Me

I'm Northern, I do daft things, my blog is aptly named. My Dad used to come to support my School hockey matches and stand on the sideline winding up the umpires just for the hell of it...my PE teacher and teammates nicknamed him 'The Nutter'  and it stuck. 30 years later, I'm carrying on the family name and tradition...yes, I love winding up my daughters teachers too.

I started off South of the Tyne (the posh side of Geordieland), and lived life at 100mph so it was inevitable that I'd end up running for most of it. For the last 33 years, that's what I've been doing.

In my first term of Comprehensive, I joined the local harriers and for the next 10 years enjoyed moderate success on the track at middle distance, then later at 400m, but also huge failures at x-country and road racing. I hated x-country with a passion, so it's ironic that now, in my forties, I love hitting the trails and getting dirty in muddy fields and puddles.
Around the same time of joining the running club, I was introduced to the sport that quickly became the love of my life - hockey. I was steered in the direction of the sticks 'n' balls partly because it was spotted early on that I was fast, and partly because I was too rough (I like to think it was a healthy competitiveness) for netball. Apparently, according to my PE teacher, netball is not/was not/and never will be, a contact sport.

I couldn't wait until I was old enough to join a proper hockey club and the coaches were eager too as they allowed me to join 2 years early and play illegally in the local league. I was told, if asked, to say nothing and was assigned one of my older team-mates to chaperone me. She spoke on my behalf if coaches from other teams quizzed me. Looking back, I don't know how we were never found out as I was little for my age, and all it would've taken was one phone call to my School, and yet questions were never raised. I quickly settled into the first team and was highest scorer for the 10 years I was at the club.

I played hockey for nearly 25 years before having to retire due to to recurring injuries and the stress high end league hockey was putting on my body. Once I'd stopped sulking it was time to find a new challenge.

Retiring from hockey coincided with our move to Scotland - new start all round. I was still running, albeit more slowly and far less than I had been doing - maybe once or twice a month. I started work in the local town and as most of my friends were cyclists and triathletes, I decided to see what all the fuss was about and bought myself a road bike (last time I'd had one was at 11 years old), and commute daily to work. For the next 2 years, come rain, hail, or shine, I trudged the 14 mile round trip and absolutely loved it. I went out in all weathers. Deep snow was a challenge on 700x23 rims so I togged up my MTB with slicks - nothing stopped me. My love of cycling was reignited.

In 2006 those same cycling/tri friends bullied (I mean encouraged) me to take up a new challenge and I did my first duathlon...OMG, the pain! Back to running it was.....

On a whim I entered the ballot for the Edinburgh marathon and got in. I completed my first marathon in May 2007 and have since ran/hobbled/staggered through another 6 or so, and umpteen more in training. I've also completed around 30 ish half marathons in the last 6 years. Unsurprisingly, my body is now falling apart. However, I will soldier on because when you love something, you make sacrifices.......keep moving forward, and never give up.