I know it's been a while since I've written a blog post.
Over the last few months, the blog has been pretty quiet, and if I'm honest, that's something I want to change.
I've always enjoyed writing because it allows me to document the journey properly. Not just the good moments, the PBs and the achievements, but also the setbacks, the uncertainty and everything that happens behind the scenes.
So moving forward, I want this blog to become a bit of a journal. A place where I can document my return from injury, the process of rebuilding my running, and hopefully the journey back towards chasing some big goals again, including the dream of eventually running under 2:20 for the marathon.
And what better way to restart than with what is probably one of the craziest decisions I've made…
I signed up for Ironman Leeds.
If you follow me on Instagram, you'll have already seen the announcement last week. I shared Episode 1 of “Stress Fracture to Ironman”, explaining the decision to take on a full Ironman with just seven weeks until race day.
Now, we're five weeks out. The initial shock of signing up has settled slightly, and the reality of the challenge is starting to sink in.
I wanted to write this blog separately because the Instagram post was the announcement, but this is the story behind why I made the decision.
The last year hasn't gone how I imagined. After years of consistent training, chasing marathon goals and building towards some of the biggest performances of my life, I found myself forced to stop after developing a stress fracture in my femur.
It has been one of the most frustrating periods I've experienced as an athlete. Running has been such a huge part of my life for so long, so suddenly losing that routine was incredibly difficult. The hardest part wasn't just losing fitness, it was losing the daily process, the goals and the feeling of moving forward.
But setbacks give you a choice. You can wait for everything to return to how it was, or you can find a new way to challenge yourself.
For me, that challenge became Ironman Leeds.
Now, I completely understand why people might question the decision. A 3.8km swim, 180km bike and marathon is something most people spend many months preparing for. Attempting it five weeks after returning from a femoral stress fracture is certainly not the conventional route.
But this isn't a careless decision. It's a calculated risk.
I've been working closely with my physiotherapist to put together the smartest approach possible. The goal isn't to ignore the injury or force my body through unnecessary stress. The goal is to give myself the best chance of getting to the start line healthy and completing the race while protecting my long-term running goals.
After testing things with a five-hour hike up Mount Snowdon without any issues, we felt there was an opportunity to give this a proper go, as long as we remain patient and make sensible decisions.
The reality is, I'm starting this journey far from where I would normally want to be.
The swim? I had swam once in the previous three months before making this decision.
The bike? I've built a good aerobic base through cycling while unable to run, but I still have to prepare for 180km around an incredibly demanding Ironman Leeds course.
The run? The biggest question mark. After 14 weeks away from running while recovering from my stress fracture, I've only recently returned to continuous running.
Am I ready? No.
But maybe that's exactly why I wanted to do this. This isn't about chasing a finishing time or proving I'm immediately back to where I was before injury.
It's about rebuilding confidence in my body. It's about embracing the uncertainty.
The bigger picture remains the same. I want to return to consistent running, rebuild my strength, and eventually get back to chasing big marathon goals. Hopefully, this Ironman becomes another chapter in that story.
So this is Episode 1: Stress Fracture to Ironman. Five weeks to see what's possible.
I'll be sharing the training, the setbacks, the doubts, the lessons and hopefully some unforgettable moments along the way.
Let's see what happens.