Team TGO

We Did It!

2005-07-11T17:31:00.000+01:00

Thank you to every one who has followed and sponsored my efforts in the Hebridean Challenge. I was placed 14 out of the 16 kayakers, but that didn't seem to matter because we all had an incredibly sociable paddle. Best of all, UK Lifeboats are now £1000 better off.

I've posted three galleries of pictures all linked from one site - click on the title above.

The plan had been to race to the Shiant Islands and back on the Wednesday, but this was cancelled. Instead we had a social paddle, then a whiz around the Shiants in three fast ribs acting as safety boats. Then we raced for about 12km.

In one day we saw:
* 2 pods of dolphin (from the rib) one of which played in the bow wave - pictures in the Shiants page.
* 3 sightings of a (relatively) small basking shark - four pictures on the "Leisurly paddling" page
* a minke whale - no photo
* a sea eagle - again no photo

No wonder the paddlers felt more of a group than part of their teams!

No team does well in its first year. We came in last of the five-person teams, which didn't surprise us, as it wasn't until day four that we started to understand the event! However, the marshals awarded us a prize for being the nicest team to deal with, which is some consolation. Surviving the five days was enough of a challenge for me.

It will be on BBC Scotland in about 4 weeks time, which is also on satellite. You won't have to look hard for my nasty, bright orange kayaking cap, it'll find you!

Thanks again to all who sponsored me.
THAT'S THE END OF THIS BLOG

Problem

2005-06-21T11:55:00.000+01:00

On the morning of Monday 20th June we learnt that my long-term partner's Father is gravely ill and declining fast.

As of now, I still intend to compete in the Hebridean Challenge. But it's looking unlikely. If he passes away before the start of the race, I will have to withdraw. TeamTGO will compete as a team of four, so I hope all those people who've sponsored me will allow their sponsorship to transfer to the team.

If I have to withdraw, then if you've sponsored me and wish to withdraw it, then please e-mail me at simon.liz@mac.com. By making a donation, rather than a pledge, your money has gone straight to the RNLI and I'll speak to them about a refund or give you the cash myself.

I hope it will not come to this. As of now, I'M STILL IN THE HEBRIDEAN CHALLENGE.

Sponsor Me Please!

2005-06-07T16:21:00.000+01:00

While competing in the Hebridean Challenge I've decided to try to raise money for the RNLI - Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

Click the title above to be taken to my online sponsorship site.

I grew up in a fishing village and now I'm a sea kayaker, so it only seemed right to go for this charity. I'd like to help the volunteers who I know will help me in an emergency.

Separately, we think we've sorted the van problem. Thank you to readers of this blog who suggested ideas (I didn't know there were so many of you!). It now seems that Arnold Clark, a van rental company in Glasgow, will fit a third roof bar to the vehicle which will solve our problems.

All we have to do is race. Did I say all...?

Damn Van Man

2005-05-26T14:29:00.000+01:00

Honestly - how difficult can it be to rent a van? Sadly, it's impossible. After MONTHS of effort, we simply CANNOT rent what we want.

I'll explain. As our team support vehicle we need a van under 5m in length (so it fits on the ferry) which means a short wheel-base Transit-type van. So far so good - plenty of them around to rent.

However, we have to carry the sea kayak. Since it's over 5m long, it has to go on the roof (obviously) so the van must have roof bars. A truly amazing number of rental companies don't supply vans with roof bars. Options rapidly diminish.

And note the term I used "roof bars" not "roof rack". Van roof RACKS are different, as they have sides. As such, the kayak wouldn't strap onto them. Weeks later, we were down to about three possible suppliers in a big city like Glasgow.

Another problem. All five of the team have to be registered to drive it. One of our great hopes quoted us £400 for the van with exactly the roof bars we wanted, but then asked for a further £400 for insurance - £800 to rent a van for 10 days. No thanks.

And another hassle. We have four bikes (2 road, 2 mountain). We planned to put two on a back rack and two on the roof alongside the kayak. Problem - van roof bars tend to be at either end of the roof, too far apart to put a bike carrier between them. Could we move the bars closer together? No. Could we add a third bar between them? No.

You see that I mean? This has taken months, absolutely months. My team-mate Jerry, who took on this role, started with long hair and now has a skinhead. (That might be a different story).

