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GUEST BLOG: City Kayaking with Donnchadh McCobb

Donnchadh indoA ‘City Break’ on the Wild Side…

Hi Iʼm Donnchadh from City Kayaking. Weʼre based at Dublin City Moorings, by the IFSC on the River Liffey right in the heart of Dublin City Centre. We opened our doors in May 2012 and are heading into our third Summer full of plans and excitement. From here we run our watersports company in one of the most unique surroundings in the country!

City Kayaking offers the ultimate ʻUrban Adventureʼ to both locals and tourists alike running 2-Hour City River Trips from our base and heading up river exploring underneath Dublinʼs most famous bridges. Our trips give you the opportunity to experience Dublin like never before and see the city from a whole new angle.

The Ultimate Adventure…

We also run 3-Hour Island Bridge Escape tours where we take people upstream right through the city and into the wilderness once you get beyond Heuston Station. This is a seriously cool trip and gives people the chance to experience the lesser seen side of Dublin. With all sorts of wildlife surrounding the river up there you really donʼt feel like youʼre anywhere near the city.Photo 05-05-2014 12 53 12

We regularly get seals in the Liffey and they explore right up towards Islandbrige when the tide is good and high, which is the time we schedule these trips at. Thereʼs also plenty of herons, lots of fish about and weʼve even seen several kingfishers which are an amazingly colourful bird. Itʼs hard to believe that youʼre right in the middle of Dublin with all that going on. Itʼs a real escape from things!

One thing that so many people comment on is how quiet it is when youʼre on the river. The quay walls act like a barrier for the sound and even when youʼre up between OʼConnell Bridge and the Haʼpenny bridge right in the middle of all the city madness, itʼs nice and quiet on the river. Hard to believe I know, but itʼs worth experiencing it.

Happy Days for Youth Groups and Fitness Fans

We also run lessons and cater for youth groups too. Thanks to the generous sponsorship from Dublin Port Company weʼre running a €5 Kayaking rate for Youth Groups which is seriously good value. We heavily discounted these sessions and Dublin Port provided us with some funding to allow us to be able to offer such great value activities for youth groups. Weʼve still got some sessions available to book over the summer and have all the details up on our site for anyone interested (or drop us a line) www.citykayaking.com, info@citykayaking.com, Phone: +353-1-442 8234.donnchadh fittest

Our Lessons and Fitness Paddling Classes are starting to pick up now and are run by Emily, our top class Canadian Kayaking Instructor. Emily is an extremely accomplished kayaker and instructor and has competed as part of the Canadian team for the past 7 years. Fitness paddling is geared towards beginners looking to have a fun fitness experience on the water. Our lessons are ideal for those looking to pick up a new hobby or for the adventure racers looking to get some training in before the next event. These run both midweek in the mornings and evenings and at the weekend too.

City Kayaking featured on Ireland’s Fittest Family on RTÉ this year, when competing families raced against each other over a one kilometre kayaking course across the main shipping channel in Dublin Port.  You can check it out on the RTÉ player if you missed it!

We’ve come a long way since opening our doors 2 years ago and we owe a lot of thanks to family and friends for helping us along the way. Weʼve got some big plans going forward and are very excited to be heading into our third summer season on the water! Hopefully weʼll see you out joining us on the water soon too. Who knows, you might even see Teena there too!!kayak

 

 

 

 

 

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I’m FAT and I’m On A DIET…

IMG_1071You know how in the relationship space on social media sites, people often type “It’s complicated”…  well that’s the way I feel about food, and despite losing 13 stone – I think I always will.

I was so angry with myself this week

In November and December last year, I ate my way through the stress of starting up a new business (www.teenagates.com), I ate my way through the sadness of saying goodbye to old colleagues, and I ate my way through the celebration of spending Christmas with my family and the excitement of my new start.  Happiness or sadness, I turned to food. Result?  I put on TWENTY pounds in two months (over 9kilograms).

It wasn’t really about being lazy or inactive either.  I was tearing around the place and doing lots of cycling and swimming; although I probably wasn’t putting as much effort into it as I usually would.  Looking back at the last few months, it was definitely food that was the problem.  I easily returned to my old 23-stone lifestyle of skipping breakfast, not bothering to plan my day’s food, grabbing a roll at lunch, eating out, trying to starve for a couple of hours as guilt set in, and then caving into food cravings and ordering a take-away just before bed – the worse time of the day to be eating.

