Day 6 - Wednesday 14th May am
(I apologise, these seem to be getting longer!)
Today the whistle went even earlier - 5.20am as we were starting stretch at 5.45am! I was already awake so I took my temperature and plotted my temperature. It was above the guidelines on the chart paper which concerned me some. Then I checked the other girls were awake and got myself dressed.
When we went downstairs I was surprisingly chirpy - I wished Sian a cheery 'good mornin' before she even spoke to me, when previously my eyes would need peeling open! Stretch & Move seemed to pass very quickly. Could it be that my body is getting used to this torture? Am I getting fitter? Only my thighs ached, and only dully despite all the exercise. Maybe the swimming session helped take my aches away? Today is the day of the NINE mile walk. I actually didn't feel any enthusiasm for it, my MP3 player is virtually dead so I will not have music. This means I have to focus myself. I will do my utmost to finish this walk as this is the furthest they will push us now. Tomorrow is the fitness assement again so only 3 miles!
One of the larger ladies who had struggled with some of the walks had yesterday come to dinner triumphant after completing the 7 miler. It took her 4 hours but she was elated that she had done it. Then in our team games last night she took a tumble, spraining her ankle, yet she was still cheerful. That gave me courage and strength. Actually, seeing the range of other women who had not quit made me even more determined to finish the week.
Isn't it strange though, how no matter what your shape every woman has body hangups? Some ladies looked perfectly proportioned, but obviously didn't feel it, I hope I do reach a weight/shape I am comfortable with, not just continue to diet for the sake of it.
Breakfast time. Oh boy, it was delicious. Scrambled but watery eggs, grilled tomatoes and a slice of homemade wholemeal bread. I didn't think I'd like grilled tomato, and I initally missed the tomato sauce I would normally have with a breakfast, but obviously I don't actually need it. I'm thinking I could use sliced tomato in my bacon sarnies at home and more pepper. Especially with how much sugar is in ketchup.
We got into the mini bus and drove forever. Well, to Exmoor in Somerset. It felt like forever anyway. We started walking at about 8.45am, it was still freezing cold and very misty and we all felt uncomfortable. The scenery was amazing from the point we were dropped off to the moment we finished. However it was knackering and the first mile seemed to go on forever.
I got talking to a girl who had strained her groin muscle earlier in the week, then twisted her ankle a day or two later, but nevertheless was determined she would finish. So, I drew on her strength, walking slowly and intending to pick my pace up later. She kept telling me to go on ahead, but I needed her as much, if not more than she needed me. If she could manage this b*stard of a walk then so could I!
The start of the walk was over the moors, across broken stones and dodgy footpaths, so I spotted for my friend and kept pointing out the flattest places to walk whilst our teeth chattered away. I don't think I've ever been so cold before 
After a while we went down into a more sheltered woody area. We'd been told the first and last two miles were through the moors, and the middle section was on-road walking so we were desperate to see the road to know we'd at least covered two miles. Step by step we boosted each others spirits, until we hit the road. Then we carried on walking.
So, we plodded along, admiring the woods along the way. Some of the roads were steep with drop away sides, and the scary part was looking down. Part way around my buddy felt faint and blacked out for a split second, luckily I was close enough to stop her going down. Yet still she wanted to carry on. At times I wanted to cry for her, I could see how much pain she was in, but through it all she kept going, and so did I.
Gradually we began to overtake the slower group who had started ahead of us, which was cheery. As I was starting to feel really bored we caught up with Sian and walked with her for a bit. It was nice to have someone else to chat to, and she chatted with my friend, checking her symptoms to ensure there was no lasting damage.
We then caught up with two ladies we'd started walking with and we were all singing whatever we could think of to take our minds off the pain and the distance left. Someone pointed out the cairn we had to get to for the last mile, and it seemed SO far away. We kept walking upwards and finally turned back off the road and onto the moor. We started talking to a couple who were out walking, who said the cairn was just one mile away, not the two we'd expected, which gave us both an extra shot of energy. We pushed on.
We approached the top, thinking we were done, as the fast walkers were sitting relaxing in the sun. But no, in the distance we could see the mini buses and still had a mile to go. I stopped to get my photo taken at the Dunkery Beacon,
and to take a photo of the view, before carrying on back down the hill to the minibus.
(not sure what's going on with my trousers? )
By this time I was busting for the loo (I had been from the start - possibly nerves?) and I'm sorry to say that Exmoor made a wonderful public toilet. Thank god, as I had to wait for everyone to finish before the second minibus left. And, everyone DID finish the walk. There was less than half an hour between me arriving and the last walker. Because the wind picked up some of the last walkers had missed out on the cairn finish, apparently there needed to be someone at the top to ensure we were alright. I think they were disappointed, but still 9 miles is 9 miles! Other than my feet aching, I felt fine. The ride back home made me feel very queasy though. I can't believe I did this on my wedding anniversary!
To be continued...
