For the first time in months, I was home and enjoying the company of my cats on a Friday evening while I prepared for the British Special Needs Judo Championships. As my first special needs competition, I was unsure what to expect but I knew that I would be the only amputee competing and was very excited at the prospect of meeting other adaptive athletes. I am not allowed to wear a prosthetic to compete so it's always interesting to see me hop around the mat trying to throw people. 

A few days before the event, I was weighing in at about 75kg and was conscious that I needed to drop my weight to <73kg to ensure that I competed against lower-weighted individuals. This is generally quite easy to do within a few days as you simply cut down on your food and drink intake. By dehydrating yourself, you drop your 'water weight' and are able to compete in a lower weight class - I was still very nervous to see if I was going to get to the right weight in time. 

I returned from Morocco on the 11th and got straight back into my crazy schedule. The plane landed at about 2:30pm and I then dropped my dad off before popping home to collect my dryrobe (essentials for a muddy weekend). I unpacked my Morocco suitcase and packed my weekend bag in about 10 minutes and drove straight up to Coventry to then prepare for Mudnificent 7 the following day. 

Mudnificent 7 is an Obstacle Course Race (OCR) and Expo that has 7 different race organisations (and one secret organisation) that contribute towards one event. They were split into different zones and the expo had a range of different organisations offering a range of products that are essential to an OCR lifestyle. 

As I sit here, while taking some time off in Morocco, I can't help but reflect on how incredible July was and how exciting August and September look! 

I started July very apprehensively as I knew that I had booked in many, many events and had given myself minimal personal and recovery time. Nevertheless, I threw myself in at the deep end and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. My first weekend was with the Army Cadet Force, where I met some fantastic individuals and started my journey towards helping more young people achieve their dreams.

As I begin writing this blog post, it's almost like I have no idea where to start. This month has been incredible and I have made friends that I believe will last forever. On Thursday, I received a running blade from Blatchford in Basingstoke and was able to run without pain for the first time in 14 years. Being able to run, and having feeling that ultimate freedom is something that no other experience can replicate. Earlier in this month, I travelled to Ireland and Germany as well as volunteering with vulnerable young people in Wales and as many of you may know, this weekend I completed my 11th and 12th Tough Mudder in Yorkshire.

As I have now completed quite a few muddy runs, I really wanted to give somebody an opportunity to experience Tough Mudder and complete the course, regardless of their disability. I placed an advert on social media and I had quite a few responses. I sought to find somebody that would not be able to complete the course without the help of others and suddenly, a young man called Jeshu appeared. As I still had my all-terrain wheelchair from my adventure in Spain, I knew that we could use that around the course and my previous experience of completing two tough Mudders in a wheelchair meant I knew it was possible.