NOW we think we have a solution, but only by re-framing the problem. We'll rent a van from Arnold Clark (the best price) with two roof bars (not as far apart as some) so we can carry the kayak. Then we'll hang three bikes on the rear rack and put one inside for long trips. For short trips, we might consider adding a rear rack to the FRONT of the vehicle and carry a bike there - totally illegal of course, but perhaps necessary.

Vans.... I tell you!

Training is light relief.

Get Lost!

2005-05-16T20:40:00.000+01:00

.... or rather, don't!

All of TeamTGO except me went on an Adventure Race training weekend last March run by Joe Faulkner (www.joefaulkner.com). I'd injured my back and couldn't make it, as in entry March 15th.

Robyn felt she'd learnt a lot last time she wanted to do it again. So last weekend, the two of us joined five other would-be navigators at Joe's base in Bampton village hall, between Penrith and Shap in the Lake District National Park.

FRIDAY
Friday night was an informal gather in the pub and a camp in the field next to the hall, although I slept in my car.

SATURDAY
Saturday started with an upsum of what lies ahead; a discussion of what we individuals wanted to learn; then we were split into two groups (one of three one of four) and we were off onto the hill for five hours with our instructor Richard. Last time, Robyn said, the focus had been on taking and running on compass bearings. This time we all but forgot the compass and developed more sophisticated navigation skills, such as running on contours.

I've always thought I'm a pretty good navigator. I'd learnt about "fine" navigation to a certain extent during my summer MLTB training at Plas y Brenin (a decade ago!) but when hill walking I'm rarely looking for micro features. Now we were looking for VERY micro-features, and finding our way to them without a compass. Having the techniques explained formalises many of the things I do intuitively, sometimes without knowing why. Making mistakes is good too. I learn most from them, and the different with kayaking is that a mistake doesn't automatically mean a swim!

Saturday afternoon, John talked us through Adventure Race equipment - fitting a towing system onto a bike and onto a rucksack. Marcus talked us through his equipment choice for Elite mountain marathons. Mike Parsons of Karrimor told us more than we really want to know about denier gradients (don't ask).

Saturday evening was meant to be night navigation, except it was really twilight. After quickly marking maps Robyn and I raced around the course and were at the pub in just over an hour, running all the way without head-torches!

SUNDAY
Sunday was race day. A small score-course. We were given control grid references which we ploted onto the map. Each control has a different value. Usually the controls furthest away have a higher value. The idea on such a "Score Course" is to visit as many controls, gaining as high a value of points, as possible and arrive back at the finish within a certain period of time. Arrive late, and suffer heavy point penalties.

I'll not talk you through our day, except to say I reckon we run/navigate at 3-4km per hour on the fell, and 5-6km per hour on downhill tracks and roads. That timing was one of the key lessons of the weekend.

Robyn and I had a great day. We worked as a team, enjoyed each others company, and I almost wish I was one of the land-based competitors in the Hebridean Challenge rather than the sea kayaker. In fact, I've already visited the KIMM website, and will try to persuade Liz to attempt it in October.

UPSUM
Joe will tailor the course to individual needs. If you want to learn about camp-cooking, you can (after five months under a tarp, my camp-craft is pretty slick). The navigation element will help ANY hill-goer, not just racers.

The "feel" of our course was more Mountain-Marathon than Adventure Race, but there was a section on fitting out bikes for AR, and Joe can work in more mountain biking in if required.

In short - Joe has a good team, who know their stuff which they teach effortlessly. Highly recommended.

Four Star

2005-05-03T14:36:00.000+01:00

I passed my Four Star Sea Kayak award, so that means I can compete in the Hebridean Challenge. Phew! I suppose if I hadn't passed, then TeamTGO would have become a four-person unit, but now that's not an issue.

I've also bought a new sea kayak. Well, third hand actually, but new to me. An all white P&H Quest, previously owned by Douglas Wilcox and before him Mike Thomson of Scottish Paddler Supplies. I pick it up Friday.

I'm recovering well from my series of injuries. My neck and back held up well throughout the four star training and paddling, I had a good run around Richmond park in London on Saturday night, and my personal trainer Scott Masterton has started putting me through physical hell again. And nothing new has strained, snapped or broken, which is good.

Jerry and I will look at a rental van tonight, checking out whether it has the sort of roof rack to which we can add kayak bars and bike carriers.

So... without wishing to tempt fate... all seems to be going well for TeamTGO.