Amazingly I didn’t notice the weight-gain for a while.  It’s incredible how easy it is to slip back into denial.  I noticed a couple of tops and dresses getting tighter, but thought they’d shrunk in the wash!

SAMSUNG TECHWIN DIGIMAX-230

Before losing weight in 2010

It wasn’t until I went kayaking before Christmas and had to get my mate Fiona to prise me into my buoyancy aid, that I noticed something was wrong.  Even then, I stayed off the scales for a couple of weeks, telling myself I’d get the weight off first before taking the acid test.  How dumb is that?  Of course that didn’t happen, and I didn’t brave the scales until December 28th to measure the shocking extent of the damage done. I reached that point once before, on my way to morbid obesity.  Back then I put my head down, right into a chicken snackbox and munched my way to oblivion.  At least this time I’m facing the truth.

I’ve reintroduced the word ‘diet’ into my vocabulary.

In today’s world, it’s not polite to say ‘diet’ and it’s virtually unforgivable to say ‘fat’. But for me, I need to face both words and deal with them. The alternative is to slip back into the void that leads to obesity, depression, diabetes, fatty liver, high cholesterol, heart disease, increased risk of cancer and stroke, and inevitably, if I don’t put the brakes on, death.  Being badly overweight really is that serious. I’ve been there before, I’ve faced death in the face and walked away from it, taking a different road that brought me to a whole new journey of adventure of discovery, and I’m not giving that up.  I’m not giving up my mountains either, and the particularly large one that I plan to climb later this year… (Mount Elbrus in Russia with Irish Adventurer Pat Falvey of ‘The Summit’ film and book.) 

fly wicklow

After losing weight in 2010

The anger came when I went back running with my athletic club.  In 2013 I started the Le Chéile ‘Couch to 5K’ programme and went on to run 10k and take part in adventure races in Wicklow and Killarney.  Now here I was on a dark, rainy, winter night – back where I started – huffing and puffing over my boobs, as I heaved my way around the track, gasping for breath and limping over my sore knees.  There was embarrassment too, as everyone else streaked ahead of me.  I hated every second of it.  The only thing that kept me going was the knowledge that next week will be easier, and the week after will be easier still.   Not easy, just easier!

I was angry too over all my pretty dresses.  It is not the washing machine that is to blame, I just don’t fit into a size 12 anymore, and no matter how I rant at the designers, it’s not their fault.  I used to fit into dresses that I don’t fit into now.  How the heck did that happen?  Subconsciously I must have been grabbing the stretchy, looser stuff, without noticing what was happening to my waistline.

The DIET is back – because I am FATclothes

No more denial.  I’ve bagged up all my pretty dresses and tailored suits and stashed them up in the attic until I’m fit to wear them again.  In the meantime, I’m looking at empty hangers as a reminder of where I want to be – and I am NOT buying new, bigger clothes.  So apologies in advance if I turn up at your event in running pants!

Since January 1st I have been eating well.  Porridge, chicken, eggs, brown rice, brown pasta, a little olive and coconut oil, some oily fish, nuts, fruit and lots of vegetables and salad.  I have also been drinking at least 2 litres of water each day.  Most importantly, I am facing up to the fact that I need to eat slightly less than my body requires, because I have a storehouse of energy stored around my belly that needs to be unleashed! That means I don’t give in to cravings, and sometimes it’s ok to feel a little hungry.

I’m back in the gym, back on the hill, swimming, cycling, and hiking runto my heart’s content. I’m back running with Parkrun on Saturdays, I’ve rejoined Le Chéile AC, and I’ve joined up with a global event on Facebook to run ‘100 days of miles’ in 2014.

There are absolutely no food ‘treats’ in my diet, instead I’ve set targets with much better treats in store.  I collect the first tomorrow.  I promised myself that if I lost 10lb across January I’d get a mountain bike.  Well I’ve lost 9lb in 9 days – so tomorrow I’m off to the Giant Bike Store to pick up my new baby; and my new baby will help improve my fitness as I work to target number two…

I’ve realised writing this, that I’m not angry with myself any more.  I am determined….I’m getting back on track, healthy and fit,  and I’m looking forward to the road ahead.

