Mind Willing, Body - Not Really!

After work I try to get out for a short, fast walk at least twice (preferable three times) a week. I have a standard route which takes me just over an hour and incorporates uphill's and one big downhill. Last week I made a promise to myself that I was going to cut the time to just below an hour by the end of the month. Thursday I did it in 62 minutes, Friday I did it in 59 minutes 17 seconds! It just shows you what determination and an achievable goal can do.

 

Saturday - rest day and coffee with the girls (all afternoon!)

 

Sunday - 15 miles along the prom, Groudle and then back up through Onchan and past the grandstand. My legs felt like they were made of pure lead. I still managed a respectable time but it was hard-going and the last couple of miles were very, very long miles. It's on walks like that one that I wonder how I could possibly manage over 5 times that distance. However, having the occasional walk where you really have to work hard makes the sense of achievement so much stronger and the next one so much easier.

 

Last week I left Parish Walk 2012 with bleeding hands in Laxey.

 

I did get up (or was picked up) and carried on. There was never an option to stop at this point. My hands were too cold to feel too much pain anyway and I hadn't damaged any other body parts, so soldier on it was.

 

I think that Brian was starting to get really tired by this point as he was counting down the miles and the minutes to the end. He was encouraging me to pick up speed on the final leg of our journey. I have to say that I have lots of respect for the people who do the support for the full distance. It's not easy driving slowly along the route, getting in and out of the car every mile or so. I think that walking is probably the easier option!

 

Lonan Parish came and went without a hitch, although why the church is up the top of such a steep hill is anyone's guess.

 

Onchan Parish came and went without a hitch, but the church is at the bottom of a hill which you need to climb to get back up to the main road. When I dibbed in at Onchan the marshall there checked his watch and told me that if I hurried I would still finish in under 20 hours. I didn't need any further encouragement, I thanked him for spending his evening, night and early morning dibbing in the Parish Walkers and continued on my "merry" way.

 

By the time I got onto the prom - only a mile to go - I was desperate for a pee! There was just no way I was going to make another mile so I had to stop. Unfortunately this is where Tony Mackintosh overtook me. I went from position 46 to 47 because of a full bladder.

 

Back on the prom again and I was about 20 yards from the war memorial when I spotted Michelle Turner. I looked at my watch it was 3:49am (19 hours and 49 minutes walking time). I had 11 minutes to walk 20 yards but I still told Michelle that I thought I wasn't going to make it!

 

19 hours 50 minutes and 11 seconds was my official time. 47th finisher overall and 11th lady to finish. Those are numbers I will always remember!

 

Tony was waiting for me at the end to thank me for having to stop as he had been chasing me for quite a while and didn't think he was going to be able to catch me. We have been good friends ever since!

 

My tip of the day - whatever distance you aim to get to in the Parish Walk believe you can do it, put the training in and make it happen.

Track vs Road Walking

Yesterday I did the unspeakable, unthinkable act of resigning halfway through a 10km track race, and not just any race but the Ascot Open.

 

When I arrived at the track my heart and soul were not in the race, looking back now I know that I shouldn't have even started in that frame of mind. But I did start and was doing a reasonably good time (for me) of 29:56 for the first 5km but then I got a yellow card for contact and it just threw me. For the time being I have decided to dedicate my time to road walking.

 

Ever since doing 100 miles around the NSC I have had a mental block against going around the track one more time. It doesn't make much sense to me, but there you have it. That's why I have temporarily (or maybe not) decided to retire from track racing.

 

So to pay penance for my stupidity for not continuing for the 2nd half of the race on Saturday I decided to catch the early morning bus to Ramsey and walk home to Douglas on Sunday. In total it was a distance of 15.8 miles done in 3 hours and 6 minutes. I enjoyed every minute of it, even the section where the wind was blowing a hooley, which wasn't forecast on Accuweather!

 

This brings me to the penultimate section of the 2012 Parish Walk from Glen Mona to Laxey.

 

Now that I knew I was on time for a sub-20 hour race I suddenly had a bit more spring in my step - as much as you can have after walking for 70 miles.

 

Michelle Turner was at the car park at Dhoon offering her support. The main highlights of my walk were all my friends who were out at various locations supporting. Without the supporters the walk would hardly be worth doing! It was at this point that Brian gave me a cup of coffee. The coffee spilt over my gloved hands and I immediately dropped it accusing Brian of trying to burn me. It was scalding hot - or so I thought - to this day he still insists that the coffee was hardly lukewarm. Brian realised then exactly how cold I was. I wasn't feeling the cold until he firmly suggested that I put on a heavier coat. Once I had the coat on and I started to defrost I started to move a little faster and feel a little more human.

