What's in a date (and this week's progress)

What's in a date?

So why June 21st 2014 for the Yorkshire 3 Peaks Challenge? There are two good reasons:

1. It is my birthday - and +Beccy Fairbank thought it would be nice to spend the day with her dad, doing something we both enjoy (obviously referring to having a few beers at the end of the day, not the grueling 25 mile trek around Yorkshire!)

2. It is the longest day of the year. To be more precise, the day is 24 hours just like any other of the 364 (or 365 days in a leap year), but the amount of daylight is the longest. A little research on the old Google determines that sunrise is at 04:34 and sunset at 21:36. Add to this that there is some light from about 30 mins before sunrise and total darkness is not reached until around 30 mins after sunset we should have 18 hours of light to tackle the challenge - a full 50% above our target time of 12 hours. Game on!

This week's progress

In terms of exercise we have just done week 3 of the Couch to 5k. I had decided after day 2 of the three days that I would continue to do week 3 for another week, as I have struggled with it. During last night's run I hurt my calf, and so am hobbling around today - so definitely not going to try to progress to wk 4 just yet. I'll see how it goes tomorrow.

Weight - was 79.2 last Sunday, now 79.0 kg. So going in the right direction.


M

Goals and targets

After this year's failed attempt, I want to ensure that I am physically ready for the Yorkshire 3 Peaks challenge in 2014. With that in mind here are some initial targets and goals (with more to follow!)

1a Be able to walk at an average 4 mph over a 5k distance. Did 3.7 mph on Saturday - details. I think this is important as we will have to average over 2 mph over the hills to complete the challenge in the required 12 hours. My local area is flat, so 4 mph is a must.

1b Extend above speed to a 8 mile route. Current best is 3.4 mph.

2a Drop to 77.5 kg by 20th December (I know this will go back up over Christmas!)

2b Drop to sub 75 kg by Easter and maintain until June and beyond.

3a Be able to run 5k by mid Janaury (currently working through the couch to 5k programme, so on target)

3b Be able to run 5k in sub 35 mins

3c Be able to run 10k by Easter

4a Be able to walk around Rutland Water (Short route - 17 miles) in less than 5.5 hours, before the end of this year

Losing weight in more ways than one

If you have read my other posts you will know that me and my daughter are going to do the Yorkshire 3 Peaks challenge on June 21st 2014, and that we attempted and failed, quite miserably, this year (2013). To ensure we have success next year we (or more accurately, ME) are analyzing what we did (or did not do) this year, and making corrections for this year.

One thing that I have identified is that we were both carry too much weight - in my case my own weight as well as what was in the backpack!



Backpacks

Firstly the backpacks. We each had:

• 4 liters of liquid - 4 kg
• 3 tubs of cooked pasta - say 1 kg
• 2 apples and 2 bananas - say 400 g
• snacks - say 150 g
• Phone, spare phone, batteries, first aid, spare socks, map, route books  etc - say 400 g 

So about 6 kg each

When we realised that we were going to have to give up after Pen-y-gent, we empties most of the water, and disposed of the pasta (but obviously kept all of the empty containers).

I need to do some research about how much water / food will be needed, and ensure we pack just enough this time around. But I am sure I can reduce the weight by 2 kgs.

Body weight

I cannot remember my exact weight last summer, but I was in the region of 82 kgs, about 3 kgs into the overweight section of the BMI chart.

According to BMI my ideal weight is about 69 kg, which does seem a little light. I'm aiming on getting sub 75 kg by early next year, and maintaining it.

If I can loses 8 kgs of my own weight, and 2 kgs from the back pack, I will be 10kg lighter - about 12% or one-eighth!

As mentioned at the top, losing weight is just one elements of the many improvements we are going to make. Look at further posts for more details.

M

222 Days to go...

According to the countdown app on my phone, there are 222 days until the Y3P Challenge day. 

Interestingly, Wikipedia has the following to say about 222

222 (two hundred [and] twenty-two) is the natural number following 221 and preceding 223.

It is a decimal repdigit^[1] and a strobogrammatic number (meaning that it looks the same turned upside down on a calculator display).^[2] It is one of the numbers whose digit sum in decimal is the same as it is in binary.^[3]

222 is a noncototient, meaning that it cannot be written in the form n − φ(n) where φ is Euler's totient function counting the number of values that are smaller than n and relatively prime to it.^[4]

There are exactly 222 distinct ways of assigning a meet and join operation to a set of ten unlabeled elements in order to give them the structure of a lattice,^[5] and exactly 222 different six-edge polysticks.^[6]

Which only goes to prove that mathematicians don't get out much. Unlike me, as I did Week 2, Day 2 of the couch to 5k programme after work tonight. Stats here. Made a good start and starting to feel the stamina building, but still got tired by about half way - which is evident in the pace graph. 

