So ... this week I'm not sure who is facing the bigger challenge, me or my old school Mini Cooper Sport, Lulu!
Tomorrow's challenge - the Pirate Rampage, takes place in Salcombe - a 4 and a half hour drive from Reading, where I'm based.
Then it's back late tomorrow night, only to have to drive to Kempton Park, Middlesex first thing on Sunday morning for the Leukemia Research Bananaman Chase, and then that evening I'm driving to Windemere to do a Bushcraft Course in the Lake District - at least another 4 and a half hours driving.
Unfortunately both these distant challenges are in places which are really difficult to access with the train, so it looks like Lulu will have to suck it up and face the challenge!
As for me, not sure how sprightly I'll be doing the 10k on Sunday! It's been a pretty manic week - not just with the three challenges I've already done since last Sunday (London to Brighton, ice-climbing and flying) but I also managed to squeeze in the Cambridge vs Oxford cricket Varsity Match at Lord's and the May Ball back at my old Cambridge college (essentially 9 hours straight of drinking!), so I'm a tad delicate already to say the least.
Plus, the Pirate Rampage finishes tomorrow night at 10pm, so after a 5 hour drive home I should get about 5 hours sleep before I'm up again and having to drive to Middlesex for the run ... delightful!
Remind me again why I do these things ;)
Charly xxx
Showing posts with label London to Brighton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label London to Brighton. Show all posts
Friday, 20 June 2008
Wednesday, 18 June 2008
London to Brighton Cycle Ride
The video is up!
But for those of you who haven't watched it yet, I did make it!
To be honest the distance wasn't all that strenuous (I walked almost as far in March), the main issues were just the hills (which were a nightmare, particularly the Beacon 50 miles in!) and the other cyclists.
There were FAR too many cyclists on very narrow roads at times, and people just weren't cycling safely. I can't believe how many people I saw not even wearing helmets.
The race also wasn't that well organised. Unlike a marathon you had to pay for any refreshments on the way round, and our medals are positively tacky. Whilst obviously it's run for charity, the BHF underlines that the £30 entry fee is purely for organisational costs, which was surprising considering how little we received, and the fact 27,000 people were paying £30 each.
Ah well ... another challenge down!
Definitely my most spontaneous one too! I literally agreed to do the race 2 weeks ago, so truly in the spirit of Challenge Charly! And I hadn't even cycled my bike in the last 6 months! (which became quite evident, first when we realised the front wheel was on wrong! and then when I realised it was flat!!)
Am keen to do more cycling challenges though ... am thinking of doing 100 miles next.
At the mo my bike is still in Brighton because we weren't allowed to take them back on the train the day of the race, and my mini boot is TINY! So I've been toying with the idea of cycling from Brighton to Bournemouth, which is roughly 100 miles ... though after Sunday I'd try to find the flattest route possible!
Guess I'll need to sort out my hill cycling if I'm really going to do Land's End to John O'Groats in November :)
Charly xxx
But for those of you who haven't watched it yet, I did make it!
To be honest the distance wasn't all that strenuous (I walked almost as far in March), the main issues were just the hills (which were a nightmare, particularly the Beacon 50 miles in!) and the other cyclists.
There were FAR too many cyclists on very narrow roads at times, and people just weren't cycling safely. I can't believe how many people I saw not even wearing helmets.
The race also wasn't that well organised. Unlike a marathon you had to pay for any refreshments on the way round, and our medals are positively tacky. Whilst obviously it's run for charity, the BHF underlines that the £30 entry fee is purely for organisational costs, which was surprising considering how little we received, and the fact 27,000 people were paying £30 each.
Ah well ... another challenge down!
Definitely my most spontaneous one too! I literally agreed to do the race 2 weeks ago, so truly in the spirit of Challenge Charly! And I hadn't even cycled my bike in the last 6 months! (which became quite evident, first when we realised the front wheel was on wrong! and then when I realised it was flat!!)
Am keen to do more cycling challenges though ... am thinking of doing 100 miles next.
At the mo my bike is still in Brighton because we weren't allowed to take them back on the train the day of the race, and my mini boot is TINY! So I've been toying with the idea of cycling from Brighton to Bournemouth, which is roughly 100 miles ... though after Sunday I'd try to find the flattest route possible!
Guess I'll need to sort out my hill cycling if I'm really going to do Land's End to John O'Groats in November :)
Charly xxx
Friday, 13 June 2008
Challenges This Week ...
It's not just technical logistics I struggle with (oh dear, I really do need a production team!!!) ...
Sometimes Challenges provide more difficulties than just the physical ones! Take Sunday for instance - I've agreed at very short notice to cycle the London to Brighton cycle ride. 54 miles ... now hopefully my 4 hrs or so of cycling in the gym each week should stand me in relatively good stead for the race, even if, as those of you who have watched the Stockholm video will know, my camera skills behind the handlebars are absolutely appalling!
