Well, this
update is long overdue. Blogging has unfortunately
taken a back seat to a flurry of work and travel over the past few weeks. As has training to an extent, somewhat
worryingly. I was doing well in spite of
the hectic schedule but think I built up the mileage on long runs a little too
quickly and have spent the past two weeks paying for it in the currency of physio
and sports massage, which I shiver even thinking about. Why it is called ‘massage’, which conjures images of calming, zen-like
enjoyment, is unclear. There must surely
be torture methods which are less painful?
Anyway, I’m
back! I’m building up the mileage again
and getting closer to my fundraising target, thanks to the most humbling
generosity of friends and colleagues.
Less than four months to go though.
And I have the minor inconveniences of Christmas, a New Year holiday and
a move to London to contend with in the intervening period! The nerves are starting to kick in. Big
time.
This weekend,
I was fortunate enough to combine fundraising with a lot of fun at my local
gym. We held an event in aid of my MdS
journey and Hope for Children.
A bunch of eager souls turned out in
force, devoting their Sunday afternoons to enduring the torture of not one, not
two, but three full spin classes, back-to-back.
Voluntarily (!) A few of us were
sporting backpacks throughout, to identify with one of the main challenges of
the MdS. So Boris has actually done his first
spin class!
Thanks to the
three instructors at the helm, we had plenty of banter to keep us entertained
throughout the class, including blonde wigs at one point…... Huge thanks to
Struan, Ben and Chris. And also to Lee for a stellar job refilling water bottles. A before picture
would possibly have been better but here’s an after one instead.
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A huge
thanks also to all of those who gave up their Sunday afternoons and donated
generously. We raised £465 which is a
fantastic contribution. However, I was given the
opportunity to earn an extra twenty quid by wearing an Arsenal shirt throughout. But no amount of money could have persuaded me (what self-respecting Man Utd
fan could do it, Chris? ;-)) but in forfeiting the challenge I will pay my dues and round
the total funds raised up to £500. A
really awesome effort, everyone!In other news, I took delivery of some more kit this week which I can’t wait to try out. Check out the cooking equipment – I suspect this will probably get used more often during one week in the desert than the hob in my kitchen has been used, like ever. I’m looking forward to tasting the gourmet freeze dried mac & cheese. Just add water - that's my kind of cooking. Mmm, I’m sure it will be delicious….
I’ve also acquired some smaller essentials - a Recta DT100 compass (should probably learn how to use it at some point), a cool Victorinox Swisscard – a credit card size device which contains a pen knife, scissors and various other 'essential' multi-tools, including a nail file and tweezers (not entirely essential). The most expensive item in this week's loot is a pair of ‘Climatronic’ boxer shorts by X-Bionic (I will need to find something to wear with them at some point) and I also managed to purloin a pair of hotel slippers following advice I picked up at the MdS expo. They’re apparently great for wandering about camp at nights, letting air in to your ailing feet. The final purchase this week was a solar charger which will hopefully keep my phone, iPod and GPS watch in juice. So all in all it has been an expensive week – ha, Merry Christmas to me!
I am
thinking that the next ‘big ticket’ item will need to be my sleeping bag. I have at least two but both are too chunky
for carrying on my back. The objective
is to find something that keeps me warm enough in the chilly desert evenings
(the temperature can go below zero after sundown) but which is light and
compacts down easily to keep Boris the backpack (and my shoulders) happy. Some form of sleeping mat is also a necessity
according to MdS alumni, to protect the increasingly skeletal frames from the stony
ground. Getting enough sleep will be
critical.
Which is what I'm off to do now. The joys of training - bed by 9pm.
Well that’s all
for now, folks. As always – a reminder
of the charity. There is still a way to
go to my target so if you haven’t already contributed, please visit my page:
