I have a very stubborn nature sometimes; if someone says or implies I'm incapable of achieving something then sometimes (if it's a suitably emotive thing) I'll forego SO MUCH to be able to prove them wrong ..... and this is where I found myself last week.
Now before I go into all that, here's a quick update. I'm back in training and feel so much better now the cough seems to be subsiding; 45 minutes in the circuit room on Thursday evening, 3 hours 10 minutes on Friday afternoon/evening and a PT session on Saturday. Not that the PT session was great but it was bl**dy good for the first time in several weeks.
The 3 hour+ session was 10 minutes on the cross-trainer to warm-up, two circuits and then a monster treadmill session (the display showed this just as I hit the 10km mark, looking to complete 15km although I stopped just over 13.65km with legs stiffening): -
I was going to go tonight but had too much on my mind including a pretty fundamental debate (as I said, more to come about that soon).
In the last two weeks I've had really good meetings with @suebecks, Clara White from MacMillan West Yorkshire, @joboardman, @karenasemper, bought my youngest her first car (evidently called 'Polly'), took my eldest and her boyfriend to the airport (@lbia) to head off for a months' backpacking around Europe, had a wonderful update from SmileSMS that 60 companies and organisations are going to promote my Trek in March and April, been in the Yorkshire Evening Post again thanks to Heart Research UK (see photo below which has YEP article and, to the right, a teeny photo that appeared in the Saturday Mirror) .....
.... completed a couple of thank-you cards for the Manchester Fort and New Cannon branches of Starbucks and had some charity and some 'charity neutral' photos taking by @mvsphotography, such as .....
.... but the most interesting thing in the last two weeks were the words from Mandy Barwick and Karen Asemper ............................. and the following is a statement I'm mulling over right now: -
My priorities in life are my children, my health, my relationship, my work, my friends and returning from the North Pole Trek successfully (as Alan Chambers MBE, the leader of the expedition says "Train hard, fight easy") ... and the fundraising activity therefore comes last !!
To complete the Trek I must earn money to pay the balance, I must be fitter and stronger physically and mentally than I have ever been in my life, I must learn new skills, I might learn to shoot, and my desire to push a verbal custard pie in someone's face who said I would never reach the £100 000 fundraising target I set myself MUST therefore come last again.
But I have yet to let go of that 'custard pie' aspiration and could be in danger of trying to do too much of the stuff that feels good and not the stuff that's right & needed. My big question is ....
Do I forget driving at the fundraising target, just raise whatever is possible and be satisfied the statement "Do what you need to do and the rest will naturally flow" (as encouraged by Andrea, Mandy and Karen at different times this year) will come true ..... or do I try to do EVERYTHING and either succeed or fail, and possibly burn out?
Answers on a postcard please (or as a comment below, on an e-mail or via my Twitter address of @northpoletrek will be much appreciated) .... but I think I know the answer. Hmmm.
In the meantime, here's what I dream of EVERY night. Sad, I know ......
Now before I go into all that, here's a quick update. I'm back in training and feel so much better now the cough seems to be subsiding; 45 minutes in the circuit room on Thursday evening, 3 hours 10 minutes on Friday afternoon/evening and a PT session on Saturday. Not that the PT session was great but it was bl**dy good for the first time in several weeks.
The 3 hour+ session was 10 minutes on the cross-trainer to warm-up, two circuits and then a monster treadmill session (the display showed this just as I hit the 10km mark, looking to complete 15km although I stopped just over 13.65km with legs stiffening): -
I was going to go tonight but had too much on my mind including a pretty fundamental debate (as I said, more to come about that soon).
In the last two weeks I've had really good meetings with @suebecks, Clara White from MacMillan West Yorkshire, @joboardman, @karenasemper, bought my youngest her first car (evidently called 'Polly'), took my eldest and her boyfriend to the airport (@lbia) to head off for a months' backpacking around Europe, had a wonderful update from SmileSMS that 60 companies and organisations are going to promote my Trek in March and April, been in the Yorkshire Evening Post again thanks to Heart Research UK (see photo below which has YEP article and, to the right, a teeny photo that appeared in the Saturday Mirror) .....
.... completed a couple of thank-you cards for the Manchester Fort and New Cannon branches of Starbucks and had some charity and some 'charity neutral' photos taking by @mvsphotography, such as .....
 |
| Muscular Dystrophy Campaign (for the wonderful Sara Wilcox nee Benson) |
 |
| Dave at Manchester Fort Starbucks just LOVES this yellow jacket |
 |
| Now whilst I was prepared to be proudly photographed in my Samaritans t-shirt .... |
 |
| .... even with a sense of humour there are limits Sarah ...... |
 |
| ....... so let's not push the Health & Safety limits (or the fashion one) eh? |
.... but the most interesting thing in the last two weeks were the words from Mandy Barwick and Karen Asemper ............................. and the following is a statement I'm mulling over right now: -
My priorities in life are my children, my health, my relationship, my work, my friends and returning from the North Pole Trek successfully (as Alan Chambers MBE, the leader of the expedition says "Train hard, fight easy") ... and the fundraising activity therefore comes last !!
To complete the Trek I must earn money to pay the balance, I must be fitter and stronger physically and mentally than I have ever been in my life, I must learn new skills, I might learn to shoot, and my desire to push a verbal custard pie in someone's face who said I would never reach the £100 000 fundraising target I set myself MUST therefore come last again.
But I have yet to let go of that 'custard pie' aspiration and could be in danger of trying to do too much of the stuff that feels good and not the stuff that's right & needed. My big question is ....
Do I forget driving at the fundraising target, just raise whatever is possible and be satisfied the statement "Do what you need to do and the rest will naturally flow" (as encouraged by Andrea, Mandy and Karen at different times this year) will come true ..... or do I try to do EVERYTHING and either succeed or fail, and possibly burn out?
Answers on a postcard please (or as a comment below, on an e-mail or via my Twitter address of @northpoletrek will be much appreciated) .... but I think I know the answer. Hmmm.
In the meantime, here's what I dream of EVERY night. Sad, I know ......
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