Hi all,

This will be the first blog since registering with Blogs for Kindle.  So, a swift hello and thank you for subscribing to this blog if you’re reading it on a Kindle!  It’s a bit of an experiment for me and one which was suggested by Russ Cox.  It was one of those amazing conversations while discussing daft races that accidentally produce great ideas.

On the home front becoming a dad (again) is big on the agenda. The baby has not yet been born at the time of writing.  Aurélie is massively pregnant and baby to be is ready to go as he’s ever going to be!  It’s a waiting game and I’m impatient to see my new little boy.  In any event, I’ll keep you posted.

Events this week have been wide ranging.  The news that the forthcoming GoTrail magazine will be a double issue and contain the 10MillionMetres article on the Otter Trail is really exciting.  I can’t wait to see the magazine, the photos and the new film from Motion Pixel.  I think you’ll like it too. I am told that it will be out sometime later today, so check out www.gotrail.co.za when you can.

I have also been busy with another film; namely, highlights from my speech at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford (UK) on 9 November 2011.  You can find it on the video-wall of my website at www.alexflynn.co.uk/the-video-wall I’d love some feedback. So don’t be shy. Please get in touch via the contacts page of my website.

Talking of getting in touch, the BBC has come knocking.  Well, nothing definite yet but there could be a possibility of being involved in a new program.   No promises. However, it is exciting to be approached.  I’ll keep you updated.  I met with the person involved (I think it a bit premature to print names) and had a long discussion over coffee which, I think, was productive. I then had to go and meet with a recruiter, as I was made redundant last week.  So of course, the guy from the BBC came too.  Slightly unique and I’m sure it left an impression on the recruiter, lol.

Later that same evening, I attended a soirée for the Cure Parkinson’s Trust.  The evening is the Cure Parkinson’s Trust’s annual thank you to all their fundraisers, and the room was packed.  I’m really grateful for the fantastic words from the Cure Parkinson’s Trust thanking me for my fundraising, which I would like to point out, could not have been possible without the fantastic donations of everyone who has given to this worthy charity; including Mimi Anderson, Danny Lavender and of course, not forgetting my core sponsor the deVere group.  A good night and a lot of interest was generated in the 10MillionMetres campaign.

Most importantly, training has stepped up a notch or two and I am really feeling the benefit.  What with the effort of tackling the CYBEX machine (giving me the grimace in the photo, left) , swimming and cycling, the ankle is coming on. So much so that the wonderful Gerry, from ActiveVIII, has said that I can start running again from the end of next week.  Big smiles…now comes the slow climb to full fitness.

I’ve been here before and I know I can do it.  What’s more with the plans I have for 2012, I have plenty to work hard for!

Keep moving!

Hi all,

It’s been a few weeks since I updated my blog and I thought I would make them shorter and more frequent moving forward. What you think? Let me know with some feedback it will be good to canvass your opinion…

The last month has been an experience that I haven’t had for a long while; namely, no training.  After briefly describing that I went over on my ankle the news was that I had completely ruptured my ATFL ligament, badly sprained three other ligaments, micro-fractured my Talus and caused severe oedema to the bone.  In short, I did a number on it.  The resulting MRI gave the opinion that I would need an operation to re-establish the ATFL to provide stability on the outside of my left foot.  With great physio from ActiveVIII (based in Henley-on-Thames) and a further MRI, my orthopaedic consultant was firmly of the opinion that I didn’t need an operation!  This is huge news!!  Actually, this is truly great news, as an invasive surgical procedure would most likely cause me long-term problems.  I am really a very happy man!

So what now? Well, there’s more physio and I’ve been told that I can get back to training properly within a matter of weeks!!!!!!!!  This is truly made my spirit rise and provided me with more focus on the two things that are taking up my time at this moment.

The first being the race calendar for 2012 and in particular the Trans-USA challenge.  This 3200 mile, 24 day endurance challenge will push me far beyond anything that I have ever done.  It doesn’t come without risk, and I’m sure that James Cracknell would attest to the dangers of Trans-American events, the dangers are several but finishing in one piece is achievable.  I’m confident that with a good supporting crew and the right training, I will succeed.   Watch this space for updates on the race calendar for 2012 and more news of the Trans-USA challenge as matters unfold.

The second was building upon the success of my public speaking event on the 9^th November at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford UK where I was giving a motivational speech at a conference on neurodegenerative disease.  The conference was entitled ‘Making a Difference in Neurodegenerative Disease Research’ and was hosted by the Thames Valley Dementias and Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Network (DeNDRoN); an NHS body that facilitates the commencement of research programmes and provides ways of streamlining human clinical trials to make them more cost-effective.  The various speakers were eminent experts in their fields and I learned a huge amount; not only about Huntington’s disease but the various breakthroughs and leaps forward in relation to neurological diseases (including Parkinson’s).

I have to say I was nervous.  Being the only Parkinson’s sufferer in the room gave me the unique perspective to be able to speak about, not only my experiences undertaking 10 Million Metres so far (lost in the Sahara, Trans-Europe, etc.), but also the position from that of a person with the disease.  My speech went down incredibly well.  So much so that the feedback has been stunning!  DeNDRoN have been amazing in their support and it is opened up far more doors, which I believe will allow me to raise the profile of both Parkinson’s and young onset Parkinson’s profile to a wider audience; improving on the more than 55 million people around the world so far this year alone!  However, that’s for the next edition of the blog.

Right, I’m off to undertake a turbo session, physio, and move the Trans-USA forward!  Have a great start to the week and keep moving!!

A