Breaking it in

Two 5 mile walks in the country in my new shoes, and some pain today! That's why we are breaking them in now, so no pain in April! I watched Troy over christmas, I was ill, and so it is apt that the only place I'm getting any issues is my achilles, my left one at the base. When it is rested it is fine so just teething problems I am sure. I love my boots though, really comfortable up until that point. A few days rest and I'll have another break-in session!

Feet

Where to start, I've learnt so much!

Well I got my feet tested towards the beginning of December as I am having issues with my IT Band that requires me to roll on a foam roller. Was told I had a normal gait, found this odd as this wasn't the case when rowing... got retested somewhere else for the cost of £40, running on computer linked gel pads, here I was told I needed mid support for high arches, which made more sense. Took the other shoes back and got some funky blue ones, for pronation, in at £100. Went running, the right foot now feels great, the left a bit awkward. Am finally getting fitted for walking boots, oh yes, these feel good, but then at home not so sure so head back in, get some time spent with a dancer, she knows a bit about feet, we find that my right foot pronates, but not the left, hence all the original confusion. So what I need is the original running shoe for the left and the current for the right, don't think so, so the alternative is some insoles that set my heel properly, at £35. Job done, oh I forget, walking shoes, £140. The cost of feet: £315

The 80's influence on today's New Zealand culture

Got really 'amped' by a new tune I heard on the radio yesterday... Admittedly I thought it was a girl singing 'Hey you're playing with my derriere, the moment i wake I'm gunning for you' and was dissapointed to find out it was in fact 'Hey you're playing with my delerium'. However that dissapointment was soon shelved when it was announced that the band's name was 'Ladyhawke' of 1980's film fame epicness and my first encounter with Michelle Pfeiffer:

When visiting youtube to scope it out further I was impressed that the 80's theme ran further than the name, and similarity with Pfeiffer, initially with the video for 'My Delerium', but this had nothing on 'Back of the Van' (see video below) which can only be described as some 'Europe', of Final Countdown fame, meets 'Sam Fox'... Which in some eyes is genius, others a disaster; I'm in the former bunch of campers.

A bigger question could be why am I blogging about this? Well I was shocked to find that this re-engineered 80's soundwave that is taking over DAB and analogue all over this country is in fact like Sir Ed a Kiwi...
So here is 'My Delerium':

Buying tights at £39.99

If the thought of going shopping for tights was bad enough then to find out that the starting price was basically £40 really took the biscuit. You see even though I had to wear lycra throughout rowing, especially tights in the winter and the England rugby team bound around in theirs nowadays it is, for a guy who grew up in the surf styled county of cornwall, still something of a bizzare concept, a fully grown man, who is engaging in a 'manly' sport to be wearing tights.

I finally got my head around it whilst rowing. Being on a river for hours in freezing temperatures at 6 in the morning you take every bit of help you can get. Tight shorts and tight tops I got; providing you are in shape they make you feel you can take on the world, but it took a while for the tights thing to be accepted.

Since uni I have lost them, and not hurried to replace them. Even now I wasn't in a rush until Monday night. On Monday I joined Kiwi's aerobic session around battersea park, lap followed by fartlek followed by another lap and so on, halfway into the second lap my calves and hamstrings were crying in pain, lactic acid burning and the cold temperature whispering in their ears, neigh begging them to seize up. I managed to get through it without them doing so, just, but they've been tight ever since, and in short it was enough said. So I can now welcome a pair of £39.99 underarmour tights into my wardrobe, to go with all the tight tech tops from rowing!

Missing a big day

What was I doing when the first black president got elected? Made it through a crazy crazy day at work and stayed up really late to get a sponsorship deck done for a big big big blue chip brand we're meeting tomorrow about Everest. But still got time to say well done to Martin Luther King and everyone else who struggled with oppression and fought against the tide for their dreams.
Believe. Make it happen. Well done.

Time to drop the hammer; keeping my room tidy

Some big web thinking coming from Binky

Had a great meeting last night with Tenzing kiwi Chris Beale aka Blinky who has been studiously working away on a google earth plug for the website. Basically this will mean people will be able to track our journey in the Himalayas using google earth and will see simulated views that we are seeing. We will also be able to post images and text to the route as well so we really can be tracked!



This is was a great meeting and showed Kirt and I that the passion for the trip is running really deep.