by Mollie Millington | Nov 13, 2017 | books
With Kilimanjaro coming up in March, I have been slowly accumulating the kit I need. When I was in Houston in October, I found trekking pants, base layer leggings, and a down vest (gilet) at the outlet mall. On the weekends, we have been taking longer dog walks in the park as I build up the time on my feet.
But the wanderlust is real and I cannot wait for the trip. I am anxious to plan the next and the next trip after that. To help satiate me, I have loaded up my Kindle with a few adventure and travel books. I also reached out to my fitness blogger community for their recommendations too. Here is a great list of books to inspire you to be more adventurous.
Non-fiction
Wild: A journey from lost to found by Cheryl Strayed
I have yet to see the film starring Reece Witherspoon but this book is what got me thinking about going on an epic hike. To help find herself, Strayed hiked the Pacific Crest Trail solo and met some amazing people along the way.
Africa Solo by Mark Beaumont
This book I read before we rode from London to Paris. Beaumont set a challenge to ride from Cairo to Cape Town (self-supported) as a world record attempt. To do this, he would have to repeatedly have to ride over 100 miles a day in intense African heat. This book was shortlisted as adventure travel book of the year. If you are a cyclist, check it out!
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| Me and Dean at his book signing |
Road to Sparta by Dean Karnazes
With the launch of this book, I was lucky enough hear Karnazes speak here in London and talk about his passion for running. This guy is the original ultramarathon man, running 100s of miles on little sleep all over the world. He doesn’t even have a chair in his office, just gym equipment and a standing desk. This book explores his Greek heritage and retraces the steps of Pheidippides.
Pants of Perspective by Anna McNuff
McNuff recently founded a Facebook Group called Adventure Queens and from the adventure told in Pants of Perspective, you can see why she wants many other women to go on a life-changing adventure. It takes a lot of guts to pack up your things, fly around the world and commit to running across an entire country. After finishing the last chapter, you will be ready to go too!
Cold: Extreme Adventures at the Lowest Temperatures on Earth by Ranulph Fiennes
Last weekend, I went to the European Outdoor Film Tour which featured Simone and Tamara climbing to the top of Kangchenjunga in Himalayas. Winter is coming so I decided this is the next book I am going to read.
Fiction
End of the World Running Club by Adrian J. Walker
Many people, including Sarah from Dreaming of Footpaths, recommended this book. I actually found it on my own when looking for new running books last spring. It is a post-apocalyptic thriller that has a out of shape man running through a demolished landscape without any laws to find his family. This is a #1 bestseller.
Call of the Wild by Jack London
We had to read this in school and it is still a timeless classic. Read the stories of a wild dog in gold-rush Alaska. Perfect for animal lovers and those wishing for snow this winter.
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
Written in 1870, this book dives deep into the ocean. Of course, as a fish nerd, I loved this book. You will probably find many references from modern day television or film originated in this book. There is a lot of details about the submarine, so get your engineering hat on.
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by thinkmarsh | Nov 10, 2017 | community, exercise
There never seems to be enough time in the day. You wake up, eat, commute, work, hit the gym, commute, and eat again before heading to bed. As you repeat this routine day in and day out, there isn’t much space in there to give back to your community. What do I mean by community? Your friends, neighbours, colleagues, and people who would benefit from your skills. Here are four examples of initiatives that allow you to multi-task your workouts while helping others.
Like animals?
Cinnamon Trust– Help out the elderly and terminally ill by walking their dogs or playing with their cats. These pets are constant companions for people who might be bound to stay at home due to their health. Their pets have needs too, such as regular exercise too. You can also foster a pet should the owner have to go into the hospital for a few days.
Prefer people?
Good Gym– Founded in London but expanding rapidly across England, this non-profit has two programs to get you sweaty. The first is performing manual labour for people or companies in the local area. As a group, you may run to the selected location and clear a garden for an elder or paint the new community centre. The other aspect to the Good Gym is being pair with a ‘coach’ (an isolated elder). You will literally run to their home for a visit and then run back home again.
Want to empower women?
A Mile In Her Shoes- If you love running and helping women, this charity can use your help. Simply obtain your Leader in Running Fitness with UKA and then volunteer at one of the many run clubs across London. A Mile In Her Shoes work with women who are at risk or affected by issues related to homeless. You can help these women get back on their feet too by encouraging, coaching and running.
Help orphans with Down Syndrome
RODS Racing– This global team of endurance athletes is recruiting athletes. For every mile you run, bike, swim, your pledges and donations will help an orphan with Down Syndrome. RODS raises $15,000 (~£11,000) for one orphan at a time. This is half of the fees incurred for adopting these special kids. Many of the children are from countries where Down Syndrome isn’t understood or accepted. By relieving part of the financial burden, RODS ensures these orphans find a loving home faster.