Cranking Up The Kayaking….

LS1As an adopted Dub I’ve always been thoroughly intrigued and inspired by the Liffey Swim – and I’ve always secretly longed that one day I’d be able to give it a go.   This year, I got the opportunity to be part of the event by paddling ‘kayak cover’ for the swimmers.  It’s a big responsibility and for me it was also an amazing thrill.  I cannot tell you how it feels to be paddling alongside these gutsy swimmers, admiring their athleticism and thanking the universe for my own ability too.  It’s only a couple of years ago since I was driving along the banks of the Liffey on my way home to Blanchardstown – looking at the coloured kayaks in the water near the Strawberry Beds, thinking how much fun it looked, and enviously wishing I could be part of that world.  At 23 stone I never even dreamed that I could have a go, and joked to myself that I wouldn’t even fit in the boat, and would sink it if I did.  If there’s anyone out there thinking the same, can I assure you that there is ALWAYS a boat to carry you, if you fancy having a go.  Message me on Facebook if you want to find out more or check out the Irish Canoe Union or my own Wild Water Kayak Club.

It was an intensive weekend of kayaking for me.  4 hours in the water on Saturday (I went out to paddle in Bray after the Liffey Swim), and 6 hours in the water on Sunday when my club, WWKC went paddling at CastleconnellCastleconnell in Limerick.  We navigated our way over more than a dozen natural features on the river; rocky waterfalls, rocks and drops.  I swam a few times (fell out) but stayed in a lot of times, and it all helped my confidence as the weeks count down for my big challenge; the Liffey Descent on September 28th in aid of the LauraLynn Childrens’ Hospice in Leopardstown.

spriteBack in Dublin on Monday I tried out a totally different type of kayak, than the river boat I’ve become used to.  The Sprite pictured in the river shot here, cuts through the water cleanly, like a knife,  and I felt a kind of speed that I hadn’t felt before.  I wish I could explain how the river looked too.  It was one of those stilly evenings when the world is perfectly reflected in the river below and I felt like I was paddling into a picture.  It was my first proper training session with ‘Kipper’ AKA Ciaran Maguire, AKA ‘Mr Kayak’ – who I’m partnering for the ‘Pedals to Paddles’ challenge for the charity, when we cycle 40k from Dublin to the K-Club before getting on board for the Liffey Descent.  We’re going to spend around 8 hours between cycling and kayaking – hence the ‘pedals to paddles’ tag.  We’ve got a brilliant sponsor in Sasta Fitness, but we’ve also got a MyCharity page and appreciate any donations you can make.  Check it out at:  http://www.mycharity.ie/event/weirsnwheels/

IMG_8786Training Record:

Weds Aug 21st:  15k cycle in and out of work (total 30k) – Running (ish) up Ticknock Mountain with the Irish Mountain Running Association

Thursday Aug 22nd: 15k cycle in and out of work (total 30k) / 45″ Gym session – S&C / Full Moon night hike on Kippure Mountain with mates.

Friday Aug 23rd: 20 Minute jog from home.

Saturday Aug 24th: 4 hours kayaking (Liffey Swim and Bray with GOTC).

Sunday August 25th: 6 hours kayaking in Limerick & 4 hours dancing with Cannonball!

Monday Aug 26th: 1 hour kayaking in a Sprite with Kipper Maguire.

Tuesday Aug 27th: Rest Day (sore leg – not serious).

Wednesday August 28th: Rest Day (sore leg – not serious).

Thursday Aug 29th: 40 minute weight-lifting in gym.

sasta ad 776 x 150

 

 

 

 

Do Our Fears Limit Our Children?

final photoSix months of training and filming culminated in a sunny climb on Spinc Mountain in Wicklow on Saturday with the Get Off The Couch team and their friends and families.

Back in February, six ordinary people from around the country met with myself and a production crew from Athena Media.  We went for a short walk in Dublin’s Phoenix Park, while we discussed our plans to get out and get active in the great outdoors.  It was our first day of filming for a six-part television show that will be broadcast on Setanta TV this September.  In the months that followed, we ran and trained, climbed mountains, cycled bikes, learned to swim, took part in triathlons and became firm friends.

