Chubby Chap Challenge - it's all kicking off....

....not kicking exactly, but a thing has begun. Those who know me know that from time to time I'll embark on an event or activity for charity. Partly because it's good to raise a few quid, partly because it gives me a focus outside of work and the kids and domestic stuff and general day-to-day Adulting but also partly because if I don't make myself accountable then I'll sit my lardy arse firmly in my #DadChair and my sedentary lifestyle becomes even more so. You know how when you've got an Apple watch (other fitness wrist-worn devices are available) and it monitors all manner of things from steps to heart rate to blood pressure to breathing to inside leg measurement, well if you are "up and about" and doing "stuff" its kinda useful. If you exercise regularly its a wonderful device to track activity and monitor improvements, gains and achievements. As an office based, and for the past 2 1/2 years pretty much entirely home based, desk jockey my Apple watch basically asks me (in the best parody of the great scene in "Cool Runnings") Matt - are you dead bro? so also partly to shut It the f*** up, I've signed up for a challenge. In the past I've done a cycle thingy, a run/jog thingy, I've grown face-fuzz and even got myself fit enough to step into the boxing ring. (which by the way, if anyone is thinking of doing, you absolutely must - don't be scared - do it! It's a massive huge buzz and to be in the ring in front of 1000 or so people is incredible. Loved it even though on the night I came second) After the 24+ months of various flavours of lock-down and isolations and restrictions and uncertainty I knew I wanted to do something properly challenging. Fortuitously (or not as it may prove) I got an email that listed out a whole bunch of 2022 "Ultra Events" Reviewing all the various events and options I had a couple on the shortlist then up stepped my Ego, barged my Rationality and Intellect aside, and clicked and registered for probably the longest, most gruelling of the lot so to get to the point of this first blog entry, I'm all signed up to walk from London to Brighton, continuously (i.e. not sleeping overnight....) covering 100 kms of varying terrains including lovely flat payments all the way through to the 1 in 3 gradients of the South Downs. Now of course I know how to walk, I've been doing that since I was a very small child, but what I don't know is how to walk so I'll be re-training myself for the distance, time, and variations this will require. I'll update the blog as and when with likely many more entries as it get closer, but for now, here's a link to the fundraiser which I am doing on behalf of Macmillan Cancer Support. These guys are an organisation that provide so much to the families, friends and those with cancer at every stage of wherever that journey may take them. Proper heroes. Every single one xx