I overheard my friend saying she was doing a Sprint Triathlon in Windsor and I quickly jumped in and asked if I could also do it. It was the best decisions I've made.

I was in a non-fit phase at the time and had a uphill challenge in front of me. The first time I went swimming (the first time in years) I was struggling with a couple of lengths, I was spluttering, panicking and breathless at the end – I quickly started to worry that 750m would be beyond my capabilities in 6 weeks.

I booked a session with Mike and we spent a hour going through breathing and basic technique. I really enjoyed the session and it gave me a way forward with my training. I was totally committed and after 10 days of visiting the pool 4 times/week, I swam the distance and was totally elated! The triathlon now seemed manageable.

My other training was also going well and I stuck to the schedule like glue..In the last couple of weeks I did the whole distance over all three discliplines back to back, it took ages, but I did it. On the day of the Windsor Triathlon, I was super excited albeit nervous for the outdoor swim. It was fair to say the swim was one of the most 'challenging' things I have done in a long time. The current was really strong and was pitch black…very different from the swimming pool. I was determined to finish the swim….and did in 20 mins..not too bad all things considered. The bike and run went well and overall I came 89th out of 192 which is pretty good for my first one and the fact my bike is as old as me.

I would definitely do another one!