Walkers' thread (those training for a moonwalk or those just wanting to get a bit fitter... sign in here)

[EllbellTheBluestocking]

OK... following on from another thread, I thought I'd start this for those of us who are not really that into exercise but who are struggling to get a bit fitter.

I am working towards doing the Edinburgh moonwalk in June (and would prefer it if no-one mentioned just exactly how blardy far it's going to be just yet [panic emoticon]), and am struggling to find the time and the inclination to train.

Anyone else in a similar position? Hippipotami? Quint? Don't leave me walking all on my own...

Will come back and post again when I've got off my bum and done some exercise!

Oh mimsum - sorry you are feeling yuck. Dh has a bad cold atm, so am sure I will have it next week. Have 3 longish walks planned...

I have no idea what it is about PG (the man not hte tea). He is fairly hideous really, but there is something....

Oh well, if it keeps me walking it can only be a good thing...

Sorry you've had a bad week mimsum. Hopefully the bad weather won't last too long - it was positively spring-like here today... until it started to rain just when I wanted to go out for my walk.

Today I walked for an hour and did 4.5 miles. I am quite pleased with that. I am hoping at least to START the moonwalk at a pace of 5 mph, though I am sure I'll slow down as I go along. Still, if I can keep that up for a couple of hours it'll give me a good start! I've had a very active day today... had an hour's riding lesson this morning (also first time since I hurt my back, but I seem to have survived) and then spent the first part of the afternoon (a good 2 hours) up a stepladder hacking back foliage on a pergola thing we have in the garden which collapsed in the high winds and is going to have to come down. My fingers are really aching now, but the rest of me feels OK. I was stiff when I woke up this morning (and will probably be worse tomorrow because of the riding) but I soon got myself moving again.

Before this weekend I was worried that I might not manage the moonwalk, having not trained till now, but I am now feeling a bit more confident.

5mph

Wow Ellbell, I am planning on walking my Moonwalk at 3mph.

You will be flying along!

LOL... yeah, for the first 5 miles... at which point I'll collapse in a heap with another 21 miles (effing hell... another 21 miles) to go!

I do naturally walk quite fast, but I also know that I need to set myself quite tough targets to motivate myself to get off my arse and do some training. I'd also like to show up dh, who snorted and looked all when I said I'd like to walk at 5 mph and said I'd never keep it up for more than a mile or two.

You still have lots of training time Ellbell, so am sure you will be able to do the first half of hte FM at speed!

I naturally walk very slow (I sort of lumber , so if I can get up to 3.5mph I will be very pleased.

What did you put down as your estimated completion time on your application form?

I think I put the slowest possible time (was it 'more than 7 hours'?) because I think that just completing the thing will be an achievment!

I've just received details about the SunWalk in Newcastle in September and they have a 5km walk open to children too, which I'd love to do with my dds. However, I have to undertake to raise another £100 in sponsorship and I don't think it's fair to ask people to sponsor me twice in such quick succession. Maybe me and the Babybells will do the Newcastle one in 2009. (5km is such a nice distance...)

Hi all - hello Hipp - good to see you back Ellbell! Used to live on the back of a horse in my youth - was totally fearless - now I'm a wimp. Will have to overcome this as would like dd to learn while she is young.

Hope you are feeling better Mimsum ... it's so frustrating when you can't get out there isn't it? That happened to me last month but I felt fine once I was recovered so I don't think you loose your residual fitness iyswim (in my case their wasn't much to loose tbh!!).

Happy to report managed my five walks out of seven days last week. Went on Sunday as an extra because I am not able to walk today (work).

Weight loss infinitisimally (sp?) slow but at least in right direction.

Enjoy the windy weather everyone!

Hello counting - well done on still doing your 5 walks a week.
I think I won't achieve the 3 walks I have to do this week. Today is completely rained/stormed off. But my friend and I are going swimming this afternoon so at least that is some form of exercise.
I hope we are walking tomorrow evening, and I hope to do one walk on Friday, and that is all I can do.
Am helping at school Weds and giving blood Thurs am and then back to help at the school in the pm so not sure when I can squeeze the 3rd walk in.

