Team Aching News

Videos...

2008-07-27T16:04:00.003+01:00

Must share Steve's inspired checkpoint video bloggings (hopefully this is ok with Steve?!)...

The One With The Start Line...

The One With CP1...

The One With CP2...

The One With CP3...

The One With CP4...

The One With CP5...

The One With CP6...

The One With CP7...

The One With CP8...

The One With CP9...

The One With CP10...

The One With The Finish Line...

The One With The Gurkha Curry...

Photos...

2008-07-27T12:16:00.002+01:00

Just to let you know...

You can view all our photos from Trailwalker HERE. I've added new ones today and they should be in some vague sort of order in the set.

We Finished it....

2008-07-23T10:41:00.002+01:00

...... so now I feel I should give everyone an overview of the event.

For us it started at 5am on Saturday 19th July 2008. That was the time we all had to get up so that we could make the hour long journey along a twisty road to the start line. Unfortunately, the twisty road didn't agree with Andy's stomach and he had to start Trailwalker feeling quite under the weather.

We got all the registering and kit check stuff out the way, had our electronic tags attached to our wrists and then headed for the start line. I was surprised at how calm I felt at the start. In a lot of ways it just felt like we were off for another training walk. The difference being the number of people surrounding us, the bagpipes... oh and the four of us actually being all together!

The first few miles involved a lot of overtaking, which was difficult as teams liked to spread themselves across the path. It was a lot easier to walk at our own pace once we'd found some room though. We all got into our rhythm and made the first checkpoint, 9.4km from the start, in super quick time. If we'd continued the rest of Trailwalker at that speed we'd have completed the whole thing in 15 hours!!!!

After a short refreshment we started stage 2. The sun was shining and we were all feeling good, apart from Andy who was gradually recovering from the drive to the start. I have to be honest and say I don't remember an awful lot of stage 2 and 3, apart from the nearly vertical hill we had to get up at the beginning of stage 2. I remember mum and Jenni setting up a gazebo thingy at CP3 for us to have some shade and I'm sure it was around about CP3 when Robyn's feet really started giving her difficulties but otherwise it's all a bit of a blur.

It wasn't until halfway through stage 5 that I really started to feel a bit tired. This was just before the halfway point. For some reason I started getting a shooting pain up my shin and the first blisters started apearing. We eventually made it to CP5, where we were welcomed by our wonderful support crew with special halfway cakes and some balloons!!!! A change of socks, some blister bandaging and a trip to the first aid tent sorted me out. Robyn, however, was suffering with her feet and even Steve mentioned that he'd started feeling the strain on his legs slightly during stage 5. Andy was pretty chilled- he just wanted to get going. At this point we were still on target to finish in 20 hours.

CP6 was where we decided we'd have something warm to eat. But a few things went a bit wrong here. Mum and Jenni had been to Sainsbury's to sort out some more dressings for Robyn's feet and in the rush mum had managed to leave her phone there. So she left Jenni to cook us some absolutely lovely pasta, while she went back to get her phone. It was now about 9.30pm and it was dark and turning pretty chilly. We needed the first aid stuff out the car, the high vis vests as well as more warm clothing. Mum was back at the checkpoint but an accident had happened where a walker had been knocked down by a car and she was struggling to get to us. So we ended up waiting a little while.

Stage 7 was a bit of a nightmare. Near the beginning was a massive hill. We all got up it ok, until at the top Robyn started struggling to breathe. Thankfully she stayed really calm and was fine after only a few minutes. I was also starting to get a bit worried about Andy. He was usually always the first up the hills, but he had slowed down, he looked pale and he was very quiet. Steve seemed fine (I've decided he's pretty much a machine who could handle anything!!!). We took this stage fairly slowly and eventually reached Devil's Dyke at around 1am. Walking at night was strange. I was surprised at how little any of us had talked throughout the whole event really. We were all so focussed on just getting through it all. As we were walking quite often two of us walked ahead of the other two but we always remained in sight of each other. At night we kept together as it would have been very easy to lose each other. We always arrived at checkpoints as a team of 4, as to us this was what Trailwalker was about. I couldn't understand why the Gurkha's at the checkpoints seemed surprised when we said we were all there. Then Jenni told us that she'd waited to welcome us at a checkpoint for 20 minutes and during this time she'd only seen one or two complete teams of four. Many people had dropped out and other teams had split up.

At Devil's Dyke Andy admitted that he was feeling pretty terrible. He was very cold and he felt sick. He also hadn't been eating much because he wasn't feeling well so his energy reserves were getting very low. We bundled him up in jumpers and sat him in the car. So far we'd managed not to lose anyone, but it was looking less likely that we'd all be able to complete the event. I was still amazed that Robyn was still walking- I couldn't bare to look at her feet they were so bad- she was doing an incredible job of keeping going!

After a bit of a rest Andy was feeling better. He was still seriously lacking in energy though. Thankfully the stretch to checkpoint 8 was a short 6km stretch so we kitted him out with some walking poles to help him along the way and we all set off together. We took this stage incredibly slowly. It's the only stage where I remember being overtaken by loads of people. But I'd rather have done it slowly and got everyone to the end. We reached CP8 after 2 hours of walking. This time we all bundled into the car with some hot drinks. It was absolutely freezing at night. We were all fine while we were walking but as soon as we stopped we quickly got cold. By this time it was about 4am and the sun was starting to rise. Andy was still feeling quite dodgy but he wasn't about to drop out.

During the night I received so many texts of encouragement from my friends. They wouldn't have known at the time that they just happened to be sending them when we needed them most but they were brilliant. With everything that happened overnight, we needed to know people were thinking of us, and all the encouragement we got helped so much. Thank-you all very much for your support!!!!!!!! It's certainly something I shall never ever forget.

Stage 9 was probably the hardest for me. It was a long 12km stretch and I was shattered and hungry. For most of the stage I felt pretty ill. All I wanted to do was lie down and go to sleep. Things started to improve as the sun came up. Andy all of a sudden improved dramatically and was back to leaping ahead of the rest of us again! It was all getting a bit too much for me and I phoned the support crew for some encouragement.

I think now would be a very good time to try and put across how amazing our support crew were. At every CP they had chairs, food, hot drinks, blankets, first aid... basically everything we needed was there and waiting for us. We sat down and they ran around getting anything and everything we needed. There is absolutely no way I could ever have done something like Trailwalker without them. Not only did they support us at CP's but when things were getting tough during the stages they sent us encouraging text messages or called us to make sure things were going ok. I think they are the only other people who can truly appreciate how hard this was for us as they definitely saw us at our worst!

Mum walked towards us from CP 9 to help us out, or help me out as I was still struggling a lot. I think I can safely say I nearly died when I saw the hill I had to get up to the CP! Halfway up I panicked a bit and started not being able to breathe properly but Mum was there to calm me down and help me the rest of the way up.

The support crew had sorted some lovely Pain au Chocolat and fruit for breakfast. It was then that I realised that the reason I'd been feeling ill was lack of food. It was such a lovely breakfast. Mum and Jenni told me afterwards that they'd realised none of us had really eaten enough during the night and if we hadn't eaten voluntarily they were going to force breakfast down our throats!!! Thankfully there was no need for that- but we were so tired by this point that we were probably unable to realise that we hadn't eaten enough so it was good to know they were watching out for us.

That was the last CP where we had a support crew. CP 10 was inaccessible to cars so the next time we'd see them would be at the finish line. So, we stocked up on food and anything else we might need and headed off towards CP 10.

We were all suffering now. The worst part was getting up again after being sat for a while. Our legs just siezed up and it took a good 5-10 minutes for them to loosen off. My knee was really starting to hurt and the last 10km to the finish line was very slow because of it. There were also some pretty horrible hills in the last couple of stretches. The two guys were brilliant over the last couple of stages. They made sure that one of them stayed with Robyn and me throughout, realising that we were both struggling. By this point though, the end was most definitely in sight, all we had to do was get there. I have a feeling we were all suffering from bruised feet at this point as well. Everytime I put my foot down on a rock it hurt like crazy. I knew Robyn was feeling the same pain. It's a really difficult pain to ignore because it's not one I've ever really had before. Blisters I can ignore but this just ached.

Anyways, enough whinging. We finally reached the racecourse and lined up together for the 500m walk to the finish line. Wow, it was amazing. I had no idea whether I was going to laugh, cry or collapse at the end. I think it ended up being too overwhelming and I just ended up dazed. Our support crew along with Steve's parents were waiting at the finish line, there were more bagpipes playing and messages being read out over a loud speaker. We passed through the finish line, hugged everyone and then stood on the podium to get our medals. This was followed by a trip to the food hall where we got the most delicious curry ever.

502 teams started Trailwalker, 495 finished with at least one member still walking, 287 complete teams finish, and 83% of individuals cross the finish line!

That means that we were one of the 287 teams that finished as a complete team. We even got noticed by the Gurkha's as a team that stuck together and reached every checkpoint as a team (someone heard one of them speaking about it at the finish). Not bad considering the furtherst the four of us had walked together before this had been about 3 miles!

I'm so proud of all of us. We stuck together and got each other through. We all had stages where things weren't going our way and we were a bit slow but we did it in 26.5 hours and that's all that matters. During one of the last stages I said to Steve I'd never do it again, he said wait a few hours and then see how you feel... well I think I probably would do it again. Not next year but some time in the future. We've now got a time of 26.5 hours that needs to be beaten and a sponsorship total of around £1700 that could also be improved on!!!

I would recommend Trailwalker to anyone who wants a physical and mental challenge. But be prepared to train hard for it. This was the toughest thing I've ever done, and a lot of what got me through was determination and having the right mindset to face anything and everything.

The final thing I have to say is thank-you to everyone who's sponsored us, supported us and encouraged us along the way. We couldn't have done it without you!

WE DID IT!!!

2008-07-21T16:37:00.016+01:00

And we did it in 26.5 hours!!!

Today's is just a short post to let everyone know that Team Aching completed Trailwalker! A longer post with details and amusing stories and all of the ups and downs will appear shortly. The support crew may also post something about Trailwalker from their perspective(?).

For now...

The beginning...

The middle...

The end...

This time tomorrow...

2008-07-18T13:35:00.009+01:00

...we'll be in the middle of Trailwalker!

Final (crazy!) preparations are currently happening so that we're ready for our 8.30 start tomorrow morning. Hopefully we'll get everything done. We won't be posting over the weekend (concentrating instead on actually making it to the end!) but we will post on Monday with all the tales of our walk (if one of us is alive enough to blog!).

In case you feel compelled to help us out in any way...

Encouraging text messages are welcome to help us through the LONG 100km (especially at any point in the middle of Saturday night - we will still be walking while most 'normal' people are asleep!).

Sponsor us at http://www.justgiving.com/teamaching.

PRAY!

And finally...

Thankyou so much to everyone who has helped us out either by sponsoring us, going to the quiz night, getting on at us about training etc. I know the widget thing over there -> says we haven't quite reached £1,500 but I think when we include all the offline amounts people have pledged to us we have made it, which is awesome!

But...

We are doing this for two GREAT causes, so if you haven't sponsored us don't let the fact that we've reached our target stop you... in this case the more we raise the better!

See you after Trailwalker!

Wyre Forest...

2008-07-14T20:16:00.009+01:00

A few weekends back (I'm quite slow at getting around to writing these things up) me...

...and mum...

...went to the Wyre Forest.

We walked for a while.

Then we came home.

I wore my new walking boots.

My feet survived.

That is all.

Oooh, except that the sky was blue and the sun was shining...

Look!

2008-07-10T18:06:00.001+01:00

Hello once more - look what I've just found :)

Support crew preparations

2008-07-10T11:14:00.002+01:00

Hello blogland,

It's been a while since I posted, but I thought I'd drop in and let people know what the support crew have been up to. I reverted to support crew duties after finding the training for Trailwalker too tough (it's much, much harder than you'd think to keep walking continuously for hours on end at speed!) and despite my initial disappointment at not being able to be a 'walking person' I'm now really enjoying my role. I had my first taste of supporting with Diana whilst she was off training, popping up to encourage Steve and Andy on their first 3 Peaks effort. Cheering people on is definitely not the worst thing in the world (not that they needed it on this occasion, doing fantastically well)!

