ETON DORNEY 10K SWIM 2014

 



 On Sunday 18th May I took part in Fareham triathlon. I swam OK, had a brilliant (for me) cycle but walked the run. I crossed the line on my own and n last place but was 10 minutes faster than the   previous year and delighted. However the next day somebody said something to me that made me      feel that I had let myself down . This was a very odd feeling as I'm one of those people who just         believes that if you put your mind to it you can do anything. I hadn't done any training for the             triathlon - I just did it.               

  With that in mind I had to prepare for a 10k swim, again with no training. My mind was full of doubt. Could I swim the distance? Would I make the cut off time? Would I let myself down? My stubborn pig-headedness cut in and by hook or by crook I was going to swim this event.

  Preparation the night before wasn't the best! I went for a little sea swim which lasted longer than intended so my early night went out the window. I couldn't sleep and looked at my phone at 3am. There was a message from my husband to say there was no record of mot on my car. In a panic I got up and searched for the mot certificate. It had run out Sunday. Luckily I had his car outside so after a search for keys I was outside in my pjs at 3.30am testing if the car worked!

 Back to bed I went and waited for the 5am alarm. I got up and had my porridge and promptly chipped a tooth. First thought - I've now got something to do on the swim as I can play with the hole with my tongue. I woke 2 kids up and piled them in the car, searched for an open petrol station and made my way to Eton Dorney.

  To my utter joy I arrived and found 2 friends in the car park. It was fantastic to see familiar faces and meant I didn't have to go through the panic of registration on my own. I'm not sure if Caz and Sarah were as nervous as me. They weren't singing 'Totally unprepared am I to face the Lake and swim. Timid and shy and scared am I for what the water brings' Off we went together, reluctant kids in tow, to the registration tent. Jokingly I had packed my passport in case I got really lost so was pleasantly pleased when I was asked for ID at registration and pulled out said passport. (The fact it had run out about 10 years ago didn't seem to matter!) Swimmer number 78. My number was written on my hand, a yellow wristband attached to my arm and a brown envelope with my hat and timing chip handed over. There was no going back now.

  The 3 of us left the tent and wandered off to take a look at the start. That's when we bumped into the Bayside Tri gang and cheer team. We waited for them to register (having asked if they had passports) and together the swimming group went off to place goodies at the feeding station. Here my lack of organisation became clear. They had boxes with Bayside Tri written on and looked professional. I had an ASDA bag with an ASDA sports drink and a couple of ASDA fudge pieces. At the station they put their boxes down and I put my plastic bag next to them.

 By now my nervous singing was getting annoying and I asked if we could get changed. Off to the tent we went and I started the fight to get my wet wetsuit on. I smothered myself in Body glide and headed off to check my bag in. Nerves were taking hold and doubt was creeping in. In an odd way the fact that Sadie was late and I was worrying about her making the start took my mind off my race nerves. We headed to the holding pen. Fast swimmers had to go in the first pen so that's where Addy went. Caz and I decided the back of the second pen was the best place for us so we could avoid the crowd. Somehow we moved to the middle of that pen. Anna, Erika, Sarah, Caz and I posed for photos for the support team and Sadie rushed to join us.

  Before we knew it the race was starting. I remember saying to Caz, 'Let's not get caught up in this. Don't go out fast. Lets just finish'. Off we went. I followed Caz into the water. First thought - it's not too cold. Second thought - it doesn't taste nice. I much prefer salty water. (This made me giggle in a dirty minded way) Third thought - I can actually see my hands and things in the water. Fourth thought - bugger I've been caught up in this and gone out fast. Fifth thought - where are my friends? Sixth thought - I'm on my own so just swim.

  After that I don't remember thinking anything particular. I was still singing that stupid song but enjoying the swim. I noticed a board at the side that said 1500m. I couldn't work out why it was there as first lap was 1.25km. Didn't take too long to realise it was a race marker for the rowing lake. Later I noticed 1250m and 1000m. (On the start of second circuit I found the 1750m marker too) These were nice to see as I could tell how far I was through the race. It was nice watching the distance drop as I knew it was getting me closer to the finish.

