To Children With Love - My MdS Charity

This episode will be introducing my chosen charity for the 2018 MdS.

The founder and managing director is a lady called Debbie Deegan. Debbie is a personal friend, I met her through my wife, Liz Hoefsmit (was Cusack). Liz and Debbie met when they were 10/11 and have been friends ever since.

Debbie has been working tirelessly in Russia since 1998 with the orphaned and abandoned children of the Bryansk Region and more recently with children in Kaluga, Tula and Moscow Region. Debbie is also the Chairperson of the Russian registered charity To Children With Love in Russia. This is the sister charity of To Russia With Love that strives to raise funds in Russia itself.

More details here:

The Team

ToChildrenWithLove

Mission Statement

Our goal is to support young people to achieve their full potential in education, employment and life.

Social exclusion and educational inequality negatively impacts the lives of young people reducing their self belief, dignity and well being. Our targeted programmes enhance young people’s self esteem, life skills and qualifications helping them to forge fulfilled lives within their communities and beyond. Our programmes have been developed over a 20 year period working with young people nationally and internationally.

This episode will be introducing my chosen charity for the 2018 MdS.

Donations via this link

Helping Children to Reach Their Full Potential

Seven Overseas (not Republic of Ireland) Programmes

International

• Social Integration Programme
• The New Start Programme
• Playroom Programme
• Finale Step Programme
• Mother & Baby Programme
• Sports Programme
• Life Skills Programme

Republic of Ireland - The Rising Tide Project

• Business Bootcamp
• Gardening Programme
• Coder Dojo Coding Club
• Discover Ireland Programme
• Scholarship Programme

Training is going reasonable. It'll be a slow edition this year. But that is fine with me, as I want to enjoy the Sahara even more than the previous two editions.

Week 2017-11-16 Journey to the third MdS continues

Important items first:
Chosen Charity: To Children with Love
Donation page: Donation link


Had the best of intentions for the week of 30 October. However I woke up that Monday morning the 30th with a throat feeling like sandpaper. No worries I thought, that's my annual three days of having a cold. How wrong was I? It lasted way into the week of the sixth of November.

The whole week of the 30th I was on two a day Lemsip, vitamin (every kind) tables with hot water. It helped a bit but not much.

Week of sixth of November we were in the Maldives for our honeymoon. I went to the gym once, the resort is about a mile long, so no running. Did three dives tho, not sure how that counts as training but it surely was amazing being underwater with the fishes. Some pictures here of it.

Random Fish in the Indian Ocean

View from the seaplane

In the BA flight

More views from the seaplane

Back in the UK, at least on the 15th of November I went back to CrossFit. Still suffering with chest tightness, so breathing isn't that easy. But 16 November I will be back. Running still isn't doable because of the chest cold. More Lemsip and vitamin pills coming up.

Coming back from the Maldives has kicked in proper jet lag. Been up everyday since Tuesday 14 November at around 04:30. Means back to bed around 21:30 and repeat.

Not long now before To Children with Love, my chosen charity has it's annual fundraising event in Clontarf Castle. I've made the "generous" offer to speak there. Not sure what to say, but I'll make it up as we go :-).

Guess this is about it for now. As I said, will try to keep them short and "sweet".

2017-10-17 Nothing like an MdS expo to "most likely" getting your training mojo back

Target - be MdS ready by Mid March 2018
Roadmap
1) Ditch about 8kg of weight (that's a stone and a bit for those who don't do kilo's)
2) Heat acclimatisation
3) Up weekly running distance starting to about 25 km per week going to 60-70 km three weeks per month.
4) Update the 2015 spreadsheet for food
5) More walking time on feet.

Today, for the third time running, I worked/helped at the MdS Expo organised by Steve Diederich. This year I was joined by my wife Liz, who, not surprisingly, was totally in her social butterfly element.

