TRAINING

I have to be superfit for this challenge. It will be colder than I have ever experienced and I have no first hand knowledge of dogs. The terrain will be very rough in places and the sledge will need pushing up hills or over tricky ground. I am not going to be sitting on the back of the sledge calling out 'Mush Mush' the whole time but helping the dogs too. When I am sitting on the sledge, I will probably be gripping it with grim terror as I have heard that the dogs travel very fast when the terrain allows it and do not stop for anything. I have also heard that everyone falls off the sledge from time to time and you must not let go or you'll never see your dogs again! I will be wearing a lot of clothing, a balaclava, thick gloves, boots which will hinder any movement, and goggles to protect my eyes from the harsh glare of the snow. These will also keep away any missiles which are fired out of the doggies bottoms. I must remember to keep my mouth closed.

I have told that I must be able to walk 20 miles a day for two consecutive days. My normal exercise routine consists of walking about 4 miles a day plus I have done some much longer walks on holiday and at weekends. I feel quite comfortable walking 15 miles so need to work on that a bit more. I also ride my horse Bert at weekends and I do a weekly exercise class to keep me flexible.

Here are some images of how I have been training:

Walking the South Downs Way - Feb 06




Getting up close and personal with a reindeer


Drinking Vodka in the Ice Bar off Regent Street October 2005


Training in Madeira April 2005