Anna S. E. Lundberg

Coach, Speaker, Writer

Adventure is Out There: A weekend of stand-up paddle boarding down the Thames

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Happy faces
Happy faces following an afternoon of paddling in the rain [Photo credit: Dave Cornthwaite]
As I write this, water is hitting the windowpane as a steady drizzle continues on a dreary Monday afternoon. I’m going to be spending the whole day indoors. Rewind to Saturday and as that same rain was falling I was on the other side of the windowpane, standing on an inflatable board completely exposed in the middle of the Thames along with 18 other mad adventurers. The drizzle turned into heavy rain, heavy rain turned into heavier rain. We continued our paddle strokes towards our final destination of the day, the campsite where we’d be spending the night; and all the time we had big stupid grins on our faces.

The weekend was organised by Dave Cornthwaite, the “yes man” who I met at a conference in Berlin a few weeks ago, as part of his #summerseries of little adventures in the UK. He is a bit of a stand-up paddle boarding (SUP) aficionado, having already paddled the length of the Mississippi as well as round the Caribbean island of Martinique. (Me, I was a bit more wobbly! But you do learn quickly…) The sport is an offshoot of surfing originating in Hawaii, Hoe he’e nalu. This weekend Dave was joined by Annie Ross and a gang of her “Exerk” followers, as part of her quest this year to do 52 sporting challenges in 52 weeks. We all met up on Friday night at a campsite just outside Oxford where we would spend the night before heading down the river to eventually end up at Goring, 24 miles downstream, on Sunday afternoon.

SUP pumps
Together with Wes and Greg who had also arrived early, we used the extra time to pump all the top-of-the-range Origin paddle boards full of air – yes, they’re inflatable! – and to unpack the new life jackets bought for the weekend. [Photo credit: Dave Cornthwaite]
As one of the first to arrive on Friday afternoon, I set up my little sleeping area with my sleeping bag and mat enclosed in a bivvy bag (a “bivouac sack” that acts as a waterproof shelter when you don’t have space to carry a tent or when you simply want to be that bit closer to nature when you’re wild camping). I had used it once before on a warm and dry September’s evening on an island adventure last year; this time, I made it to 5am when the splash of rain on my face woke me up. I tightened the drawstrings of the bivvy bag so that only a small gap remained around my face and I could still breathe… I think I dozed off a little but I can’t say I felt particularly well rested when the alarm rang at 7am and I got up to get ready for the first day of paddling!

Waiting for the lock
Having had to get out and carry our paddle boards and bags at the first few locks, we enjoyed being allowed to paddle through the rest of the locks on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. More happy faces! [Photo credit: Dave Cornthwaite]
The best thing about adventures like this, hands down, is the people you meet. You greet each other with a hug and within minutes you’re chatting as if you’ve known each other forever. I always find that the type of person who’s willing to go on a random adventure, not knowing anyone else on the trip and in this case never having paddle boarded before, is my type of person! Warm, positive, open to new experiences, and without exception doing something incredibly interesting with their life. Paddle boarding also lends itself perfectly to getting to know each other: as you’re making your way down the river, your pace naturally varies so that you’ll be talking to one person and then drifting towards someone else for another conversation. Plus, you have nothing else to do! No phone, no camera (I definitely wasn’t going to risk either falling into the water), no TV, no distractions to take you away from basic human interaction.

Be Happy
Says it all… [Photo credit: Dave Cornthwaite]
…which leads me to the second best thing about this particular adventure: the feeling of getting into a steady rhythm, dipping your paddle into the water at the front of the board and pulling it smoothly back through the water before lifting it, returning it to the front and repeating the movement. The stillness was beautiful, the only sounds the clucking of the water, the wind in the trees, the birds up ahead. The rain on that first afternoon only added to the experience: where we’d usually be spending the whole day indoors, probably hunched over a computer or maybe lounging on the sofa in front of the TV, instead we were out in the elements with a lovely group of people. Pure joy. And it’s amazing how little you actually need when it comes down to it: I had no coffee in the morning and yet I was wide awake; no phone or camera, so I could enjoy the experience more fully than if I was constantly trying to capture the moment in that perfect Instagram shot; and I had none of the usual stuff that I’d have crammed into my handbag in my everyday life.

