This week the Oar Raisers have been raising sponsorship for the 80 mile walk to Kent on the 4th of Feb.
So far so good, we have raised well over £100 each and expect to receive a healthy whack from our courages
friends also participating, Anyone taking on this challenge should know how truly grateful and inspired we are
by your efforts. Completing even a small part of this walk will be a big achievement, so we hope you're all ready
and as excited/nervous as we are...
With only four days to event day we should almost certainly be ready, however a few snags have exploded onto
the stage and in typical Oar Raiser form we are seeking out ways (kind friends) to resolve the problems. The official
red Oar Raisers fiesta that was to provide support and back up on this event has sadly passed away to the great
scrapheap in the sky to the sound of a blown catalytic converter and eroded manifold. I share the sorrow and loss
of my first car with Colin John Bowles, a man decent enough to have been my car sharing buddy...
I'd just like to say a few words in memory of Trouble (our cars nickname) -
Carry we who die in battle
Over land and sea
Across the rainbow bridge
To Valhalla
Odin's waiting for me
the loss of Trouble actually might make life quite difficult for us in the near future - so if anyone would like to donate a car of working order, it would be gratefully received haha
Ok to Tom then, Congratulations brother... Tom passed his trailer test this week which means he can now pull a boat behind his car, a massive benefit for us obviously, although nervous and with only half the generally required training R1 passed the test with flying colours and we wish to thank Peter Sutton of the Norwich trailer training company for his donation of the training sessions and all his help. Well done Tom.
All final preparations in place for the walk the Mayor of Cambridge will be waving us off at 07:00 am on Friday morning from the Guildhall, I am hopeful we will find another vehicle in time to provide support along the way. All those taking part, please don't forget your contact sheets on the day and don't be late, although we're not expecting a marching pace we do have a vague schedule to stick to.
As with most Sunday evenings, I am tired and almost unable to move my legs due to another weeks exhausting training and running around organising things, the sensation is less like pain but more like the warmth and satisfaction of knowing the hard work you've put in. It's hard to express in words without it sounding horrible but I have grown to quite like the feeling of my pulverised muscle meat clinging to my bones. The body is a remarkable thing and capable of enduring incredible punishment, I just hope our minds are as fortified.
For now, enjoy your first week of February and look out for us on Friday, any offers of support or services are still welcome,
keep reading,
Chris.
Sunday 30 January 2011
Sunday 16 January 2011
Walking, Pictures and Dog...ing (not the sexy kind)
Firstly hello everyone, hope you're all well and have had a perfectly acceptable start to the NY...
As you are all no doubt aware on the 4th of Feb we intend to walk approximately 80 miles from Cambridge to Kent,
plans for said walk are well under way and shaping up to be fairly interesting, with 14 people confirmed to do part of
or the entire stretch we are hoping to raise a tidy sum for our cause and chosen charity... participants you know who
you are so do us proud as land crew and pull in that sponsorship!...
On Saturday myself and work colleague walked 11 miles as a trial run on the beginning route of the actual walk, Joseph
Anderton had never walked that far in one hit and completed with a good time of just over 3 hours, this is the pace I intend
to keep en route to Kent... Well done Joseph a real solid effort mate, little Abington is lovely!
Sunday saw 5 of the Kent walkers set off to Clayhithe near Water beach, There and back is almost 10 miles so well done everyone, I for one had a lot of fun and the pit/pint stop at the bridge was a particularly nice highlight. I (Rower 2) felt quite vulnerable to the wind and lack of heat around my ears and head, mainly due to the fact that I have decided to go very short up top and the once lustrous locks I had no longer provide the comfort and protection against the elements I am used to... However it has made training considerably easier!... This last week has seen both of push our lifting capacity on the decline Bench press to 6 sets of 8 reps 80 kilos, an incredible amount of weight and muscular endurance - it is just a shame we cannot walk to Kent on our hands...
So then, to the intrigue of 'Dog...ing' Today our friend Sophie is off to see her husband for the first time in ages, so we are taking Elvis (The King) quadruped until she returns, it's funny - Elvis has stayed with us before and is a pleasure to have, he looks at me sometimes as if to say 'don't worry mate, I don't think ya an idiot' This is affirmed by his sympathetic cocking of his head and friendly attentive stare... Black as night and strong as a horse it's easy to see why people think these guys are man's best friends, I don't think he could row the Atlantic but I think he'd give a good attempt at eating it.
for now, Over and out.
