Marathon Day!

Well the big day has finally arrived.

My bum bag is packed, my bra is decorated, I'm munching on carbs and drinking plenty of water. Feeling fairly prepared but still mildly aprehensive in amongst the excitement. Heading off to the park at 8:30pm and then the walk will begin at midnight.

Hopefully should cross the finish line by 7:30am. Off to Dalavich straight after but will post how i got on once I'm back.

Saturday 6th June 2009

I set off this morning with the goal of walking 20 miles. Unfortunately by 2 miles in my ankle was starting to play up. I slowed my pace down though and carried on. By 5 miles it was really starting to hurt so another slowing of pace and I decided to carry on whilst deciding what I should do. By 8 miles I was nearly hobbling so decided it best to stop for the day.

If I'd carried on I'd likely have done myself more harm than good and possibly jepordize my chances of actually managing the walk on the day.

So with two weeks left to go, I'm finished my long walks. I'm going to try and get out for a few shorter walks just to be sure my ankle is ok. I've got a bra decorating session this week and then moving my sleep pattern to nights to help give me enough energy for the big day.

Sunday 31st May

Today was another solo walking day. Another 16 miles in sweltering heat. I took the route along the Water of Leith again but this time I went 8 miles along and then turned round and came home.

I was really thankful for the shade and fast tempo tunes on my mp3 player kept me at a good speed. Made it home in 4 hours 15 minutes, including photo/snack breaks!

Beginning to actually feel optimistic about the walk now. If I can do 16 miles with barely any aches then I should be ok for the 26.2 miles.

Next walk: sat/sun 20 miles. Final long distance walk before cutting down to short walks and high carbs in the final two weeks before.

Better start decorating that bra!

24th May

Really nice walk along a lovely scenic route today. Today's walk was with Kate. We got the bus to just over 3 miles outside Balerno. From there we walked to the start of the Water of Leith. Nice walk through some lovely scenic areas. We were met part way along by Lorraine and her dogs. Finally made it to the end of the route in Leith, cramp in the arches of my feet but otherwise ok so walked the extra mile home.

Weather: gorgeous sunshine (aka freckle weather)
Company: Kate and Lorraine and 2 dogs
Distance: 17 miles
Time: 5 hours including lunch break etc

Next long walk: Sunday 31st May - 16 miles.

17th May

I decided to skip the seven mile walk I should have done on Friday as my knees were giving me real pain after my walk on Wednesday.

Had a fantastic 14 mile walk around the castle estate back home. Surrounded by beautiful forests, countryside, views of the lake district, what more could a girl want. Despite the hills I managed it without feeling too achey so I must be improving.

Saw lots of lambs and two deer in the road amongst so much else. The weather even held out for me too.

13th May

I had a really nice 7 mile walk out to the end of Portobello and back along the sea front. It was still windy but at least it wasn't as wet as the last time I did that walk.

Made good time on it too.

10th May

Ok so I failed for a while at keeping this blog. Beltane and life got in the way. However I am now back on track and fully training so I'm going to try and keep up with this again.

Went for a really nice long walk. 10 miles out to Roslin, then a number of miles through the glen before getting a bus back to town. My legs ached a bit but I figure a few more walks like that and I'll be fine. The road part was a little uninteresting but once in to the glen there was so many things to look at that I was distracted from how my legs felt.

Once back in town, I decided to push myself that bit further and walk the few miles home as well.

Miles: about 15
Time: irrelevant due to breaks and very uneven ground through the glen.
Weather: Sunshine (and sunburn) with intermittent cloud and light rain.
Company: Kate

Walk days

I think i'm going to change "Next walk" to "Miles left to walk this week". I'm really not doing very well at going out for my walks on the days I'm supposed to. I'm still getting the distances done but at different times.

Distance: 6.2 miles
Time: 9:00am
Weather: Glorious sunshine, nice fresh breeze and a lovely little bit of haze hanging over the city.
Time taken: 1.5 hours (4mph)

I had a really nice walk today. I walked to Arthur's Seat, up and round the road and then back to my flat. It was really enjoyable. I stopped to take some photos and enjoy the views. My headphones are broken so it was just me and the sound of my feet. This had one advantage/disadvantage... it gave me time to think.

Things I realised:

• They're right when they say replace your shoes after a marathon. Mine have done training for and participated in 2 x 5K runs and 1 marathon. They're really not comfy anymore. My heel felt like it was on fire by the time I got home and all the cushioning has gone. This is really annoying as it's at least £60 I can't spare at the minute.
  