  Another really nice point came when the first of the skin swimmers ran me over. They all had orange hats. My friend Tom is a skins swimmer and wears an orange hat. I took it as a sign that my friends were with me. Being overtaken by a heard of Tom Barnetts made me giggle. I reached the huge Human Race buoy and swam under the bridge. It was at this point I noticed I was swimming with a friend. Sarah was by my side. I'm a social group swimmer normally and like to check on everybody as I swim. To have Sarah there meant I could do my usual thing of swimming with an eye on a friend.

      That second length seemed to go faster than the first. Before I knew it I was at the second feed station where my drink was placed. I could see Erika and Anna having a drink. Slight quandary - do I stop and drink or continue with Sarah.I stopped. I'm glad I did. The kids were there with Tim, Sharon and Amy and they were all cheering us on. I've never stopped for a drink when swimming before. It was an experience. For a second I thought I was going to drown - not because of the lake but because I squeezed the bottle and raspberry drink flooded down my throat. Erika and Anna were off again so I went with them. I knew they had trained and were probably pacing themselves well. They actually had a time in mind whereas I just wanted to finish. We set off with the 3 of us side by side. We went under the bridge and round the buoy to start the second lap. By now the lake was getting crowded again. Blue hat swimmers from the 5k race were determined that nothing was going to get in the way. I got hit and stopped to let them go by. I watched Erika and Anna swim off in the sea of blue hats.

  I was on my own again so just watched the rowing markers count down the length. The turning buoy was a short distance past the 1000m marker. I went under the bridge and past the first of the 2 feeding stations. There I was delighted to see Sarah having a drink. She set off and I tried to swim with her but lost her in amongst other green hats. I knew where she was by the man with the stripey umbrella walking and cheering her on.  I now knew Erika, Anna and Sarah were in front of me somewhere and I hoped to see them at the next feed stop.

   I pulled in at the feeding station and had a chat with Amy and Sharon. They asked where Erika and Anna were. I hadn't a clue. I had seen them swim off at speed and thought they were in front. I carefully had a drink and ate a piece of fudge before swimming off. Under the bridge, round the buoy and into lap 3. Thoughts started in my head. This was uncharted territory. I'd only ever swum 5k before. That was OK. I had a talk with myself. I had swum 5k twice before and that made 10k so I could obviously do this. The fact my 2 5k swims were about 4 weeks apart wasn't an issue. I just had 5k to do.  Here came those marker points again . Here came the singing again. I was singing 'There's one more angel in heaven' from Joseph. This had perfect rhythm for longer breathe holding and made the swim comfortable. I decided to sing the whole soundtrack from the start of the show but discovered I'd forgotten too many words. Go go Joseph was a good one for speeding up though!

  As I rounded the corner to go under the bridge I decided to do breast stroke. That's when it happened. I got cramp in one leg. OK, I thought how do you cure cramp. Blank. I've never had cramp before swimming. I decided to kick it out. I switched back to front crawl and the other leg went. Now, I THOUGHT THAT I DIDN'T USE MY LEGS WHEN SWIMMING CRAWL. I THOUGHT THEY JUST TRAILED BEHIND.AT THAT PRECISE MOMENT I REALISED JUST HOW IMPORTANT MY LEGS WERE.  They just sank. I tried to power on with just arms but I was going nowhere and sinking. I tried kicking but my legs didn't like it. I kicked enough to stay afloat and move forward. I could see the feed station. I could see Sarah! I kicked my legs. They worked! Dilemma do I drink or keep going? I kept going. My legs were working so it would have been silly to stop. Next thought -I've got a 5k run next week and my legs have cramp now and running is my nemesis. OOH nemesis. I KNOW A SONG ABOUT THAT! Perry the Platypus has a lot to answer as the swim to the next feeding station was filled with 'My Neme neme ooh my neme nemesis, my neme neme ooh my nemenemesis.'