SUP down the Thames
We even had some sunshine on the Sunday! Annie of Exerk is pictured in the foreground. [Photo credit: Dave Cornthwaite]
That being said, after an afternoon of getting soaked in the thunderstorm – having only just dried off after falling in earlier that day – I was shivering as we arrived at the campsite for our second night’s sleep. A 20p coin was all it took for a hot shower to bring me back to feeling human again and we were soon enjoying good food and more good conversation at the local pub; we even managed to sit outdoors later in the night. All that fresh air and exercise will take its toll, though, and we were in bed by 11pm. I couldn’t quite face the idea of another wet and vulnerable night in my bivvy bag (I’m not a real adventurer! Boohoo!) and was relieved to be offered a spot in a three-man tent. A glorious night of eight hours sleep later and I awoke refreshed and ready for another day on the river…

My arms were sore as we started to paddle; soon, though, I was back into the rhythm again and I felt like I could have gone on forever. When we suddenly arrived at Goring where we were ending our journey I felt sad that it was all over, my mood deflating along with the paddle boards; and when I woke up on Monday morning I was disappointed not to be getting back on that board. The spirit of the adventure lives on, though, in all the friend requests on Facebook, the photos that are being shared and, of course, the memories. And there’ll be a new adventure soon, that’s for sure!

Dave is continuing his #summerseries over the coming weeks. Find out about the upcoming activities and join him on one of them here.

You can also join Annie on one of her weekly sporting challenges here.

Happy Midsummer! So what lights you up?

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“What lights you up?”

I was asked this question a few weeks ago and I just think it’s the most beautiful question that you can ask someone. So much more personal, and insightful, than the standard “What do you do?” or even “Where are you from?” And what better time to ask this question than over Midsummer, the summer solstice, the day of the year that has the most daylight?

It’s a beautiful question, but also a tough one. It’s not something anyone’s ever asked me, nor something I’ve considered myself. “Erm, err, meeting new people… travelling… umm…”

Hmm.

Okay, let’s try this again…

What lights me up?

My niece and nephew. The purity of the emotions of a child, any child. Playing. Learning. Understanding how things work. Books, films. The smell of coffee, the foam on a cappuccino. Cinnamon buns. Indulging in a really good dessert. A glass of wine. Good music. Singing, dancing. Being on stage. Looking through old photos, remembering good times. Thinking about my grandpa. An evening with friends. Booking a trip. Feeling inspired, inspiring others. A pretty dress or handbag. Laughter. Not taking yourself too seriously. Sending (and receiving) flirty texts. Eye contact. Connecting with new people. Unexpected kindness from strangers. Getting a compliment. Finishing a run or a gym workout. Achieving something. Winning. Knowing that I’ve made the right decision. Being able to go straight to bed on the days I’m not wearing make-up. The feel of my duvet when I get into bed. Christmas. Fairy lights. Wearing flowers in my hair. Driving in our rented yellow Beetle convertible. Yellow in general. Freedom. Blue skies. Rainbows. Double rainbows! Springtime. Birds twittering in the trees. Cherry trees. Tulips and daisies. Hummingbirds. An ocean breeze. Natural beauty and wonder. Waterfalls. Campfires. Looking up at the stars and thinking about how small and insignificant all our little problems are. Hugs. Life.

So… what lights you up?

So you like to travel?

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When asked to list our interests – whether at the bottom of a CV or in a dating profile – we might mention reading, going for walks, playing a sport… and most of us will probably add, “I like to travel.” But what exactly does that mean? In the last few years I’ve come across countless bloggers who live for travel, solo travellers or couples who build their whole lives around moving from place to place, celebrating the joys of the nomadic life and pumping out articles about how you, too, can afford to live this kind of rootless existence. Now I’m no travel blogger, but travel has been a conspicuous part of the experiences that I’ve been sharing on this blog, and whenever I have time off between projects my natural impulse is to book a trip…

So why is that we travel? What is it about travelling that we find so appealing? If we dig a little deeper, we’ll probably find that there are all sorts of underlying forces creating that urge to pack our suitcase and head out of the door…

Travel as a holiday

In its most common, and simple, form, travel is something you do when you have time off work. You might go to your house in the south of France, lie on a beach in Barbados, or visit your family who live abroad. You may even choose to go to the same place each year, so you know exactly what you’re getting and you can focus on relaxing and enjoying yourself. This is time with your loved ones, time away from the office… a holiday, basically. A holiday is a wonderful thing and brings lots of benefits; but if “I like to travel” means “I like a holiday” then, yes, duh, we all do darling.

