12in12 mission complete

 

I'm overjoyed to say that yesterday I completed my final 12in12, the second of two marathons I embarked on as part of the 12 day HopeTour.

 

Monday 17th December saw me run from the little village of Quorn, just outside of Loughborough down to Leicester and back up North to the finish in Melton Mowbray. It was a day of two halves starting with me trying to motivate the epic tour team now on their 6th marathon but ending with me being motivated by them the last gruelling miles by the distraction techniques they'd picked up along the way down from Leeds. The day ended with a glorious but painful massage for my tired legs and a nothing but painful 6 minutes in the ice bath. Marathon time 4:05.

 

Tuesday was a different day entirely. I woke with annoyingly fresh legs thanks to the ice bath so we set off from Shuttleworth at rapid pace - not least because we had the BBC filming us trot off! (See claim to fame here 23mins in) All was going well until 8 miles in when my the little toe on my right foot started to niggle. Soon I was losing the two front runners, Sarah and Matt (which is even more demoralising knowing they were 5 marathons tiered than me!). I had to stop. I won't go into the gory details but there was blood! Over the next 5 miles the physios re-bandaged my toe 3 times before I finally gave up and started heel running. I ran like that for the rest of the race which was incredibly painful not to mention slow. Still, with all that medical care and aided by Cassie who joining me for the final 10K into Cambridge I crossed the finish line in a respectable time of 4:35.

 

Not least because of the ice bath I can safety say it was a once in a life time challenge for me. However, despite the pain, I was massively cheered up with all the incredibly generous donations which came in over the last two days and 11 months preceding.

 

Thank you to you all for your generosity and tirelessly listening to me when I talk about what challenge or training I've been up to this year.

 

You've all been superhero's helping me to raise £8,000 for HopeHIV.

 

This brings our 12in12 group total to £120,000 which has secured 5 projects for orphaned children in Africa - which seriously wouldn't have happened without your generosity.

 

Thank you!

 

Final thing for me to say is Merry Christmas one and all, you've been amazing, and a very happy New Year!

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

Older Posts  

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

My 11th 12IN12: Amsterdaming my penultimate 12in12 & breaking the 100k barrier!!

I’m elated to say that not only have I completely my second to last 12in12 challenge, cycling the 240km from Bruges to Amsterdam, but we’ve now raised enough money to support five HOPEHIV projects in Africa – thank you for your support!

Summary of the Trip

Starting in Bruges, we set out, a team of 13 in high spirits skirting alongside ducks nestled by canals and chocolate box houses. The 128km tour took us along the most beautiful countryside and cycle paths, more often than not, wider than the roads! With only a handful of stops to refuel and one puncture, we arrived in Brielle on the outskirts of Rotterdam mid afternoon, with tired legs and still a little damp from the occasion shower. However, after 7 hours of cycling my legs weren’t too tired to trot to the local watering hole to grab some beers.

Day two, started off very promising with clear skies, however 8km in the conditions were drastically changing – I was very glad I brought my waterproofs. As from midmorning we were pedalling along beautiful Nordic coastline, in the torrential rain. Matters were made worst when a fellow rider got two punctures in quick succession. This significantly demoralised the now incredibly cold and wet team, for which John’s impression of Gangnam Style did little to muster a smile. My particular highlight of the trip was a few miles from the centre of Amsterdam, when we took a wrong turn and ended up ankle deep in stagnant water. Having completely submerged our feet during this little detour it made the last part of the journey just that little bit more of a challenge. Still we made it into the centre of Amsterdam as night time was setting in. Fantastic experience and many happy memories.

Breaking the 100K barrier!

Completing my penultimate challenge was achievement enough however I’m ecstatic to say, due to the 12in12 teams hard work and your generosity, we’ve now raise over £100,000 for HOPEHIV. We have therefore completed funding of two further projects – Hands@Work (Zambia) and Living & Livelihoods (Zimbabwe), which means we are now moving into our fifth project, Gold Peer Education. This is another amazing project, which focuses on HIV education/awareness through the use of peer advocates.  

Finally, I now have five weeks until my final 12in12 challenge running two marathons in 24 hours as part of the HOPE tour, running 12 marathons from Leeds to central London. Wish me luck and if you want to donate for this worthy cause you can via THE DONATE NOW!

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

My 9th 12in12 – 105 miles across Bonny Scotland.. 