  Feed station 3 and again met with cheers and horns. The Bayside pom poms and horns are such a sight to behold especially after 7.5k swimming. More fudge and drink. I think Sarah was there too. I remember talking to a swimmer and an official asking if we were going. I finished my fudge and said the next stop was the finish. Off we went and off Sarah shot (Yes I remember now, it was her.) Under the bridge. Round the buoy. Here come the markers. Reached the buoy, under the bridge, stick tongue out at photographer, keep going, past feed station (no Sarah), just keep swimming, just keep swimming. Go away cramp I don't like you. Keep working legs. Ooh Robbie Williams singing swing song to me.. Ooh 'Dream a little dream for me' has a good swim beat and breathing pattern. Goodbye swans. Goodbye gap where you can see other lake. Keep swimming. Keep singing. Nobody at the feed station. Keep swimming. I hear horn. I hear cheers. Under bridge. Wave at kids on bridge first. Can I overtake this man. Sing faster, swim faster. Give up and let the man have his moment. Approach black finish marker. Made it.

  Now came the hardest part of the race. Get out. Dear legs why do you no longer work. Nice man takes my elbow and helps me up. He lets go I fall over. He helps me up. Cross the line he shouts. He lets go. I fall over. He helps me up, pulls me up slope, lets go. Splat. Lady comes over, 'CROSS THE LINE' she shouts. She escorts me over line, removes my ankle timer and props me up against the fence with a hand on my elbow. Supporters are all there and I wonder how many photos of me on the floor there are (none so far!) A huge smile on my face and a foil blanket placed over my shoulders. Pigeon steps to the medal table as my legs still weren't working and a wobbly walk to find my clothes.

  Off to the changing tent and start to get changed. A text came through  CONGRATULATIONS PENELOPE on completing the swim in a time of 3:44:31 . Gobsmacked. I was expecting over 4 hours. I was worried I would be stopped before final lap! Just after that Anna walked in shivering badly. 'Why didn't you get changed straight away? ' I asked. Then Erika walked in  'ANNA! You look dreadful' she says. (What else are friends for!) THEY START TO CONGRATULATE ME. I'm still looking confused as to why they hadn't got changed. Then the penny dropped! They were behind me. I still can't work out when I went by them. I would have bet everything I owned that they were in front of me. The position of any of us didn't matter. It was finishing that was important but that was the part of the day that still confuses me. I'm sure I saw them ahead of me on that final lap.

  Dressed and with sweet tea drunk it was off to watch Sadie finish. I secretly wanted her to fall flat on her face getting out too but she didn't. However when she came to talk to us it looked like she had! Anna had a puffy face but Sadie took the prize! I believe next time she won't wear her goggles so tight.

  Excitement then as we could see Caz coming down the last length. She had a safety boat with her and we were ready to form a lynch mob if they tried to stop her. Legs now working I 'ran' to the bridge to cheer her on. Then back to the finish to watch her cross that line. I was so proud to see my friend being wrapped in blankets and be congratulated in style. Bayside tri were there to cheer and hug . What an amazing experience.

 

                                                   



