Photos.........................

Tracey & me in the pink tent............

Us girlies getting ready to walk the walk.............

Walking the walk..........................

So much emotion as we approach the finish........

In sunny Hyde park.............

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What an experience.....

I can't believe it's Thursday already....just think how we were all feeling this time last week.....I have to say that part of me wishes it WAS last Thursday so that we could experience the walk all over again.......yes, it was that fantastic!!

We left Ipswich on the 3.08pm train & even saw a couple of fellow walkers at the station. Before we knew it, we were stepping off at Liverpool St, being met by Trace's brother Jason. He took us to a lovely cafe where we all had a drink.....very healthy ones though. The toilets were very spacious, so we decided to change into our bras there.......the only thing was, they were communal ones!! Yes, you guessed it...a poor unsuspecting man walked in as we were in the process of changing...luckily, I think he was more embarrassed than us!!
We then set off on the underground for Marble Arch. Can you believe that Tracey even saw someone she knew at the station! At this point, I was really starting to feel nervous....but, very excited too, after all we had been waiting such a long time for this. I could feel the tears even at this point. Then it was just a very short walk to Hyde Park where we joined the huge queue.
I was overwhelmed by the size of Playtex City....the huge pink tent was the size of two football pitches put length to length & with all the people there, it was just amazing. It was a very organised as well, so no panic about anything.

The atmosphere was electric....we were ready......

Nina, the founder of the walk, gave a very moving speech. A friend of hers had sadly lost her battle with breast cancer just two weeks previously....the emotion was starting to get to me.
We were all asked to hold our hands in the air with the person next to us & remember why we were doing this....whether in memory of loved ones, because we had been or were going through the horror of breast cancer or because we wanted to help those who were & to try to ensure that in years to come, the treatment would keep improving & that a cure may even be found.
The minute silence was just so........well, I don't really know how to describe it.....at this point Tracey gave my hand a gentle squeeze......that was it, the tears came then (it makes me feel emotional even as I write this) & then we all hugged. I then received a text from our friend Sarah, such beautiful words....the tears came again.
We all then had a big warm-up which was fun & then it was off to the start. This was it, what all the training had been about. The slight drizzle soon stopped & after a couple of miles, I took off the plastic raincoat & walked proudly in my bra for the whole walk......how liberating it felt!!
Tracey had written my number & "Bella" (best nickname I have ever had, thank you) across my chest & on my back, "survivor, 10 years". As we walked, the marshalls would say "come on , Bella", "morning Bella", "keep going Bella" & other words of encouragement & it felt very personal because they said my name.
Every little bit helped.
I also had a couple of comments from people about my being a survivor. I know others noticed it as they would be talking as I passed them & then as I got in front of them, they would suddenly stop. I even turned round & smiled at some, because, do you know, I think the walk reminded me of how lucky I am & how I really shouldn't be afraid to say that I had breast cancer ten years ago & that I survived. One lady even ran up to me, tapped me on the shoulder & said that she too was a survivor of ten years.....what a wonderful feeling, I really felt like a survivor & felt so lucky to be alive...........

Cherish life, it really is so very precious.

Unfortunately, Dons' hubby couldn't travel to London, but the other three did & were waiting at Chelsea Bridge, Buckingham Palace & at the finish. To see them in 3 places was brilliant as I thought it would only be at the end. It was absolutely wonderful to see them cheering us on & they took some great pictures which I will load on here soon. Thank you boys, you are all wonderful.

I have such wonderful memories of the walk: just everything was amazing, whether it was walking proudly in my bra, the words of encouragement from the fantastic marshalls, the sights of London, the funny walks that some women did (almost pee'd my pants at some of them!), the encouraging texts (even from my daughter Jess at 3am!), the telephone conversation I had with my very drunk boss, Ade, at 1.30am (he wanted to know how the walk was going & that he was thinking of me!!), waving to everyone who was watching or driving past, walking as the sun rose..........it was all just GREAT!!!!

I have now fully recovered from the walk & it has felt really strange not walking this week. I'm going to give it just a few more days & will then go for a good walk! I will keep on walking as it made me feel fantastic &, in the words of Gaz, the 23 year old that I work with.......
"you don't want to stop the walking now as everything will go south, especially at your age"!!!!!!
Nice boy.

Thank you all so much for sponsoring me & giving me much appreciated words of encouragement & support, it all helped me so much.
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ps. I have registered my interest for next year..........who knows if I will do it, but I know I have to give myself that option.

pps. I haven't told lovely hubby yet.........if he says anything, I'll know that he has actually been reading my blog....!!!

