Just keep swimming...

When I started planning my year of suffering, I quickly decided I wanted to add a long-distance swim to the list of pain.  Unfortunately (due to rubbish rotas and a hectic life), I wasn't able to sign up to an organised swim, and this challenge almost slipped by unnoticed... almost, but not quite!!

In late August I remembered I hadn't set a date (or for that matter done any training whatsoever), so after discussion with the parents-in-law, I decided I was going to swim the length of Ullswater, and the only free date that I had, where one of them was also free to support me, was the 10th October... possibly a little late in the year... Brrrr!  I was all too aware of falling water temperatures and a need to get this swim out of the way before things got too chilly!

Swimming is one of my favourite activities.  I love floating around in the middle of a lake, surrounded by mountains.  Relaxed, feeling at one with the water.  Ok, so I love open-water swimming, preferably in beautiful places... I'm less keen on pool swimming.  I learnt to swim as a child, but never really had any technique.  When I moved to North Wales I bought a wetsuit with my first pay cheque, and conquered my fear of open water.  That was just over 4 years ago, and I haven't looked back.  My technique is still somewhat lacking, but is certainly better than it was!  I do swim in a pool now too (begrudgingly), although purely as a means-to-an-end, with great coaching from TnT and also Swim Revolution.  Sheffield is not the best place to live as a passionate open-water swimmer.  I do enjoy swimming in Harthill with YOS, or in the river Chatsworth, but mostly I miss the stunning views when I pop my head up to breath!  I was spoilt in North Wales!

Before this challenge, I think the furthest I have ever swam is about 3 miles; the length of Llyn Padarn in Llanberis; and even that was a couple of years ago!  I have been open water swimming reasonably regularly over the summer, and have started regular pool sessions again now winter is approaching, but it's fair to say I haven't been training for this; the longest I've swam leading up to the 'big' swim was 3.8km, and that was for my IM race in July! :S

But I'm no stranger to suffering (haha), and know that I'm not a quitter!  A quick google and a read of a few articles told me all I needed to know about nutrition for long distance swimming (i.e eat and drink regularly or else...).  I picked Ullswater simply for convenience given that my father-in-law still lives next to it, and hadn't quite realised how long it was (somewhere between 8 & 9 miles depending how you measure it, but I'm going with 9!).  Maybe I should have opted for Coniston instead... whoops.  So my big swim was going to be almost 10km longer than I'd ever swam before.  Hmmm.

After a busy week at work (70 hours worth of busy to be precise, because I'm a lazy, under-worked, over-paid junior doctor don't you know Jeremy Hunt?? Don't get me started...), the car was packed, and I headed up to the lake district with Tom ready for my next dose of suffering.  The weather forecast was for cloud, but minimal wind.  Despite extensive searching, I couldn't get an estimate of water temperature for the lake.  Food was purchased and prepped (flapjacks, sweets, energy gels, plus carbohydrate powder mixed into my water), and my kit sorted.  After an evening in front of the fire we had an early night, which was followed by an even earlier alarm.  Still dark, I rolled out of bed to eat breakfast, and the rest of the house started to wake up.

We (myself, my husband Tom, and my wonderful father-in-law Will) left the house about 8am, and drove down to Patterdale, unloaded the canoe, and I climbed into my wetsuit.  I also chose to wear neoprene gloves, socks and hat (as well as a normal swim hat).  You can debate the ethics of swimming in a wetsuit/gloves/socks all you like, but given that I wasn't swimming in skins (i.e. no wetsuit), the rest was irrelevant; it was about getting to the end in one piece, without bad hypothermia.

Tentative first steps into the water at Patterdale.

Getting started.  Flat water!

At about 8.45am I entered the water at the bottom of the lake, in Patterdale.  It was a stunning start to the day, with no wind, and completely flat water; the surrounding hills reflecting beautifully upon the lake.  The water didn't feel overly cold, and I got on my way.  It would be wrong to say I quickly made progress; there is nothing quick about swimming at an average of 1.5miles per hour, but progress was made regardless!  I knew the only way I would succeed would be to relax and enjoy the journey, trying to have a smooth and efficient stroke, rather than tiring myself out and fighting with the water.  I planned to feed every 30 minutes, each time taking on carbohydrate water, plus either flapjack and a gel, or a handful of sweets.  The first feed went well, and then I would count in half-an-hour chunks, with no idea of time between my feeds.  I would swim, hoping that Tom and Will would gesture towards me that it was time to eat.

The first feed.

Beautiful.  Just beautiful.

Just keep swimming...

By about 2 hours I had swam further than I ever had before.  By 2-and-a-half hours my arms were starting to hurt, especially my right shoulder.  (I have a habit of breathing to the right every 4 strokes; I can bilateral breath but when relaxed I fall into this habit, which wasn't helping!).  By 3 hours I was cold, and shivering when feeding.  At somewhere between 3 and 3.5hrs we reached the shores of Outward Bound Ullswater (Will works for OB), and I was feeling particularly cold.  I decided to pull over on to the beach and drink some hot squash in order to warm up.  Definitely a good call!  When I stopped, I wasn't shivering, possibly because I was too cold... fortunately a warm jacket and multiple cups of hot squash warmed me back up.  In my head (as a medic with a bit of knowledge about hypothermia) I was debating whether I should be getting back in the water again.  I know I'm stubborn and don't like quitting, but equally I needed to finish the challenge alive, not in a hypothermic mess somewhere further up the lake.  I also had to be well enough to get back to work the next day (due to a shift swap).  After about 20 minutes on the shore I felt much better and decided to get back in.

Tom, my husband.  Trying not to steer the boat straight into me.

Will, my father-in-law (doesn't stop working, even in the middle of a lake!)

A quick pause to rewarm at OB Ullswater.

After about 10 minutes more of swimming we rounded the corner and I could finally see Pooley Bridge and the end of the lake.  Suddenly, despite the tiredness and pain, things felt achievable again.  I still had a long way to go; over 2 hours in fact, but I kept swimming... just keep swimming.

