We all have a bit of a ‘Bucket List’ don’t we? Things we want to do, have dreamed of doing, even if we know we might not be very good at them, things we’d like to do at least once in our lifetime.
I’ve done some of them. As a (short, fat) kid, watching the Great North Run and the London Marathon with my mum, I wanted to do it, but never dreamed I would or could. And now I’ve done both.
I’ve ice skated (kind of), climbed higher than I ever thought I could given my fear of heights, had my name published in a book (on dementia care for the elderly, after typing and editing the chapters, I received an acknowledgement), and I’ve met a lot of my heroes, particularly those in the brewing and distilling world.
I’ve still things to do, and whether they’re fantastical, or realistic, I’ll keep finding them and trying to make them happen.
One that eluded me and I had fixed most definitely onto the ‘fantasy’ list was trapeze. As a young kid I was fixated – after watching Tony Curtis and Gina Lollobrigida in the film Trapeze. I’d pretend my swing in the back garden was a trapeze and happily swing upside down, imagining myself being thrown around by the moody Tino, or Burt Lancaster’s stereotypically grouchy, Mike Ribble, who didn’t believe he could return after disastrous injury (but of course miraculously did, learned to believe in himself, and won the heart of the heroine).
Of course, me being an, er, curvy lady made me believe that trapeze, and indeed aerial work, was a fantasy bound to remain just that. That was until a very rainy Tuesday last week, when I met Ed and he showed me that it’s not fantasy at all.
Evolve Manchester, is based just a little hop skip and jump outside Media City. As well as your usual personal training and fitness, they offer something a little out of the ordinary – Parkour, OCT (obstacle course training), freerunning, statis trapeze and aerial silks are all on the agenda. If you’ve ever wanted to try something completely different, these are the guys to talk to.
Whilst freerunning and Parkour fascinate me – they’re almost a perfect blend of gymnastics, acrobatics and speed – as a distance runner, I’ve always backed away from them, and from obstacle courses too. At the time opportunities to take part arise, I’m often already committed to a race, and I’m very aware that running at something at speed and failing could result in a bit of a disaster for whatever distance I’ve booked myself on. Maybe one day I’ll be brave enough to risk it.
Aerial silks and trapeze however, involve a big soft cushiony mat, and control. I like control.
Ed took me through some stretches first to wake the muscles. It all felt a little odd, but once you get over the idea that you are lying on your back with your spread legs in the air and nobody else is bothered, you soon forget and concentrate on your body position and less on who might be looking.
With thanks again to Evolve, Phil and Ed. I had a bloody awesome afternoon!