Sponsored cycle + swim for Haiti
Last Sunday week I undertook another of my crazy sponsored sporting exploits, this time to raise money to buy sports and audio-visual equipment to take out to Haiti when I take a group of pupils there in July. This time the context was a bit special given I’d not been well the previous few days (see below for details). Here are the Facebook comments and photos that I posted as the day progressed, plus a couple of photos from the swim that I’ve kept private till now. If anyone would like to donate to our fund for equipment to take out to Haiti and give to the schools we will be visiting I’m prepared to pick up from anyone in the Merseyside area. If you are further afield a cheque would be simplest, made out to “Brothers Of Christian Instruction”.
Address =
Bro. James Hayes, St. Francis Xavier’s College, Beaconsfield Road, Liverpool, England L25 6EG.
Here are the Facebook posts:
*****
It's 9.40am in the morning and I am halfway through my 100 mile cycle from Parkgate (Wirral) to Market Drayton and back followed by a 5 km (3.1 mile) swim at Neston Recreation Centre starting at 5.15pm as part of the national Swimathon event later today.
I've not pushed the fundraising in preparation for today as I was unsure about whether I'd be physically up to it having had a few issues these past few weeks. I was actually in bed with a fever and suspected tonsillitis on Weds. of this week. Indeed, last night I spent much of the first few hours in bed coughing. To try and relax I took to reading: Sir Robin Knox-Johnston's (a hero of mine) account of how in 1968-69 he became the first person to sail around the world solo and nonstop. After a particularly bad battering during a storm in the Southern Ocean that lead to leaks all over the boat and making him consider getting his life raft ready a poem by Robert Service called "The Quitter" came to mind (just looked up the exact passage):
"When you're lost in the wild And you're scared as a child
And death looks you bang in the eye
When you're sore as a boil
It's according to Hoyle
To cock your revolver- and die.
But the Code of a Man says "fight all you can"
And self dissolution is barred
In hunger and woe,
oh it's easy to blow
It's the Hell-served-for-breakfast that's hard."
This, together with the memory of what Knox-Johnston endured without giving up, put things into perspective for me (+ made me feel a bit ashamed for having considered not even giving it a go), so I decided to brace the below zero early morning temperature outside and set off for Parkgate on the Wirral (with the bike in the car) as planned at 4.30am in readiness for a 5.30-ish start on the bike.
Having now got to Market Drayton (50 miles, halfway) I'm feeling pretty good all things considered, but am wary of the dreaded cramp setting in towards the end of the swim, having not done anywhere near as much cycling as I'd hoped to do these past few weeks, though my swimming training has been going well.
***
Ride done. 100.5 mls. Now for some pasta courtesy of Lionel Harvey (cycling friend of mine), a nap, then down to the pool... GAME ON!!!
*****
Swim done!!! 5km in just over 2hrs. Very happy with how it went. Finished strongly with barely any cramp.
After having completed my double sporting challenge (see my Facebook Wall for further details) if anyone would like to donate to our fund for equipment to take out to Haiti and give to the schools we will be visiting I’m prepared to pick up from anyone in the Merseyside area. If you are further afield a cheque would be simplest, made out to “Brothers Of Christian Instruction”.
Address = Bro. James Hayes, St. Francis Xavier’s College, Beaconsfield Road, Liverpool, England L25 6EG.
Many thanks.
Address =
Bro. James Hayes, St. Francis Xavier’s College, Beaconsfield Road, Liverpool, England L25 6EG.
Here are the Facebook posts:
*****
It's 9.40am in the morning and I am halfway through my 100 mile cycle from Parkgate (Wirral) to Market Drayton and back followed by a 5 km (3.1 mile) swim at Neston Recreation Centre starting at 5.15pm as part of the national Swimathon event later today.
I've not pushed the fundraising in preparation for today as I was unsure about whether I'd be physically up to it having had a few issues these past few weeks. I was actually in bed with a fever and suspected tonsillitis on Weds. of this week. Indeed, last night I spent much of the first few hours in bed coughing. To try and relax I took to reading: Sir Robin Knox-Johnston's (a hero of mine) account of how in 1968-69 he became the first person to sail around the world solo and nonstop. After a particularly bad battering during a storm in the Southern Ocean that lead to leaks all over the boat and making him consider getting his life raft ready a poem by Robert Service called "The Quitter" came to mind (just looked up the exact passage):
"When you're lost in the wild And you're scared as a child
And death looks you bang in the eye
When you're sore as a boil
It's according to Hoyle
To cock your revolver- and die.
But the Code of a Man says "fight all you can"
And self dissolution is barred
In hunger and woe,
oh it's easy to blow
It's the Hell-served-for-breakfast that's hard."
This, together with the memory of what Knox-Johnston endured without giving up, put things into perspective for me (+ made me feel a bit ashamed for having considered not even giving it a go), so I decided to brace the below zero early morning temperature outside and set off for Parkgate on the Wirral (with the bike in the car) as planned at 4.30am in readiness for a 5.30-ish start on the bike.
Having now got to Market Drayton (50 miles, halfway) I'm feeling pretty good all things considered, but am wary of the dreaded cramp setting in towards the end of the swim, having not done anywhere near as much cycling as I'd hoped to do these past few weeks, though my swimming training has been going well.
***
Ride done. 100.5 mls. Now for some pasta courtesy of Lionel Harvey (cycling friend of mine), a nap, then down to the pool... GAME ON!!!
*****
Swim done!!! 5km in just over 2hrs. Very happy with how it went. Finished strongly with barely any cramp.
After having completed my double sporting challenge (see my Facebook Wall for further details) if anyone would like to donate to our fund for equipment to take out to Haiti and give to the schools we will be visiting I’m prepared to pick up from anyone in the Merseyside area. If you are further afield a cheque would be simplest, made out to “Brothers Of Christian Instruction”.
Address = Bro. James Hayes, St. Francis Xavier’s College, Beaconsfield Road, Liverpool, England L25 6EG.
Many thanks.
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