When I started this project, I was widely enthusiastic, exhilarated by the opportunity to preach my message once again – that if I could lose 13 stone and get healthy, anybody could. For me,  the benefits of a healthy lifestyle have exploded into a life full of passion and colour and I can’t help but get carried away when I talk about the joy of waking up each day with my new-found health.  I hoped my group of six ‘Get Off The Couch’ participants would have a similar experience; but I could hardly have imagined the outcome.

I don’t want to give too much away, but we’re not just talking about six people who got fit and healthy, we’re talking about new jobs, a return to college, a major sports deal, giving up smoking and whole families changing the way they spend their leisure time together.

Strictly speaking, we finished filming back in June.  But on Saturday we met again, to catch up, and because I wanted to show them my lovely Spinc Mountain that I had been bragging about throughout our months of training together.  They were invited to bring friends and family, but I was a little concerned when I saw the youthful bunch that turned up – our youngest walker was just 4-years-old, and I confess  I didn’t think they’d last 5 minutes.   To my amazement, they hopped around the mountain covering a 9km hill-walk with a climb of 380m in just under 4 hours; and 4-year-old Charlie was the most energetic of all of us.   It just goes to show that sometimes our kids can be limited, not by their lack of strength or maturity but by the preconceived and erroneous notions of  us boring old adults.

MinesThanks to my GOTC gang for a fabulous day – to the kids for the life lesson – and to Joan Kavanagh (local historian and member of the Glens of Lead Project) who met us on the trail along the way to introduce us all to ‘Paddy Byrne’ (wooden miner model) and to tell us about the history of the old lead workings and mines at Glendalough.

After a ‘Last Supper’ with the team, several of us went back out on the hill again for a night climb on Spinc – as part of my climbing mate Vera Baker’s preparations for a Concern hike to Kenya later this year.  Staying in Wicklow overnight, the Concern trainees were back out on their bikes for some cycling exercise on the Sallygap on Sunday, and then I was back up on Spinc for a 3rd and final climb on Sunday afternoon, before I returned to the city and prepared for work and the gym on Monday.

My own training intensifies next week.  I’m preparing for the Liffey Descent kayak and cycle challenge that I’m doing this September with ‘Mr Kayak’ Kipper Maguire, to raise funds and awareness for LauraLynn Hospice – Irelands ONLY childrens’ hospice.  If you have a few bob, please drop it into our MyCharity page here – and please pass it on….

http://www.mycharity.ie/event/weirsnwheels

 

 

Ninja Midges and a Whiskey Cascade…

Canoe Cootehall“Ninja Midges” – that’s what we dubbed them, as the dying throes of the soon-to-be infamous ‘Summer of 2013 Heatwave’ burned deep into the reddening Roscommon skyline.   As we gathered around the citronella flares that marked the heart of our Wild Water Kayak Club tent village, dodging dive-bombing beasties with fangs – I scratched lazily at the rising bumps on my legs and arms – and pondered that my weekend in Cootehall would be memorable to me for a host of reasons.

I’ve had two days of open canoe fun with old and new friends which has come as a timely kick-start to training for my next adventure – a Liffey Descent and Cycle challenge for LauraLynn Hospice (which you can read about by clicking HERE).  I’ve also randomly found myself back near Ballyfarnon, where my dad owned a pub when I was 8.  We moved around a lot when I was a kid and I’d nearly forgotten about living here – so a weekend of driving and paddling through this old familiar territory has stirred up a whole bunch of memories.  The surprises continued when I met with one of my LauraLynn challenge SASTA sponsorsLoughKey who lives down here – only to find she was also an old school-mate back in the day!

The club’s canoe weekend saw us out on the Shannon and paddling from Cootehall to Carrick-on-Shannon on Saturday, which was around 12k of water covered – more if you include the messin!  Sunday saw us move the boats to Lough Key Forest Park where we paddled the whole way out to the island with the castle on it, that I used to stare out at as a kid.  Then we paddled further again, to picnic on yet another island even further out in the lake.  I just love the way canoes open up the waterways to allow for a whole new range of adventures.  Someone had camped on the island, or had at least lit a massive bonfire and I stared in envy – wishing dad had brought me here when I was 8.   But maybe I’ll bring him, now he’s 88.

