Friday 7th September. Counting down...1 day to go...

Forecast for the weekend? First suggestion of...rain! :-/

SATURDAY: AM Showers 68/52f  30% chance of rain
SUNDAY: Partly Cloudy 72/53F  10% chance of rain

Ghaaaaa!!!!! We've had a great week of weather here so far this week. But according to these Weather Channel forecasts (and the station used to generate them is in Blackpool, right in the middle of the route) the risk of rain has changed from ) Nil to 30% across the week. Best pack a waterpoof then!

Most distance skaters probably wouldn't be phased by a bit of rain and I'm already prepared to get wet next year on a longer journey than this one. I was just hoping to get this first distance skate done in dry conditions. Urethane (what skateboard wheels are made from) and water don't mix well. Rain will make it slippy and more dangerous, it will affect the performamce of the wheel bearings and of course, make it more uncomfortable for me to push the distance in. But...I'm just gonna have to get on with it, and take my time. Hopefully if we get any rain it will just be short showers which I can duck and cover from without it causing too many delays. Hey ho!

It's Southport Air Show this weekend too. I LOVE the air show, although I don't love the fact that it's not free anymore, but... I have to thank the organisers this year for giving myself and Trev Staff/Trader wristbands, so that we can pass through the site as we set off on The Long Push on Saturday morning. THANK YOU!      

I used to be in the Air Training Corps when I was 14. On my first days flying from RAF Woodvale, the pilot in the Chipmunk trainer aircraft I was in flew us over the promenade. I remember looking down from the cockpit to see if anyone was skating there, but I don't remember seeing anyone. And everyone loves the Red Arrows don't they? They are are flying on both days of the Air Show this weekend, as well as the Vulcan bomber, which is just an amazing sight to see. What I would love to see is the Gloster Meteor.  

One of these was burnt out on the airfield at Woodvale for years, and could be seen from the passing railway track. It was removed after years being there and restored and for a while was situated at the front of the airfield. Now it's been fully restored to a flying aircraft and will be making it's first appearance at the air show this weekend. I'll probably miss that, seeing as it's going to fly from Woodvale and I'm pushing in the opposite direction, but a lot of the aircraft will fly from Blackpool or Warton, so I'm hoping to see and hear them flying overhead while I push along the coastline. Ahem! Sorry! Plane geek! Back to topic...

I spent part of yesterday afternoon laying all my kit out, so I don't forget anything. So, as well as being a plane geek here's the equipment list for any other longboard/distance skater geeks reading. OK,so starting with the two boards here we have:

LANDYACHTZ Switchblade, with 180mm Paris Trucks (standard bushings), Orangatang 'In Heat' wheels 75mm 80A (Hardness) with LOADED 'Jehu' bearings. This is the board I'm using for the journey.

LUSH 'Samba', with Seismic trucks (grey springs) and Orangatang 'Durian' wheels, 75mm 83A with LOADED 'Jehu' bearings. This is my back-up board. In case of any mechanicial failure this one has been left with Rachael to be brought out to me, but I don't expect to have to use it.

Karrimor 'Wind 35+5' rucksack
DC cap - DC Shoes will be on my feet!
Sporting Sail as supplied by LOng Push sponsors http://sporting-sails.com/
Crivit sport sunglasses
Skate tool
Sansa 'Clip' mp3 player
Nokia 5510 mobile phone. (A relic, but it's my back-up phone...and I still love it!)
Spare pair of running socks
Snacks: Salted peanuts/Kendal mint cake/Protein bars
My main mobile phone
Kryptonics helmet
Spare set of  bearings
Remaining Long Push flyers to hand out on the route
Long Push high viz vest, supplied by Mark Robinson from www.middle-age-shred.com
'Sorbothane' heel pads (In case of any sorness from heel/achiles etc.)
First Aid Kit
Fuji Finepix camera (Rachaels!)
Spare batteries
Families Connected running vest. ( A bit small!)
AUTISM AWARENESS wristbands to sell for donations on the route
2 x spare LONG PUSH T-shirts
The first bottle of water of the day!

And now it's all packed it looks like this...


That will do for this post now. One more post later tonight and then, that's it, till morning.