The last half an hour was tough.  I started to get cold again, and started to feel sick, and then vomit in the water.  The end of the lake seemed to refuse to get closer!  After what seemed like forever, the shore finally got closer, and the lake got shallower, until I could not longer swim and had to stand up (queue falling over multiple times in the water!).  Tom and Will landed the boat, and Will waded in to help me.  Utter exhaustion!  But I'd done it!!!  6 hours and 5 minutes!

Yes!  Emerging from the Lake at Pooley Bridge

Phew!  I've done it!

Tired?  Me??  No!  Absolutely f**ked!!

A tough challenge, which I thoroughly under-estimated and definitely did not train enough for.  A great day out, a great experience in a beautiful lake with stunning surroundings and very fortunate weather.  I won't be in a rush to do another long distance swim, although I would certainly contemplate swimming Ullswater, Windermere and Coniston all in a single 24 hour period (with training, obviously...) at some point in the very distant future.  I couldn't have done it without the support of my wonderful husband Tom, and my super father-in-law Will; thanks for spending all day on the lake in a boat feeding me and making sure I didn't drown!

Extensive chaffing from my wetsuit and neoprene hat around my neck meant I spent Sunday at work getting funny looks from my patients ("No, I haven't been strangled, I just swam in a wetsuit and it rubbed a bit.").  I've been off this week, although have been unsurprisingly exhausted, so have spent a lot of time attempting to relax and recover.  I'm unsure if the exhaustion is due to the swim, or my work rota; a combination of both I'm sure.  I've been back in the water, swimming in Llyn Padarn and at Fairy Glen on Thursday and Friday respectively.  My arms still worked, although they do feel a little heavy!

When I've been doing my challenges I've spent a lot of time zoning out, relaxing and trying to forget about any pain.  It was hard to do during the swim, as I had to keep focused when tired to swim 'properly' and try not to be totally inefficient!  Concentrating and zoning out don't seem to go so well together.  When my arms were particularly painful, I thought about Dad having surgery and then chemotherapy last year, and about how rubbish he must have felt.  It helped me put things in perspective a little bit and forget about my own pain.  After all, I had chosen to inflict this pain upon myself, so had no right to complain.  Just keep swimming!

Thanks to everybody's generosity, I've already raised an incredible amount of money for Orchid, a male cancer charity.  But its not too late to sponsor me if you haven't yet!  (Sorry, I don't like begging... but it's a good cause close to my own heart!)  You can sponsor me at www.virginmoneygiving.com/nikkisommers to help me reach £2500, or maybe even £3000 by the end of the year!

I have 2 more challenges left now.  In November I'll be running 7 marathons in 7 days, along the Thames Path.  I did think this was quite exciting, but have just read about a man who has run 90 marathons in 90 days and now feel very inadequate!  Then in December, to finish the year off in style (I hope), I have just entered my first ever Ultra Marathon; the Tour De Helvellyn!  It is a 38 mile run around Helvellyn, on the shortest Saturday of the year, in potentially bad weather.  It's reasonably hilly as well.  Oh dear!  Wish me luck!

Suffering Part 8; Swim Run UK (plus a few days in the Orkney Islands)

Swim Run UK

Last Friday, after a tough 4 weeks on a new rota at work, I finally started a week of annual leave!  Obviously I'm not great at just 'relaxing' so this involved a swim-run race in Loch Lomond, followed by cycling from Inverness to John o'Groats, before then heading up to Orkney for a few days of exploring.

So what even is a swin-run race??  I'm sure you are all wondering!  Don't worry though, it's a relatively new type of race, with this being only the second held in the UK to date.  The original swim-run race (the ö till ö; meaning 'island to island') started in Sweden; it was actually a challenge between friends, thought up during a stag-weekend!  It involved travelling from one end of a chain of islands to the other, by running across the islands and swimming between them.  The ö till ö is particularly gruelling, with 10km of swimming, and 65km of trail running.  Swim-running is increasing in popularity quickly in Sweden, with more and more races springing up.

I first heard about the ö till ö in July last year when my friend Nicky gave me a book of 'the world's hardest challenges' after I completed my first ironman.  We were both very excited about the prospect of such a race!  When I heard about the Loch Lomond Inch-by-Inch race I couldn't wait to enter!  Unfortunately Nicky wasn't so keen (I really don't know why??) so I was desperately trying to persuade one of my friends to join me as it involves racing as a pair.  I couldn't persuade anyone, but then a friend suggested someone else; 'she loves crazy stuff like this!!  It'll be great!'  A few messages exchanged and we'd signed up!  What wouldn't be fun about running in a wetsuit and swimming in your trainers??

A couple of training weekends together to get to know each other and come up with a plan, then the race quickly came upon us.  We had opted to swim (and run) attached to each other by a bungee cord.  This meant we stayed together, could draft each other in the swim and didn't split up on the run.  We both had different strengths, Anna being a strong swimmer, and myself being the stronger runner.  I think this must be the first race I've raced as a pair, and it didn't exactly go to plan.  We finished, and we weren't last... that's something at least!!

I guess it's hard to race with someone you don't know; I wasn't sure how much I could push Anna on the run; I'm sure she didn't appreciate being pulled up Conic Hill; I like to think I was giving positive encouragement, although I'm sure Anna would disagree!

The race was in beautiful surroundings, and it was a real privilege to be racing over and around the islands of Loch Lomond.  The race was well-organised, and on a whole a great experience.

Lessons I've learnt?

1. Don't race with someone you don't know.  Working well as a team is key to racing well.
2. I'm more competitive than I like to admit.
3. Stick to triathlons/solo events next time!!

Meeting Ruth & Cate on their way down Conic Hill

Running towards Cashel Campsite

At the end of the longest swim (I think)

We did it!!!  7hr42... phew!

The Orkney Islands

After Loch Lomond I headed north, and spent the night in Helmsdale with Jan & Barry, the lovely B&B owners who looked after me last time I was up, when I became unwell during day 7 of LEJOG and had to stop.  The next morning I continued further north to deposit the car in Thurso (left headlights on; idiot!), and then back down to Inverness, ready to re-ride Inverness to JOG in the next day (see previous blog post).

