Inspired by Simon Wakeman, I thought I'd run through a few of my personal goals, trials and achievements of the decade. Of course, what I think is worth writing about today I might decide is meaningless and superficial tomorrow, so before I change my mind ...
2000
On 23 December 1999 I got together with Adam, who I'd dated a couple of years previously. There's a picture of us climbing on Christmas Eve (if you're interested in these things he's slapping for the top of Meringue (HVS) at Lawrencefield, me belaying). At the time, I was working for a PR agency in Birmingham as an account director, living in Nottingham and enduring a 100 mile round trip every day. I hated the job, I hated the drive, and I'd been in one car crash too many in the past year. I spent all my spare time climbing, running and travelling, taking 'burning the candle at both ends' to extremes.
2001
I changed jobs, took a salary cut, and became an account director at Paskett PR, a specialist PR agency (gardening and food) in Derby. I nearly didn't start the job as I suffered a head injury in February whilst winter mountaineering, and spent most of the spring seeing everything tinged in green.
Just as I thought life was pretty settled and good (working at Pasketts was huge fun, if not particularly challenging), Adam was offered a job in Iceland, which he took. We got engaged in August 2001 just before he was due to leave. In September I won my first ever running-related prize - a set of candles for coming third in a fell race. The date was 11/9/01 Guess a lot of people hadn't turned up due to the events of the day.
I then suffered a serious knee injury and couldn't run for six months.
2002
Adam and I got married in January. I decided that I'd rent out my house and move to Iceland. I loved my job, but couldn't see myself working in PR forever, and wanted a chance to try other things. I moved in May and by July was working ...ironically for a PR agency, Kom ehf, where I ran training courses and liaised with their international clients.
I ran my first Icelandic mountain rance - the Þorvaldsdalsskokk - a grueling 20k across path-free tundra and snow slopes. I got a medal (I think for coming third) and a strained ankle. It was one of those races where everyone finishes covered in blood and bruises.
I was only working part-time, so had plenty of time to run, walk, cycle, read and decide what to do next.
2003
We lived in Akureyri, below the ski resort of Hlidarfjall . I spent the winter snowboarding, and would for the next three winters, getting quite good (I don't do tricks, I just like going very, very fast). We really made the most of our time in Iceland, and despite the hardships - not the weather but the bureaucracy, the sheer remoteness (we were a six hour drive from the bright lights of Reykjavik and an international airport) and some aspects of the culture - had an amazing three years.
I started an MA in Mass Communications via distance learning at the University of Leicester. I ran a lot, and picked up a second place in the Lake Myvatn Midnight Sun marathon (3:43 - which I thought was a personal best (pb) but on consulting my running diaries years later found out it wasn't).
Was really starting to enjoy my cycling and taught myself to swim 'properly.' Took part in my first sprint distance triathlon at Husavik and won.
2004
More snowboarding, more running, more travelling, more studying. Flew back to the UK to run the London Marathon in a personal worst time, but was greatly cheered afterwards to meet up with some of my virtual friends who I'd met on-line through a running discussion forum. I'd hardly heard the term 'social media' but there I was, drinking in a bar in London with a group of people I'd only ever chatted with via my laptop.
As we had the previous summer, we spent a month with our tent and climbing gear in France and Spain, climbing hard and living a simple life in the sun.
Ran my first Olympic distance triathlon (at Husavik again) and won (again) in 2:28. I immediately retired from triathlons, quitting while I was ahead.
2005
Won the Akureyri Vetrahlaup (winter run) series. Did some guest lecturing at the University of Akureyri. I knew by this stage that I wanted to make the switch from PR practitioner to academic, and was slowly putting everything in place to make it happen. Living in Iceland, it was easy to see the economic crash coming (it was obvious, even then) and decided to come 'home' while our salaries were still worth something, moving back to the UK in May. Started working at Eden PR in Nottingham. Finished my MA, but missed getting a distinction by a couple of marks (darn!).
2006
Was offered a position as senior lecturer in PR and media at De Montfort University in Leicester in January 2006, with a specific brief to set up an MA in PR and run an undergraduate module.
Did a lot of fellrunning and won my running club's fellrunner's championship - the first woman to do so. Also made a foray into the world of women's road racing (road bikes that is) which was exciting and terrifying in unequal parts.
Did the Fred Whitton Challenge - a nice 108 mile day out over the Lake District's hardest passes. Finished in 8:28, so one of the fastest women, but knew I could have gone faster ...
2007
A tough year. We were trying and failing to recruit a new PR lecturer at work, so I was doing two jobs while trying to keep up with the running and cycling, but neither were going too well. I had papers accepted at a couple of conferences, so was making a start to my academic career. I then had a cancer scare (thankfully a false alarm) but it took me a while to get over the illness that led to the scary symptons. Picked up a few minor race placings, and won my first UK race but wasn't getting any faster. Decided on a new approach, set myself some goals but frustratingly just got slower in November and December. It wasn't until Christmas Eve that I discovered why ...
2008
IsabelleHafdís was born in August 2008. Despite pregnancy, I still managed a couple of fell races, and a snowboarding holiday, while getting increasingly huge. Had papers accepted at conferences in Cardiff, Miami and Brussels, so made the most of my last few months of 'freedom.' Despite a c-section was out on my bike after five weeks and running after six.
2009
Isabelle is growing up into a lovely toddler but it's true that having kids changes everything. We still managed to go camping in the south of France in the summer, but life moves at a different pace now. I started racing again, but lacked the time/opportunity to train well, so achieved no great results and subsequently just treasured the times I could get out for a decent ride or run. I went back to work in June, thankfully only doing one job this time (at work, at least). Having participated in, researched and taught social media for half a decade I decided that it was time that I started blogging at 100rpm. Which is where you are now.
