A week on from completing the 3 Welsh Peaks I’m thinking about my next challenge. It was going to be Nuclear Races (a muddy, obstacle course) in two weeks but I’ve had to rethink that one.

There are two factors that restrict what I can do. The first is my arthritis which unfortunately is worsening. Until fairly recently it was confined to my fingers but it has now spread into my thumbs. It is only when using your thumbs becomes difficult or painful do you really appreciate how much we use them. They are what sets us apart from most of the animal kingdom. I dread to think what anarchy my dog would cause if he had opposable thumbs. 

Even writing becomes a pain. Fortunately I live in the computer age where the need to pick up a pen is not that frequent. But any notion of doing a rope swing has long been dumped in the ‘never going to happen’ pile. My deformed fingers don’t have the grip and the pain would be horrendous. I have been offered joint replacement but that would mean a period of recovery and the range of movement will be reduced. My hands are ugly but they do work.

The second restraining factor is being on Warfarin. It means that I bruise easily and the bruises take much longer to disappear. And a bump on the head could be catastrophic. As a consequence of bouncing down some rocks last week I have some substantial bruising on my derrière. Questions have asked as to whether I was climbing mountains last week or participating in a couple of days of S & M. Fortunately I have the photographic evidence of the former.

I’m off on holiday a few days after Nuclear Races. I don’t want to be covered in bruises particularly as I’ve been working so hard to strip the fat off my body. So I’m bailing out. I’ll be packing my suitcase instead.

Of course a response to the above would be not to do any more challenges. Particularly with my health issues. To start acting my age. To embrace ‘gentle exercise’. Oh how I hate that term.

But that is not going to happen. Looking over my life I have always had my sights on some sort of challenge. It has often been academic in nature. I achieved a law degree at the age of 48. More recently I have qualified as a Personal Trainer and a Professional Coach. Other challenges have been physical. I have done the five great swims, cycled from London to Paris , ran a half marathon, completed a Spartan and a Tough Mudder (12 months after open heart surgery) and more recently climbed a number of mountains. I may not be particularly good at some of these physical challenges ones but I still love them. For me not having one to focus on is not an option. 

So what next?

If I’m very lucky I’ll get a place in the London Marathon. But the odds are stacked against me.

What is more certain is climbing the highest mountain in Ireland. Carrauntoohil. Our WhatsApp group name has been changed to Irish Mountain Fun. And preparations have started. Maybe after that we will have our sights on more warmer climes.

I’d love to do a triathlon. I would love to do a powerlifting competition (deadlift, squat and bench). I’d love to walk the Pennine Way, Hadrian’s Wall and the Great Wall of China. 

There are so many opportunities. But so little time. 

My plan to retire at 62 remains on track with everything crossed that Brexit doesn’t destroy my pension. I’ll have more time but less money so I will need to choose carefully. But it is all very exciting. I just have to hope my hands hold out.