The expo is organised to give the UK (and other) participants to get insight into the MdS from previous runners and other guests. It also brings together a number of vendors specialised in ultra/multi-day running gear and equipment. Which is rare, as most of them are based fairly far from London. I would say Essex (myracekit) and Wales (likeys). It also has running training and nutritional experts. This year the first time they had a sweat test as well.

I guess I needed this to get into the swing of things, as my recent running hasn't been that great.

I most likely will support a charity as it's been a while since I asked people for money. More on that later.

My lovely wife set me a challenge to get my first 20 mile (32 km) run in as soon as possible. So there is the motivation.

More next time.

M

South Downs Way 100 - Part 1

There is still time to give:
DonateToFightMelanoma

Of course to beat the post MdS blues one has to go to new adventures. One will be, the 15 and 16 June attempt to do 100 miles in the South Downs Way in less than 24 hours.

Why?
In no priority order:
Badwater 135 miles ultra marathon in Death Valley USA
Spartathlon 256 km in Greece.
Also it's 4 points for the UTMB.
Because I can (or will try).

I have also pre-registered for the 2015 (year 30) Marathon des Sables. This means nothing, it just means you will get an email saying at what time and day the MdS 2015 registration opens. It doesn't mean you are in.
For now, I'm interested.

For next year the Brazil Jungle Marathon is on the cards. And I may have two compadres (Patrick and Wayde). This would be good.

Means I can rest in Rio de Janeiro and Buzios (I hope) after wards.

I think I need to have a look at my therunningaroundmethod website. Needs some updating.

I'm also in process of doing somewhat more with regards to running events. More about this later. I'm excited but need to get my head around it.

On the 3rd of May I'm flying to Belfast to meet the people for the LostWorldsRacing event in the Giant Causeway.

This year in term of volume is quiet year. Just the Amsterdam Marathon (next to the SDW 100) and that is it.

Time must have flown, because it's nearly the end of April and Bray Lake and Heron Lake are opening again for openwaterswimming. I will go and pick it up. There may not be a triathlon this year (can change) but I need to keep the swimming up.

Hot Bikram Yoga is over, will go standard Yoga and Pilates.

A view from the desert below. I loved it there and will go back.

Part 8 of 2013 - 2 nights.

Well, nearly there. What has been in the making for the best part of 2 years and introduced me to a lot of great people, is upon me.
Thursday 04 April we are flying to Ouarzazate. One or two nights hotel, then camp then it all starts on Sunday.
So far I can only think about the sun and the fact I am thankful for great support from family and friends and colleagues.

This weekend I had 3 runs on the beach in Sandbanks. Cold but fab.

So my last run was Monday. Weight session today and probably nothing tomorrow.

Doing last bits and pieces like getting Euro's and finish packing back.

I am ready to go and feel fab. However it will be a great adventure. I am going to a place I always wanted to go. The desert.

I will get picture which will go up. But not till I am back 15 April.

Hopefully I have more to say when I am back. Currently not much more as I have just been training. Which is running and weights. But that is not very exciting :-)
Not really sure what else to write.

When back I will get more involved and have planned next adventures. As they say, you will only regret what you have not done.

https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/michielhoefsmit

Speak again 15 April

Part 5 of the new year

I think it's about another 54 days before we go to Gatwick to get a plane to Ouarzazate in Morocco. We will hang around for 2 days before we kick of with an approximate 33k run in the desert for the 28th Marathon des Sables.

I've changed my training regime a bit. Decided that running is obviously important but being repetitive in the same movement is a cause of injuries. So I still run about 50k per week but that is it. Everything else is Pilates/Yoga/Weights or other cardio machines.

I have decided that some of the greatest names in ultra-running come from Greece or have a Greek background. As I was born there, I consider this a psychological advantage. Like me, 2 of the 3 have a Greek background but do not live there and/or have left a long time ago. The third one I doubt ever left Greece but is one of the original ultra-runners.

