► The Boys' Blog

Here you can be kept up to date about the boys' progress so far, with details of their aches, pains, gruelling training schedule and money raised so far!

Liam's blog

18th January 2011
So Christmas has come and gone, the training has started again and it hurts! I woke up this morning without the ability to use my legs after doing the longest cycle I have done so far! But even though I am really pushing myself to get fit for the event I can honestly say I am still enjoying the training! I should also be getting a new road bike today which is very exciting, I am heading down to the Green Bike Company later today to try a couple out and get all the gear, you know what they say “all the gear, no idea”, think that’s going to be me!
But away from training we have all been working really hard to secure sponsorship and to get donations. So far we as a team have raised £566 adding gift aid a massive £666! This is way over what we expected to have raised at such an early stage of the whole event! With another 5 months before the event we are very optimistic to raise a substantial amount of money for The Worcester Snoezelen. We are currently selling space on our team Jerseys for businesses to get a bit of advertising on as well so if you know anyone who would be interested then please give them my e-mail, liam.hughes@worc.ac.uk and we can continue raising money for this amazing charity!
 

5th January 2011
Ok so the long process of training has started! First on the agenda was to sign up for the gym (somewhere I am not familiar with!) and getting my training programme together. I looked at internet training programmes, got advice and looked at other people’s blogs who had undertaken a similar in order to prepare myself for a challenge such as this. As a result I now have a reasonably structured training programme which will take me up to the challenge itself.

I began working on my base fitness doing around 30 mins on the bike 3 times a week, alongside general weights and core strength exercises to establish a good base. I have now graduated from this part of my training programme and am now cycling 3 times a week, doing around 30km twice a week with another 20km cycle and another gym session working on weights and core strength to keep an overall fitness. Unfortunately the Christmas period did nothing for my training! However I am back in the gym now and strangely enjoying the hard work and the excitement is definitely building!

Away from training, myself and the others are thinking of fundraising ideas to raise the £2000 target. We have already done an event in Crowngate shopping centre which raised nearly £200 which was a great success and we have had some great donations on our just giving page. We are now formulating new ideas in which we can raise money for the Snoezelen, expect something good, I will keep you posted!
If you have a chance, take a look at our just giving page http://www.justgiving.com/Snoezelen-Cycle. Any donations that you can give would be greatly appreciated by us and the Worcester Snoezelen. Thanks and keep update with what we are doing here and on facebook http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/home.php?sk=group_156699391043815 or search ‘Cycle from London to Amsterdam’.
Thanks. x