My second and 'dress rehearsal' support crew effort was a couple of weekends ago when the team were staying at my house to do their South Downs training session. I drove one car whilst Dorothy drove the other and learnt a couple of important lessons; firstly, it's far easier when you have a navigator (we each drove around Devil's Dyke twice before we could find the correct pub at which to meet the team!) and secondly, the support team are quite a handy thing to have (if that's not too egotistical). I was quickly called off to go and rescue poor Andy who wasn't well, meaning I didn't follow the remaining team members all the way, but I was really struck by Steve and Diana's remarks at the end that it's good having someone there every so often filling water bottles and encouraging them, meaning they can focus on just(!) walking and getting to the next checkpoint. Checkpoints are useful for positive thinking; 62 miles is a rather intimidating distance so if you can focus on just covering the next 10k to a checkpoint it's less overawing - especially if you know there will be cake and friendly faces there!

Dorothy also noted useful things we might bring; water for hayfevery eyes, gas burning stoves and so on, as well as some surprise items that she and I won't reveal yet! We are plotting via email things that might be helpful for Team Aching as they cover 100km - although I think general encouragement and hugs (plus water and good food) may be the most important stuff we can give them. My experience of training hasn't been wasted either; hopefully it'll be helpful for me to remember the things that I would have wanted, especially on the South Downs bit I did with Diana and Robyn. Trailwalker is now just 9 days away - and I'm very lucky that I have the luxury of being excited rather than nervous! The team have worked so hard, I know they'll do wonderfully, and I'd urge you to dig deep and sponsor their efforts if you haven't already.

And I'm very glad this time I can concentrate on navigating, rather than driving!

More Pictures...

2008-07-05T18:10:00.016+01:00

Thought I would post some of the photos Mum took from our walk along the South Downs Way a few weekends back...

^ Good old English countryside

^ And again

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-
-
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^ A windmill... called Jack... or maybe Jill

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^ The South Downs Way

^ Walking sticks are definitely cheating. Oh and dangerous for those without walking sticks who can't fight back.

^ 30 miles later... THEY MADE IT!!!

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^ I didn't :-(

You'll Never Walk Alone

2008-07-01T09:35:00.006+01:00

Hi Folks, Steve here

So having taken a week off work, I decided to pay my family a visit on the London/Kent border. However a week is a long time in the life of a trainee Trailwalker so I made sure I packed my boots and Indiana Jones hat.
Looking at the local maps, I decided the best option was to walk a section of the North Downs Way- well, we had done its Southern cousin the week before, so it only seemed fitting and was likely to provide similar conditions!
Having spent (being the operative word) the morning at the Bluewater shopping centre, I asked my mum to drop me off at the section of the path where it crosses the River Medway alongside the M2 and High Speed Rail link. Having found a nice looking section of kerb to mount on a busy dual carriageway, I jumped out the car and grabbed my bag from the boot. Just as I was closing the boot and saying goodbye, my mother rather helpfully inquired if I was also going to take my walking boots which were sitting on the back seat- that’s what mothers are there for.

So, there I was, in the middle of deepest, darkest Kent with only my wits about me- didn’t even have a map as the Ordnance Survey one I was going to use started 9 miles up the road; I hoped the route would be well signposted. Whilst walking along, I felt very much like a homing pigeon; dropped in an unknown location and then allowed to find my way back home. I had estimated it would be about 25 miles back home to Orpington all being well.
The first few miles were fine. Happily ambling over pasture land and through the occasional copse. The sun was shining brightly and it was about 23 degrees, so I knew I would have to make a conscious effort to keep well hydrated.

I carried on at a fairly good pace for about 10 miles and then thought that I deserved some lunch, so I took a breather and took the chance to phone home and check on the tennis scores at Wimbledon.
After a bit, I marched onwards. It was at this point that I realised how different it is walking alone compared to when there are two or more of you. When you walk alone you can choose your own pace and never have to argue about which route is the right one, however, there is only yourself there to keep you moving forward and spur yourself on- this I found would be my undoing.

Doubt started to enter my mind. I was feeling a bit headachy from all the sun and my knees were starting to ache a little. I was walking at a fairly brisk pace but I just didn’t have the urge to do a whole 25 miles.

I continued on and the terrain even seemed to be going against me. Whereas the South Downs are predominantly open grassland, the North Downs do have quite a few pokey narrow paths which are strew with rocks and loose gravel. I was doing my best not to shorten my planned distance but it was looking increasingly likely. I bargained with myself and said that it would be OK if I just made it to Otford. That would mean a 17 mile walk and not too far from home to be picked up in a car.

At some point, whilst dealing with this inner turmoil, I lost the North Downs Way. Careless, I know. I did have a map but I was unable (or more properly, unwilling) to retrace my steps and pick it up again. This meant the last 4 miles of my walk to Otford would be along a narrow, country road. When feet are hot, the last thing you want is to have to walk on such a hard road surface. It was at this point that I came across a rather small, whiskered friend:

Sitting at the side of the road, feasting on a recently deceased fly was a vole. I had to double take because this thing just did not care that I was trampling right towards it. I assumed this must be its first meeting with man as it did not consider me a threat. I also wondered if its first meeting would also be its last when it encountered a bird of prey or a cat. I thought I had to capture the vole on camera plus that meant I could have a break from walking. I also tried to see how close I could get to it. This thing just did not move. Eventually it got a bit annoyed when I gently poked it with one of my sticks and it sauntered into the verge. How odd!

I was now on the home stretch to Otford. I met my mum and we headed home for a well deserved cup of tea.

I know I only walked about 17 miles and compared to the 30 miles we did the weekend before, it was nothing. However, when training for an event like this, it is really a necessity to do it with at least one other. Team work is going to be a major factor when it comes to successfully completing Trailwalker and this walk was a real eye-opener on that front.

Steve 30/06/2008

It'll be alright on the... day

2008-06-23T00:06:00.007+01:00

Firstly - I'm not sure whether we wrote on our blog that our start time for Trailwalker is 8.30am, which we found out a while back. Good time :-)

Secondly - Our first whole team photo (minus support crew!)...

Thirdly - Details of our weekend exploits...

This weekend we all headed down south to invade Jenni's house again (thanks Jenni and Jenni's family!) with the intentions of a training walk along the South Downs Way. We planned to do the same walk that we did before but added a couple more miles at the start. It was meant as a kind of 'dress rehearsal'. We had our support crew with us and 4 checkpoints along the route. We started around about Steyning, then met out support crew at checkpoints at Devil's Dyke, Ditchling Beacon, the one by the wall with the tap, and finally at the end in Southease. It was also the first time we'd walked together with all 4 of us as a team. Big weekend!

So we approached the weekend with good intentions.

But then it all started to go a bit wrong.

Saturday saw Andy waking up feeling ill. Not good. But we all set off anyway and started the walk as a 4. But after a couple of miles we had to lose Andy and half of our support crew (Jenni!) rescued him and took him home.

The 3 of us carried on to our first checkpoint at Devil's Dyke and met the remaining half of the support crew (mum!). By this point we were feeling pretty hungry. So on getting to the car we asked mum where the coolbox was. To which we were greeted with a rather blank expression and the never-good-to-hear-when-your-walking-and-hungry question of...

"What coolbox?"

"The one with all the sandwiches in."

Not good. We had only managed to leave behind the coolbox with our sandwiches in. But never fear. We had remembered other munchies. Peanuts, Haribo, crisps, fruit... provided much needed sustenance instead. But mum did make a list of things NOT to forget on the day. Sandwiches are on it.

At this point I (Robyn!) also had to switch boots. If you've read this blog you'll know I got new walking boots because my old ones really messed up my feet. Pretty much every time I walked (although I found last time that wearing 3 pairs of socks did kind of help!). But having been locked away in a dark room with only maths to keep me company for about the last 2 months I hadn't broken in the new boots. But I put them on at the start anyway, figuring that my old boots would mess up my feet so I might as well risk them being messed up by the new boots in the process of breaking them in a bit. Not good. And I forgot blister plasters. Not good. They were fine to start with but that soon stopped. The flats and downhills I could cope with, but the uphills hurt. Lots. I drew the line at taking pictures of my feet at Devil's Dyke but it wasn't pleasant. But being all brave and stupid I swapped boots, taped up my feet and set out on the second leg with my old walking boots on. But the damage had kind of already been done. I've gotten quite good at just ignoring the pain that my feet are in when we walk but I couldn't keep up with Diana and Steve on the uphills and it got pretty depressing because I was just slowing them down. That and the combination of my back hurting meant that I stopped when we reached our second checkpoint at Ditchling Beacon.

But Diana and Steve stocked up on Haribo and set off on the third leg and I navigated mum to the third checkpoint - the one by the wall with the tap. Mum left the car and walked to meet Diana and Steve and this is the three of them approaching...

...seeing a support crew member walking towards you is definitely a nice feeling. And aiming just for the next checkpoint and not thinking about having to get all the way to the end seems to be the right mental attitude. By this point even Steve admitted that his legs were starting to hurt. Much to Diana's relief!

But after more Haribo, they set off on the last leg. I navigated mum to the end at Southease station and via a very nice pub in Kingston where we stopped for an hour for a drink and some crisps - oh to be on the support crew, hehe! The last leg took a while but not being beaten the guys even managed a sprint finish! All in all they did about 27 miles in 8.5 hours. Pretty good going.

And the title of most completely insane team member goes to Steve who, after doing the 27 mile walk, then got up at some stupidly early hour the next morning to drive back to Bristol so that he could take part in a 50 mile bike ride. Crazy!

But in conclusion... it was a very useful weekend. We learned lots.

And dress rehearsals are always meant to go wrong anyway... right?

Quiz Night

2008-06-13T11:19:00.005+01:00

Thanks to everyone who came along to the quiz on Wednesday. Even though we ended up competing with The Apprentice Final we raised £123.28 through tickets and donations for refreshements and I think everyone who came along enjoyed the evening!

Unfortunately I got a bit caught up in marking answers to take many photos during the quiz but I got a few of the team eating fish and chips after we'd set the place up!

Trailwalker Video

2008-06-11T09:17:00.002+01:00

Check out the official Trailwalker video...

Quiz Night - WOO!!!

2008-06-11T09:10:00.002+01:00

HELLO!!!

So, I believe tonight is quiz night in Bristol (check out amazing post below for details). So be there. It will be lots of fun I'm sure and there will be prizes - what more could you ask for??? I'm personally quite gutted that I can't make it but the other three quarters of our team will be there (I think!?).

To other team members - I want to see photos :-D

Anyways I just wanted to say that I hope it goes well and is lots of fun :-)

2008-05-23T08:55:00.003+01:00

Wednesday 11th June 8pm
Victoria Methodist Church Hall, Whiteladies Road, Bristol

Tickets: £2.50 on the door.

There will be lots of fun rounds as well as a soft drink bar. Please come along either with or without a ready made team and support us.

As you must all know by now Trailwalker isn't only about walking a ridiculous distance in a short time, it's about raising money for Oxfam and the Gurkha Welfare Trust. As a team we have pledged to raise £1500 which isn't an easy task. We're doing pretty well so far thanks to everyone who's sponsored us but to help us along our way we thought we'd organise a quiz night. There will be loads of fun rounds, a soft drinks bar and a prize for the winner... and possibly the loser too! Please come along and support us!!

Bristol- Bath Take 2 and Training goes International!

2008-05-13T13:36:00.007+01:00

1). Training goes International You may think that the lack of blog posts recently means we've given up on training but you're wrong! In fact Andy and myself took our training to Poland. This was actually accidental... well we were supposed to be in Poland but we were there for a well earned rest rather than a hectic training schedule. However, when you're about to miss a train it makes you walk pretty fast or in some cases run :-S. You'll be very pleased to hear we caught all the trains we intended to, something that was helped by the fact that one of them was 20 minutes late! Part of the 'training' meant walking the length and bredth of Auschwitz II- Birkenau concentration camp and it really helped me comprehend the size of the place- see the photo below.

Another part of the 'training' involved walking 2km underground in a salt mine- plus the 380 steps it took us to get down there!

2). Bristol- Bath Take 2

You may remember that a while ago Andy and Jenni walked along the Bristol-Bath cycle path for training. Well, on Sunday Steve, Andy and I also walked to Bath but this time we took the River Avon route.

The photo above shows part of the walk- the river is on the right I just managed to miss it off the photo!

The weather was beautiful and the walk was great... up until the point I started developing the biggest blisters of my life! Unfortunately the hot weather had convinced me to wear walking shoes rather than my walking boots- I won't be making that mistake again! I kept up with the guys for quite a bit of the walk but eventually my feet were just too painful and I slowed down.

