Dani's 2013 Challenges.....
Friday 24th May 2013
And the rain came tumbling down......
Before the event of June kick off, I need to get some good long miles in, original plan was to head out on Saturday however, due to family commitments, I decided to take the Friday off work as holiday and walk then.
After I had booked the holiday, I then found out we had an important meeting at work, so not wanting to give postpone training, I re-jigged me route to walk via work - 15 miles each way.
The weather was what can only be described as horrific!!! Torrential rain and gales.... not what I had in mind!
Set off in ample time to get to work in time for the meeting, the rain was continuous, and wasn't letting up! 5 miles in I did think 'what am I doing'... I was soaked and freezing, I did contemplate calling my sister to come and fetch me, but quickly gave myself a good talking too and carried on.
Feet started feeling very squaddy.. and squelchy! Stopping at mile 8, I took my boots off and wringed the water out of my socks. Unfortunately, I had no spares so had to put the wet ones back on :(
Eventually rocked up at work 3:50hrs later, surprisingly felt good all things considered, I put the fact that my joints didn't ache down to the fact I was so cold and wet!
Work kindly gave me some overalls to change into for the meeting, then after the meeting I spent about half an hour drying my clothes under the hand dryer!
The rain still hadn't let up, so stayed at work a little longer than expected. Heading of about 4pm for the walk home, I decided to repeat the route I came, as it was simple and safe. It was a bit harder on the way back as it was headwind.... pushed myself a bit quicker as I wanted to get home before the sun went down!
I had gaffa-taped my feet up before leaving work to dry and keep them dry, this slightly failed when I stepped into a 'deeper than I thought' pothole! :(
Eventually rocked up at home around 7:48pm, a hot bath was in order, followed by a large dinner of pasta and pizza! Felt pretty good apart from a little blister on my baby toe, and a bruised big toe nail.
I'm glad I just cracked on and did it, if I can walk that far in the crappy weather like that, then I think 100km in June is going to be a doddle!
I also am now officially passed my 400 mile marker... upto 423.59 miles!! Yay!!
Thankful of the Bank Holiday weekend now! Its the last one before event kick off!
Take care, steady steps!
Dani xx
Dani's 2013 Challenges.....
Saturday 11th May 2013
Think 'Pink'......
It was that special time of year again, 17,000 women (and the odd man) joining together to pound the streets of London in the name of Breast Cancer, completing either a full or half marathon.... wearing bras!!
Having completed the London Moonwalk in 2011, and volunteered last year, I was back again this year for another round of volunteering... smiles, cheers and lots of hugs were at the ready!
With the powers of Facebook, I have had the opportunity to 'meet' other lovely fellow walkers, we formed a group called Team Moonwalkers (TMW) and have helped support each other through events, Saturday night was the night we were all finally going to meet each other in the flesh!
The weather wasn't the best - cold, windy, raining and with a new venue at Battersea Power Station instead of the lovely Hyde Park it did not deter the amazing walkers, who turned out looking fabulous in their bras!
My shifts for the night put me on the finish line... it was great to be there at the end to see all the walkers come through the line... to take on a challenge like this is tough, but to do it in the middle of the night when you should have been asleep is seriously hardcore, so much more demanding on the body both physically and mentally!
I was in awe of every walker that came through the finish, with the cold weather it was a huge achievement for them all! There were alot of tears from some walkers, so hugs were ready and waiting for them! It was lovely that I was there to greet my fellow TMW Moonies, they are absolutely the best peeps like ever, and I love them all loads! I loved the fact that I was able to give Julie, one the group her Moonwalk medal.. it was her 1st Moonwalk!
After being awake for nearly 36 hours, stood out in the cold, damp for over 13 hours, I wouldn't have changed it for the world... it was a pleasure to be part of the night and I loved every minute of it :)
Dani xx
Dani's 2013 Challenges.....
Monday 6th May 2013
Happy Days......
Sorry for the lack of blog lately... I've been one busy bee! Where do I begin....
Well, after an ickie few weeks of snot and lurgy, I'm finally back to feeling peachy! On the 26th April, I hit the 300 mile mark... I know I'm still behind from my year end target, but you know what... I don't care because I'm just really enjoying the whole journey!
28th April marked Challenge No. 9... Jane Tomlinson's 'Hope & Glory' 14 mile walk in the Peak District.. accompanied by my fab son! The sun was shining, it was a beautiful in a beautiful part of the country! We were up early to get there for the 9am start, it took us just over 5 hours to complete, with the route taking us up and over Win Hill Pike, Back Tor, Lose Hill and the stunning Mam Tor. I have never been more proud of my boy, he did so well!
Managed to get a couple of days off work last week, which made my Bank Holiday weekend a 5 day weekend :) It was also Hubby's birthday so was lovely to spend some quality time together... wanting to keep my training up, he agreed (as a birthday treat) to accompany me on a long bike ride... we mapped a basic route and set out last Friday morning, after 5 hours we had to call it a day as a certain little Pickle needed collecting from school... but we did manage to complete 50.10 miles :)
I was surprised at how good I felt afterwards, apart from a bit tired, I was feeling pretty good (couldn't sit down) but still good ;)
Family BBQ and bouncy castle on the Saturday to celebrate Hubby's birthday, then I completed Challenge No. 10 on the Sunday...... Bling in Motion: 10k Spring Bling! It was a secret squirrel event, and that's all I can say about that one! ;)
Today, went on a little 3 miler with Mother and Pickle up to the lakes to feed the ducks, enjoying the last of the sunshine before its back to reality tomorrow and back to work :(
So, total mileage to date is a grand total of; 378.04 miles in the bank! BOOM!
Ciao for now lovelies!
Dani xx
