The finish line at last

Team Gould completed Trailwalker 2012 in 25 hours and 38 minutes. Unfortunately Linz had to pull out at checkpoint 7 but the rest of us pushed on into the darkness, rain and fog and we reached the finish line at 07.38 on Sunday morning. The recent rain meant much of the route was difficult to negotiate due to mud and early reports appear to indicate that up to 35% of those who started pulled out. Special thanks to Dave and Andy for their fantastic support over the weekend; they barely had a moment to rest between checkpoints and we couldn't have done this without them.

8 days to go

With only 8 days to go the team is starting to get a little nervous about next weekend's stroll! We met up in the pub earlier in the week to discuss plans for the big event and it's all starting to feel very real now. The last six months have gone by in a blur but I'm confident that our training will pay off and that team work will see us through the tough periods. I'm sure that preparations for our trip will keep us all busy for the next week so I want to say a huge thanks now to everyone who has donated to us and to anyone who has supported us in any way. Thanks to our support crew leader Dave for driving us around, bringing us hot food in the rain and waterproofing our gear, and thanks in advance to him and Andy for agreeing to feed, water and console us in the long hours to come next weekend. And finally a special thanks to my team mates Mum, Linz and James for helping make the long hours of training, many of them arduous and soggy, such fun. Good luck guys!

Preparing for the big day

I've calculated that by the time I've completed Trailwalker I'll have walked 1000 miles since the 9th of January this year. With this in mind I think I'm going to treat myself to an extra chocolate bar today and maybe my Friday evening G&T will have to be a large one tonight. Following Oxfam's advise we are reducing the length of our training walk this weekend and plan to cover an easy 12 miles instead of the usual 20+ so I might just have enough time on Sunday to make my first roast of the year.

19 days to go - bring it on!!

The team walked 25 miles through Tehidy Woods and along the North Cliff coast path on Saturday and fortunately Lindsey's new exercises appear to be helping with her hip pain. We encountered a number of exhausted runners who were undertaking a 100 mile run from Porthleven to Newquay (some of them battered and bloodied) and found it hugely encouraging to realise that there are people out there who are more insane than us! Linz enjoyed a day off yesterday while James, Mum and I set off at 8am again to attempt the same route for a second time and the rain which started at the end of Saturday's walk cleared minutes before we started. James' feet were suffering from Saturday's walk so he left us at Hayle in the hope of scrounging a roast lunch from a nearby friend and Mum and I pushed on for Godrevy Point just as the sun made an appearance. We made it back to Camborne at a little before 16.30, beating the previous day's time by 15 minutes, and while we were both tired and sunburned our muscles have recovered already from the weekend's exertions.
With less than three weeks to go we're trying to find the time to squeeze in a pub meeting with our support crew and a night walk across the dunes at Gwithian and through Tehidy Woods before the big day.

Breaking News

One of Mum's big toe nails has fallen off this morning! Really thought mine would be the first to go as it's been black and lumpy for months now but she beat me to it. It's still debatable who would win the prize for the ugliest feet though

Pendeen Watch to Lamorna Cove

All four team members were available for training yesterday and support crew leader Dave dropped us at Pendeen Watch at 08.45. After four very wet walks we were relieved to see the sun for a change and were in good spirits as we began the 20 mile walk to Lamorna Cove. Mum and I have done this walk before and know how tiring some of the climbs on the last section can be so we weren't surprised when Linz began to struggle after the steep climb down to the beach at Porthcurno. She managed to push on through the pain with the help of painkillers and Kendal mint cake (chocolate covered, yum!) and we reached Lamorna Cove just after 18.00.

With less than four weeks to go until the big day now I think we will struggle to make my target of 24 hours but after Lindsey's problems yesterday I realise that the whole point of the exercise is to get through the challenge as a team so if it takes 30 hours then so be it! As long as the four of us cross the finish line together I'll be happy. With this in mind we're stepping up our training in the final weeks and will be walking home from the office on Tuesday and Thursday this week and doing two 25 miles walks over the weekend.

