17 Sleeps To Go!

Couldn't believe it today ... there we were, Nigel, Dan and myself a little lost in Woburn Woods and out from nowhere comes a walker and I asked him the best path to take to Bow Brickhill. He then produced a laminated map of the Woods and pointed us in the right direction. Well I have a parking angel who I ask for a space when I enter the car park, now I have a "where the hell am I angel" !

Turns out he was a Warden for the Greensand Parks Trust ... so glad we bumped into him !

We have a little over two weeks to go now and I have moments of feeling really excited then moments of "have I done enough training" and "I must need more for my kitbag" and another check of the list.

I have been on two good lots of walks this weekend, one with girlfriends at Stony Stratford followed by a long walk with Woody and Star, and then today with Nigel and Dan at Woburn Woods. Mixed with my work shifts in the afternoon im ready for a day off tomorrow.

This week I am going to do some more walks, hopefully a Dunstable Downs visit, then two maximum 10 k runs.

Looking through my pics and memories of Kili in 2009, this one is probably one of the best shots ... our walk towards Kibo on Day 5 ... fabulous :-)

Four Weeks To Go !

Happy New Year Everyone ! .... Here we are in 2011 and only four weeks until the mountain challenge.

The Christmas Holidays always brings about times of overindulgence ... in my house we all had the winter bugs in various stages so Alcohol did not flow very easily but mince pies were comforting ! and my mum cooked us a wicked Christmas dinner :-)

My running has taken a step back but this week I am back in action although I have decided to dedicate this last few weeks to longer walks and jogging. I am also really concentrating on diet making sure I eat really well ... good breakfast of Weetabix, Fruit, Toast. Mid morning snack of nuts, more fruit. Healthy Sandwich at lunchtime with salad and chicken. Then an evening meal including pasta or potatoes.

I have a tendency to loose rather than gain weight (lucky you might think) but its not good to be a skinny rake on the mountain so I have to bear this in mind.

I am also getting ready to pack ... just malaria tabs to sort out now !

Winter Prep and Snow Runs !

This cold spell is perfect training for Kilimanjaro. I love this time of year for running and realise that for me this is probably the best time to do any distance events. Although I have not entered a winter half marathon I am taking the opportunity to get out and run in these coldest conditions.

I went out this morning early with my dog Star... it only takes a minute or so to warm up and with Star racing ahead of me she gives me the incentive to keep on going ... never catch her though ... as they say "Never try to outrun your dog !"

I am also getting out and walking at every opportunity. Its hard sometimes to do this around work but making the effort is so worthwhile and if you can fit in a session before work it will energise you for the day. At the end of the day you can de-stress whilst out walking and get to use your headtorch if you venture into your local park.

I am also trying out all my kit. From my headtorch to my socks !!

Training Weekend and Meeting the Team

On 13th and 14th November Nigel kindly drove Grant, Antonio, Dan and me to meet up with the team in the Lake District. We stayed at the Briery Wood Hotel, just outside Windermere arriving at 6pm on the Friday evening.

Most of the team had already arrived, apart from George who had a great afternoon buying all his kit in Blacks in Oxford ! and didn't catch up with us until later in the evening. I dropped off my bags and soon met Allyson who had flown over from Dublin and we got on well straight away. We are sharing our tent on the mountain so it was great to meet at last :-). We all met in the bar and soon got chatting about Kilimanjaro, our training and the challenge ahead. Everyone is working hard with their training and fundraising so its going to be a busy few months with the final preparations.

During the weekend we had an excellent briefing from Maximum Adventure and went on some great walks with views over Lake Windermere. We were all pleased to meet Jaz our Mountain Guide who will be coming with us to Africa. He gave us some great tips on climb preparation and things to be aware of as a team with regard to climbing at high altitude.

Everyone went home feeling great and well informed on the challenge ahead... on with training and fundraising and roll on February 2nd !

My First Trail Run !

On the 17th October I took up the challenge of my first trail run. This was organised and sponsored by Blacks and North Face and their first trail race since the "Running Launch" in early October.

I have done lots of walking at Dunstable Downs and knew to run there would be a good challenge. I opted for the 5k ... a sensible choice as the hillwork involved was serious.

It was a chilly start to the day and I made sure I had the right kit to run. However the chill in the wind was felt by us all at the start.

There was a good turnout and some serious trail runners which added to the competitive spirit. We set off across the top of the Downs and I kept my steady pace. We soon went from the pathway to the more challenging muddy areas and seemed to gallop down the first hill. You really have to watch your footwork in these events and I was glad of my shoes with good grip. It felt great to run there and as we made our way across the bottom of the downs I was pleased with my pace. I knew the route we were taking and wondered at which point we would turn to go back up to the finish. It was a long haul and as we began the run back up I could feel my quads and glutes begin to hurt , then burn, but in my usual determination I just kept on going... glad of the gate for a pause and then off again.

The last 400 yards were agony but I could hear the crowd at the finish and just pushed forward. The last 50 yards I quickened my pace (which I always try to do for a good finish no matter what the time) and over the finish in 34 minutes. I was pleased with that and enjoyed the run .... will aim for the 10k next year !!

Mountains Make You Stronger !

Training is going well !! I had a great climb of Snowdon with CYM and took my son Ben along too for his first climb. The great thing about CYM is many people have not experienced the climbs before and its great to help out and encourage everyone and see how much they enjoy it !

Running continues and last weekend I completed the Bananaman 10k at Willen Lake ... it was a great morning with lots turning out to this event. A pic will follow !

Next weekend I am taking part in the Blacks 5k Trail run.... a new kind of challenge for me but should be fun as its a Trail run around Dunstable Downs. I have done lots of hikes here but not a trail run... so should be good ! and great training.

My job is going well.... working in retail is a new learning curve but I am meeting lots of interesting people and its good to advise them on the best kit to buy for their activities ! I met the legendary Ron Hill at the Blacks running launch and that was a very inspirational day.

So far, my fundraising for Breastcancercare has gone well. My friend Tracey hosted a lovely lunch event at her house for me and we had 27 ladies... we made over £900.00 which will go directly to Breastcancercare. I felt very emotional that day after the event.... some had lost close family due to breast cancer and it brought home to me my strong reasons for doing this climb for such an important cause.

If this charity was not in place the important research that has saved so many lives, including mine, would not have been in place.... I feel so lucky to be here and to be able to do this.

Summer Walks and Runs

So lovely with the good weather so we can really get out and about when we want to and make the most of it.!! Time has been limited for me this last couple of weeks. Once the school holidays set in my training plan went awol..... although my two are teenagers the taxi service does not stop and I like to keep them busy with their sport. Danielle is working for four weeks helping with the tennis camps at Shenley. Ben is booked into a couple of tournaments so that's good.

I have another challenge... finding a new job and that is proving more of a mountain than I expected.... another story !!

However.... the heart rate monitor has arrived and I am interestingly monitoring my heart rate while exercising. It seems I have to slow my pace when running... this works better for me. I have an underactive thyroid condition which means if I push the running pace up too much my energy levels are badly affected and it puts me out of exercise for a good few days.

Off to walk the hounds now.... Ben is helping me today... we have Bernie, Woody and Star to walk for one hour. Thats sixteen legs to trot round the lakes... glad the rain has passed over from yesterday.