<p>So I fancied a bit of a challenge this year....you know....something to aim for, something that will make me work hard.</p> <p>Why oh why did i pick the hardest one day endurance race in the UK....the Ironman UK????????&nbsp;</p> <p>I've never done a triathlon, i'm not much of a cyclist, I've never run a marathon or swam long distances in a lake before. So........WHY??!</p> <p>Because, I'm a little bit mad i think!!&nbsp;</p> <p>Nah, I am up for the challenge, I'm training hard and I'm confident(sometimes)&nbsp;that i will be able to complete the day. I say 'sometimes' because finishing this event is not guaranteed....I sometimes get scared of the stories of failure&nbsp;through&nbsp;renal failure, sickness,&nbsp;dehydration and exhaustion and these stories are often from full time athletes!</p> <p>&nbsp;Its this fear of failure that I'm using to drive me into full on, dedicated and focused training 6 days a week in order to give me the very best chance of success. Confidence Hanham!!</p> <p>There is another good reason for this choosing this event-</p> <p>&nbsp;I've never raised any money for charity before, i find it all a bit embarassing to be honest.&nbsp;I hope by choosing the hardest event possible i can feel worthy of being sponsored.</p> <p>I've chosen Scope (<a href="http://www.scope.org.uk/">http://www.scope.org.uk/</a>) as my charity because they deal with all aspects of disability, i especially like the support they give to carers and employers of people with disabilities.</p> <p>I won't give you a long speal about the charity and its work, the paragraph above says enough. Your money will make a real difference to the charity and to my fear of failure that will drive me all the way to the finish line.......thanks a bunch!!</p>