Oh heck.......!

5 days...23 hours...56 minuntes and 49 seconds...
 -that's what the website said when I looked about 10 seconds ago - that's all the time I have left until I start the Dodentocht - oh heck (to put it mildly!!)...and contrary to my last post, I might be trawling around the Flemish countryside, at night, in the pitch black, on my own after all, as SS is unwell at the mo...
Oh heck......

Dog tired!

I never thought I'd do it...but I have....I have finally out-walked Mali!
Chris and I were holidaying in the Cotswold's last week...we had a little cottage in the town of Dursley (where they all speak like this - 'ello my luvver'), and we were situated  bang in the middle of the 104 miles of the Cotswold Way!

So, Mali and me walked, and walked, and walked (and walked some more....) and by Friday when Chris took her to the back fields for a 'last run' prior to the journey home...she was having none of it, she dragged her feet, tail between her legs, and dived into her basket as soon as possible!!

(Funny, it doesn't have this effect on SS!!)

I did wonder how all this walking would effect moi, as at the moment I am having treatment from a local osteopath (or torturer!!).
I have had a painful left hip for as long as I can remember...and being a true nurse.....have done everything to avoid going to the doctors!!
It got to the point where I'd finally realised that not being able to sleep on my left side, or sit properly meant that something WAS wrong.......and as most GPs would tell me to stop exercising...I decided to see an osteopath instead.....

Kim, who I see is brilliant....she has explained that I haven't a 'mechanical injury' ie it hasn't been caused by walking or running and that I can carry on exercising to my hearts content.....in fact, she can't really describe what I HAVE done to my hip Felix muscle - she describes it as someone pulling it out, twisting it around, and putting it back (my money is on SS......)...and thinks just deep massage and stretching the muscle will 'undo the damage'.....I hope so, as SS and I have our next race in 11 days...gulp!!

Yes! 11 days until the Dodentocht in Belgium. At one point a couple of weeks ago, SS wasn't going to do the race...and that got me worried..100km in a Flemish speaking country, during the night on my own...that was asking for trouble......mind you, us two...100km in a Flemish speaking country, during the night.......we shall see!!

Anyways....that's 11 days away...so time for a little more training......Mali - walkies!!

Unbelieveable!

Firstly, I can't believe I haven't blogged on here since the begining of May...I normally have loads to say.....
and secondly...and unbelieveably.....I've managed to get myself listed as an athlete!!
YES....I know...me!!!!

SS very kindly ponted this out to me, as, quite honestly, I didn't have a clue. I think I have mentioned in a previous blog that she has joined a racewalking club...and is getting pretty darn quick (sparks flying off her knickers - get the picture??) well...she was entered for a couple of races, and told me that it had improved her position in the UK Women's rankings - she is now 6th...and my position at 53 wasn't bad - my position???? I had made it onto an athletic ranking list??
WOO HOO!!!
Out of 1468 women racewalkers in the UK, SS is an amazing 6th, and I'm in spitting distance (okay, I'm a good spitter!) at 53....and after the Dodentocht in August...and the Colchester centurion in September, perhaps our rankings may be bumped up a little more.......

Talking of the Dodentocht......6 weeks to go.....and training hard! We were out yesterday and it felt like the translation of 'Dodentocht' - 'death march'! It was a very hot and humid 26c - we felt like we were walking through treacle..
We left home at 7.30am, and after a mile we were soaked through with sweat! 10 hours and 40 miles later we were drenched, stinky and absolutely shattered, but ever closer to our next race.....
Bring it on...I'm an athlete!

DID IT!

The 18:15 from Newbury to Reading on Saturday was a little noisier and pinker than usual, as was the following link to Paddington - yes, it was the start of the journey to London ready for the Moonwalk.....and we were a little bit excitable!

Arriving in Hyde Park just after 8pm was also a LOT noisier and pinker - in fact the huge marquee to house all 17,000 participants and 2000 volunteers was the pinkest pink I have ever seen.....ok if you like pink (SS would have absolutely hated it!!)