Are you thinking what I’m thinking? How come it’s getting cold already and where did our summer go! Well, with Autumnal weather setting in, the weekend before last, myself and two friends ventured further north than I’d ever been before to take part in my ninth 12in12 challenge – Scotland Coast to Coast.

This two day adventure was sure to be my most torturous challenge to date;covering 105 miles of Scotland’s windy, hilly and frequently rainy terrain by bike, kayak and a healthy portion of which on foot.

It really was a gruelling challenge that will remain high in the memory books and I can safely say I will never EVER attempt it again. I’ve never experienced winds so strong whilst on my bike or attempted running up anything so mountainous, and let’s not forget the lengthy upper body workout on the Loch Ness. But I’m pleased to say, with a time of 13 hours and 45 minutes, I placed 16 fastest female and in the top 23% overall.

RACE DIARY 

DAY ONE 

The first day started well, storming from the start in Inverness on foot for 7 miles, which took just over an hour to complete. We them met our mountain bikes in Cawdor Castle to undertake the 48 mile bike ride, climbing over 1000 ft, to Fort Augustus. The views were spectacular, with glimpses of the Loch Ness stretching for miles to the right. The ride was the toughest I’ve ever experienced, as unlike London to Paris, I was sporting a rather heavy (I could barely lift it) mountain bike. Shifting this weighty compadre against the full force of the wind, often reduced me to gesticulate and at times left me feeling like I was pedalling backwards! 4 and bit hours later I arrived in Fort Augustus to be greeted by a life jacket and a kayak. A short paddle later and significantly wetter, I arrive at the check point, exhausted and 112 fastest at the end of day one.

DAY TWO

Overnight, I wrestled with my conscious as to whether I could seriously endure another day like the one I’d just done. But after a night’s sleep and with ever so slight rejuvenated legs I mounted the bike to start the next 32 miles. However disaster struck and 6 miles in my friend’s chain broke and over 45 mins attempting to fix it, Sarah and I were resigned in carrying on without Alistair. The weather (and especially the wind) was much more favourable and we powered through the bike section in 4 hours (inc. the chain fiasco).  

Now to face the mountain. 14 miles on foot concluding with a 3mile ascent up Ben Nevis and mile fell run back down. With significantly tiring legs I opted for a walk run strategy (basically anything flat I ran, anything steep I didn’t!). It paid off as 3 hours later I climbed into a kayak for the second time that weekend and crossed the lake to the finish line. At 5pm on Sunday I crossed the line having taken a total of 13 hours and 45 mins to go coast to coast across Scotland.

WHAT’S NEXT?

So how do I out do all that? Well for my next challenge (IN LESS THAN TWO WEEKS) I’m entering the scary world of ultra runners by competing in my first ultra marathon, Round Ripon, running 35 miles around North Yorkshire. Training is going well but thanks to the floods this week I’ve now missed my longest training run of 30 miles, but fingers crossed it all goes well and no floods at least on the race day.

Wish me luck!

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

My 7th 12in12 – Just keep swimming, just keep swimming....

I wanted to quickly update date you on how my most challenging challenge to date went. A 1.4 mile sea swim from Bournemouth to Boscombe pier. It was definitely my scariest event, with 500 odd swimmers piling into the 16 degree waters. It was a crazy event which left me feeling like we were all shipwrecked at parts as we all battled towards the finish line. But though a process of front crawl and breast stroke when I felt I needed to pluck up more courage, I made it to Boscombe Pier in around 45 minutes. For which I was more than chuffed as I was anticipating taking twice as long!

 

As my weakest sport that was by far my most rewarding challenge to overcome, but my most enduring 12in12s are still looming. On which note, as of this week I started training for my Ultra Marathon in October. I’ve already clocked up 20 miles and it’s not even the weekend

 

Next month is three peaks, with a team of 30 attempting to complete it in 24 hours- fingers crossed this weather holds out til then.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

My 6 12in12 - London2Paris by bike.... Je l'ai fait!

Over the jubilee weekend, with my Union flag tightly fastened to my bike, I started the 200 mile cycle from London to Paris, via Newhaven, Dieppe and Gournay en Bray. It was a gruelling trip over three days, in which each I learned something new – I don’t like Turners “Devil” Hill, why don’t we have a beautiful 30 mile cycle path like the one from Dieppe to Gournay en Bray? And that I REALLY DON’T LIKE CYCLING IN THE RAIN!