Ellbell, we put the 3-4 timeslot, but that is for the HM. I am longing to hear what our start time will be.
Like you, I will just be happy to complete the blasted thing, it will be such a massive achievement for a couch potato like me.

Posey... have you set up a fundrasing page yet? I haven't forgotten my promise!

Hi all. Shorter walk today, as I couldn't get out till dh got home from work at 8.00 p.m. and it was blowing a hooley out there! I reckon I did between 2 and 2.5 miles. I am telling myself that every little counts. And I've done 10 miles since Saturday... it sounds better when you add it all up .

I'm not finding the walking too hard, but my upper thighs are aching this week from the riding on Sunday. Counting... I lost my nerve too after dd1 was born. Am only just building it up again and it's very slow. I will never have the confidence to go zoomng around jumping whatever comes in my path like I did when I was a teenager, but I hope to be able to ride out with my dds when they are older. (They both have lessons.)

Morning

Did a short walk last night, inbetween the gales and showers.
We walked for an hour and 15 and covered 3.3miles. So not great, but better than nothing.

I know what you mean about the weekly totals Ellbell, I did 14miles last week, and 9 miles the week before, so yes the total sounds so much better

I am hoping to walk tomorrow morning and again Friday morning. Weather permitting...

Every little bit helps ladies. In the last month it's more important to do the longer walks but before that getting the miles on your legs is equally important.

Hopefully the weather will pick up for you in the next few days.

Thank you mrspnut...

My training schedule gradually builds up our walks to about 6 miles in the next few weeks, then 8 miles a few weeks later and finally a long 10 mile one two weeks before the event. Then the final two weeks before the event they recommend doing 3 mile long walks only....

I am hoping to do 5 miles tomorrow and friday (5 miles each day, not spread over both...)
And then increase to 6 miles over the next two weeks....

Thanks MrsP. Didn't go out tonight as dh home from work very late (not to mention continuing gales and rain, though I'm not really a wuss about weather ... luckily!).

Last night I copied out the Moonwalk suggested training schedule into a document on my own computer with boxes underneath for me to write what I have actually done. I am feeling quite good at the moment, as I've started two weeks earlier than they recommend (... and I though I was late!) and, according to their criteria (the timed mile) I am reasonably fit (walked a mile in c. 13 mins). I won't be able to keep to their schedule rigidly (dh's work schedule/lack of childcare means there are days I can't get out to walk), and I'll probably walk on some of the days when they suggest doing 'another activity', because - apart from riding (which I can only do on a Sunday) - I don't really have other activities that I (can) do. I only like walking! However, I'll try to keep to their plan of when to up the distances covered, to make sure that I am really ready for the marathon.

When is the London walk? I have a feeling the Edinburgh one is about a month after the London one, so I'm a bit behind you with the training schedule!

Hope tomorrow's 5 miler goes well, hippi. (And I hope the weather is better where you are than it currently is 'up north'!)

Hi Ellbell, the London walk is May 17th...

Am getting in the mood for it now, we are going to have massive group bra-decorating session, have hired the local village hall and are getting pizza in.
Dh is organising a mini-bus via work so we can all travel to Hyde Park together.
So all is moving in the right direction, still need to get the walking done though!

I also set up my own schedule according to what the Walk the Walk people suggest. My 'other activity' days will either be swimming, or a gentle stroll through the woods with the children and dog.

Good idea about the minibus. The travel is worrying me somewhat. I don't really want to have to drive back from Edinburgh (about 4 hours) immediately afterwards. I can probably go back to my friend's house and kip for a couple of hours, but the drive is still a bit off-putting, as I know I'll be knackered.

Edinburgh is June 14th/15th. The 15th is my birthday! You will come back and keep talking to me after you've done the London one, won't you? (Visions of being the only one on the thread in the 2nd half of May!)