I tore myself away from Roscommon with a heavy heart and a whole heap of new questions about how life could have turned out if we’d stayed in the pub.  It was known as the Cosy Inn – in case you’ve ever raised a glass there.   It’s closed now I’m told.  All those laughing voices and clinking glasses faded into memory.

Concern Carrauntoohil 2Back in Dublin, Monday brought no muscle soreness, which is a good sign that I’m off to a flying start for my Liffey Descent training.   I need to get my cycling legs back now, build on my current fitness, and lose a stone in the next two months.  Then I’ll be ready.  No problem – Gulp!

These fun-filled, action-packed weekends can only help.  Exercising is so much better when you’re having fun with friends.  It’s my secret weapon for getting fit and keeping fit.   Last weekend I climbed Carrauntoohil for Concern to support climbing buddy Vera Baker who’s heading to Kenya with the charity this year.   We followed the hike on Saturday with an adventure on Sunday which saw us in Tomies Wood in the Gap of Dunloe – with legendary Irish adventurer Pat Falvey and Eamon Waldron from ‘Get Off The Couch’,  the adventure programme that I’m presenting on Setanta TV this September.

We spent about an hour hiking through some of the country’s oldest oak woodland, breathing in the earthy tones and feasting our eyes on the 40-shades of green mosses, herbs and ferns of this magical ‘Alice in Wonderland’ trek.  Thank’s to Pat’s excellent stage-management, we suddenly stumbled with gasps of delight into a shady glade that thundered with the sound of O’Sullivan’s Cascade – 1.5kilometres of waterfall Cascade Nymphstumbling through the woodland and down to the lakes of Killarney National Park.    We girls couldn’t resist taking a dip in one of the ice-cold plunge pools; feeling like wood-nymphs in a fairytale, or maybe the girls in a Tomotei advert.  It’s easy to let your imagination run away with you in a magical place like this…

Folklore tells us that O’Sullivan’s Cascade is where the chief of the Fianna, Fionn MacCumhal stashed his personal whiskey store, before a row with invaders saw the precious drop turn back to water.   Later, we turned the water back into wine, over a bowl of chowder at Kate Kearney’s Cottage.. 😉

Can’t wait for next week’s adventure.

 

 

Pedals 2 Paddles 4 LauraLynn

Well I have a whole new adventure on the way, with a massive physical challenge, 2 months of perfecting new skills, 2 months of building strength, flexibility and muscle, and 2 months to get over my terror of weirs and white water!

White Water Kayaker and Former National Freestyle Champion, Kipper Maguire has challenged me to join him in tackling this year’s Liffey Descent in aid of LauraLynn the country’s ONLY Hospice for Children.

LauraLynn

Taking place on Saturday September 28th, the annual kayak event will attract paddlers from all over the world, with the ESB releasing 30-million tons of water to feed the 28km course that will combine long flat water sections, swift currents, ten weirs and numerous rapids.  To make the daunting challenge even more interesting, we’ve agreed to cycle from LauraLynn’s Leopardstown base to the start of the descent at the K-Club in County Kildare…a mere 40k or so, with a few hill climbs thrown in to keep us warm!

Tragically there are over 1,400 children living in Ireland with life-limiting conditions and 350 of these children pass away each year, most within the first year of life.  With no government funding to build or run LauraLynn House, the hospice needs over €2.4M each year to keep the service going.

The Pedals and Paddles challenge this autumn, will raise funds and awareness for the hospice.  Will you help?  Check out our MyCharity page and follow our extensive summer training through their ‘Pedal 2 Paddle’ blog here – on Facebook or on Twitter.

Kipper Maguire Kayaker

Ciaran Maguire, Rafting.ie

Kipper Maguire is a White Water Kayaker, Former National Freestyle champion, level 4 ICU Instructor and, in his spare time, an enthusiastic SUP surfer. Kipper represented Ireland in 4 World Championships and was National Freestyle Champion for 3. He continued his involvement with the World Championships through coaching of the National Team as well as commentating at the events.  His kayaking trips have taken him all over world. One of his most memorable experiences was paddling Zanskar Gorge in India. This charity event co-organised by Kipper raised €10K for charity. A close second was his winter trip down the Grand Canyon. You can find him on the flat water teaching, getting new people involved in the sport and when it rains you will find him teaching advanced techniques or just out having a blast on the water with his friends.

