Thanks for all the great responses about the new website, we have had some fantastic feedback. We have been doing our best to make as many changes as possible. Some of you have asked about leaving messages. I have fixed the message board and you can now leave messages and comments by clicking on ‘Comments’ at the bottom of this page. We are also still getting a few questions regarding email updates, so if you want to receive an email whenever we update the website simply click on the envelope icon in the sidebar of this page and enter your email. Incidentaly we are looking to update the site at least once a week.

In our last post we talked about some of the training trips we have been on this year in preparation for One World. If you read that post you would be forgiven for thinking that all our training is carried out in exotic locations around the world. So I thought we would also mention the innumerable days of training that fill most of our schedule here in the Devonshire hills.

Training consists predominantly of tyre pulling in preparation for dragging our pulks across the Arctic and Antarctic. This is normally done with 3 large car tyres in tow. To better simulate the broken jumble of ice in the Arctic we drag the tyres through the forests with a 20kg pack attached to each tyre. Normally you only get about 5 feet before the tyres get jammed on a root or between two trees and you have to carry and manoeuvre the packs and tyres through the undergrowth. It’s exhausting work and not very conducive to covering any great distance. In contrast, to simulate the Antarctic we tend to go out onto the moors and just keep on going! Occasionally we also bring out the tractor tyre!!!

Circuits and weight training are also a regular part of our training days to help strengthen our backs and arms. Much to Katie’s hatred there is inevitably a healthy amount of running for general fitness. Now that One World has been delayed and we are still on the eternal uphill struggle of sponsorship and logistics, not to mention making a living! We are currently only able to dedicate approximately 2 hours a day to training; however this will gradually increase again in the build up to our departure to between 6 and 8 hours a day.

Tarka