Well done girlies....we did it!!

Just a mini blog......more will follow in next couple of days....

Tracey & I crossed that wonderful finishing line at 06.38am, completing the 26.2 miles in about 6 hours 45 minutes........the first 3 miles took about an hour...people everywhere....and as you know, it really is the actual finishing that counts, what an amazing achievement for us all!

Sadly however, we didn't finish with Trace & Dons....
We were separated just about mile 11-12...due to sheer volume of people. We did chat on the phone but were not always sure where each other were. We knew that at about 21-22 miles, they were only a few minutes behind us....so we tried to slow a bit & they tried to increase their pace a bit....very hard for both pairs to do.....you get used to walking at a pace & then it is very hard to change after so many miles...also, just a few minutes difference can mean a long distance walking.
I was also in a real dilemma...because I had slowed my pace, my knees started to seize up.....slowing was probably the worst thing I could have done, maybe it would have been better to keep on going as normal & walk through the problem. But, I really did want to finish with them but I didn't know if by slowing down more, I would actually stop & that would have been the worst thing for me to do. I felt really torn about what to do...
Throughout the training, we had tended to train as pairs mainly due to the times each of us could walk, me with Tracey & Trace & Dons together. So in this respect, I guess it felt almost normal to walk in pairs but, as this was THE walk, maybe we should have kept in touch more & found each other.
At mile 24-ish Trace said (thank goodness for mobiles, when they could be heard above the noise of the walk) that they had not really expected to finish with us & that it was ok...carry on...we'd meet the other side.

So, I tried to up my pace again which helped my knees & Tracey & I walked arm in arm (and yes, I cried) to the finish................

I have said all along that this was such a personal journey & challenge for each of us & you know how much so for me. I found the few miles where I tried to slow down so emotional & hard, but maybe that would have been like that anyway? The most we had walked was 20 miles, so we really didn't know how our bodies & minds would react to the extra 6.2 miles.
It was great to see Trace & Dons' faces as they walked hand in hand over the line shortly after us, they had walked brilliantly. We still managed to have the all important "medal" photo taken together.
Even though we didn't finish together, we will have wonderful memories to cherish forever.
XX

I will blog all of our special day soon......

Good morning.......

Yes, it's almost 6.30am & I am up & wide awake.........
I guess I had about 7 hours sleep, about normal for me really, but once I was awake, that was it today. No point just laying in bed.
I know Tracey will be awake now as gorgeous George normally toddles into her room about 6am. Dons & Trace are hoping to sleep in until about 10 so hope they are still sound asleep.
I have just seen the weather on the BBC & although it's going to rain quite heavily throughout the day, the forecast for overnight when you will all be sleeping & us girlies will be doing the hard bit, is pretty good! It's going to be dry.......keep those fingers crossed.....about 9 degrees.....bit chilly, but have walked in zero degrees & snow........& then bright about 6am....that's great, hopefully a beautiful sunrise (5.04 am I think!) over London to help us with those final hard miles!
I am feeling surprisingly calm...so far....but am going to try to keep busy this morning to keep those nerves under control...can't wait to do the ironing (!) & watch Saturday Kitchen .....James Martin, what can I say.... and he can cook............
XX

Only about 29 hours to go....!!

Well, it's official, we have finally made page 3.......of the Evening Star...not the other Star!! Have a look at http://www.eveningstar.co.uk/ as well, where we are the "editor's choice"!! They have only made a couple if mistakes.....one of which is getting the names of the two Traces the wrong way round under the photo...ooops! Don't worry my lovelies...we know who you are!
I'm glad that work is over as I have felt a bit weird (not much change there, I know) all day, just full of emotions, nerves & maybe a little PANIC as well! I did wear my bra for the afternoon, though with my zippy top, so not on full view, just a sneak preview.....was very funny.
I have been hearing the Moonwalk mentioned on the radio all day & each time have felt the butterflies kick in as I'm sure the other thousands taking part have done as well.
I'm now off to cook the very reliable tuna hash as this is what I ate the night before doing the big 20 miles & I'm sure it helped.......
Fingers crossed for a good night's sleep..........
XX

48 hours to go.....................