I cheered up quite a lot when I got to see Thomas!!!

And, continuing to look on the bright side, my hip didn't hurt at all which shows that all this physio must be helping. I also found that I didn't end up dehydrated which means I must be doing a better job of knowing when I need water during the walk.

The return to Bristol was much faster as we took the train. It was fun seeing the river and the path we'd walked along. I definitely recommend this walk to everyone- it went through some really beautiful countryside.

An Ode (is that the right word?!)

2008-04-29T17:44:00.009+01:00

These walking boots...

...have climbed Ben Nevis
...have completed Duke of Edinburgh
...have climbed 2/3 other Munros (can't remember!)
...have walked countless miles
...have graced the Team Aching News title banner
...have given a million blisters :-(

These walking boots...

...will complete Trailwalker
...will walk countless miles
...will NOT give a million blisters :-)

We Walked!

2008-04-29T10:53:00.003+01:00

Hello everyone.

Someone needs to inform you all of our most recent exploits, and since I have an essay to write and tons of revision to do I think it should be me, hehe.

On Saturday Diana, Steve and I headed over to the Malverns to do the same walk that me and Diana did at Christmas and I did again earlier in the year. This time round though the weather was really nice, definitely a good day for walking (and getting very sunburnt, as I found out afterwards, oww). We started off reasonably quickly, with the biggest, longest, steepest hill being right at the start. But various injuries caught up with us as we walked and it ended up being more of a relaxed walk. I think it was 12 miles though and it did incorporate lots of hills so it still counts as training.

For proof that we were actually there and I'm not making it all up you can check out Steve's photos on our Facebook group ;-)

Oh and yes, it was really windy at the top which is why we/I look very windswept.

The final thing I wanted to write was YAY! my walking boots didn't give me blisters/generally attack my feet for the first time in about forever. I think it was the three pairs of socks that did it. But after finishing our Malverns walk I headed into Birmingham and was bought a lovely shiny new pair of walking boots as an early birthday present. They're very cool.

P.S. 37%!!!!!!!!!!

Team Changes

2008-04-18T09:58:00.002+01:00

I wanted to write something to add to what Jenni has said. We're really sad to lose Jenni from the team but incredibly happy that we're not losing her altogether and that she'll be joining the support crew. The team will be relying heavily on the support crew who therefore need to be people we trust completely and can rely on for anything and everything. I happen to think our support crew will be amazing- they're already doing a brilliant job with fundraising, organisation and thinking up creative ideas for the event itself.

You may think that that the support crew has a much easier job so I think it's worth pointing out a few things:

1). They are awake for as long as we are and while they may also be tired, they have to pretend not to be so they can support us with cheering and cake (and tea... of course)!
2). They have to navigate their way to checkpoints and arrive at the right time to meet us- get there late and we'll be a very annoyed team.
3). They have to supply anything and everything we may need plus stuff we may never have actually thought of! This includes things to cheer us up, take away pain, and generally keep us going even when every little part of us has had enough and wants to give up.
4). They also have to go through some training- they're not going to just turn up at the event and know what to do.

So, you may think Jenni now has an easier job but to be perfectly honest it's going to have a whole different set of challenges!

I also want to welcome Steve to the team. I think it's now up to me and Robyn to train hard enough to be as fit as the guys so we don't get left behind...

Thanks for all the support we've got so far, please sponsor us if you haven't already and look out for the quiz taking place in June!

So long, farewell - well, not quite

2008-04-17T09:19:00.004+01:00

Hello blog-followers,

I have an announcement or two. Unfortunately I have decided to go back to support crew work for Team Aching. I've been concerned that I've not been keeping up well enough and I didn't want to risk Diana, Robyn and Andy not finishing because they were having to wait for me along the route or because they couldn't push themselves training due to going at my slower pace. If it was an individual event I'd happily keep training because I really have been enjoying it (mostly!) but I think I'd do better reverting to support crew duties. I'm proud of what I managed to do between January and April - I never thought I'd be able to walk 18 miles+ and manage to keep smiling at the end. And, if nothing else, training has given me the insight into what a support crew person might need to be providing - from cake to blister plasters!

I hope those who have sponsored me don't feel too let down as I will still be there with the team - just not quite every step of the way! Your money is going to two really worthy causes, and I'm delighted that I'm now going to have extra time to focus on fundraising (and learning to bake the perfect walkers'-pick-me-up chocolate cake).

As for the 2nd announcement - well, one of the rules of Trailwalker is that each team must consist of 4 people. So, (drumroll please) I'd like to introduce... Team Aching's shiny new team member, Mr Steve Rea! No doubt he will be posting on here in due course, but he has already been put through his paces last Saturday in completing the 17 mile Bristol 3 Peaks walk with Andy. Both chaps returned intact and with Andy un-murdered in just over 5 hours, so many well dones to them (and Steve wins the prize for best hat). Diana's resting her hip for two weeks so she and I got some support crew practice in - popping up at various pre-arranged checkpoints along the route to provide food, water and even tea (the team has to live up to its name!)

With Steve on board, I'm sure that Team Aching can't fail to succeed in July - all we need to do now is raise that £1500. To this end, we're organising a quiz at Victoria Methodist Church in June - but all sponsorship would still be very gratefully received. If 150 people would pledge us £10 each then we'd be there. The widget on the right is looking great - thanks to all of you who have sponsored us so far! Now to push it just that bit higher...

Some news from Diana

2008-04-09T10:34:00.002+01:00

I haven't written on here for ages which means there's now loads to say- mostly good things but unfortunately there is a bit of bad in there too.

The first thing is that the fundraising is going quite well- we're now nearly a quarter of the way to our total of £1500 which is great- thanks to everyone who's sponsored us!!! We still have a long way to go- so if you haven't sponsored us yet and would like to then please please please sponsor us- use that link thingy on the right----->>>

The preparation session that Robyn, Andy and I attended in Oxford has given loads of great ideas for fundraising and I've even had time recently to design a fancy new poster which will soon be sprouting up all over the country (I hope) so look out for that and if you fancy putting some up for us then let me know! Those of you in Bristol, look out for a quiz taking place in the very near future. There'll also be the chance to win £50 in our special Oxfam treasure map game!!!

Today a work colleague told me something very exciting as well- if you type 'Diana Edwards 100km' into google and search UK pages only the first entry to come up is the Team Aching Justgiving site which links directly to this blog!!! This might work with some of the other team members- I challenge you all to find out (and sponsor us when you get there!!!!). So tell all your friends that they can read a very entertaining blog (and be relieved of some money) if they just type these few little words into google :-)

So, that's quite a lot of the exciting and happy news, now on to the slightly less happy news.... I've managed to damage my hip. It's a bit of a disaster but not a total disaster as I have been assured by my physiotherapist that I will be fine to take part in Trailwalker in July. I just have to have a few physio sessions, take anti inflammatories and rest for two weeks.

This Saturday we're planning to walk the Bristol Three Peaks 17 mile circular walk again as the terrain is fairly similar to that of the South Downs. This time we have both maps that we need and so we should complete the whole 17 miles... at least the rest of the team will. I'm going to be strategically positioned with tea and cake at various checkpoints to carry out support team duties and make sure I do as the physio says and rest! As team leader this is probably not a bad thing as it means I can sympathise with the support crew when the actual event comes around!

Right, I think that'll do for now- keep reading this, supporting us and sponsoring us- we need all the help we can get!!!!

Prepped...

2008-04-05T17:24:00.003+01:00

Back from Oxford :-)

I think the session was useful. If a little scary, hehe. It was useful to hear from past participants, get some hints and tips from them. And I definitely came away with more admiration for what our support crew are going to have to do.

NOTE TO SUPPORT CREW: I read about one support crew that prepared a BBQ and 3 course meal for their team at one of the checkpoints, then dressed up as chef's and waiter's and laid out a table with tablecloth, full place settings and provided wine!!! And there were pictures to prove it!!!

Now I genuinely don't want our support crew to do that because if they did I don't think I would be able to carry on walking afterwards (plus that would take up loads of time that we just don't have), but it just goes to show some of the lengths the support crew's go to. They definitely shouldn't be forgotten about.

And now I've had another week of reality check's I must keep repeating to myself 'must train, must train, must train'.

So basically my life for the next 4 months - revision and training.

Prep...

2008-04-03T08:20:00.004+01:00

So, this weekend is another one filled with epic amounts of driving and Trailwalker related goodness. This time it's travelling down/up/across to Oxford to attend a Trailwalker preparation session where...

"You’ll be able to speak to past Trailwalkers, find out how to make the most of training, fundraising and the event itself, and get answers to any other questions. The Queen’s Gurkha Signals will talk you through the route, and give you top health and safety tips."

All sounds like quite important things to know. Should be useful.

Anyways, I just thought I would share what we're up to.

Now the revision beckons. Oh yes. It's going to be another exciting day.

:-(

Oww...

2008-03-30T21:33:00.005+01:00

Hello!!! My presence on our lovely blog has been lacking of late and I'm feeling guilty. The truth is it's hard to keep motivated and keep the momentum going, especially when the other members of the team are all in Bristol :-( And with general end of term busy-ness my training slipped which isn't good. I fear the same thing may happen again what with lots of big exams coming up but I can't really let it. Training must continue. So encourage me. I need it. Like Jenni said in her post below - if you see me, tell me I should be running. I may shout at you. But when I go to sleep on July 20th having completed Trailwalker I'll be thankful :-)

Now, on to the main point of this post. Last Friday saw me driving from Coventry and Diana driving from Bristol to meet Jenni for our first training walk along the South Downs Way on Saturday. Andy unfortunately couldn't make it - he was meant to be revising for accountancy exams. Sounds exciting, hehe, hope they go well! Jenni planned a route that finished in Southease and started somewhere that I can't remember the name of, near Steyning. We're not sure of the exact distance (yet), at least 20 miles though.

We had a bit of a reality check the night before about what pace we needed to be walking at. So we set out at a fairly quick pace, even running down some of the downhills. Weirdly, running was a break from walking. Which sounds odd I know, but strangely true. The weather wasn't too bad for most of the walk. Sunny to start with but really really windy along the tops of the hills. And it rained quite a bit near the end too. On the plus side, the South Downs Way is a nice walk. It was quite busy on Saturday too. A lot of (insane) people running along it, some horseriders, some cyclists and other walkers. We wondered how many other Trailwalker people there were. Definitely one group who greeted us with "Are you Gurkha walkers?". And although I took my camera, I was concentrating more on the walking than on the photo taking, so I only got 3 photos and two of them were at the start! But I'll share them here anyway...

We set ourselves a target time of 5 hours, which gradually got lengthened as our walk continued. It ended up taking us 8 hours altogether, of pretty much non-stop walking. We didn't even stop to eat, we had to eat and walk at the same time (not easy when you have a coronation chicken sandwich and hair blowing in your face!).

It's weird the different emotions you go through too. At the start it's all good, feeling positive and enthusiastic. But it can really start to drag. You start to wonder if you're ever going to get there and at the end the only thing that kept me going was the fact that I had no choice, I had to get back to the car. I had never been so pleased to see Diana's car either that's for sure! I think a lot of it is to do with preparing mentally for it. Having the stamina to keep going and the will-power. I would quite gladly have stopped at about 10 miles! But hopefully that will improve with more training. It better, since Trailwalker involves us doing three times what we did on Saturday.

As for the 'Oww' title, walking 20 miles non-stop hurts. We moaned. We talked about what didn't hurt instead of what did because there were fewer things to list. I moaned some more. I realised I need new walking boots since my current ones attacked my feet, again. And today everything still hurts. More training is definitely needed, although a few days to recover is definitely needed first.

Training a la francaise

2008-03-27T22:33:00.003Z

(How annoying that I can't work out how to put accents on titles.)

Anyway, I have just returned from the land of many cheeses and thought I would blog about the training I've been up to! Last Saturday my dad was very keen to go for a family walk and picked a 15km circular trip starting from a village 5.5 miles away from our own. Whilst my family do enjoy walking, I didn't think they'd be too pleased if I tried to set off at Trailwalker pace - so I said I'd meet them in an hour and a half and struck off on my own from home to walk to our starting point.

I wasn't sure to be delighted or annoyed to tick off another weather condition experienced whilst training when it began to hail on me a mile from home. I settled for delighted as it made me feel chirpier, though it did sting rather! My walk was all along country roads and French drivers looked repeatedly shocked to have to be avoiding a pedestrian, as they do drive slightly madly if they know the area. It definitely kept me alert though and I only had to jump into a ditch once, so I was reasonably happy!

