Right. So, the London Marathon has been and gone. I’ve taken a few weeks to “relax” – eating well, spending evenings at home, and even having a day out with my wife.
Now that’s done and dusted the time has come to look to the future, and my solo bike ride across America next year. As you can imagine there is lots to do – training, logistics, preparing the bike, raising money, school visits…
So, I sat down this weekend to map out the top priorities. I was somewhat alarmed to discover that it is now LESS THAN A YEAR UNTIL I’M IN AMERICA. Time to get a wiggle on!
There are a few things that need doing simultaneously – booking the first flights out to New York, booking travel insurance, requesting a leave of absence from my job for three months, and applying for a visa. Whilst I was preparing for the marathon I held off doing any major prep for the bike ride – I needed to look after my mental health and avoid overwhelming myself. This means I’m going to have to take a bit of a chance booking flights before I receive my visa or get formal approval for a career break from work. In an ideal world I would have done these earlier but this isn’t an ideal world and I’m just a normal human.
Things are going to be a bit on and off for the next few months, with sudden burst of action alongside long periods of background planning. If you don’t hear from me this doesn’t mean nothing is going on. And if you’re keen to get involved already – I’m organising a cake break on the 3rd of July, asking as many people as possible to take a few cakes into work for one day of national (and international) fundraising. For more information head to to this Facebook event.
Finally – I just want to thank all you lovely people again for your support during the marathon. Your comments and your messages gave me so much strength and I can honestly say that it felt like it wasn’t just me – it felt like there was a whole team of you alongside me. I’m looking forward to moving on to this next adventure with you by my side – your support means the world to me.
antonyjcbutcher 