My goodness, I am soooo tired. I'm sitting here like a nodding dog, so it's only going to be a short blog tonight....
Tracey & I walked the final 4 miles of our training tonight....the weather was much cooler than Tuesday but we still walked in our bras, although we had to keep our jackets on a bit until we had warmed up. It does feel strange now that the training is complete & having walked over 350 miles, we are ready!!!
Oh.......yes.......we.......are!!
Positive mental attitude.
We are putting the final plans in place for the big day.....from ensuring correct knickers (see blog of February 18th!) are worn, to Green & Black choc for me!
I am hoping to have a bit of a bumper sponsorship day tomorrow & am hoping that wearing my bra for while in the office (yes, crazy I know) will help...that is if I can pluck up the courage to!! The article also goes in the local paper tomorrow on PAGE 3...how appropriate is that.......we DID have our t-shirts on for the photos though!!
XX

No walk, I know but.....

I know, no walk tonight & I guess it's a bit unusual for me to do a blog but.....
I am just feeling so many emotions at the moment......the excitement is really starting to build up along with the butterflies...and then there is the whole emotional side of it...I know I am going to shed a few tears at some point, just so many thoughts going through my head, the ten year thing is foremost in my mind as well at the moment.
I have been receiving messages of support from family, friends & people I deal with through work. These are really lovely & are helping me to keep feeling positive. I do know I can do this as I have trained so hard (thanks, personal trainer, for everything) & am ready for the challenge but I would be lying if I said that I wasn't scared as well! Guess it's only natural.
I know that a few people will be texting me late on Saturday evening & if anyone else that knows me would like to, please leave a comment on my blog & I'll be in touch with my mobile number.
Tomorrow night sees the last training walk & in a way, I feel a bit sad about that. I have really enjoyed walking with Tracey & will miss her company & our chats......she has been a real star.
XX

Bra-tastic.............

The four of us (plus a friend's sister who will be doing the half moon & travelling to London with us) walked in our bras for 4 miles around Felixstowe this evening...........
I think we were all a little embarrassed to begin with..I know I was & giggled like a girl!! After all, how often do you walk around your home town in the early evening with your bra on full display for all to see??!!
Once we got over the initial shock though (& how cold we were up top!) I think we all really enjoyed it. We certainly got some looks...I don't think some people could quite believe what they were seeing! What a laugh! We also saw more police cars than usual, perhaps they had received reports of 5 mad women who'd seemed to have forgotten to put their tops on!! Before we knew it, Dons was even swinging her t-shirt around in the air....
We walked 4 miles in the speedy time of 45 minutes, good job as it helped us warm up.
Wednesday is almost here.........my eating plan is going well & I seem to have eaten like a horse today.....also drinking loads of water so am also peeing like one too!! I have resisted the temptation to open one of the 7 cans of Guinness that are in my fridge...yes that's SEVEN..well they were on special offer & I do love my Guinness but am beginning to wish that I had put them in the shed or somewhere out of view! I have been a good girl though.
One thing though...weather forecast is not looking so good for Saturday so far....we don't want it too warm just DRY!!
Just the one final training walk on Thursday before the big one...
XX
Ps. Our local paper are doing an article on my "story" & we had our very own "photo shoot" before tonight's walk....in our t-shirts though!! We had a right giggle as he made us walk along the road together & then pose as he took photos...he wouldn't let us choose which ones will go in the paper & as we were really laughing, who knows what we will all look like.......!!
XX

Butterflies.......

As we had an evening out last night celebrating Mrs G's 40th birthday, we decided to forego the usual early morning walk & so set off this evening for the final 6 miler as Tuesday & Thursday's walks are just 4 miles each. It was a very warm 20 degrees, even at 7.30! We stepped it out nicely, even though it was so warm. We certainly had lots to talk about with the big night only being 6 days away!
I still can't quite believe that it is so close now & that this time next week it will all be over. I have to say that the butterflies are beginning...
Last night also marked the final alcohol to pass my lips until after the big night. I will not even have a Guinness.....but to be honest, I have found that I have naturally cut down on my alcohol intake (not that it was excessive, honest!) since we have been walking further distances, so I am sure that it will be easy not to have any this week. We have taken our training seriously after all, as 26.2 miles is certainly no walk in the park as I know only too well.
However, having said that, I am looking forward to that first cold pint........
I have also started the final week's eating plan....lots of carbohydrates, eating every 2-3 hours & drinking lots of water. I am going to try to get some extra sleep as well (says she, sitting typing at 11.15pm) as I think I will have trouble sleeping on Friday night...nerves, excitement & PANIC!!!!!
Tuesday's walk will see us walking those 4 miles in our decorated bras to make sure that they are completely comfortable. I am a bit nervous about that which is a bit silly I know. It's one thing to be among 15,000 others walking just in bras, but a completely different thing to be two women walking round Felixstowe in bras...
Maybe I am just a shy girl at heart really (!) but I should remember that when my bra arrived, I did say I would be loud & proud....no going back on that now...so.....bring it on!!
XX

ps. It is estimated that there are approximately 172,000 women alive today who were first diagnosed with breast cancer at least ten years ago...that's me included... So do please try to pass this on to get people to sponsor me so that we can keep that figure rising through improved research & treatment of this terrible disease.
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Nine days & counting......

