London to Brighton Trek

Sometimes in life, you fail. When I began the London to Brighton trek on the 21st (feels like forever ago now) I knew I was physically prepared but I came to learn that day that I wasn't entirely mentally prepared. I don't think the thought properly sank in that I was attempting to walk 100km!

So young...so naive

With weather that brought joy to the country that day, filled me and my fellow trekkers with dread. It's pretty damn hot for 8am isn't it? And where are all the clouds? Never have I seen a sky so blue! Thoughts filled my head of my friends tanning themselves in a park somewhere while I was facing dehydration, heat stroke and blisters. It's all for a good cause though so off we trotted.

10 miles in I got my first blister. I walked on. 20 miles in I visited the first aid tent. I was surrounded my people having their entire foot bandaged up. I got a sheep plaster. I walked on.

At checkpoint 4 around 9pm, 47km in, my feet were covered in blisters. I visited the first aid tent again, this time to join the bandage crew and got both my feet almost covered in gauze. I hobbled on in a fair bit of pain. At this stage I was determined to get to the end, no matter how long it took. Topher led the way into the dark forest and we hobbled on with our head torches. This is when things changed. The terrain got rocky and the woods started to slope up. I had completely forgotten about my fear of the dark as I couldn't feel anything else but the rocks agitating my blistered feet. That was bloody painful. I slowed down. We reached the half way point and still carried on. I was close to tears but didn't cry - I wouldn't let myself. That last kilometere to checkpoint 5, felt like it went on forever.

I really didn't want to quit but I knew that I had to. Topher told me it was ok and that he wouldn't go on without me. We reached checkpoint 5, just under 54km at about 11/12pm (I'm quite hazy on the exact timing). We had walked aprox 33miles in 15 hours. I visited the first aid tent a final time and got the remainder of my feet bandaged up.

We were then driven to checkpoint 6 along with some other people who had to drop out and got some hot food in our bellies. Checkpoint 6 was 12km further and it was like a war zone. We got out of the van and there was a girl being loaded onto a crash trolley as she was in shock and later another girl collapsed at the table next to us when we were eating. Topher overheard one of the first aid crew saying that they wished that some people hadn't pushed themselves so hard. They turned their minor injuries into worse ones. That made me feel relieved that I had dropped out before I had done any further damage to myself. I have a huge respect for those people (both a mix of fitter and less fit than myself) who carried on after that point.

After the food, we were taken to Brighton and found to our horror that the finish line was at the top of a massive hill. Even bigger respect to those who finished now. I think that would have killed me! We were led into the race track building where there we're blow up mattresses and food waiting for us. I just stuck with the mattress - I wasn't hungry at all at that point.

Part of me felt like a failure to have only gotten half way - that I'd let my sponsors down. But it turns out that only half of the 900 people who began the challenge finished it. The other half dropped out like I did, all along the route, before and after me. Besides, it's the big picture you've got to look at. Topher and I have raised money for a charity that we both care a lot about and we walked further than we've ever walked before by just over 10 miles so it was quite an achievement. This time last year, we killed ourselves walking 8 miles when we were heavier so I'm really proud of the two of us.

Besides, there's always next year!

30 before 30

Yesterday I turned 26. Still in the mid twenties so nothing to write home about. I couldn't get the day of work so I had to endure that but I had the joy of being fed by Topher when I arrived home. I'm properly celebrating tomorrow with a day trip to London and to visit lady Dinah's cat cafe (so excited!).

So what do I do when I reach a birthday or a new year? I make a list. Today it's a big one. 30 things to do before I'm 30. I've permanently borrowed a couple of things from my 25 before 25 list that I didn't accomplish for this list. I just don't think that a year is enough to complete this many goals so I've given myself four. I think that's a lot more realistic. Check me out being all "grown up".

Nothing to do with the post - just thought I'd brighten your day!