On Monday evening, after 9 hours in the saddle I arrived in JOG, before continuing on to Thurso to discover a flat car battery, pick up a rucksack of stuff, and head onto the ferry for Stromness.  Arriving in Stromness shattered, I met a Kiwi who insisted we must celebrate my finishing LEJOG!  A couple of beers later I was well and truly ready for bed!

I had been up to Orkney and Hoy in May to climb the Old Man of Hoy and had been dying to return.  I don't know how to express it, but there's something about the Orkneys that I find so thoroughly relaxing.  I find the peace and solitude amazing.

Tuesday meant a ferry over to Hoy.  I cycled across the island to Rackwick; a stunning bay surrounded by hills on either side that roll down into the sea.  There are a few cottages, but mostly the bay is quite remote and isolated.  I headed over to the bothy and was disappointed to see smoke coming out of the chimney; I'd hoped to have a few days by myself.  Instead I met David, a czech guy who had been travelling around Scotland.  After a quick sea swim, we headed up Ward Hill; this is the highest point in all of Orkney, with views over all of the islands (on a clear day...), and then stopped for a second swim in Sandy Loch, a small loch on the way back to the road.  A quick cafe stop too, before heading back across the island, picking up dry wood along the way.  David managed to get the fire lit (very good considering how wet the wood was!), and we sat up chatting by the fire for a few hours.

On Wednesday I headed around Hoy on my bike, biking down to Lyness and then Longhope, and back up to the ferry at Moaness.  The roads were stunning to bike on, and incredibly quiet!!  They were surprisingly smooth given the little amount of traffic, so I had a fun 45 miles blasting around on them.  Wednesday afternoon I caught the ferry back the Orkney mainland as high winds were forecast for Thursday, and I didn't want to risk getting stuck on the island if the ferry couldn't dock the next day.

Back in Stromness I spent the night camping with David.  We had cooked inside the town hall to avoid the wind, and stumbled upon a church singing group.  Their hospitality was touching, offering us to use the kitchen and making us tea and coffee!

On Thursday we headed in different directions; David off to Kirkwall, to continue on to Shetland, and me off on my bike.  I had planned to do a long ride around the mainland, but the headwind plus tired legs meant I was going nowhere fast!  Plan aborted after only 25 miles, I spent a nice afternoon in Stromness instead.

After hearing rumours of the northern lights, I had an early start (3am!) to try and catch them on Friday morning, before catching the first ferry back to Scotland.  I was sad to leave Orkney, and I'm sure I'll come back again and again.  The islanders are so welcoming, and the surroundings so beautiful.  It's hard not to feel at home.  I've had a look and there is a hospital there; it even has a small A&E I think!  So maybe I'll come to live and work for a period of time in the future.  I'd strongly recommend a trip up there with bikes to explore to anyone with some free time.

As always, it's the people you meet that help make a trip what it is.  Jan, Barry and Rob in Helmsdale were incredible (again).  Sharing the bothy with David was good fun; it was refreshing to hear about his dreams and aspirations for life.

Friday involved a long drive home!  I stopped in Edinburgh to ride over the Forth Road Bridge as it had been shut to bikes when I rode through during LEJOG.  I joyously broke the 15mph speed limit for bikes, and felt happy knowing I had cycled every little bit of LEJOG now!  A short run around Edinburgh to wake me up, then I picked up Dan, my co-pilot, and kept driving, arriving home at about midnight... a long day!!

Now it's back into another 4 weeks of rota, before my next chance to escape!  I'll be heading up to the Lake District to swim the length of Ullswater, then having a few days in North Wales catching up with friends and during various forms of exercise (you know me; you can rest when you are dead!).

Theodore waiting for a ferry on Hoy (shortly before getting soaked by waves)

Looking over to Hoy from Orkney mainland.

Sunrise over Hoy as I sailed away :(

Dawn over Orkney mainland

The final piece!  The Forth Road Bridge

Big grins!!

Edinburgh from Salisbury Crags; an evening run.

Unfinished Business; LEJOG Day 7; Inverness to John o' Groats

After failing so close to the end during my LEJOG attempt earlier in the year, I knew I had to come back and finish what I had started!  In June I became unwell on my final day, managing only 70 miles from Inverness, before having to end my journey early in Helmsdale, only 51 miles from the end.  As soon as I got my rota (with it's fixed annual leave), I started planning a trip back up north.

After a night in Helmsdale with Jan and Barry (the lovely B&B owners who looked after me when I was unwell in June), I had a day of logistics, taking my car up to Thurso* before getting a train back to Inverness.  Sunday night, 3 months after my previous stay, and I found myself back at Inverness youth hostel.  Fortunately I was feeling somewhat better than last time!  I met Mark and Bella to go out for dinner again (as I had done in Perth), but this time we avoided an Indian, and went for Italian instead.  I didn't dare risk another bout of D&V!

Since my LEJOG trip, I now have a new bike; Theodore; a custom built steel-framed beast!  He is a stunner!!  Felix has taken a fair hammering over the last few years, and with multiple bolt-holes failing, I felt I could finally justify a new stead (don't worry, Felix hasn't been retired, he is still being used for commuting!).

Introducing Theodore...

An early alarm (5.50am!!) on Monday morning saw me climb out of bed, scoff some porridge, and roll out of the door by 6.30am.  So began my journey north.  The miles rolled away easily as I watched the sun come up.  It was a stunning day as I followed the A9 north surrounded by beautiful scenery.  (Forecast black clouds and a strong head wind!)   To an extent I remembered the roads as far as Helmsdale, although any hills seemed much easier this time!  After a quick toilet and bottle refill in Goldspie I arrived in Helmsdale at 11am, ahead of schedule and pleased with my speed. The roads had initially been busy (well, it was a Monday morning before 9am; to be expected), but they soon quietened down.

Dawn start in Inverness

In Helmsdale I headed to Thyme and Plaice.  This is the cafe where my journey ended last time; I was in tears and absolutely broken!  Rob, the kind cafe owner, had tried to feed me, then recommended a B&B, and driven myself and Felix up the hill to said B&B.  The cafe was closed today, but being the super kind Yorkshire man that he is, Rob came to meet me anyway and make me some lunch.  "Bloody Doctors, they're always early" he said!  Perhaps the Scottish NHS is better than in England??