My dog sensors were on full alert, but I gradually stopped leaping for cover everytime one started barking at me - partly because every other house seemed to have a canine guardian and partly because I trust the French more to have them locked up near a busy road! I was beginning to relax and get into my stride as I passed through the village that marked my halfway point - even more pleased when I discovered it had only taken me 45 minutes to cover 3.5 miles over some mildly hilly ground. I eventually arrived at the arranged meeting point an hour and 25 minutes after setting off - not too bad for a 5.5 mile walk.

Mum, Dad and Siobhan joined me after a bit and unfortunately brought the forecast sleet showers with them. I had added a new French phrase to my vocabulary the night before in listening to the meteo on the radio - the French have 'giboulees de mars' (March sleet) rather than April showers, and that was certainly representative of the weather that day! Mum's recovering from a knee operation, so we proceeded at a more stately pace. I was pretty much ecstatic when we came across what from a distance we had taken for a donkey but which turned out to be a French llama! I think we should start a llama log on the blog.

We took a wrong turn and as the weather was inclement decided to shorten the expedition to 7 miles instead of the proposed 11. Muddiness underfoot was the only slight annoyance, but I was quite pleased to have walked 12 miles to keep my hand (foot?) in. I also went for a jog the next day and I think (hope) I'm getting better at running.

This weekend, bigger challenges await, as we are hoping to assemble the team together for our first walk (a) as all 4 of us and (b) on the South Downs Way, where Trailwalker itself will take place. As I type I'm plotting a 20ish mile route for us - I really really hope I can manage it. I'm finding motivating myself to train hard at times and have decided that when I return to Bristol I'm definitely going to have to do more than I have been - life rather overtook me in the last few weeks and training fell down the priority ladder! If you see me, tell me I should be running...

Randoms...

2008-03-19T18:45:00.002Z

Just noticed an article on the BBC website about Gurkha soldiers; it had some interesting info on the inequalities they experience. It seems even more worthwhile that half our sponsorship will go to their welfare and that of their communities in Nepal!

Also, I found an article in the Bristol Evening Post about the Hearts First Jog that Diana and I did. In the paper, we'd even made it into one of the photos - but thankfully only as distant blobs!

I'm off to France for a week tomorrow - but never fear, I'm taking my running shoes and (new) walking boots. Training will go on, no matter which country I end up in! Hope all of you have a happy Easter :)

Llamas, Chocolate and Exeter

2008-03-16T18:08:00.004Z

Hello!

Just to add a bit to what Jenni said about last Saturday's training, after Jenni had left us Andy and I came across a Llama! Not exactly what we were expecting in the countryside around Bristol as you can see from Andy's face (he's the one on the left...).

Yesterday we had a break from training and instead went to Exeter with our friends Dave and Heather. They were obviously a really bad influence as just look at the size of those hot chocolates!!! However, they were incredibly good hot chocolates and I think we all deserved them after trudging around in the rain.

Don't worry though, training is resuming again this week as Jenni and I get our running back under way.

That's all for now but please sponsor and encourage us and we'll attempt to keep you entertained with embarassing photos and stories of training!

Fundraising and fun running

2008-03-10T23:00:00.004Z

Team Aching has had a busy weekend of both training and raising some much needed cash to boost our cause! On Saturday, Andy, Diana and I went for another attempt at the Bristol 3 Peaks trail in utterly foul weather - wind, rain and cold. Unfortunately I only made it about 7 miles round as I felt really sick - after throwing up twice (lovely) I decided I'd better call it a day and retreated to a pub while Diana and Andy walked some more. They didn't finish either (largely I think because they felt sorry for me on my lonesome in the George and Dragon with the rugby and drunken men - sorry guys) so we'll have to have another go at some point. It's fairly similar terrain to the South Downs so very good practice.

Anyway, on to more upbeat things - on Sunday, lots of stuff happened! Andy helped to mastermind a very successful cake sale at Victoria Methodist Church, raising £61.13 towards our total (see the updated widget on the right - 16%, hooray!) so thank you to everyone who contributed to that, either by helping or making or buying cakes - much appreciated!

Whilst he was toiling away over a hot coffee pot, Diana and I were also getting hot and sweaty - by participating in the BHF Ashton Court 5k jog. Despite the hideous forecast, it was actually beautiful weather, although very very muddy. At times, for every pace forward, it felt as though you slid half one back! After a rather energetic warm up, we lined up at the start line with those who wanted to run and were nearly deafened by a fog horn signalling to us to get going. The first part was through very long grass which meant quite hard work, high stepping to avoid tripping up. The majority of the event was also uphill so I soon found I couldn't run it all. Diana sped off (with my blessing) though and I was very impressed to hear she'd managed to jog all but 100 yards. I really tried to push myself even though I was walking some of it and despite one scary moment when I feared I was coming in last (everyone else just turned out to be behind a hill!) I was reasonably happy with my time of 46 minutes. Diana achieved 38 minutes which I thought was great! On finishing we were each given a medal (somewhat to Andy's derision) and a bag of nice freebies which was rather good! There are event photos here - if you require proof of our participation, feel free to search our names and laugh at how dishevelled we look... (I look about 106 in ALL of them.)

Next Sunday Diana and I are running the Sport Relief 3 miles which I'm rather looking forward to. I'm hoping for a time of under 40 minutes and I think Diana's aiming for under 30 - cross your fingers for us!

And finally whilst all of this was happening, I believe Robyn was busy being baptised - so congratulations! Hope you had a very happy day :) All in all, not a bad Sunday.

a brief follow up post..

2008-03-02T19:18:00.002Z

...to add to Diana's more detailed one below. I just wanted to dance about with pride in actually discovering I'm not totally useless at map reading! I have never been more proud than when I worked out we were actually on the A37 rather than the B3130 yesterday - it even made me not mind that we had to walk a mile back on ourselves :)

And to add to the vital statistics:

Danish pastries consumed by me: 1
Blister count: 4
Number of planes spotted: 22ish (I should inform you Diana was excited by every single one)
Number of peaks achieved: 1
Dogs we trembled at for no reason: 5
Steps: 30 000
Wrong turns: 3
Times I wished I was somewhere else: 0. (or maybe 0.5 - I had a moment of wishing I was on the moon when the border collie appeared!)

Yesterday was great, all in all!

Peaks, Planes, Ponies, Paddling and Pain

2008-03-02T16:45:00.012Z

Yep, Jenni's got me started on the whole iteration thing (or whatever the word for it is) and we decided there were a lot of P's in yesterday's walk!

We (Jenni and I) attempted the three peaks challenge... although it involved three slightly different peaks to the ones usually associated with such a challenge (for starters we stayed in Bristol rather than venture all the way to Yorkshire). The route we started following was a 17 mile circular trail that goes around Pensford, Clutton and Chew Magna and should have included the ‘peaks’ Maes Knoll, Knowle Hill and Blackberry Hill. After another early start we headed to Chew Magna where we left the car. We had a leaflet describing the walk as well as an OS map and compass... however, we still had a few... issues. We found the lane we had to start on and the first stile which took us into the first field. After happily following the very obvious path we landed up in the middle of a huge field. The leaflet said cross the field so we did (by going around the edge, to make sure we didn't ruin any crops or miss the next stile). Unfortunately, it was only after walking for about 10 minutes that we decided something didn't feel quite right and that perhaps we should use the compass to check we were at least pointing in the right direction. It turns out we weren't- in fact we couldn't have been more wrong! Instead of heading North we were heading South... ooooops!!!! We quickly retraced our steps around the field and headed back down the path (passing a pony on the way). We managed to find the stile we were supposed to have gone over the first time and eventually we were on our way again. This stile led us into a very muddy field and by the time we reached the other side we were both about 3 stone heavier from the amount of mud stuck to our boots!

Unfortunately it wasn't long before we were 'directionally challenged' again! We spent about 10 minutes wandering around the next field trying to find the 'plank bridge'. It turned out that it was made of concrete and disguised by a load of mud! Meanwhile...

Much to my amusement, throughout the whole walk planes had been coming in to land at Bristol airport and I used this to keep Jenni very entertained with shouts of 'oooh a plane'. I'm not sure she was quite as excited as I was though. But, if you ever have enough money I definitely recommend a flying lesson and then maybe you'll understand my plane craziness. There's an even more exciting plane story coming up.... (I bet you can't wait!!!). We reached the first peak Maes Knoll without too many incidents or getting lost. It's a man made fort type thing and there was a very nice view from the top. You can just see the Clifton Suspension Bridge if you look carefully: As we started walking away from the hill a dog appeared out of no where and scared the life out of us. After our adventures last weekend with the crazy dog we were a bit startled (actually, my heart was pounding, my legs turned to jelly and we decided we should both sit down and eat lunch before either one of us had a premature heart attack). Thankfully this dog was really very friendly and didn't try to eat us.

We found a bench to sit on for lunch and sat back admiring the view... I couldn't believe what I saw as I looked out over the countryside.... a PLANE!!! It was a light aircraft just sat in the middle of a field. I shouted 'plane', and even though I think Jenni had probably had enough of my plane antics, she was kind enough to look and even she was impressed this time! A runway had been made crossing over several fields and was obviously being used as a private airfield (there is a plane in this photo if you look carefully): What got even more exciting (it was exciting for me) was that the walk actually crossed the middle of the runway... Ok, I better stop boring everyone with plane stories and get on with it... you'll be pleased to hear there aren't any more!

At lunchtime Jenni had confessed that her brain was attempting to leave her head and was causing quite a lot of pain in doing so. So we decided we'd cut the walk short and head back towards Chew Magna by the most direct route which meant following another trail called the 'Two Rivers'. We reached Pensford ok but then I, who seemed fairly able to navigate through fields, managed to put us on totally the wrong road, heading in completely the wrong direction! Thankfully Jenni sorted us out and we eventually got back onto the correct track. This meant going under the Pensford Viaduct which was quite impressive: On the way back we saw some lambs (awwww) and a pony...
Despite me managing to get us lost on roads a second time we eventually got back to Chew Magna and had a well earnt piece of incredibly good chcolate cake. It turns out that with all our diversions we walked about 11.25 miles (30 000 steps). I think we've now learnt that I should definitely stick to getting us across fields, woods or anything that's not tarmac and let someone else handle the road navigation!!!! We're hoping to complete the 17 mile circular route next weekend possibly with the addition of Andy and a friend of Jenni's, so watch this space (and I promise there won't be any more plane stories)!!!

Black Mountains, bogginess and (near) brushes with death...

2008-02-24T17:03:00.007Z

Yesterday Diana and I went out training in the Black Mountains. We had decided to go over to Wales a) in order to attempt some hills and b) because we were having a manicure each in Chepstow! We set off bright and early, but despite leaving at 8.45 am we didn't start walking until noon - a combination of the manicure being very relaxing and the Black Mountains being further away than we thought! I'm sure we were the walkers with the nicest nails up in the hills though...

We began our walk with immediate hard work - climbing up to a cairn, which we could just about see in the rolling cloud that intermittently shielded the summit. Unfortunately my back has been playing up this week, partly because I had a difficult spinal tap done on Monday, and it didn't take too kindly to the strain I was putting it under, so I had to pause more often than I would have liked. I'm very aware I need to improve my speed up hills, as currently even without back injuries I'm something of a tortoise! Three-quarters of the way up I think if someone had offered to magically fly me home I would have seriously considered agreeing, but I realised it was all worth it when we finally reached the first summit. The view was amazing! Diana was very intrigued when she spotted something that looked like a crashed light aircraft in the valley on the other side, but I was more concerned by how high up we were and how windy it suddenly seemed. I haven't done any proper hillwalking for about 10 years, and thought I'd grown out of my childhood dislike of heights. Turns out I haven't completely! I was trying to suppress twinges of fear as we set off along the ridge. Diana's assurances that it had been lots windier when she and her mum climbed their Scottish munroe helped a bit, as well as thinking to myself that although my jumper was very baggy it was hardly going to turn me into a human kite and sweep me down into the valley! Gradually I forgot to be worried and concentrated on admiring the view, in between making sure I didn't fall over my feet.

