Happy New Year to you all and I wish you a happy and healthy 2009.

I haven’t quite managed my weekly update on the blog, I think I was being a little over optimistic about the amount of time that I spend at the computer!

Anyway, things have been trundling along over the last few weeks, with times at the gym being a bit light over the festive period due to the gym being shut, but none the less getting some miles in.

The biking is ticking by and I have even managed to up the workload to include 3 hills along my 20km journey, which gives a little more variety. I am thinking of trading one of my normal sessions (20km in 35mins) for a 45 min spin class. The problem is there is no gadgetry (?) on the bikes so I cannot accurately record the distance, however I assuming that if I am biking for 45 mins in the spin class, I should be covering at least my normal 20km. What do people think? Safe to assume a 45 min spin class will cover 20km??

The swimming has been a bit hit and miss due to some clothing malfunctioning! But I have made a new purchase so I can now get back in the water safe in the knowledge that I am not going to offend anyone!!

The great news is though that I have achieved part of one of my goals, by completing my first marathon- Hooray! Although this was all walking ( I don’t feel that I could call my few metre trots with the pram now and again, running) most of the miles have been route marches with the pram. These have been great as I have been so lucky with the weather, as although it has been cold, it has been nice and clear and have had some superb walks along the coastal path, looking out across the water to the Edinburgh skyline and Pentland hills. At the weekend I did a fab walk along part of the new path around Loch Leven. I thoroughly recommend it to all, but in particular those who like bird watching and gliders ( you can stand virtually beside the winch as the gliders go up) and to families who want somewhere safe for the kiddies to bike. I look forward to the completion of the path right round the Loch.

I can’t believe how well the sponsorship is going, where at the start of the second challenge month I have been sponsored over £900 , nearly a third of my hoped for total. So thank you so much for that, it really is going to a good cause.

Dad is over his infection and gearing up for the final part of his treatment in the middle of this month, where after a heavy chemo bout, he will have stem cells transplanted into him. So all fingers and toes crossed for that one and that all going well he will really start to feel great as early as 3 weeks after the transplant.

Well I shall love you and leave you,

Auds
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Well here I find myself doing the first blog of my life and not too sure how it is all going to pan out. The challenge that I have set myself suddenly seems quite daunting - did I really say that I was going to cycle the distance of the Karakoram (1300km), swim the distance of the firth of forth (77km) and run/walk the distance of 12 marathons and yes all in 365 day!

The first week of the challenge has gone by and hasn't started with the bang that I had quite hoped for and although I have set myself a mental target of what distances I want to achieve each week, I am fast realising that these won't always be acheived. With a husband who is dedicated to exercising and a toddler and baby, the time at the gym is going to be at a premium.

As of tonight, I have however managed to get out of Islamabad on my cycle ride (40km) and have crossed the starting line for my first marathon (3 miles). Hubby is away with work for a few days so not sure when I will next get out to the gym for a cycle or swim, but hope to get a few miles done walking and I am going to try a run with the pram (that could be comedy in action).

Keep my Dad in your thoughts as he is bored and understandably frustrated, being kept in hospital to receive a heavy dose of iv antibiotics, due to being given an infection when they harvested his stem cells ready for the transplant in january!

Auds
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