A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF A 1,000 MILE GIRL!!
So the 1,000 mile challenge is almost over and what a year it's been!!! So many memories, so many achievements, so many friends made along the way ... seems only right to try and get it all down so I can remember as much of it as possible!!!
On January 1st, as Big Ben chimed, I headed out for my first mile. This has to be one of the prettiest miles I have ever run ... with sky lanterns and fireworks filling the sky!! I was a little alarmed at how out of breath I was after just one mile and a little daunted at the thought of having to do 999 more but I figured it would get easier as I got fitter!!!
Having never really been a runner, this was all very new to me but I was managing 3 or 4 runs a weeks (with the odd long distance powerwalk thrown in for good measure) and I managed to hit 109.5 miles by the end of the first month!!!
Knowing that I had 2 half marathons to do in March ... I knew I had to go beyond my comfortable 3.9 mile run so I introduced a scary 5 mile run into the training plan and by mid February I was planning my first ever 10 miler!!! Completing this made me realise I might just be able to run the Bath Half after all!!! February total: 72.3!!
March ... 2 half marathons ... 2 weeks apart ... Eeek!!! The first was the Bath Half Marathon (my first ever running half) on March 6th. It was never going to be a warm day but I wasn't quite prepared for just how cold it was!! The only solution ... run and don't stop!! It was such a great event; the weather was beautiful (if freezing), I met the lovely Fearne Cotton and discovered that eating triple cooked, extra chunky chips whilst drinking fizz is the perfect way to re-fuel after an event!!!! 4 days off and then the miles continued ... then another taper ... then Reading Half!!! 
I was walking this one so I was back in my comfort zone to some extent ... but being the only doing it in a highly decorated, sparkly bra did frazzle the nerves a little!!! It was tough being out alone but the finish more than made up for it ... walking into the Madejski Stadium was an amazing experience!!! The best thing was ... I was back out training just 2 days later!! March total: 81.7!! 
April ... This month was all about the Virgin London Marathon!!! This was to be my 7th London Marathon but it never fails to make me more terrified than any other event!!! The whole month is geared towards the build up ... the taper and the recovery!! The last big training session went well but my trainers didn't feel quite right so I ordered a new pair then spent the next 2 weeks waiting for them to arrive. They finally came 2 days before the event and I wore them for the first time at the event!!! Not something I would recommend but luck was on my side and not only did I escape horribly blistered feet but I also got my fastest ever time!!! In fact, things felt so good, I was back out training 3 days later and competing in the St George's Day 10k just 1 week after that!!! All in all, a good month ... with another 105.3 miles in the bank!!
May and June are always fun ... They are MoonWalk months!! So more build up, more tapering and more
recovery ... with the unexpected complication of no. 2 son breaking his arm in two!!! I wont go into detail about that and I wont go on too much about the MoonWalks (There is a huge write up on the Walk the Walk website if you want to read about the London one) but I will say this: Hugely proud of my sister for completing her first one ... hugely honoured to be invited on stage ... hugely amused by Wendy's whoop whooping on the other side of the road and totally chuffed to bits to get a course PB!!!! Blisters after London = zero so it was back to the miles and I was out running the Bupa 10k just 2 weeks later, in Edinburgh for the 2nd MoonWalk 2 weeks after that ... and hitting the front page of the national newspaper!!! The miles were racking up nicely and by the end of June (the half way point) I had hit 513.7!!! 
So with those big events out of the way, Surely July meant I could focus on the wedding?!? Or maybe I should just keep running?? Well the wedding plans seemed to be going ok so I kept running and took part in a very tough, very hilly but beautiful 10k run at Mount Ephraim in Kent. No triple cooked chunky chips at the end of this event but instead a very delicious glass of wine and a punnet of yummy cherries!!! The little walk down the aisle has to be the most memorable event of the the year (and the shortest in terms of distance) but not one I will ever forget!! Unfortunately, I couldn't count the distance as I had replaced my trainers with a very cute pair of kitten heals!!! 
No rest for the wicked though as just 2 days later it was off to London with the whole family for the London SunWalk. The sun shone ... all the men got very interesting suntan marks and I met some great friends (Caz, It was great to finally get to say 'hi' in person!!) Massive thanks to Schoeni for the making my beautiful bridal bra ... and for the friendship that has ensued!!
And so to the scariest event of the year (so far) ... The London Triathlon!! Quite why I applied for this .. I don't know!! Quite why I thought doing this on very limited tri-specific training was a good idea ... I don't know!!! But after a fairly full on panic attack the day before whilst racking my bike (that I had only ridden once!!) I began to feel a little calmer. Getting into the water was terrifying but once I got out (5th to last but still in front of John Christophe Novelli) I actually began to enjoy it, particularly the bit where I hit 30mph heading into one of the tunnels!!! Running 10k after a 1 mile swim and a 25 mile ride on one of the hottest days of the year is not the easiest thing I have ever done but crossing the finish line was quite possibly one of the best feelings ever!!!!
Shame the swim/bike miles didn't count but I still managed to complete 67.3 miles!!!
