Slightly training related!

I'm very aware that the last time I did the London2Brighton walk that I was not as fit as I could have been.  So to help me with that and to build more fitness into my life I've decided to try and cycle to and from work each day.  I am aware that it is 7.5 miles one way, and that we are going into winter, but hopefully my motivation will stay quite high.  Here's a link to my new toy...http://justmakeanewplanstan.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/new-toy.html

Whitwell to Drayton

Today was a bit of a weird one.  I have been doing most of my training walks for London 2 Brighton 2016 with Sid, but he is currently suffering with a nasty wound to his back right foot.  Leaving the house without him this morning was horrible, especially as he still wants to go out, and still tries to get out the door with me too.  As he is currently on three legs, expecting him to do 9.5 miles was a bit of a stretch.

Whitwell Station

Susan picked me up at 9.20 and we drove to Whitwell, where we left off last time on the Marriott’s Way.  It was a beautiful day and I pretty soon realised that a t-shirt and fleece was a bit of an overkill.  However, as I was setting a fair old pace, I didn’t want to stop to take my rucksack off in order that I could take my fleece off, so I made do with being a bit whiffey instead. 

There weren’t that many people around, and I had the trail to myself for most of the time.  In fact I think the first walker that I came across was Susan, on her way to meet me.

I didn’t take a lot of photos today and I only got one mile marker – at the 9 mile mark.  I was striding purposefully along when this caught my eye – not sure why!

Mile Marker No. 9

I looked up Mr John Behm when I got home and got this description of his sculptures here 

Mile Nine: The North German invaders of the early medieval period, the Anglo-Saxons and the Danish Vikings, brought with them unfamiliar forms of worship, including devotion to Thor. His followers wore a pendant depicting the “Thor Hammer”. The finely-wrought example with inlaid silver decoration from which this image is drawn is now in the Norwich Castle Museum, but it was found near here, at Great Witchingham.

Of course, it's a hammer - what was I thinking?

As I am walking the trail backwards, Susan met me just after mile 8 for me, and mile 7 for her.  I was really pleased because one of my goals was that I needed to walk further than her and I wanted to get as many miles under my belt before I saw her. The fact that I had passed Mile Markers 13, 12, 11, 10, 9 and 8 before I was ambushed by Finn made me want to do a bit of a happy dance!  I refrained though - I didn't want to break my stride!

Reepham to Whitwell to Reepham again!

After a very wet couple of days I was well prepared for our walk on Sunday - waterproofs packed in bag, and suitable shoes on feet.  The plan was that I would carry on the Marriott's Way from where I left off last week, and my chauffeur, Susan, would drop me at Reepham Station, drive to Whitwell and walk to meet me.  However, having downloaded the map this week, both Susan and I discovered that there is a link path from Whitwell Station back to Reepham Station extending the 5.5 mile path to 7.5 miles, so we decided that we do a circular walk, meaning Susan could walk with me.

So, we parked up, popped in to use the facilities, stared at the cakes for a little while and then we were off!

It has been one of my goals to photograph all the mile markers and associated pictures along the Marriott's Way and I did actually remember to do it today.  However, they are all so beautiful I shall put them together in their very own blog another time.  In the meantime, this bench actually says 'heat then rain' which actually turned out to be quite prophetic!

The walk today was going to be around 7.5 miles but I reckon Finn must walk twice what the distance we do.  Sid doesn't, however, because he is very naughty and is never allowed off the lead!  There are far too many rabbit shaped temptations in the fields and hedgerows.  

Susan made me take pictures of the haystacks!

There were actually quite a crowd of cows hanging about minding their own business before Finn scared them all off - I don't think they really wanted to make friends today!

I love this view.

After a while the sky began to look a bit umptydoodleum (love you mum!) but it was still very warm so we didn't bother to stop to dig the waterproofs out of the bag.  Susan kept asking me to take pictures of the poison in the fields - I'm not bitter that I have coeliac disease at all!

I meant to take the picture of this fly!

The boys tying Susan up in knots with the leads

We finally got to Whitwell Station and as we walked on to the link path to take us back to Reepham the heavens opened.  These horses were taking shelter under the trees but the light in this photo makes it look as though they were taking in some shade from the sun.

I have to admit that the last little bit back to Reepham had me worried.  Sid was really struggling and began to really slow down and at one point I thought I was going to have to stop and wait for Susan to go back and get the car for him.  He plodded on however and as soon as he saw the car at the station, he put on a bit of a sprint.  I really love walking with him but I am beginning to think that maybe six miles is his limit.  

