TEN WEEKS TO GO, AND YOU STILL HAVE TIME....Are you a lapsed Conch? Are you new to the Conch World? Are you really thinking about coming down and playing with us December 3-10? Excellent! We’ve got a walk for you—along one of the most beautiful roads in the world—whether you want to walk a mile, or twenty.
Plus we’ll visit another island or two, and generally get in trouble.
So, welcome to the Conch Club. And if you have questions, send them directly to me, using the button on this home page.
Good news if you haven’t made reservations yet to join us in December: If you’re still on the fence about joining us December 3, you’ll be glad to know that the Long Bay Beach Resort still has lots of air space with various airlines—so prices aren’t going up as time goes by.
Long Bay says they will leave the package prices like they are until they literally run out of airline seats—probably at least till mid-September.
Journals: If you haven’t read through Lexi Hurst’s entries, do read them. Lexi is having a life-changing experience as he studies to be a chef. And if you have time, send him an email with your comments! Lexi has included his direct email address in his current journal entry.
My new column is up on the site. Just head to the tab at the top.
posted by Remar 1:59 PM
Thursday, June 13, 2002
What day are you reading this? If its any time before Tuesday, June 18, find your walking shoes...there's a great walk starting in Alexandria around 5 on Tuesday the 18th. Go to the home page and click on our calendar of beltway events for details.
THE GREAT CONCH FORUM: You can now use your password and interact with the Conch Forum. If you haven't registered do it now! If you have forgotten your password, go to the Conchs-Only section, fill in your e-mail address, and we will send it to you. If you have your password, head there, log in and post something!
HAVE YOU READ THE LATEST WASHINGTON POST COLUMN? Twas a scarey one for me to experience, and to write, in a way. You can find it at the top of the home page.
We've just posted Justin Wilson's great journal entry from his trans-atlantic crossing by sailboat. Check it out. And while you're there, check out everybody's new entries.
posted by Remar 6:07 PM
Monday, May 20, 2002
IF YOU’VE BEEN ON THE FENCE about coming in December, you’ve got a lot more time to sit there. The Long Bay Beach Resort has said they will extend the air packages until about AUGUST 1. They cannot guarantee the air packages, but feel like the low fares and housing packages will be there. I’ll keep you informed on this.
THE CONCH FORUM IS COMING! Within a week you’ll be able to go online and share information, post your own journal entries, ask questions and meet up with other conchs who may want a training partner or a room mate for Tortola. You’ll receive an email about this.
IF YOU’RE TRAINING, BUT NOT COMING, thanks for being here on the site! We’re going to have a get together in D.C. in the fall. I also hope you'll really participate in our "Conch Forum" when it goes up later this week here on the web site. The vast majority of people who come to this site aren't coming to tortola, they're just trying to get a grip. So, go take a walk.
CRITICAL SURVEY! If you ARE registered and if you HAVE NOT filled out our survey, please do so ASAP! Your answers determine how many people can participate in Tortola! Click here, please.
posted by Remar 12:57 PM
Sunday, April 21, 2002
IT'S A SCIENTIFIC FACT that all problems are solved on this web site. Or something like that.
If you're new to this site, welcome. If you've been here before, and if you've sent me an email and didn't get an answer, I'm sorry about that. Earlier today, I found 283 emails from the last two months that didn't make it to me. I try to keep that from happening again.
TRAINING: Some of you are getting a bit worried about the pace of training, and your ability to keep up. Don't sweat it. As long as you are huffing a bit, you don't have to worry about maintaining increases in your training--just stay at it, and push yourself a bit. I've learned over the years that many people may stop increasing their schedules half-way through training, but still made dramatic improvements in their stamina and general health. So, not to worry.
WASHINGTON GATHERING. I believe we'll try to have a walk together in mid-May in the beltway area. If you would like to help organize that, please drop me an email at ConchTeam@aol.com
NICE NOTICE: YAHOO featured the Conch world a couple of weeks ago, and dozens of other web sites did, too. So, people like what you're doing!
IMPORTANT SURVEY: If you have registered on this site, you'll get a really important survey in the next day or two. It determines how many people we can have here. So, be on the lookout for the survey at your email account.
DEVELOPMENTS WITH LEXI AND PATTY ANN....This morning (Monday the 22nd) I passed by Patty Ann on her morning power walk. She's lost twenty pounds, is smiling a lot, and is anxious to be back writing her journal--her computer's broken, but will be up and running this week. But check her earlier journal entries, if you haven't.
