Remember why we are doing this......

If I thought that getting up early on a Sunday was hard before, imagine how I felt today having lost that hour's sleep.....! But, at least the temperature was above zero today & apart from a little drizzle occasionally, we were lucky with the weather for a change....... So off Tracey & I went, looking forward (!) to attempting the 16 miles.
I have to say, that now I am sitting in my comfy chair, having had lots to eat & a welcome bath, I am amazed that we walked the full 16 miles and in 3 hours 38 mins as well. It was certainly not a walk in the park though........if only!!
We set off really well & the usual 10 miles went by relatively easily & it was nice to feel warmer after the cold thighs & snow of last Sunday. We then carried onto Trimley High Road for the final 6. The good thing about walking along the High Road is that you know that if you can do the 3 miles going, you HAVE to turn back for home to complete the final 3, no avoiding it. So I knew that I had to "just" do those 3 & then I would be able to turn for home, hoping that this would give me that usual boost.
I got through the first 2 ok, avoiding that awful wall but the 13th caused me a bit of a problem. I was very tired & I really ached, especially my legs. I was trying to think of something to help me pull through as I knew it wasn't far to being able to turn for home.
If you look at any of our justgiving pages & click on "the playtex moonwalk" in the top right hand corner, it will take you to a page showing people who have recently set up their own pages. I often do this as some of them are very inspiring (ok, maybe I am nosy as well!), and it was one of these that I thought about today.
This young woman has a picture of herself & her husband on their wedding day, she looks really happy & beautiful. Then you read about how she was diagnosed in April last year & that she is doing the walk in May with her husband & other members of her family. I remembered how I felt about a year after my own diagnosis. When you are going through your treatment, your life is planned & organised for you: you have no choice: the treatment rules your life for those months, it has to: you are literally fighting for survival. I found that it was about a year later, when life had almost "returned to normal" that the enormity of just what I had gone through really hit me. During treatment you only have time to think about one day at a time & once that is over, your mind has that time to think about everything else, especially your future & what it may hold. It is a very scary time.
So, here I was today, almost ten years on from diagnosis & I thought about how this woman would be having to get through her training just a year after her own. This was enough to push me on. How brave she was being along with the many other women who are doing the walk while they are actually going through their treatment.

Please just stop & think about that for a moment.........

If they could all do it, so could I.
And I did.

I am tired. I do ache. But, this was another hurdle to get through & we did it. I can honestly say now that I am looking forward to walking it again, maybe that's a bit strange?! It's only a few weeks away to the big 20 that we have to do & I know that I will really have to be strong to get through that, but I am feeling really positive. Of course, I am also very lucky having my own personal trainer to help me get through it! Thanks for today, Tracey xx
We have now booked our train tickets to London for the big day & have also paid the final money for the Costa del Sol holiday. We can't wait...time is marching on ....as are we.....!!
xx

ps. Have just looked at other justgiving pages, have a look at www.justgiving.com/walkthewalk2008 So much in common xx

Thursday again already.....

Where has the week gone?
Personal trainer & I walked a speedy 4 miles on Tuesday & then went for our usual swim. Loved it. Have had my leg pulled though as Gaz from work saw my attempts at powerwalking & has had a good laugh. Hubby also saw us & said that he didn't realise just how fast we walked! It makes a change for me to see people I know as it is normally Tracey who says hello to every other person...!!
Tonight, Trace joined the pair of us & we set off walking our 10 mile route but in reverse. It was a bit strange to begin with & I did feel a bit tired as I have had a busy week. It also meant that we had 3 long hills to walk up instead of down........that was hard! It certainly gave my legs a good workout.
Trace left us at the 7 mile marker & we then carried on. I did hope in a way that we would take a short cut & walk 9, but before I knew it, Tracey had said that we'd do the full 10.......ok Mrs Personal Trainer!! What's an extra mile anyway....
I'm glad she did though & I really found a new burst of energy for the final 2, even walking up the longest hill & surviving! We did the 10 in 2hrs 18mins. I did think it might be slower than usual, but looking back at my blogs, it's actually a very good time especially as Tracey was recovering from a cold, I was tired & it was quite damp towards the end. Also have to remember those hills we had to walk up. How can I forget! It's good to know that we have kept our pace up.
Our next walk will be our usual bright & early Sunday morning one & we are hoping for good weather to maybe do a 16...................
xx

Let it snow........

Oh yes, it's true..........Tracey & I walked in the snow today!! We thought that we should have a picture taken just to prove that it really did happen! I don't think that either of us can still quite believe that we did!