Don't worry Ellbell, I will be here
I will bore you with every painful step, every blister, the sights of London in the dead of night, the sounds of 15,000 trainered pairs of feet pounding the pavement, the excitement, the exhaustion, I will be sooo full of it (and probably a little envious that mine is done and you still have it ahead of you) you won't get rid of me that easily

Plus I am hoping to keep the walking up (would like to put in at least one 5 miler a week as 'maintenance' so to speak, and who knows I may even apply to do it again next year)

You have to do the FM next year!

Gwan... you know you want to!(?)

Oh, and thanks for the moral support!

The full moon......uhm......well......

That may be a challenge too far....

Hi all. Did another 4.5 miles (according to GMap - it felt longer, but it was quite hilly, so that slowed me down a bit) this morning. It took me just over an hour, so still not too bad. Didn't manage to get out yesterday as planned, as I got stuck at work till 9.00. Grrrrr... Oh and dd2 is ill, which doesn't help!

How are the rest of you doing? Hippi, did you do your 5 miler?

I did my 5 miler on Thursday. Had been feeling rough with cold all week, so really struggled. Twice I started feeling all faint and a little sick. And I ended up going slower and slower. In fact near the end of my walk there is a steep hill leading back to the village centre, and I was walking up it so slowly, I was overtaken by an OAP
In my defense, he was a very fit septegenarian!!

Anyroad, I ended up with all the symptoms of a chest infection on Friday, so not surprised I struggled so much...

Have not done any walking since as I still feel ill, and breathing in hurts.

Have just realised that with the Easter holidays I have to reduce my training schedule by 2 weeks as I won't be able to get out much. Eek, am worried I won't do most walks on their schedule (a total of 150 miles)

Well done on your walk Ellbell, sounds like you are walking at a brilliant speed!
My 5 miles took nearly 2 hours

Hippi - sorry you're feeling so rough. Make sure you rest up before attempting any more long walks. I'm not surprised you struggled with a chest infection
I haven't been out on a proper walk all week (since last Sunday) as ds sick and off school for 2 days, then with work and a couple of school meetings...
Also feeling really tired as not sleeping too well. Yesterday new bed arrived so planned on having a brill sleep last night. I didn't Was too hot, needed the loo, remembered things I didn't want to forget, all events conspired to keep me awake. So today, when I had planned to walk, I went back to bed instead. And tomorrow will be rainy. And on Monday (my day off) I've volunteered to go on a school trip (fewer parents available by Y6), and then its work again...
Looks like I'll be walking a bit over the Easter break to make up for it.
Ah well at least I've got my fundraising page off and running and got first sponsor (thanks Marslady!)...

Sorry to witter. I'm sure we'll all succeed in the end

Sorry you're feeling so rough, hippi. Walking with a chest infection is no fun at all. Rest up... better to be well and slightly less fit, than to make yourself more and more ill.

Hope you get a good night's sleep tonight, Posey, and that your ds is soon better.

I'm off to Italy next Thursday (holiday this time, not work). I hope to walk a bit while I'm away but I am sure that a certain amount of pasta/pizza/ice-cream/wine will be consumed too! Will check in again before I go, though.

Oh Posey, not being able to sleep is one of the worst forms of torture isn't it??

I am feeling a little better this morning. I slathered the soles of my feet in Vaseline last night and whilst it did not completely stop my coughing, it did reduce it significantly, allowing me to have the first half decent night sleep in a week. (Dh was pleased too, he has been listening to me cough all night for the past week and was starting to look exhausted)

Am hoping to walk with some of the girls tomorrow. If it is just my friend K and I, then we will attempt 6 miles.
If L is walking with us we will reduce it to 4 miles. (L has just finished chemo last week and starts radio next week for breastcancer, but is determined to do the moonwalk with us and I am in awe of her)

Ellbell, I envy you the trip to Italy, it is my favourite place in the world ever. And my first significant relationship was wiht a half-Italian boy.... ooooh the memories...... sigh.....
Have a great trip!!