So, Bristol 10k done and I had 6 days to recover and prepare for The Moonwalk, London. This one scared me a little. Up until now I had always trained up to the distance I needed to do for the event. For this one the most I had done was 19 miles of walking – well, actually 15miles of walking after a 4 mile run – and that HURT… A lot!
I did a few short training sessions in the week but then just 2 days before the big day I got hit by a horrible dose of tonsillitis. I struggled through the first day hoping it was just a sore throat but by late evening there was no doubt. Luckily I still had some penicillin left over from my double dose of tonsillitis at Christmas. I had just enough no see me through for 2 days – enough I hoped to get me recovered enough for London.
It wasn’t the best preparation. I managed 4 hours sleep on the Thursday night and 3 on the Friday following a (rather painful and subdued) gig in Wales and woke at 6.30am on the Saturday morning feeling somewhat tired but the penicillin had kicked in and I knew I would be alright on the night!
The Minibus with Mum and Jodine picked me up at about 3.30pm and we headed off down the M4 – putting the finishing touches to our Moonwalk bras as we went.
As we got closer to Battersea we could spot fellow Moonwalkers in their tell-tale pink caps making their way by car, taxi and on foot (as if they weren’t going to be doing enough walking!) towards Battersea Power Station and Moonwalk village. WOW! What a sight! An enormous, bright pink marquee filled with tens of thousands of ladies (and men) in bright, sparkly regalia- wigs, tutus, deely boppers and BRAS! We were just standing admiring the sight when the heavens opened and a torrent of rain sent Moonwalkers scuttling in all directions towards the shelter of the Big Pink Tent. We were warm. We were dry. The biggest problem now was that somewhere in this heaving mass of people was our Canadian walking companion, Judy. Naturally the ability to send text messages and get phone signals were non-existent so we were relying on luck and a rather large miracle.
Well, I don’t know how but after about an hour of scouring the crowd we spotted Judy wandering in our general direction and our little posse was complete.
I’m not sure I was prepared for how emotional the experience would be – so many people gathered together, and every single one of us will have had someone in our minds as we held a minutes silence for 3 brave fighters who had entered the moonwalk and not survived to take part.
It was just after 11pm when the first wave started to make their way outside towards the starting line. It was a bit of a scrap to get out but finally wave 3, and the four of us were off – it was 11.30pm and we had a very long night ahead of us!
It became apparent very early on that this was one event where time was going to be largely irrelevant. It wasn’t a race. We were walking along pavements through central London and naturally the congestion was intense. Poor Judy took two quite nasty tumbles. A result of dim light, uneven pavements and an inability to see more than a foot in front due to the crowds. It was clear that trying to walk as a four was not going to be easy or safe and so Jodine and I headed off while Mum and Judy took the pace a little slower to give Judy time to recover.
I couldn’t believe how quickly the miles seemed to peel away. By 10 miles the crowds were starting to thin out and walking was getting much more comfortable. Quite early on we passed people sitting on pavements and in bus stops tending to blisters and I remember thinking that it was going to be a very long and painful night for some of them. It was so good to be walking with someone who I didn’t know very well. The conversation didn’t stop, and neither did our feet. We were doing a great pace now – approximately 16 minute miles. By mile 18 the aches were settling in and so we made a pact. We would have a Chuppa Chup mini lolly each at mile 22. I had earlier managed to make one last for a full mile so this would then take Us to the Tate Modern gallery at mile 23. At this point I estimated we would be able to see Battersea Power station within the next mile and the end would quite literally be in sight. It’s funny how the silliest little things can keep you going – but it worked! I don’t think I’ve ever deserved a Chuppa Chup so much before (or enjoyed it so much!). It proved a great distraction for a few hours, counting down the miles to “Chuppa Chup Mile 22”
It was with immense pride that Jodine and I posed for photos along the embankment as the sun came up over London. Tower Bridge – mile 22, Tate Modern- Mile 23, Westminster, the London Eye… And then there it was – the 26 Mile marker! We were nearly there. The final “point 2” of a mile seemed to take forever but finally we turned into the entrance of Battersea Power Station and crossed the finish line. Even the glorious early morning sunshine wasn’t as bright as our smiles as we hugged each other and collected our medals. We’d just walked a marathon.
We welcomed Mum and Judy over the line about 45 minutes later. Judy was a little bruised and battered but had done an amazing job to have kept going despite her early falls and I was so immensely proud of my Mum who had quite literally held Judy’s hand all the way and enabled her to achieve such a great personal goal. My Mum – now a 2 time marathoner!
When I first joined up to the gym last July (in a desperate bid to escape the looming perils of daytime TV addiction when Will started school), completing The London Moonwalk was the one event in my head that I wanted to achieve. I can’t believe that less than a year on I have achieved so much more and that this had become just one of several fitness goals and ambitions. Next stop – BLENHEIM TRIATHLON!