When we started our walk at 7.15 (!) it was a bright, sunny but cold morning, zero degrees to be exact. We set off not really knowing just how far we would walk, it just depended on the weather. We didn't want to forego our walk completely as we both feel the long Sunday walks are crucial to our training. We were cold though & I don't think our thighs warmed up at all. In fact, it was still zero degrees when we finished!

It started to snow lightly when we were into our eighth mile. It wasn't too bad, quite nice in a strange way & I guess just another weather experience.....but, it soon started to fall heavily. Not funny. It was hard to keep walking at times, a real battle against the elements, but we carried on with real determination, although I suppose you may say it was madness......

But, the walk was going really well despite the awful weather & I thought that we could walk along the High Road, play our distance by ear & turn back when we were ready as "the wind would be behind us", so we'd be pushed home..........

Famous last words. Sorry Tracey.

I think I may have wanted to go further just to walk that 12th mile again after the battle I had with it last Sunday. I didn't want it to become a mile that I would dread everytime, thinking that I would hit the wall again, so it was a bit of a mental challenge for me.

The weather just got worse & worse & by now we were very wet. We reached the 12th mile marker & I felt really good for getting through it but Tracey very sensibly said that we should turn back for home. A very good idea, after all the wind would surely be behind us now......

No.

It seemed to be even stronger now & we had to really put our heads down & step it out as the snow was really driving into our faces. We must have looked a right sight & I'm sure people thought we were mad as they drove past in their warm cars.

How glad we were to finally reach home & would you believe it, we did the 14 miles in 3hrs 5mins, 7 minutes quicker than last week. I was really shocked! I don't think I realised just how bad the weather was until I saw the photo & saw how much it had snowed, look at the roof & car in the backgound.

I hope that the smile on my face gives you an idea of how fantastic it feels to complete a good walk, it's such a good feeling despite all the hard times. I can't wait to have that picture taken at the end of 26.2 miles........................

xx

Thursday's walk......

It was just personal trainer & me off for a walk last night. Trace is away for the weekend & Dons was having a well deserved evening off after her walks & visits to the gym this week.
We didn't start until 7.30 as I had made a detour on the way home from work....well, I thought I was in need of a boost in the form of a Guinness.......
The weather was really awful: very windy & heavy rain. But, as you know, we can't choose the weather on the big night, so set off along the Trimley High Road for the original 6 miler. It was cold as well but I think that just made us walk at a faster pace. Again, knowing it was a "short" walk, helped as well. It seems funny calling a 6 miler a short walk, but that's how it is now!
It was hard going on the way as the wind was strong & as we got to the open fields by the road, it became very blustery & we had trouble walking in a straight line (it WAS the wind & NOT the Guinness!), but turning for home was great. The wind pushed us along & we decided to carry on past the 6 & walk me home to make it a 7 miler for me. Tracey then turned for home facing the driving rain & wind head on. But, as you know, I don't call her "personal trainer" for nothing....she did that final mile in 11 minutes!!
We did the 7 miles in 1 hour 31 mins, an average of 13 minutes per mile. Considering the awful weather conditions, I think we did really well. When we first started walking those 6 miles along the High Road, we were taking about 1 hour 36, so you can see how far we've come.
Us two are hoping to do our usual bright & early walk on Sunday morning but we will have to see how the weather is... I have my fingers crossed for fine weather as I am really in the mood for a long walk.

Just a bit of news on the sponsorship front: my oldest brother Paul, works for a haulage company called Ralph Morton in Felixstowe & he has been collecting money from his drivers & colleagues on my behalf. I just want to say a BIG thank you to him & to them, as they have very generously donated over £120 so far!! He is hoping to raise much more, so once he has finished, he will add the amount to my fundraising page & I will do a blog solely to do a very special thank you to him & his company. This amount has now pushed me past my target of £500, although it won't be added to my page for a while. I think it goes to show how breast cancer has sadly affected so many people in one way or another. It really is a very worthwhile & special cause to raise money for.....
XX

Walk & swim...

