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Last Tuesday night, I was invited to a fundraiser for London Air Ambulance. Hosted by TOGORUN, I enjoyed wild caught salmon and Alaskan king crab while learning about all the amazing services London Air Ambulance offers:
Average response time is 6 minutes
Provide donor blood at the accident scene
Deliver emergency anesthesia
Perform open heart surgery to restart the heart (important in stab wound victims)
Offer a lifesaving procedure, called reboa, which places a balloon structure into bottom end of aorta to prevent bleeding out (important for people crushed by lorries or who have fallen from heights). London Air Ambulance is the only place in the world to do this!
I lived in Alaska summer of 2007
and this dish took me back to Seward.
The most shocking news I learned this evening is that there is only 1 helicopter available. When you consider how much traffic there is in London, and how much it queues after an accident, it seems impractical to not have some redundancy in place. The air ambulance fleet does have cars available, however, as the helicopters do not fly at night. But recently, the helicopter was in repair for a few weeks which meant less people could be helped.
Pretty ice sculpture that
was also an ice luge.
As a London cyclist, I am grateful London Air Ambulance exists and (touch wood) I hope I never have to rely on their services. With an average of 10 million people in London daily, it only makes sense that a second helicopter is added to their fleet. In the 25 years of service, over 32,000 patients have been treated by London Air Ambulance. Would you want to be the accident victim that couldn't be helped because the helicopter was in the shop or helping someone else?
TOGORUN is named after
husky who helped bring
medical supplies to a small
village in Alaska.
Can you imagine the impact Londoners can make if we each donated £1, £5, or £10? Multiply that by 10 million and the altruistic gesture will have an immense ripple effect on all the people London Air Ambulance will be able to treat.
Tweet: Help @LDNairamb buy a 2nd air ambulance in London by donating http://bit.ly/1FneSLv #yourhelicopter (tag me @PTMollie and I will retweet it too)
Thanks to TOGORUN for inviting me to the event and introducing me to the medics of London Air Ambulance. Another helicopter will cost £6,000,000 and the fund is half way there at £3,654,799. I hope we see those figures increase soon. Get involved London! This post is sponsored by FitFluential on behalf of TogoRun.
As usual, remember to go for QUALITY over quantity. If you are unclear what the exercise is I am describing, please look for a video or arrange for an in-person tutorial with me. Please consult your doctor before engaging on any fitness regime.
Don't forget to breathe! Please email me if you want tips on how to make the quickies easier or more challenging (mollie@ptmollie.com).
Warm up- 20 star jumps, 20 squats, 20 alternating lunges, 10 star jumps, 10 squats, 10 alternating lunges, 5 star jumps, 5 squats, 6 alternating lunges
1 min- Squat with overhead press
1 min- Plank 1 min- Squat thrusts
1 min- Run in place with high knees. Keep them up!
1 min- Alternating side lunges with bicep curl
1 min- Leg lifts with holding at bottom a few cm off ground for 5 sec
1 min- Tricep dips
1 min- Seal walk by dragging feet across floor on an old rag
1 min- Supermans
1 min- Press ups
1 min- Star jumps
1 min- Alternating overhead press (one arm at a time)
As usual, remember to go for QUALITY over quantity. If you are unclear what the exercise is I am describing, please look for a video or arrange for an in-person tutorial with me. Please consult your doctor before engaging on any fitness regime.
Don't forget to breathe! Please email me if you want tips on how to make the quickies easier or more challenging (mollie@ptmollie.com).
Warm up- 1 min skip rope, 1 min leaping/bounding, 1 min jumping forward on both feet
1 min- Chest press laying on a bench
1 min- Pullover- arms extended over head holding 1 weight. Pivot at shoulders to bring hands above chest.
Last weekend was pretty awesome. I spent much of it running with like-minded people and exploring new neighborhoods. Oh, and I got my photo taken with Mo Farah (but more on that later).
Last year, I met Stuart and his Airstream at the Dorney Lake Duathlon. He had me at merino really, but I wasn't in a position to invest in new kit just yet. When I heard Ashemi was looking for new ambassadors, I was keen to get involved.
Saturday I visited Aldbury, Herts for the first time. Toto, I wasn't in London anymore. I was surrounded by green fields, a small village, and an Airstream campervan at the Ashmei Headquarters. It is a very cool open space in a converted barn. Plus it was full of bicycles, running kit, and Ashmei clothes of course.
My new socks!
On the way up, I met up with The Fit Advisor, Helena, on the train. It was fun to meet another fitness-minded individual who was up for new challenges and sporty activities. We weren't sure what to expect at the ambassador day but were excited to meet some new people and see what Ashmei was all about.
Matt, the Bald Runner, picked us up at the train station and drove us the embarrassingly short distance to Ashmei. We noticed a guy (who ended up being named Guy) was running from the train station and he arrived at the same time as we overshot the driveway.
The Fit Advisor's selfie above the salt mine
We were welcomed by fruit, pastries, mounds of Ferrero Rocher, and reps from Freestak and Ashemi. Stuart, the founder and designer of Ashmei, took us through their innovative technology and signature design points. He aims for performance over everything, followed by quality and style. Although the price point is a bit higher than other brands, Ashmei is worth every penny. Long time readers of this blog know I am a big fan of merino wool. Ashmei uses merino in their clothing with a unique feature of added carbon to help the clothes dry faster, regulate your body temperature, and avoid post-workout stink. Stuart generously gifted each of us a pair of socks to try out on the physical bit of the day.
