we'll get there when we get there

85 miles in 37.5 hours over 3 and a quarter days.. i think 3 words to describe the trip would be beautiful, mind-numbing and painful.  i hope this is the last time i sign up for something before really understanding what it entails.  oops, i guess other than the IM.  i'm feeling kind of silly for thinking that this trip would be a minor diversion from regular training and my ankles are really paying for it!

btw, i can't believe KOTB is doing this ramapo rally thing bc he was challenged into it by someone else's ego!  i know he will kick a$$ though.

day 1: after a car, bus, train and taxi ride, we start off at one end of hadrian's wall, which is around newcastle.  it's already 6 p.m. so we just walk 3.5 hours to destination number 1, the holiday inn express.  yes, we're definitely roughing it!  the company- bruce, with whom i had run the ny marathon in 2006, and bruce's jovial friend nate.  i was glad to be "one of the guys" as we were pretty happy sharing poop and fart jokes.    

day 2:  walk from newcastle to chollerford, starting around 8 a.m. and after lunch and dinner breaks, end up in the b&b around 9:30 p.m.  the path was scenic and beautiful as we wound our way around and through fields, navigating through sheep and cow poop.  by late morning, my right ankle was starting to wobble, i guess i did not bother training much for this walk.   by dinner time the pain was shooting up my leg so i took a couple advils.  when we finished the last 2.5 miles to the b&b in chollerford, i asked for an ice pack, collapsed into a chair and cried.  i don't believe i've ever cried out of physical pain before, and i was feeling frustrated, scared and so far away from being comfortable.  i was feeling so miserable i finished all of the m&m's in my trail mix.  that was the night i learned that i could sleep dirty as well!

day 3: chollerford to walton (i know these places don't mean much to anyone but it helps me to keep track).  with fresh resolve and a makeshift bandage around my right ankle, bruce and i kept walking while nate took a bus to meet us at a halfway point.  the scenery was getting more and more beautiful, with fields and mountains, and the wall snaking through with a fort here and there.  it was also raining and getting a bit muddy, so we walked mostly on the road.  i didn't realize that it could be such a mind-numbing experience.  i found out that my ankle hurts less when i walk faster so i went on ahead of the guys.  the last part of the walk entailed going through the woods and it was getting dark so i was glad to get to the next b&b at 8:30.  this one had a fireplace and it was nice and cozy.  i missed A so gave him a call for all of 34 seconds to let him know that i was still alive.  the people at the b&b thought the 3 of us were a bit crazy to attempt a 5 to 8 day walk in 3.5 days, and it was around this point when i realized that we were attempting a 5 to 8 day walk in 3.5 days.  

day 4:  walton to (the end!) bowness on solway.  by now, i had accepted that our daily walk would take about 11 hours and that my ankles would hurt, so i set a goal finish time, wrapped up both ankles and set out with bruce in the rain.  i believe i never want to see cow poop again and that i have seen more sheep and cows and ponies than i have ever seen in my lifetime, put together, times 10.  the path was through the fields again, and a bit slippery.  we wound our way through some lovely fields of flowers.  i had found out that my trail shoes were part of the problem in making my ankles hurt so i had put on teva sandals that had been pretty good to me in ethiopia.  the sandals were fine but got a little slippery in the mud, which wasn't bad until the rain started coming down harder and the mud and cow poop were starting to blend together.  by the afternoon i was cursing the pain in my ankles and was sloshing through the fields, knee deep (no joke!) in mud until we finally found the road and i swore i wouldn't go back on the path again.  we were a bit disappointed to find out that in all of our two hours of wading in the rain, we still had 9 miles to go to the finish line.  the boys decided to bus the last 6 miles but i swallowed it and kept going.  when i hit the 6-mile remaining sign, the sun was finally out and i finally found zen, put on my ipod and shuffled through a few more small towns.  i was joyfully counting down the miles remaining until i got my way to the end of the walk, went to our b&b and promptly took a shower to wash off the cow-stink.  then i hobbled over to a pub for dinner and dessert.  chocolate cake and a glass of wine never tasted so good.

we decided to forego part 2 of the trip (hiking 3 peaks in 24 hours) which i don't regret bc i really want to get back into training condition to get ready for the half in a couple weeks.  but we did manage to squeeze in a trip to whales and i got to kayak in a lake that i was itching to dive into for a swim!  until she can run again, miss antsy-pants is back...