Hi all,

It has been awhile since I last wrote my blog and I’d like to apologise for its absence.  I guess being distracted by my baby boy has taken up a lot of my time as well as training for the Trans-USA.  Excuses aside, I’d like to talk about awareness and how you can help. But first I need to bring you up to date (well almost as there was so much going on since last time I blogged that some of it will have to wait until next time).

The year started with a part working ankle.  With the incredible help of ActiveVIII I’ve managed to ameliorate the majority of the damage to the ankle and, in fact, get to a point where I can run on it comfortably.  The acid test was the Standard Chartered Dubai 10k.  The guys from deVere generously flew me out to test the ankle and maybe secure some favourable press (which, thanks to Alan and the team, I did).  I arrived late at night, shattered, and needing bed and sleep.  In the morning I made it to the Media Centre at the Dubai Pavilion and was made to feel at home.  They gave me a media pass (which made me feel like one of the gang) and fed me too!  It was good to see some familiar faces and nice that I was recognised from my marathon exploits previously in 2011.   The run, in my Saucony Triumph’s, was better than I had expected and the ankle held up. I completed the course in 53 min but that included walking for a bit due to dystonia and stretching quite a lot.  This result rocks!  A truly a great milestone for me as I couldn’t walk on the leg last November.  The result, also, makes me more confident of my abilities with my ankle and helps me look forward to the Trans-USA; an event that I truly believe will, not only, raise donations for both the Cure Parkinson’s Trust and also the Michael J Fox Foundation via TeamFox (please see my TeamFox page) but also raise awareness.

Raising awareness is at the forefront of what 10MillionMetres is about and media coverage in respect of what I am trying to achieve has been pretty good since the beginning of the year.  BBC Oxford has bent over backwards for me and I am truly grateful for the coverage that they have given.  In addition, BBC Radio Berkshire, Glide FM, Jack FM, Al Jazeera Sport TV, Physique TV, Physique magazine, the Scotsman, the Daily Express, BBC (filming), SGB magazine… The only way that we are going to make change happen for Parkinson’s patients, worldwide, is by raising awareness which in turn will hopefully raise donations so that we can find a cure for this horrific and debilitating disease.

So please tell your friends, work colleagues, business acquaintances, in fact, tell everybody you meet because I can’t do this alone. I need your help.   We all need to work together and if we work together we can realise something truly great.  Maybe realise a cure!

With raising awareness being fundamental, Joe and his intrepid team from the BBC arrived on a Sunday morning in January to film me for a potential program on superhuman people. Apparently, I’m one!!! That’s quite a compliment for a guy who’s a bit shaky, LOL.  They had me running all over the place; across town, up and down a hill for what seemed like ages, rowing and then pushing my legs to the limit on the Cybex machine at ActivVIII (who went out of their way to open their premises and get things ready for the shoot – thanks guys!).  We then went to Nexus gym and I was again put through my paces.  All in all, I had a serious workout and then there was the interview.  I have to say Joe is a really good interviewer and I think I came across okay.  So will the programme see light of day? I don’t know but I have my fingers crossed.

Lastly, the Trans-USA has received several boosts. The first was from Volkswagen. This fantastic and forward thinking company has stepped up to the mark and donated two Touareg 4×4′s and have also offered (which I have accepted) to cover the fuel for the vehicles, which will allow me to get the support crew from A to B on the challenge.  I can’t thank them enough and highly recommend that you check out my sponsor page and follow the link when you click on the Volkswagen logo.  Secondly, the lovely people at Invesco Perpetual have just donated £2000 to the Cure Parkinson’s Trust!  I cannot believe how fabulous they are and generous too!  Thank you Invesco Perpetual!!  The third boost was receiving news that Mr Larry Watson (lifeguard, former coastguard, wilderness medic, expedition leader and ultra-endurance enthusiast) will be joining me as part of my crew for the Trans-USA challenge.  This alone has given me such a massive injection of confidence in having him on board.   I’m really excited to be working with this guy and he’s going to be kayaking across Lake Erie with me as well as swimming to the Statue of Liberty too!

30 mile run today and getting better every minute!! I think that, notwithstanding the stress of getting the Trans-USA sorted (and there’s still a lot to do) the words “positivity” and “optimistic” sum me up at the moment.  I hope that’s the same for you.  If it’s not, I am sure that things will eventually work out.  They have a habit of doing so…strange but true.

Keep moving!!!

Alex

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