No, the problem is the logistics of getting my bike to London, and getting home from Brighton!
In the end I decided to start 2 days early, and my bike is currently locked up outside my uni's Cavendish Campus.
What an absolute nightmare taking a bike on the train and the tube! Half the tube lines don't allow them! And I still have to get it all the way to Clapham tomorrow! Oh dear!
I have decided to leave it in Brighton on Sunday and just drive home! (I have a tiny old mini - one tyre wouldn't even fit in its miniscule boot!!)
Though I'm not just being lazy, I promise!! I'm going to leave it on the coast, because I'm hoping to cycle it from Brighton to Land's End, in a warm up for cycling from Land's End to John O'Groats in November!!!
Anyway ... that's months away ... this week in addition to the cycle ride I plan to squeeze in a spot of Ice Climbing, and hopefully a Rally Car Driving Day ... oooh and I'll be filming some more footage of me learning how to jump a horse ... that Challenge to be posted soon :)
Charly xxx
Sometimes Challenges provide more difficulties than just the physical ones! Take Sunday for instance - I've agreed at very short notice to cycle the London to Brighton cycle ride. 54 miles ... now hopefully my 4 hrs or so of cycling in the gym each week should stand me in relatively good stead for the race, even if, as those of you who have watched the Stockholm video will know, my camera skills behind the handlebars are absolutely appalling!
No, the problem is the logistics of getting my bike to London, and getting home from Brighton!
In the end I decided to start 2 days early, and my bike is currently locked up outside my uni's Cavendish Campus.
What an absolute nightmare taking a bike on the train and the tube! Half the tube lines don't allow them! And I still have to get it all the way to Clapham tomorrow! Oh dear!
I have decided to leave it in Brighton on Sunday and just drive home! (I have a tiny old mini - one tyre wouldn't even fit in its miniscule boot!!)
Though I'm not just being lazy, I promise!! I'm going to leave it on the coast, because I'm hoping to cycle it from Brighton to Land's End, in a warm up for cycling from Land's End to John O'Groats in November!!!
Anyway ... that's months away ... this week in addition to the cycle ride I plan to squeeze in a spot of Ice Climbing, and hopefully a Rally Car Driving Day ... oooh and I'll be filming some more footage of me learning how to jump a horse ... that Challenge to be posted soon :)
Charly xxx
Monday, 9 June 2008
Diary Disaster Strikes!!
So it's definitely Challenge Month, if ever there was one in particular, here at Challenge Charly!
I started the month wakeboarding, then it was straight off to Southampton to learn how to sail a yacht.
The plan for the rest of the month includes zorbing, bushcraft, the London to Brighton cycle ride, and a Pirate Rampage, amongst other challenges!
But there are definite downsides to cramming my days full ... namely diary malfunctions! Basically without realising I booked myself in two places at the same time - on Friday I was sailing, and also meant to be driving to Wales for the start of a Mountain Leadership course. By the time I realised it was 11pm, and I was going to have to wake up at 4am in order to drive over to Snowdonia in time for the start of the course.
Total nightmare! After 6 sleepless nights in a very uncomfortable cabin there was nowhere I was going to be able to function, let alone drive! on just 4 hours of sleep. And so ... I'm not in Wales. Which is really gutting, not only financially as I lose all the fees I paid for the course, but also, because I've got about 4 spare days between now and November, I can't do my training course before my assessment week in October.
Eeek ... looks like that's one challenge which is going to be delayed :(
Ah well, on a brighter side, it looks like the CC website should be up and running really really soon, and hopefully this impromptu extra week will allow me to cram in an extra couple of challenges :)
As ever - give me challenges!! and volunteer to be a challenger!
Charly xxx
I started the month wakeboarding, then it was straight off to Southampton to learn how to sail a yacht.
The plan for the rest of the month includes zorbing, bushcraft, the London to Brighton cycle ride, and a Pirate Rampage, amongst other challenges!
But there are definite downsides to cramming my days full ... namely diary malfunctions! Basically without realising I booked myself in two places at the same time - on Friday I was sailing, and also meant to be driving to Wales for the start of a Mountain Leadership course. By the time I realised it was 11pm, and I was going to have to wake up at 4am in order to drive over to Snowdonia in time for the start of the course.
Total nightmare! After 6 sleepless nights in a very uncomfortable cabin there was nowhere I was going to be able to function, let alone drive! on just 4 hours of sleep. And so ... I'm not in Wales. Which is really gutting, not only financially as I lose all the fees I paid for the course, but also, because I've got about 4 spare days between now and November, I can't do my training course before my assessment week in October.
Eeek ... looks like that's one challenge which is going to be delayed :(
Ah well, on a brighter side, it looks like the CC website should be up and running really really soon, and hopefully this impromptu extra week will allow me to cram in an extra couple of challenges :)
As ever - give me challenges!! and volunteer to be a challenger!
Charly xxx
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