• I need a new sports bra. Fair enough, on the night I have to wear some silly little decorated number but there's no reason I should suffer in the meantime.

• My water bottle leaks. Think I'll go back to trusty Sigg bottles.

Miles still to walk this week: 3 (tomorrow)

Slight slip from the plan.

Monday and Wednesday's walks didn't happen due to not feeling great and also having a uni deadline fast approaching. I did however have an unscheduled walk of 3 miles today so if I bump tomorrow's walk up to 4 miles, I'll still have done enough distance to make up for Friday's 3 mile walk and the 2 x 2 mile walks from earlier in the week.

Next walk: (Study permitting) Friday, 4 miles.

Weekend walks

How odd, the post I put up on Saturday has completly disappeared.

Only managed 2 miles on Saturday as I wandered home from the farmers market (got a bus a mile from home as I needed to get home and start working. I made up for it though with an unscheduled 3 mile walk home from my rehearsal on the meadows yesterday.

Thankfully the weather held up for both my walks though Saturday was a bit blustery.

Next walk: today, 2 miles.

Two for the price of one.

I really must resist the urge to start every entry with "Well".

Tuesday's walk didn't happen as I wasn't feeling well but I made up for it this evening. I walked 3 miles to my BFS rehearsal. Played about for an hour and a half then after chat walked back 3 miles. So really I've done 2 miles extra on top of what I needed to for Tuesday/Thursday.

Weather was clear. Timing was pretty good, faster there than back as had company on the way home. Happy.

Next walk: Saturday, 3 miles.

Sunday March 8th

It was so cold today. Walked 2 miles uphill to Calton Hill for a rehearsal. It was a slow walk as i had the wind in my face the majority of the way. Walked nearly 2 miles back after rehearsal but thankfully the weather had eased a bit by then.

Next walk: tuesday, 2 miles.

Ouch!

Yesterday's Earth point rehearsal took more out of me than expected. Must remember to start streching on a daily basis for the sake of my poor aching arms.

So I decided to give my muscles a rest and not walk today. Should make up for it tomorrow though with a 3 mile walk to the farmer's market in the morning.

Now I'm going for a hot bath as the taps have finally been fixed. Yay!

Extra walks

I didn't have a walk scheduled for today but after a fun evening running around on the meadows at a Beltane rehearsal I decided to walk the 2.5 miles home.

Didn't time it but was buzzing from the evening and really enjoyed it.

4th March

I only needed to walk a mile today but a combination of needing to go to Sainsbury's and Greig's flat meant I actually walked nearly 3.5 miles.

It was lovely and sunny with just a very mild breeze, my favourite walking conditions.

Next walk: Friday, 2 miles.

March 2nd

Well I am now 16 weeks away from the Moonwalk so the training officially starts here. To avoid confusion of having to alter and change my training plan, I'm starting it again from the beginning. I'm also going to make more of an effort to update this following walks.

So I walked 1 mile. I probably could have got away with taking it as a rest day as we walked a lot over the weekend in London but hey, it's not like a mile will kill me.

Next walk: Wednesday, 1 mile.

Well Thursday's walk didn't actually happen as I didn't leave enough time for getting ready to go home.

However I made up for it by walking over 3 miles on Saturday instead. It was a really pleasant walk. I thought I'd be slow as part of it was on grass but I finished in just 40 minutes which is really good for me. I really enjoy walking in the countryside, maybe that's why I went faster.

blogging

Wow,

I really suck at keeping a blog don't I?

I promise I will try and get better at this and actually blog my walks more. Starting tomorrow. Once it becomes a habit it'll be fine but for the minute I forget too easily.

I'm back

Ok so I took longer than had been expected to get myself better but I am now back on form. I'm starting again at the begining of my training schedule, as now I'm only two weeks away from when I would have had to start anyhow.

So yesterday I walked a mile. It was a lovely crisp winter morning. Today I did the same and it was the same.

Next walk: Friday, 2 miles.

Normal service will resume shortly...

Friday's walk happened in sections.

Not been very well this week so the walks have been put on hold. I started training early so i didn't have to push myself if I wasn't well so it's all good.

Hope to be back on training at the start of next week.

Wed 14th January

Distance: 2 miles (+1mile this afternoon)
Time: 9:50am
Weather: Nice and frosty
Time taken: n/a

Yes, technically I've only walked 2 of my 3 miles today, but you know what, I don't care about technicalities. I had a nice stroll between the various local outdoor clothing shops this morning. I couldn't go much faster than a stroll due to the icy ground but it was nice. I like frosty mornings.
Didn't find what I was looking for but I did get a lovely glass teapot (not from the outdoor shops, obviously).