I was on my way again by 12 o'clock, with 50-55 miles to go (depending on which signpost you used!), and the real hills started!!  I climbed up out of Helmsdale, stopping to remove a layer, before eventually whizzing down into Berriedale.  Of course this is followed by a big up (with hair-pins and everything!!!).  It was stunning!  Retrospectively, there was no way I would have gotten up here last time around.

Up until Helmsdale I had been fortunately sheltered from the forecast Northerly winds, but as I progressed further north they began to rear their ugly head!  Leaving Wick with about 20 miles to go, I really felt their force, and my speed definitely slowed (but not too surprising given I was past 100 miles already for the day).  I had generally not been paying too much attention to the ascent profiles of each day of LEJOG, but had been forewarned about the final hill before JOG.  It isn't steep, but man is it a slog!!

Coming over that final summit, and seeing John o'Groats in the distance was emotional to say the least.  I spent most of the day smiling, really enjoying the ride (even in the head wind).  Speeding off downhill towards John o'Groats I had tears in my eyes.  Reaching the end meant a lot to me.

YES!!!

Big grins :)

Setting off 3 months previously, to cycle end-to-end in 7 days, I think I had underestimated the seriousness of the challenge I had set myself.  125 miles a day, for 7 days.  It was tougher than I thought!  It was hard to fail last time, but I know I could not have tried any harder or gone any further on that final day.  It is a relief and a joy to have finished the journey finally.  I haven't put it to bed though (so to speak).  As Tom reminded me, I've done the final day on a different bike!  And I haven't done it all in one go.  I'll definitely be back to ride the trip again.  Maybe I'll go solo over 6 days next time.  Or maybe a more leisurely schedule with Tom for company (not on a tandem, sorry!).  This trip helped me to realise what is physically possible.  For me the answer is more than you think!  It also helped me to raise A LOT of money for Orchid, a male cancer charity, as my Dad had testicular cancer last year.  Thank you to everyone to sponsored me; if you haven't yet but do want to you can at www.virginmoneygiving.com/nikkisommers

Now I'm sat in Orkney, drinking a pale ale from the local brewery, after a blustery day on the bike.  Once back to city life I'll blog about my swim run race, and also about exploring Orkney and Hoy.  I'll also add some pictures of Theodore looking good at Inverness and JOG!

Still to come in my 'year of suffering', I'm planning to swim the length of Ullswater (approx 8 miles), and then in my November week off I am hoping to run the Thames path over 7 days (so approximately a marathon a day for 7 days).

*If you wonder whether you have left your car lights on or not, don't reassure yourself that you haven't, go and bloody check!!!  My car is currently parked at Thurso train station with no battery...

Suffering Part 7; Climbing in the Alps/ Rest & Recovery!

Only 5 days after my ironman I found myself in our packed car, driving south towards Folkestone, and then on to Switzerland.  After a busy week at work (with minimal recovery time), I had squeezed in a sports massage before getting in the car to drive for hours on end.  Having left home at about 4pm on Friday, we arrived in Saas Grund eventually at 8pm on Saturday.  To say I was tired was an understatement!

We had been planning a trip to the alps for months; in fact it had been on the calendar since last autumn.  It wasn't until January that I entered the Cotswolds 226 race, only a week before the holiday.  I entered the race whilst away on a ski holiday without Tom.  When I rang to tell him he was far from impressed, all too aware of how tired I would be on holiday.  "I'll be fine" I told him!  How wrong was I...

I had bargained for a rest day on arrival in Switzerland, but the forecast was looking iffy.  We had an ambitious tick list of multiple 4000m peaks building up to the Italian ridge on the Matterhorn (one of my challenges).  Sunday afternoon and we walked in to the Almagellar hut, ready to climb the Weismeiss the next morning.  In reality I'm useless with altitude, and already had a headache at the hut!  We had been banking on my fitness to cancel out the altitude... unfortunately I was exhausted!!   An early start on Monday morning had us heading up to a col in the dark, ready to head up a ridge on the Weismeiss.  My legs were not working!  This was not going to be a good day!  We made a decision to turn around and head back to the valley.  Even just descending to the valley with walking poles was hard work.  Perhaps all my challenges had taken more of a toll than I expected.

After this we packed up and heading around to Chamonix instead, where Tom had other friends to climb with, and I had a chance to rest and recover; phew!!  I read a few good books, including a book by Dave Gill about cycling around the States.  Very inspiring!  I struggled to walk; stairs were horrendous.  My quads were absolutely wrecked.  The roads up and down the hills looked beautiful; I was envious that I wasn't here with my road bike.

Towards the end of my enforced rest we spent a couple of days over in Italy, as Tom climbed the south ridge of the aiguille noire du peuterey with Matt.  Unfortunately they got caught in a storm and spent an unplanned night on the mountain.  I spent a sleepless night in the valley, worried sick.  I was extremely relieved when they made it back down at 8pm on the Monday (rather than late on the Sunday).  I felt justified in buying (very cheap) gin as treat for myself!

I don't know why Tom wouldn't let me buy this cute critter!!

Our plan for the remainder of the trip had been to head on into Italy a bit more to climb the Gran Paradiso, and then the Italian ridge on the Matterhorn.  Unfortunately this wasn't to be.  It has been an incredibly dry, warm season in the Alps, with lots of rock fall.  The Italian ridge was closed indefinitely due to significant rock fall.  Another failure in my year of suffering, although this time out of my hands.  It will still be there next year though.

Instead we headed back round to Switzerland to be greeted by yet more changeable weather and had to readjust our plans yet again.  We climbed the Allalinhorn, my only 4000m peak of the holiday; a rather nice snow plod from a high lift, with some LARGE crevasses!!  I finally faced my crevasse fear and feel somewhat more relaxed!  We followed this with a nice multipitch rock route on the Jegihorn; a great way to finish the holiday.  Then a long drive north...

On top of the Allalinhorn

Alpendurst on the Jegihorn.

