Just a warning to anyone who has followed my progress so far!
Pride comes before a fall 
--and after the joy of achievement just a few weeks ago, boy did I hit a low this week.
The 'challenges' of ageing caught up with me now that I'm not rushing to Richmond Park at every available moment. Not quite 'sans eyes, sans teeth, sans everything' [pace Mr Shakespeare], but just having to face the fact that I should really be wearing my 'progressives' (aka varifocal glasses) all the time now. It's such a palaver getting my reading glasses out of my bag to read the paper when I'm on the train loaded with basket containing a cottage pie, broccoli and carrots for supper, en route to look after my grandsons overnight. Then glasses off and on again for checking the oven, looking at homework, and reading bedtime stories.
Plus the challenges of having to spend more time and money at the dentist these days--and deciding if I should now go completely grey, grow or cut my hair etc etc etc. Such a pain--until i remember to be grateful for the health I have that enabled me to complete the slow-walk-marathon, without knackering my knees and hips--or heart and lungs.
Any thoughts on 'growing to love the challenges of ageing'? Or should I start a new forum for this?
All thoughts welcome...
ps I had my hair cut, decided to wear my progressives all afternoon yesterday--and life began to feel good again as I shamefully acknowledged all the blessings
Have a good weekend 
Greatnan - I will remember, how could I forget such a kind offer 
? I just ran 6 miles in the pouring rain this morning, trying to get fit again. Well, it wasn't raining when I started - only when I was 3 miles away from home!
Thank you, GrandmaMiney - or should I say, Miss Marple . If you can support my 2013 effort as well, I shall be doubly blessed! The London Marathon is always massively oversubscribed - I think they close applications for the ballot when it's about 5 X the limit which takes a few days at most. People can always get to run for a charity, if they agree to raise the charity's required funding target. Mine was £2,500 for Brain Tumour UK but there are other charities with lower requirements. There are plenty of good causes but I can only get really inspired (and committed to all the training) for the one.
PS: Well said, your Professor of Sports Science - sounds like a sound fellow! ... and thank you again for your support.
Hi Frankel,
I really admire your continuing dedication to such a sensitive cause. Please feel free to use this forum to keep us updated with your amazing efforts and your fundraising. When I read of your events I feel quite humbled.
[Although a Professor of Sports Science did send me a message to say that walking a marathon "in what the uninitiated would call a slow time, say 10-12 hours" requires the stamina and even more mental endurance than that of elite athletes running the same marathon distance in a fast time!]
I don't know what happened with the London Marathon ballot this year, my daughter was also unlucky, I guess the number of applicants has been boosted by the London Olympics and our great sporting year.
I hope you manage to get a place somehow. I will definitely support your 2013 effort.
Sue
Thank you very much Shysal, Greatnan and GrandmaMiney. I do have a justgiving website but I wonder if I might bottle up your goodwill for a new fund-raising effort in 2013. I am entered for the Reading Half Marathon 2013 and when I decide what else to do, I will give it a push with new thread and stop stealing this one . I've just failed again [5 years out of 5] to win a ballot place in the London Marathon which I need if I am to run for Astro, a smaller brain tumour charity run by volunteers that doesn't have it's own London Marathon places. I ran the race in 2011 for Brain Tumour UK but, if I can, I would like to run for Astro www.astrofund.org.uk/ the charity my niece Gemma supported. She was a very brave young lady - struck down by an inoperable brain tumour in 2006 when only 26 and, tragically, died in November 2010. I'm told brain tumours are the largest cancer killer of people under 40 years old. You can see why I'm still running even if, as some of my road-side supporters smile and say, 'you're old enough to know better'!
Thank you Shysal and Greatnan for your posts, both this week--and throughout my whole project. You have been among my greatest supporters and advisers for this Adventure.
Also, thank you to another 'anonymous' gransnetter who has added to my fundraising total since I posted the account of my Adventure on Thursday night.
Good luck to you all for your own adventures. Please keep me informed.
Sue
What a wonderful account of a wonderful journey - I felt as though I was with you all the way! Well done - now start training for next year!
Wow! You beat the £1000 mark! Well done Sue, it is lovely to hear all about it. Bless your lovely family, what a great finish for you. 
sorry, I've done it again--misspelt the web page. It should be www.justgiving.com/SueBSmith71
Here it is--for those of you who have borne with me to the finish--
my comments on 'Walking a Marathon (in a day)'. So please pour yourself a glass of wine, if you're still up--or make yourself a cup of Ovaltine if you're snuggled up in bed. 
Here goes......
