At the end of May I entered to do the Housman Hundred. I pre-qualified with a 50 miles walk – The Sussex Stride in 2010. I entered the event because I thought I would be at my fittest on my return from the Arctic, and this likely to be the only time that I could walk 100 miles in a single go. I knew it would be a challenging event – the route took you through Shropshire and North Wales and included a total climb of 18,000 feet!
We started the event at 10.00am, it was a damp drizzly day, which got progressively wetter! The views were fantastic and the hills challenging! I love the ups, but found the very steep declines were starting to cause my knees (mainly my good knee!) problems ….
I teamed up with a nice couple as it got dark and we climbed Offa’s Dyke. Navigation was difficult at times and I took two falls and lots of slips on the almost vertical descents. As dawn approached and I hit the 50 mile marker I decided that the I was likely to do some long term damage to my knees if I kept going (unusably sensible of me I know!), so I reluctantly pulled out of the event. Most of my training had been on gentle inclines and rolling hills with the odd steep challenge. I had not trained for this level of ascent and descent! We covered 9,000ft in the 50 miles completed!
I had been due to complete another hilly event at the start of July – The Welsh 3000, but we have had to post-pone this due to bad weather. This has been re-scheduled for Oct half term!
The immediate challenge now is The Nijmegen Marches. We are registered and ready for an early start tomorrow – 3.15am! One hundred and sixty kilometers in 4 days (40km/day)!
MoonWalk 2011 Finish
The London MoonWalk 2011 was much colder than last years event – there was a bitter wind blowing that was sometimes head on! I wore my attractive plastic poncho for at least half of the walk – it did a great job as a wind shield! Many people are asking if I am enjoying the warmer weather of the UK – but I have yet to feel really warm, and have only managed shorts once, for a quick dog walk, I am often wearing gloves, as my hands in particular are still quite sensitive to the cold!
I Pottered round the MoonWalk, taking lots of pictures of London at night – you can see most of these HERE. The London Eye, Tower Bridge, and the Houses of Parliament are particularly attractive landmarks in the night sky. The first 16 miles were easy, and came round very quickly. 16 – 20 dragged a little – probably the early hours of the morning. Then the finish was quite quick!
London MoonWalk 2011 - Buckingham Palace
I was very pleased that the organisers had changed the final route back into the Park. Last year we had a long drag along Rotten Row, across the bridge and back down Serpentine Road into MoonWalk City, which although just over a mile, seemed to take an age! This year, we came down The Mall to Buckingham Palace, along Constitution Hill back into Hyde Park – a lovely welcome back, and a great landmark especially against the bright blue skies we had that morning.
The theme this year was ‘walk on the wild side’ – there were some great costumes, but I didn’t think as much effort had been made as last year with the bra decoration, and outfits.
I was back home just after 9.30am. It was The Andover Rugby Club Presentation Day, and both the boys did John and I proud winning awards; having been away from home for five weeks – it was a moment not to be missed! After a healthy lunch of a rather dry burger and a Mr Whippy 99, I was tucked up in bed by 1.00pm. I got up briefly later that evening, but was in bed for the night by 11.00pm, and had my best nights sleep for at least 8 weeks …. no skiing and no loo stops!
I was surprised by just how tired I was in the days following the MoonWalk. I don’t think I have really appreciated just how much my Arctic ventures have taken out of me physically. This does worry me slightly as next weekend I have a REALLY long walk. One Hundred miles in 48 hours. It is a very challenging walk, with many steep hills, in Shropshire and North Wales! The good news is that I have no walks planned for June!
MoonWalk 2011 The London Eye
Polar Racers 2011
All the 2011 Polar Racers are now back home!
Rob, Lucy, Lee and the checkpoint crew, who narrowly missed the plane back with the rest of us had to spend a further night on the ice. They all piled into one tent (five in a four man tent must have been very cozy), and drank champagne! The plane picked them up the next evening and they all got back to the UK by Thursday 5th May.
