Time to come clean and explain my absence from the blogosphere.

Wow it has been a long time since I prepared a paella and bovril. Well I have been busy, busier than I thought I would be to be honest. 

As some of you may know from previous servings of PnB I have been on a triathlon journey with Raith and this year I decided to go long, 1.9km swim, 90km cycle and a half marathon run to finish off. So 8 months ago I got back into the training routine and my word I don't think I was quite ready for the time commitment.  5 to 6 days a week either in the water, on the saddle or in my running shoes sometimes up to 5 hours a day. I just about had enough time to tune in to the Rovers during the season. 

I hope this rather larger than normal dish of paella and bovril will explain a little. 

TRIing for the Rovers. 

Just like one Brownlee brother helped the other across the finish line I am gonna need
 some help getting to mine, and thru the 7 hours it will take to get there!  Please help a me on my 70.3 triathlon journey and help continue the great work of  Raith Suppnorter’s trust.

We have all done it, had a fantastic idea that starts out small then grows and grows and before you know it your plan is just a little daunting. In 2012 the plan was just that, a wee idea to do something to change my not-so-healthy lifestyle. Four years on, and that “wee idea” is now a little bigger.


TRIing for the Rovers was that wee idea, triathlons were, are,  the challenge. In 2012 Barcelona was once again hosting a triathlon event with multiple distances. I signed myself up for a Super Sprint; 450m swim, 10km bike and a 2.5km run. At this point I couldn't swim in the sea without freaking out about the possibility of Jaws, jelly fish and just about anything that floated past.  I could ride a bike slowly and if it was a mountain bike  and running was just there to make me cry. How badly could this go, could I finish this.  I needed motivation and a substantial amount of it. Raith Rovers had helped me before, maybe they could maybe get me to the finish. TRIing for the Rovers was born. 

Since 2012 every summer has been about doing a slightly longer challenge, but never one of those “silly length”  like half ironman (know as a 70.3 or half) or the big boy Ironman. So of course this year I have decided to be silly and do a 70.3. I will swim for 1.9km (1.2 miles), cycle for 90km (56 miles)  and run a half marathon (13.1 miles)  to finish. No music, no distractions, just alone with my thoughts and sweat for a 113kms. The last triathlons have been completed with, of course with prep and training, but also encouragement from friends and family but at those points where you just want it to stop I  remember why I am doing this.

But why Raith? How could a wee club from Kirkcaldy help a wee lassie in Barcelona………….?

Summer 2012 was a summer of sport, the Euros in Poland/Ukraine, Barcelona hosted the world junior athletics championship,  the  Olympics thrilled  in London, the Paralympics left us all in awe; perfect, I though,t a few weeks of sofa, sangria and sport on the tv. Plus, in between all this, Raith Rover’s season would be underway. I had just been made redundant, and what more does a sports-fan want but endless hours of entertainment with all the time in the world to watch it. Happiness was afoot.

However it seems that happiness can't be found in  a tv schedule and biscuit box. Redundancy was taking its toll and the only real high point of my week was to escape (virtually via Raith tv) to Fife
and support Raith in the ups and downs of Scottish football and chat to other fans. Time was the killer: too much of it on my hands, so in a moment of madness I dusted off the trainers and decided to run. Maybe it was the inspiring performances from all the sport I'd been watching, or the beer talking but someone suggested a triathlon as a challenge, what did I have to lose! A lot it seemed, 40kg in weight and a few fears. 

Raith take sport into the community in many ways, not just playing a weekly football match. Volunteers at the Supporters’ Trust take the time to come up with ideas, organize events and drum up support within the Fife community. Burns’ suppers, family fun days and many more activities don’t organize themselves. The trust and its members volunteer their time and skills to help promote community empowerment. They also put a lot of time and work into making sure that the fans can have their voices heard during the decision making process at the club. Something many fans, and myself, want to see more of, in clubs far and wide.

I started watching Raith Rovers as a kid and this has always been the source of my love of sport. Fond memories of members of the team coming to the school trying to get us kids excited about coming to the game and connect with future lifelong fans. Not so fond memories of hard times and supporters having to come together to raise funds and save the club from some sticky financial situations. The Raith Supporters Trust unselfishly works for the good of the club and community that supports it. This is not an easy task and to me and so many involved with football, this is not just a sport, a club is a community. Raith Rovers have been at the heart of Kirkcaldy and beyond for a good few years now and I, and many others, want to see that grow and continue. I want to see future fans find that spark in sport. The best way, I think, to do this is to be part of a sporting community.

For the past 8 months it has been an interesting journey, and the boyfriend can testify to that as he has been supporting me by getting very much involved. From the hot cups of soup waiting for me after

cold February morning sea swims, to joining me on the grueling 90km cycles in 38°. He has sweated along side me, encouraged me on the run and put cream on the jelly fish stings. I like to think maybe he has been inspired a wee bit as he is doing his first solo triathlon these coming weeks also. 

To show your support check out the work of the trust, maybe leave an encouraging comment on the TRIing for the Rovers page and if you can please make a donation on behalf of TRIing 4 the Rovers to the trust thru their donations page. 

As the BIG triathlon draws closer this great quote is gonna keep me going “Don't count the days, make the days count” Muhammad Ali. During the race the thought of your support will get me over that line.  Thank you so much for your support.