Its finally almost here, 2 weeks until I take on the biggest challenge of my life so far, IRONMAN UK.

I cannot believe 9 months ago my training started unfortunately I am not where I was hoping to be with 2 weeks to go.

I went for what was supposed to be a 2-hour run last week only to be halted by knee pain yet again after only 2 miles, so I ended up having to walk home, since then I have seen a physio and running looks highly unlikely until the big day and even then I don’t know if I will be able to run. The annoying thing is it also hurts when I cycle so I’m in for one fun day!

My plan has now changed from one of going out there and maybe going for a decent (for me) time to one of just finishing and pain management, this has also dampened the excitement somewhat but you can only play with the cards you are dealt with so I am going to give it my best shot and see how far I can get. If I don’t get to the start line then I won’t get to the finish line.

I have put a lot of pressure on myself due to trying to raise money for Sporting Footprints, plus having family and friends coming along to support as well as friends taking part so I am determined to enjoy the day as much as possible, smiling to supporters and thanking the marshals goes a long way to improving spirits as I have found out from previous races so I’ll be doing that.

Also it helps to try and break down the day instead of thinking of it as swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles then run a marathon, I’ll be breaking it down into smaller chunks. The swim is 2 loops, the bike is 2 x 47 miles loops plus a ‘bit’ added on and the run is 3 loops plus a 10k warm up, roughly, that’s how I will be thinking about it.

The challenge on the day is still nothing compared to what some of the parents and children have to go through daily that are supported by Sporting Footprints so if you can spare a little bit and have enjoyed reading these blogs then please sponsor me here https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Matt-Hart4

I’ll be posting the tracker nearer the time so if you want to follow my progress you can.

Thanks for reading, and hopefully next time you hear from me I’ll be an Ironman.