Back in the UK and it is 'Black Wednesday'; changeover day for doctors in the UK.  I have spent the last year in anaesthetics and ITU, with a really nice (too nice??) rota, with lots of weekends off.  Unfortunately I have now changed back to A&E (my chosen career path), with a not so desirable rota!   The last 6 months have been incredible!  I have trained harder than ever before and seen my fitness and race performance improve in leaps and bounds!  I just hope this doesn't go backwards too much during the next 6 months.

The weekend after returning from the alps I entered an Olympic distance triathlon at Whitchurch, along with a load of awesome people from TNT tri club.  This was supposed to the national club championships, but ended up not being.  We still had a great weekend!  The race was awash with a sea of orange triathletes!  This has been my best race of the season yet; I finished 7th female, and won my age group too.  My first age group win!  I put in a strong swim, a good bike, and an unsurprisingly appalling run (haha!).  What a great end to the season!

If Carlsberg did Tri Clubs... the awesome TNT!

TNT wiping the floor in women's age group categories!

I still have 2 more 'challenges' to come.  In 2 weeks time I'll be up in Scotland competing in the Loch Lomond swim-run race with a friend Anna.  This should be good fun, but a completely new experience, so we'll see how that goes!  I've then finally set down a plan for a long distance swim, and am hoping to swim the length of Ullswater in early October (hopefully before it gets too cold).

Ullswater at dawn on Monday morning.

Thanks to everyone's generosity I have already raised £2200 for Orchid!  In case you've forgotten, Orchid is a male cancer charity, and I am raising money for them because my Dad had metastatic testicular cancer last year.  If you fancy helping me reach my final target of £2500, you can sponsor me at www.virginmoneygiving.com/nikkisommers.  Thank you so much to everyone who has helped me raise this much already!

Suffering Part 6; Cotswold 226

It seems like barely yesterday that I cycling up and down Froggatt for hours on end, hoping to join the exclusive 'Everesting' club!  It was only 3 weeks ago!  Since then I've spent many hours dreaming of my next endurance challenge, wondering what I could possibly do to beat the high I've been riding on the back of.

This weekend just gone brought along the next challenge in my 'year of suffering'; the Cotswold 226 triathlon.  This is a long distance tri (commonly known as an 'ironman' although this is a brand name); a 2.4mile swim, 112mile bike and then a gruelling 26mile run.

I did my first ironman last year, taking part in Ironman UK at Bolton, one of the ironman branded races.  It was an incredible experience, especially the red carpet finish, but man was it tough!!  During the run (if you could call it a run; more of a walk/shuffle) between tears I vowed to my husband not to enter another!! I promised!

Well, January came and I had other ideas.  I did a bit of research, checking out other races.  Whilst the ironman was amazing, it is also very expensive, coming in at well over £400.  To some extent you do get what you pay for in that you get an incredibly well-organised, well-run race.  But with a lot of races on the list this year (and a supposed economy-drive) another ironman was not on the cards.  I entered the Cotswold 226 whilst away skiing with friends, and then rang my husband to tell him.

"But you promised not to!!" He said...
"I know, I know, I'm sorry..." I told him... (I wasn't sorry!)

I had big plans for training, given I was running Paris marathon as well.  I was going to smash my Bolton time down, knocking copious minutes off the run.  This was going to be my year of improvement!

Since Paris I've run only a handful of times, certainly less than 10!  So I realised that perhaps my run expectations had been a bit optimistic.  It was also only 3 weeks since Froggatt, and I'd had considerable knee pain on every ride since then.  Was that really enough recovery time??

The weekend crept up, quicker than expected, and with a loaded car we headed down to the Cotswolds.  This time my Dad and his partner Gill were coming along too (as well as my dedicated husband; thank you!).  I'm raising money for Orchid, a male cancer charity, as my Dad had metastatic testicular cancer last year.  This is the first time he's been to see me race so it was quite special.

We met up with Jeff on Saturday (Jeff is also a member of TnT, the tri club I train with occasionally).  After lunch there was registration and a chance to familiarise myself with transition and the swim area.  An early dinner, then an appropriately early night after some sad news about an old university housemate.

 3.30am and my alarm is bleeping.  It's still dark, it's raining, and it's Sunday morning!  What the hell am I doing??  After a week of night shifts followed by day shifts I am exhausted!!  I do NOT need to be getting up right now!  I roll out of bed and eat some breakfast, before rousing Tom and heading out of the house.

Transition at 4.30am and it's just getting light.  I rack my bike and prep everything, chatting away to the lady next to me (Deb, from Leicester; I do like to chat!).  5am, wetsuit on and over to race briefing.  Dad and Gill turn up and say hi, and I have a photo or two with Jeff before getting into the very warm water!

Breath in!  Team TnT!

Last year I swam Bolton in 1.21 but wasn't feeling particularly fit or fast swim-wise, so was expecting 1.20-1.30 this year.  Anyone who knows me will know I am particularly weed-phobic, so was quite concerned about this swim, having been told there were patches of weed.

The horn sounded and I set off, looking straight down at weed.  Not what I wanted!!!  The first 1km went ok, stuck in a fast group, before slowing down (slight panic) during a bad patch of weed.  I regained composure and kept swimming, relaxing a bit and getting used to the weed.  I tried to sit on someones hip to slipstream but it didn't go so well.  At the start of lap 2 I found an attractive pair of feet that I decided were mine for the duration!  I felt like I was swimming slowly, and my shoulders certainly felt tired.  I'm sure my technique was going out of the window!  But those toes were going nowhere!  I pushed as hard as I could, staying with them until the last 50m, when I slowed to breaststroke so I could have a quick pee (well it was that or drop my tri suit to pee in transition; not happening!!).

As I ran up through transition I could hear the loudspeaker announcing times; so-and-so 1hr11minsXX seconds...  Surely not.  I hadn't swam in 1hr11 had I?? I asked some supporters what time it was as I got changed. Flipping hell!!! I had!!! A ten minute PB!!!  After a slow transition (it's long distance, I'm not about to rush!), I headed out on the bike.  Excluding relay teams, turns out I was 2nd female out of the water, and only by 4 seconds.  Wow!!!  (I didn't realise this until later).  Clearly shouldn't have stopped to pee, then I could have been first!!  Haha!