 98FM’s Teena GatesWrens3

20 years a journalist with Dublin’s 98FM, in recent years, Head of News Teena Gates has also earned a reputation as an author and adventurer. As well as a busy brief with the capital’s top radio station, she writes a column for Outsider Magazine, her 1st book ‘One Foot in Front Of The Other’ was a sell-out success, and she takes to the small screen later this September with a 6-part show for Setanta TV. She’s also worked up a massive track record for charity fundraising. “In the past three years I’ve lost 12 stone – leaving my 23 stone bulk behind and taking up a number of physical challenges for charity. I’ve climbed to Everest Base Camp and have recently returned from a multi-trip adventure to Uganda for Concern, but this could be my toughest challenge yet.” 

Remember the stats:  

Make a donation here:  http://www.mycharity.ie/event/weirsnwheels

Contact the team @ ciaran@rafting.ie or teena.gates@98fm.comwww.twitter.com/@TeenaGateswww.facebook/teenagates

Walking A Line – To Errigal

Walk The Line 2I ‘Walked The Line’ and I proudly get to wear the T-shirt, and raise the mug – thanks for a brilliant workout from Dublin Wicklow Mountain Rescue.  Their mega annual fundraiser had two challenges, a navigational chase and a straightforward 25k hike for those who were willing to follow the signs!  I chose the latter, but the physical demands were no joke.  It was a tough, long day out and I came home delighted in just over 6 hours.  To be honest, I had a secret weapon, the latter part of the hike was down through Spinc – my favourite mountain. I was actually heard to say ‘this is my patch’ as I trotted down the stones towards the Miners’ Village – and you know I meant it.  Yep I guess I’m declaring it.  Spinc is MY mountain – so there!  (I’m not actually being facetious – that mountain rescued me from being 23 stone and stuck in a cell of my own skin, and my own making. I owe a lot to that mountain).  The other benefit from ‘Walk the Line’ was accidentally turning up just 2-minutes before registration closed, and ending up ‘walking the line’ on my own, which I hadn’t really planned.  It left me picking out way-paths and finding my way around the hills in a way I hadn’t done before – and I learned a lot – lessons that came in handy later in the week….

A trip to Lough Sheelin cooled my heels after Wicklow – when I turned up to provide boat cover for my brave ‘Get Off The Couch’ colleague Karen Bowers, who swam her first 1k ‘wild swim’ in the beautiful County Cavan lake, surrounded by master swimmers and the fantastic long-distance swimmer, Fergal Somerville, who turned up to coach her, after recently adding an elusive North Channel Crossing to his previous English Channel crossing.  That man is inspiration in a set of speedos, and I have permission from his wonderful wife Margaret to say so. (Incidentally that woman is the best power-bar chef this side of either channel!).

Kayak DonegalA couple of days later I was back in the water again – this time in Donegal.  In bright sunshine, myself and buddy Vera Baker ‘Girls on Tour’ headed north with kayaks strapped to the roof of her heroic Jaguar and two bikes jammed inside, along with wetsuits, paddles, running gear, hiking gear, and high heels.  What other way to travel?  Well as Vera’s son commented wryly as he saw us reverse out –  “it wasn’t that we couldn’t do it – but probably that we shouldn’t“!

We hit the ground running when we arrived in Donegal in bright sunshine and instead of heading for shelter and our lovely home for the next three days, we made straight for the beach and launched the boats.  It was a good call too; we woke up to winter conditions the following morning, with the mist so thick we could hardly see our boots as we made our way towards Errigal.  That solo-navigation stuff in Wicklow helped with my confidence, as we strolled back down the mountain on a bearing and walked straight into the car park to our absolute delight.  Boasting to my Mountain Rescue buddies may have been a calculated error however – I’ve been told I’m navigating next time out!