30 before 30

1. Ride a horse

2. Buy a house

3. Visit Iceland

4. Make a gingerbread house

5. Get to my target weight and stay there

6. Make sushi

7. Go indoor skydiving

8. Make a scrapbook

9. Do a charity walk abroad

10. Drive across the USA

11. Successfully make all of my favourite Arab meals

12. Own a piece of Tatty Devine jewellery

13. Build a capsule wardrobe

14. Write an article for a magazine

15. Have a spa day

16. Own my own cats

17. Go to the recording of a tv show

18. Have my own walk in wardrobe/office

19. Make macaroons at home

20. Sort out my acne

21. Be in a happy place in my career - whatever it may turn out to be

22. Marry Topher

23. Go to a premier league football match

24. Sew a dress

25. Own something from Kate Spade

26. Sleep inside a treehouse

27. Go to Cadbury World

28. Finish the London to Brighton trek

29. Fill in my recipe book

30. He watch, she watch project - more info on this coming soon!


Are you doing a birthday milestone to do list? Link me up to yours, it's good to have someone behind you giving you a kick I find!

Mr Nutcase review

Mr Nutcase appears to be some sort of mind reader. When I was in need of a new phone case, there they were in my inbox. Would I like to review one of their phone cases?* Yes please!

Their website was full of fun designs to choose from, as well as being able to upload your own photos. 

I decided to use one of my own designs and I am so pleased with how it turned out! 

The phone case arrived super quick and for £14.95 you get what you pay for. I love having such a unique phone case. :)

What phone case is your phone rocking at the moment?

*Disclaimer: Mr Nutcase sent me a phone case of my choosing to review. All opinions are my own.

Alfie Birds

The Blognix after party was at Alfie Birds located in the Custard Factory. Once again, I'm going to have to photo bomb and leave you now. If this posts correctly, then right now I should be checking into my hotel in the next village over from the starting line for the London to Brighton trek. Scared does not even cover it! Anyway, back to Alfie Birds:

This pizza went quick - so delicious!

A great evening to top off a brilliant day.

Blognix

I'm afraid that I'm going to have to photo bomb you and run. Where is this week going? My trek is etching closer and closer. So is my terror. 

Anyway Blognix in a nutshell: Amazing! I really recommend it - I learned so much and have lots of new ideas in my brain...and my notebook, I doubt my brain will remember it all. 

Hee hee - that's me

So many photos (and these are a fraction of the photos I took that day)! I will have to put my Alfie Birds after party photos in a separate post I think. Thanks to everyone involved for a great day - I had a blast!

Have you ever been to a bloggers conference?

The final practise walk

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, but when it comes to thinking about doing the London to Brighton Trek in less than two weeks time, I'm officially bricking it! 

The show must go on however, we're almost at our target and have been training as much as we can - the last big practise walk being last weekend. (Blognix this weekend woo!)

It was a beautiful day, though slightly too beautiful to be honest. In terms of how hot it was. Let's just say we sweated buckets! I want it to be overcast on the day of the trek - not too hot or too cold. I'll just keep praying shall I?

This sloth/tree made our day!

I love this walk so much - it's such a pretty route. We get to see a lake, a river, green fields, a bit of woodland and a golf course. Not to mention all the little rabbits we see. So cute!

Almost stood on this little guy. He was creeping along the footpath trying to remain unseen - thank goodness he's such a contrast to the mud otherwise it would not have been pretty!

They seem to like their trains in Peterborough from what I've seen so far. This one just appears to go back and forth somewhere. Will have to give Railworld a visit!

How did you enjoy the weekend weather?

365 Project: May edition

I still managed to get through my 365 project during May but of course couldn't post it due to my BEDM challenge. So here we are, a months worth of photos. Boom.

Being lazy, texting about toothpaste #wesocool, chocolates!, Primark binge, Cinco de mayo nails, another leaving party, all the stapling in the world to do, veggie couscous, being lazy, trying to defrost a chicken using sunlight, hampstead heath, sandwich, vintage postcard, peanut butter dessert, outfit post, Jay-z memes a go go, goodbye London flat, plumbing is not my forte - tape is, Primark goodies,  Hogwarts?, working hard, Topher's new love, more work, attempting to cook, Peterborough walking, pretty sky, apparently you can make your screen turn upside down on a PC, even more work, commuting times, never let Topher borrow my phone, fritatta. 

How was your May?