Yesterday was one of those days when I felt so happy to have chosen to do this sort of stuff for a living.
Granted, I perhaps was not feeling so cheerful about it as we sprinted our bikes up the graffiti-ed Olympic hill climb on Box Hill, chasing the shadows and dreams of Wiggo et al (and, in my case, chasing Ben who not only shaves his legs and wears poncy gear, but can also ride annoyingly fast uphill). “Can you do that again?” asked the photographer who’d come along to take some snaps of us training…
Nor was I hugely happy as we donned 20kg weight vests before a series of very steep hill sprints (with high knees and hands on our heads). I didn’t tell Andy, our coach: he would only have made us do something even more absurdly painful. Andy is one of the few people the only person I know who can get away with a topless photo of himself on Twitter…
And I nearly puked as Martin, Ben and I clipped into harnesses for some heavy sledge hauling.
But I love working hard and laughing a lot with capable, motivated people. Especially when you are outside on a week day, and all working together towards the South Pole.
And the ice cream at the end tasted like we’d really earned it.
A nice dollop of Monday morning misery…
That was filmed a week or so ago. This morning I was in the gym for a short, but very painful session:
- 6 minute run test on the treadmill- max effort.
- Rest for 10 minutes then the following at max effort without a rest-
- Front Squat @ 40kg x50 reps
- Deadlift @ 60kg x50 reps
- Dumbbell Military Press @ 10kg x50 reps
- Inverted Row @Bodyweight x50 reps
- Row 1km
- Front Squat @ 40kg x50 reps
- Deadlift @ 60kg x50 reps
- Dumbbell Military Press @ 10kg x50 reps
- Inverted Row @Bodyweight x50 reps
- Row 1km
Now it’s time for tea and toast!
And, in other news, why not come along to this event if you are in London next week and are planning a big adventure (or if you have been on one and can help other people):
Planning an expedition? Been on one and willing to share your expertise? Then please come along to this on Sept 13: rgs.org/OurWork/Fieldw
— Alastair Humphreys (@Al_Humphreys) September 3, 2012
Good story!
Moments of insight that make us feel how blessed we are
🙂