Walking a Marathon (in a day)

Congratulations GrandmaMiney

I have only just caught up with your news GrandmaMiney - congratulations and well done!! I would love to hear all about it

Dear all,
Forgive me for not telling you about my Great Adventure. My partner just whisked me away to Cyprus before I could get my thoughts together! He had this big birthday to celebrate, and that took precedence. I have just managed to log on (in Paphos)but I promise to tell you about 'my marathon in a day' next Tuesday as soon as I get home. Please join me then.
Sue Big smile x

Have a great time, you have certainly deserved it!

Glad you are ok, I have been worried!

Hello again,
I'm just home--after a wild, wet and windy welcome back to the UK.
I've uploaded a few pix of my Adventure on to the photo gallery on my profile page, so I think that if you click on my name, you should be able to access them. Watch this space tomorrow for the words to go with the pix!

The bit in my profile that says I don't have grandchildren is NOT true-- you can see three of the younger ones who welcomed me at the end of my marathon in the top pic! I just couldn't get the box on the profile page to accept the number for grandchildren!
More tomorrow...

Miney Great to see your pics. . What an achievement.

Great pics, the terrain looks mixed!
You must be so proud of yourself, hope you raised a large sum of money.

Thanks Butternut and Shysal,

So far, I've raised £842 which includes the precious donations, via my charity web page, from some of you wonderful gransnet readers of this forum--thank you all, again. Your kindness really helped spur me on during the tough bits.

When I reached the Salisbury streets, I realise I was a bit mind-numb and I didn't really clock what I'd done. The next day I woke up and remembered the welcome hugs of my 3 grandsons--and my daughter, 200 yards from the finishing line--and could hear my middle grandson, Finn (8) saying--"G'ma we came to escort you to the finishing line--just like we did with Mummy when she ran the Marathon".

And I remembered the lone clapping on a deserted Salisbury street at 6.10pm. I turned to see who was being clapped--but no one else was there. I was a bit 'gone out' as they say, but on the other side of the street stood my partner, Nigel--clapping Me. I thought he was in North Lincolnshire--watching his team play football and seeing his daughters. He had not even told my daughter he was coming to Salisbury!

When these images came flooding into my mind the next morning, tears just fell. The fact that they had all bothered to drive for a couple of hours to 'see me home'--and the boys had told the lady in Waterstone's "we're not tourists, we've come to meet our grandma who is walking a marathon". Well, it still brings tears to my eyes. After all, it's only me! But then I thought "how could I not feel proud?", because they were all so proud of me and what I had achieved.

I set myself a target of £771 (the required amount for donations to the ClassicFM Foundation, for Nordoff Robbins music therapy for sick, disabled and vulnerable children, was a minimum of £260) as I really believe in the good that music therapy can do for these children.

And just in case anyone else would like to help me reach my revised target of £1000, donations are still accepted until 7th October! www.justgiving.com/SueBSmith71

Oh the cheek of the woman!--please forgive, but as a Health Visitor I worked with families for whom music therapy was the key not only to helping the child, but to keeping the family together, and it is inevitably a very underfunded service. More tomorrow--I hope it might help any insomniacs!
Good grannying everyone
Sue

Well done to you Sue, that was a marvellous achievement!
I'm sure all your family are very proud of you!

Well done from me, too. I've been away on a family holiday so I have only just caught up with your exploits. I know that feeling at the end of 26 miles and you just want to get to the finish, anyway you can. But once across the line, you start to recover and it's wonderful - at least for a few days until you come down to earth and things return to normal. Next year?

I'm full of admiration for your determination. Such a good cause too.

Gosh, is marathon walking back in? I used to walk marathons when they became fashionable not long after London marathon and others became more mainstream.

I found them relatively easy as used to walk ten to fifteen miles twice a week with friends and dogs. That was built up over time of course but we were very dogged about the walking and used to egg each other on. The weather was sometimes atrocious , bit like today, and we would be be sliding all over the place down wooded valleys etc. think we were a bit daft sometimes but as we were all in our forties and fifties I think we did pretty well. Really enjoyed the adrenalin rush on the shorter walks but those marathons are just a slog! No matter who you are with. We Never thought about training, nutrition Etc. but things have changed a lot in that direction so I don't suppose our cheese sandwiches and beer would be considered very p.c. Nowadays.

Think I did four of five then the craze petered out and I had an accident, while out walking, and have never been able do long distances since but am building up again and would love to do another at some point if I possibly could.

Perhaps I shall try for one when I am seventy. Got four years to train up.

Good luck, Rinky! I love long walks, up to about 12 kms, but mine are mostly nearly vertical, as I live in the Alps! I wouldn't like to walk on metalled roads, or in towns. That really takes dedication, so three cheers for Sue and her lovely supportive family.

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!

Lovely photos, Sue - made me quite homesick for English lanes!

Well done GrandmaMiney!
I did the Moonwalk a couple of years ago in London and managed the 26.2 miles in 7 hours. I swore I'd never do it again! I think I slept for a week afterwards( getting too old to stay up all night!) but your walk sounded a much more civilised one!
Hope that you're recovering and well done on raising all that money!

GrannyHaggis did you do the London Moonwalk or (given your name!) was it the Edinburgh one? I did it in 2009 and 2007 - what an experience. At least it was all on the flat (in London anyway) not up hill and down dale like GrandmaMiney's expedition. I got back to my hotel and fell asleep fully clothed, shoes as well. I just couldn't use my legs for about a week afterwards.

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

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

sorry, I've done it again--misspelt the web page. It should be www.justgiving.com/SueBSmith71

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.

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!

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