Tracey & I walked a speedy 4 miles last night before jumping (not literally) into the pool to swim 500m.
I enjoyed the walk as it was easy to step it out quickly knowing that it was only a short walk. The last two weeks leading up to the big night will involve speedy 5 milers, as we will (OH, YES, WE WILL!) have completed our 20 miler by then. We then just have to let our bodies recover (!) whilst still training, hence the shorter walks.
After the bit of rain we experienced on Sunday morning, we were a bit shocked to be confronted by pouring rain half way round. No caps to protect us this time & the rain was dripping off our faces. Quite an experience! I think we have now walked through all weather, except snow & with the weather forecast for Easter, who knows.....!!
Tracey, Dons & I will be walking tomorrow evening, hopefully an 8 or 10 one, depending on the time we start. Tracey & I are then going to do our early Sunday walk & you never know, I may jump over "my wall" & do a bit of a longer one....fingers crossed.
I think that we are all coming into our own with our training & now finding out what suits each of us individually. Tracy & Dons are walking & going to the gym more & hopefully have sorted out their injuries & problems. I am happy with my mixture of gym, swimming & longer (mostly, anyway!!) walks. As for personal trainer......she is just there for me & continues to be so encouraging & supportive in her special way.
My sponsor money is now starting to come in & that in itself gives me that extra encouragement to keep going..........just over 8 weeks to go...& dare I say it....I CAN'T WAIT...!!!!!! I am mad.
XX

Over half way there..............

Personal trainer & I started our walk at 7.15 this morning..........!
We woke up to a bit of a rainy morning & after talking to each other, we decided to try to do a walk and to see how the weather was as we went along, as the rain wasn't too bad & we were up bright & early. After all, it may be raining on the big night. I'm really glad we did as the rain stopped during our third mile.
We looked quite funny, waterproofs on & even a cap, so I guess we looked the part of a serious (mad maybe!) walker! It was also quite windy & on occasions, quite hard to walk. As the miles went by, we decided to try for at least a ten miler. It was going very well, we were keeping up a good pace & Tracey then said the immortal words....shall we do the ten & then carry on along Trimley High Road & do a 14 miler.........??
Oh.
Well, we originally started our training, all those weeks ago, with 6 milers along that straight road, so in a way, it made sense to use it to extend our distance as we knew all the mile markers. I knew we would be ready to do the 14 but I think it was a bit of a shock now that we were actually going to do it. It went well to begin with & I was fine to the 11th. But then I had a bit of a problem. During our walks I find that different parts of my body hurt at different stages, but for the first time, I found that ALL of my body hurt at the same time. I had hit my wall.
I know that I have mentioned about my mental battles before, but this was different. I really had to dig deep because that dreaded "I can't do this" thought came into my head for the first time. I told Tracey not to worry as I was ok really but didn't talk for a while. I had to think about all of the reasons why I am doing this & really concentrate on my walking. I felt very emotional at one point because I thought that if I couldn't do 14, there would be NO way I would manage the 26.2 miles. A very low point.
Getting to the 12 miles & turning back for the final 2 was such a good feeling though & I felt so much better knowing we were on the home straight. I decided to set myself little targets to reach instead of just the 13th mile & this really helped as the more targets I reached, the more I knew we were almost there. I managed to step it out & felt much better. I did the power walking arms for the whole walk today & I found this helped towards the end as you really do use your arms to push yourself along.
We did the 14 in 3 hours 12 & felt amazing.
I felt a real sense of achievement & I think that having that awful mile has helped me for future walks, having gone through it once, I CAN get through it again. Wow.
I really want to thank my very special personal trainer for today as she probably helped me more than she realised. At times, she stepped up the pace a little & that gave me the incentive to push on & at other times, she slowed just enough & that made me able to walk a little faster.
Thanks honey. You are a star & yes, maybe next time, we will carry on that "little" bit further & do the 16!!
xx

Oh what a night................

Not a walking update, more of a fundraising update.............
Us girls hit the town, well, Felixstowe (!), last night. We had a good laugh & it was a welcome break from all the training.
My pint of Guinness on the bar started a conversation with some businessmen which personal trainer amazingly managed to turn into a bit of a fundraising success!! She was able to drop the fact that we were doing the moonwalk into the conversation & ended up getting £64 in just a few minutes!! Well done Tracey!
I have also been set a challenge which, if successful, will bring me in a wonderful amount of money.....don't want to say too much as many drinks were flowing & I have to make sure it is a serious pledge from the person concerned now that he is sober!! He did give me £20 as a start so it does sound hopeful!
I still managed to get to the gym just after 8 this morning, although it was a bit of a struggle! I'm glad I did though as I had a good workout & felt refreshed after! I saw Tracey in there as usual & we have decided that we are going to attempt the longest walk of our training so far tomorrow morning. Fingers crossed for the weather.....................
xx

No walk................