 

The trip between Dhoon and Laxey is much longer on the evening of the Parish Walk than it is any other day of the year. I remember thinking that someone had moved Laxey Service Station. When I reached the tram lines going over the road at Laxey Brian was handing me a banana, insisting that I needed to eat something. But I wasn't watching my footing and tripped over the pavement. Because I had very little energy left I dropped like a stone, but Brian immediately lifted me onto my feet and told me to carry on!! There was another support car over the road and the gentleman in the car crossed over to Brian and said "That's a shame, she was doing so well" to which Brian replied "she's still doing well and will finish". That's the kind of support everybody needs. He believed in me even when I was cold, tired and my hands were bleeding!

My tip of the day - warn your support that you may get unreasonable at least once during the walk!

Is it enough training?

I keep reading the other blogs and thinking "am I doing enough training?" I think this may be a common thought amongst the walkers who are preparing to go the full 85 miles. How much is enough? Personally I try to do 3 shorter (5 mileish) walks during the week and a 15 - 20 mile walk over the weekend.

 

I usually go to college on a Tuesday night but this Tuesday I excused myself and attended Strictly Parish. I believe that no matter how many times you have taken part in the Parish Walk, regardless of how far you walked, you can always learn something from someone at a forum like this. There were lots of hints and tips to be taken away and thought about but one thing I felt really stood out was "PLANNING". Plan your training, plan your food, plan your drink, plan your support, plan your strategy to get to your finishing point, plan your clothing, plan your foot preparation. Really good advice for every walker out there.

 

I was out training on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evening after work, I felt really sluggish and battled to get up a good, consistent pace. I was feeling frustrated because I knew I could do better. On Saturday morning I went out thinking it was going to be another difficult session but I felt great, I picked up the pace almost immediately and kept it up all the way. Maybe I'm just a morning person!

 

Back to 2012 and Lezayre - I had almost 10 hours to complete 23.5 miles, this was probably the point that I knew I could finish and I was feeling quite strong. This was also the point where my body decided that it could no longer stomach solid food. I was given a Nutri Grain bar in Ramsey but I carried it all the way to Maughold almost untouched. From Ramsey to Maughold church seemed an eternity, I can't lie - it's a long, dark road when you've already covered 64 miles.

 

From Peel to Maughold Brian had been waiting a mile ahead of me, seeing if I needed anything and then driving on another mile. From Maughold he decided to cut the distance to half a mile, I was tired, cold, wet but nevertheless determined to carry on. It's a hard walk from Maughold church up Ballajora and back to the main road, it was pouring down and it was like walking through a river with sticks floating all over the road, but I plodded on (yes "plodded"). I was so relieved to see the sign at the top of the hill saying Laxey and Douglas. I was on my way home!

 

When I got to Glen Mona my brain started to engage again. I was trying to calculate how long it would take me to finish. Alas, my brain was not all it used to be. For the life of me I couldn't work out how many miles I had to go. I figured I was reasonably close to a 20 hour finish - this was way faster than I could possibly have hoped for, maybe my calculations were way off. Next time I met up with Brian I asked him to work out my finishing time based on my current speed, which was around 4.5 miles/hour. He agreed, I was going to finish in under 20 hours.

 

My tip of the day - From Strictly Parish - start planning now, it's worth planning for.

 

 

Peel to Lezayre

Another successful week for training. 32 miles in total. I think I'm actually getting used to the wind and rain now. The weather has got no chance of stopping me, possibly 3 foot of snow or very icy conditions may slow me down!

 

Last week's blog took us to Peel in just over 7 hours - bang on schedule. This is where Brian, my support met me. For me it was just a little too late, I was very wet and hungry. I was so glad to see him and my sandwiches. Mental note to self - meet up a little earlier next year.

 

Walking into Peel 2012

My next target was to get from Peel to Lezayre in another 7 hours. I felt strong still and definitely had no desire to stop. I think I was actually enjoying the walk. Brian seemed to be enjoying the support role as well, he was meeting up with friends he hadn't seen for a few years. They had quite a while to chat whilst waiting for their respective walkers! Walking through Kirk Michael was great - groups of people at The Mitre have a list of walkers and their numbers, as you walk past they all call out your name like they're old friends! These are the little things that keep us going. Without supporters the Parish Walk would not be the same.

 

It seems a long way from Ballaugh Church to Andreas Church. It is actually 13 miles but it's a long, straight and relatively lonely road. Getting into Andreas was a pleasure, there was a party going on and people were cheering the walkers through. I remember dibbing in at Andreas but I have no recollection of dibbing at Bride, although I must have because my time was recorded! There are various points along the way that I don't have a clear memory of.

 

A fair amount of my training was done between Andreas and Ramsey so I was in very familiar territory now. I was eating at regular intervals, just small, frequent amounts to keep me going but not causing any discomfort. I was also drinking enough that I never felt dehydrated.

 

I dibbed in at Lezayre Church at 14 hrs 3 mins, less than 7 hours from Peel. Still on target with a comfortable amount of time left to finish the 23.5 miles left.