Travel as an escape

Taking the idea of a holiday or a break from work to the extreme gives you travel as an escape from the drudgery of your everyday life. Every week from Monday morning you’re counting down the days until the weekend, and all year long you’re counting down the weeks until your next holiday. If that’s you, then as the saying goes you need to find a life that you don’t want to escape from! A few days or weeks of holiday a year can never make up for the rest of the year that you live in soul-destroying wretchedness in a job you hate or in a relationship that makes you miserable. Enjoy your time away, by all means – just make sure you hand in that resignation letter or dump your cheating boyfriend when you get back.

Travel as a ‘tick the box’

Ah that most terrible of all sins, to travel simply to say that you’ve been there. These are the Americans who “do Europe” in a fortnight, tourists who barely leave the airport or the hotel, who want to see the Mona Lisa – tick! – and be done with it. They’ll do a bus tour so as to cover as much as they can in a day, they’ll see the main sights, they’ll take lots of photos. It’s crossing off destinations for the sake of it, without any attempt at getting to know the real heart of a place. These tourists – ouch, what an insult! – leave with a few selfies and souvenirs… oh and plenty of bragging rights, supported by all the photos filling up our Facebook newsfeeds. But, then, part of the joy of having an experience is being able to share it with your friends, isn’t it!?

“Too often travel, instead of broadening the mind, merely lengthens the conversation.”
– Elizabeth Drew

Travel as a cultural experience

There are also the more highbrow among the travellers, those who enjoy discovering different cultures, going to museums, learning languages. These are the travel snobs, the ones who would never dream of lying on a beach all day, feeling virtuous as they get up early to go to that great little exhibition. Cultural experiences, though, are much broader than that and it’s impossible not to live a richer life as a result of being exposed to different ways of living and seeing how small you are in the grand scheme of things.

“Travel broadens our perspectives. Suddenly, the palette with which we paint the story of our lives has more colours.”
– Rick Steves

Travel as an exploration of the unknown

Travel can also be an adventure. It’s arriving in places you know little about, being open to whatever experience comes long, getting to know the locals you happen to meet. True adventurers – travellers, not tourists – don’t like to plan and tend to be looking for a more authentic experience, meaning staying with the locals, going to bars and restaurants away from the main touristy areas, spending more time there to really get to know a place. Another type of travel snob, looking down on those of us foolish enough to visit the standard tourist attractions, the restaurant rip-offs, paying full price at the market…

“Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.”
– Dalai Lama

Travel for travel’s sake

And, finally, why not travel simply for travel’s sake? The idea of Wanderlust has become prevalent in the English language, along with another loanword from German, Fernweh – literally , ‘far-sicknesss’, as opposed to Heimweh or homesickness – and a great one from my own language, resfeber, which is Swedish for ‘travel fever’. The internet is full of travel bloggers who have packed up their bags and spend all year, every year, moving around from place to place with no permanent home.

“Not all those who wander are lost.”
– J. R. R. Tolkien

Personally, I think I travel for a mixture of all these reasons: for a break from sitting at a desk all day, for quality time with friends and family, to have new experiences and meet new people and, yes, to tick off amazing ‘bucket list’ sights like witnessing the Northern Lights (last month) and seeing the Grand Canyon (next month!). The world is vast and beautiful and I want to see as much as I can in the time that I’ve been given.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
– Mark Twain

So what type of traveller are you? Let me know in the comments below!

Run, Anna, Run! 5 reasons why I’m feeling like a running “bad ass” right now…

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Running is one of those things that anyone can do – you just need a pair of trainers, and off you go – and yet it’s an activity that’s somehow shrouded in mystery, a lot of people expressing regretfully that “I’m just not a runner…” When you’re starting out, running for longer than 10-15 minutes seems like an impossibility, which is also why those couch-to-5k programmes alternate a few minutes of running with a few minutes of walking at the beginning. If you stick with it, though, I’m convinced that anyone can do it – I’m definitely proof of that! – and that you may surprise yourself with how much you end up enjoying it.

