41km in 10 hours. 427 km in total to date!
So this is what I woke up to on Sunday morning.
Please note this is not Dave's nose. Merely a random cat nose. No animals were harmed in this event...
At 5:30am my alarm clock went off.
Dave also felt it was time to be fed.
So, I stumbled out of bed, managed to request coffee whilst Simon was making some (or at least I think I requested coffee. I may have just grunted enough that he knew what I meant) and fed the damn cat.
At 6am Kenny turned up to take us to CP5. This is the Washington check-point and it's exactly half way. 50km in. We're expecting to arrive at CP5 at around 7-8pm on Saturday night (14-15 hours after we start walking).
This is what everyone thought of the CP at 7:30am.
Dave also felt it was time to be fed.
So, I stumbled out of bed, managed to request coffee whilst Simon was making some (or at least I think I requested coffee. I may have just grunted enough that he knew what I meant) and fed the damn cat.
At 6am Kenny turned up to take us to CP5. This is the Washington check-point and it's exactly half way. 50km in. We're expecting to arrive at CP5 at around 7-8pm on Saturday night (14-15 hours after we start walking).
This is what everyone thought of the CP at 7:30am.
As we walked off Tash was muttering something about "those smiles you see. They're faked". Bah, whatever happened to team spirit ;)
40km was curiously easy for everyone, with the level of training we've been doing it's no real surprise, now it's only those hills that are getting people. We lost Simon down Death Hill at one point. He'd stopped to eat....I didn't have the heart to tell him we'd likely be doing it in the dark, so eating there could get you trodden on!
With 10 hours together, there are lots of topics of conversation that come up. Tasha's bodily functions seem to come up a lot. Amber's proficiency with finding the biggest rocks to kick by "accident". Simon's knees and me? I'm all about the trees people.
It's funny, this weekend we walked around 55km (in total) on 5 hours sleep and there's always a point that the delusions set in...
It would seem that we're all going to have a tomato and potato smoothie, that's been put in the washing machine in the light-house....
Let me explain.
Tash declared, about 8 hours in, that she wanted FRUIT. Fruit, now preferably. Which got us talking about smoothies. Simon listened for a while and with a look of great concentration told us that he'd like "those round, red things, you know - those tomatoes in his smoothie".
"Tomatoes?" We asked.
"Yeah. They're round. They're red. They have green bits. They're a bit like those other things." That helped....
Those other things. "Raspberries". He declares, looking very serious.
"You mean strawberries?"
"yeah, they're the things".
Right.
Amber on the other hand had been talking about the Lighthouse we had to go past at Jack and Jill. Lighthouse? Oooops. Think we meant windmill there dear!
Testing new things:
Before we set out I'd decided to do an experiment. I don't know why I do these things, last week worked perfectly well, but still I had to find out.
I'd been told that wearing liner socks with thick socks will reduce rubbing. Sounded legit.
So, with one foot with a thin sock on, and one foot with a thin sock and a thick sock on I proceeded to walk 40km.
The results?
40km was curiously easy for everyone, with the level of training we've been doing it's no real surprise, now it's only those hills that are getting people. We lost Simon down Death Hill at one point. He'd stopped to eat....I didn't have the heart to tell him we'd likely be doing it in the dark, so eating there could get you trodden on!
With 10 hours together, there are lots of topics of conversation that come up. Tasha's bodily functions seem to come up a lot. Amber's proficiency with finding the biggest rocks to kick by "accident". Simon's knees and me? I'm all about the trees people.
It's funny, this weekend we walked around 55km (in total) on 5 hours sleep and there's always a point that the delusions set in...
It would seem that we're all going to have a tomato and potato smoothie, that's been put in the washing machine in the light-house....
Let me explain.
Tash declared, about 8 hours in, that she wanted FRUIT. Fruit, now preferably. Which got us talking about smoothies. Simon listened for a while and with a look of great concentration told us that he'd like "those round, red things, you know - those tomatoes in his smoothie".
"Tomatoes?" We asked.
"Yeah. They're round. They're red. They have green bits. They're a bit like those other things." That helped....
Those other things. "Raspberries". He declares, looking very serious.
"You mean strawberries?"
"yeah, they're the things".
Right.
Amber on the other hand had been talking about the Lighthouse we had to go past at Jack and Jill. Lighthouse? Oooops. Think we meant windmill there dear!
Testing new things:
Before we set out I'd decided to do an experiment. I don't know why I do these things, last week worked perfectly well, but still I had to find out.
I'd been told that wearing liner socks with thick socks will reduce rubbing. Sounded legit.
So, with one foot with a thin sock on, and one foot with a thin sock and a thick sock on I proceeded to walk 40km.
The results?
4 blisters
| 
1 blister
| 
bumps and ouch!
|
But which was which?
I found, that even in my 1.5 size bigger boots, the foot with the double sock-age (it's a word. I just used it) on got more blisters. Not only that, but I've got some nasty lumps against my ankles from where the boots ended up rubbing because they were being squeezed by my feet against my socks!
MY advice? Stick with what works, lol!
I'm currently nursing a hell of a blister on my little toe from where it rubbed because of the double-sockage. *sob*
Still, I'm glad I found out before the actual walk!
We got some gorgeous photos... (this was one of my favourites!)
I found, that even in my 1.5 size bigger boots, the foot with the double sock-age (it's a word. I just used it) on got more blisters. Not only that, but I've got some nasty lumps against my ankles from where the boots ended up rubbing because they were being squeezed by my feet against my socks!
MY advice? Stick with what works, lol!
I'm currently nursing a hell of a blister on my little toe from where it rubbed because of the double-sockage. *sob*
Still, I'm glad I found out before the actual walk!
We got some gorgeous photos... (this was one of my favourites!)
...it was a real boost to everyone to KNOW they can easily cover 40km and we learnt lots of stuff!
- Don't mess around with things that work!
- Don't eat too much sweet stuff.....all those breakfast bars....so sugary >.<
- Pack for rain but prepare for scorching heat (we were forecast rain....and this is what we ended up with....)
- Keep your motivation and spirits up. I almost fell asleep on my feet whilst walking, but we managed to cheer each other on!
- Hang out with people you really like - I love my team. It's filled with (almost all) of my favourite people :) We have a laugh, and that is REALLY important
- Push on through what you think you can't handle. You'll know if something is genuinely too much, all the rest though is your brain playing tricks. Tash woke up feeling rough as, but managed to do the walk and not feel awful. Great hustle!
- And I realised something personal and a little deeper. Sometimes we're so afraid of letting go of the things we know - pain, fear, doubt that we stop ourselves from achieving. It;'s too scary to comprehend what you might otherwise be capable of - if you freed yourself from all of those familiar things. What would happen?
Anyway, so, what can you expect on long distance training?
Blisters!
Delirium.... ;)
Tiredness
and LOTS of calories!
I'll leave you with our photos :)
Blisters!
Delirium.... ;)
Tiredness
and LOTS of calories!
I'll leave you with our photos :)
5, 000 calories burned, not nearly enough eaten. Time to gorge :P
Stay happy and keep clicking peeps! <3
Stay happy and keep clicking peeps! <3
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