The ground underfoot on the mountain was very weird - we think it must have been peat. It looked like very black mud but although feet did sink into it slightly, it was really springy and not at all sticky. It did make walking down slopes more like skiing, as every now and again you would slide as it was so loose! Here is a picture of the odd path, along with the nice nails(!):

(I think my facial expression also shows just how barmy hillwalking can make you. Or maybe I just can't take a good picture...) Anyway, whilst the soil was interesting to walk on, it definitely wasn't easy. There was no way we could have sped over it unless we wanted broken ankles! As it was, we picked our way along the ridge for an hour or so, which was rather cold, blowy and wet. At first I was excited about my first experience of walking through a cloud, but soon realised that it does make for a rather damp and viewless expedition! So, we were quite pleased to find the path down. It wasn't peat, but it was covered in loose rocks which meant that my descent was to the tune of gentle whoops of surprise as every now and again I nearly lost my footing! I think I've forgotten to warn the team that I do tend to make odd noises on walks, especially when concentrating. Oh well, they'll have to put up with it!

Back on solid (for solid, read extremely muddy) ground, we wound our way through fields and lanes on the way back to the car. We had heard a dog barking from some distance off and I remember hoping that it was locked up. However, as we climbed a hill towards an isolated farmhouse, said dog suddenly appeared and crouched right in the middle of the road, looking decidedly threatening. We came to a halt, both rather unnerved, and debated what to do. I'm no great fan of dogs I don't know, having been bitten on two separate occasions in the past, once by a similar border collie working dog. Diana bravely volunteered to take a few steps towards it, but it still didn't look friendly. When I walked forward as well it suddenly started snarling ferociously and dashed at us. It took everything not to turn tail and run - but previous bad experience had taught me that running just makes a dog used to herding sheep chase you! Instead we turned around and swiftly walked away, praying it wouldn't follow. Luckily it didn't, but it did mean we had to retrace our steps for half a mile to a footpath. Jokingly I remarked that it would be ironic if that way was also blocked by a dog - I couldn't believe it when it turned out to be the case! We crossed a cattle grid towards some buildings and all of a sudden THREE dogs pelted out, also barking madly. Given our previous bad experience, we had no desire to try and walk past them, so re-crossed the cattle grid and considered our options. By now it was half past four, and we really needed to get back, so a huge detour was not an option, especially as my back was giving up slightly. We were just attempting to phone for a taxi and trying not to think about how much it would cost when a car drove out of the gliding club by which we were standing. Diana flagged it down and luckily the man inside agreed to drive us past the original Hound of the Baskervilles. Thank goodness for knights in shining armour!

He dropped us at his house, which wasn't far from where Diana's car was parked, so we quickly wandered back, sadly without the time for a hot chocolate in the pub next door. But at least we arrived back in Bristol without being savaged, blown off a hill or abducted by a dodgy gliding enthusiast! All in all, we walked 25,500 steps, climbed about 1000m and covered roughly 10 miles - not so impressive distance-wise but given the terrain hard enough work for four and a half hours!

Malverns, Take 2

2008-02-18T00:16:00.006Z

This will be a quick post because it's late and I'm tired.

But you do still get pictures :-)

On Saturday I was back at the Malverns, doing the same walk that we did as part of our Christmas Training. My running and walking must be paying off because it was a lot easier this time. The weather was amazing too, clear blue sky and bright sunshine. But freezing cold...

There were a lot of paragliders up there, doing the fun activity of throwing themselves off hills attached to just a kite with a few bits of string...

And when I say a lot, I mean a lot. Counted 21 up there at one point...

It's Worth It

2008-02-14T11:50:00.004Z

This...

…is what makes running at 8 o’clock in the morning three times a week worthwhile. I love this view - the big open fields and clear sky. Pretty amazing sunrise. And it’s different every morning.

Anyways, thought I would share. There’s been a few mornings where the sun has been shining and I’ve wished I had my camera with me to take a photo. I’ve put more photos up on our flickr site, take a look.

:-)

Training in Amazing Scotland

2008-02-12T20:01:00.000Z

As Jenni said in her post 'Railways, Rambling and Ruminating' I ran off to Scotland with the car last week. But you'll be pleased to hear that training didn't stop for me, it just changed slightly, mainly due to the addition of snow.

The week got off to an amazing start with some skiing at Glenshee. I was relieved to find that after a year of not skiing I could still get down a slope without too many (major) incidents. Even the Scottish weather managed to remain fairly good and for most of the time I could see more than 3 feet in front of me!!!

Wednesday was set to be a day of pure sunshine (I didn't believe it either), so I set off with the intention of climbing some munros in the Lochnagar area which included, Cac Carn Beag and Cuidhe Crom. A member of the Trailwalker support crew (my mum) was also attempting this munro mission although somehow I ended up carrying everything... However, I guess I'm the one who needs the exersize so I didn't mind really. We had a bit of an exciting journey to the car park at the start of the climb. A deer jumped right out in front of the car (don't worry we didn't hit it)! A little further along the road we found loads of deer:

As we approached Lochnagar we could see the beautiful snow covered peaks of the munros and wondered how far we'd get with climbing them. We had a lot of winter weather gear with us but snowy conditions are pretty dangerous for climbing and I've only ever climbed munros in summer when snow isn't an issue. But the snow did give me the chance to get some arty photos:

Footprints marked the path quite nicely for us and we got all the way up to the top of the first 'munro' Meikle Pap. Unfortunately, although this mountain is tall enough to be a munro, it isn't classed as one since you climb it on the way to the higher munro Cac Carn Beag. It was quite a struggle just getting up this smaller mountain because of the crazy winds that were blowing near the top (see video below). The other munros would be reached by climbing a ridge...

...but unfortunately the wind was too strong and it would have been too dangerous. I was pretty disappointed but it gives me an excuse to go back to this amazing part of Scotland again.

The journey back down the munro was... er... interesting. The wind had blown all trace of footprints away and snow completely covered everything. So we carefully set off hoping we wouldn't disappear in the snow. You may laugh at this but on several (hundred) occasions our feet and most of our legs disappeared under the snow. The tops of the heather could just be seen poking out so we knew we couldn't disappear completely and I decided the only thing to do was run for it. Moving quicker over the snow kind of stopped me sinking into it quite so much (and gave quite a lot of amusement to anyone watching). The other exciting thing about the descent was seeing a white hare.

That was the main part of the training although I also climbed a smaller hill in the Bennachie range which wasn't exactly as challenging as a munro but it was a lovely walk.

Herefordshire, hills and hiking

2008-02-12T09:35:00.001Z

This weekend Andy and I have been on the annual Methsoc retreat, to Woolhope Cockshoot in Herefordshire. This meant we couldn't go off on a routemarch style 15 mile hike, but we did go out with everyone else for a Saturday afternoon 7 mile walk.

Tim (who took these photos) and Andy had planned the route, and we set off with Andy musing about whether he could make everyone do our Trailwalker pace. I was musing about how fast everyone would catch up and kill him if he did. After a slight mis-start (we walked up someone's drive rather than a footpath) we found the trail and squelched our way up on to a ridge, with really lovely views. Andy had settled for a normal person's quick walking pace and so we meandered along, basking in the amazing weather - it felt like April, not early February!

Despite some dismay when we couldn't find the promised picnic area (hazards of using a 15 year old map) we eventually found a banked field. I made the most of actually being allowed to sit down for lunch - on Andy's hikes it's always an activity done whilst moving! The views were stunning - looking all across to the Malverns, which the team are planning to walk on at some point in the future. After munching, we then set off - and to my dismay, Andy decided the path led down the side of the hill. Normally most heights don't bother me, but with one arm out of action and feeling off balance anyway, taking a path that probably hadn't existed properly for 5 years down the side of a 1 in 3 gradient with little to grab on to suddenly made me rather dizzy! Despite my croaking that we were all going to die (I'm optimistic in these situations) we did eventually make it down to the bottom in the 9 separate entire pieces we'd started off as.

The rest of the walk was really good fun - it was nice to be able to properly admire the surrounding countryside and stop for a drink in a pub. Being able to sit outside in short sleeves in February was a bit surreal! However I had great sympathy for one of our walkers when they got up again and discovered their legs had stiffened up - I'm getting to know that feeling very well! One big hill back up again later, we got back to the centre and scraped off all the mud, ready to resume being contemplative. I really enjoyed the weekend - good to remember that not all walking is intended to kill me :o) !

I am officially the most ridiculous human being ever...

2008-02-06T22:55:00.001Z

Hmm. I never quite got to make the run of which I spoke in today's earlier blog - I have made the mistake of falling over whilst jogging (to get home to do laundry, not even to train!) and landing on my hand. So after 2 hours in A&E, I have a wrist and thumb in plaster :o( but they aren't sure if they are broken or not. Fingers very firmly crossed not. Silly silly silly Jenni. However, training shall continue, even if I won't be running for a few days yet! If anyone has a spare left arm I could borrow..........

Money, money, money

2008-02-06T10:53:00.000Z

Further to Robyn's post below, I thought I'd jump up and down excitedly at the thought of the £110 people have kindly sponsored us so far! Here is some of what that £110 could buy for Oxfam (according to their website):

1830 school dinners for children, to help them concentrate and study better in school and give them a regular source of nourishment. I reckon that's enough to keep 366 children going for a week, or 7 children fed for a whole year.

It's more than enough to feed 5 children orphaned by AIDS in Malawi for 3 and a half months.

Or enough to pay 2 trainee teachers' salaries in Kenya for 5 weeks. Education gives people the skills to work their way out of poverty.

The Gurkha Welfare Trust could use £110 to:

Sponsor a veteran for 5 months

Provide basic food for 5 1/2 months

Not too shabby, eh? I guess to keep the sponsorship rolling in, I'd better keep training! I'm going for a run later - trying to improve on 2 miles in 26 minutes. Thanks to all of you who have sponsored us so far - it's much appreciated!

Fundraising Update Number 1!

2008-02-05T15:51:00.000Z

WE'VE MADE IT PAST THE £100 MARK!!!

Over 1/15th of the way towards our fundraising target!!! Just wanted to say a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who has sponsored us so far. We really appreciate your support - and it's pretty awesome seeing the total rise nearer that target!!!

Random Musings...

2008-02-05T10:57:00.000Z

I don't have much to report on the training front really other than the fact that it is continuing and I feel like I'm getting fitter which is definitely a good thing :-)

I changed the running every other day routine though because of my uni timetable so now I run Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings and the plan is to try and do a long walk or longer run at the weekend.

Last Saturday I managed to run 4 miles and just stopped for a few minutes half way. It was a really nice morning, cold but sunny and clear blue skies, good for running :-) And the path I found is very cool too. So I was pleased with how that went. I'll try to increase the time and distance as the weeks progress. The path wasn't circular but it has distances marked so I parked the car and picked a direction to run in, then just kept going until I got to the end of the path. But I was really surprised when I made it back to the car because I thought I had a while to go yet and felt I could have carried on running. Pretty cool :-)

Am also looking forward to meeting up with the rest of the team for some team training walks. Feel like I'm missing out on all the action up here in lovely Coventry and training together should be fun :-)

Anyways, the random musings title was there for a reason and although I've just been rambling, here are the random musings...

A marathon is 42.195km (26.22 miles (actually 26 miles and 385 yards!)) long.

This means we are walking the equivalent of 2.37 marathons in under 30 hours.

Which is quite far.

The world record time for a marathon is 2 hours, 4 minutes and 26 seconds which is held by Haile Gebrselassie.

Do you think Gebrselassie could finish Trailwalker in 4 hours, 54 minutes and 54 seconds? (It took me way too long to work this out for a maths student, in fact, it could well be wrong!!!)

It gives us an extra 25 hours, 5 minutes and 6 seconds.

I like thinking of it this way.

It makes it sound like it should be easy.

Yeah. Right.

Railways, rambling and ruminating

2008-02-03T11:11:00.000Z

Yesterday, Andy and I went out on another longer training walk. Saturdays have seemed to smile on us weather-wise so far - it was a perfect day for walking, all sunny and clear. Since Diana has gone off on holiday to Scotland with the car, we needed a Bristol based walk, as public transport to the start of a hike can take aaaages, and so we decided to walk the Bristol to Bath Railway Path. This is a 15 mile tarmacked cycle track (although pedestrians are also welcome to use it).