When we arrived in the Arctic, we were warned about Arctic Shock, which can occur when arriving in such a cold, white environment. I think because our journey to Resolute was a prolonged journey with plane troubles, we were pretty well adjusted by the time we arrived! I think they should have warned us about ‘Home Shock’! Having not been to bed for at least 3 nights out of the previous 5 before returning to the UK, I arrived home well but shattered. I have found sleeping in a big spacious bed difficult, so my nights are still very broken. I don’t think it helps that I am in white bedding, so most nights I dream that I am still skiing!
The Tent
In the High Arctic we slept in Rab Down filled ‘Mummy’ sleeping bags, which with the fleece liner were generally very warm, but there was not much room to move, particularlywith all your bed partners!
After we put the tent up, we would get changed from our ‘day gear’ – changing our stretch bottoms for fleece lined tent trousers, our racing hat for our tent hats, our boots for down filled tent booties, and hang all our wet / damp kit up to dry in the top of the tent. When the stoves were not being used for cooking, they would be pumped up and the temperatures in the top of the tent would easily reach mid – high 20 degrees (Roasty Toasty). As soon as the stoves were switched off, the temperatures plummeted, and would often drop to minus 26 / 28 degrees, so anything left out froze! To ensure I had dry kit for the next day, most of it would came into bed with me! My boot liners (seen hanging above my head) would go at the bottom of my sleeping bag between the bag and the liner. My gloves, hat, face mask, and socks would come into my sleeping bag. My wash bag came into the sleeping bag (otherwise any moisturisers, sun cream or toothpaste would freeze!) All my electricals which hung round my neck during the day on various lanyards, were put into a small bag and bought into the sleeping bag. The electricals were: The iridium phone (think old fashioned chunky first generation mobile phone!), My video camera, my ipods and all spare batteries for phone, and cameras, and my GPS; in my top pocket was my small digital camera and the plastic bullets (for scaring bears – which wouldn’t work if they got cold!) And left round my neck was a lighter, which we all carried and was used for lighting the stoves! This didn’t leave a whole lot of room for me! We slept on two layers – a foam mat (about 5mm thick) and a thermalite ‘mattress’ (about 20mm thick). I generally sleep on my side, with only 25mm between me and the hard ice, I woke up regularly with sore hips and would have to turn onto my other side, shuffling all ‘my stuff’ so that it was behind my knees! I generally slept in my thermal underwear, my fleece tent trousers, dry socks and booties, my stretch top and my fleece. I kept my gloves and a supply of toilet paper in my fleece pocket – needed for nightly toilet dashes out of the tent! On really cold nights, baffling down in this gear, with your fleece liner pulled tight over your shoulders, your hat pulled down over your nose, and you neck gaiter pulled up to your mouth wasn’t enough. On these nights I pulled my Down Jacket (my Downey was probably my best friend!) into the sleeping bag and wrapped it round me. Early in the race (before spring arrived) when you woke up in the night or early morning (we were generally up by 6.00am) the zip on your sleeping bag would be frozen, and the only way out was breathing on it, and there would be ice on your sleeping bag, which showered you as you sat up. This is cold!
I will update you with more information on daily life in the Arctic over the next few weeks … Many people have asked what next?! I have no major challenge planned (yet!) but I do have a few small events! The first is this weekend. I am doing my second MoonWalk – 27 miles through the streets of London on Saturday night in my bra, kindly decorated by Katie (again!). If you you would like to sponsor me for this event, please visit my fundraising page HERE! As ever, thanks for your continued support – it is much appreciated!
News from the Polar Race Support Team
Published: Sunday, 1st May 2011 09:30
The plane is on its way and with any luck our remaining racers and staff will be off the ice in the next couple of ours. Weather has been a bit poor in Resolute and various pick ups from local Hamlets have not happened. So fingers crossed we may yet get away from Resolute only a day late as there may be free seats on the plane out We need to wait and see. All I think will be glad to be “winging” our way back to the UK.
It is never over however till the “fat lady sings”.
Keep watching this space for more on our adventures and the final results. Early next week after the May break we will also be making an important announcement on the future of the Polar Race.
As they say “watch this space” – especially those who feel they are up to the challenge!
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