I reach my target!

I can't believe it - i've reached my target of £10,000 and the money's still rolling in!  To anyone who is reading this and who has kindly donated to my walk,  a BIG thank you!  It is such a boost to me, my brother Charlie and my parents.  Right now, with my ankles slowly healing and only a month to go before i set off, it's just the sort of news i need to hear.  However, the legs are doing well and there is plenty of 'petrol in the tank'!  I just want to get on with it now and start ticking off miles (and, oh boy, there are a lot to tick off!)  There is so much to organise and time is flying by.  A huge thank you to my boyfriend Ben who is helping me get ready, planning the route and enduring endless training walks with me - and literally pushing me up the hills when i've run out of steam.  The other way i get up the steep bits when my legs are burning is thinking of my father and his courage - the best part of doing this walk is knowing that, in some small way, it will make a difference to him  and to all the other people who suffer from Lymphoma.  Roll on September....! 

My first 20 miler..

Oh dear - as I type, my ankles are burning!  We walked for 22 miles yesterday (Putney Bridge to sunny Weybridge) just to see what it would feel like.  Perfect weather and a lovely walk following the river.  Unfortunately, I hit mile 16 and my ankles started to swell up and blister like a heat rash- without going into gruesome detail, they look pretty nasty this morning!  if anyone has any good advice to offer me, please let me know.  Rather a worry seeing that there are only a few weeks to go before i head off.  The enormity of what i am taking on has now hit me- 20 miles is a long way and walking it day after day is going to be tough.  Apart from that my legs feel fine and the thought of raising money for such a good cause is spurring me on. I heard this quote last night and it made me feel much better.. 'The greatest danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short but in setting our aim too low and reaching it' (Michelangelo).

One humid evening in London

Back in London and trying to step up the pace a bit - attempting to walk back from work most evenings which is about 8 miles.  Not sure if i'm actually getting any faster -tend to do a lot of stopping to admire the view and, oh yes, munch a flap jack!  Time is ticking alarmingly quickly and i must crack on and do my first 20 miler.....

A Wet Training Walk!

Welcome to my first post! Training for my big walk has begun in earnest and we chose the wettest day here in Devon - I've officially road tested my kit and promised myself that I will NEVER forget to pack my waterproof trousers again! Lesson learnt.  I might as well have dived into the sea fully clothed!  The boots have held up nicely though so I reckon they will get me through the 420 mile trek.