Sunday's Training

Henry Heron


















I'm sure I walked at least 15miles or more Sunday 18 July. It was the easy walk session so I did my usual towpath walk. Along the way I saw a heron, it was absolutely fasinating to watch and I just about managed to snap a photo of it. When I arrived at Gas Street Basin I took a quick coffee break before heading to St Mary's Hospice to visit my stepmom, who was taken in to the hospice Friday.


I walked from the city to the hospice stayed with my stepmom for a few hours and then headed home from Selly Oak to Digbeth. By the time I arrived home my feet were well and truly aching. Oh well, may as well get used to that, 6 continual days of walking awaits me in the desert in September!

Snap Happy

Dear Desert Diary................

Although I haven't updated you for a while, I have been training HONEST!!! :0$ Ok so what have I been doing? I've followed the training programme guide Jim passed on to us from the Malvern Acorns social/trek meeting. Jim was our guide for the trek and provided fantastic tips to help us during the Sahara event.

Jim suggestead each week at least 3 days general training and a Saturday or Sunday focus of increasing distance and duration. Alternative weekends of steady to hill walking is also recommended. I've choosen Sunday as my longer training session walking the towpaths of Birmingham one weekend (this allows me to do a spot check on the Selly Oak project ;o) ). I think my longest walk to date using the towpaths is 12miles. The 'hill' weekends I set out to the Malverns, day pack weighted down with 6litres and try to hit the steep sections to increase fitness. I'm not sure of distance but timed my last weekend resulting in 3hrs 30 mins. Anyway this goal of getting prepared for the actual trek and trying to increase my stamina and tone is taking me to many beautiful places. Along the way I've captured some sights, which I probably wouldn't have seen had I not signed up to help Acorns. I've put some on my site to reflect on my little weekend journeys.

Birmingham Mail 9th June 2010

Meeting the rest of the Acorns Trekkers

Sahara training day at the Malverns. The Acorns Sahara trekkers first group meeting and photo. Everyone looking happy, still full of energy and enthusiamn (except me, I had been zapped of energy and have great concern towards my fitness leve!(AAARRGGghghghghgg) my calves felt like they had seized up and we had the relief of shade or a breeze to help cool down).

The training programme has now been adjusted 4miles jog/walk Tuesdays, 6miles Thursdays back to 4miles Saturdays and Sundays out walking. Thursday 27 May was ticked off as completed and Sunday for walking well over 10miles. Not an over challenging route but over the next few weeks I will have no option and will need to introduce longer and difficult ventures.

I AM AFRAID!..........VERY AFRAID!!!!

I signed up and went to the pre-trek meeting Sunday 23 May. The meeting gave all, who have signed up the the Sahara Acorns Children's Hospice Trek, an opportunity to visit the Worcestershire hospice, meet and greet, discuss the kit required and test our fitness levels.



I ,seriously after only 5 minutes in, wanted to cry and quit. I thought "do I have enough money in my bank account to pay back my sponsors and get out of this!"...I can't believe how hard I've been training and yet was hit with weakness physically and mentally only 5 minutes in. Our trek advisor challenged us immediately with a steep, uneven terrain from hell. Everyone in the group seemed to take this all in an easy stride, no pressure or concern shown in facial expressions and most never even broke into a sweat. My breathing was shallow, thank God I quit smoking a month ago (the regret of ever smoking at all haunted me the entire trek). My legs burnt, my brain went into complete negative overdrive and felt like it was going to burst with the pressure headache.



I am freaked out and bricking it!

Third Training Session with my Personal Trainer (PT) - Adrian :o$

I was looking forward to my PT appointment all day, even though I knew when it came to the "crunch" (pun intended), I'd be calling my PT all the names under the sun in my mind during the session. A variety of 4 cradio workouts which wasn't too bad, the treadmill being the worst after plenty of leg work, the numbness mixed with lower leg burn increased by the 9incline I had to do at a fast paced stride, I was not at all used too.

I was given plenty of arm and upper body work, this identifying I have a long way to go using just my own body weight to train eg press ups without bended knee, chin ups (at least 1) or reverse body weight press. I remember a little voice in my head saying" DO NOT! book another session it will destroy youuuuuuu!" The advise from the "giving in" character was quickly forgotten, as I immediately booked for my next session in June.

My drive home that night felt like the power steering had gone to my car, every turn of the steering wheel hurt my arms. OMG! I still have more mega training to do, the trek and this all in heat!!!! Will someone please tell who ever it is that keeps saying "Told you so I knew you would regret signing for the trek" TO SHUT UP :o( ggrrrrrrr