Unfortunately I was unable to walk tonight.
Nobody was able to join me due to poorly children & injuries. I really fancied at least a six miler but felt that it wasn't really safe for me to walk such a long route on my own. I surprised myself at how disappointed I felt. I think I have got used to walking regularly and had been looking forward to it but at least I walked on Tuesday albeit a shorter distance. Perhaps it's also about keeping the momentum of the training up? I am looking forward to the clocks going forward as I will then be able to walk longer distances on my own if need be. However, I will soon make up for not walking tonight as Tracey & I are hoping to do a long walk on Sunday.
I decided to go swimming as I felt I needed to do some form of exercise. I'm glad I did as it made me feel much better. I swam 1100m, so that brings my total this week to a mile, something I didn't think I would be able to achieve in two visits to the pool. The swim went well & like with the walking, the closer I got to my target, the more I pushed on. I felt like I had given my muscles a really good workout & arrived home in a better mood than before.
I can't believe that it's Friday tomorrow, another week almost over. The weeks are starting to rush by, bringing that big night much closer, only 9 weeks to go. I feel that I am now ready to increase my distance & frequency of walking & push on in readiness for that 20 miler........

xx

Just need my bike now......

Well, not quite a triathlon but I did walk & swim tonight!!!!
I enjoyed my swim so much last week that I have decided to give up on the body combat (unless I have a particularly stressful day & need to punch a lot!!) & go swimming instead. But, not content with that, I decided to go for a short walk beforehand.
Unfortunately, personal trainer couldn't join me as she was being a nurse to her poorly children & Trace & Dons were going to the gym. So, I planned one that would be very safe to do on my own & set off for my first solo walk. I had read about walking safely & all the do's & dont's, so was well prepared. I was surprised at how I was able to keep my pace up (have obviously been trained well, thanks Tracey!!) & walked just under 3 miles in 35 mins. Mind you, it may be because I was on my own & although I did feel safe, I think the adrenalin helped to push me along. I did feel a bit funny walking along doing my power walking arms on my own to begin with, but then just thought, oh what the hell & carried on, even laughed at myself when I caught a glimpse of my shadow with the beginning of that power-walk-arse-wiggle...what a sight! I only had one fright; walking up a hill, I was suddenly aware of a shadow running up close behind me...almost pee'd me pants til I realised it was a woman running, good job she had her ipod on as I turned the air blue....so unlike me I know!
Then came the swimming. I really enjoyed it again, but only did 500m as I didn't want to over do it after the walk. I do feel mighty fine though, so will increase my swimming next week.
I can't believe how fit I am becoming, it's great & I am beginning to see some real results which in itself is an incentive. The walk is 9 weeks away on Saturday, which means just over 7 weeks until we have to do the 20 miler. I think that is going to be a very tough challenge but one we will manage.....be positive!! I have now walked over 100 training miles & do feel better as this increases.
Hoping to walk with Trace & Dons on Thursday & then a longer one with personal trainer on Sunday. We are having a girlie night out on Friday evening. We are all working hard & so have to play hard as well!!

XX

Rise & shine......

While many of you were probably still in bed this morning, personal trainer & I hit the streets! I guess starting a walk at 7.25 on a Sunday morning is a bit of a shocker but we wanted to do a long one & were aware of the bad weather forecast for later.
So off we went....we walked 12.2 miles in 2hrs 46, quicker than last time but I think we had more energy as it was so early. It was 6' when we started, but felt quite cold. My legs were cold to begin with but once the sun came out, it was really warm at times. So I think that an early morning walk is good practise for the big night, different temperatures etc. We are seriously considering walking over night at some point to see how we would cope with the temperature & early hours, but more of that another time..!!
We do realise that it is not how fast we walk (although, again, we do want to try to keep our pace steady) but more about building up our stamina & getting our bodies used to physically walking for such a long time. Imagine walking for 7 to 8 hours.....!! This in itself is bringing me some real highs & lows during my walks....the highs are when I feel really motivated & am walking well & do believe that I CAN do this...the lows, when different parts of my body start to ache & doubts creep into my head & I really have to push myself to carry on. Luckily, I am managing to do this but do feel I am in the middle of a bit of a mental battle at the moment. The good book tells us that over half of the preparation is in the mind, how true this is!!
I actually enjoyed the final two miles today, maybe that sounds a bit sadistic??!! The final mile really drove me on to get home & we did it in 11 minutes, don't ask me how, but it actually felt OK!!!! I wasn't really aware that we had walked it so quickly either.
So on the whole, I am really pleased with how my training is going & whilst Tracey & I are walking more than the training guide suggests at this time, for us, it is working well. I think we all have to do what is best for ourselves, it is such a personal journey & different for everyone. For me, it is so personal for obvious reasons & I do think about my illness during my walks & I think this helps me mentally. I certainly try not to dwell on my past, this has become easier as the years have gone by, but try to use it to my advantage as much as possible, try to be positive & just so grateful that I am here & able to do this. Our lives seem to be so busy nowadays but there are so many things in our lives that we should all be really grateful for & I think it is so important not to forget them, life is too fragile & precious.
Trace & Dons also walked later on this morning. They did a really tough one with quite a few hills & walked for 2 hours, so well done to them especially as they are having a few problems at the moment. I hope that they will soon start to feel better.