The Start of My Fundraising Year

It was back in 2010 that I decided on my first fundraising event in memory of my mum. My friend, Jane, had wanted to do a charity trek but was being a big girlie wimp about it and wanted a trek where they spoke English, had nice food, proper toilets and no tents. I didn't actually think this was possible but after scouring the internet I found a charity trek for Breakthrough Breast Cancer along the Gower peninsula.
  We signed up and off we went. Breakthrough were very supportive and I decided that they would be a charity that I would continue to support. The organisation of the trek was fantastic. This was where I first met Gideon of Walkwise UK. They were responsible for sorting hotel, transport and the walk and I couldn't fault that. The weather was beautiful( an added bonus) and the walk enjoyable.
 Walking for a distance gives you time to think and before we had gone too far I had decided that I would really like to do something similar in Dorset where my mum had liked to go on holiday. I had a conversation with Gideon about the possibility of organising a walk in memory of mum in that area and he said it would be possible. Our Gower trek continued and plans were put to the back of my mind.
  The next year my sister announced she wanted to swim across the Solent for fun so she and I entered a sea swim with MACMILLAN CANCER  to see what we felt about that. I now had another idea for a charity event!
  Slowly I decided that I needed a year of fundraising madness in memory of my mum and as October 2013 marked the 20th anniversary of mum's death that seemed the perfect year to carry it out. I knew exactly which charities too. Breakthrough Breast Cancer had allowed me to run for them in Great South Run and had been very supportive so they were my first choice. Mum had had breast cancer and had survived that. Unfortunately she later developed lung cancer and died at the Royal Marsden. She had been given some equipment that allowed her to come home and I decided that the Marsden would be my next charity so I could help fund equipment to let others come home. Finally I chose Cancer Research. There are so many different types of cancer and so many families touched by the disease this seemed an appropriate charity.
  I guess I am a person easily led. I hate running and always swore I would never run. Then my friend, Baz, ran the London marathon. I told them they were mad and would never catch me entering. That put the idea in my head and twice so far I've entered the ballot for a place. The London marathon was then added to my list of events for the year. If I don't get a ballot place I'm hoping Breakthrough will give me a charity place.
   I also said I would never abseil. I hate heights, although mum had no fear. When I say I hate heights I mean I HATE heights. My friend Trish then did an abseil. I continued to say I would NEVER do an abseil but another friend announced they were going to abseil down the Spinnaker Tower. Next thing I know I'm telling everybody that is another event I'm doing.
  At this point I thought I had enough but then a friend asked me to enter the Grim challenge. Of course I said no and that I would never do that. Next thing I know I've gathered a team of about 9 to doThe Grim with me.
  Please don't suggest anything else!!!!!

   Once events were chosen organisation began. My open event is my Dorset Trek. I contacted Gideon and told him the date and area I wanted and he very kindly put together a package. The event takes place 4th to 6th October 2013 and costs £179 per person based on sharing a twin room. At the time of writing I have 13 people attending but there is still room for more. The cost includes 2 nights at a hotel, food, transport from hotel to the start of day 1 and transport back to the hotel and 2 days walking with guide.
 If you are interested in joining me please let me know. I have set up fundraising pages for each charity for the walking team. If you can't join us please sponsor us

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserPage.action?userUrl=pennysdorsetdawdlers&pageUrl=4&isTeam=true

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserPage.action?userUrl=pennyswalkers&pageUrl=2&isTeam=true

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserPage.action?userUrl=dorsetdawdlers2&pageUrl=3&isTeam=true

here we go again

I'm going to spend a year fundraising for Breakthrough Breast Cancer, Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden to mark 20 years since my mum died. My first event will be a walk in Dorset organised by Walkwise UK and will take place 4th - 6th October 2013

penny nash is fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support

penny nash is fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support

Pussy and Rabbit Dot Com

I have been an Ann Summers organiser since July 1994 and have seen so much change over those years. I remember itchy lace and tacky animal print lingerie. My best seller was a lace body called Faye, later to be taken over by a velour body called Zoe. The underwear has come a long way since then. Our corsets are lovely and my best seller is now a 'boob job in a bra' range that enhances the assets of those that wear it.
The biggest change, however, comes in our vibrators. My basic kit included black prince, foreskin and adonis. They were basically willy shaped with a nob at the bottom to twist to increase the speed. They served their purpose and at the time were great toys. Designs remained pretty similar until the introduction of the rabbit.
The first rabbit contained pearl balls that rotated and rabbit ears that left girls squealing. It had a battery pack attached by a wire and was purple in colour. It was the start of the rabbit revolution. In typical rabbit fashion the rabbit family grew. A whole new generation of rampant rabbits appeared in the catalogue. Over the years I remember original rabbit, platinum, platinum +, deluxe, thruster, thruster deluxe, 3 way, gpulse, g pulse remote, aqua, petite and the big O. Rabbits don't just rotate and vibrate , they do all sorts of different things.
Now rabbit World has improved and developed over time and has reached a whole new level. The rabbit that all girls will want is now amongst us. It even has it's own mini website http://pussyandrabbit.com

