• Home
  • About Shannon
  • Food festivals
  • Podcasts & Blogs I Love
  • Work with me
  • Bread & Butter podcast
  • Contact

Preparing for Kokoda

July 17, 2014 By EatWellTravelOften Leave a Comment

There are now 35 people signed up for the inaugural Mates in Construction Kokoda Trek. Most of us are connected to the construction industry, some of us are super fit, and some of us aren’t. Some of us are experienced hikers, and others (like me) are complete novices.

One thing we all have in common is a fierce determination. We have signed up to push ourselves to new limits, to see what we can achieve when we step out of our comfort zones. Game on.

I’ve realised pretty quickly that I have a lot to learn about embarking on a trek like Kokoda. This is no walk in the park, you have to achieve a certain level of fitness to take it on and our trek leaders take it so seriously that I had to do an ECG (electrocardiogram) to prove my heart is up to the task.

ECG
ECG shows I have a healthy heart

It’s great to have three other workmates to share the experience with; Tony, Andrew and Evan Almighty are great guys and we’re all supporting each other to make it through the training – no slacking allowed!

Kokoda
Me, Tony, Andrew and Evan Almighty

Training

For the last 5-6 weeks I’ve been working with my personal trainer Emma, two half hour sessions a week. I’ve also been riding my bike to and from work, going for lots of long walks and doing one yoga class a week. Personal milestones have included a 10.5km walk, a 23km bike ride, and a hike up Mount Coolum, small in the grand scheme of things but personal milestones none-the-less. You have to start somewhere right?

My amazing work colleague Robyn offered to meet me before work for a weekly training session up Mount Coot-tha (seriously, who does that?!) so each Friday we meet at 5.30am for a trek along the Honeyeater trail. We set out in the dark with head torches and beanies and gloves to keep us warm. There’s one really steep section that gets me huffing and puffing, the perfect Kokoda training hill. At the end of our walk we get to enjoy a stunning sunrise over Brisbane.

Brisbane
Good morning Brisbane!

In addition to this I have started the official 8 week training program provided by our trek company Aurora Adventures. Every Monday night all us trekkers meet at a gym in Woolloongabba for a group workout; Wednesday morning we meet at the infamous stairs at Kangaroo Point Cliffs (lordy how my calf muscles ache after our stair sessions). On Sundays we meet at 6am to trek around Mount Coot-tha. It takes a LOT of willpower to get up on these cold dark winter mornings, but I’m doing it!

Fundraising update

I ran a competition at work to ‘guess the number of M&Ms in the jar’ and raised $37.50. I’ve also been  baking banana bread and chocolate mud cake to sell at morning tea time. Along with some generous friends and family I’ve managed to raise nearly $500 towards my $2000 target. I’m planning a fundraising event on 16th August, so save the date if you’re in Brisbane!

Mount Coot-tha
Winter mornings, best not to think about it, just roll out of bed and get straight into it!

Donate to Mates in Construction

Filed Under: All Tagged With: Kokoda, kokoda trail, kokoda training, Kokoda trek, Mount Coot-tha

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Are you a food tourist? Then you’re in the right place…welcome to my blog

I'm Shannon, a not-so-flightless Kiwi, living in Australia. I'm busy makin memories... and doing my bit for regional food tourism. Last year I converted a Toyota Estima for a taste of vanlife (I call her Geisha). I share my adventures and the special moments I capture with my camera. And I host most excellent gatherings for fabulous ladies who like to wine and dine. Make yourself comfortable and have a read... Eat Well Travel Often my friend Read more

Ask the virtual postman to send you my newsletter so you don’t miss a thing!

* indicates required

Join me on Instagram

Follow me on:

Read more

gourmet edible bamboo shoots

Bamboo for body, mind and planet

September 6, 2020 By EatWellTravelOften

Shannon gives thumbs up at the start of her epic van trip

My van trip across Australia

July 19, 2020 By EatWellTravelOften

An elegant picnic on the beach

Blue Ginger Picnics in The Tweed

July 4, 2020 By EatWellTravelOften

hand showing inside of a feijoa

Farm life with Hinterland Feijoas

June 23, 2020 By EatWellTravelOften

Search

Join me in my Facebook lounge

Eat Well Travel Often

tweet me!

Follow @EatWellTravOft

_eatwelltraveloften_

Food tourist ➡️ Follow me to discover food worth travelling for
Brand building➡️ promoting our food industry
Gold Coast➡️ Will travel 4 food 😛
📷©

You can drive onto the beach here at #sellicksbeac You can drive onto the beach here at #sellicksbeach in #Adelaide so lots of folks park up for the day. Beautiful clear blue water... but too cold for this Gold Coaster 😜
Not Italy! Called on a few wineries today... whe Not Italy! 

Called on a few wineries today... when in Rome 🍷
Winery region #mclarenvale 🍷🍷🍷 Winery region #mclarenvale 🍷🍷🍷
Wind straight from Antarctica! Beach walk sure cle Wind straight from Antarctica! Beach walk sure cleared the cobwebs!
#sellicksbeach #adelaide #beachxmas
Enjoying a few days at #sellicksbeach in #Adelaide Enjoying a few days at #sellicksbeach in #Adelaide... Where are you for Christmas?
Under my umbrella ella ella eh eh ☂️💧 Under my umbrella ella ella eh eh ☂️💧
Load More… Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2021 SHANNON GORDON. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED·

Subscribe to my newsletter, so you never miss a thing ... it's FREE!
Enter your name and email below to sign up.
We respect your email privacy. You can unsubscribe at any time.