And I would bike 500 more. Or at least that’s the plan!
From Sunday 3rd September, I’ll be taking on one of Britain’s toughest challenges and cycling from Land’s End to John O’Groats in 12 days – all in the name of charity.
Over the years, I’ve been known at My Home Move for my (sometimes crazy) fundraising challenges. In 2014, I climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and in 2015 walked 132 miles from our Northampton to Manchester offices (via Leicester) – not to mention all of the annual charity treks I’ve done with my MHM colleagues. To give you an idea of what I mean, check out the last video we did before the Charity Trek this year.
Although these challenges certainly tested my strength, I know they were nothing compared to the challenge ahead of me.
So now you’re thinking – why on earth are you doing it then?!
The answer to that is simple – for the people we support through the MHM Charitable Trust.
You see, through the Trust we help people that are living with homelessness and poverty in Leicester, Northampton and Manchester, as well as help to give a home to children living with Cerebal Palsy in Snehalaya, India. I’ve seen first hand the work being done by the charities that we raise money for, and met the people they support, so I know that as much as I’m going to be aching come 15th September, it’s nothing compared to what the people the charities support have to deal with.
Employees at My Home Move have a great history of pulling together to raise money for the good causes the Trust supports, and in support they’re matching the miles I do by clocking up miles in any way they can (I heard some are kayaking, skating and X-Training to 1,000 miles).
With the donations of my colleagues, and the generosity of our introducer community, we’re hoping to raise £10,000 for the charities, to make a real difference to the lives of the people they support.
If you would like to make a donation, we have a JustGiving page set up for the event, which can be found by visiting www.justgiving.com/fundraising/dtrt-lejog-1000-mile-challenge. Any donation will be massively appreciated!
In the meantime, here’s my 5 top tips for cycling like a pro:
- Prepare, prepare, prepare – Without the proper preparation, I’m not sure I’d make it to the end of the road some days! I’m even preparing in the office with my under-desk cycle.
- Invest in the right equipment – To state the obvious, a good bike, along with all the right protection gear is a must have! Safety first – especially if you’re going to be listening to music as you ride. You can pick up headphones that sit on your cheekbone, rather than in your ear, so you can still hear everything going on around you (cool right?).
- Get the tunes blasting – I like to listen to some chill out dance tracks during my more leisurely periods such as Cafe Del Mar, Fierce Angel and Armin and when it comes to tracks to get me pumped enough to tackle those inclines, Rancid, The Amazons and Royal Blood are my current bands of choice.
- Fuel the fire – Water and snacks (especially Energy gel) are key when you’re still 25 miles from home and lacking energy, you don’t want to be caught without either.
- Get Strava – Strava is a really handy app that tracks and analyses your efforts, is a great tool to see your improvement. Remember, if it’s not on Strava, it didn’t happen!
Wish me luck!