The good thing about walking this morning is that I now have the rest of the day to chill & relax....

XX

The fantastic four hit the streets........

We have finally managed to walk together tonight!

I really enjoyed it, was great to chat & I thought the walk went much quicker. Trace & personal trainer went off at a cracking pace & I must admit, my legs took a little while to get going & I was trailing behind the lovely Dons at one point. I'll use the fact that I am the oldest as my excuse.....

We walked 8 miles in 1 hr 54. It was good to walk less tonight, bit of variety, plus the fact that I had a hair appointment after work meant that we started a bit later & didn't want to be out really late. No, I didn't have it done JUST for the walk..............!!

I've still walked 20 miles this week (although personal trainer has walked 30 as she did 10 yesterday morning!!), so am happy with that. Trace & Tracey also did combat this morning, then Trace even managed to go shopping! (Hope you are ok Trace, as I know you were in pain at the end of the walk xx)

We have heard various things about the bras that will be sent to us, lack of support (very important!) being one of them & so are going to buy our own, guess who has already bought hers! We will also have more time to decorate them, want to make them sparkle! We will need to wear them before the big night though to make sure no chafing/falling out (!) will occur, how much sponsorship is that worth then, to see us walking round Felixstowe in them..........??!!!!!!

Gym on Saturday as usual & then hopefully a 12 miler on Sunday, the weeks are starting to go by...................

xx

Swim!

No company for combat tonight for a number of reasons, so rather than be a billy-no-mates, I decided to go for a swim!
I feel fab as I managed to swim 1000m in just over 35 mins, you may think this is a bit lame, but, you have to understand that this is the most I have ever swam non stop & I am not the strongest swimmer either! I really do feel fantastic!
The good book advises you to do a good variety of exercise, so this was a welcome change. As I have only swam in my lunch hour before, it was also good to not have to clock watch all the time.
Came home to a lovely dinner cooked by my wonderful hubby (thanks for being so understanding about the training honey!) & of course...............a Guinness for that energy boost...........!!
I'm hoping to walk on Thursday evening but will be starting a little later, so will possibly be an eight miler. I have been thinking about the weeks that are left & it has dawned on me that the last two weeks before the big night are shorter walks, allowing the body to recover from the big 20 that we have to do. When you look at it like that, you realise that in fact we only have 8 (oh no!!) weeks to build our stamina & get used to physically walking for such a long time, bit of a scary thought...................
XX

Almost half way there......

Last night, personal trainer & I walked 12.2 miles........

We added on what we thought would be a further 2 miles to our ten & were pretty accurate, finishing in 2 hrs 56. Must admit that when we started on the 11th, I did have a bit of a sinking feeling, but overcame the doubts & walked on. Again, that final mile seems to give me that urge to get to the end. I really hope that the crowd will pull us through those last few miles as I really think we will need it. Hopefully, our husbands will be there to support us, which will help so much as well. Am I crazy for feeling emotional about it already?? Perhaps it's the ten year thing for me?? Blimey, am sorry, that's getting quite personal isn't it, sorry for my honesty, don't want to be melodramatic about it, but hope you can begin to understand a bit how much everything means to me..... feel this is a real journey for me.......guess you will be reading what I am thinking over the next few weeks anyway!
Anyway, back to last night!! If someone had said to me that I would be walking for almost 3 hrs, I would have had a bit of a panic...crazy I know as we will take so much longer on the actual night........but I do think it's true what I am reading.....65% of this is in the mind. I have started saying things in my head to push along & I think that is helping. I am so determined to do this........each extra mile feels me with dread to begin with, but once you are walking, you seem to go with the flow of it all. Lets hope this follows through for the big 20 that we do 2 weeks before the big night!
Just have to add...........bladder control training going really well!!! Not a single moment of panic!! I also bought some Lucozade energy sweets, they were ok, not too sweet. Tracey also had some fruit pastilles (thanks to the gorgeous George for choosing them!!) & very tasty they were too. Not sure if I could eat much while walking, so maybe will just be small things like this that you can just suck!
New pink top also bought in readiness for the night, so am easily spotted now as well. Just need to start thinking about those bras.............
xx