Don't know what's wrong with me.....I really have got that spring in my step.....
Tracey & I walked the same 6 miles again tonight in 1 hour 6 minutes & I felt like I was walking on air....it was really fantastic!
We set off an hour later than normal & I think this was a really good idea as the weather was a bit cooler although still pleasant & we must remember that we will be walking overnight when the temperature will be very different.
I am looking forward to the walk soooo much but do have a few worries apart from the fact that it's 26.2 miles......
A previous moonwalker has told us that one of her biggest problems was lack of sleep & that it was in the middle of the night that her body hit the "lack of sleep" wall & felt like it would just stop......do you know, I hadn't even thought about that. Fingers crossed then, guess it's just another challenge to get through. I'm not going to stay up all night in preparation though! Perhaps remembering the fantastic nights I have had in Prague where I haven't got to bed until 7am (YES, it's true!!) will help! I survived my last 3 night visit to Prague with just over 14 hours sleep (one of which was an afternoon nap!) but of course alcohol played a part in that & not walking 26.2 miles!!
Tracey's brother has run the London marathon before & says that no amount of training can prepare you for the last 6.2 miles & that these can feel like another 20 miles.....oh!! We know that the last few miles will be probably be the biggest hurdle as we just don't know how our bodies will react, a very scary thought. That will be when we will need the biggest support & hopefully when there will be lots of people to cheer us on. So, if you happen to wake up in the middle of the night......send me a text, it could do me the world of good!!
Only one more 6 miler to do & then it's just 3 miles on Tuesday (in our bras!!) & Thursday. Can you believe it, only nine days to go........
XX

ps. HAPPY BIRTHDAY tomorrow to the lovely Mrs G....40 years old (39 + 1)

pps. 4 weeks today, Costa del Sol, here we come...!!

Ready set go.............................

Bouncing along nicely......

After our mammoth challenge on Sunday, our mini challenge tonight was to walk 5 miles in less than an hour.....never done by me before but a few times by personal trainer! In fact, our remaining training walks are just 3 & 5 miles, all to be walked speedily......
Unfortunately, I haven't felt well for a couple of days & in fact, hadn't eaten today at all as I had felt a bit sick, think I may have picked up bit of a bug. No fuel for me then. But, I was still looking forward to the walk.....
We actually haven't walked just a 5 mile one before so we decided to do 6, purely because we have a choice of routes to do. No High Road for us though, I think we have had enough of that one!
I really enjoyed the walk, it was great & I had a big spring in my step. We walked the 5 in 56 minutes & the 6 in just 1 hour 7 minutes....we normally do 6 in about 1hour 20, so we really did walk faster. The route was easier though, no hills & nice & straight.
We met the Felixstowe runners on the final mile & many of them said "well done" or "good luck" as we passed each other, it was lovely & I just kept saying "aaahh isn't that lovely".....oh dear, I can see that I will get emotional on the big night if people encourage us along the way.
I know that I am going to find the whole day very emotional anyway & just have to go with the flow of my emotions. We have trained so hard for this & it means so much to us all.
I have thought about so many things over the past few months, not least the approaching tenth anniversary of discovering I had breast cancer, which in itself is bringing so many emotions to the surface.....best take lots of tissues & avoid mascara.....I don't want that wonderful moment of crossing the line immortalised in a photo of me with mascara streaks down my face!! However......don't laugh, but lippy IS going in my arse bag just for that very reason...that very special photo!!
XX

Aftermath.....

Well, I am tired..............really tired.