I went from seeing Patty to seeing Lexi at the bakery. In two months, Lexi has gone from cleaning a yard to a confident chef-in training. Read his latest entries. And later this week, we'll be publishing pictures of Lexi's class at work at the bakery....this is their last week there before heading back to the college.
Stay in touch, and thanks...Remar
posted by Remar 8:38 PM
Wednesday, April 10, 2002
IF YOU'RE NEW TO THIS SITE THIS WEEK, kick back and do a little exploring.
Because you're coming to the site six weeks after it went up, you're going to be a bit behind on information about the Conch life and our Walk events here in Tortola.
But you're not behind in training! What this site is all about is getting you to take a fifteen minute walk, and then getting you to follow our simple training calendars--all starting with that walk.
Everything is posted here on the web site, but to get the full story, you'll need to read some of my back columns, and generally absorb a bit of the entire site.
ABOUT THE SITE: Its non-commercial...we don't collect information on you, and we don't install cookies on your computer. Our main event in December is even free--a walk up and down the great hills and mountains of Tortola (you can walk from six to 24 miles). And you don't have to use any of the housing and air packages provided by our host hotel...you can use miles to get here, and camp out.
ABOUT ME, AKA REMAR: I'm a slug at heart, and really do enjoy getting people to suffer with me in all things healthy. You can read many of my past articles in The Washington Post concerning the whole "Conch" thing on this site, under "History," and throughout the site.
Hey, have some fun here, and rope some friends into walking with you. And email me if you have questions: the registration button gives you an email address.
YOU SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED AN EMAIL DETAILING THE LONG BAY BEACH RESORT'S HOUSING AND AIRFARE PACKAGES--if you are registered. For a quick look at The Long Bay Beach Resort, Conch Headquarters, click here.
You WON’T receive an email if you aren’t registered. So, go to the registration button now, if you haven’t.
You do not have to use any of the Long Bay packages to participate in either the Walk with Remar or our swim/bike/hike/run/kayak events. For instance, you can use miles and stay in a camp ground. But if you plan to get paid housing and buy a ticket, you should check out the Long Bay prices. We’ve taken over the whole resort, and Long Bay has blocked a group of tickets.
ARE YOU READING THE JOURNALS? Lexi Hurst's in particular is vivid and touching. He's in his third week of a two-year training program as a chef. Lexi doesn't tell you in his current journal entry that two others students in Chef's class came close to quitting, but were talked into staying by him.
FOOD! We've linked our site directly to Sally Squire's great "lean plate" series of articles...Sally also has a great chat room. You can reach these articles through the home page.
INJURY! J.C. Pierce is back doing his journal as he recovers from injury.
WEIGHT LIFTING! Patty Ann's journal update covers a lot, and, no, its not r rated....
DETAILS FOR DECEMBER: We held a meeting with the great staff of Last Stop Sports here in Tortola, and are pulling together exciting plans...we'll update you with all the details by March 15
CONERNS ABOUT CHEAP HOUSING AND FLIGHTS: We're arranging packages that may be cheaper than anything you can find. But if you have miles, use them!
Monday, February 25--Welcome to breaking news! I'm writing this looking out over Apple Bay, small white-capped waves are rolling in, and there is a genuine cross-eyed donkey ambling down the hill by my house. He's named Donald.
NEW EVENT! Make sure you read on-line my new Washington Post column dated Feb 25 --and look at the full page of pictures which accompany it. The Walk of Tortola. a walk-only event for December. NICE THING ABOUT THIS EVENT: If you fall down on your training on the other calendars, you can do this. The walk will be from six easy to 24 tough miles, your choice. Click on the highlighted red line at the bottom of the home page.
JIM RIPPE JOINS CONCHDUM:If you've read today's column in the post, you know that Dr. Jim Rippe, the father of health walking, is now our walking and fitness advisor, and our new "Walk Tortola" walking calendar was based on the walking programs he has developed.
LEXI HURST'S LIFE HAS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN: Lexi is the young island friend who is training with us here. Lexi hasn't had any breaks in life, to be honest with you. But over the weekend, totally unexpectedly, he was accepted in the Chef's program hosted here in Paradise by the H. Lavity Stoutt Community college and by the New England Culinary Institute. Lexi's diary is turning out to be a meaningful one, so check it out in the "JOURNALS" tab.
JUSTIN WILSON'S LIFE IS CHANGING, TOO: You'll find his latest diary entry very interesting.
AND J.C. PIERCE? J.C. is father to my god-daughter, and is behind in his journals: a week in bed with the flue, then Samantha, his wife, in bed with the flu, and now Lily, down with it--in the midst of the national surf championships, and twenty other island crises.