 

My tip of the day : stop trying to find excuses to train. Just get out and do it!

Future, Present and Past

The Future : 

 

25th February is Strictly Parish - this is being held at Keyll Darree, next to Nobles Hospital. This is a great forum to get all those questions you have answered and also some you never thought to ask. No matter how far you plan to go on the day there will be information available to help you get to your goals. There is more information on when and where this is being held on www.parishwalk.com. See you there!

 

Sunday 16th Feb 2014
 

The Present :

 

Wow what a lovely day to go for a walk today. Sunshine and more sunshine. No rain and very little wind. Dare I say it was even quite warm once I got going. Today I walked along the prom and past Groudle Glen to Liverpool Arms then past the grandstand before heading off home. A total of 15 miles on a sunny day.



 

Sunday 16th Feb 2014



What a difference from last week. Last Saturday I caught the bus to Dhoon and joined Steve and Tom Partington and Michelle Turner for some hill sprints. Afterwards I walked from Dhoon to Douglas in a strong headwind. Luckily I managed to get all the way to Douglas prom without getting wet. Unfortunately as I got onto the prom I was hit by a giant wave - totally drenched and freezing cold.

 

On Wednesday, despite many weather warnings I still decided to go out for a training walk. It turned out to be more of a run in some places. The gusts were just too much for me and I couldn't keep to walking, luckily I did manage to stay on my feet at all times (I'm not sure how!)

 

The Past :

 

Back to the start line in 2012. So many people had told me not to start off too fast as I was likely to burn out around Bride but the adrenaline and excitement had hit and I was keen to get out of the NSC and onto the road. The first section of my plan was to get to Peel in 7 hours. My training and my races are always timed by my Garmin watch, without it I'd be lost. I had worked out exactly how much time I had between Parishes and I had also worked out the speed I needed to go to achieve my goal to Peel.

 

The highlight of the first third of the walk was the hot sausages somewhere around the Blackboards!

 

I made it to Peel in 7hrs 6mins. I was very happy with that time, at this point I was well ahead of the cutoff time. I can now say that the Sloc is not as bad as everyone told me it would be!!!

 

My tip of the day : if it suits your style - plan as much as possible so that you know how you're doing throughout your walk.

 

Reasons for Entering

There must be as many reasons for entering the Parish Walk as there are people who enter!

My reason for entering the first time was because I was cajoled, begged, pleaded with and practically bribed by a friend. He wanted someone to walk with and someone who he believed was determined enough to finish it. So I agreed, reluctantly!

I decided if I was going to enter then I was definitely going to finish. My training started in January 2012 so I had 5 months to increase the fitness and find out what was required to get to the end. That also gave me 2 weeks to rest my weary bones before the day of the Parish Walk.

 

My training program was usually 3 x fast 5 mile walks during the week and a longer distance over the weekend, usually between 15 and 20 miles. Each time I went out I tried to better my time, so essentially I was racing against myself. All praise goes to my trusty Garmin watch!

 

I was advised to take it easy for 2 weeks before the Parish Walk but it was the longest 2 weeks ever. I was so used to doing all the training that taking 2 weeks rest seemed such a waste of time. I was so excited and nervous and terrified. The night before the Walk I hardly slept - not good when I knew I had to stay awake for the next 24 hours as well.

 

The big day arrived and my friend and I had arranged to meet at 7:30am at the NSC. Guess what - he didn't pitch up! I walked alone! I thoroughly enjoyed it (except for Maughold and Ballajora!). The photo opposite is at the start line, my number is 1641 and I look like I'm praying. I don't think I was, but I don't really remember much.

 

At this point I had no idea what to expect. I'd never walked at night before, much less walked through the day, through the night and into the next day. My 2012 plan was to finish in under 24 hours.

 

My tip of the day : if you really want to finish the Parish Walk then go all out to finish it. This means training your mind as well as your body to get to the end.

Time to Distance Train

So that just about cover the preparation for the Parish Walk!

• Food
• Drink
• Supplements
• Clothes
• Head Torch
• Hi Viz Clothes and Gear
• Support
• Supplements
• Shoes
• Feet Preparation

All that needs to be done is training and more training.

 

The weather hasn't been the best for getting out walking. I managed to get out after work this week and thoroughly enjoyed the walks. I have a new recruit, Kayleigh who is planning on doing the Parish Walk and determined to finish. I wish her the best of luck and hope to get out training with her on a regular basis. We aim to walk the route together over the next few weeks.

The Winter Walking League draws to a close today (Sunday 2nd February), so it's now time to concentrate on some serious distance training.

 

The Parish Walk Talk is scheduled for Tuesday 25th February so if you have any questions this is a good place to get them answered.
 

My tip of the day - try out food, drink, supplements and feet preparation on your training walks.