Marazion to Lizard Point

James was in London visiting friends this weekend and Linz was working so it was just me and Mum yesterday. We left Marazion at a little after 08.30 and while the weather forecast had looked bad we only felt a few spots of rain for the first hour or so. The rain became more persistent as we left Porthleven and looking back over our shoulders crossing Loe Bar we could see that the sky had darkened considerably. By the time we reached Mullion Cove we were drenched through and passed several equally wet and miserable looking walkers coming from the opposite direction. Matters got worse when we encountered thick fog at Predannack Head and we had to rely on the sat nav app on my iPhone (snugly secured in its Aquapac!) to keep us on the right path. We got a little disoriented near Kynance Cove and then had to negotiate a very steep and slippery path down onto the beach so I was rather surprised to reach Lizard Point in one piece (if a little bedraggled and muddy) just after 18.00.

St Ives to Sennen Cove

Mum, James and I set off from St Ives at a little after 08.30 yesterday morning to attempt the arduous but stunning walk to Sennen Cove (our last attempt saw just 10 miles covered in nearly 6 hours due to the difficult terrain). We knew from experience that the path would be muddy, rocky and steep but the rain made the route treacherously slippery in places and I'm surprised that we only suffered two falls. The challenging terrain and foul weather eventually took their toll on James and he had to stop at Pendeen lighthouse and wait for our support crew leader Dave to pick him up (or they'd made prior arrangements to enjoy a couple of pints in the pub!) while Mum and I pushed on to Sennen. The rain eventually stopped and a glimmer of sunshine was even seen, prompting us to peel our waterproofs off at Cape Cornwall before the long slog up the hill out of the village. We arrived at Sennen Cove at a little after six, just over nine and a half hours after leaving St Ives, and were too thrilled with our achievement to notice our aches and pain. I woke up this morning with heat rash, sun burn and a cold sore (despite the fact I was huddled in waterproof clothing for much of the day) so it would seem that the weather had the last laugh in the end.

May training

I walked 215 miles in training in May and according to my pedometer (which I neglected to wear on the treadmill for several weeks at the start of training) I've taken 1,276,336 steps. No wonder my feet look like they've been beaten up! Team Gould are still at the top of Oxfam's fundraising leader board this morning and I've just heard that we'll be setting off at 6am on Saturday the 14th of July (got to break the news to James and Linz now). Because of the four day weekend this week we'll be training on Tuesday and taking a much needed break on Sunday .. it's going to be lovely to lounge in bed with coffee and a book instead of rushing out the door at some ungodly hour of the morning.

Climbing practice

Newcomer James surprised us yesterday by completing just over 25 miles on his first official training walk as a fully fledged member of Team Gould. We walked from Perranporth to Godrevy Point and then back home to Camborne and completed the distance in ten hours. The numerous climbs were a challenge in the heat and we got through more drinks and sun block in one day than we have in the last few weeks. The big day is just 47 days away now but I'm confident that training, team work and determination (or is that stubbornness?) will help us to finish as a team of four.

More team changes

Sadly Team Gould Electronics is losing team member Ewan McDermott. Ewan's knee has been troubling him for several weeks now and he isn't confident that it's going to recover in the 7 weeks before the big event so has decided to back out. Fortunately James Cannicott has agreed to step up to the mark and take Ewan's place (evidently the new blisters gained on his last walk with us didn't put him off) so we don't have to dash about trying to find a replacement. Welcome James .... I hope you realise what you're getting yourself into :) (or perhaps it's better that you don't!)

The Mining Trail

Linz was determined to attempt 30 miles again and with Mum's poorly toe we thought it best to attempt a relatively flat route this weekend so we walked from Camborne to Portreath and then completed the coast to coast path to Devoran and back yesterday. The weather was much better this time than our last walk on this route and we completed the 31.5 mile distance in under 10 hours. We're all getting a bit nervous now that the big day is less than 8 weeks away but I'm confident we'll all be fine. Dave has strict instructions to be waiting at the finish line for us with a bottle of champagne and I'm sure that will keep us going when things get tough!

Walking injuries

Eight weeks to go and Ewan's knee is still troubling him, my toe nails are changing colour daily, James' blisters are back and Mum might have a broken big toe! Think Linz is feeling alright though - maybe she can carry us

50 miles in one weekend

Mum and I completed two 25 miles training walks this weekend and have managed to make it into the office this morning despite stiff joints and sore feet. Ewan and Linz were both busy but our back up member James joined us for 15 miles of the route on Saturday and we were fortunate enough to have two gloriously sunny days to train on.We had a couple of diversions on Saturday (once to meet James at Tehidy Woods and the second time because we missed our turn off because we were engrossed by James' story about teamwork in rats!) and completed the distance in 8.5 hours. I woke up yesterday morning with a headache and stiff knee and fully expected Sunday's walk to take much longer than Saturday's but we completed it in a blistering 8 hours. Might be falling asleep at my desk and dribbling into my keyboard today but don't think anyone could blame me.

