Completing the Yorkshire Three Peaks

Hey Sweeties,

I completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks –yippee!

It was an extremely tough event, both physically but more so mentally and I’ll be honest, despite on reflection being really proud of myself and glad I participated, I didn’t enjoy it on the day as much as I thought I would. The first 10 miles or so were fine and after the first peak we were all like, “this will be easy” but as the ‘walk’ progressed we realised it wasn’t going to be quite the walk in the park like we thought.

Ready to set off!

Ready to set off!

Many years ago now, when I was a wee teen, I completed the Ten Tors –a 35, 45 or 55 mile expedition across Dartmoor covering (you guessed it) 10 tors. Unfortunately when I was training, Foot and Mouth swept across the countryside wiping out practically everything as well as access to the moors therefore the event that year was cancelled. So when I should have been training and completing the 45 mile expedition, I actually in the end did only the 35 but it was honestly one of the best experiences of my life to date! It was so much fun and I met some great people, it was just a totally fab experience. Fast forward 10 years and although I am still as enthusiastic for such events, my body isn’t and it reminded me of this over the 3 Peaks weekend. I haven’t got the best knees and going up and down incredibly steep terrain really wasn’t the most pleasant of times. Come the 3rd peak two of us had kind of had enough and just wanted to go home as we were in a lot of discomfort so limped the last couple of hours to the finish by which point we were so stiff it was agony to do anything.

The first peak loomed but was a mere breeze compared to Peaks 2&3!

The first peak loomed but was a mere breeze compared to Peaks 2&3!

Whernside

Enroute to Whernside (2nd Peak) which is covered by the cloud

But I still did it; I still climbed each of the Yorkshire Three Peaks and all within the 12 hour target. The team set off at 06:33am and crossed the finish line between 5-5:30pm so probably close to just under 11 hours from start to finish which is a long time! We rarely stopped and if we did it was to grab a quick breather for 5 minutes before continuing so it was all in all, a very long day of walking. I thought to be honest we’d be home a lot sooner but I completely did not appreciate the scale of the peaks which are not just big hills, they are in fact small mountains and also I am not quite as spritely in my energy as I was during my Ten Tor days! Would I do the event again? Probably not. My heart still says yes but I have to listen to my body. If I had the moors or the dales on my doorstep then things would be different as I would be used to the terrain but around here in the south east, there is nothing of the sort to train on so even with the best intentions it’s just not a practical event to do again without better preparation.

Yorkshire Dales

Viaduct

On a far happier note, for my efforts I raised an amazing £215 for the British Heart Foundation, a total I never thought I would achieve but I had some fantastic support from friends, family and colleagues that donated generously and if you’re reading this now thank you! I apologise that the experience isn’t something I can be jollier about but on Claireysweetie.com I keep it real and the truth is that the Yorkshire Three Peaks was a very tough challenge!

1st peak

2nd Peak

3rd Peak

That now completes though my two summer challenges that I set for myself earlier this year and have now achieved –go me! Despite the bruising (I am definitely going to lose a toe nail in the near future!), I achieved my goals and got fitter, lost weight and raised a decent amount of money for two great causes –Yateley Hockey Club and the BHF. It just goes to show that if you set your mind to something and you’re dedicated, you can achieve anything! Go for it, Sweeties!!

Until next time x

 

Thank you for sponsoring

Summer Challenges: Raising Money & Getting Fit Update

Hey Sweeties,

Back in April I posted about my summer challenges -my bid to get fit and raise money for two very worthwhile causes. Now, a month on, I felt it time to share an update on how things are going.

The core aspect I have been focussing on lately in my fitness is stamina. I am not so bothered about how quickly I can complete a route but it is important that I can jog/run for long stretches of the route without needing to stop and walk before picking up the pace again. Although this is fine and interval training is definitely how I prefer to conduct my sessions, the aim is still to build stamina in order to run for longer and walk for less. Well today Sweeties, I did fantastically well… I completed a 7.84km route running the first 6km without stopping! So utterly chuffed with achieving this! The last couple of weeks I have found that I can go for longer without needing to walk for a bit and when I do walk it’s for a mere 1-2 minutes before I begin running again so I have really noticed a change in my progress and overall fitness. I wouldn’t say I’ve gone through the wall as runners say they do, my problem is that although I love being outside and active, I actually get bored with the running so in my mind I am constantly thinking about what I am doing rather than finding things to distract myself with. I also leave the house telling myself that there is no pressure to run, just getting out and completing 4 miles is still exercise and doing good.

Today's session

Today’s session

It’s a shame to be honest that I wasn’t doing the running while the hockey season was underway, the two together would have been great training and my fitness would really have excelled in that time but hey ho. If I didn’t have the two summer challenges to train for, it’s unlikely I would have found reason to go out for runs a couple of times a week. The need to get fit is good motivation and there is a purpose to it at the moment. I will be gutted when we (Ian and I) move out of the area in a couple of months, unless I can find a new route I’ll have to swap country lanes for the treadmill which doesn’t particularly excite me.

So, why am I doing these summer challenges and motivating myself to get fit? Well guys Yateley Hockey Club needs a new pitch and the British Heart Foundation need money to continue their research and save lives, both of which are heavily relying on fundraisers to achieve their individual missions. In June three of us hockey ladies are participating in the XRunner Water Wipeout challenge and in July with work, I am climbing the three highest peaks in Yorkshire. I am the world’s worst person for asking for money and support, but I need to up my game and get people to sponsor me so I have more than just my personal fitness to motivate me.

It’s important to note that the new hockey pitch doesn’t just benefit Yateley Hockey club, it benefits the whole local community and will hopefully encourage more, particularly juniors, to the game. The British Heart Foundation of course needs no explanation, it’s a fantastic cause and one I know is important to many.

To support me in my two summer challenges, please follow the links to make a donation. Every penny spared will be much appreciated and your support is highly valued. Thank you!

XRunner Water Wipeout Challenge

JustGiving - Sponsor me now!

Yorshire 3 Peaks Challenge

JustGiving - Sponsor me now!

If you don’t know me I am not expecting you to donate (although you will be my most favourite people like, ever!) but for those that do know me I would hope that by this post and my regular Mapmyrun updates on Facebook (even though I know they are incredibly annoying to people), you can see how I am progressing in my training and how serious about it I am. I have always supported friends in their individual missions so now I would hope those people do the same for me.

Anyway, enough grovelling, it’s awkward!

Until next time x

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