Over the years I have been getting more and more unfit, the pounds
have been piling on and touching my toes has become more difficult. What I
needed was some way of getting fit that was a bit more interesting than just
doing thirty minutes a day on an exercise bike!
I bought a rowing machine last year and
had hardly used it but decided to get it out again and was trying to think of a
way to make using the thing more interesting. I always had in the back of my
mind the idea of ‘rowing’ the Atlantic but realised that apart accomplishing a distance
it would be as interesting as watching the dust (invariably) gather on the
rowing machine itself!
I've always fancied myself as an explorer but motherhood and back
packing don't tend to mix. I have had to make do with being an armchair traveller,
reading other's adventures on the net, but now is my chance to do some non-armchair
exploration. How about virtually rowing around the coast of Britain? My lazy
side liked this idea a lot as surely just going around a piddly island like
Britain would be so much easier than sculling across the big pond! Upon a quick
look at the map the slothful part of me was kicked to touch as it turned out
that the shortest distance across the Atlantic is 1600 miles whereas around
Britain is around 500 miles more.
My initial idea was to do the whole distance using my rowing
machine but I have now decided to try and get as many different methods of man
power in as possible so that I can try and incorporate the challenge into my
everyday life. Some parts will be done walking, others in the swimming pool and
maybe I will even manage to put some unusual methods of transport in. Who
knows, I may win a holiday to Australia and put in a few miles by snorkelling
through the Great Barrier Reef or by walking up Ayres Rock!
The rules of the challenge are simple, there is no time limit or
minimum miles travelled per day, the only hard fast rule is that only miles
that are gained by my own steam power count. Skiing, swimming, running,
walking, rowing count but driving and flying (unless I am entering a bird man
competition) don’t!
I would love it if people would like to join me in my challenge,
hopefully I will be blogging about the places I am passing by in my virtual
journey and I will be adding virtual short cuts for the less mobile and extra
excursions for those who are super fit already and wish to go that extra mile!
My next post will be to reveal more about the starting point of the expedition and a plan
of the first big leg of the journey.
