on with it then. 10.5 miles of paddling lay ahead.

The day began with a brief brush with fame and a bit of publicity thanks to Yakkers and his breakfast show on Lakeland Radio. It was great to know we had a bit of local support as we headed off to the start line. We do have some audio evidence and once we figure out how to edit it and place it in a blog, we'll let you hear it!

The start was slightly delayed as we discovered we were at the wrong end of the lake but we soon found our way to fell foot and once we'd figured out how to get in the good ship endeavour we set sail on our mission being sung on our way by the lovely Family Osmaston.

Getting into our rhythm wasn't as tricky as we'd feared. 3 in a boat meant the person at the back (me - couldn't trust the boys!) had the responsibility of keeping us in a straight line. Harder than you think - proved by our wobbles if I tried to take a photo or stopped paying attention for a few moments.

We also had to contend with speed boats. Apparently there is a speed limit on lake Windermere. I'm not convinced. The waves these boats produced had us wobbling away and fearing we'd end up a bit damp. As the day went on, our confidence grew and the waves became less fearful and more fun!

And what a way to see the lakes. I've spent a lot of time in Windermere but seeing the views from the water brought a whole new dimension to it. The views were stunning (despite the cloud) and being on water is incredibly peaceful.

The support from the shore kept us going when the shoulders started to burn. See ing the gang waiting in Ambleside after 3 and a half hours of paddling was a sight for sore eyes. Special thanks to Si (spending birthday with team FCF), Susie, Jane, Hannah, Isobel, Catharine, Sandy, granny and grandpa Davis, Pippa, Kate and all others for keeping up morale. Thanks again to Yakkers for having us on his show and a huge thank you to Johan and the team at Mountain High, River Deep who got us from start to finish in one peice.

Biggest thank you has to go to Andrew for joining the team and paddling his heart out. Much appreciated and fairly sure we now owe you one!

Remember you can still sponsor us at www.justgiving.com/teams/FCF and you can now sponsor by text. To do so test YFCF99 £1 to 70070. You can replace the £1 with £2, £5 or £10 if you are so inclined.

More photos of the challenge can be seen here http://flic.kr/s/aHsjyVHsZo Thanks, Pie!

Bradford or Bust

Wowsers - a quarter of the way through the year and a quarter of the way through the challenges! Hope everyone is having an excellent year so far - time flies when you are training, planning events and travelling to undertake them.

But what a brilliant time we had in Leeds and Bradford. Challenge 3 was the Bradford 10k on Sunday 25 March, with over 1,000 runners taking part. Well done to all 1,000+ I say, though we were principally concerned with the Fight CF Team of Roz, Sarah, Andy, Rob and myself. You can support everyone's efforts @ http://www.justgiving.com/teams/FCF and you can also donate by text. Simply text YFCF99 followed by the amount in pounds (e.g. YFCF99 £1) to 70070.

Roz was taking part in her first 2012 challenge after beating sciatica into submission and training really hard to be able to compete - going from hardly being able to walk around to doing a 10k in a littler over a few weeks! Sarah and Andy (my sisted and her husband) were joining us for this event along with good friend and all round top bloke, Rob Warden, doing his first ever organised run, all for the CF Trust.

As you can see from this picture just before the start, we got the weather for it! Incredibly foggy and incredibly humid - plus a 9am start time the day the clocks went forward. Did I mention it was Sunday? At least we had Andy's paella of the night before to power us round!

The course had a couple of hills, friendly marshalls and a rythmic drum band. We had curious warm  up music at the start where we all crowded together for the gun and set off, staggered then flowing onto the streets of Bradford as the fog lifted and the sun began to shine.

The run went really well with Andy, Rob and myself cracking the 50min barrier, Sarah storming round in 55mins and Roz trouncing expectations by completing the race non-stop in 1hr and 5mins. Sarah, Andy and Roz managed to pose after our endevours - check out the clear blue sky!
  
We needed sustenance - so we beat a hasty strategic retreat to a Leeds pub for some of Sundays' finest.

So we raised a glass and enjoyed a roast, you can see Rob on the right with his wonderful wife Mary - who aside from saving me with a cream egg at the end of the race but is also joining the 12-in-12 challenge by creating 12 artworks over the next 12 months, which will then become a calendar and greetings cards to be sold to raise money for CF Trust. You can follow her talent and progress at her blog: http://marywarden.wordpress.com/

Another challenge successfully dispatched and on to April, 18km, a canoe and Lake Windermere. A massive thank you again for all the ongoing support.