We set off at 11 and managed to find the start of the path - the map in the leaflet I'd got was useless! I'm getting slightly better at keeping up Andy's pace, which I was pleased about. I think I managed to sustain keeping up with him for about 12 miles (even if some of that involved him getting ahead and then me jogging to catch up) before my muscles turned round and said 'no, sorry - we're not doing this anymore!' Jogging some actually helped as it uses slightly different muscles so in a way it's a break from the walking. The last 2-3 miles were done at a much slower pace - I think for the first 3 hours we were walking at over 4 miles an hour, though Andy may disagree. It averaged out as an overall speed of 3.75 miles an hour, which I wasn't too unhappy with.

On the other hand, the path is one of the easiest we've tackled yet, as it was totally flat - well, being on the former track of a railway, this isn't surprising! Still, it was good to get the chance to practice keeping pace with Monsieur Casey without having to worry about any inclines. I find it really difficult to match the length of his paces constantly, though I think we're taking the same number of steps on the whole. Apparently running will help me to extend my stride (mental note to add that to the list of reasons to go running!) It wasn't the most interesting path to walk, as lots of it is straight and in very urban areas (think many warehouses and much graffiti) but the path's planners have made an effort to make it pleasing; there are sculptures all along the route, like this 'Fish On Nose'. Don't ask me why the artist thought a fish on its nose would be good. It just exists. (Art and me = confusion!)

In other news, the thing I that have learnt from this walk is that I need to learn to eat on the move! I managed a Nutrigrain but Andy pointed out about 12 miles in that I really needed to consume more than that in order to keep going. Never in my life have I been told to eat more, so it will perhaps be something I won't mind practising on walks! For some reason I just lose my appetite whilst exercising - sitting at home I could happily consume anything you put in front of me. But doing a 100k walk I'm definitely going to have to learn to eat on the hoof without worrying I'll be sick, so best to get in training now(!)

Anyway, we finally got to the outskirts of Bath just before 3 and got the train home (amidst some grumpiness about just how much First Great Western overcharge). There was just time for Andy to observe that I was now walking like a croquet hoop/John Wayne (bah, damn you, stiff muscles) and for us both to dash home to clean up before rewarding ourselves with an evening cinema trip (I highly recommend 'In the Valley of Elah') and a cosy drink in the pub. A very good day methinks.

Motivation - or List #2

2008-01-31T23:54:00.000Z

This week, all the members of the team have received a DVD from Oxfam, giving us a bit more insight into this event that we have madly entered ourselves for. I've just watched it, and have been having a think about what has possessed me. But not in a negative way - in a positive one, I hope!

My reasons for entering:
1) I have grown out of my childhood petulance at being told I was being taken on a walk, and now really enjoy going walking as a leisure pastime. Walking is certainly something I'm doing a lot of lately - fingers crossed that the petulance will not return!
2) I have wanted for ages to be fitter, but never had the self-discipline to commit myself to a fitness regime. Having a looming big event in front of me means I have to get out and do things on a very regular basis, or I will not be able to finish - simple as that!
3) The finish - I've now seen several films of people crossing that finish line. There is a video on the front of the Trailwalker page on the Oxfam website that shows one man finishing. All I can say is that being half as happy as he looks would be amazing. (Team - if I'm being slow on walks, just shout 'finish line' at me - hopefully that'll make me pick up the pace!)
4) And the DVD reminded me that aside from all this incredible-personal-challenge stuff, people, real people, actually benefit hugely from the sponsorship money we can raise. People who don't have the choice to get up one day and think 'Oh I know, I'll do a 100k walk in 30 hours for fun'. I'm so lucky just because of where I was born in the world - I think it's only fair to try and give a bit back in whatever small way I can!

I've been finding training challenging of late, as despite what images of laziness my existence as a part-time arts student may conjure up in your head, I've been being reminded by my annoying body and degree that I'm part-time for a very good (medical) reason! It does take me longer to do stuff like essays and reading work than the regular student and so I really can't go to my tutor and explain that this time I'm handing work in late just because I've knackered myself in training for this mad challenge. The unpredictability of when I'll be able to train is also irritating me slightly at the moment, as I don't like taking painkillers unless it's absolutely necessary (though on the event itself I'm happy to rely on them). At the moment I'm still figuring out how much I can reasonably push myself on weekdays (I'm happier training super hard on Saturdays as at least then I have Sunday to recover!)

I think Diana and I got it about right this evening - we went for a 4 mile jog/walk round Leigh Woods and Clifton. We had originally said we'd attempt the 6 mile route we'd planned out on Monday, but due to various things then the time slot available was reduced, so 4 miles seemed reasonable instead. We ran round Leigh Woods and I was delighted when I realised I can now run the length of a road called The Promenade - 2 weeks ago I had to stop 2/3 of the way up! We ran about half and walked half in the end - I'm still finding it tricky to suss out exactly what to eat and drink before and during so I don't get a stitch, which is annoyingly crippling! I think I have finally worked out that anything acidic is a total no-no, I just feel sick which definitely doesn't encourage me to go faster. Another thing making me feel accomplished is the fact that since mid-way through December (when I first started training) I have lost a stone - I must be doing something right!

But it won't do to get complacent. I need to build up both speed and stamina, so I'm planning to 'just keep running' (a la Dory) for now - every time trying to go a bit further or a bit faster. Andy's set me a target of 20 minutes for my Leigh Woods run (currently at roughly 30 mins) - so that's something for me to work on! Something to work on tomorrow, actually. Now, to bed - I've been talked into co-hosting a radio show in the morning. How, I'll never know... Good night, blogland!

Times like these...

2008-01-31T14:50:00.001Z

This morning it was seriously windy and a bit rainy.

But I still set out for the walk to uni.

By the time I'd walked to the top of my road and got to the common I was seriously starting to regret my decision to walk. And it was so tempting just to stop and get the bus. But that would have been a bit pointless because I could have just gone back home and got the car and driven in.

Anyways, I still carried on walking. I managed to brave the hurricane style winds past the common :-) and then the rain started. It actually hurt my face because it was so windy and cold.

My coat had no hood. My umbrella had no chance. I got soaked.

By the time I made it to uni (amazingly not late for the lecture!) my hair looked like I'd just come out of the shower and the water was just running down my face. My shoes were soaked and have holes in the bottom (still figuring out why I haven't thrown them out) so my socks were all soaked too.

I was miserable. And cold. And wet.

On the plus side it all cleared up and by the time I walked home the sky was blue and the sun was (almost) shining.

Bizarre weather.

There is something very satisfying...

2008-01-30T09:45:00.001Z

...about being able to run that little bit further, walk that little bit faster.

2008-01-29T23:18:00.000Z

Training, training, training. That's what's needed. And I figured a useful way to make an entry to these unchartered territories of blogs would be to repeat myself. Six months is a very short time to train for this event and those participating are going to have to be on a pretty strict regime of self-improvement. This is not your usual exercise, but a case of going out and pushing yourself to your limits each and every time you exercise. It's not really about getting a nice figure, it's about being able to cope. And I hope all those who read this training blog will appreciate the efforts that the team need to go through to give themselves a chance of coping with this mission.

If you break down the figures you work out that to complete it the team needs to walk at a constant 3.3kph. This is only 2 miles an hour, but when you look at time for pauses and stops this works out to be the average speed for a days hike. Furthermore, this is if the team take all their time allowed - walking for the full 30 hours. A feat itself which will be most tiring - even if you forget that the team wont be sleeping. Then there are stops for food, injuries, water and other natural body functions! Make no mistake this wont be a walk in the park, the stamina and fitness needs to be high. The hike is a tough one and the statistics make it no easier.

I have completed a very similar hike to the Trailwalker in the past and there are many factors which make it tough. The mental strength needed is coupled with the physical ability to be able to continue walking despite the recurring urge to stop or slow down. So, if you see any of the participants training, give them encouragement, they need it. Alternatively, if you feel so obliged your genourous donations act as encouragement also. 100km is a long way, and even in a team it can feel slightly lonely, so the more people we know are behind us, the easier it's going to be.

Plans, plans, exciting plans...

2008-01-28T22:59:00.000Z

Hello all of you in blog-land! (It's Jenni - I'm going to write in purple from now on!)

I thought I'd let you know that there are plans afoot :) Tonight Andy and I have been round to Diana's to have a think about our training schedule. The evening started with a 2 mile run for Diana and me, with us trying Diana's pace this time instead of mine (mine was much too fast!) I was so surprised by how far I could jog if I took it steadily. I think we jogged about 1.7 miles altogether, with only one stop of a couple of minutes in the middle - and although we went home after that, we both felt we could have gone further.

So, that was a good start to the evening. I was very pleased to have a hot shower on our return to Diana's and then a delicious dinner cooked by chef Edwards (tres bien). Then came the serious business of actually getting out our diaries and looking at our weekends for training purposes. Diana and I can do quite a few, and hopefully Andy and Robyn can join us for some. We've also sat down with a bit of string and a map and worked out a 6 mile running course to attempt at least once a week if possible, and decided that my Leigh Woods circuit is 2 miles (it's handy to know for timing purposes). As well as regular running in the week, Diana and I have entered ourselves for both the BHF Hearts First 5k Jog at Ashton Court on March 9th and the Sport Relief 3 mile challenge on March 16th. Hopefully having events so close to aim for will spur us on to greater commitment in training! As Andy says, we really need to push ourselves if we're going to be fit by July, so making sure we have little targets in between now and then will certainly help me to do so.

We are also planning two weekends of walking - one at the end of March, where we hope to go to the South Downs and try out some of the trail, and one in the middle of April, where we will go and do two days' walking on the Malverns. I really need to get some hill training in! But now the panto's out of the way, I have much more time, so fingers crossed I'll be good at going and doing it... but please encourage me when you see me, motivation is hard if it's raining or if I'm feeling tired/ill/lazy! (Or why not use the comments form. There. Just down there, below these words. That's it, looking all green and lovely and commenty :o) )

It's Behind You!

2008-01-26T21:54:00.000Z

Oh, no it isn't.

Oh, yes it is.

Hehe. Just thought I would post a big congratulations to the other three members of our awesome team for their panto greatness this weekend :-)

Now I guess it really is behind you (excuse the cliche!). Full focus on training for Trailwalker now I hope!

Congrats guys :-)

We Have To Walk In The Dark???

2008-01-25T00:02:00.000Z

When I agreed to do Trailwalker I thought 100km, 30 hours, over 2 days, doesn’t sound too bad. I assumed the fact that it was 2 days meant that we’d walk 15 hours on the Saturday, sleep, and then walk 15 hours on the Sunday.

How wrong was I?

No sleeping happens. It’s continuous walking. 100km of continuous walking. And that means walking overnight, in the dark.

I didn’t know that.

Something different at least.

I found all of this out by reading the Q&A page from the Trailwalker website. Here’s what it says:

How much rest does my team have along the route?

There are 10 checkpoints along the route and your Support Crew will be at each - ready to help you rest, recharge, change your socks and give you some well deserved TLC. But resting for too long can make your muscles seize up and then it's easier to hurt yourself. You also probably won't want to start walking again. So for that reason there are no camping facilities during the course (there is camping at the start and finish though). So unless your team finishes in under 15 hours, you will be walking through the night. Night walking really does add to this most unique of experiences. The trail of head torches across the Downs at sunset is one of the most magical parts of this challenge.

All I can say is that it better be “one of the most magical parts of this challenge”!!! I’m sure by then I’ll be needing a boost.

So now, I’m sitting here contemplating what I’ve let myself in for.

It’s a good job I like a challenge.

Oh and just in case people are still thinking it sounds easy, I think the route also involves climbing the equivalent height of Ben Nevis and Snowdon combined. (Although I could be wrong with this - guys???).

List #1

2008-01-24T15:06:00.000Z

I'm in a list making mood (alright, I'm stuck on an essay) and think it would be helpful for my motivation to try and formally write down the things I want to achieve each week!

1) I will run at least 3 times a week for at least half an hour (or I'll never manage the BHF Hearts First 5k in March in under 30 minutes)
2) I will also do at least 3 other forms of exercise or muscle strengthening stuff per week (e.g. swimming, Pilates, Swiss Ball classes at the gym (surprisingly hard but fun!))
3) I will do my very best to complete 3-4 long walks (i.e. above 15 miles) per month, with my team-mates if they are available, and not be put off by wind nor rain nor achey muscles.
4) I will try and follow the pictured daily exercises revealed unto me by the BBC's healthy living programme three, as they take little time to complete yet are taxing (thus useful, I hope) for the muscles.
5) And I will do my best to keep an updated plan of all the training I do so at the end I can look back and remember that I put in a lot of effort and be proud of it!

