Have you ever wanted to sail round the world? Or climb the highest freestanding mountain in the world? Or cross a vast desert? Nordic Walking could help!
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| Edinburgh sailing past HMS Illustrious |
My brother, John, has recently set sail for Brazil on the racing yacht, Edinburgh Inspiring Capital. It's one in a fleet of ten which is racing around the globe over the next 12 months. The skipper on each boat is an experienced professional, but the crews are all "ordinary" people, with little or no sailing experience - just a desire and determination to enjoy this once in a lifetime opportunity.
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| Jostling for position |
Like many of us, John has long harboured thoughts of doing something out of the ordinary. In his case, sailing beyond the routine weekend trip, or gentle Mediterranean escape. But without a boat or a crew, ocean-going was out of his league, until he heard about the Clipper races, devised by Sir Christopher Knox-Johnson, the first man to sail solo, non-stop around the world.
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| The start of a 40,000 mile race |
John had always kept fit - mainly by badminton or squash, and mountain-biking. He knew he'd have to be fit to enjoy the rigours of a 6-week crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. The crew work a 4-hours on, 4 hours off rota, so there's no time for a relaxing doze as you surf the waves! However, during the 18 months of preparation, John cracked some ribs after his bike made sudden contact with a tree.
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| The boats head for the Channel |
So, in order to keep exercising, he took up Nordic Walking in the hills around his home. When his ribs healed, he was able to increase the intensity of training and found it as good as any regime he'd used over the years. He also noticed that it was gentle on his knee joints, unlike the running he'd tried for a while.
So, a couple of weeks ago, I (and several thousand others) watched the fleet set off down the Solent, for the start of a BIG Adventure. They are now somewhere off the Canaries, after surviving the Bay of Biscay. If you want to follow the race, the Race Viewer is updated every 3 hours.
http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com/index.php/follow/photo-galleries/?start=36
As to the highest freestanding mountain, that's Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
Many people attempt to trek up it every year, and Nordic Walking is an ideal preparation for the climb.
And recently, another of our Nordic Walkers crossed the Jordanian desert, using Nordic Walking as part of a training regime. Obviously, successful people have determination and talent, but Nordic Walking has contributed to achieving their goals.
Sailing around the world...climbing the highest mountain...walking the Great Wall of China...getting into that new outfit for the wedding next year....!
Whatever your aims are, Nordic Walking can help you achieve them!
Live the Dream - try Nordic Walking!
Peter
07703-404-931
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