On Saturday 17th April 2010, I will be taking part in Cancer Research UK’s first ever over night marathon walk in Manchester. Thats 26.2 miles around the streets of Manchester during the hours which I would normally be safely tucked up in my bed!
This is the first time I have ever done anything like this and it will be a great challenge to say the least! I appreciate that some people will think “hey its only walking” but despite being relatively fit, I think that walking for 7-8 hours has got to be a challenge for anyone! I read that a walkathon burns off over 3300 calories! Bearing in mind that the average calorie intake for a woman is around the 2000 mark thats one hell of a lot of a calories to burn off in one go!
For me, I think the hardest part will be staying up all night, and 2nd hardest element will be standing up and moving for that amount of time! My job is fairly sedentary, spending the majority of my day sat at my desk, and gone are the days where I can stand up for hours and hours without my back starting to hurt. I havent done a great deal of training… in fact the furthest I have walked so far is 9 miles. I guess that is a little worrying but there is still time!! 
I have been to the outdoors shop in Solihull and invested in some special double layer socks – these guarentee 1000 miles with no blisters and I certainly hope that they work! The last thing I want is a blister at mile 1 that hurts like mad the whole way round! Ive got my trusty Nike Plus trainers, which are very comfortable, so lets hope they protect my feet enough to not have too many ailments when I finally cross the finish line! Im also going to invest in some comfy jogging bottoms and perhaps a new jacket… any excuse to shop right?
I have decided to do the walk for Cervical Cancer specifically, mainly because of my own personal experiences, but also because this is one cancer where screening really can make a difference and save lives. This process is expensive, but the sooner changes can be detected the sooner preventative action can be taken. If the Cervical Cancer jab had been around when I was at school, I certainly would have taken it!
I will of course update you with my progress, and I am hoping to be able to tweet (loosea) on the way around to record when I reach key milestones during the night! This next month is where the heavy training begins! I am stubborn and although I have the option to cut back down to the 13 miler if im struggling, I would see that as admitting defeat! So I WILL cross the finish line, even if I cant walk for three days afterwards
If you would like to help by sponsoring me whatever you can I would be extremely grateful. No matter how big or small, any donation is grately recieved! If you do sponsor me, dont forget to tick the gift aid button, allowing CRUK to gain an additional 28% on your donation, without costing you a penny!
https://www.sponsormetoshine.org/loosea
Thanks
Lucy