Bri.

The long road to recovery....

As we have a gap between events I thought it was time to update you all on things from the other side of our team. The side that has spent the last two months either lying down or in a physio room or doing odd stretches on the floor. Fun fun fun!

When the physio predicted a 3 month recovery time I was sceptical. Surely I would recover faster – I'm young(ish) and fit(ish) and have never had an injury like this before. 3 months, pah, I'll be running before you know it. It seems, he knew his stuff. Having compressed nerves is not like having a pulled muscle. Nerves are tricky little things and are somewhat unpredictable. One wrong move and the recovery is set back. So, 9 weeks on since then and I'm 85% better... apparently...

6 weeks of sick leave left me with far too much time to think and watch horrific daytime TV. I started to feel sad on Friday when I realised it was Eamon and Ruth instead of Philip and Holly on This Morning. It was horrific. Have you ever had to watch Eamon Holmes for 2 hours... blurgh... it was even worse when Phil had a week off and Eamon was allowed to flirt (harass?) Holly... But I digress...

Yes, I was over the moon when, a few weeks in, I was allowed to go for a walk in a swimming pool! Then I progressed to swimming with just my arms. It was a sight to brighten anyone's day. I really wanted to make a sign that said “I can swim really, I'm injured” so no one jumped in to save my flailing body. But it would get wet... Today I am able to swim properly (or as properly as I ever could) for 14 whole lengths of a rather small pool. It's all progress and I am just delighted to be allowed to do some exercise again. It is scary how unfit I felt the first time I swam a full length but day by day the fitness is coming back.

I can now also walk without hobbling and I'm back at work nearly full time. Sitting is still tricky for long periods of time but all in all life is good. Yesterday the physio gave me the go ahead to try to jog. For 5 minutes. Gently. And if it hurts I must stop immediately. But WAYHEY... this was the news I've been desperate for. He also cleared me to take part in Challenge 3 (The Bradford 10K at the end of March). I might be slow and be walking large chunks but I will be there.

So thank you to all of you for your support during these difficult weeks. I can't believe how many lovely messages, offers of help and visitors I've had. It really has helped... as has watching our sponsorship increase generously. Bri has carried on regardless and didn't kill me when he had to do the gym challenge from hell (my idea and the one I was really keen to do) without me. Thanks to Zoe for stepping in and having the energy of a Duracell bunny! Thanks again to my wonderful Mum who not only came over to look after me and keep me entertained but completed the 5k January challenge too. I'm looking forward to running an event together later in the year.

Now, onwards and upwards... Bradford here we come!

Roz x

Gym'll Fix it!

Okay, so our last blog update was for the January challenge of a wintry and hilly 5k run. February took us to a whole new level. I have climbed the odd mountain, done several half-marathons and taken on a few all you can eat buffets but the Gym Challenge was the hardest physical thing I think I have ever done - worth it for keeping up our 12-in-12-in-2012 fundraising drive:
http://www.justgiving.com/Bri-Taylor-2012-Challenge

Roz is continuing her convalescence after being struck down by sciatica and Zoe Nisbet, friend and legend, stepped into the fray for the Rozster. We also had a hardy group of folk for the various classes that joined the FCF team! It all started last Friday (Feb 3), a frosty morning at Fitness First gym in Glasgow; arriving before the gym opened at 06:15 to be greeted by a gym enthusiast doing a hula warm-up in the car park.

The Friday schedule is the really long one, two from the bottom!

The challenge for the day was originally 7 classes: 3 spin classes, 2 body combat classes, a core class and a session of yoga. The gym's timetable provided grim reading.

 



We now had 8 classes ahead of us (all the main group classes on the day barring clashing floor sessions). Instead of the 2 body combat classes we had 1 body combat class and 2 metafit classes. 'What's metafit?', we asked in mild bemusement. Turns out it was created by a former Royal Marine Commando and a gymnast to combine traditional bodyweight exercises with interval training to result in a high energy workout that continues to burn body fat for 24hrs after each session. We had 2 of them! So, all in all, 5 and a half hours of gym classes and the destruction of awful lot of calories lay ahead...

Hour 1

Zoe and I were joined in our first spin class at 06:45 by Roz's sister Pam. I had been telling myself that I would ease off a little in each session, so I could last the distance. Not so easy now when you are being shouted at by an enthusiastic instructor that appeared hell-bent on getting us to go at full pelt! My false moustache proved a hindrance to breathing and the spinning machine was a hindrance to resting. An hour later we said goodbye to Pam as she headed off to work and said hello to a core class. Ow, my sides.