Start again

2005-04-18T12:51:00.000+01:00

My wandering neck vertebra seems to be staying in place. I received the all clear from the Osteopath this morning, with a warning not to go at it hammer an tongs to make up for what I've been missing.

To summarise - I had a cold for three weeks and then injured my back. The osteopath manipulated me in several places, including my neck which he said had been "out" of alignment for some while. However, it didn't want to stay "in" and he's been pushing it back regularly for a couple of weeks. It now seems like it's staying in place.

In the last six weeks I've managed to keep running but I don't feel particularly efficient and my weight is up.

GOAL
I have two months, until 25th June, to get fit enough to kayak 30km a day, each day for five days, fast. I'll also have to so some running and some biking, but they're not the sports I'm training for.

HERE'S MY WEEKLY ROUTINE
In the coming weekends I'll get out on the water on a SAT and SUN. I know this is the best training, but I can only kayak on these days. SO I'm looking to maximise the rest of my training time and direct it towards upper body. I'm asking my trainer Scott Masterton the questions below:

MON, TUE, WED THR - I work four days a week. Two are long days 9am-11pm, two are short until 9-6. They vary each week.
On the 2 long days, there's not time for much more than a 2 mile run to and from work. Is there a way of maximising the value of this workout? Heart-rate zones?

So the two short days are the days I must exploit to the full. Because I need upper body work, I'm considering joining a council gym (£26pm), just to access the rowing machine and weights on the two evenings a week I'm not working late. It would also help on those occasional weekends I can't get on the water for whatever reason. It would also help on those occasional weekends I can't get on the water for whatever reason. In your opinion, is it worth it?

FRI
A regular 8.15am (ugh!) booking with Scott, followed by an hour cycle ride

I guess I need to know whether it's worth joining that gym for the rowing machine and weights? Or should i give up and start eating pizza again?

ACE'd Out

2005-04-11T17:17:00.000+01:00

No ACE Race this weekend for me.

I saw the osteopath this morning, and this is the situation. Last year, when I had similar neck problems, although the pain went away the mis-alignment of my neck was not corrected. At my first manipulation four weeks ago, he did correct it, but one vertibrae had become so used to being "out" it didn't want to stay "in". He has now manipulated my neck three times.

It's important I do nothing to knock it "out" because the more times we play vertibrae hokey-cokey, the more likley it is to keep popping out. "What does this race involve", he saked me. "Spending 10 hours in a van, then running cross country, day and night, kayaking and mountain biking", I replied. Hopefully, I asked, "should I do it". "What do you think", was the reply. Of course I shouldn't.

I can still run, but on road - nothing that might send me out of allignment. I'm getting three sessions of machine physiotherapy this week to reduce inflamation around the manipulated area and try to keep the vertibrae "in".

God, I hope this works. My training really has suffered.

Problems, problems….

2005-04-09T16:34:00.000+01:00

Truth is, things haven’t been going well.

Because of my back injury I missed the Team training weekend in the Lake District with Joe Faulkner. An osteopath manipulated me and, while he seems to have fixed my back, he also seems to have created another problem - with my neck!

Before I went in it felt fine, but he said there was something wrong with it, manipulated it. Four visits later it’s still not right.

A couple of weeks ago I rode 65 miles on the Saturday, kayaked on the Sunday and spent the Monday in considerable pain. Because I hadn’t trained for about six weeks, I'd lost a lot of fitness. So I’ve started running again, but I’m really worried about my neck.

The osteopath has been on holiday and I’m due to see him first thing Monday morning, so I really hope he can do something for me. Or I'm going to have to go elsewhere.

We’re meant to be competing in our first training race next weekend (16/17 April). It’s a two day ACE Race in mid-Wales. Frankly I’m not sure I ought to do it with my neck feeling as bad as it is. Also our fell-runner Dominic had the wrong weekend in his diary, and he can’t make the race either. So it may be that only three out of our five strong team can compete in our first race “togther”.

On top of that, we’ve not bothered to sort ferries or a van. Nor have we paid all our race entry fee to the Heb. So naturally we’re getting hassle from the organisers.

All the team complain about being “busy” at work. No-one wants to answer my e-mails, so I can’t organise things on their behalf. Things only get done when I unilaterally decide to sort things out.

We need a manager! And a good osteopath!!

