"Don't aspire to be average"

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Martin Luther King once very famously said "I had a dream" - well, so did I.

Martins dream was probably a little deeper and more internationally meaningful than mine; his dream was for a racially united world where creed and colour had faded into insignificance and became an unrecognisable entity. Slowly but surely, through blood, sweat, tears, and a terrific amount of dedication, a racially united world is emerging, pheonix like, from the devastation and deep rooted tension caused by hundreds of years of racial hatred.

My dream is significant, but unlikely to affect the international community in quite such a massive way.

My dream is about me, Mr. Average (ish), facing and beating some of natures harshest landscapes - the Arctic and Antarctica.

As many of you know, ten years ago I was involved in a life changing car accident. The resulting head injuries left me a virtual vegetable for a while (no comments required!), and I was faced with having to learn to walk and talk pretty much all over again.

Whilst confined to the living room sofa between bouts of "exercise", my body couldn't wander off too far, but my mind could. In that time I did the unthinkable - I mapped out a very rough life plan. My plan didn't have an awful lot of detail (concentration has always been a problem!), but it did involve living a "conventional" life for ten years, at the end of which I would focus on the acheivment of my dream.

Cutting a long and boring story very short, I beat the odds, made a fairly full recovery, and now the ten years is up.

Stuff changes. I'm no longer married, I don't work full time in a sports environment any more, I work for myself and I have two dogs (painfully important in the decision) - but I'm still driven.

March 3rd of this year saw the tenth anniversary of the accident, and I had to make the decision - do I go hell for leather in the pursuit of my dream, or do I pop down to the local shops, pick up a pipe and slippers, and live the rest of my days as "Mr. Average"?

My Grandfather once said to me, shortly before his passing, "Don't ever aspire to be average Just..." - I won't.

A zillion excuses could be put in my way, and mostly ones that I can come up with myself, but the fact remains that I really want to do this. And, if it was easy, it wouldn't be worth doing, would it?

So, full of nervousness and excited anticipation, I started to put the wheels in motion.

To say that the last two months have been daunting would be a huge understatement. Researching the mammoth task ahead has shown me what a monumental task this would be - and that's before I get anywhere near the ice!

Sponsorship, training, equipment, advice, people, press, permissions, transport, food, communication, technology, weather planning, routes, and a whole boat-load of other factors are just the tip of the iceberg (pardon the pun!).

The big question many will ask, is "why?"

It's simple; there are three primary reasons. Firstly, because I want to. I want to do something different, I don't want to be average. Secondly, to raise money for a few charities which hold special meanings to me (more details will emerge over time). And, thirdly, to give substance to my convictions that we are all capable of achieving magnificant things if we have belief in what we're doing, focus on the end result, and have the determination to succeed (breathe... the self-righteous part is over with!).

The project started ten years ago as a dream from a sofa, but now it's becoming exciting, nerve-wracking, difficult, and very real.

At the moment, the whole project is still on the drawing board (so to speak), but I'm getting there hence talking about the project in public at last. I've managed to secure promises of help, support, and some sponsorship (more than a fiver, but not enough to pull it all together yet!).

This blog, as far as possible, will follow the training aspect of the expedition from endurance and strength training, to nutrition, and most importantly, psychological preparation.

If anyone wants to get involved, or help, in any way, shape or form then please do get in touch. In many ways the hardest part of all is now, putting into place all of the things that will get me to the ice edge - when I get there, the rest is down to me.

You've got my number, you've got my email address.

"If you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got... RAAAR! ONE MORE REP!"

	Author:	justin-miles (justin-miles's profile, justin-miles's blog)
	Posted On:	Saturday, 6th June '09, 10:11am
	Tags:	Biomechanics, Bodybuilding, Boxing, Circuit Training, Coaching, Cycling, Diet, Distance Running, Endurance, Exercise, Field Events, Fitness, Flexibility, Injury, Interval Training, Marathon Training, Nutrition, Overtraining, Physiology, Plyometric, Power, Proprioceptive, Psychology, Rowing, Rugby, Running, Skiing, Speed Training, Sprinting, Strength Training, Stretching, Supplements, Swimming, Testing, Training, Training Programs, Triathlon, Warm Up, Weight Training and Winning
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