Right, I'm off to swim :)

Guilt

2008-01-23T18:00:00.000Z

I, like Diana, have also been seized with a desire to jump up and down and say "I'm not being lazy, honest!" If my blogging has gone rather quiet over the last two weeks, it's because currently final rehearsals for 'The Queen of Hearts Has Lost Her Tarts' (the panto I'm producing and that Andy has written and directed) are filling much of my time. I've also managed to come down with a stomach bug, which though fleeting in its 48 hour-ness, did take the wind out of my training sails slightly!

However, today I have finally managed to get out and do some training again, after 5 days of nothingness. I decided at four o' clock that although running probably wasn't yet a good idea (my stomach is still a bit too delicate for that!) that I could go out for a power walk. On my 18 mile expedition with Andy, I very quickly grew envious of the fact that without much apparent effort, he could easily outpace me right from the start - so I decided I'd set off and try and match what I could remember of his walking speed.

I'm getting a bit bored of the route I've been using in Clifton where I live, so for a change I had a quick look at streetmap and worked out a bit of a circle through Leigh Woods (the village just over the Clifton Suspension Bridge). I was really pleased I had - not only have I now discovered a fairly flat circuit that will be good to try to run round, but just as I got back to overlook the bridge, a beautiful purple sunset was taking place and all the lights of Bristol spread out made it very twinkly. A good halfway reward - I then carried on up to the zoo and back. I find I really have to concentrate to make sure I keep the pace up, otherwise my mind drifts off and I slow down - but when I got home I was quite pleased with having done a 50 minute walk to get me back into training again. I have to agree with Robyn that training in the dark isn't to be recommended, though - the streets weren't all that busy so I ended up feeling rather twitchy! I'm hoping to be able to swim tomorrow as well as go to Pilates, which is something Diana's introduced me to. So I am still keeping up the motivation - honest!

Pedometer Challenge

2008-01-23T08:02:00.000Z

I haven't written anything on here for ages so to make sure you don't think this is because I'm lazy I thought I'd write a bit about my latest training idea (in great technicolour... just because I can). The University of Bristol have organised a pedometer challenge which I've registered to take part in. Here's what the challenge involves:

The Challenge

Individuals set goals based on the amount of walking they are currently doing and build up to a goal of 10,000 a day.
Each Stepper records his or her daily step count, adds up the total for the week Friday – Friday and logs this total every Friday.
Winners will chosen based on overall improvement over the 4 weeks, not the highest number of steps taken
Prizes include 2 x Red Arrow Jackets from Kathmandu on Queen's Road and 2 x £100 Gift Vouchers from BIKE on Queen's Avenue.

So, I've armed myself with a pedometer (buy one get one free in Kathmandu at the moment which was quite exciting) and now have it attached to me all day. Yesterday I tried it out and between 4pm (when I put it on) to 11pm when I took it off I'd done 8000 steps! This is making me think that 10000 may not be a huge challenge for me since I walk everywhere in Bristol- the challenge will be increasing this number with things like running and walking for Trailwalker training. Once the challenge is complete I may continue to log the number of steps I take and use it to try and steadily increase the amount of training I do.

Since there's prizes involved for the most improved person there's even more incentive to get out there and do more training.

Now all I need is some more time... perhaps an extra day in the week, so I can get out there and train!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank You Steffie!!!

2008-01-18T15:07:00.000Z

-
The first person to donate - woohoo!!!

This can be your hall of fame/shame by the way!!!

:-)

Geek-ey-ness

2008-01-17T23:56:00.001Z

Is there a right way to spell geek-ey-ness? Geekiness? Maybe. Is that even a word? You can tell I'm not an arts student :-s I like my version anyways :-)

Look over there ->

At the cool widget from justgiving demonstrating our fundraising progress.

I have way too much fun with this blog. I'll stop fiddling soon.

But don't you think it looks a little depressing just sitting at zero? Who wants to go into the hall of fame/shame as the first person to donate? If only to take pity on the widget and make it look a little less lonely.

And... to make this not an entirely pointless/useless blog post, I'll tell you that I walked to uni and ran today. Go me.

(Rain - ha, what rain?)

Revelations

2008-01-16T16:21:00.001Z

I discovered yesterday that running at 5 o'clock in the evening is not a good idea.

I like to run in the mornings before uni - it wakes me up and gets it out of the way. But yesterday morning it was pouring with rain and it looked set to carry on all day. So I resigned myself to the fact that I would have to break my running every other day routine.

By lunchtime though it had stopped so I checked the weather forecast and it was meant to be dry all afternoon. So I decided to walk into uni. About half way there it started raining. (So much for the bbc and met office weather forecasts, psshht). And even with an umbrella I managed to get soaked. The worst thing - the shoes I was wearing seriously couldn't handle that amount of rain and my feet got soaked. Not good when I then had to sit through my (only two mind you!) lectures.

But... while I was in my lectures the rain stopped, HURRAY! So while I was walking back home I came up with the brilliant idea of running after I'd gotten back instead. So I started running at 4 o'clock and I have a kind of set distance that I walk/run. Anyone who knows me knows that once I've decided to do something (especially when it comes to walking/running a certain distance) I have to do it. I would be seriously depressed if I didn't manage to do the distance I set out to do.

By 5 o'clock though I was just finishing and it was really dark! Couldn't see the path at all, just had to hope I wasn't about to trip over any tree roots! Luckily I didn't.

Moral - don't run in the dark. Probably not the best idea!

On the plus side though, I didn't break the running every other day routine. Yay!

P.S. The 'Meet Our Team' post is here - check it out - find out who we are, you know you want to!

P.P.S. @ Diana, Jenni - did you manage to run the other day? How did it go? Hope the new shoes were worth it, oh and the socks!

Bristol, bogs and ba(aaaah)ths!

2008-01-12T17:57:00.000Z

Today Andy and I have done the Bristol Triangle Walk, devised by the Ramblers Association (some photos and the route can be found here). It's 18 miles long, a distance which filled me with some trepidation as the longest walks I've ever done in a day have been no more than 12-13 miles. I was quite nervous when I woke up this morning, especially as I know perfectly well that Andy is about 10 times fitter than I am currently!

It actually turned out to be a good idea to do an urban walk today as although pavements are harder on the legs, the torrential rain that drenched Bristol yesterday meant that where we did turn on to a footpath, they were often sodden and once I swear we were actually walking through a shallow temporary stream! The route was a bit mad in places, wanting us nearly to walk in circles - and a Bristol A-Z came in very handy for navigation. In fact the only mistake we made (I think) was right at the very end, when I confidently said we could cut 100m through a private residence, only to discover we couldn't. Since it had been an uphill 100m at the end of climbing from the River Avon up to the Clifton Suspension Bridge, I was kicking myself (and would have almost forgiven Andy if he'd joined in). It is important that the team listen to my navigational suggestions I think, but only so they can then do the opposite! I'm invariably wrong....

I had written in my unnecessarily colourful training plan a time of seven hours in which to complete the 18 miles, forgetting that I was going walking with Andy - who had no such ideas in his head! Make no mistake, our eventual finishing time counts for me, not him, as he could have done it lots faster - he kept having to patiently wait for me to catch up, as I spent most of the walk floundering around in his wake panting like a asthmatic steam engine. I had just aimed to finish, not do it in (personal) record breaking time - but having him constantly reminding me of what pace we have to achieve on the real thing meant I went faster than I ever have, at least for the first half. In total it took us just over five hours to finish without any real stops - meaning we were walking at roughly 3.5 miles an hour on average. I am totally knackered now - delighted that Andy helped to shave two hours off the time I'd projected, but ouch - my muscles! (Hooray for a lovely hot bath on my return to my house, is all I can say.) The knowledge that in July we'll have to do four times the distance at pretty constantly high speeds and up bigger hills will definitely be motivating me to try and push myself out of my comfort zone in my training sessions I think... or else I'll still be wandering out of Petersfield as Andy crosses the finish line!

The complexity of shoes

2008-01-10T09:48:00.000Z

Since I’m inconveniently laid up with chickenpox and thus awake at 2 in the morning, I thought I’d blog about something I never thought I’d have to do – go and buy running shoes! This might sound like a trivial and mundane process, but believe me, my eyes were opened over the course of an hour spent at Moti, a specialist running shop in Bristol. Andy has convinced us that running will be a really good way to up our fitness, so Diana and I have decided to go together for jogs. Weak knees run in my family, so in addition to muscle strengthening exercises suggested by my doctor, I thought having the right shoes in which to train might help. Diana also wanted a pair, so on Tuesday lunchtime we met up in the shop and were confronted by the oddest set of instructions I’ve ever encountered whilst shopping! The first was to roll up my trousers, which was unfortunate – er, since this is intended to be a frank and honest blog – I do tend to resemble a yeti in winter, so the poor shop assistant had to put up with my furry legs. Oh well, I’m sure they’ve seen it all before... Then he got me to balance on each leg and bob up and down, squat down as far as I could with my feet flat and generally try and see whether my knees or ankles tended to fall in- or outwards. I assumed I’d be awful as I’m not the muscliest person by a long way, but he said I did quite well (if this is a sales tactic, I don’t want to know please – I need all the encouragement I can get!) Or maybe the 18 months of figure skating training I had when I was younger worked in my favour. Either way, the next thing he did was introduce me to running socks – something I never previously knew existed! They look very high-tech, with different thicknesses of material to ensure airflow, prevent blisters and protect tendons. And there I was thinking socks were socks were socks. Boy, did I feel a fool!

Diana had got to the shop before me and so was the brave pioneer in the shoe purchasing process. Having subjected us to balance tests, she was then put in a pair of ‘neutral’ shoes and filmed running on a treadmill (something which made me quail in terror; I have been known to undignifiedly shoot off the back of them!) I managed it without disgracing myself too much thankfully – it’s actually rather interesting watching your legs run, as it’s such an unconscious action normally. Their computer could measure the angle at which your ankles fell when your heel strikes the floor, which then told them whether or not you needed slightly corrective shoes. I did, so three were ferried up for me to try. By now, we were amassing many, many boxes around us! I tried all three pairs and was filmed running in them (desperately trying to stop my jeans slipping down all the while – no one said I’d need to come ready to actually run!) and fortunately for the shop assistant, felt very comfy in one of the pairs – saved him fetching even more shoeboxes! I went gulping slightly to the checkout, trying not to imagine how much all of it would cost, with a pair of running socks thrown in as I’d been sold on their effectiveness (and as Diana said, what point is there in spending £70+ on shoes only to wear the wrong socks?) but it wasn’t too bad – and now I’ve spent all that money, I’ve definitely got to get out there and do some running.

I’ve spotted an event called the Hogweed Trot (http://www.hogweedtrotters.co.uk/hogweedtrot.asp) in May, which is a 10k race run on flat country lanes. It’s a lot cheaper than the new Bristol 10k I was originally planning to enter and gives us an extra 2 weeks to attempt fitness! I think I’ll give it a go, it’ll definitely be more motivation if I know I’ve got an event to participate in – and I don’t want to come in last (although I think just finishing would be an encouraging achievement). Diana and I were intending to go out and jog on Tuesday evening – but whilst we know that we will have to jog in the rain sometimes, the gale force (almost) winds and horizontal precipitation that took place that evening (plus the most irritating onset of my chickenpox) convinced us that we’d be better to start next week, when we’re both fit (in the sense of healthy rather than marathon-capable!) and hopefully the weather will be kinder. Look out for updates – in the meantime I’m going to go and tape oven mitts to my hands...

Dedication

2008-01-07T19:25:00.001Z

Just to demonstrate my dedication to the cause...

Today I was up at 7, running at 8 and managed to walk into uni in time for my 10 o'clock lecture.

Oh yes.

I decided I would try to run every other day in an attempt to improve my fitness. Obviously unless it's raining, in which case there's no way you'll see me running, maybe I'm not quite that dedicated. Anywho, Saturday morning, off I went (with my ipod!) to the park to run (when I say run I mean more of a slow jog, hehe!!). I love running, although I always want to be able to go out and run a marathon without getting tired. Then when I get tired after running a very short distance it gets kind of depressing. But I know that if I keep at it I will get better, albeit slowly.

