I have been back in Comox a few days now and as well as catching up with a few friends I have also made some good progress on the van. I picked up the custom foam sections I had ordered which really transforms the van into a cozy camper (I am currently writing this while sitting on the now foam covered bench in the van) and I have sorted the blinds, which I thought were going to be a lot more complicated than they were.
The bench, now with foam (foam covers to follow!)
I knew I would need a covering for the windows in the van to keep light out and night and to provide some privacy. After Continue reading →
The last three weeks have flown past and my time on Saltspring Island has been unforgettable. It has been as much of a retreat as it has been work - aided by having my own getaway cabin and gourmet food served down at the house! I have been working 3-4 hours a day on the farm 5 days a week. This has consisted of odd jobs (ranging from fixing sheep feeders to building large greenhouse walls), feeding the sheep and chickens as well as chopping, cutting and stacking wood.... a lot of wood!
During my time off I have been exploring the island on foot and in the van, relaxing in the cabin and also Continue reading →
I am currently having a few days off from running after suffering from knee pain during my 25.5km run at the weekend. I was worried this might happen but i'm not surprised - I knew that my training schedule was pretty intense and that some part of my body might not be able to keep up. "Runners knee" is not uncommon and I think this is a result of classic overuse. I think that my run two weeks ago along the rugged coastline was what really did it, after which I experienced some soreness in my knees which passed after a couple of days. In order to get into shape to do the JDF run before I leave the Continue reading →
I have been in Victoria for just under two weeks and have really enjoyed my time there. For the first 10 days I was house sitting for Richard's parents Hilary and JP when they went to Florida, my time was both productive and relaxing. I had fun working on the van and also did some work on various websites - some my own and some for others. I also did lots of running with no shortage of stunning trails and Taz the dog joined me for all but the longest of these.
I managed to get a nice combination of work and play and enjoyed doing some work on the computer looking out of the window and then going Continue reading →
This last week I have been housesitting for Richard's parents in Victoria and have used the time (and access to tools) to work on the first stage of my van conversion for my road trip. As soon as I bought the van it was clear to me that the seats had to go to make room for a bed. But what kind of bed? With plenty of room I decided to aim for a bed large for one and big enough to accommodate two people. After getting some inspiration from this page I went and sat in the back of the van and tried to visualise a design... and stayed there until I had. This is the concept I came up with:
Getting Continue reading →
Today is the end of my fourth week of sticking to my training schedule and it has been going well so far. I have had a tiny niggle in the back of my mind over the last week after experiencing some slight calf pain during my 15.5km run last weekend and have also been feeling pretty tired (hardly surprising having run every day for the last six weeks with increasing distances!) but my body was definitely telling me something. In preparation for my long run today I had a slightly easier day yesterday than planned and made sure I had a couple of really good nights sleep.
18km is the third furthest Continue reading →
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