As an organiser this is the rabbit that makes me smile when I show it at parties. It is the Ann Summers Rampant Rabbit Touch.It's sleek to touch and comes in varying shades of pink. The rabbits ears have 7 settings from plain vibrate to pulsate to va va voom. It's the shaft on this rabbit that holds the secret magic. It is called touch as it is touch sensitive. The more you squeeze the more it will please! Pressure sensors within the bands of colour respond to your touch and offer different vibration. It's a hands free product as far as the shaft is concerned. I think that makes it a gadget so your partner will approve. (We also do a touch cock ring if he thinks he is being left out!)
I believe for a limited period Ann Summers are offering 20% discount on Rampant rabbit touch via http://pussyandrabbit.com/ so get yourselves over there and take a look. Of course if you know me personally or live near Fareham in Hampshire I am more than happy to offer you the same discount and as long as you are female and over 18 I am happy to do an Ann Summers party for you. Just message @pennynash on twitter or leave me a comment. Just take my word that this is one rabbit you will want to get your hands (and other areas) on.

Whoops I appear to have done it again!

Somebody needs to help me engage my brain at times!For months my friend, Natalie Evans, has been raising money for her marathon run in aid of clic sargent. During those months I have thought to myself that she was completely stupid and very brave. There was no way on earth I would ever do anything like that.
Then I heard that my friend on twitter, @radeeboi was also running the London marathon for the same charity. Again I thought he was a bloody idiot. In fact I thought anybody who wanted to run in a marathon needed their head examined. I could think of nothing worse than running anywhere. I am not built for running. I carry a spare tyre around my middle and have airbags in front that would give me black eyes if Ieven thought about running.
To support my friends I attended Natalie's charity zumba class and on my birthday sponsored @radeeboi. I still thought they were both silly, especially with the injuries Natalie carried. The London marathon took place on 17th April. I watched a little bit on the tv and sort of looked down my nose at the pathetic people attempting to run .
I showed no interest in running the marathon or even really watching it. I did however follow the twitter support for @radeeboi as he made his way around the course. This was my downfall. In the evening I was reading the twitter stream. In a split second the thought that it might be quite good fun to take part in the marathon rushed across my mind. If I hadn't been on twitter this wouldn't have been a problem but instead of the message going across my brain to the logic centre it went straight to my tweeting finger and appeared in the twitterverse.
Before I knew it the message that I wanted to take part in the marathon was out there and as usual twitter was encouraging me to do something stupid. I was told the date to sign up and encouraged to do so. I was told it was a ballot and I might not get in so it wouldn't hurt to register. Twitter had taken me down this route before and that's how I ended up stood on the 4th Plinth in Trafalgar Square.
Today was the ballot day for the marathon. I could have come to my senses in the week since the marathon but I didn't. I now have to wait until October to find out if I have a place. If I do I will be raising money for cancer research. In the meantime I thought it best to start doing some running. I have signed up for The Race for Life and if you want to sponsor this lunatic and help those suffering from cancer then you can do here http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/penelopenash1604?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=newsfeed&utm_campaign=editpage