We were blessed with the weather, the fact that it had finally stopped raining was incredible....probably the only time I had walked with the girls in the dry...but boy was it cold! We had to wait for the start time of 11pm, and the temperature just plummeted...by the time we started walking I had on a thermal long sleeved vest, my T-shirt, sweatshirt, coat, hat, gloves, knee-length compression socks, wind resistant trousers, and I was still cold!! Forget walking around in just a bra...that didn't see the light of day (or even the moon!)

Normally I would warm up nicely, but this wasn't a race as such, and as I was walking as part of a team of 9 I had to match my pace to the others....this I found incredibly hard!! It goes against SS and my normal races where you get ahead so that you haven't got the obstacle of people in front of you....also, being in the centre of a heaving city ( yes, even at 3am!!) you are still dodging traffic, and even though the police were fantastic, it does slow you enough to get cold.
BUT, apart from that, it was awesome! The atmosphere was great, real camaraderie, wolf-whistles, fantastic scenery, an excuse to eat four mars bars straight off, and all for a good cause....and we did it!!

Crossing the finishing line, in Hyde Park, in the sunshine on Sunday morning was amazing. We, as a team, all linked arms as we passed the Serpentine, and walked up the last .2 miles together, in a straight line, amidst cheers from the crowds! What a feeling, a tad overwhelming for a few of us.....actually, I think my eyes where running coz of my hay fever........

So....as a team, there are a few blisters in there, and achy legs a plenty, and lots of "never agains".....and I think to myself...yeah right...that's what I said to SS after my first race.....and here I am thinking to myself, my feet are fine, my legs are fine, I've got all my toe nails...what's next?......I'll give them a week......and then I'll invite them to Bornem...........

Personal.......

I wouldn't normally consider a personal trainer......but there was Sam...sat outside the gym, touting for business, and the word 'free' caught my eye.....
(Plus his dad had asked me to keep an eye on him whilst he was out of the country, so I thought it would be rude not to!)

And that, dear reader, was very nearly the demise of moi!
I considered myself to be relatively fit, but after an hour with Sam I wasn't really fit for much!
He was, and I'm sure still is (!!) very, very good at what he does (not killing people, but training them that is!!) but I have never trained like that before, so have felt it ever since!

He did mention that he was 'DIFFERENT in his approach and that was evident when we approached machinery (sorry, I meant to say equipment!) that I hadn't looked at before.....the bike was ok.....but then came the 'summit machine'  - (Everest in 10 minutes), actually I was pleased with that, as Sam told me that most clients flaked at 2.5 minutes and I did 10 (go girl!), then came the VPR (known as the viper, yep, got bitI) which I had to lift, then squat with, and chuck side to side, then came the TRX.....

Now this WAS interesting.....it was a metal frame with straps hanging from it's centre.....I honestly didn't know whether it was for exercise or to hang myself with.......

Firstly I dangled by hand and used body weight to row, then I dangled by feet and had to do crunches, then I had a little cry.........

And I wasn't even half way through......much, much more was to come....
I puffed, and panted, and sweated, and felt nauseated......and strangley enough, at the end of an hour, even though I felt I needed to lie down in a darkened room, there was a sense of satisfaction that I had done it!

Personal training? Yep, its good, I don't know that I would pay for that kind of torture....but it's very effective, and I have been back and followed the plan that Sam gave me ( Don't tell him but I skipped the VPR lunges - hate them!!!), and it's definately made me look at the gym in a new light - evil machines!!!

Not quite as evil as pilates however..........
SS and I are still going, at least twice a week, to a gentle fitness pilates on a Monday, then a mental functional pilates on a Wednesday!! This started with weighted soft balls...and now the instructor has us using 2kg weighted plates in nearly every exercise we do....honestly, I don't know how she does it, but I come home each week with a different muscle burning that I really didn't know existed!!

All this as well as walking miles with SS! We did a muddy 22 this morning, around Greenham Common (twice), along the canal, and through Enbourne cornfields. I was escaping the teenagers at home who were 'sleeping over', SS was escaping Jim's decorating skills, or lack of them...and it was also my 'last blast' before the Moonwalk marathon next week.