Do you have other suggestions on how to multi-task your exercise with something else? Do you run to work? Or have ‘moving meetings’? Leave me a comment below with your tips.
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| My first ever marathon, repping RODS |
This post originally appeared on the now-defunct H2 Life Blog.
by Mollie Millington | Nov 10, 2017 | community, exercise
There never seems to be enough time in the day. You wake up, eat, commute, work, hit the gym, commute, and eat again before heading to bed. As you repeat this routine day in and day out, there isn’t much space in there to give back to your community. What do I mean by community? Your friends, neighbours, colleagues, and people who would benefit from your skills. Here are four examples of initiatives that allow you to multi-task your workouts while helping others.
Like animals?
Cinnamon Trust– Help out the elderly and terminally ill by walking their dogs or playing with their cats. These pets are constant companions for people who might be bound to stay at home due to their health. Their pets have needs too, such as regular exercise too. You can also foster a pet should the owner have to go into the hospital for a few days.
Prefer people?
Good Gym– Founded in London but expanding rapidly across England, this non-profit has two programs to get you sweaty. The first is performing manual labour for people or companies in the local area. As a group, you may run to the selected location and clear a garden for an elder or paint the new community centre. The other aspect to the Good Gym is being pair with a ‘coach’ (an isolated elder). You will literally run to their home for a visit and then run back home again.
Want to empower women?
A Mile In Her Shoes- If you love running and helping women, this charity can use your help. Simply obtain your Leader in Running Fitness with UKA and then volunteer at one of the many run clubs across London. A Mile In Her Shoes work with women who are at risk or affected by issues related to homeless. You can help these women get back on their feet too by encouraging, coaching and running.
Help orphans with Down Syndrome
RODS Racing– This global team of endurance athletes is recruiting athletes. For every mile you run, bike, swim, your pledges and donations will help an orphan with Down Syndrome. RODS raises $15,000 (~£11,000) for one orphan at a time. This is half of the fees incurred for adopting these special kids. Many of the children are from countries where Down Syndrome isn’t understood or accepted. By relieving part of the financial burden, RODS ensures these orphans find a loving home faster.
Do you have other suggestions on how to multi-task your exercise with something else? Do you run to work? Or have ‘moving meetings’? Leave me a comment below with your tips.
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| My first ever marathon, repping RODS |
This post originally appeared on the now-defunct H2 Life Blog.
by Mollie Millington | Nov 6, 2017 | corrective exercise, exercise, running
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| Dorsiflexion assessment at our first meeting |
It is no secret that I want to be a faster runner. With three World Marathon Majors down and three more to go, improving my marathon PB is the best way to obtain entry to these exclusive races. From January to June this year, I was devoted to #tracktuesdays with Advent Running and found that my speed did increase (I moved up from train 4 to train 3). But then due to my Achilles tendinopathy, I had to stop going to track. This month, I have returned to track but seem to be back to square one.
With each marathon, I realize strength training would make a big difference in my strength and endurance. What I have done so far (basic full body training with free weights) just isn’t working which I why I have started to work with Function360 Physiotherapy here in London so get my body into running shape. My treatment program started all with a gait analysis that identified where my body’s imbalances were. Working off that base, I have twice met with Harvey, a corrective exercise specialist. Our first session was primarily an evaluation of my mobility and ability to establish a baseline. There was a variety of exercises and stretches we went through, some of which were given to me as homework.
Sure, stretching and reps of 10 sounds really easy, but I can assure you I was sweating throughout my sessions. To increase the intensity up another notch, Harvey made me foam roll for over five minutes. I targeted my quads and adductor muscles.
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| Foam rolling isn’t my favorite thing to do |
This week, I promised Harvey I would complete my homework. After all, what good is meeting with him once a week if I am not doing my part outside of our meetings? Spending additional time on these exercises is just as important as going to track and getting my long runs done.
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| Harvey helping me work my tibia |
Of course, I strained my hamstring on Sunday running for a train. I experienced a bit of DOMS after our session on Wednesday. I think I might have still been sore or stiff from that, which made the running tough. I might swap my session with Harvey this week for a massage or myofascial release to see if I can help my hamstring heal.
Function360 is a one stop shop for physiotherapy, sports massage, personal training, corrective exercise and gait analysis. I have now met several members of the team, including the owner, Jor, and everyone is lovely.
Thanks for Function360 for supporting me as one of their sponsored athletes. I will routinely be sharing my experiences with the Function360 team as I continue to prepare my body for the next
challenge.
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