On to the bike (beating the other woman out of transition, not that I was aware), and I set off pedalling.  Immediately I had medial knee pain, so knew I couldn't push too hard.  Keep it steady, keep spinning.  I was hoping to complete the bike in 6hr30, but really wasn't sure how I would do.  To put it into perspective I did the Bolton bike in 7hr48.  I knew I was bike fit after LEJOG but was worried about how recovered I was after Froggatt.  I guess I would just have to see.

For me, the bike turns into 2 things.  Firstly a series of mathematical problems in my head as multiply numbers again and again in my head, working out how quick I'll be at what speed, 16mph, 17mph, 18mph (oh no, that's too fast), 17.5mph etc.  Numbers swim around and around in my head as my legs spin.  Secondly I enjoy the thinking time, and thought about Hannah, an old university friend.  

Early on in the bike I was overtaken by 2 fast looking women (Paula and Annett).  I hadn't realised that put me in third place.  I was thinking I was much further back in the field.  At some point during the first lap the rain came.  The marshals were fantastic!! Especially one of the motorcycle marshals, who checked we were all ok and warm enough on the bike.  One of the marshals told me I was third woman!  Wow!  I better keep pedalling!  I was trying not to push, I needed to save something for the run, but equally didn't want to loose my place.  At some point I realised there was a woman not too far behind, so picked it up a little bit; I was not about to be overtaken!  I managed to keep her behind me (although perhaps only by a minute or two looking at times), and in fact overtook the next woman, putting me into 2nd place!!  Wow!!  As someone who is mediocre at best, this was good!  Paula (in 2nd place) played leap-frog with me for a bit, but I wasn't about to get involved in that game, and dropped off.  I was not getting done for drafting!  And was not about to push too hard for the sake of a minute or two, which I knew I'd loose on the run anyway.  Towards the end of the bike I saw my support team in Minety, cheering me along!  Thank you!

Heavy rain in the Cotswolds.  Feeling good at 105 miles.

Off the bike in transition, socks on, and then out onto the run.  Interestingly, I hadn't needed to wee again yet, which worried me.  I'd drank 5 bottles, so was a bit worried about my kidneys (as I'd had a dose of ibuprofen at 3.30am, and then again at about 11am whilst on the bike).  It had been hot though (despite the rain), so I was likely just dehydrated.  In my deluded head I wondered if I'd be able to run a 5hr marathon time.  Last year at Bolton my run took me 5hr56.  Despite minimal running since Paris, I hoped I could beat this by a decent margin.  The first few kilometres felt ok, but I quickly slowed down.  Then I started to be overtaken.  Deb and Barbara had been hot on my tail on the bike, so it didn't take long for them to catch me!  Over the next few hours I was also overtaken by another 4 amazing women; Sue, Victoria, Helen and Claire!  Well done ladies!  I kept slogging along, at times kept company by Tom (yes, you are amazing).  It was great to pass Jeff on the laps for a TnT high five!!

At some point during the run (?lap 2 or 3 maybe) feeling the pain.

The best thing about this race was the size; only 150 competitors.  It was a small, personal event.  This meant you got to know everyone as you run past each other again and again on the run laps.  I spent lots of time cheering everyone on by name.  Maybe if i'd spent more time and effort running and less on cheering I could have done a bit better (unlikely; I'm s**t at running...).  By the end I had most people's names sorted!!!

Lap 3 was particularly painful, and I had a bit of a cry.  On lap 4 I ended up walking for a few kilometres.  I had stopped to pee, and the toilet started spinning.  Concerned about collapsing, but determined to finish, I instructed Tom to stay by my side in case I collapsed, and then kept walking.  As I came back into South Cerney (the finishing village) for the final time, I picked up my pace back to a run, and plodded around the corner and across the finish line, to finish as 9th woman.

***13hr29min10sec***

 A whole 1hr53min14sec faster than last year's race!!! Time well and truly smashed!!!

Post-race selfie with my no.1 fan!

Cotswold 226 has been incredible!  And not just because I smashed my PB!  It was friendly, well-organised and well-run.  The marshals were wonderful!  Super friendly, super supportive, and just 100% lovely!  I will definitely come back and race again!

I still have a lot to work upon.  I'm sure my swim could be faster.  My bike definitely can be!  I still had a lot left in the tank at the end of it, so that's good.  And running... well... that still leaves a LOT to be desired!  Winter 2015/2016 will be ALL about running.  If I could knock 1hr off my time, that would be great.  If I could knock 1.5hrs off my time... let's start slowly mind, I'll take an hour first!

Mmmm food!  With Jeff, Gill & Tom.

Now I'm hobbling around work, with that classic post-ironman waddle.  Plenty of stretching, nutrition and rehydration.  Time for a few days of rest before we head off to the Alps for 2 weeks of climbing (including the Matterhorn, yet another of my challenges).

 This year started being about raising money for Orchid, a male cancer charity (you can sponsor me at www.virginmoneygiving.com/nikkisommers), but has morphed into a year of endurance and endorphins, as I work out just how much I can push myself, and keep improving.  I have to be honest, I'm quite enjoying the pain in my legs today, because I know I've earned every little bit of it!

Team ORCHID!!! (ME and my fab Dad!)

An extra note about some sad news 

On Saturday night I found out that one of my university friends had died.  I lived with Hannah in second year of university.  We weren't close, and we haven't been in touch since I graduated.  But it is still terribly sad to hear that someone so lovely, and so young has passed away.  I spent a chunk of the bike time thinking about Hannah, remembering happy memories.  Metroline in first year.  Cowboys and Indians!!  (I forgot how drunk Hannah had been until I looked at the pictures yesterday; they did make me laugh!)  It is terribly sad to hear of someone dying so young of cancer, only 27.  My heart goes out to Hannah's family and friends at such a sad time.

Cowboys & Indians!  Hannah, Emma & Becky

A slightly drunk Cowboy!

Metroline (in first year; 2007!)

Suffering Part 5; Everesting Froggatt

Today my legs hurt... a lot!  They were ok this morning but as the day has dragged on, they have gotten progressively worse.  So much so that my knees are occasionally giving way due to the overwhelming pain in my quads.  But it's a satisfying kind of pain!  Pain that I have well and truly earned!