Are we mad?

Mum and I have decided to train on Saturday and Sunday this weekend and are going to attempt a 25 mile walk on each day. I'm not sure who's most crazy; me and mum for looking forward to the experience or Linz for being disappointed about missing it because of a weekend away!

What a difference a week makes

It was just me and Mum on Sunday and we opted for challenge rather than distance and set out at 8am to walk approximately 21 miles from Pendeen lighthouse to Lamorna Cove. The day didn't start well - we'd walked just a few meters up the path from where Dave dropped us off when we came across a dead cat in the road - but the sun was out and there was only a gentle breeze. After passing the historic mine works near Boscaswell we came to the beautiful golden beaches of Whitesand Bay and enjoyed a 5 minute lunch break near Sennen. As advised by the South West Coast Path website the going got a lot tougher after Sennen with lots of steep climbs but the scenery continued to stun us and we passed several idyllic villages. The wildlife was also interesting; we saw buzzards, a number of small lizards (much to Mum's delight!) and a very brave cow grazing just inches from the cliff edge. We arrived at Lamorna Cove 8.5 hours after leaving Pendeen lighthouse feeling hot, sunburned and tired but pleased with our efforts. Next weekend's challenge is going to be a 25 mile walk on both Saturday and Sunday so we can experience how it will feel to walk a long distance on very tired legs. Bring it on!

Thank heavens for flip flops!

Not sure where I would be without flip flops at the moment. The nail on my big toe is getting ready to fall off, one of my little toes is misshaped and sore and my new trainers have rubbed both heels on the treadmill this week. I'm sure my poor feet must be a terrible sight for anyone coming into contact with them but it's a relief to free them from boots and trainers. I've started using surgical spirit to harden the skin on both feet (hubby and team leader Dave tells me he did this in preparation for training exercises in his navy days) so I'm sure I must be smelling like a hospital waiting room. I fear that my beloved Jimmy Choos will be confined to their shelf in my wardrobe this summer!

Linz, Ewan and James are all busy this weekend so only Mum and I will be training on Sunday and our aim is to walk from Pendeen point to Lamorna, taking in the rugged beauty of Land's End. The 10 or 11 miles between Sennen Cove and Lamorna is described as difficult on the coast path website, with lots of steep climbs, so it's a good job it's a bank holiday weekend.

Coast to coast path

The girls braved the driving rain and strong winds yesterday to attempt a 30 mile walk from Camborne to Devoran and back via Portreath and the coast to coast path. Our waterproofs quickly proved that they didn't quite live up to their name and we huddled in a bus shelter in Portreath to call our support crew leader and arrange for assistance. Dave met us at the office in Scorrier 10 miles into the walk with hot pasties, hot drinks and dry clothes and from there me and Mum pushed on to Devoran (Linz had decided that enough was enough and she needed to go home and get out of her soaked clothes). The weather didn't improve and it wasn't long before we started to get wet again but we were spurred on by the thought of completing our longest distance yet and we eventually completed 32 miles in approximately 10 hours.

April's training has been varied and challenging. I've walked over 360,000 steps and covered almost 200 miles since the first of the month. Yesterday's walk alone burned over 2400 calories according to my pedometer and I've lost count of the number of chocolate bars I've consumed since training began!

Waterproofs at the ready

The weather forecast for Sunday is for strong winds and heavy rain so Team Gould have made the decision to stay away from cliff top coast paths we might slip on or be blown off! The plan is to walk 30 miles this time (our greatest distance yet) and to stay inland to try to avoid the worst of the weather. We're aiming to incorporate the Portreath to Devoran coast to coast path in the route and hope to complete the distance in 9.5 hours.

Fundraising update

Team Gould Electronics are back at the top of Oxfam's fundraising leader board and the £1000 donation made by our wonderful director last week hasn't updated yet.