 

It was definitely a once in a lifetime trip with many memories and new friends I’ll never forget - especially them in padded lycra. But I’m pleased to say on Monday 4th June, we rolled into a Paris to the Finish Line opposite the Eiffel Tower. 218 miles cycled and very, very tired but I was pleased to say - Mission accomplie!!

 

All the preparation paid off. Fortunately no mechanical problems, not even a puncture thanks to the thick tires I got for my birthday – cheers bro! However, despite the 24 hours of cycling I think enjoying the patisseries at little too much as  I actually gained weight on the trip - fingers cross it is "muscle".  :)

 

Although my ride is now complete, this sponsorship page remains open for you to add funds for this latest challenge completed and the many more I have to come.

 

A very big thank you to everybody who backed me in sponsorship & for encouragement during preparation in this event!

 

Bring on the next challenge.

 

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --   

My 5 12in12 - the Eton SuperSprint (which almost cost me a toe)

Last weekend was the big season opener for Dorney Lake, the Eton SuperSprint. This sprint triathlon was my 5 12in12, converging the training I’ve done over four months for running, cycling and the last month of which relearning how to swim!

My race started on Saturday with a brisk 400m open water swim, which as advertised would be clear, clean waters. I would hate to know what the event organisers consider drinking water, because navigating through the waters of the murky green rowing lake was the only distraction from the heart stopping icy temperature. 10 minutes down and at least four toes suffering from hyperthermia, I took to my bike to ride the 4-lap course covering 21.6km...thighs were burning as I hurtled round the course at 18 kph.

Walking a little like John Wayne as I entered transition and still drying off from the lake swim, I donned my trainers for the final leg of the race. The first of the 2-lap 5k run I spent thinking how irritating it was to have got something in my right trainer, until the pins and needles subsided and I realised the foreign object was actually my middle toe!

Toes thawed, I finished the race in 1hr 20mins, placing me 462 overall and 44 fastest female.

Would I do it again? Even if I was to say no, I’m going to have to in November for my 11 12in12 when I attempt the full triathlon distance in Mauritius. Fingers and (now warm) toes crossed that the swim three times the sprint distance will actually be in clear water.

Please sponsor me and my toes for getting through it all!

To date, through the heroic efforts of all the Team 12in12 we have raised £48,383but we need your help to reach our £250,000 target.

Thank you

P.s. On 2 June I undertake my 6 12in12 challenge, cycling the 200 miles from London to Paris in three days. So I’ll be in touch in a couple of weeks to let you know how I got on!

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --   

Going Sub 4 in my First London Marathon...as a Pacer

 

Hello,

Can you believe how fast 2012 is going, almost four months through the year and less than 100 days now until the Olympics. Boy we’re in for an eventful year. As for events, I thought you might like to hear how my 4th 12in12 went, running the London Marathon.

This being the second marathon of my 12in12 events, I’m guessing a few of you might be thinking this would be an easy challenge for me to undertake. Well, just to add pressure to an already nerve-racking event, as I was unsuccessful in the ballot, I took part in the London marathon as a Runner World Pacer. As much as I’m thankful to RW for giving me this place, it also brought about additional pressure. Not only did I have to finish the race, I had to:

a)       Run 9 minute miles

b)       Face numerous questions from the ordinary to the bizarre including one runner asking whether I would give him a piggyback over the finish line – he wasn’t joking!

c)        Smile and act like I’m really enjoying every minute of 26 miles with c.3,000 runners chasing the golden sub 4 hour time

The whole day was overwhelming. I faced a barrage of questions pre-race from nervous runners, whilst I myself was going through the same mental mantra. Don’t start off too fast. Smile and try and enjoy it. You’ve trained hard for this, you can do it.

Despite the shuffling start the whole race was amazing. It was such an honour to take part, especially on such a monumental year with the Queen’s Jubilee and the Olympics fast approaching. The crowds were simply spectacular, I’ve never see so many people come out in force to cheer on Ed Balls (5:31), Gordon Ramsay(4:27), James Cracknell (2:59), Will Young (4:37) and 36,672 other runners who took part.

The heat certainly took its part, which by the half way mark I was taking on water at every drinks station. I had to focus on going steady, reminding myself that not only were runners relying on me to get round, but that I was completing this for HOPEHIV.