This weekend I have successfully everested Froggatt! I can finally say I'm in the club!

So on Saturday morning, after a restless night of sleep (I wouldn't have expected anything else), my alarm went off at 6.30am.  I was already awake mind, and jumped out of bed, ushering Tom up as well.  The car was already packed, so a quick breakfast and shower, then we made the short drive over to the Grouse Inn, a pub along the route of my hill climb.  Car unpacked, bikes reassembled, and I was ready to go.  I whizzed down the hill, turned around at the bottom, and started my garmin!

Until May I'd never heard about 'everesting' before.  Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) a colleague had mentioned it to me after I'd been talking about doing a few Froggatt laps.  In April Lee and Elliott, 2 ambitious local cyclists, had everested Froggatt for the first time!  Bloody good effort!  Well they have both been great in helping me to plan my ride, and came out on Saturday morning to support and ride a few laps with me; cheers guys, esp since they had a 100mile sportive the next day!

Lap 1 started solo, and my legs eased into the hill quicker than expected.  I had been worried after finishing LEJOG so recently (and being poorly at the end of it); had I left myself enough recovery time?  Fortunately it seemed I had done!  I had planned to pace myself to 35minute laps (as approx 28minute uphills), but for the first 4 laps at least I was doing 18 minute ups.  This wasn't in the plan!  Lap 2 and company arrived; Lee and Elliott in their coveted 'Hells500' jerseys.  These can only be bought once you've joined the everest club!  Along with a few of their friends, I smashed out a few quick laps, and relaxed into the rhythm of Froggatt, spinning uphill, then speeding back down.

Feeling fresh! (Photo by Richard Marks)

I had decided I would stop every 4 laps, so roughly every 2 hours to eat properly, as well as eating something on every descend.  I also bottle-changed every 2 laps.  My ride was powered mostly by cold pizza, chocolate bars, flapjack, strawberry milkshake, coke (of the drinking kind) and isotonic tablets.  I did have a whole host of other food with me, but found that this was just wanted I wanted to eat.

The laps passed by quickly, and within about 5 or so hours (maybe 5.5hrs) I'd knocked out about 10 laps.  25% done!  I was counting down in fours; counting down until each break, another 10% done.  As the morning turned into afternoon I had loads of support!!  We had a gazebo outside the Grouse Inn (manned by Tom and Dan), where I could stop to eat, and people could come and cheer/ drink beer.

During the afternoon a lot of different people rode with me!  I tried to write a list so I didn't forget to thank people; I'll include this at the bottom!  People I didn't know came to join me for laps, having heard about my attempt.  Friends of friends came out too!  I persuaded strangers who overtook me to slow down and ride with me.  The company was great and the miles really did fly by!  I was eating well, drinking well and still passing good coloured urine!

Saturday evening, leading the boys up the hill ;) (Photo by Richard Marks)

8pm came and I was having a break, having done 20 laps.  Past halfway already!  On track to be done in under 26hrs.  My main aim was to finish, but I was keen to finish as quickly as possible, preferably in under 26hrs so as to end the suffering asap.  Before everesting my longest previous ride had been about 130miles, so every mile going forwards was extra on top of that.  Incredible!

Enjoying the evening light. (Photo by Steve Franklin)

The in-laws turned up for an evening visit from Cumbria, and my father-in-law even rode a lap with me!  Darkness approached as I started to tire, 24 laps done.  Bike lights came on, and I kept going.  Company overnight was amazing and very appreciated.  As the hours continued I became more and more tired, but Lee, then Dan, then Tom talking to me kept me awake.  Early in the night I narrowly avoided a head-on with a boy-racer who took a corner on the wrong side of the road ("Don't tell Tom, he'll just worry.").  I became quieter as the night continued, focusing on riding, staying awake and upright.  My ascents continued at a reasonable pace, but the descends slowed significantly.

Dan has been my hero in all of this!  I posted on the tri club facebook page that I was planning to do this if anyone wanted to come out and ride with me.  Dan messaged me straight back to say could he help?  He organised borrowing the gazebo, set up a computer screen to track my progress, and rode 3 stints with me, including the dreaded graveyard shift.  Overnight he told me his life story to keep me awake.  It was great to have the company and to get to know Dan much better!

"Dan, tell me about how you met your partner" I said.  
"It's funny you should say that.  Well, there's the short story, but since we've got plenty of time, I'll tell you the long story..." Dan replied.

My husband finally got on his bike at about 2 or 3 am, to give Dan a break.  Despite having a better bike than me, Tom is not a keen cyclist.  But he had spent all day feeding me, passing me drinks, manning the gazebo and generally cheering me (when he wasn't reading about ski touring).  About 3am a tiny corner of the sky started to turn light.  Finally I felt like the darkness was going to end.  It had only been dark for 4 or 5 hours, but it was a long, hard night.  I am in absolute awe of the CLO guys who everested Hathersage Surprise Climb in November!  I don't know how you did it!!

4am food stop.  Feeling cold, looking rough! (Photo by Steve Franklin)

At some point before Tom took over I had my first vomit, after shoving a whole flapjack in my mouth at once so I could get descending.  Big mistake!  My body had had enough of sweet food, so it was time to move onto my secret weapon!  Chedder cheese biscuits (think mini-chedders but bigger)!  In the morning Dan reminded me of this; "It's not often you get to cycle past your own vomit 12 times."  To be honest, I didn't actually notice it!

Steve came to relieve Tom at 4am for his second stint on the bike, and we got to enjoy a beautiful sunrise as we continued to bike.  Sunrise on mid-summers day!  Incredible!!!  I was struggling, really tired, becoming sore.  My back muscles and bum were sore.  In a way this was good as it distracted from my legs, which actually never seemed to hurt.  (Don't worry, the pain now is making up for that!).  I was getting cold, really cold on the descents, but then overheating on the ups.  I started wearing a belay jacket to descend.    I had decided after a break at 32 laps that I would keep going until I finished with no further feed stops.