So two days after Saturday is today. And today is a 10 o'clock lecture. A dilemma. So I decided to run before going into uni. So last night I made today's breakfast (a very healthy fruit salad no less!), made today's lunch to take into uni with me (quite a nice cheese and pickle sandwich - if you're interested!) and laid all my clothes out ready. Did I mention that organisation is something that I'm really good at? So this morning I got up (feeling slightly less enthusiastic at the prospect of running, I'll admit) but decided after all the organisation that I had no excuse. The one fact I did fail to take into account was the fact that at 7 o'clock this morning it was pitch black. A slight problem. Luckily by quarter to 8 it was getting light so off I went (again with the trusty ipod!) to the park to run. I managed to do more than Saturday (improvement - yay!) and it was actually quite nice being out and getting some exercise at the start of the day. Although it was blowing a gale, but luckily I managed not to be swept away. All good.

Walking into uni more is another of my steps to improving general fitness. The walk is about 2 miles (I think?!), so 4 miles there and back. The only problem with having a car at uni is that it's so easy to drive everywhere! Something I need to get out of the habit of doing. So I will be walking to uni, again unless it's raining, oh and also if it's dark, I don't really fancy walking home alone in the dark. But other than that I will be walking.

So there you have my two commitments. Written down. All formally. Like a contract. Like a reminder every time I think about sleeping that extra hour instead of running, or just hopping in the car instead of walking.

I hope I stay this motivated. There's a while to go yet.

Wakening walking wisdom...

2008-01-05T21:19:00.001Z

Making the most of a free Saturday, today Diana and I have been walking in the Forest of Dean, about an hour's drive away from Bristol over the Severn Bridge. We parked at the visitors centre and decided that as the longest marked visitors trail was only 4.5 miles, we'd tackle the cycle trail instead which presented more of a challenge to our legs! After a bit of map-and-compass malarkey in the car park, we located the start of the trail and set off, trying to wake up in the early morning air (11am is early to me, anyway. Oh the joys of being a part-time arts student...!)

We seemed to be lucky with the weather again for most of it - only getting a bit rained on once. (I seem to be learning one thing per walk - today's lesson was to remember a waterproof!*) Oh well - if Saturdays would continue like this weather-wise, it would be very good! The trail was really well marked which meant we could concentrate on walking steadily rather than keeping having to extract the map (bonus for me with no map skills whatsoever). After a couple of hours' walk, we stopped for lunch before our only hill - getting slightly chilly but enjoying the break nonetheless! We then wandered (ahem, I mean route-marched) up to an RSPB viewpoint where a big sign said we could see goshawks, but I'm not convinced they were out and about today. Probably doing the sensible thing and staying at home/nest!

We managed to finish the 9 mile walk in about 3 hours, including a 20 minute stop for lunch - not too terrible methinks, though we'll have to build up to going faster on the real thing. Diana and I are going jogging this Tuesday (eek) to try and get fitter - I definitely appreciate having company whilst training, it's very good for taking the mind off slightly achey muscles! So far a lot of my smaller training sessions have been on my own (things like swimming, going to the gym and cycling) so it's very good to be planning some joint things. Next week I want to try and do a 16 mile walk round Bristol - this should be a lot more challenging as it will involve more and steeper hills and a longer distance. I think I really need to start pushing myself to get fitter - hopefully managing to remain in one piece whilst I do it!

* For the interested(?!), the lesson learnt from my South Downs expedition was to try and just keep walking up the hills - no stopping if possible!

Cars, cows and cattle grids

2007-12-30T18:19:00.000Z

Not wishing to be too outdone by Diana and Robyn (see below for their Christmas exploits) today I've been out walking on the South Downs Way itself, where the Trailwalker event will take place in July. It was partly a test for myself as well as a way of training, as we (my sister, Dad and I) had planned a 12 mile walk from Amberley to Steyning in West Sussex (some of the route and pics can be found here: http://www.southdownsway.co.uk/sdw_amberley_cocking.html) . Since I'm probably the least experienced walker on the team - though not a total novice - and definitely the least fit, then I'd said to myself that if I struggled to complete the day then I would stand aside and let someone else take my place on Team Aching, as I would patently be unable to keep up with team training walks (starting at upwards of 17 miles)!

Today was a perfect day for walking - really sunny, mild and clear, so the promise of a brilliant view was a great incentive to get up the first hill after being dropped off by our honorary support team (thanks Mum). Whilst I'm fairly happy and can keep a reasonable pace up on the flat, hills are where I really struggle at the moment (and why do they always seem to appear the second you leave the car behind?!) Watched by several dozen cows having lunch, we finally reached the top to see the expected stunning panorama of countryside laid out before us - thought I'd better take the time to appreciate it now, as I'm guessing there won't be time in July!

To my relief, the next 4 miles were along a ridge, which made walking very easy. It was after lunch when we decided to take a slight detour to avoid a field of yet more cows. I'm not very graceful at the best of times and the sight of me skidding over a cattle-grid to escape them would probably have fitted into a Buster Keaton film, if it had been intentional... This detour taught me a valuable lesson - don't, DON'T leave the trail! We were somewhat sheepish when the field we had chosen instead ran out, and having to scramble over barbed wire does not a happy Jenni make!

Still, it was downhill, so I couldn't be too grumpy. But downhill tends to lead to more uphill on long walks - and it took rather more willpower to scramble to the top of the next incline. I'm developing a distraction technique based around the 14 times table - I have to think so hard about maths that I can't concentrate on my legs hurting :) Again, the work we put in climbing the hill paid off, as we could see all the way to the North Downs on one side and the sea on the other - I think it'll be dark when we do that bit in the summer so I tried to memorise it now!

My aim for the second half of the walk was to try and keep a steady pace going and not slow down because I was tired, and I think I managed it, so I felt I'd achieved something. We turned on to a road to walk down to the finish in Steyning, but half way we heard a car behind us - our support team had arrived just in time to rescue us from the rain - huzzah.

Conclusion - the South Downs Way is really pretty (which will hopefully be at least some motivation to keep going in July - to see more views!), and I wasn't totally knackered after 12 miles - I still felt I could have comfortably kept going for a while longer. I think my training is definitely going to have to concentrate on improving my hill-climbing skills though - and maybe ameliorating my levels of gracefulness when encountering cattle grids!

P.S. The reason for cars being in the title was because I've finally been insured on Mum's Focus, so the first test of the day for me was driving to the start of the walk, and making sure I remembered where the biting point was :) If the car is still in one piece and so am I, I'm putting a tick in the 'success' box for the day!

Christmas Training!

2007-12-29T11:14:00.000Z

Over Christmas Robyn and I decided it would be a good idea to get some training in. Not only did this start our preparation for Trailwalker but it also allowed us to eat as much Christmas dinner, mince pies, homemade ice cream and chocolate as we wanted without feeling bad about it!!!!!

We started with a very relaxing 5 mile walk that followed a cycle route through the Wyre Forest on a beautiful sunny but slightly misty day- weather that provided some amazing photography opportunities- as demonstrated below:

The next day (Christmas Eve), we thought it would be a clever idea to go to the Malverns, not just to walk a short distance but to walk over all the peaks from Worcestershire Beacon to Herefordshire Beacon and back again (about 12 miles)…. The first challenge is just getting up onto the Malverns from the car park- no time for warming up- just straight up the steepest, longest hill! When we got to the top we weren’t about to start cutting corners so rather than heading for our start point at Worcestershire Beacon we walked up North Hill and then on to Worcestershire Beacon. Robyn decided it would be a great idea to have a photo of us at the top of every hill. This was fun for about the first three… but by the 8th we were fed up of us looking windswept and we’d kind of lost count of how many peaks we’d got to as well!!!! Somewhere close to Herefordshire Beacon we were feeling pretty tired and our walking boots had decided to start attacking our feet. We got to the top of Herefordshire Beacon and then decided that the return trip to the car park would be around the hills rather than over the top of them to try and save our feet! It was a wonderful walk and great exercise but we learnt a valuable lesson- blister plasters must be applied before walking and an investment in a truck load of them now wouldn’t be a bad idea!!!!!

Christmas Day- no walking today we were in too much pain and needed to recover!

Boxing Day- Another lovely sunny day! We decided to walk south along the canal from Tardebigge. We packed our incredibly amazing ‘Christmas Dinner Left-over Sandwiches’, made by Robyn (an expert in such sandwich making), complete with duck, roast potato, stuffing and sausages, and set off along the canal. We had every intention of going so far and then turning back to Tardebigge but…. we got a little carried away… Neither of us really felt like returning along the same route so instead (and without really thinking this through), we chose to walk ALL the way to Worcester (about 18-20 miles)! The idea being that we could then get a train back to Bromsgrove. We made it to Worcester, although the last couple of miles were done in the dark. Just as we were wandering around trying to find the station we got a phone call from one member of the support crew (our mum), who offered to drive to Worcester and pick us up. We were very grateful (since it was Boxing Day and we hadn’t really thought through the whole train thing and whether they would even be running)- but also thought that it’s good for the support crew to get some practice as well! This allowed us to have a much needed rest in a pub!!

What Can Your Sponsorship Do?

2007-12-29T10:43:00.000Z

The serious side to Trailwalker is that we are raising money for two great causes – Oxfam and the Gurkha Welfare Trust. So what can your sponsorship do? This comes from a leaflet sent to us by Oxfam…
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Oxfam will use the money we raise from Trailwalker in its work to end poverty all over the world. See what your sponsorship can do:

Long-term development work:

£5 could pay for two school textbooks.

£50 could buy a donkey. A donkey can carry large loads over long distances, which really eases the burden of fetching and carrying supplies to and from market. Plus there’s the bonus of free fertiliser!

£100 could buy essential medicines for a whole community for six months.

£1,600 can buy a whole mango plantation – giving a farmer secure income for years.

Help in emergencies:

£23 could pay for 10 Oxfam buckets. Specially designed to keep water safe and clean, these buckets play a vital role in emergencies all over the world.

£36 could provide safe water for 50 people.

£1,440 can provide safe drinking water for 2,000 people.

And this is what the Gurkha Welfare Trust can do with the funds raised:

£14 can buy a blackboard for a school classroom.

£460 can repair the roof of a school.

£1,500 could build a whole toilet block for an eight-classroom school.

Please help us to reach our fundraising target!
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Our fundraising target is £1,500, but if we can make more than this then that’s even better, the money really is put to life-changing use.

Check out the sidebar to see how you can sponsor us! :-)

Meet Our Team

2007-12-18T10:56:00.007Z

Diana:

I'm the team leader for this challenge which means I get the blame for all the pain caused by walking a stupidly long distance in an incredibly short amount of time! When I'm not dragging people out for long walks I spend my time in a lab completing the research for my PhD at Bristol.

Steve:

Info shortly :-)

Robyn:

I'm the only member of the team not in Bristol! I'm in Coventry most of the time, in my third (and final!) year of a maths degree at Warwick University. This means training is going to be more difficult for me since the rest of the team is further away, so anyone who feels the need to go on any long walks please email/text me!

Andy:

As the only member of the team paying taxes I have a false sense of importance, fortunately the other members soon put that to rights! I graduated from Bristol University in the summer of 2007 with a degree in Maths and Philosophy. Ever since I have been an auditor whilst learning how to become a chartered accountant. It's well exciting. I have previously taken part in a very similar challenge to the Trailwalker, also I have a certificate for cycling around the Isle of Wight.

What Is This Blog For?

2007-12-18T10:56:00.001Z

Basically this blog is a way for us to keep our supporters (and anyone else who is interested!) up to date with how we are doing as a team. All members of the team will (hopefully!) be posting, so you can watch us on our journey from now (having just taken the plunge and registered!) to when we (fingers crossed!) complete the 2008 Trailwalker on 19th-20th July.

Expect to see details of training walks we do (along with plenty of pictures!) and updates on how (un)fit we are! We will also keep you informed of how our fundraising is going; our target is £1,500 and reaching this is a huge challenge in itself.

There will also inevitably be posts where we rant and raise issues such as 'Why on earth did we think this was a good idea?' and 'Oww, my feet (and the rest of me) hurt'. Encouragement is much appreciated! (Please feel free to comment on this blog!)

What Is Trailwalker 2008?

2007-12-18T10:33:00.000Z

Trailwalker is a 100km (62.14 mile) trek for teams of four people to complete in under 30 hours and takes place over the weekend of 19th-20th July 2008. The route follows the South Downs Way, beginning in Petersfield and finishing in Brighton. Trailwalker is organised by Oxfam and the Queen's Gurkha Signals Regiment, to raise money for Oxfam and the Gurkha Welfare Trust.

More information about Trailwalker can be found here. Take a look :-)

Basically: 4 People. 1 Goal. 100 Kilometres. 30 Hours.