This is the next installment from our series on Cardiff bloggers nominated for the Wales Blog Awards 2010. Kath Latham was longlisted for a number of categories including best sports blog for Mountain Biking for Girls. as well as Diary of Sleep and Wales, Marches and West for best writing on a blog.
My first venture into the blogosphere was with Diary of Sleep. This blog is basically an excuse for me to pour my deepest darkest subconscious mind into the ether. I see it as an exercise in creative writing. The thought that people might read and enjoy the posts is my motivation, what keeps me writing.
My second blog, Marches, Wales and West, is my online portfolio of journalism. It is really a random collection of news and feature articles that links where possible to the published version of the story. If there are any other budding journalists out there I would encourage you to do the same – it has proved invaluable when networking and contacting potential employers or clients.
Mountain Biking for Girls is my latest endeavor. I am the kind of girl who likes going out and getting tired and muddy. Sometimes I think I'm stronger than I am – and this has landed me in a pickle or two!
I took up mountain biking around a year ago. I had a battered old road bike, no suspension, dodgy brakes and only a few working gears… But I discovered the joy of speeding down mountain paths and splashing through puddles. I invested in proper gear and starting going every weekend. There is fantastic mountain biking country in this area so I decided to start a blog reviewing trails.
My attempt of the Cwmcarn Twrch trail was where I really found my inspiration. Regular mountain bikers will know Cwmcarn as a hard level trail. This was my first attempt of such a ride. I started ok so my confidence was high. I started going faster, dodging rocks and roots, flying over the dips and round bends.
Then my front wheel hit a rock and stopped dead. I was catapulted through the air. No longer invincible. Pro-cyclists bombed past me and I started to wonder if, being female, I should know my limits.
Then I saw a woman speed past, and another – those women inspired me to reach out to the female mountain biking community. There are other girls out there. Maybe some are learning like me, maybe some are put off by small failures. Perhaps together we will be able to prove to ourselves that there are no limits. That is my hope – and some day I will once more feel confident enough to let go of the brakes.
The internet is an amazing tool that we all have at our fingertips. We can learn from and share our knowledge with others. We can connect in a way that was never possible before. My reasons for blogging are selfish but hopefully my words might benefit others along the way.
Kath Latham is a Cardiff blogger. Her blog Mountain Biking For Girls was shortlisted for the best sports blog in the Wales Blog Awards 2010.