I've been out with the 'Moonwalk gals' from work, we're trained up, bra's at the ready, and this time next week, we'll be heading to Hyde Park ready to start......so, if you haven't sponsored me...c'mon, c'mon, c'mon....it's for a darn good cause - look at the website and leave us some pennies!!
www.walkthewalkfundraising.org/eastfieldangels

Dodentocht!

Yes, I know I have already blogged today...but I just wanted to tell somebody.....guess what....??
I've signed up ( and paid for!!) my next challenge!!
As mentioned, I'm doing the London Moonwalk next month, well in about 4 weeks, so I needed another challenge after that to look forward (??!!) to.....

SS and I had toyed with the idea of doing the Dodentocht....and after visiting Bornem, here in Belgium, I have just signed up, and got Steve to cough up some euros via his Belgium bank account for me, so I'm pay'ed up too......so roll on August 10th!!

Hang on a mo I hear you ask....what exactly IS the Dodentocht??

Well, translated from the Flemish, it means 'Death March' and it's an annual event (since 1971) in Bornem, walking or jogging 100km in 10 - 24 hrs....check out the website.......but SS and I think it sounds like fun.....and it passes through the Duvel beer factory grounds.....it would be rude not to.........

Bonjour!

It's been a while (again!) since I blogged, but I have some good excuses....work has been busy, I've covered extra shifts..I've been training for the London Moonwalk, more about that in a mo, and, oh yeah, Tim and SarahJane got married!

Now that was one good day! Perfect weather, perfect venue, food, wine, company, SJ looked beautiful, and Tim scrubbed up ok too..in fact, to pinch one of Tim's phrases, it was 'pretty awesome'!
It was, quite simply, a beautiful, beautiful day.

(Flippin hard work, but worth it!!, I don't want to see cheesecakes or pecan pies for a while, or large blocks of cheese, or count cherry tomatoes......)

Anyways, the Moonwalk.....a marathon around London, in aid of Breast Cancer, wearing a decorated bra (yes, and pants!)...on 12th/13th May is my next venture! I'm doing this with a bunch of work colleagues, and we have been plodding the streets of Newbury in preparation for this, not wearing the bra's though!
In fact, as part of the 'package', the moonwalk company provide you with a bra to decorate, to wear on the evening. Now, I know that I haven't got much in THAT department, but this bra they have sent me is HUGE, and is mostly padding....If I wear that on the night, I am going to cause a serious injury to myself as a) I can't see the pavement, and b) the padding is soooo heavy I'm going to topple over!!
Anyways, for anyone wishing to sponsor my colleagues and I, I will be posting a justgiving page soon, so please do...it is a good cause, and even though SS and I are doing other challenges this year, WE won't be asking for any other sponsor money....

Talking of SS, we are still both training....I'm doing no where near as much as SS, work tends to get in the way a bit, but I still get along to Pilates with her x2 a week, a gym session, body attack, zumba and our walks when we can, I also fit in kettle bells when possible, now that is some exercise!
20 minutes of that and I feel absolutely battered, and I feel it for the next few days as well..must be doing some good eh!
SS is feeling battered too, she has started seeing a racewalker at a walking club...just when I thought she couldn't walk any faster......honestly, if she does walk any faster, I swear there will be sparks flying off her thighs and her knickers will catch fire....!

Anyways, this is a weekend off, as it's Easter, and Chris, Cassia, Withers (that's one of Cass's friends who is called Jaimie, but as there is about 100 Jaimie's we have to call her Withers, or something like that...)and myself headed over to Belgium to see Steve, and I'm..at the moment, eating my way through Belgium and Paris!!

The food is just so scrummy here, I've already had to loosen my belt a notch....
The cappuccino's are amazing...you get a shot of espresso, topped with not steamed milk, but chantilly cream....there are literally 100's of pastries and biscuits to choose from, 1000's of cheeses, chocolates.....I could go on....but everytime I do, I miss a bite!
Au revoir!