August saw no events ... but it did see a very relaxing honeymoon (and yes, I did take my trainers and yes, I did run!!) and with a whole month off work I was able to hit the training hard and get myself a twisted pelvis for my trouble ... Ooops!!! A little word of warning to those who are thinking of taking on this challenge: rest days are vital!!!! Having said that ... I did complete my first ultra distance of 30 miles by zig-zagging my way across 18 of London's bridges!! 114.5 miles to add on!!
September and something of a tradition: the Adidas 5k Challenge for Women!!! More of a talk than a walk but a great time to catch up with some fab friends. Such a shame that it's not on in 2012!! More training miles and then one of the highlights of the year ... getting my sub 2 hour half marathon at Run to the Beat!! This is what finished off my pelvis completely and probably should have stopped me from running altogether but I notice from my diary that I was out doing 8.1miles 2 days later and 9.1 miles 2 days after that!! This decision is now filed away under the heading of "what was I thinking"!! It all helped to get September's total to 89.9 though, so it's not all bad!! 
Come October it was beginning to hurt (a lot) and I only managed to get out for 4 training runs!!! However, I did managed to complete the Kingston 16 miler (all that effort for a pretty rubbish mug!!!) but 4 days after the event I admitted defeat, gave in to the injury and found myself an osteopath. Thank you http://www.mersearoadclinic.co.uk/ ... I think you just may have saved the challenge!!! Against all advice, I then managed to haul myself round the Beachy Head Marathon course which was tough and exhilarating in equal measure and definitely one for next year!! Oh and who could forget the pumpkin run?!!? Well, what else is a girl to do in October other than to run 10k dressed as a bright orange pumpkin!!?!?? 
And so to November ... and 3 very special events!! The first of which being the inaugural McSchoeni Marathon; 26.2 miles of non-stop talking and laughing from Tower Bridge to Cassa Schoeni in Kingston-Upon-Thames. And what a magical moment it was to share my 900th mile with my fabulous little Swiss friend at Teddington Lock ... even if we did get some very strange looks from the locals!!!
The pelvis remained twisted (probably because I was still ignoring all advice and not stretching enough/at all) but I was so nearly there ... I couldn't even think about quitting!!
The second event caught me totally off guard to say the least!! Having spent almost the entire night sipping fizz (and having maltesers shoved up my nose) with the beautiful Heidi, I was then faced with one of the biggest surprises of my life the next morning when over 60 people, all holding WtW balloons, gathered together to walk and talk and celebrate the 1,000 mile challenge in the New Forest. I think it took a good couple of days for my breathing to return to normal and for the shaking to stop but I will never forget what Heidi did for me that day ... it was truly special!!
The third ... A Diddy Mile!!!! What an honour it was to walk and run with Diddy 1, 2 and 3 and a real pleaure to finally meet Jules and Andy ... A truly amazing family!!! If you don't know of these three superstars then please find them on Facebook 'Too Diddy to Moonwalk, Not too Diddy to Tri' and follow them as they attempt to walk a marathon a month for a year!!! Oh and Arun ... I am putting in some speed work for next time!!! 
And so here we are in December. There were times I never though I would get here (and I guess whilst reading this ... you may have thought the same!!) but with 43.8 miles to go, I had to keep pushing!!! There was the small matter of a Santa Run to aim for and a multi-terrain, self navigating marathon to do just 2 days after Christmas!!! Despite only being a 10k event, the Santa Run was a biggie because it was the one that would see me hitting 1,000 miles!!! So ... freezing cold and dressed in a rather inappropriate Santa dress (courtesy of Ann Summers) I ran my way to my target!!! Crossing the line was quite something and somewhat emotional. Thank you so much to Kelly, Val (et al), Mads (et al) and Lloyd for sharing the moment, to Chris for the fizz (I really do need to perfect that cork popping ... shaking ... frothing technique!!) and to Ade for my very lovely kiss on the way round!!!
Now most people would stop here but my challenge was for 1 year and so I continued on ... with a rather special (and soggy) Royal Mile, 3.5 miles around a volcano ... a few more training miles and one of the toughest marathons I have ever done!!! The challenge will end tomorrow when I head out with my boys to do the same mile that I started with 12 months ago.
At the beginning of this challenge all I wanted to do was see how many miles I could do and to raise some money for a charity that is very close to my heart but as the year went on it became so much more. The friends I have made ... the places I have been ... the obstacles I have faced and the belief I now have in myself have made 2011 a totally remarkable year!!! Massive thanks to each and every person who has supported me with words, kindness and donations (£6,105 to date!!). To Walk the Walk (http://www.walkthewalk.org/Home) for the opportunity and support. To David (Mr Osteopath) for mending me and making it possible for me to get to the end of the challenge (I will start to stretch now, I promise!!!) And to Chris, my boys and my family who have probably seen a little less of me this year than they should have done. I really couldn't have done it without any of you!!!
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| Here's to 2012 ... It's gonna be Ultra-Crazy!!! |
To donate to these crazy challenges go to: http://www.walkthewalkfundraising.org/ultracrazy
To find out more about Walk the Walk go to: http://www.walkthewalk.org/Home
And if you need mending ... try here: http://www.mersearoadclinic.co.uk/