Lots of thanks are due to lots of people after my last set of adventures.  Love you all and hugs will be distributed in due course. x

 

  • Saturday June 22nd – 25kilometre hike ‘Walk The Line’ fundraiser for Dublin & Wicklow Mountain Rescue
  • Sunday June 23rd – kayak boat cover for Get Off The Couch at Lough Sheelin long-distance swim event
  • Monday June 24th – Kayak training with Wild Water Kayak Club
  • Tuesday June 25th – 40″min gym ‘strength & conditioning’
  • Wednesday June 26th – paddling with adventure buddy Vera Baker in Donegal
  • Thursday June 27th – climbing Mount Errigal, Donegal’s highest mountain, and navigating through thick mist
  • Friday June 28th – 15k cycle with hill-climbs (or thereabouts) and paddling in a choppy sea 🙂
  • Saturday June 29th – rest day (Get Off The Couch finale and wrap party)
  • Sunday June 30th – sea swim in Malahide & climbing Spinc Mountain in Wicklow

When Your Snorkel Snares Your False Teeth…

Dad in Spain 2013

I’ve been on holiday, but I haven’t stopped being active and having fun.

I’m just back from Torremolinas in Spain, where I took my dad to celebrate his 88th birthday.  We stayed in the Sol Aloah Puerto 4-star hotel with a deal from Clickandgo.com travel – and I’ve got to say we had a ball. it wasn’t a freebie or a sponsorship or anything, so I’ve no avaricious reason to promote or advertise the travel company or the hotel, other than to say how brilliant they were and how fantastic they were in tailoring the trip to myself and dad.  They really delivered and I think that’s worth a shout-out.  Thanks lads.

Sol Aloah Puerto

The hotel is situated right on the beach between two Irish bars, walking distance from the Marina, with plenty of shops and restaurants nearby, and the sea-front promenade that comes alive at night with a magical display of impromptu music, traders and entertainers.  During the day we soaked up the sun, ate too much, enjoyed happy hour and spent ages in the sea Although the Med hadn’t quite warmed up to Summer temperatures, it was certainly warmer than my Sunday swims in Malahide.  During the trip, Dad came kayaking with me, and body boarding and sailing – which is all pretty impressive, given the fact that he doesn’t swim!

The snorkelling was going well too, until the mouthpiece snagged in his false teeth….

Joking aside, what a fantastic spirit my dad has, and what an inspiration.  Every day he shows me how life is a dream come true – you just have to wake up and live the dream. I’ve got 40 years of fun ahead of me, to get to where my dad is now, and he’s still open to new adventures.  I just can’t wait until tomorrow to see what we both do next. xxx

Back in Training

On holidays:

  • 1,000 metre swims twice daily, 2 half-hour kayak trips, 30-min jogs each morning at dawn, some snorkelling, body-boarding and sailing, lots of walking.

Back Home:

  •  Monday June 17th – 30k cycle / Returned to kayak with Wild Water Kayak Club, this time helping the instructors with the new recruits – 1 year after starting out as a newbie-paddler myself.  (Awe…… )
  • Tuesday June 18th – 30k cycle, 45-mins weights session in gym, climbing with a mate at Awesome Walls.
  • Wednesday June 19th – 30k cycle, 45-mins weights session in gym, running training at Le Cheile AC
  • Thursday June 20th – 30k cycle
  • Friday June 21st – Rest Day
  • Saturday June 22nd – 25kilometre hike ‘Walk The Line’ fundraiser for Dublin & Wicklow Mountain Rescue
  • Sunday June 23rd – kayak boat cover for Get Off The Couch at Lough Sheelin long-distance swim event

 

 

I Walk The Plank at High Noon…

Liffey Leap

Oh my gosh – what have I done?

In 12 hours’ time I jump off O’Connell Bridge and into the Liffey!  I’ve taken the leap from higher heights from that, but usually I’m attached to a rope.  My poor head for heights is kicking my butt already over this one, and I haven’t even reached the bridge.  For some reason the idea of stepping off into emptiness is freaking me out.  Aggghhhhh…..  it’s for Cystic Fibrosis though – so at least the fact that it’s such a good cause, should help stop me from running away.

