Sunday 11 December 2016

HOW IT ALL BEGAN (part 2)



After turning up at Bridget's coaching sessions on a Saturday regularly, working shifts I found I was now taking holidays from work so I could attend (this was getting serious) Bridget mentioned club nights on a Monday and Thursday at the National Sports Centre. Monday was track based and Thursdays was held on the perimeter road, meeting at the Harriers clubhouse. It was during one of these Monday sessions I met Ed Walter and Andy Dawson, both multiple Parish Walk finishers, who attended. I continued with these sessions over the winter months but would still meet up with Ray on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to walk from the NSC, along Douglas promenade and up to Groudle where we would stop and return on the reverse of the route back to the NSC.


Talk between us on these training walks turned to the Sarah Killey Walk (31 miles) which takes in 99% of the Peel to Ramsey part of the Parish route in April. During the training sessions I was told about eating and drinking during longer events and the importance of having support, something I had now learnt had played a big part in the way I was feeling after the previous years Ramsey Bakery sponsored End to End, I had not eaten anything on that event apart from the odd Mini Mars Bar (other chocolate bars are available) and definitely hadn't drank enough.
April and to the event soon came round and I rolled up to the start at the Peel Fire Station with my nephew employed as support driver with a car boot stocked with water and homemade Flap Jacks. The event started well with my nephew meeting me at Devils Elbow, around 3 miles outside of Peel, and then again at Glen Wyllin and Kirk Michael village. by the time I reached Ballaugh It was fair to say I was sick of flap jacks and bored of water so ate and drank now less frequently. I carried on to finish in a time of  5hrs 44mins and 18th Overall, feeling a lot better than I had on the End to End 6 months earlier, this could only be put down to walking now with a better technique and eating and drinking more often along the route.




I still wasn't convinced about entering the 2015 Parish Walk!






In the weeks after the Sarah Killey Ed Walter suggested, after one of the Monday NSC Sessions, I should come up to Bikestyle on a Tuesday evening for additional training with himself and a group of Parish Walk regulars (calling them mere regulars is a little of the mark, they have numerous wins, Parish walk records and top 3 results between them) including Jock Waddington, Dave Walker, Richard Gerrard and Vinny Lynch. It was after this first outing with the group I was re-introduced to the feeling of wanting to curl up on the bathroom floor all over again! being told the session was a steady one was a shock to the system as it was a quicker pace than I had previously trained at. It was now I realised that all the advice and coaching I had been given over the last 8 months had helped me stay somewhere within sight of the group when not only out on that first Tuesday but also what had now turned into regular Tuesday, Thursday evenings and Saturday morning training sessions.




It may come as a shock but I still didn't fancy the Parish Walk and in the end I did not enter the 2015 event, much to the surprise of the group I was now training with and much to my own frustration as the event got closer and was all they were talking about. Ray Beattie had entered, as he had planned to do 8 months earlier, and finished in an excellent time of 18hrs 51mins and 27th overall, winning the Best First Time Finishers Shield, proving again that attending the walking coaching sessions, competing on the 10K Winter League and Sarah Killey but also training with a quicker group had paid off, Ray had also joined the training group on a Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday not long after me.
I attended the Presentation evening, held at the Villa Marina, supporting Ray and clapped as each of the 174, 2015 Man Telecom Parish Walk finishers, went on stage to collect there awards. I also joined Ray and the rest of the training group at The Woodbourne pub for celebratory drinks after Presentation, it was at this point I hated the fact most that I had not taken part!


 The next event being discussed between the group now was the 100 mile Centurion event (100 miles in 24 hours) being held in Castletown in August, again the distance was of a concern but I was entering no matter what, the feeling of not competing on the Parish was still raw and I could not help thinking how I would have done had I taken part. There was the option to do a 50 mile walk on the event but I was convinced to take on the challenge of the full 100 miles by Jock Waddington, the thinking being, if I got to 50 miles and felt ok I could not continue, where, if I entered the 100 miles I could walk 50 or keep walking till I either dropped or crossed the finish line, the Entry Fee was the same in any case, so in went the cheque and entry form and the training continued with this event now the focus to hit every training opportunity and build up the mileage. I am happy to say it was the best advice I could have been given as I became a Centurion (C1140) after crossing the line in 22hrs 04mins and 8th Male overall.


The event itself was brilliantly organised and will hopefully return back to the Isle of Man in the near future.
Walking had by now become my main focus, I was starting to enjoy the challenge of the longer events and the training required to prepare for them, so the upcoming 2015 End to End, 2016 Sarah Killey, but ultimately the 2016 Manx Telecom Parish Walk, could not come round soon enough!









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