I’m pleased to say I came in 3:59:22 – phew! Plus I had the additional glory of seeing a few pleased faces from those that had stuck with me from the very beginning.

I want to say a massive thank you to everyone who came along on the day to cheer me on – special mentions go to Gilo, Alex and Sarah - you were all great distractions for me. What most importantly motivated me through the streets of London was the additional sponsorship I would gain by completing the marathon. I would be ecstatic if you can sponsor me via the below link to help achieve my yearlong fundraising target. To keep me on track I still need to raise £800 this month, so please dig deep.

So, what’s next? My 5th 12in12 is the Eton SuperSprint Triathlon at one of the venues for the 2012 Olympic Games - Dorney Lake, which includes a 400m Swim, 20km Bike and 5km Run.

The last (and first) time I took part in a sprint triathlon, I had a “minor” panic attack during the swim leg which resulted in me placing in the bottom 10%. I’m therefore resolved to making a storming effort this time and coming at least average overall! So from now until the 19 May I’ll be donning the wetsuit and hoping into the Serpentine every opportunity I get - Don’t worry Jacquesy I’m going to make you proud!

Thank you once again for your support in my year long endeavour.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

Getting my Wiggle on Mother's Day for HOPEHIV 

 

Whilst you were probably showering your mum with flowers and chocolates, at 5:30am on Sunday I made my way up to Cambs, full clad in lycra to take part in the Wiggle EPIC 80 mile cycle for my third 12in12 challenge for HOPEHIV.

 

I was incredibly nervous about the magnitude of this challenge, not least because it was the third time I’d ever used my clip in boots – making falling whilst still strapped to my bike a highly probable and comical outcome. But I wasn’t going let my inexperience get in my way so I set off with my team mates, Tom and Jon, determined to keep pedalling until the bitter end. I don’t know if it was stupidity, stubbornness or the sheer amount of candy I ate that got me through the hours and hours of cycling, but I DID IT!

 

5 hours, 30 minutes and 51 seconds later – through wind, rain, puddles and potholes I crossed the finish line.

 

Average speed: 14.6 mph Top Speed: 28 mph (down a very big hill)

Placing 365 out of 555 and 14 fastest female

 

Stats aside, this means I’ve successfully completed my third 12in12 challenge, making every hour of frozen feet, muscle burn and saddle sore worth it. Hopefully I have done enough to convince you to donate to my five and half hours of madness and many more insane challenges still to come. If so, please do by clicking on the “donate now” button on this page, thank you.

 

My next 12in12 is London Marathon, which if I make it over the finish line with hopefully energy to wave at the Queen and her corgis, will be my second marathon in 2012.

 

Wish me luck!

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Leaving the cold behind –Snowy 12in12 Challenge Complete!

With the first dusting of snow hitting parts of the UK and the temperature plummeting. Last week I headed off to start my second 12in12 challenge, snowshoeing to the summit of Pointe Rounte, 2,700m above sea level, in Switzerland.

Filled with trepidation, on Thursday morning we ventured out in minus 14 C with Phil from British Snowshoe Tours  as our guide. The anticipation, as always, was worse than reality and within a few moments we were navigating ourselves slowly up the mountain. Of course, there were many potential dangers, such as icy patches making it difficult to climb and areas so remote we barely had width for one snowshoe, the surface was so treacherous.  But it was all worth it in the end – taking four hours to reach the summit and two hours to descend – as the view from the top was breathtaking. For those that want a blow by blow account, I’m more than happy to over a glass of vin chaud!

It was a fantastic experience and I’m pleased to say my running total of money raised now stands at £2,376.44 but I’m still a long way from my target for the year. So if you haven’t already sponsored me please  click the donate now button to improve the lives of children significantly less fortunate.

Time to get into gear

With the Alps behind me it now is onto training for my March challenge, an epic 80 mile cycle race in Cambridgeshire. By which time I hope the snow will have cleared! You can read more about it here to entice you into sponsoring me for this and all nine challenges still to come.

This week, we also had some very exciting news that  the Lovering Family Foundation has donated £10,000 bring our total to £24,000  - just £6,000 off our first project: Umthombo Street Children. This project gets children as young as 7 years old off the streets, and looks out for them while they’re in this treacherous environment.

With this generous donation and all of yours, Team 12in12 have raised 10% of our overall target!!  But we still have a way to go, so please sponsor me.