Crash! (part two)

2005-03-15T22:22:00.000Z

I've got another injury! God, this getting fit lark is bad for your health. This time it's a kayaking injury to my back, after over-exertimg myself on Skye at the weekend.

The Osteopath I saw today manipulated me in three places, adjusting my cervical, dorsal & lumbar spine and right sacro-iliac joint. I now have a sheet of paper which tells me how I have to stand, sit and sleep, plus listing all the things I can't do.

Top of the list is sport, which rules out the Adventure Racing course I'm meant to be doing at the weekend with the rest of TeamTGO. They'll still be going (http://www.JoeFaulkner.com) but I've postponed my course until May. Let's hope I'm fit by then!

Only good point is the Osteopath's "No" list also includes ironing and bed making. Mind you, Liz will confirm, I don't do much of either....

Calm before Storm

2005-03-10T19:21:00.000Z

Occupying my more immediate thoughts is the prospect of kayaking in a gale this weekend. In contrast to the superb clam weather we enjoyed last weekend (CLICK LNK ABOVE) we've agreed to be "guinea pigs" for some kayakers who're doing their 5 star assessment this weekend with Gordon Brown of Skyak Adventures.

As part of their award, they have to lead kayakers in fairly rough conditions - so that ought to be easy to find!

If we survive, I'll report back!

Also... we've entered our first race as a team. We'll compete in the Wales ACE Race in April. Robyn has been in one of these things before, although it's the first time the rest of us have taken part, so it should be a laugh.

Crash!

2005-02-23T14:26:00.000Z

Just as the head-cold was coming to an end, I've picked up another injury. Trying to get fit is an un-healthy business.

On Saturday, four of the team made it down to Glentress mountain biking centre near Peedles for a day out. More of a "bonding" exercise than hard training. Whizzing down the red run was fun, but I quickly realsied my MTB handling skills aren't what they were. Perhaps there's only so much room in my brain, and since it's full of kayak technique, the mountain bike skills have been squeezed out.

The sharp turns are nicely banked, but the ground was frozen solid. Part way around my rear wheel caught a rock and skipped off the slope, sending me tumbling. I thought I'd sustained just a few cuts and bruises, although the one below my hip stung like crazy. When I finished the ride I discovered blood from the big graze on my hip soaked through my shorts and tights, so when I tried to peel them they stuck to the wound. Ugh.

The best part of the day was meeting Joe Faulkner. Joe trains adventure racers on the fells above his lake District home, and we've signed up for his course next month. http://www.JoeFaulkner.com

Joe was interested in our team and drove up to meet us and pass on some information about the Hebridean Challenge. He'd competed in the solo section last year. We were fascinated to study the maps and photos he'd saved from the event.

Perhaps surprisingly, Joe reckons we ought to be able finish the event provided we continue to train with our present level of committment. This may just be good sports psychology on his part, but it cheered me up!

However, not having been able to train for almost three weeks has been a real frustration. My leg is healing fast, I've a training session booked for 8am on Friday, and we hope to spend much of this weekend kayaking. I hope there are no more interuptions.

Sniff n' Snivel

2005-02-16T16:15:00.000Z

That dunk in the sea left me with a stinking cold. So no training for me last week or this. Is that flab I can see returning?

The cold is definitely lasting longer than usual. Perhaps it's just the nature of this particular bug, which some folk at work say lasts 4 weeks (arrgghh)! Or could it be somehow linked to the training? I doubt I'll ever know.

Whatever happens, I'll be with the rest of the team at Glentress on Saturday where Joe Faulkner is coming to meet us for the first time. he trains adventure racers, and we're hoping he'll be able to pass some of his wisdom on to us.

Kayak and (accidental) swim training

2005-02-08T13:08:00.000Z

Liz and I had decided to spend Saturday kayaking. The original idea had been to put into Loch Linnhe and explore around Kingairloch, but there was no wind and the water was so flat that we decided to look for some lumpy stuff.

So we went to Ardnamurchan.

We have to practice controlling our boats in surf. Not whizzing down the face of the waves, leaning back with full stern rudder (although that would be fun!) but timing our landings and launching on surf beaches.

We'd previously admired the beaches of Sanna Bay, but after driving there we discovered we couldn't get the car near enough to the sea to launch without a LONG carry. So we drove around to Portuairk, launched, and paddled the short distance over to Sanna Bay.