GOTC

It’s been such an intense couple of weeks, very busy at work and very busy with the camera crew for ‘Get Off The Couch’ the TV show that will broadcast on Setanta later this year.  My gang of hardy participants have completely transformed themselves into athletes, and we all took part in their first Sprint Relay Triathlon last weekend in my hometown, Blanchardstown.  They had a 750-metre pool to contend with, in our magnificent Olympic Distance pool at the National Aquatic Centre.  I personally got a PB cycling the 15k – but pushed myself so hard, I could hardly walk afterwards, not to mind run the 250 metres in the transition back to rack my bike.  We’re all competing in a Sprint Triathlon on June 1st, and I’ve learned my lesson – I’ll have to pace myself when I’m doing all three disciplines, so my time won’t be as good for each section, but my motivation will be to complete all three parts.  So complete rather than compete will be in my mind – we’ll see how the times work out afterwards! Katie in Greystones

We’re coming to the end of filming for GOTC, but as usual, I’ve found this latest adventure is really only the beginning for something totally new.  Joe, Maryanne, Cathy, Karen, Eamonn and Damien are the participants.  When you watch the programme, you won’t believe how far they’ve come; not just in changing their physical fitness, but their entire lifestyles.  It’s been a roller-coaster ride full of hard work, injuries, recoveries, bravery, camaraderie and craic.  If these last 6 months had never made it to the screen at all, it would still have been a magnificent project to be part of, simply to see where we’ve all come from and gone to.  Most important of all, I’ve made 6 new friends, which is such a heavenly gift from the world.  Will everyone continue on their athletic journey?  Well we’ve all discovered some sports that we liked more than others, and we’ve already made plans for getting together for sporty adventures in the future – without the cameras.

The best memories?  Carrauntoohil is high up there (excuse the pun) I was hoping that people would like it, but was quite prepared for the likelihood that they wouldn’t.  I’m not going to tell you who did and who didn’t – have to leave you SOMETHING to watch the programme for… lol.   The Galtymores and the Mournes were both very special, running with Catherina McKiernan was extraordinary and probably life-changing for me.  Running the Ballintotis 4-mile in Maryanne’s home town was incredibly memorable, including the fun and laughter before and after. Joe coming back to run alongside me on the track, training with Eamon Tilley in Greystones was pretty special, and Olympic Champion Katy Taylor coming over to help us train was extraordinary.DSCF0747

I’ve a feeling that Sunday’s gig will be another special moment – when Channel Swimmer Fergal Somerville takes the gang out to swim in the sea at Malahide.  I’ll be doing boat-cover for that, paddling alongside in my kayak (Saffron).   That brings my mind back around to tomorrow and O’Connell Bridge.  It’s Fergal that’s talked me into making the ‘leap of faith’ off the bridge and into the Liffey.  I walk the plank at 12-noon – but someone may need to give me a sharp push.  No doubt Fergal will gladly oblige!    OMG.  :/

 

  • Sunday May 19th – Get Off The Couch – Fingal Relay (15k cycle)
  • Monday  – 15k cycle x2 (in and out to work)
  • Tuesday – 45″ gym session with David Dunne @ Westpoint Gym, Blanchardstown
  • Wednesday – Rest day
  • Thursday – 15k cycle x2 (in and out to work) including Knockmaroon Hill!
  • Friday – 45″ gym session with David Dunne
  • Saturday – Liffey Leap swim (pending)
  • Sunday – Kayaking with GOTC (pending)

 

 

Postscript:  

Liffey Leap

I survived…

 

 

Come “Get Off The Couch” for 2013

Get Off the Couch! from Athena Media on Vimeo.

Well it’s been an interesting few years. In 2009 I was 23 stone and dangerously ill. By 2010 I was heading to Everest Base Camp to raise money for kids in India, after losing half my own body weight. A year later I was climbing Grand Paradiso in the Alps for Chernobyl kids, and this year (2012) I took part in the first charity multi-adventure challenge in Uganda for the Irish charity Concern, climbing a volcano at altitude before cycling 200k to the Nile where the team took turns in kayaking down a grade 3 rapid.  I kept a training blog here for my African Adventure, and now I’m back in training for a whole new challenge.

Throughout these adventures I learned to love our beautiful mountains and stunning seas, and to forge an ever-growing respect for our bodies, which can do so much more than our minds believe.

In 2013 I want you to come with me.

I’m inviting those of you who secretly dream of being adventurous to leave the TV remote behind, and come out to explore the great outdoors. I know how scary that can be, but I want to share how wonderful it is to break down those walls and find the inner you, the inner explorer. So if you’re looking for a life-changing New Year resolution – come and join me – and “Get Off The Couch”.

 

 

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