I don’t remember when I first started running ‘seriously’ (if ever). At school I was a sprinter, winning the 100m rather than making any attempt at the longer distances; at university I went for some half-hearted jogs around the park with friends from time to time. Then I think I ran my first 10k, the women-only Tjejmilen in Stockholm, with my aunt and in doing so got pretty hooked on the festival atmosphere and the sense of achievement that came with running events – since then, I’ve run several more 10k races as well as a couple of half-marathons, including one in Disney World. Just because. Having a race booked in is a huge enabler for me to stay motivated and keep putting on those running shoes. And this year, I feel that things are a bit different…

1. I’ve actually been consistent in my training for several months

This may not seem like a huge achievement, but usually when I’ve run I’ve done it for a few weeks and then something gets in the way, a cold, or just a few too many missed sessions; or I train for an event and then as soon as it’s over I stop completely. This time round, I started with a few tentative runs over Christmas and since then I’ve maintained a running routine of every few days or so, except during a bout of bronchitis and on a skiing holiday (which I think is acceptable!). Even though I allow myself to take an evening off when I feel like it – in fact, I think that’s part of the secret to a sustainable plan – I find that I miss it when I’ve been sedentary for a couple of days and I feel quite motivated to keep up the miles now that I’ve built up a decent base.

2. I’m doing several 10k runs a week

Midnattsloppet
One of the occasions on which I actually did run Midnattsloppet…

I’ve been signed up a few times to run the 10k Midnattsloppet in Stockholm in August, and I’ve often found myself just days away from the event wishing I’d trained more consistently, unsure if I’ll even make it round the course, let alone if I’ll get a good time. Once or maybe even twice (the shame!), I’ve chosen not to run at all. For a few weeks now, though, I’ve actually been doing a couple of 10k runs a week as a standard part of my training. By the time the race rolls by in August, I’ll know that the distance won’t be a problem and I’ll be able to concentrate on enjoying the atmosphere and pushing myself to go faster if I feel like it.

3. I’m running without earphones

I’ve always listened to music or to audio books when I’ve gone running, so that I don’t get bored, and so as to use the time efficiently – during one period I used my long runs to get through Nelson Mandela’s A Long Walk to Freedom, during another I was learning Spanish. Recently, though, I’ve been leaving the earphones at home and enjoying the tranquility of being alone with my thoughts (or lack thereof), taking in the sights and sounds of the area in which I’m running. Of course, it helps if you’re running in a nice area – like, say, around Westminster and Hyde Park. It’s a great break from technology and one of the few moments of ‘stillness’ I get during the week, not to mention liberating not to have the earphones dangling and getting caught all the time.

4. I’ve bought proper running shoes

Over Easter, I had some shopping time in Stockholm and discovered that Asics had their flagship store in town. My old trainers (also Asics) were coming apart at the back, the broken material on the inside giving me blisters on my last few runs.  So I went in on a quiet Saturday afternoon and went through a whole Foot ID analysis, which gave me the shape and dimensions of my static feet (as I knew already, my left foot is bigger than my right; I also have high arches, and my left ankle is wonky – attractive!) as well as a gait analysis of how I run. The result was that I came away with a pair of shoes with lots of support for my over-pronation (this means that the foot rolls in too much as the weight is transferred from the heel to the forefoot) and with plenty of wiggle room for my toes (apparently most people wear shoes that are too small and since feet swell during long runs especially you need plenty of space at the front, the sides, and the top of the toes), as well as a set of exercises to strengthen my feet.

You can get the Foot ID analysis done at the flagship store in London as well, it’s free with no obligation to buy. Otherwise you can also do the ‘wet foot test’ and look at how your current shoes have worn down from your running style.

