Get Some Miles In!!

Putting on an event like the Sprint and Standard Tri's at Bucklers over the weekend makes a huge dent in your energy levels!! The stress of the week leading into the race weekend along with the hard physical and mental work involved mean that no meaningful training gets done over a 10 day period. With SwashBuckler coming up in less than a fortnight and then ForestMan three weeks later that leaves only a couple of 3 - 5 day "windows" to crack on and do some longer rides and kayaks and swims. So it's off to Exmoor for a couple of very hilly rides over the next ouple of days and Joann has a long paddle on the Hamble planned for Saturday. Thank-you Roger! Roger Burlinson is coming with us on our Epic to film the event. As well as being a great film-maker......see his ForestMan video via our website www,racenewforest.co.uk....he's also loaned Joanne a kayak for training and using up in Scotland. He's also helping with some coaching! Meanwhile up in the very damp Lake District John and Marjorie are managing to get on to the water at least once a week for some kayaking. Routes have been recce'd and they are definitely better prepared than we are. Will be back with an update once we're back from Devon.....rhymes with Heaven for a good reason!! Rich

Time Moves On!!

I guess you are never "fit enough" or consider yourself adequately prepared for such undertakings. A quick, flying visit up to the lakes at the end of last week was on the one hand reassuring......planning and organisation wise, but simultaneously a bit daunting. Joanne had a dip in Windermere, where she has to swim 10plus miles in a few weeks time and it was a little "fresh". Kayak wise, she and her Mum have practised together for Loch Awe and also some rescue drills for Windermere.....just in case! John's been recce ing the Fells and we've run through the routes/ take over points etc. I have put in a few more bike miles and feel a bit happier....or at least I did until I plotted the route for the first two cycle legs at 310 miles with 26 000 ft of climbing!! Ouch! Once I've finished the detailed route plotting I'll publish a list of each day's targets.

Well, I suppose it's about time I launched this BLOG and the Justgiving site that goes with it.

Over the first 10 days (or so) of July Joanne and I plus her parents will be taking a family holiday with a difference: a trip from John O'Groats to Lands End via the highest mountain ranges in Scotland, Wales and England and the longest Lakes in the same Home Countries!!

The team has a combined age (and probably IQ, given the project) of 230!!!

I'll be knitting the trip together with a spot of cycling: John will be fell -running over the Scottish 4000ft peaks followed by the English and Welsh 3000's: Joanne will be swimming the length of  Windermere and Bala and she and Marjorie will be kayaking the length of Loch Awe.

Roger Burlinson will be filming the whole trip just to prove we did it........assuming we do.....and we'll be trying to raise cash for our local, Downton based Help for Heroes charity.

It's my intention to post daily over the coming weeks and I'll try to give a few more details about how it came about, our preparations and what each section of the trip entails so I'll start with day 1.

At midnight on June 30th ....my 53rd birthday...I'll set off from J o G, destination Cairngorm, a ride of approximately 170 miles. When I get there (hopefully mid-morning, gale-force South Westerly permitting!!) John will set off to tackle the Cairngorm 4000 ft peaks. Cairngorm (4081ft), Ben Macdui (4295), Carn Toul (4249), Sgur an Lochain Uaine (4127) and Braeriach (4252).

Simple.....what could possibly go wrong!!!

Early mention and thanks to Mike Martin and 2XU for once again supporting one of my lunatic schemes with a couple of wetsuits for Joanne......thanks!!!