Three weeks ago tonight, I was in Salisbury, staying in a B&B near the Cathedral as i did not trust my feet to take me much farther than the finishing line of 'my' trekathon if I managed to make it to the Cathedral (the finish) the next day (8th Sept). Saturday morning, up at 5.30am to catch the transport to the starting point at Winchester Cathedral. It was dark and cold! So cold at Winchester I had to pop inside to warm up--and seek inspiration from Jane Austen, who is buried there.
As we started our uphill walk out of Winchester the sun was up--a hot day was ahead. About 90 of us started--and I think all but 2 finished.
After about an hour we were on woodland paths up to Farley Mount. So far, so good. It was fine to the first check/water point after 6 miles.
Normally, if I'd walked 6 miles I would be amazed and quite pleased with myself. This time I was daunted--another 20 miles to go!
Was I really doing the right thing? At my age?!
I had met up with a 30-ish girl the night before (we had had e-mail contact on the trekathon website). She was anxious, so I was doing the supportive G'maMiney/Sue bit and encouraging her.
Of course, by six miles I realised she was on a mission--and I didn't want to hold her back, so said I'd see her at the end!
I trekked on up stony hill and down muddy dale (ok I know it's not dale country, but you know what I mean). Across sun-soaked wheat fields--up stony hill and down stony, dry mud hill--and up stony hill--and down steepish muddy tracks with chalk and flint. Beautiful views to north and south--we were heading west, which meant the sun was in my eyes all afternoon--lovely warmth, but quite dazzling even with sunglasses.
Soothed by bushes covered in Travellers' Joy (wild clematis/Old Man's Beard--whatever) it certainly cheered this traveller.
It was HOT, I think it was about 29C by midday, but that was ok--it was the 'gently rolling downs' that began to get to me. I guess I should have realised that this meant only one thing--Hills!
I couldn't work out whether it was better to walk on the grassy hump in the middle of the tractor tracks--or on the flatter stony bits. I was certainly glad I had taken one walking pole--both up and down the steeper bits.
A gran friend had thought of doing this with me, but she was worried about her knees. I spared her a thought--it would have knackered her knees.
[Has anyone else read 'The Owl who was Afraid of the Dark', to their grandchildren? Plop is a baby barn owl--with knackety knees, who doesn't like the dark. It's a great read-aloud story]
Anyway my knees were grateful for the walking pole! As I crossed the River Test, the cool water was so tempting--how I'd have loved to sit by the bank, take of my shoes, dip my feet in the water and watch the swans. Actually the swans were my inspiration here, just before the half way point. I thought how serene and calm they looked--but knew just how hard their webbed feet were working. So on I plodded--no--strode in my Meindl-shod feet!
Never have I been so glad to see a village hall (in Broughton) where there were REAL LOOS!!! Such a relief! Also welcome were the rolls and lemonade + nutritious snack bars which had been set out by the Discover Adventure organising team. The team were great, they even had 2 doctors on board in case of need. They were kept busy with blisters etc. But my feet were fine.
Here it was hard to see some people having a bit of trouble, and they were often doing it for someone special.
After about a 20 minute break, onward and upward. And it was upward. I guess I had been under the misapprehension that the second half might be easier. I had some pretty stupid misapprehensions! Miles 13-18 were some of the hardest. By this time I was walking alone (which I quite enjoy) but could see others way ahead, or behind. Some muddy tracks here, where the sun had not got through the trees to dry them out. Also, I wanted to 'enjoy' the scenery and take some pix. Through some woods here I saw piles of logs cut from felled trees. [Did anyone see the Hockney exhibition at the Royal Academy last March? It was great, and these piles of logs reminded me of one of his key motifs]
After walking through farms we went along a Roman road (straight, but guess what--up and down and up and down with a fairly steep gradient). I guess I hoped the Romans might have built a viaduct over the hilly bits--but Caesar was clearly not planning on a tiring GrandmaMiney walking here nearly 2000 years later.
Another water stop at 18 miles, and--jelly babies!! Big sugary jelly babies. I don't usually eat sweets, but these were like manna from Heaven! The marshal at this point urged me to fill my bumbag with jelly babies--bless him!
Shortly after this we were told, came the last point with vehicular access if we felt we couldn't make it any further. Also at this point i reckon I had slipped to about 3/4 of the way back. I was told that the first trekkers had already made it to the cathedral. I think their sponsors had said they would double their money if they did it in under 5 or 6 hours! The heroes. I was not aiming for a fast finish--just a finish, and preferably in daylight.
From this point for about 4 miles I did not see anyone else on this trekathon. It was the only time I actually felt a bit lonely. I don't do 'lonely' but it did feel a bit strange. There were no mile markers, so i didn't know how far I still had to go. In future I should have a watch that would tell me. By what I guess to be about mile 21, I did wonder for a moment if I could do it. At the very back of my mind I knew I Would Do It--when I set myself to do something, I do it. But this was a new experience and quite strange.