I'll be doing (probably much more than) my final mile this afternoon when I head up to the city to run some errands.


Next walk: Friday, 2 miles.

Mon 12th January

Distance: 2 miles
Time: 6:15ish and 8:30pmish
Weather: 4'c feels like 0'c, very little wind, no rain. Great improvement on yesterday!
Time taken: n/a


Today's walk was interspersed by a visit to a friend's to play on the wii and congratulate her on her lovely news. I was joined by my lovely boy and my flatmate.


Next walk: Wednesday, 3 miles

Living up to its name.

Distance: 3 miles
Time: 1:30pm
Weather: hideous! Wind 34mph with gust of 41mph. Rain.
Time taken: 48mins.

Well, I was right to name this blog training in the rain. I'm quite impressed with myself though. I still went out for my walk even though there was horizontal rain and winds so strong that I was nearly being pushed over at times. By the time I reached my destination I was actually soaked to the skin. I think I need to invest in some waterproof trousers, it is Scotland after all. I've decided though that if the weather is like that for my longer walks I'll save myself some pain and treadmill it.

It wasn't all bad though as I'd chosen to walk to the local Turkish baths so I got to get all warm and toasty before heading home and then out for a lovely evening with friends. I'd never been to the Turkish baths before but I'll definitely be going again.

I'm having to rejig my training schedule for next week so that I don't have to walk at the weekend.

Next walk: Monday, 2 miles

Stars!

Distance: 2 miles
Time: about 6pm
Weather: cloudy, a bit chilly but dry. ( Metcheck says 1'c feels like -4'c)
Time taken: n/a


Well yet again, the timings went completely out of the window as I combined my walk with a trip to B&Q to buy light fittings for my loft and then a detour to find a postbox before heading to the supermarket to get some dinner. On the plus side though, these walks aren't supposed to be at speed so the timings really aren't important.

I had a pack of coloured stars kicking around (the sort you reward children with for doing their chores) and as they need used up I figured I'd revert to childhood and use them on my training plan to keep track of where I'm up to. For walks less than 6 miles I get a small coloured star. For 7 - 9 miles I get a small silver star. 10 - 18 miles large coloured star. 19+ miles a large silver star. Maybe I'll find a gold star somewhere for marathon night.

Yes, I have the mental age of a 5 year old.


Next walk: Sunday, 3 miles.

1st Walk

My first walk was supposed to happen on Monday. I had it all planned out, I had an appointment and was then going to walk a mile before getting the bus home. However as I left the appointment I skidded on ice and nearly fell and smashed my face off the pavement. Given that my chosen route was downhill and the ground resembled an ice rink, i thought it was maybe best to just leave the walking that day.

Today I walked a mile. Normally I will include a brief summary of the walk - distance, time, weather, other interesting and fun facts. Today's walk was interspersed with a 15 minute queue at the pool to renew my fitness card (It's january and you get two months free gym membership if you sign up. Woohoo! Let's all go join the gym! *ahem*) and a wander around the local supermarket which was very lacking in anything healthy to eat and therefore timings went completely out of the window. The weather was dark (with it being evening in mid-winter) but not too cold.

Next walk: Friday, 2 miles.

Preparing for the start

I'm not officially beginning my training until Monday but I'm using the weekend to get myself ready. I've dug out my training plan from 2007. I've chosen to go for the Beginners training program because 2008 wasn't my fittest, most active year ever and with an extra two months of training time I figure I can ease myself in gently.

It does however mean on Monday I have a massive walk ahead of me, prepare yourselves... I have to walk one mile (and not even at speed)! I'll regret mocking the distance in a few weeks when I start having longer walks to do on the weekends, in the rain and freezing cold that is the Scottish winter but hey, for now I'm glad of the gentle start.

I need to dig out my walking shoes and plan a few routes. On some of my rest days I plan to try and do stretches/dancing or maybe get myself back down the pool, we'll see how that goes though.

For now though, I'm going to sit back, continue to eat up all the left over junk food and chocolates from Christmas and be glad I don't have to go into the cold for another few days.

wooo first post!

Hello,

This post is really of no interest. It's just for me to see what I'm doing and get used to using this blog. It's all rather new to me and there's lots of options I don't know about.

If you've read the description, you will by now know that I'm embarking on nearly 6 months of training for a power walking marathon. Last time I did it, I wasn't as strict with my training as I could have been and with about ten miles still to go I felt like I was actually dying. Well not this time!