After the 5th and 6th running sessions I was totally out of breath, so have done a bit of research on breathing techniques. Apparently I am a 'belly breather' and that is a good thing! You chest breathers have got it all wrong. Going to try the breath in for 3 steps / breath out for 3 steps on Wednesday. Not the best method as this rhythm always starts on the same foot. The more advanced technique requires breathing over a a total of steps which is odd (3 in 3 out = 6 steps = even, so maybe 3 in 2 out, giving a total of 5, which is odd, meaning you start the breath in on a different foot each time, which is better for spreading the stress)

Think I'll try the 3/3 first and do a bit more research before trying the 'odd step' method.

M

Who can lend me some hills?

There are quite a few topics that I want to write about here, but do not want to overload the blog in the first week and have nothing to say later. But to get us started...

My major concern at the moment is that I live in the Fens. Now before any fellow Fen-men read this and think I don't like the area, please continue to read. There is nothing wrong with the Fens, in fact it is a really nice place. And what's more, I've not met anyone with webbed fingers in the 10 plus years I've lived in the area. (Legend/rumour/hearsay has it that the people of the Fens were incestuous and there was a lot of inbreeding, which apparently causes webbed feet and fingers??)

No, the only problem with the Fens is that the area is so flat. I meany really, really flat. So flat, that if giant aliens discovered Earth, they would use the Fens as a snooker table. 

We are training for the Yorkshire 3 Peaks challenge. The name sort of implies that there are some hills, maybe even 3 of them. But a little research will tell you that these hills are big hills. Very, very big hills. In fact in giant aliens discovered Earth, they would consider them big hills.

And for those of you who demand detail, I have listed the height of the 3 peaks below.

Pen-y-gent - 2,227 ft or 694 m

Whernside - 2,414 ft or 736 m

Ingleborough - 2372 ft or 723 m

And for those that don't like detail

Pen-y-gent - smallest of the big hills

Whernside - tallest of the big hills

Ingleborough - middle of the big hills

And for those that like imagery

Pen-y-gent - Baby giant bear

Whernside - Daddy giant bear

Ingleborough - Mummy giant bear

So if you happen to have a few big hills kicking around your back garden, please can you lend them to me until next June. I promise to look after them and return them in only slightly worn condition.

Seriously though, (is it too late to get serious? Have all the serious readers given up and clicked on 'next blog'?), if you have any techniques that will help train / build correct muscles / improve stamina required for hill walking whilst training in a flat location, I would really appreciate the advice.

223 Days to go...

It is still 'early' days' in the preparation for the Yorkshire 3 Peaks Challenge, but already getting into the swing of doing regular activity.

Yesterday evening we did week 2, day 1 of the Couch to 5K plan - Route here

And this morning I got up and did a 3 mile walk - Route here

That's all for now

M

If at first you don't succeed...

My first post tells of our failure to complete the Yorkshire 3 Peaks challenge earlier this year (2013). Looking back it is so obvious that we were not prepared for the 25 mile walk over the three peaks. We greatly underestimated the challenge and it rightly smacked us down and sent us away hurting (My knee ached for weeks!)

But as we walked (limped) back to the car we were talking of giving it another go at sometime in the future. And now the future is here - a concept that in reality only make sense if time travel exists. 

Actually I've mislead you. The future is 21st June 2014 (unless, of course you are reading this after 21st June 2014, when in fact the future will be the past)

And this time we are going to prepare a little* more. According to the app on my phone we have 224 days to prepare this time, unlike the 3 weeks we gave ourselves this year.

Step 1 is stamina. Last week we started on a Couch to 5k programme. This is the well publicised programme that takes around 9 weeks, and we see it as a good first step in preparing for the challenge. We started last Saturday and the link below shows the first day's details.

Day 1 route and time

For anyone who wants to start jogging, or just get a bit fitter, this programme is great. For the fist week you do a warm-up walk for 5 mins, run 60 seconds then walk 90 seconds.. You repeat this 60/90 seconds a total of 8 times before doing a cool-down walk of 5 mins.

We are moving onto week 2 tonight, which is 5mins walk, then 6 repetitions of 90 seconds running / 120 seconds walking and finishing with a 5 mins cool-down.

Google C25k for more info (if you have an Android phone, there a many apps in the play store for this - I assume other app stores are also catered for!)

Well that's enough for today. I've got to go and get changed into my jogging stuff.

M


* A little, as in Apple has a little more cash in the bank than RIM (Blackberry) 

Failed attempt

In the summer of 2013, after very little preparation me and daughter attempted the Yorkshire 3 Peaks and failed. Below is the account of the preparation from my old blog, copied here just for information.

The account is incomplete, but on Tuesday 7th August 2013 we managed to walk Pen-y-gent in a very slow 5 hours. I had a very painful knee and +Beccy Fairbank  blisters were open sores. The partial route is recorded here.

The links do not work, but all of the routes can be found here.

I have an old friend (he says he's young!) who for the last few years has been trying to get me to do several walks with him, including the Yorkshire 3 Peaks (Y3P). As he is a Policeman and I am a Teacher, I would guess that his fitness level is much better than mine, so I have so far declined his offers. Recently, a student at my school did the Y3P walk as part of their DofE award, and that got me thinking.

I happened to casually mentioning this to my daughter - big mistake. I have just booked a pitch in a campsite, and in 16 days time we will attempt the Y3P!

My current fitness level is not good. Not quite couch potato, but definitely some sort of vegetable in a very relaxed position. In the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Douglas Adams says "I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's..", and yes I do. In fact it actually is, as I live in a small village, and the local chemist is about 2 miles away.

I realise there is no way that I will be fully prepared for this 24 mile hike, but I feel that I need to ease my body into it a little over the next 17 days. Below is my diary. (Also my 17yr old daughter walking with me. She is slightly fitter and should have little problems)

Day 1 - 20th July

Walked .6 miles each way (a total of 1.2 miles) to the New Village Hall in Eastrea.

Route there

and back!

Day 2 - 21st july

Wrote this blog, and thought about walking to the chemist. Realised I did not need anything from the Chemist, although if I did walk there, then blister cream and plasters might be needed. This is obviously a vicious circle thing, so decided against it.

Day 3 - 22nd July

My first real exercise. As part of the last two days of school, my Zone (Zone = House) decided that we'd do a sponsored walk around Sawtry.  4.25 miles at a very leisurely pace, in the baking hot sun.

Route

Day 4 - 23rd July

Last day of school - no exercise. Borrowed a 3 Peaks guide book from a colleague.

Day 5 - 24th July

First day of holidays - definitely no exercise

Day 6 - 25th July

I can feel a routine setting in - no exercise.  Did order some walking poles, and an OS map of the area.

Day 7 - 26th July

After some late night reading on a Y3P website, I am now in panic mode. Exercise routine re-booted.

For some reason my GPS was not working so this is what it recorded

2 miles

But from a previous ride, here is the actual route

10 miles

The timing on today's route was correct 1hr 6min 52 seconds, which is the fastest I've done this route so far.

Walked to the pub.  I get together with a few mates in the last Friday of the month to drink Whisky.

1 mile (Yes I know is says Cycling - but I walked.

I waked back from the pub as well, but forgot to track it.

Day 8 - 27th July

Oh dear. Too much whisky and beer last night. Not feeling like any sort of exercise today. We went shopping and bough some new walking boots.

Day 9 - 28th July

Sunday is the Lord's day, a day of rest. It says so in the Bible so it must be true. But I did make some high energy Flapjack - Oats, Honey, Peanut Butter, chopped mixed nuts and mixed dried fruit. This first batch was a bit runny, but tasted good and is packed with everything we'll need to do this walk. Will make another batch next weekend to take with us.

Day 10 - 29th July

Did the usual stamina building bike ride.  Quickest time so far.

10 miles

Day 11 - 30th July

I woke up with a very bad back this morning. I do suffer from time to time and know the quickest way to get over it is rest and gentle slow movement. So no exercise today.

Day 12 - 31st July

Still a little too stiff today. Resting as we have planned a 20 miles walk tomorrow. Walking poles came today - just in time for tomorrow. Cooked some pasta just before bed, so take with us tomorrow.

Amazon have been stalking me and suggested a different 3 Peaks guide to the one I have borrowed. Ordered it.

Day 13 - 1st August.

So we got up at 4.15 and left the house at 5.00, planning to do 20 miles in the not so hilly Fens. Bex's idea for the early start - she wanted to get done by lunchtime as she had plans for the afternoon.

Made a good start, although Bex has been away so had not had time to wear in her boots. Blisters started to form within a couple of miles. By 5 miles she was in pain but soldiered on. (Did a bit of First Aid with plasters and antiseptic - but no real comfort). We decided to cut short the 20 miles, but still managed a respectable 14.5 miles - most of which she was walking with blisters. My only ache was in my left buttock - not sure what/why but quite painful towards the end - and for the rest of the day!

Route

Learnt a few lessons. Wear in boots before long walk. Needs MUCH more energy/food then we anticipated. 14.5 miles on flat is not easy. 24 up and down might kill us!

Amazon 3 Peaks guide book arrived.

Day 14 - 2nd August

Still awaiting my OS map - but have loaded the GPS co-ordinates of the route into my HTC just in case.

Buttock still sore, and leg muscles a bit tight, but my recovery generally good. Bex, on the other hand, has very raw/sore backs of ankles. This, pardon the pun, might be our "Achillies Heel".

Thinking about doing a short bike ride later, but not sure at the moment.

More tomorrow...

(As I said at the top of this page, this account was incomplete!)