There were only quite small waves on the beach, so after messing about for a while, we paddled further out to sea, crossed the bay a couple of times, then headed around to take a look at Sanna Point. The swell, wind and topography created some curious paddling conditions which were rather challenging.

I've recently bought a new camera (Canon EOS 300D), so I scrambled onto a skerry, hauled my boat up and fixed a 300m lens onto the body before shooting a few frames of Liz. Looking at them now, the water does seem rather rough!
http://www.SimonWillis.co.uk and click What's New

After eating lunch, we paddled out still further. On the way back we went looking to play in some of the white water. This was my un-doing.

I suddenly found myself on my side, with the high brace almost working... but not quite! Then I was underwater. Instinctively, I got out, and Liz towed me away from the surf before doing an X-rescue.

I was angry that I hadn't even attempted to roll, so back in calm of Portuairk, I deliberately up-ended to practice my roll. The first time I discovered that the bouancy of the BA moved me around the cockpit, so driving up my knee as part of the hip "flick", simply pushed off the spraydeck ! I was swimming again.

The second time I was more prepared, and .... almost made it. This really is something I/we need to practice in sea conditions. I reckon a dry suit could be called for.

It was a great day, if somehwat chilly, and I now have a stinking cold. But it was well worth it. Let me know what you think of the photos - there's a contact button below them.

First Team Training

2005-01-30T01:36:00.000Z

Actually, it was more like a team hang-out.

It struck me that, until today, we hadn't once all been together in the same place! At best four of us had met, but never all five of us, until around 11pm this morning at my flat in Glasgow. Within half an hour we'd sorted all our new kit, and were in Dominic's car heading for The Whangie.

We'd all agreed that today was about having fun, not hard training. The weather was cold, but bright and sunny so it was a perfect opportunity to get some photos of everyone in the new kit. John Manning, the deputy editor of TGO-The Great Outdoors (the magazine from which we take our name and which Robyn designs) kindly agreed to come out with us and take the photos.

It was all a bit odd, posing in group shots wearing diferent configurations of kit; Bergaus fleeces, Bergaus fleeces & packs, Smartwool base layers, TGO caps.... it took ages. We also staged a few shots of us running around the top of the crags. Eventually we managed to get a one hour run. It wasn't really long enough to get the legs working hard, but it was good to stretch them.

I also saw how phenominally fit Dominic and Neil really are. It was like being overtaken by an Audi Quatro while struggling up a hill in a Morris Oxford. Boy are they fast.

Liz had cooked an excellent cheesy, pasta bake which I only had to heat up in the oven when we returned. Everyone showered, ate, then spent an hour talking about all sorts of stuff. Should we attempt to raise money for charity? Probably not as a team, we decided, because all our efforts are directed to training, although individuals could. Should we try to find more sponsors? Again, probably not - why should people give us stuff so we can go enjoy ourselves?

Around 6pm we made our way up to a friend's house. Eric is president of Glasgow Kayak Club (I'm Secretary) and he and Robin (a male one this time) have done the Hebridean Challenge several times before. We watched a video of a TV programme made during the 1995 event, and then picked their brains for ideas. What came across more than anything was what a great time they'd had - if totally, utterly knackering. And both of them are fit. I also realised I'm going to have to get some more serious time in the kayak, because the sea out there can be rough.

I've spent what was left of the evening updating the website, sending photos to sponsors and just taking care of business.

It has been a good, exciting day - and the main event is still five months away.

Sponsors say "Yes"!

2005-01-25T16:26:00.000Z

I'm delighted to say Team TGO has it's first two sponsors.

BERGHAUS has kindly agreed to provide some of their excellent Extrem Light range for training and during the race. We're getting the team logo on the kit too. http://www.Berghaus.com

SMARTWOOL is providing socks and warm base layer gear for winter training. http://www.Anatom.co.uk

I'll be writing about this in TGO magazine and The Herald (Scottish newspaper) in coming weeks.

I'm pleased these were the first two companies to offer support because I have a long association with each. In the dim distant past (1983) I made a ski-ing film Gordon Fraser in Les Arcs. He now runs the company which imports the superb SMARTWOOL products to the UK. He kept Liz & I well supplied with SMARTWOOL socks when we hiked the 2,568 mile wilderness Pacific Crest Trail, from Mexico to Canada, in 2002. In the snow of the Sierra Nevada and the Cascades, to the heat of the Mojave - they performed very well.