The Circus

I did it. I joined the circus and it was just as amazing as I thought it would be! It's taken me a while to write this blog but that wasn't because the circus experience wasn't brilliant but because I had other things going on. A huge huge thank you to all at Circus Space for making my dream come true.
My circus day was fantastic. I set off from home nice and early, drove to Worcester Park, caught a train and changed to a tube. I thought I had planned my journey perfectly but had forgotten the Northern line split and the branch I needed wasn't at this station. A slight panic and a rethink of journey and I was soon on my way. I had directions from the tube station and it was only a short walk to Circus Space.
My heart was in my mouth when I walked into the building but the reception desk was full of smiling faces. I filled in the form I was given and looked around to see who else was on my course. The place was full of people so it was difficult to tell. I had been given instructions on lockers and where to wait but the panic started again. Luckily 2 women arrived who were also on my course. I tried to strike up a conversation but they were clearly there together and didn't need an extra person. I sort of stalked them to the lockers and the waiting area. As long as they were in sight I wouldn't get lost!

It wasn't long before our trainer came to collect us and take us to the first room. There was a trampoline and bits and pieces in the room but our first thing was to warm up. I looked around the room and found most people were there with somebody, were younger than me and all were carrying less weight. I thought this would make me feel awkward but it didn't.
The first part of circus training was the warm up. We needed to warm up body and mind which sounded very energetic and proved to be just that. We were soon running around the room jumping in the air when told to go down and squatting when told to go up. I thought it was going to show just how much older and unfit I was but I held my own.

Now the first skill for the day was the static trapeze. At last I had the chance to live my childhood dream. OK it wasn't the flying trapeze but it was a trapeze. We went off to another room and lined up. There were 2 trapezes,one higher than the other and another lovely instructor started to tell us what we were going to do. It was advised that we used the low trapeze over the crash mat so that she could help. She showed us how to throw our legs up to get on in the first place and I could see my first hurdle!
I was someway down the queue so had time to watch others. The men in the group decided to use the higher trapeze as did the 2 women who had arrived at the same time as me. I knew I would never manage that. I wasn't sure I would manage the low one! Luckily another girl was before me and chose the low trapeze. She failed to get on it first time and I was secretly pleased. On my turn it took 2 attempts to pull myself up. The instructor was very good and gave advice without patronising the fat old bird. In fact fat old bird thoughts did go through my mind. There was the panic I wouldn't be strong enough to pull myself up, that I would fart as I swung my legs or worse have a tenna lady moment! None of these things happened!
The first position was the gazelle. I know I didn't look like a young gazelle but I sat on the trapeze, pointed my legs in one direction and my arm in the other and felt the part. The second time we had to hang by our legs from the trapeze and at that moment I was living the dream. The third time we had to stand on the trapeze and then hang down. I can not explain just how happy and exhilarated I felt. I know I didn't look like the picture in my head but I had fun. I didn't care about my size or my age or the fact I was on my own as I was that circus performer I had dreamed of being.

The static trapeze was over all too soon and we returned to the first room. Diabolo training came next. I had played with a diabolo before but other than getting it spinning I hadn't managed any tricks. We were shown several different things from throwing and catching it to skipping whilst it was in the air. Others were much better than me but I did succeed in throwing and catching so was really pleased.

A short break came next and that's when I noticed being on my own. Everybody scattered and I was a little lost. We all came back for unicycle training. I have a great respect for those who can unicycle. I have my own but have never managed. I still can't unicycle. I don't think any of us managed . We did work in small groups of similar height for this and so I did pair up with 2 girls. They were half my age, half my dress size and half my weight but we had a laugh and worked together.