As you are all no doubt aware on the 4th of Feb we intend to walk approximately 80 miles from Cambridge to Kent,
plans for said walk are well under way and shaping up to be fairly interesting, with 14 people confirmed to do part of
or the entire stretch we are hoping to raise a tidy sum for our cause and chosen charity... participants you know who
you are so do us proud as land crew and pull in that sponsorship!...
On Saturday myself and work colleague walked 11 miles as a trial run on the beginning route of the actual walk, Joseph
Anderton had never walked that far in one hit and completed with a good time of just over 3 hours, this is the pace I intend
to keep en route to Kent... Well done Joseph a real solid effort mate, little Abington is lovely!
Sunday saw 5 of the Kent walkers set off to Clayhithe near Water beach, There and back is almost 10 miles so well done everyone, I for one had a lot of fun and the pit/pint stop at the bridge was a particularly nice highlight. I (Rower 2) felt quite vulnerable to the wind and lack of heat around my ears and head, mainly due to the fact that I have decided to go very short up top and the once lustrous locks I had no longer provide the comfort and protection against the elements I am used to... However it has made training considerably easier!... This last week has seen both of push our lifting capacity on the decline Bench press to 6 sets of 8 reps 80 kilos, an incredible amount of weight and muscular endurance - it is just a shame we cannot walk to Kent on our hands...
So then, to the intrigue of 'Dog...ing' Today our friend Sophie is off to see her husband for the first time in ages, so we are taking Elvis (The King) quadruped until she returns, it's funny - Elvis has stayed with us before and is a pleasure to have, he looks at me sometimes as if to say 'don't worry mate, I don't think ya an idiot' This is affirmed by his sympathetic cocking of his head and friendly attentive stare... Black as night and strong as a horse it's easy to see why people think these guys are man's best friends, I don't think he could row the Atlantic but I think he'd give a good attempt at eating it.
for now, Over and out.
Tuesday 4 January 2011
Cambridge to Kent:
One month from today we embark on an 80 mile walk from Cambridge to Kent, This is a mini challenge in the lead up to the epic adventure, this will be challenging for us and give us both an idea of where we are physically and mentally...
People are welcome to attempt the journey with getting sponsored as individuals, so far we have around 8 people confirmed to participate so thank you guys I'm sure you'll enjoy it and get a great sense of achievement on completion of your chosen distance.
You can do it in teams as a relay, or with a friend, partner, dog or hamster it's entirely up to you but if you do want to be involved please contact us and let us know as soon as possible so we can send you a kit list, contact sheet and sponsor form - you'll also get T-shirts for your trouble!...
As a training run you could be walking a few long distance weekend walk such as Cambridge to Ely along the river or perhaps to Fordham...it's down to you to train and down to you do something amazing so why not join us and burn of some of those festive pounds?!... this is a great opportunity for you to contribute directly to a charity and achieve a personal goal, go on give it a go.
People are welcome to attempt the journey with getting sponsored as individuals, so far we have around 8 people confirmed to participate so thank you guys I'm sure you'll enjoy it and get a great sense of achievement on completion of your chosen distance.
You can do it in teams as a relay, or with a friend, partner, dog or hamster it's entirely up to you but if you do want to be involved please contact us and let us know as soon as possible so we can send you a kit list, contact sheet and sponsor form - you'll also get T-shirts for your trouble!...
As a training run you could be walking a few long distance weekend walk such as Cambridge to Ely along the river or perhaps to Fordham...it's down to you to train and down to you do something amazing so why not join us and burn of some of those festive pounds?!... this is a great opportunity for you to contribute directly to a charity and achieve a personal goal, go on give it a go.
Festivities over, a long break and now for the torture:
It's been a long festive season for the Oar Raisers what with travelling to various places visiting friends and family between training and fundraising etc but now the new year has begun and we intend to rise with new vigour, taking the world by storm with our fundraising schemes and hellish training challenges...
Firstly we hope everyone has had a great Christmas and New year - we've been luck enough not only to see our families but to spend real quality time with our friends - Men, Women, and Elvis the quadriped
Firstly we hope everyone has had a great Christmas and New year - we've been luck enough not only to see our families but to spend real quality time with our friends - Men, Women, and Elvis the quadriped
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