Nothing for over a year then 3 in a day!

The previous post London 2 Brighton never saw the light of day because I didn't know how to finish it.  Shannon and I were not able to complete the walk in 2014 due to injuries and I'd forgotten that I started the blog to report on the walk.  However, after writing about my first training walk today Deja Vu I was looking at the photos of us at the beginning and wanted to acknowledge what we had achieved.  I've pretty much let the photos speak for themselves.  

London 2 Brighton - 24 May 2014

Well the walk has come and gone and left us all a bit shell shocked hence the distinct lack of posts recently.

Shannon and I were really up for the walk as you can see from the pictures of us taking part in the zumba pre-walk work out.....

Deja Vu?

A little while ago, in a fit of madness, I signed up for the London to Brighton Challenge for 2016.  My motives were mixed and varied, and far too complicated to get into here, but suffice it to say, I've got to start training again.

I'm in a slightly better position than I was in for the last one, in that I've got almost a year to train, so my training / fitness programme is not quite as urgent as it was before, but you've got to start somewhere.  So I started with what I knew - The Marriott's Way from Aylsham to Reepham.  At just over six miles, it's a well marked path with a built in reward at the end in the form of the tea/coffee shop at Reepham Station.

As I'm walking the walk on my own next year, I am going to be responsible for my own training and fitness, but that doesn't mean that I can't rope in other people to help me along the way.  Thank you Susan for the lift to Aylsham and collecting me in Reepham!

So the walk....

The Marriott's way is a footpath that starts in Norwich and ends in Aylsham and it about the length of a Marathon - 26 miles.  There are these metal (iron?) posts at every mile and they have these pictures on them, each one different.  I am determined to photograph all the mile markers and their associated pictures at some point - I can't remember how many times I've said that!  Perhaps it should go on my list?  This is the first post on my walk but the last one on the Marriott's Way directing you in to Tesco's car park - very picturesque!

This is the very dirty sign at Aylsham, welcoming people to the Marriott's Way.  Perhaps I'll write to the Tourist Information people and get them to clean it up!

Today's walk was quite nostalgic because it's the first walk that Shannon and I did when we started our training back in January 2014.  The main differences from then and today's walk were:  1) I was starting off alone (with Sid!), 2) the sky was blue and the weather was warm, and 3)  I was probably wearing 75% less clothing than before!

Sid and I walked the first 4 miles of it on our own.  There was hardly any people on the path and we had it to ourselves for a lot of the time.  This allowed me to reminisce about the previous times I had walked that path with Shannon and at times certain things made me laugh out loud.  When I went by the riding school and the ponies were lying in the field - I was looking for the one scratching his bum against the fence post which Shannon thought was really funny.  I also saw the stable cat which I mistook for a fox last time.  I remembered the 'buns of steel' and Hugh Jackman reading us stories in our headphones.  I also remembered Bananas!

Susan came to meet us at the 4 mile mark and we walked the final 2 miles to Reepham with her.  It was good to have her to talk to as it distracted me from the fact that my legs were beginning to tighten up and my hips/back were beginning to hurt.  The station at Reepham was a very welcome site where we rewarded ourselves with Kettle Chips and a refreshing drink.

By George, it was marvellously sharp and moustache tinglingly zingy!

All in all, a good walk, and I was relieved to note that I did not feel half as bad as I did at the end of the first time we did it.  I didn't even need to go for a snooze at the end!

Saturday 12 April 2014

Today's walk was without Shannon as she unfortunately had to work today.  I was going to be attempting the full 18 miles of the BVFP but as I'd had to have the week off work due to aggravating my back injury, Susan suggested that we walk along the Marriott's way from Aylsham to Reepham and back again - a total of 12 miles - with the added bonus of a possible stop at Reepham Station for coffee and cake!

We set out just after 8.40 and walked at a steady pace of 3 miles per hour arriving at Reepham Station at 10.50am.  As it was nearly elevenses time we stopped for a coffee and a slice of yummy bakewell tart - it would have been rude not to.  Setting off again 30 minutes later we headed back towards Aylsham taking another 2 hours and 15 minutes to get there. 

 



Sharing a banana on the way back from Reepham with my friend Finn.  Luckily I managed to get into my banana in the normal manner - not like monkeys do!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Sorry Shannon xxxx)