What i have added is a 10k powerbag in a backpack and run for an hour on a treadmill. The torture of running an hour on a treadmill is horrendous. I think you don't need waterboarding, you just have people run on a treadmill and they will talk and tell you everything you always wanted to know.

Had a good equipment comparison session with Wayde earlier the week. Made me think about a few things. Which I have now changed. Think it made Wayde think as well.

So I am nearly ready with everything. The last pieces will come from the Triathlon show in Sandown in March.

Simon Martin the creative art director of the Richmond Park runners has designed our flag. It's a deer in Red, White and Blue. Which covers the UK flag but also the Dutch flag. As we are an international bunch in that tent. Dutch, British, South African, Australian (well half).

I have been doing a lot of Hot Bikram Yoga and I do see improvements. So that's a plus. What's a bit of a minus is a massive blood blister on the sole of my foot. But I'm sure that'll be healed by the time I am in Morocco. Maybe if I did something about it or gave it a rest it would go faster. But that would be too easy.

I now have two events coming up. The London Ultra 50k (if you don't get lost) from Grove Park to Percivale Athletic Track in Ealing and the Bath Half Marathon. Hope it stops raining before that.

This week we did some interesting other stuff. We got a copy of East End Boys by Govinder, which matches his West End Girls. I also had frame an original advertisement board for my grand-fathers arts and antique business in the Netherlands. For those interested in a picture of the house. ;-) Once the frame and board is back, I'll post a picture as well.

Above is Kasteel Genhoes (Castle Genhoes) in the South of the Netherlands.

Ok, nothing more to write, for the moment, so be safe out there.


Feel free to donate or have a look at my website
www.therunningaroundmethod.com

https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/michielhoefsmit

Part 4 of the new year

Well I guess it is really coming closer. I've sorted my food. An eclectic mix of Mountain House www.mountainhouse.eu, Expedition Food www.expeditionfoods.comand and Reiter Travel Lunch. Using some stuff I had and ordered some new. Mountain House 2*1190 calorie spaghetti and a load of high energy breakfasts from Expedition Food.

Now I need my snacks. I am talking with makers of bounce balls www.bouncefoods.com and the makers of chimpanzee bars http://www.chimpanzeebar.com to see if they are so friendly to donate some food in exchange for wearing their flag on my bag or shirts.

I also decided on my shirts (Under Armour Heat Gear) and have ordered a 2XU short/compression tight integrated. Not sure about the 2XU one, depends on how tight. Would have liked to try a Salomon one Exo S-Lab Twin Skin Short but out all are out of stock.

I have decided on my shoes The North Face Hayasa and I will go to the recommend Clapham cobbler. Recommended by two well known MdS runners, namely Simon Martin and Wayde Edwards. I was thinking of putting middle nick names for them but couldn't think of any.

The main item not decided on is my sleeping bag. Yes I have one but I doubt that even with a silk liner it will do.

I've taken up sleeping in the spare room with my Klymit mat and Bench Mummy sleeping bag as part of the training. Not comfortable yet with my Klymit. So that has to improve otherwise I may re-think.

Hot Bikram Yoga has commenced again. I've added treadmill running and have been able to be on a treadmill for 50 minutes with a 10k bag. It's not the 10k bag, it's the boring as hell treadmill that is the issue.

I'm lucky, my doctor will do my ECG and form, however I am not as lucky as other people who'se doctor isn't charging. But can't complain, saves me a trip to Stevenage.

I've also got myself a cheap £8 mp3 player with 8Gb and normal battery. For when I need a boost. I did ask some old pro-cyclists for some boost advice but they could help out in the desert.

I've seen a really light weight (57 gr) jacket that is on my list. For those chilly nights.

I'm doing probably not enough running, but it's augmented by lots of other activity (Cardio, Yoga, Pilates, Weights, Cycling, Swimming (not a lot)), so I'm quite comfortable that in about 66 days I will be there and ready.

So for now, another episode done and some more browsing for stuff I need.


https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/michielhoefsmit
http://www.therunningaroundmethod.com