I first filmed the two original directors of Berghaus, Peter and Gordon, when they won the "Golden Boot Award" at the Harrogate outdoors show for their revolutionary Yeti Gaiter. For a report on Look North, we had them wading through a particularly muddy part of the Washington Wildfowl park. I kept close relations with the company, even after Pentland took over, but lost touch when I was preparing for the PCT. At the time Berghaus didn't make much ultra-light gear and that was what we needed for the PCT. Now their range is comprehensive so I'm pleased to renew my connections.

Check the main web-site for photo updates. http://www.SimonWillis.co.uk

"Team TGO" takes shape

2005-01-13T13:38:00.000Z

So much has been happening I've hardly had time to think, let alone train AND keep writing. So this is a belated update.

We are now "Team TGO". The UK's leading hill-walking magazine TGO-The Great Outdoors wants to follow our progress over the coming months. So now we have a name and our team leader Robyn, who designs that magazine, is creating a logo.

It all seems very professional, which is slightly awkward as we are not! I sometimes wonder if we're going to be dressed swanky, with nice logos and all... but left panting in the mud.

We're booked on a course in March with a chap called Joe Faulkner who trains Adventure Racers. Joe has managed Team Lowe Alpine and came third in the solo section of the race we're attempting, the Hebridean Challenge. Joe has taken a special interest in us, and wants to get involved in making us into a team, which is all rather exciting. We hope to meet Joe at our first full training weekend on 19th Feburary.

I still have to pass my 4-star kayak award before the race, so my partner and I have a day session booked with Gordon Brown of Skyak Adventures on 22nd January, including time in the pool at Kyle of Lochalsh to work on our rolls. I'm not sure when we'll actually do the assessment, but I hope the weather off the Scotland's West Coast improves before then!

As for the rest of the training - I'm running as often as I can, although I've yet to run for more than an hour. I'm in the gym with a personal trainer, Scott Masterton, once a week, and exercising at home with one of those fitness balls 2-3 times a week. Scott has also helped me improve my diet, which was always pretty good, but is now that much better.

Am I getting fitter? Yes, I can actually feel a different. Am I doing enough? It'll be a while before I know the answer to that.

Spaghetti Arms

2004-12-20T13:43:00.000Z

Only now can I wash my hair. For the last few days it has been a struggle to bend and raise my arms far enough, they’re feeling so sore after my first session of upper-body training followed by mountain biking. So apologies to the person I sat next to on the bus from Fort William to Glasgow - I didn't mean to have greasy hair!

Last Thursday, I did my second session with Scott who I’ve hired as a personal torturer, sorry trainer. Half of my hour was spent discussing nutrition, as he pulled apart the food diary I’d kept for the past week and then calculated how much carbs, protein, and fat I should be eating daily. It looks to me like I’d put ON weight following that diet, but we’ll see.

The second half of the session was spent working my upper body. Lying face up on a bench, I raised the empty weight bar and went through the motions. That was easy. Then came the weights. Then onto the “dips” machine – (ok that’s not its name, but it allowed me to do dips with a level of compensation for weight). Finally, we came to press-ups.

“I’ll not be able to do more than twenty”, I warned Scott, thinking back to when I last did press-ups. Horror of horrors – I couldn’t do ONE! Oh how embarrassing! Eventually, and assisted by the ubiquitous ball, I found a position supporting much of my body which allowed me to do twenty, just. Girlie press-ups, how humiliating. But as Scott said, that gives me a baseline from which I ought to be able to see my improvement. I hope he’s right. As it was, riding home was wobbly because my arms were so limp it was hard to steer.

The following day I woke early, had some food, then did a four mile run along the quayside and up through town to Tiso where I bought some new trail running shoes and stuff for Liz’s Christmas present. That evening, we drove to our cottage.

Saturday was bright and clear, so once I’d worked on the house with Liz, I managed to get out on the bike (leaving her to continue working). I only have my mountain bike up North, but fortunately its currently fitted with road/hybrid tyres as I fancied a road ride. As it happened, I picked a good route, around thirty miles long which took three and a half hours (8.5mph). There was very little wind. Loch Linnhe reflected the panorama of snow capped mountains, and I road back from Kingairloch thinking “My God, what a great country to live in!”

Sunday saw more house work, the bus ride home and a session on the ball at home.

