24. Swim with dolphins

A swapsy on my list was to swim with dolphins as actually this is something I've probably wanted to do since I was a kid but never had an opportunity to do and I had been quite weary about funding dolphins in captivity.  A recent trip to the Florida Keys gave me a great opportunity to swim with dolphins in a more natural setting.

After a briefing about the centre and anatomy of a dolphin, we got wet suited up and into the water with 7 dolphins...by this stage I was actually pretty nervous, they are big, powerful animals and although naturally quite docile, I still was feeling a little bit anxious about entering their territory.  Most pairs are allocated 2 dolphins, but because a couple of the dolphins are younger and still learning, we had 4: Grace and Zoe (3 year olds) and Fiji (the only male in the pool) and Dinghy (the alpha female!).

We got to shake hands (flippers) and rub their bellies, got squirted with water, pushed backwards across the pool, pulled forward, supermanned (pushed forwards) and, in pairs, the dolphins jumped over a bar we were holding.  Of course the whole thing was over too quickly and I'd had a whale of a time (pun intended) but it was lovely to do and would definitely recommend the place we did it (information below).

14 down, 16 to go!




Dolphins Plus in Key Largo is a research centre where dolphins are kept in enclosures that are part of a sea canal and although they are netted in, other fish, lobsters, crabs etc are able to enter the enclosures creating a more natural environment for the dolphins.  Also, the dolphins do not do performances, their primary purpose is to be able to be researched but they help fund this by allowing members of the public to swim with the dolphins in a structured way.

8. Run a half marathon (faster than the last one)

Having debated heavily when I made my list of putting down to run a marathon, I knew from experience that a half marathon really is my limit in terms of ability to commit to a training schedule and so amended it to running a half marathon faster than my first.  My first, the Reading half marathon was run in March 2011 and I'd followed a training plan to the tee and managed to complete the distance in 2hrs 21 mins which I was over the moon with.

On Sunday 28th October 2012 (my 29th birthday) I ran the Nike Run to the Beat half marathon.  It was the first weekend in London that the weather had turned pretty damn cold so I was positive that I'd be in a good position to get a good time (running in the cold is much easier than running in the heat).  After freezing my butt off at the starting line, I had a good start.....final result was that I completed the race in 2hrs 9 mins - a full 12 mins faster than the last one.

I'd been wearing one of these clever watches that measures the distance and speed you run at...it clocked up 14.5 miles (over a mile longer than the half marathon distance) so I'm not quite sure how I got the extra distance (maybe the weaving in and out of people) so I'm not quite sure exactly what I ran or how fast I ran but either way I was very happy with my time......do I do another half marathon....never say never I guess!

13 down, 17 to go! Nearly half way!

10. Visit Parliament

A visit from the parentals gave a good opportunity to visit parliament.  There are a few ways that you can get into Westminster palace (including writing to your local MP for access to Big Ben...I think I may do this as well because that would be pretty cool) but I opted for the Saturday guided tour option.  Despite being the 21st century and things generally working 7 days a week, parliament runs in the old fashioned way and is closed for work at the weekends which provides a great opportunity to be open to the public for a guided tour.

I would say our tour guide was functional, she gave us the facts but lacked a sense of humour and any additions.  It was a lovely tour though and you get taken through both the House of Lords and House of Commons and get shown the ins and outs of how parliament works (overly complex but fascinating).

Unfortunately you are not allowed to take any photos, with the exception of in Westminster Hall which is not something that really identifies it as parliament.  The photo I've added is me in Westminster Hall by the Diamond Jubilee window which will soon be installed elsewhere so I feel pretty luck to have been able to see it up close!

12 down....18 to go!