Hour 2

After a breather we were into our first metafit experience, along with Simon Harding who had been hoodwinked into this and the following spin class. We were doing squats, press-ups, star-jumps, burpees and assorted other exercises in 30 second bursts followed by 10 second rests. Repeated for half an hour. I was sweating more at the end of this than I had at the start of my last University exam. What to do after a high intensity workout? Go into a spin class. This was much the same as the first session but the instructor was less intense, thankfully, and the music was more rock based which was uplifting - though no Eye of the Tiger.

Hour 3

Yoga. My first time trying it and it must have been providence because it was just what Zoe and I needed. We were put into positions such as the Exultant God and Superman and our muscles breathed a long hard sigh of relief.

Hour 4



Zoe, wins! Now then, now then...



After the second break of the day we headed into the final, continuous session in good spirits and altered costumes. Zoe, in a fit of bravery and/or folly, decided that we needed wigs to brighten us up and bring more attention to the cause. A wig on your head during intense exercise. Fine, if you resemble a character from a manga-esque beat-em-up computer game. Not so much if you end up looking like a twisted version of a 1970s Jimmy Saville!

Into the final 135 minutes, joined by Pam for metafit, spin and body combat - valiantly rushing back form work - plus partner Aileen for combat. At least we knew what to expect from metafit this time and pacing yourself was much easier. It still had to be followed by a third spin class of the day and our 3rd instructor - the most energetic of the lot! We climbed hills, settled into sprints and my legs have never felt heavier. I was actually depressed to hear The Prodigy come on the sound system, what's wrong with a bit of Enya?

Hour 5

Body combat was a welcome relief from cycling and we entered the final straight with little energy but plenty of enthusiasm. I was almost coordinated, while Zoe, an experienced body combat class goer, was on auto-pilot and in sync with all the kicks, punches and general jigging. The last section on core body and stretching nearly finished me off but we were there till the bitter end to complete the challenge and bask in a fantastic collective effort.



Pam, Aileen, me and Zoe at the end of a very long day!



So massive thanks to Anders (for putting us up), Simon (for general support and class going), Pam for being hardcore, Aileen for being part of the team and Fitness First for allowing us to unsettle its usual membership. Most of all, a gigantic thank-you to Zoe for being an all-round fantastic egg and challenge killer. If we could harness her energy and positivity then our reliance on fossil fuels would diminish greatly.

On to March, the Bradford 10k and some much needed rest in between!

A big thank you to everyone for their ongoing support. Bri.

Great Winter Fun!

Happy New Year everyone - I hope 2012 has brought glad tidings along with its blank canvass; only the impressions of the year left behind for a vision to be rendered anew!

Well, the 2012 FCF challenge did not get off to the most auspicious start with Roz struck down with sciatica just before Hogmanay. It goes to show that doing all the right things and training hard does not mean life can't turn on its heel and give you a good kick. Roz is dealing with it in determined fashion, following doctor's orders and getting treatment that will have her back to her best in no time.

On the plus side, we were lucky enough to have Roz's Mum, Bronwen, around to jog into the breach for Roz and be part of the FCF Team that included Susie and Simon Harding - Susie competing in her first organised run!

The January 2012 challenge, the Great Winter Run in Edinburgh, went really well. It was windy but not gale force, it was overcast but dry and there was a great atmosphere around an event that had an international cross-country and a junior run - as well as our 5k around Arthur's Seat with 1,500 runners!

Everyone came in in under 35 minutes which, when you consider it has a 350ft ascent for the first half of the run, is a tremendous effort. Check out Susie, Simon and Bronwen finishing the race sporting the rather fetching CF Trust running tops - Bronwen clearly putting in practice for the sprint finish:

What to do after completing a run before the after effects of the Christmas pud have warn off? Have a fry up. We were treated to a banquet round at Roz's as she continued her convalescence:

A special thank you to Ken Latham who was our race support and cameraman.

So, a week where we got some local publicity http://www.scotsman.com/edinburgh-evening-news/edinburgh/around-the-capital/we_want_to_go_the_extra_mile_in_2012_for_our_friend_1_2034601

Raised our first £600 for the CF Trust (thanks everyone) https://www.justgiving.com/teams/FCF

And completed our first challenge. Not a bad start!

On to February, fancy dress and quite possibly some zumba. Lucky me...

Good luck with the worthwhile resolutions and enjoy breaking the unreasonable ones.

Bri.