Somewhere to stay?

Check this out........Middle Barn Farm have offered us 10% discount on their standard price of £32pp per night for 3 nights bed & breakfast. Click on the picture above to take a look at the website. They have 3 twin rooms and 2 single rooms available for that weekend at the moment. Let me know what you think. (by the way - it's less than a mile from the nearest pub!)

Update

Didn't really do much walking at the weekend, although i did "run" (some of it was not much more than a walk and some of it was definitely walking!!) a 10k cross country on Saturday through thigh deep puddles, thick mud and along pebble beaches. Well it seemed a good idea at the time!!
Seems a good idea to meet sooner rather than later as time is whizzing along. I have a map (without ice-cream vans, so fortunate that has been sorted!!) and a book where the author has gone the wrong way around or should that be the wight way round?

Started training!

Hi...first time user so hope this works!! Started training Sunday morning, walked 5.9 miles before breakfast. In the rain, so cold and wet when got home! Also looking for walking boots... maybe go shopping this week.

Ice Cream

Done the Ice Cream Van bit!

These boots are made for walking...

After a couple of weeks laid low with various effects of a cold it's time to get back to the serious stuff. Bought some walking shoes today so there's no stopping me now!
We need to meet soon and finalise the route, check out where all the ice cream vans are and think about overnight accomodation. As January draws to a close there are only four months to go - lots to sort out - and a need to get a few more miles under the belt! HELP!!!!

Going Downhill Fast!

This graph indicates the altitude profile for the walk from the Needles around to Chale. Any resemblance to the LloydsTSB share price over the last 12 months is purely coincidental!

Miracle Weight Loss Plan

Not been walking a lot this week but I have discovered a great way to lose weight - get a virus!

I seem to be 6lbs lighter than I was on monday. It's good for detoxing too. No pub on Tuesday and no coffee for 3 days. only trouble is I have a new addiction The Jeremy Kyle Show.

Oh dear I've just seen the share price - I feel a relapse coming on.

Update

Gosh! This is actually harder than i thought; the blog that is, not the walking! Although i haven't done much of that either so far! Just a four miler last weekend in about 55 mins. Back from the stables, in the dark with the dog in tow (or should i say being towed by the dog!) so not too bad. Plan for the coming weeks is to do a couple of shorter, faster walks during the week and a longer, slower one at the weekend. Well that's the theory!

WARNING!

Don't go for walks with holes in your socks - you get sore feet! I found this out to my cost this morning having decided to walk to an appointment in Eastleigh. Suffice to say the socks are no longer and the sore foot is receiving treatment in order to be fit for next weekend's expedition.

Mr Lazy, 1 Lazy St, Lazytown, Lazyshire

ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz. Sorry was I supposed to do something active this weekend? oops.

Progress update from Wrighty

I have been out as planned Friday I did 3.5miles with my Daughter Abigail it was not warm I have to say. It was -4 when we left home at 7.00pm, not sure how cold it got but we could not feel our fingers by the end. I had a real shock on Friday after the post arrived though as I have been accepted in the Moon Light Walk in London on the 19th May. Now I have to do some serious training as this is 26.5 miles at night by the clock ( 6-8 hours).

I could not go out Saturday as working in the freezing cold at Abigail's stables Hampshire Riding Therapy Centre. It was so cold the only way to warm up when we got home was to stand in front of the fire for 10min's.

Sunday 11th January, I can not put this off any longer I have to go for the long walk to see how I get on. Next time though I will not take Poppy, I had Abigail on her bike racing ahead and Poppy thinking that she can keep up with me attached the the other end of the lead. This was a good way to improve my time but my poor hips are not impressed. I am sitting here writing this not knowing whether I will actually be able to get back out of the chair.

A work colleague says what we are going to do will be a doddle. I wish!!!

Brrrrrrrr!

-7C forecast for the morning - but that won't stop me! Planning 10 miles to Beaulieu and back - update and maybe even some pictures later - if I return!

I'm back! Click on the photo below for a few pictures:
I left home just before 8am . . . temperature -5C . . . a pleasant stroll along roads to Dibden Purlieu and then through Dibden Inclosure and onto the forest. It was freezing! The frost so thick it looked like a carpet of snow. Footpath was non-existent so made for heavy walking, at times through brambles and then trying to avoid the frozen ponds. Didn't seem to be worrying the ponies too much who are clearly benefiting from their thick winter coats. A herd of about 10 deer dashed across the road about 1/4 mile ahead of me but they soon disappeared into the thick, ice covered gorse bushes. The hill down into Beaulieu came as a bit of relief (as did the public loo's in the village!). Very nice mug of coffee at Fairweather's Garden Centre - I think I was their first customer - they had to warm the mug up before pouring the coffee in. Refreshed I set out to retrace my steps for the walk home. The sunrise over the partly frozen Beaulieu River was beautiful. If you think I was stupid take a look at the pictures on flickr - I could hear the crunch of breaking ice as the canoeist made his way down the river! Eventually arrived home - 10 miles in just over 3 hours - will be interesting to see how the limbs react to this sudden surge of exercise - I'll let you know.

