A Small Incline
The training has stepped up a gear! I have been out with the tyre twice in the last week; on Sunday I pulled it for 3.5 miles and felt it for the rest of the day. This tyre is only 10Kg in weight. I will be pulling 50Kg in The Arctic, so I have a way to go. Mel has generously offered to keep an old 4 wheel drive tyre for me, which I hope to be pulling by the end of September.
I am quite keen to organise a sponsored pull before the end of the year, but will have to up the distance, as any event is likely to be 15 – 20 miles, and that would kill me (or my lower back) at the moment.
I also have a new schedule in the gym which revolves around doing pull -ups. I can’t do any yet! The boys can both do around 20 and Annie can do 3, so I have got some work to do! At the moment I am concentrating on eccentric pull-ups (or controlled downs) I can only manage about 6 of these before gravity takes over …. Still I could only manage 2 press ups in May, I can now do over 20 and at least 30 controlled eccentric press-ups so there is hope for me yet!
Charlie & Alfie (the dogs) really enjoyed the tyre walk, and were quite bemused by the bouncing object I was pulling along. They took every opportunity they could to shake as close as possible after they had been into the river.
Here is a short video clip of the tyre in action! Have a good week! We are flat out at work, so it’s going to be long days fitting in training, family, and getting ready for the new term!
By The River
Alfie determined to soak me .. again!
When we arrived at our holiday home in Hungary I made John drive round the block. We were given some very sketchy directions from the tourist office, where we collected the keys, and this house did not look like the one we had booked through the Internet! Our house had looked white & not green, definitely did not have signs outside advertising beauty treatments & massages! On the second time round the block, John asked a chappy in the drive, who confirmed it was our accommodation! First appearances can often be deceptive! Despite the ‘funny windows’ and green colouring, the house has been fantastic for us, accommodating 15 of us very easily, providing plenty of living space inside and out & comfortable bedrooms. The only disappointment has been the pool; which we had to confirm sole usage of. prior to booking! It is a small pool which is rather grubby (to be generous), and with one push you could reach the other side!
The Lake has more than made up for the lack of pool. Lake Balaton is beautiful and has provided a great play ground. All the kids have had a go at windsurfing, which they seem to be mastering much quicker than I did when I had my first lesson in my twenties! We must be the best customers for the hire of pedalos & kayaks, with prices starting from £2/hour are great value. Inspired by the kids great performance on the windsurfer, a few of us larger kids had a go today. It must be nearly 20 years since I got on a surf board, but I was pleased to say that I could remember the basics, managed to get the sail up, sailed, tacked and sailed in the opposite direction. The winds were frustratingly light, so my limited skills were not overly tested…. perhaps another day? All the grown-ups have now committed to have ago before we leave at the end of the week!
I have managed to keep up a limited schedule of training. We have done a few walks; there are lots of castles here, at the top of pinnacles (hills or small mountains), which have provided at least 3 outings; and on one of our cloudy days Annie & Niall challenged each other to a walk to the local Tesco to invest in some new DVDs! Fifteen miles and two DVDs later we got to watch a ‘new’ film. It was a very un-inspirational walk, along road, but most of the kids joined in the challenge, and got some miles in!
Press Ups on the beach!
The whole family has taken on-board parts of my schedule! Sam talks non stop whilst I concentrate on finishing my third 60 second plank. And everybody is having a go at press-ups. I am very pleased with my progress. When I started my training with Tommy I could barely do two! Now I can do about twenty two!
Enjoy the video of family press-ups on the beach!!
On The Beach
A week after the Nijmegen Marches I am in sunny Hungary enjoying a complete change of scenery! There are 15 of us; 5 adults and 10 children ranging from 9 – 15! We are in a large house, which surprisingly, as advertised has loads of room, 2 kitchens, 2 living areas, a fire pit and it is only 700m from the shore of Lake Balaton! As you can see life is taking a slightly different pace from last week.
My foot is almost 100% recovered and we are out exploring the local area. We trekked up the local hill (which at over 1000ft high I am told qualifies as a mountain!) The only downside is the mosquitoes, these were very active in the woodland, despite the heat. The climb provided great views over the Lake (Hungarian Sea). At 77km long, it is the largest freshwater lake in Europe.
Local Vineyards
Our return route bought us down through the vineyards. We stopped for a coffee, and John thought he would sample some of the local grapes (it was after 10.30am) His glass was ladled out of the cask and cost the vast sum of 60p! It was a light fruity number that served slightly more chilled would make a good aperitif. Niall, encouraged by John, decided to splash out on a 90p glass. This was a slightly more intense wine that tasted better after the second and third sip! There are lots of attractive looking wine establishments that we thought we would visit later in the week, whilst the kinda had a quiet night in with take away pizza (£3 each!), popcorn and a dvd!
As well as a bit of walking most days (the local hills are quite steep) I am being good about doing my homework. Tommy has kindly given me a short routine to keep me on track. Oh I do love lunges… My eccentric press ups have improved beyond all recognition, and I can hold the plank for over a minute. Sarah will be chuffed when Pilate’s starts up again in September!!
The Plank...
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