Incredibly, my phone bleeped with a text from my daughter. It was the thought of seeing her with 3 of my grandsons when I reached Salisbury that was keeping me going. But I was worried that they would have to leave Salisbury before I got there.
The text said "How are you Mum? Keep your spirits up. It always seems
impossible--until it's done xxx".
No prizes for guessing what I did then! A few tears, then the loins were girded-up and I set out to finish the course.
The final checkpoint was supposed to be at 23 miles, but when I got there I found it was 24 miles--and there were only 2 miles to go. Such good psychology.And such a relief! As I wended my way down Milford Lane into the town, across a beautiful old stone bridge.
I think I was getting a bit spaced out by this time. It was 6pm, and I had left Winchester about 7.45am. My back was aching and my legs were tired. As I came down through empty back streets, I heard this solitary clapping, and turned to see who was being clapped--no one in sight. Across the road was Nigel (my partner of 10 years). I thought he was in Lincolnshire. I had spoken to him on the phone about 2 hours before when , unbeknown to me, he was already in Salisbury. Bless. As he took my backpack and we walked the last 500 yards. I went into 'sheep' mode, so it was lucky I had a guide!
Then 3 bundles of boy-fuelled-fun hurled themselves into my arms--My three grandsons. I had not even seen them coming. Then a big hug from Susanna, my daughter, and Finn, 8, said 'Grandma, we've come to walk you to the finishing line, like we did with Mummy when she did the Marathon". I was so spaced out by this time I would have not stopped to check myself back--nor get my medal! Thank God for grandsons!!!
When Nigel said "We are all so proud of you--and you must be so proud of what you have achieved" I just didn't feel anything--except relief that I was going to get a lift home! The hugs and love of my family carried me through that evening.
The next morning, waking up in my own bed, I wept when it hit me just what I had done, and how much love and support I have been given. And that is what will stay with me until the day I die.
I know many of you have done so much more and I have so much respect for you. But as Frankel said in one post--enjoy your moment of glory, it doesn't last long. So I did! 
Thank you All SO much for your support and interest in this forum. When i made the first post of 'Walking a Marathon (in a day)' I had no idea where it would lead. It has honestly kept me going through times when i thought I must be mad to attempt this trekathon.
The fact was that helpful suggestions and encouragement kept coming in. And--as some of you have also donated to the music therapy charity for which I have been raising money--I cannot put into words just what the members of this Gransnet Forum have done to help me achieve my goal.
Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart. And a big thank you from the ClassicFM Foundation and Nordoff Robbins as well.
And thank you for reading this--I hope it beats counting sheep, Good night, sleep well and dream happy.
Sue and a 
and to you all.
ps photos on my profile page
pps my current total (including gift aid) is just over £1000--just 8 more days of fundraising to go, thank you to those of you I have not been able to thank personally because you have stayed anonymous. Every donation has been SO much appreciated, www.jusstgiving.com/SueBSmith71
Great comments, thank you Granny Haggis and Nightowl!
i really will fill you in about my Adventure, tomorrow!
It was a comment from a friend who did the London Moonwalk a couple of years ago that started me on my Richmond Park 'sessions'.
Rest well, all you lovely grans out there.
Sue
First, a big thank you to 'anonymous' who donated via my web page late last night. Another session of music therapy to help a sick child cope.
Second, interested in Rinky's comments about past marathon walking experience--well done, I'm sure you could do it again (old injury permitting). I remember seeing 'road walkers' years ago and being fascinated by the way their lower half seemed to move independently of their upper half.
For us non-athletes I think we just do it any way we can!
That said, the useful comments re training, footwear etc, from posts on this forum (and Frankel's experiences) really helped me.
I think if I lived in a more rural area, or had a dog, I probably would not have needed to apply myself to 'training'. I have 2 friends who live in rural Surrey with two large dogs apiece. I made a point of dog walking with them a couple of times--across heath and woodland. It was beautiful--and wonderful exercise. If I had been able to do that a couple of times a week, I would not have needed to take the tube to Richmond to walk around the Park! Living in a 4th floor flat in central London doesn't give the same access to good walking country and dogs are not allowed. (my partner pines for one every time he drives past Battersea--he really misses having a dog).
'My' marathon was mainly cross country (see pics). It followed much of the route of the old Clarendon Way if you would like to google it. On the map I saw some of it was an old Roman road. I thought 'good, that should be a straight bit'. Silly me--it was straight, but I hadn't bargained on the up hills and down in good measure! I'll add the pic to My Photos on profile page, but it doesn't do justice to the gradient of the hills.
However these do not compare with Greatnan's vertical alpine walking--that really takes guts and good knees. Hat off to her.
More on knees later!
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