We were supposed to make a funny face.
Attendees were divided into a running or cycling group for an hour long excursion around the local area. I headed out with about 20 others on a scenic run along trails, up hills, alongside a 16 mile trail race, and passed a salt mine. It was fun to run in a new place (the views were incredible but I left my phone with my bag) with so many friendly people who just love to run. I tried to talk to as many people in the group as possible, hoping to get some good marathon training tips and suggestions on places to run throughout the UK.
We ran just over 5 miles at a nice social pace (see my Strava feed for the route). The energy in the air was electric. We watched out for each other when we got spread out along narrow bits of the trail, and stepped to the side to cheer on the runners in the trail race. No ego. No competition. Just fresh air, mud, and a love of running.
Back at the HQ, we didn't have to wait long for the cyclists to return. We ate more, talked more and then packed up. It would have been a lot of fun to head to the pub as I didn't get much of a chance to talk to the cyclists, but I think I could done a bit more networking. (Lesson learned for next time!) It was overwhelming in a way as I didn't know anyone and many of the other athletes were ultrarunners, on Team GB for triathlons, etc. Talk about being out of my league!
On the way home, I chatted with a bunch of other candidates and I have since started following most of them on social media. I am grateful to have connected with my new friends and look forward to running with them again soon along a new trail.
Group shot in the cold. Woop!
Check out a short video of our run, filmed and edited by James MacKeddie, of Running Without Fear. This is proof I need to strengthen my glutes and hamstrings to pick my heels up off the ground.
Big thank you to Freestak and Ashmei for inviting me up for the day and considering me as a potential ambassador. Hope to hear from you soon ;)
The Longhorn is a trail run (not cross country though) along on old military roads, forest tracks & some grass through ancient & private parts of Sherwood Forest. There are 10K, half marathon and marathon routes so the winner can choose the distance they would like to complete.
The Longhorn will have the following:
Trail Runners Association permit
10k run race
1/2 marathon run race
Marathon run race
Chip timing
Regular water stations around the course
Route fully marshalled and signposted
Distance markers
Bespoke race finishers medal
Prizes for fastest man, woman and veteran (aged 35+)
Race photographer
Sports Therapist for post race massage
Full medical provision
Ideal for novice through to elite
Race village with food and beverages for sale.
Free onsight parking-please car share to save our environment.
The race takes place on 19th April on the grounds of Thoresby Hall in Nottinghamshire (NG22 9WH). Check your diary and if you can make it, enter below! Bonus entry if you leave a comment below.
As usual, remember to go for QUALITY over quantity. If you are unclear what the exercise is I am describing, please look for a video or arrange for an in-person tutorial with me. Please consult your doctor before engaging on any fitness regime.
Don't forget to breathe! Please email me if you want tips on how to make the quickies easier or more challenging (mollie@ptmollie.com).
Warm up- Jog for 1 min, skip for 1 min, run for 1 min
1 min- Lateral raise
1 min- Wall sit
1 min- Star jumps
1 min- Pulse in a low squat (1-3 cm orange of motion)
As usual, remember to go for QUALITY over quantity. If you are unclear what the exercise is I am describing, please look for a video or arrange for an in-person tutorial with me. Please consult your doctor before engaging on any fitness regime.
Don't forget to breathe! Please email me if you want tips on how to make the quickies easier or more challenging (mollie@ptmollie.com).
Warm up- 1 min squats, 1 min star jumps, 1 min tricep dips
1 min- Lunges with right foot forward. Feet stay in same spot for entire minute.
1 min- Lunges with left foot forward. Feet stay in same spot for entire minute.
1 min- Push/press ups against wall, on knees, or on toes
As usual, remember to go for QUALITY over quantity. If you are unclear what the exercise is I am describing, please look for a video or arrange for an in-person tutorial with me. Please consult your doctor before engaging on any fitness regime.
Don't forget to breathe! Please email me if you want tips on how to make the quickies easier or more challenging (mollie@ptmollie.com). Warm up: 10 squats then 10 star jumps. 5 cycles through 1 min: Step ups or box jumps on a low steady step 1 min each leg: Lunge facing away from the step with back foot on step 1 min: Press ups- easier with hands on step, harder with feet on step 1 min: Wall sit 1 min: Tricep dips on step 1 min: Side squat with one foot on step. Squat down and then lift leg up off ground at the top of squat 1 min: Burpees 1 min: Leaping on 2 feet. Swing arms to give you momentum. 1 min: Calf raises 1 min: Prisoner squats 1 min: Upright row
"Mollie is an amazing, positive motivator, just what you need when you are trying to become more active."
"By the end of the VTG I was exercising regularly and feeling SO much better about myself, my relationships and life in general."
"Mollie is an amazing trainer; with a real passion for exercise and enthusiasm in American size portions (congratulatory high fives are obligatory) that just rubs off on you even if you weren’t in the mood when you started."
Last Tuesday night, I was invited to a fundraiser for London Air Ambulance. Hosted by TOGORUN, I enjoyed wild caught salmon and Alaskan king crab while learning about all the amazing services London Air Ambulance offers:
