First team training day - more pics

As promised in the previous post, here are some pics of the team during their 20 mile training walk on Sunday.

Helen and Aly en route and still smiling

The team take a well deserved coke and crisps break by the River Dove

The first team training day

Although 4everfriends have been training hard, either individually or in pairs, yesterday was the first day all the team have trained together. And look how happy and excited they were before they set off on their 20 mile walk through the damp and misty Suffolk countryside. No photos are yet available of how they looked during and after the walk but we'll bring them to you just as soon as we can.

 Not only was the walk useful for getting miles under their belt, but some more lessons on long distance walking were learnt along the way (recorded here so they don't forget another time):

1. Always carry hand warmers because you never know when you'll need warm hands;
2. Find out the difference between how footpaths/bridleways are shown on OS maps and how pylon lines and field boundaries are shown; and
3. Work out how to prevent friction burns - vaseline is not always the answer.

We're in the top twenty!

Great news on the sponsorship. For the second week running, 4everfriends are in Oxfam's top twenty fundraisers for the trailwalker challenge!  So, a big thank you to those who've sponsored us so far. You've got us off to a great start and seeing our name on the Oxfam leaderboard has given us all a bit of a boost. 

Most of the money we've raised so far has been through personal contacts, but we've started to plan some special events - watch this space for more news.

£500 and counting

What great news! We're already a third of the way towards our target of raising £1500 for charity. Taking account of money we've raised on line (click here to sponsor us), through other means and gift aid, we've reached the grand total of £506.66. Many, many thanks to all those who've helped us so far.

The view from Bignor Hill (thanks to southdownsway.co.uk)

 

A target of £1500 means we're trying to raise £15 for every kilometre we walk so if pounds were distance we'd have completed the first three stages of our walk and be walking along the top of Bignor Hill on our way to our fourth checkpoint at Houghton. This is the view we should have (weather permitting). Check out our progress on the chart below.

Training gets underway!

Some of the team have been on a training walk today. Aly, Helen and Heather tackled a 14 mile walk through the Norfolk countyside. Starting at 9.45,  they completed the walk in four and three quarter hours - that's an average of about 3 mph. And the good news is they finished feeling very fresh, which bodes well for the rest of the training.

Heather, Aly and Helen start their training

Training record
Date of walk               26 January 2011
Start time                    9.45
Finish time                 15.00
Total break time      30 minutes
Average speed           3 mph
Weather                         Overcast, occasional light showers

It's only £15 a kilometre!

Our sponsorship target is £1500 to be shared between Oxfam and the Gurkha Trust. That's £15 for every kilometre we walk. And after only a few days, we're off to a healthy start with about £250 collected. At £15 a kilometre we've covered 16.7 kilometres. That's well past our first check point at Harting Down and almost at the second, at Hilltop Farm. From here there should be fine views across the Sussex Weald towards Midhurst.

Just one step

They say every journey starts with a single step. But if the journey is 100k in under 30 hours then a little bit of preparation is needed. Over the coming months, 4everfriends will be doing lots of training to make sure they're ready for the challenge ahead. Oxfam have provided us with a 20 page guide on how to prepare for the walk. Phase one is intended to get us walking for 50 minutes comfortably. The team are already well past that target as they all do a lot of walking in their leisure time.

From here on in, it's a case of doing longer and longer walks - building up from three hours, to five, six and eight. And just to emphasise, the going could be tough, the Oxfam guide has a section on how to keep your feet happy and keep those blisters to a minimum!

Our challenge

This summer, Helen, Alison, Heather and Aly (aka 4ever friends) will be one of the teams taking part in Trailwalker UK. Their challenge is to walk 100 kilometres (60 miles)  along the South Downs in under 30 hours. That's the equivalent of two and a half marathons. You may think this mad but it's all in a good cause. The money they raise will go to Oxfam and the Gurkha Welfare Trust. Through this blog you can follow them on their journey, a journey which starts now.

Walking 60 miles continuously is not an easy task. Over the next few months the team will be going into intensive training. Not just making sure they'll be fit enought to walk the distance, but also to brush up on their map reading skills and to ensure they can find their way in the dark (they'll be walking through the night). The last thing we want is for them to tumble over the edge of Beachy Head!

And you can be with them every step of the way - just follow the blog!