My feet really do ache & I also have a couple of blisters, not too bad though & at least I only have short miles from now on so they should recover quickly. I wish I could wear my slippers to work rather than heels but don't think it would be a good look! My legs are fine though which I am surprised about.......obviously the training has all been worth it.
I am sooo glad that today was a Bank Holiday as the extra day to recover has been great. I can't remember the last time I felt so tired.
Only 12 days to go.........we have overcome the physical battle, hard as it has been, & now it's just (the really important bit!) the mental battle, believing that we CAN do this. I know that I can get through the physical, I have hit that pain barrier so many times now & managed to carry on. I really just need to keep my mind focused & keep being positive & it will be ok.....any words of encouragement would be greatly appreciated...please!!
I'm now off to soak my poor feet in luxurious oils...........
XX

The big one.....

How glad am I that this is over.................
Tracey & I started our 20 miles just after 6.30 this morning &, lucky for us, it was mild & dry. Our first two miles were a bit slow.....my old banger legs again! But, we soon made it up during our third mile. Off came my jacket as the temperature was now rising fast.
It's funny that we won't be walking this route & other long evening ones anymore.......we have got used to seeing the same things over the past few weeks, some quirky such as a couple sitting in their camper van in their front garden drinking wine (yes, it's true!), changes in the gardens we pass & even the same people on some routes!
The walk was going really well, my legs weren't causing me too much trouble & I avoided thinking about the huge distance we were facing, choosing instead to just take each mile as it came.
We were soon walking along the High Road & I strode through that awful twelfth mile, not completely ok, but better than normal. It was really very warm & sunny now, a refreshing change for us. However, it was during the fifteenth mile that my legs suddenly ached, more than last week as well. I felt quite low & with still over five to go, my legs felt like lead. I just had to keep going though, stopping, even just to stretch is not an option as I would worry that I wouldn't get going again!
I had to dig really deep, which is something I haven't had to do for a while. I started thinking about those reasons for doing this again. I also remembered my son saying to me yesterday how proud of me he was....little things that keep me going. So, I set myself little targets to help...get to the bridge, get to the church, get to the traffic lights.....take each mile as it comes.....
Tracey has since told me that she was quite worried about me at this point as the colour had drained from my face....
At the 17th mile we carried on instead of turning for home & walked along the cliff top. This turned out to be a bit of a blessing for me.......it was soooo peaceful with just the sound of the sea & only the occasional car passing us......I felt so much better & although there were still almost three miles to go, I knew I could do it. When we reached the 18th, I got that spring in my step again, it seems unbelievable to say this after walking 18 miles!!
It felt fantastic to walk those last two miles knowing what we were achieving, getting through the hard times & getting home!
We walked the last two miles in 25 minutes...faster than we had walked the first two miles earlier!! I couldn't believe that. Tracey's hubby & children were waiting for us at the end of their road & their welcome was very much appreciated! I even raced Tracey home!! Amazing after 20 miles!
However, more amazing to me was the fact that we had walked the 20 miles in 4 hours 13 minutes.......what an achievement, especially after my struggles of the day.
I do ache now & am very tired, but know that I can cross that finishing line in under two weeks time & feel fantastic.......
XX

Pause for thought

Please think about this for a moment.........

I heard this the other day & it shocked me so much......

Think about these women, their families & friends......

About 44000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year.
That's about 120 a day........

About 13000 women DIE every year from breast cancer.
That's about 35 a day........

Enough said.

Take the weight off your chest love.......

What a difference 48 hours makes.........
Our 8 mile walk tonight was in evening sunshine, warm & DRY!!!!!!! It was lovely & I really enjoyed it.
Mind you, I had had an awful day at work & for the first time ever had thrown a hormonal hissy fit ..........ooops. I felt so crap that I decided I was in need of a treat, I resisted the urge to buy Galaxy or even go for a Guinness......so bought a couple of bread & butter puddings, but, not just any bread & butter pudding....M & S bread & butter puddings!!!!! I had my savoury rice mid afternoon & then thought I'd have one of the puddings, but then thought sod it, have them both...a bit of comfort food & fuel as well....yummy! Felt much better after that.
So I was really looking forward to getting out in the fresh air & blowing the cobwebs & stresses of the day away. Maybe that's why I enjoyed the walk so much as well.
Sunday will be the last time we will walk the High Road & also the longest distance we will train as the final walks are only 5 & 3 mile ones.....I still can't believe we are so close to the big night & we can now say it's "this month"...............
Tracey & I were also discussing when we will walk in our actual bras......just in them, no t-shirt on! Luckily it will only be a 3 mile walk so we won't shock the people of Felixstowe too much!
XX

ps. Why this title for the blog......well let's just say that I felt I had a bit of an unfair disadvantage tonight & felt a bit too weighed down...lots of movement going on...no black eyes though...!!!!!!