The final discipline of the morning was stilt walking. I had never really thought about this before but soon discovered it was to be one of the scariest things I have ever done. To start we had to get into pairs so I was with the lovely young Claire. I let her go first on the stilts. Before we could put stilts on we had to practice falling on to a crash mat. Then she had to sit on what appeared to be an old gym horse whilst I helped strap the stilts on her. Once on she had to hold my hands and stand up without leaning forward or putting feet back, walk to the mat and fall over. Once fallen it was a crawl back to the box to get back up and start walking around the room with your partner for support. It looked fun but that was a little misleading!
Soon it was my turn. My first problem came in trying to stand up! I couldn't even get up off the box properly. The lovely instructor explained what to do and I was soon on my feet, only to go to the crash mat to fall over. I crawled back to the box and struggled back up. Claire was fantastic at helping and saying encouraging things and I began to walk around the room. I hadn't thought about how high I was until then or how scared of heights. The fear clearly showed on my face. Then came a slight trip and the biggest shock of the day. I tripped and yelled out "Mummy". I gave an embarrassed giggle, apologised and carried on walking. Another slight trip and another yell of mummy left me almost in tears. The third time I looked at Claire and explained my mum had been dead for 16 years so calling for her was a little bit unnerving! I was so scared I couldn't stop myself calling out. The trainer suggested I had a rest as it was hard work but I knew if I sat down I wouldn't get back up off the box so kept going. I wouldn't say I enjoyed it but I enjoyed the challenge and overcame my fear.

Lunch was next and again everybody scattered. I went to the cafe across the road and had a pot of tea. After lunch some new people joined us and some others left as they had only booked a half day course. The afternoon started with the horrible warm up which those of us from the morning halfheartedly joined in.

The first discipline of the afternoon was the tight wire. First we had to change in to ballet shoes and line up. I was paired with a new lady and we took it in turns to hold the supporting stick and walk on the wire. I didn't think I would enjoy this but really did. I wasn't very good which was the general theme for the day but I had such fun that my ability didn't matter.

After the tight wire came the thing I had been waiting for all these years. I stood there thinking of somersaults and cheers and then watching and wondering how on earth I was going to even get up the ladder! Heights and I have never gone well together. To start I had to climb the straight up ladder. By the time I reached the top I had the shivers and my nervous noise had started. I stepped on to the platform and wrapped my leg round as instructed. I reached out and supported the trapeze for the person in front of me. All that was holding me on was my leg! Then I had to unhook and stand in the middle of the platform whilst the harness was attached. Minor problems knowing left from right caused a slight delay! It was my turn to go. I had listened to the instructions so knew I had to lead with my feet but I couldn't work out how to do that so just leant forward and went. After all those years I was flying. Actually it felt more like falling! I had listened to how to swing my legs and not bend them but all that went out the window. I knew I had to let go when told to so I would be in the right place but my hands started slipping. I told the trainer I was losing grip so she said to let go on the count of three. 1, 2, 3, LET GO! No! I couldn't let go. I was slipping but I couldn't let go as that was just as scary. On the second count down I let go and landed in a crumpled blob on the mat. It wasn't how I had pictured it at all. I was slightly cross with myself and determined to get it right the next turn. Well my next turn I did lead with my feet but still got the swing rhythm wrong and still couldn't let go. My dismount was even more of a crash than the first but I loved every second.

I was on such a high from the trapeze that the fact I couldn't juggle didn't bother me at all. I can remember very little of the juggling section as I was still on that trapeze in my head!

The last part of the day was the team balancing. Again I was partnered with the 2 young girls from unicycling. I enjoyed being on the bottom of the pyramid and the balancing bits but became acutely aware of my size when I had to stand on the other 2. I was very pleased when it came to the large human pyramid that I was on the second level and not on the top.

The day came to an end and we all went our separate ways. I made my way back to the tube and the train and finally the car. The next morning I was covered in bruises and ached all over. The day after that the swelling round my ankles and my knees where the stilts had been strapped made it almost impossible to walk. You could see the strap marks in my bruises. I didn't care though. In fact I showed my bruises off with pride and couldn't wait to tell people why I couldn't walk.

If you ever get the chance to visit Circus Space you should definitely do it. If I lived nearer I would have joined the aerial classes. I will go again but next time I will take friends with me so that we can share the stories together. I practice tight wire at the beach on the breakwaters and I swing from the tree outside. My favourite though was the static trapeze and if I can find a way of practicing that I will!