Monday I ran the two miles to work, and I’m using my lunch hour to update this blog. I’ll probably go for a slightly longer run tonight then do a ball session, hoping to see Scott for my next session on Wednesday. And yes, as I type, my arms still hurt like hell!

First Team Meeting (almost)

2004-12-14T01:23:00.000Z

One of the hardest things about training for this team race is going to be getting our team in one place frequently enough to train.

I was working tonight (09.30-23.30) which effectively ruled out a meeting, and since I'd explained this to Robyn, I thought the proposed meeting at 19.00 on Queen Street Station, Glasgow had been postponed until after Christmas.

Two surprising things happened. Firstly, a chap called Jerry, who was on Robyn's list of possibles, rang to ask if the meeting was still on. I thought not, but suggested he check with Dominic & Neil. Jerry had the courtesy to ring back to say it was.

Secondly, and for the only time in five years of reporting for Newsnight Scotland, I was doing a live studio contribution without first having to edit a vt package. "Why don't you push off until 9 o'clock" my editor suggested, and he didn't have to ask twice.

Which is how four of us managed to meet up in Glasgow tonight and, over a bowl of noodles in Wagamama, put faces and voices to names. Sadly, Robyn was still on her way back from a meeting in Edinburgh, so we were without the woman who was pulling all the threads together.

Will this eventually lead to us competing in the Hebridean Challenge? We all hope so. We know that the only way we'll work as a team is if we can train as a team, but if this is anything to go by, that will be a challenge in itself!

The others are going to e-mail me the weekend days in Jan & Feb they're busy, I'll combine the lists, and we'll see if there are any dates we can all get out together - maybe a trip to somewhere outside Edinburgh to bike and run. And really get to know one another.

It seemed like a good idea...

2004-12-12T18:11:00.000Z

By all accounts, it’s the paddlers who party. While the other competitors in the Hebridean Challenge consider themselves “athletes”, the sea kayak specialists are just “paddlers”, which gives them the excuse to stay up until the wee hours having a good time. A nice idea, which I will believe when I see it!

Somehow I find myself as part of a five person team planning to enter The Hebridean Challenge, a five day adventure race up the length of the Outer Hebrides, from Barra to Stornoway. (I’ll explain why I say “somehow” in a moment.) As I understand it, and I am still trying to get my head around what I’ve gotten into here, it’s a kind of relay race. There are sections of hill running, road biking, mountain biking, open water swimming and sea kayaking. Not every member of the team can tackle each section, because some happen simultaneously, but if more team members than necessary complete a section then they earn extra points. Please don’t take that as a definitive explanation of this event because I may discover I’m utterly wrong.

It started with a phone call to John Manning, the Deputy Editor of TGO Magazine, who I wanted to congratulate for just completing the Pacific Crest Trail. Instead, TGO’s designer Robyn Frew answered the phone, “Hi Simon – you’re a kayaker right?” (She’s a kiwi). “How’d you fancy being our kayak specialist?” Two days later I was committed to months of intensive training and considerable pain.

I rang Gordon Brown of Skyak Adventure who reassured me that I’d be able to earn my 4 star qualification before race day next July. He was twice Sea Safety Officer on this event in previous years, and explained I’d probably be competing against ex-Olympians. I had a momentary vision of everyone hauling their boats on-top of their vans while I was still in the Sound of Harris. “I don’t want to win”, I told him, “I just want to finish”. I clearly have some work to do.

So I’ve done what I swore I’d never do – I’ve hired a personal trainer. For the times I’ll be training, and the fact that most of it will be paddling my kayak, running or riding, this “yuppie” sounding thing-to-do should work out cheaper than a gym membership.

So far I’ve just done one session with Scott who has determined that “core stability” is the thing for me to work on first. Muscles, way below my stomach muscles, are protesting at having been rudely woken from their slumber. It’s now up to me to, gradually, get them fully alert. I’m also keeping a food diary, running to work, and this year Santa Claus might put a heart-rate monitor in my stocking.

However, with the exception of Robyn, I’ve yet to meet the rest of the team. In fact, we’ve yet to find our fifth member. Scott considered joining us, but after reading the synopsis of the race, felt he might be over-committed. I’ve read the CV’s of the two Edinburgh men who have thrown their lot in with Robyn and was rather stunned to realise that I went to University a month or so after they were born. Like Robyn, they’ve tackled Adventure Races before, whereas this will be my first, but I was reassured to learn that stamina builds over the age of 30. We’ll see…..

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