Dawn, mid-summer's day. (Photo by Steve Franklin)

At one point after taking my jacket off at the bottom, I closed my eyes whilst stood up with my bike between my legs.  "Have you ever fallen asleep standing up Nikki?  It's not a good idea" Steve reminded me.  Back in the saddle and keep peddling.  By 6am a combination of bright sunlight and my body's melatonin kicking in meant I was waking up a bit.  6.30am and Steve stepped down.  Dan stepped back up to the mark, ready to accompany me to the bloody end!  Only 3 laps left to go.

Lap 37 and 38 were really hard.  I don't know if it's because I was exhausted, or because my body knew the end was near and started to slow down.  Certainly looking back at the segment times, I get progressively slower through the day, most noticeably over the last 8 laps.  I stopped twice on lap 38, but made it to the top.

I was unsure if 38 laps would be enough or whether I needed to do an extra lap.  I stopped at the top with Dan and Tom, and reset my garmin so it could work out the ascent.  9,200m!!  I had done it!!!  I had over-done it!!!!!  Arghh!  What euphoria!!!  It felt incredible!  24hrs and 48minutes!!  (My ride time was 21hr18min so only 3hr30 of breaks, not too bad really).

I bounced and cheered my way back down the hill to the Grouse (after the classic photo of bike above head at top of hill; very poor quality, in bad light).  I had actually done it!  I am still in disbelief.  When I decided to do this challenge it was one of the only challenges in my year of suffering that I thought I might fail on.  I honestly wondered if it was beyond me.

Success! (Poor quality, but it will do!)

This challenge is definitely about mind over body.  Riding LEJOG recently has obviously helped my fitness, but I've otherwise not trained.  I just went out and rode.  A positive attitude, grit and determination got me up that hill 38 times.  That, plus a lot of support from some incredible people!

People to thank for coming to cheer me on or ride with me:
-Lee & Elliott!  Thanks for helping me join the club!
-Dan; you are amazing!  I honestly can't thank you enough!
-Tom; thank you for spending 25hrs outside supporting me, and a whole weekend not going climbing.
-'Fat Tony' from CLO!
-Dr Marks for coming to take pictures.
-Kate Morris for squeezing me into an already full weekend
-Adrian (who rode in my Hoy leggings!), Tash and Emma for cheering me on.
-Tom, Kate and Laurie (sorry your derailer broke!); my Tom enjoyed the Laurie cuddle!
-Alan James (in his UKC jersey!)
-Nick plus friends (and his GP colleagues).
-Ruth Newton for riding 2 laps!
-Steve, esp for the 4am laps!
-Will & Nic
-Mil & Phil
-Caitlin & Robin
-Clare & Will
-Emma Hill for a visit at 1.30am!
-The man from CLO whose name I can't remember who came at 9am just after I finished.

And I want to thank everyone else who has sponsored me, sent me messages of support or who I've forgotten! Thank you!

The list above highlights to me how bloody amazing all you guys are!  I might have done 'Everest' solo (i.e not in a team), but I never felt alone!  I think I only rode 3 laps by myself!  Everyone helped make my journey easier.

So today it's day 2 post-Everest.  (I started writing this yesterday).  My legs are still sore but they are certainly easing.  I can feel my endorphin levels starting to dip.  I'm searching for my next challenge.
In just under 3 weeks I'll be racing an ironman distance triathlon in the cotswolds (the cotswold 226), then heading to the alps to climb the Matterhorn (amongst other mountains), so I have things to look forward to.  But I worry that nothing will match up to everesting.

Can I everest another hill?  Can I everest faster?  Can I everest a hill that hasn't been done yet?  Or should I leave everesting alone for now and find a new challenge?  I don't know, I've not decided yet.  I've got my eye on an un-Everested hill in North Wales... although the gradient is similar to that of Froggatt.  I think I fancy something slightly steeper so I can do less mileage.  Lots of things to think about.

For now though, I'm going to enjoy being in the Everest club!  I can't wait for my jersey to arrive!

A final reminder about my charity page; www.virginmoneygiving.com/nikkisommers
Thanks again to everyone who helped make my Everest journey a success!

Everest Anticipation

It's 22.30 and I've finally climbed into bed after an afternoon of preparation that dragged on into the evening, and am ready to catch up on my beauty sleep before tomorrow.  I'm sure I've got time for a quick blog update first though...

My alarm is set for 6.30am, ready to jump out of bed, wolf down some breakfast then head over to Froggatt.  Tomorrow I will be trying to Everest Froggatt hill climb (this means riding up a hill multiple times to the height of everest, 8848m in fact!). This is something that I stumbled upon by accident.  After a few reps of Froggatt with a friend, I was chatting away in the staffeoom and mentioned my reps to the men.  Unfortunately one of them replied with a "oh, have you heard about the guys that everestsd it the other weekend?"  The seed was planted and Froggatt was incorporated into my year of suffering.

I did 10 laps in early may before announcing I was definitely doing it; it was better than expected.  That, combined with my recent LEJOG trip means I'm feeling hopeful!  But in the back of my mind I am aware that this is one of the toughest challenges I have ever faced.  How will I keep going for 24+ hours??  I guess I've had long days out in the mountains (such as summit day on mount kenya), and tolerated the 15hrs it took me to do an ironman well also, even managing to work the next day.

Preparation is key.  A planning meeting in the pub helped with ideas.  My food is all cooked and packed, fluids fill the car (coke, isotonic, carb drinks, red bull for when I'm falling asleep, and yorkshire tea too), the bike is ready, posters made.  There's nothing more I can do tonight except try to sleep as well as possible.  Fortunately a lunch time nap followed by a sports massage means my body is feeling suitably rested.

If anyone wants to come and ride with me I'll be riding up Froggatt hill climb on the A625, between Calver and the road junction at the top.  My support team (consisting of my awesome husband Tom, and the extremely lovely Dan) will be based outside the Grouse Inn.  Come out and ride a lap, or swing by for a pint and to cheer me on!  I am starting at 8am Saturday morning, and will finish at some point on Sunday.

A final reminder that I'm raising money for Orchid, a male cancer charity; you can sponsor me at www.virginmoneygiving.com/nikkisommers thanks to everyone who has already sponsored me!