A Future Challenge!

I have been feeling rather bereft since completing the GNR as I don't have any imminent goals to achieve! After frantically searching the web for ideas I stumbled across a long-term goal and have even managed to rope my husband, David into joining me!! We are planning on doing the Wainwrights, in other words climb all 214 fells covered by Wainwright in his seven book series "A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells".  It will be quite a challenge (especially for my husband and dog Sabre, as they are not exactly fit!) however I am determined we will succeed and I would like to add an extra dimension to this challenge by planning to do them in the space of just one year, from the 2nd October 2011 to 1st October 2012. Although there are 214 fells to climb I believe it is possible to complete them all in roughly 50 circular walks...!

Today I have started preparations by visiting the library and borrowing the Wainwright books.  I also printed a tick-list of all the fells in height order - the highest is Scafell Pike at 3209 feet and the lowest is Castle Crag at 978 feet!  If you would like to view this checklist a copy can be obtained by clicking on the link "214 Fells Spreadsheet" at http://www.wainwright.org.uk/214_completers.html

This challenge is of particular interest to us as wainwright lived for a large propotion of his life in our home town of Kendal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Wainwright

I will keep you informed with how this challenge progresses!  Now it is in the public domain we really are committed!  Tonights challenge will be looking through the books and finding the perfect "first" walk which will have to be relatively easy so as not to put David off before we really get going!!

I DID IT! (JUST!)

On Sunday I managed to finish the Great North Run!!!!  What an experience!  Click on the tab above "Challenge 4" to read how I got on!

4 Days to go until my first running event!

The Great North Run is on Sunday, and it's my first "serious" running event, my only other running experience is the 5K Race for Life which I did a couple of years ago without any training!

I started training for the GNR 17 weeks ago on the 22nd May and I struggled to complete my planned 3 mile run, having to walk in parts! At this point I was regretting entering on the spur of the moment!  However, determined to succeed in this challenge, I continued following my Runkeeper training plan and was pleasantly surprised that it did actually get easier! My initial goal was to finish in 2 hours 30 minutes, and then someone  commented that she had done it a couple of years ago and had put in more than a year of training and had finished in 2 hours 10 minutes!  Her expert opinion was I wouldn't be able to complete this challenge with only 4 months running behind me ...my goal immediately changed to completing within 2 hours 10 minutes!!!  This is a "HUGE ask"  for me to accomplish but I will get total satisfaction if I do!!!  (Not that I'm a competitive person or anything!!).

I have my race number, emergency numbers and timing tag organised, just need to decide on my gear and I'm good to go!

I feel I have tried my best and I have even turned tee-total for the past 3 weeks (another huge ask!) and what will be will be!! I will go on a nice slow 3 mile run tomorrow and then that will be it until Sunday!!!  Hopefully my legs will be fresh and eager to go after resting.

Nervous, excited, apprehensive, scared, motivated are just a few words to describe my feelings at the moment ...!

I will let you know how I get on after the event!