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It’s about time for another adventure, right!?

While the initial plan was to run the Pyrenean Haute Route (800km) from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, Covid has made this rather difficult! However, I am soon moving to Spain, not far from the Pyrenees, so will continue planning this trip for next season.

Last Saturday, after a tough few days struggling with a short relapse with my eating disorder and a burning desire to adventure again, my loved ones encouraged me to just go for it! With their help, two days later I'd hired my all-terrain bike from Falmouth Cycles, packed her panniers, and was on the train to Thurso. A very last-minute, best decision I've ever made kind of moment - let's cycle John O'Groats to Lands End to keep the adventure spirit alive! And all for a great cause. 

The trip was soul-lifting, exhilarating, painful, hilarious, heart-warming, too hot, too cold, sore, itchy, made me cry with happiness and exhaustion, and the best time I've ever had on a bike! My bike claimed the title: Her Ladyship 'DOMfree' of Punctures, (DOMfree for short), coming from French verlan slang which flips words round, being Freedom backward, but also hoping the trip would be DOM-free! She got the rest of her title making it to Lands End with not one puncture in over 1000miles!!! We covered an average of 100 hard, hilly miles per day, along the Scottish NC500, over the Cairngorms, the Lake District, the midlands, and the Devon and Cornwall valleys, to finish at Land's End to a tear-jerking welcome party!

It's been the toughest thing I've ever done, with many tears and phone calls home to keep me going! But I am forever grateful to have had the opportunity to see our beautiful country from two wheels, at one with the weather, sleeping mostly from my bivvy bag and watching the sunrise and set every day. The people I met along the way will forever inspire me to get back out there and connect with the incredible community we are part of. The amount of pain we all go through becomes bearable when we can connect, support each other and rise together. 

While my fundraising target for the Pyrenees was to raise over £800, £1 for every km ran, I cycled 1,054 miles over 11days; £1,054 is our new target!

Over the next 11 days I'll relive the experience with you on Instagram @isabelsteele82, and in blogs on www.trilingualtriathlete.com, to reminisce the best times, and the worst!! 

All this madness is to raise money for Beat, an incredible charity whose mission is to end the pain and suffering caused by eating disorders. Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses that ruin and, too often, take lives. In the UK, 1.25million people are suffering. That’s 1.25million too many. Especially now with COVID-19, Beat is receiving more calls than ever, with people presenting new symptoms and others seeing their recovery disrupted. Yet, with the right treatment and support, recovery is possible. And what better time to reach out and help each other?

Go to: https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk

Recovering (and sometimes still suffering) from Binge Eating Disorder (BED) myself, I want to take this opportunity to raise awareness for an illness that is all too often overlooked and underplayed. Through this fundraising, I hope to remove the stigma and shame around eating disorders, so that people who need help can access it. We need to stop trivialising them so people can reach charities providing a lifeline when they may have nowhere else to turn. I have reached out to Beat in the past and they provided me critical guidance at a time when I felt completely lost, not yet understanding that BED is a real thing. I now know how to better manage my relationship with food and how to fuel myself for a beautiful life full of adventure. Cycling JOGLE really has been a mile mark in my recovery and what is now possible for a healthier, well-fuelled body!  

Go to: https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/types/binge-eating-disorder 

By donating to Beat, you will be able to contribute towards their life saving services, Helpline and information packs that could help give someone their life back. Recovery is possible and can be such a beautiful, empowering process. I’m here to show you just that!

If you or someone you know needs help, Beat Helplines are open 365 days a year from 9am-8pm during the week and 4pm-8pm on the weekends and bank holidays. 

Helpline: 0808 801 0677

Studentline: 0808 801 0811

Youthline: 0808 801 0711 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.