Who said getting older made you wiser?

After setting myself the 4000km on foot challenge last year, Jen managed to convince us to do the Highland Cross this year. This duathlon event raises funds for local Highland charities (mostly to purchase equipment to deliver their services).  

For people who can run and cycle, the challenge is in the distance and terrain: 20 miles running through Glen Affric (off-road in the hills, only 6 miles shorter than a marathon) then riding 30 miles, making it a coast to coast route. The ride is "easy" for some, as it's apparently mostly downhill.

The thing is I've only got rid of my bike stabilisers when I was 10. I am terrified of downhills on the bike. This route is not only mostly downhill with sharp bends but also "with very big drops into a gorge alongside it in places". In other words: it's terrifying for me. My challenge will be in not getting off the bike on the scary sections. 

As a team we need to raise £500, and I'm very happy that this will help local charities. I am yet again calling for your generosity and patience as I'll be annoying everyone who will listen on how scary this will be :-)

As part of the training, I'll be running with a map and compass in the Lake District for 3 days (Silva Great Lakeland Mountain Marathon), followed by cycling the Coast to Coast for 3 days in May. Hopefully I'll find my way back on time to make the start of the Highland Cross :-)