5. I feel like I might be able to do a marathon

Disney princes
Meeting the Disney princes was definitely a highlight of the Disney World half-marathon. Of course, posing with all the different characters did slow me down a little bit…

This is a biggie. From Facebook I get the impression that all my friends are out running marathons all the time, but I’ve never seriously considered it before myself. Running a marathon is on my bucket list (*DOH*), but it obviously requires a good base level of training and then consistent and long training over a period of months. Maybe I’m being overly optimistic, but I feel now that it might be an achievable goal for next year – assuming of course that I keep up the consistent training this year, which is in no way a given. As I don’t expect to be running lots of them, I just need to settle on a good one, in case it’s the only one I do! There’s London, of course, but also New York, Berlin, Amsterdam, Stockholm… the classic, Athens… or how about Reykjavik or Patagonia? I imagine that having something nice to look at helps you to keep going………….

Adventure is Out There: Night-time kayak under Tower Bridge

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So who knew that you could kayak on the Thames? Just amazing. So much fun simply to be doing the kayaking itself, and then endless opportunities for selfies and Instagram shots as we passed various London landmarks. What more could you ask for?!

Limehouse
Do you think that penthouse flat is available…?

The evening was organised by Secret Adventures. I discovered them early last year, and went on my first adventure back in September. That really was a super-secret adventure, with a group of us meeting up at a building in London and then cycling out to an undisclosed location, hiding our bikes in the bushes, and swimming across to a teeny-tiny island where we then spent the night under the open sky. Then a few weeks ago I went on a spectacular adventure up in the Arctic Circle – more to come on this soon! And now this night kayak on the Thames.

Kayaks on land
Feeling just a little foolish as we got into the boats on dry land in order to adjust the foot rests…

We met up under the bridge at Limehouse, which is in itself a gorgeous area of London that I’ve never explored, with some very nice flats positioned around the little harbour. We were given waterproof jackets and not-so waterproof trousers (I had a VERY wet bum when I returned…) along with life vests and lights for when it got dark. Oh, and a paddle each, very important. We were shown the basic paddling technique and then trouped on down to the water where the boats were waiting for us.

The water was surprisingly choppy, and every time a large boat went past, the waves would roll towards us. The boats, though, were very stable and we were assured that we would only tip over if we really tried hard to do so. Phew! But I put my iPhone in a ziplock bag just in case…

Pointing towards Tower Bridge
Destination: Tower Bridge!

We paddled away from Canary Wharf, getting into a sort of rhythm until we started to approach Tower Bridge, at which point the pace of the group slowed as everyone got out their phones and cameras. What is an adventure if you can’t take photos to put on Facebook, eh? After getting some good shots, we were told to keep paddling so that we would make our dinner reservation at The Mayflower. We tied up our kayaks and precariously climbed over and up the fire escape to this restored public house that dates back to the 16th century. There we had a well-deserved stodgy meal and a drink out on the terrace with views up and down the river. The journey back was a little tougher, as we weighed down the boat after the meal and went back up to Limehouse against the tide. Trying to paddle onto the narrow ‘beach’ was a hilarious exercise in itself, especially as we’d been told to keep the noise down due to an angry neighbour…

Tower Bridge
Actually going under Tower Bridge, as promised in the name of the adventure! We also went under London Bridge which, thankfully, was not falling down…

“Sa, say pour lay tourists sa,” said a man disdainfully when we entered the pub. (I can only assume that he was, in fact, talking to tourists, unless he just likes to speak bad French to his fellow Londoner friends.) Well, lucky tourists, then, I say! It’s such a shame if you don’t explore all that your city has to offer simply because you’ve been living there for so long. I’ve loved rediscovering London these past months. I even took a rickshaw on Friday night, so there!

Kayaking under Tower Bridge
Just… spectacular.

The other great thing about these types of activities is the people you meet. By definition, and, yes, I may be biased, the people who go on this kind of adventure trip are incredibly lovely. They’re open to doing new things, often alone without knowing anyone else, and just generally interesting, friendly people. Something that is very important when you’re out in the Arctic wilderness, or spending an evening paddling a twin kayak together…

Adventure is out there! You just to have to go out and find it…

 

Check out Secret Adventures for the next night kayak and for other trips including canoeing on the canal and a wilderness survival weekend! These adventures also fund adventures for inner city kids to escape London with the children’s charity Kids Company, so there is the extra bonus of contributing to a good cause.