Three Peaks Challenge – Training
Last Friday afternoon; myself (Brett), Darren, Simon and his father Ian, set off on a walk in preparation for the Three Peaks challenge which is now less than 7 weeks away!
The walk would take us from Sanderson House to Linthwaite; a testing 16 mile journey via Kirkburton, Thurstonland, Honley and South Crosland.
The group set off in high spirits (mainly due to an early finish), and the weather was perfect. This was going to be a breeze!
Wrong!
It wasn’t long before the ghosts of blisters past raised their ugly heads and started causing trouble.
(Side note to any inexperienced walkers, such as myself: Make sure you get the right footwear! Any minor discomfort will only get worse as the miles go by!)
Whilst the legs remained fresh, my feet were slowly being reduced to tatters.
Nevertheless, we carried on and the rest of the hike went without a hitch.
Unless of course we include the time Simon (the Transport Planner) ignored his dad’s better judgement and took a wrong turn in Thurstonland; or the time Darren tried jumping over boggy ground, shredded his leg on some brambles and landed in the bog anyway.
As we reached mile 13, my strides grew shorter and shorter. The only way I could keep up was by jogging (which was weirdly more comfortable?!).
At mile 15, we were within spitting distance of the finish line, but by this point I was virtually stationary. Even Simon’s cries of ‘There’s a horse in the field!’ couldn’t speed me up, it only got me dreaming that I could ride it the rest of the way.
But, I battled on and put on a sprint finish (slightly above walking pace) and collapsed on the finish line, joined by Darren, Simon and Ian, who were also feeling the pain.
The walk has opened my eyes to how difficult the Three Peaks challenge is likely to be, and also how much more training I need to do before I’m going to be ready for it.
If you want to take a quick look at the route we took, and also some pictures taken along the way, then click on the play button below.
‘Three Peaks Trial Run: Grange Moor to Linthwaite’
Also, if you haven’t already, myself and everyone else taking part would very much appreciate any sponsorship we can get via our Just Giving Page. This challenge is by no means going to be a walk in the park, and ultimately the cause is a worthy one!