The Whirlwind of 2022

Happy New Year to anyone still reading this blog!

I genuinely do want to continue posting and keeping this blog alive, but the months really do fly by when you have an 18 month old and a 3.5 year old!

January

Getting back after injury (too hard too soon post-Lenny), spending more time with friends and the kiddos!

February

Trying to fit in as much time together as possible during maternity leave. Highlight was 2.5 year old Logie swimming 3 strokes butterfly (you may not recognise him in the below Capt America pic..!)!

March

Was hugely honoured to win an award at the Aberdeen Sports Awards 2022 (Judge’s Choice) for my achievements since children. Caught up with some old friends at the awards from swimming days and meet some pretty inspiring people there too (Eddie the Eagle gave me my award!)

Major highlight was our first trip to a Disney park! Paris was amazing at that time of year (zero queues, perfect weather) and seeing Logan light up at the parades and characters made me tear up!

April

Binge training for my first Ironman branded race as a pro since both children were born! Mum guilt was also a huge thing this month, so Kyle was amazing and I compromised by cycling to family activities (like here, where I met the lads in Macduff, then we went to the aquarium, beach and had fish and chips by the bridge). Highly recommend this form of training!

May

Massive month in that we travelled down to Leicester at the start of the month to visit Speedhub, ticking off a half marathon win for Kyle on the way down, as well as Cadbury World and Legoland Discovery Centre while we were there!

Feeling as ready as I could be against these full time athletes, we had a great time at 70.3 Marbella and I came away with an incredible 5th pro, after picking people off on the run of all things (it’s my worst usually!). Something was definitely off, however, as I had a horrendous swim and average bike, which was confirmed when we got home. We all had covid. Luckily, we made some incredible memories there and always treat races as holidays not pay days, and the added bonus of Grandma and Pappy being there made for even more fun!

June

Not much recovery (particularly after having the ‘vid) and we were off to Austria for the Mozart Marathon in Salzburg with Grandma, Tim and Totty (Grandma is loving retirement at this point if you can’t already tell!).

Kyle really struggled (he would like to really force this point for the next part) with covid recovery, so got beaten by his wife to the line!! I was 19th overall and made the women’s podium so given I had struggled too with recovery (I was hospitalised, given my history), I was really pleased!

We finished in Vienna with a “slogging” tour with Grandma which was just stunning – what a place!

July

From now it was all about my transition back to work, in a brand new career in a brand new industry, and my boys of course. Lenny turned 1 on 10th June and Logan turned 3 on 6th July, so they had a fun-packed birthday party, Kyle took Loges camping and he got in the bike training instead of me.

It was really tough but the best risk I’ve taken!

August

Kyle got paid to work at the Commonwealth Games (his dream!) and we really made the most of family time now that I was back to work. His race series, the Moray Way Ultras, was going great but we were taking on so much, so our little dates with the boys kept us sane.

September

Lenny’s first hair cut and our 5 year wedding anniversary! A last minute entry to the Kielder Marathon while we had a “romantic” weekend away in Newcastle was my present (running through the woods was my wooden present) meant cramming a couple of runs around 90mins long, and hoping for the best!

October

After we both won Kielder, Logan started asking to go on runs with us, so we took him on his first run on the Deeside line. He packed his running shorts and tshirt and managed a full 850m before asking if it was cake time (just like his parents!).

Cramming in some chariot bike rides and runs before it started to get too dark and cold. Or spooky as Logie liked to call it (he loved his first trick or treating experience – Kyle perhaps more so…!)

November

Getting super excited for Christmas with an Elf mile (smashed it with one of his besties, Liliana in 14.31), and putting up the tree early because it was Logan’s first year of understanding Santa and signing the songs (Rudolph and Dancing Christmas Tree being his favourites).

A week off work meant a staycation in Auchterarder and some safari park visits, as well as a boost for me. I had been struggling after transitioning to work after maternity leave while the boys had all been struck with a month+ virus (Logie was hospitalised while I was working in London so I was on the verge of a breakdown!).

December

A dream month – the Christmas magic was back thanks to Logan, so a couple visits to see Santa, Logie’s first ice skating and cinema trip on Kyle’s birthday, -12C sledging and hosting on the big day was a pretty special month. Lots of catch ups with family and friends was the icing on the cake!

We hope you all have the best year yet in 2023! Try something new, take risks , work hard and love harder!

Love Debbie & Kyle, and Logan & Lennox