2018 Challenges - From Half Marathons to Chocolate Fondants

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At the start of each new year I write a list of 30 things I’d like to do that year.

They are a mixture of big, medium, small and sometimes absolutely miniscule things that I’d like to achieve, and to be honest this is my third year and I’ve yet to achieve all 30!

I write these lists to basically make sure I don’t just spend the whole year on Facebook/Netflix/Instagram and actually do some stuff!

But half the time I end up being a bit too scared to set out to do what I hoped I would.

I was probably a bit optimistic with my 'green wave' expected time... 
 
This year I’m trying hard to battle the urge to just do nothing with my time. I think the biggest challenge I have set myself is to run the Great North Run.

It’s really not gone smoothly so far though! It’s been one set back after another.

I’ve been injured since four weeks into training in May time.

Now add a knee injury to the long list! 

Before I set out training I had such grand plans: to get really fit, get a personal best, to do the run with ease, get really skinny in the process… but that hasn’t happened at all!

Instead I have new trainers that haven’t worked, a £120 physio bill, terrible shin splints and compression syndrome, I’ve run a maximum distance of five miles (that was on a treadmill as well…) and it’s safe to say it’s going to be a huge challenge on that day and I’ll mostly be walking it.

On the other end of the scale I set myself a much smaller (and more delicious!) challenge.

Me and my husband are separated, and anyone who knows him knows he loves to cook.

One of the best things he makes is chocolate fondants.

These are melt in the middle chocolate puddings, and they’re a bit time consuming and fiddly! I have alwaysbeen too scared to attempt them, and risk them cooking through in the middle, so since we broke up I’ve had no chocolate fondants.

I decided to just brave it and have a go!

Like the half marathon training I had high hopes for these little chocolatey dreams. I followed the recipe to a tee - lining the tray with butter and cocoa powder, making the mixture then chilling it for two hours, then getting the oven to the correct temperature and leaving them in for exactly eight minutes.

They looked ok in the tin!

And they came out… OK! They were a pain to get out and we ended up eating them off a plate - and mine split - but they were runny in the middle and tasted good (though honestly - not as good as my ex's!)

I’m as glad I tried to make the chocolate fondants as I am taking on a half marathon. I’m not one for trying things that I might fail at… but living this way means there are hardly any risks you can take - who is great at everything first time?

So I’m going to continue making my lists and challenging myself. Sometimes you just have to feel the fear and do it anyway.

They tasted better than they looked, honestly....


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