14 years

Been to the Isle of Wight today, not much walking, but the short walk that I did undertake was a sad one. 14 years ago today my Dad died. He was a month short of his 55th birthday. He suffered a massive heart attack while out for a Sunday afternoon drive. This was his second heart attack and followed a series heart bypass operations.

So much more is known these days about the causes of heart disease. The treatments available and support to stop it becoming a problem in the first place have advanced enormously in the last 14 years. Much of the progress due to the efforts of the British Heart Foundation.

Half of the funds we raise undertaking this event will go to the British Heart Foundation.

The BHF has a vision of a world in which people do not die prematurely of heart disease and is seeking to achieve this through pioneering research, vital prevention activity and ensuring quality care and support for everyone living with heart disease.

BHF is the Lloyds TSB nominated charity of the year and as such the Lloyds TSB Foundation will match, pound for pound, all the money raised.

Sponsor forms will be available around Easter time so when you get the chance - please give generously and support this important and hugely beneficial work.

Ice Skating

Not sure if the four miles tonight counts as most of it was on ice!

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No - it's the saint!

I'm in! Only walked from the sofa to the computer and back again though

Wrighty's training

Following Marks attempt the other weekend I decided that I should join in the training. Sunday I took the Dog on a walk only 3.5 miles I am not sure who came off worse me or Poppy. I then decided that I should try again yesterday, we walked the same distance, the only problem being I could not move once I had sat down, this is not looking good!!! Today I decided to stay in and work out on my wii fit ( Step exercises) I will not comment. Here's to more miles and less stiffness.

Wow!!

Went for a brisk walk tonight, through Hythe and round to the Marina - just over a mile in about 18 minutes - nothing special I hear you say - but that's not how the folk at Associated British Ports saw it- as I arrived at the end of Hythe Marina I was greeted by the most enormous firework display! Thank you ABP - your support is much appreciated.

I am sure that the firework display had nothing to do with the fact that the Saga Rose was about to leave on her final round the world voyage - but you never know!

Managed to counter some of my previous failings tonight by 1. Going out for a walk after the sweet shops had shut. 2. Not taking any money so the temptation to call at the Nelson for a swift half was avoided. All in all a successful outing and 4971 more steps towards the goal of getting fit enough to tackle the 70 mile walk in June.

Sunday - a day of rest

Took the day off from 'training' today. My new pedometer needed a break after the exertions of Saturday. Have spent some time looking at routes for training walks - lots to choose from - should be fun. Where shall I walk tomorrow?

-1C

7.30am, -1C, 5km, 45 minutes. The vital statistics for this mornings walk. Oh, I forgot to mention the full english breakfast in the middle! (NOTE TO SELF: At some point if this effort is going to succeed in getting me fit I need to break the psychological link between walking and food that is obviously predominant at the moment!). Also, a tip for all walkers - make sure you go the loo before you set out - especially on these cold winter mornings!
Off to the home of English football this afternoon and will park a couple of miles from the ground, so could be approaching 10km walking today - 6 miles in one day - Kanu believe it?
PM Update - Not going to mention the football! But according to my trusty pedometer have managed to walk 12km today which is about 7 miles. Not bad for day 3 of the training. Going to try for a 10 miler next weekend so a few more shorter walks during the week to prepare will not go amiss.

It's all getting very serious!

Bought a pedometer today so now I can measure the number of steps I walk each day. Did you know it is over 1000 steps from Costa Coffee to LloydsTSB in Eastleigh? Burnt a full 51 calories returning from my coffee and chocolate muffin break today! Back to training tomorrow - planning to walk at least 4 miles - probably fairly quickly to avoid freezing to death! The picture, by the way, is footprints in the sand on the beach at Lake on the Isle of Wight. All being well there'll be a few more sets of footprints as we pass through Sandown Bay on Sunday 7th June.

The first 4(ish) miles....

Just got back from my first ‘training’ walk. Somewhere between 3 and 4 miles (will Google Earth the route later to check distance and probably find that it was about a mile and half!). Not sure that the espresso and shortbread was the most sensible way to start. Felt quite nauseous half way round. The short breather stopping for a newspaper at the marina – and then reading of the likelihood of Jermaine Defoe being sold to Man City, Tottenham, Aston Villa et al seemed to give me a new lease of life and an hour after setting off I arrived safely home. Legs fine, knees okay, lower back sore – but rosy cheeks and a smile on my face. Then, sat in recovery mode, the reality of the task ahead starts to dawn….4 miles today…20 miles a week in the first few weeks……building up to 40 miles a week by the end of May and then, the big one, 70 miles in 3 days in June. I wonder what odds Radders would give on me completing this challenge?

Happy New Year

Well here we go, the beginning of a new year and the start of a new challenge. Driven by a desire to get fit, a desire to raise money for poor people in Tanzania and a desire to support the British Heart Foundation (LloydsTSB nominated charity for 2009) the idea of a 70 mile walk around the Isle of Wight was born.
This blog will follow the fortunes of the intrepid participants as they prepare for the walk in June.
Details of how you can support, practically and financially, will be posted soon. We'll also provide more information about the charities that we are looking to raise funds for. See you soon.