Many thanks,

Vicky

P.S. Those of you who avidly read our 12in12 page will have spotted that we’ve had our first celebrity endorsement from adventurer legend Bear Grylls! In case you missed it, check out the 12in12 supporter’s page by clicking here.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Happy New Year and here’s to 2012

I’m pleased to say we did it! 

 

3 hours and 51 minutes is how long it took me to run the Walt Disney World Marathon 2012 last Sunday, successfully completing my first 12in12 challenge for HOPEHIV. And I say we, because although I ran all 26.2 miles of the marathon myself, I couldn’t have done it without the help and support from all my family, friends and colleagues, many of whom have sponsored me already – thank you.

It was unsurprisingly a tough challenge, not least due to the 2:30am wake in order to be bussed over to Epcot in time for the 5:30am start – little did I know I’d be thankful of this unruly awaking in the later stages of the race. The race started with a bang of fireworks and Mickey waving us off into the distance. I settled into a comfortable pace, sticking with the 3:25 pacer for the first 6 miles. Unfortunately, my legs were feeling the two days prior that I’d stormed round Disney’s theme parks, hoping on every ride possible. I started to lose speed.

By the half way mark I’d fallen into the 8 min/Mile pace but due to rapidly tiring legs and seconds lost hi-fiving Disney characters along the route I set my tracks on getting as close to 3:45 as possible. By 9am the Florida sun was blazing and I was thankful I didn’t have to endure it for much longer. I finished the race at 9:27am with a massive smile on my face, having smashed my Paris marathon time by 32 minutes. And for those real hardcore fans who want a blow by blow account they can relive the experience via the Garmin recording of my run here.

It was satisfaction enough to complete my first 12in12 challenge. However, having already raised 17% of my target 12 days into 2012, it’s motivation enough to get me back training for my next 12in12 challenge – 7 hours snowshoeing to the summit of La Pointe Ronde, Canton Valais, Switzerland. The ascent is gruelling 2,700m, which is over double that of the UK’s tallest mountain Ben Nevis.

 

Phil at British Snowshoe Tours has done his best to reassure me that, despite being a complete snowshoeing novice, I’ll be fine as long as I’m fit and highly motivated. With less than a month to go and no snow forecasted for central London, I fear the worst for my ability to train for this so it’s a good job I’m so enthusiastic to raise money for HOPEHIV!

 

So croise les doigts pour moi and Wünscht mir Glück!  

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  

Hello and welcome to my 12in12 page! 

 

The 12in12 is a yearlong fundraiser for HOPEHIV, which will see me and the rest of Team12 each complete 12 challenges in 12 months.

 

My 12in12 challenges kick off with the Disney Marathon in January, followed by six hours of Snowshoeing to the summit of La Palastre at 2278m in February. In March, I’ll be cycling 80 miles round Cambs as part of the Epic Wiggle Super Series No Excuses Sportive. This will lead nicely into my April challenge and second marathon of the year Virgin London Marathon 2012 and the trainers will be on their last legs in May when I compete with five other valiant companions in1066 Relay around the grounds of the Battle of Hastings. Whilst my new trainers are on order, in June I will be hopping back on my bike to ride the 230 miles fromLondon to Paris, with what we anticipate to be a 30 people strong team.

 

Having ran and biked my way through the first half of 2012, and with fond seaside memories of summer sun and ice cream, I will be hopping into a swim suit to take part in the 1.4mile pier to pier swim event, which is held on the south coast of England during July. In August, I’ll be ascending the highest peaks in the UK as part of our 12in12 3 Peaks Challenge. By September I be itching to get the new trainers on and September’s epic Coast to Coast Challenge will certainly put them to go use. The one-way multi-sport journey over 109 miles of the Scottish Highlands will see my athletic abilities – including canoeing! – pushed to the limits. A glutton for punishment, I’ll then be taking in the spectacular views that North Yorkshire has to offer during a 35 mile One day Ultra mountain race in October, followed by an (almost relaxing) Ocean India Triathlon in beautiful Mauritius during November. I will then be closing the year by taking part in the team's craziest challenge 12 marathons in 12 days leading up to Christmas!  

 

It's going to be a big year, so please dig deep and sponsor me. If you'd like to join me on any of my events please send me an email at v.s.watkins@hotmail.co.ukand check out our full team events list at www.the12in12.com. 

Thank you!

 

Vicky