New Year New Start

Hi everybody, sorry we haven't posted for awhile, well it is a New Year and a new start! It also looks like Rob and myself will be moving to China for a couple of years. 

We are still hoping to participate in the challenges that we committed to at the end of last year  WTAWTAW C2C Cycle Challenge and Asda's Yorkshire Three Peaks, so we will be training our behinds off as much as possible. After completing  the Yorkshire 3 Peaks twice and the Leeds 10k run, the sense of achievement you feel is very addictive and all for good causes too!!

We raised a total  £1719.00 across the three charities last year which was tremendous, hopefully we may be able to do the same again this year. Thank you once again for all your support!

Needless to say moving may take precedence, but where there is a will there is a way!!! Watch this space!

Caroline and Team Chester

We Raised £1719.00 Thank you

ONCE again on behalf of Team Chester I would like to say a BIG THANK YOU  to all of you who have sponsored and supported  us in all our Challenges. You have been very generous and helped raise money for some very deserving charities. 

In total we managed to raise £1719.00 across the three charities. Which is amazing thank you.

 

We are now in training for next year's Challenges, which so far includes  WTAWTAW C2C Cycle Challenge and Asda's Yorkshire Three Peaks, as always anyone wishing to join in you are more than welcome.

Caroline and Team Chester

Just To Say..

This is just a very quick post to shamelessly plug a new blog that I am helping with, called Where There's A Wilf, There's A Way- or WTATAW for short (though both are something of a mouthful!)

The site is dedicated to the memory of Wilfred Bennett, the father of my friend Trevor, who had heard about the challenges Team Chester and I had done over the last few months and decided to throw the gauntlet down to us yet again!

I won't spoil the surprise of what it's all about, but safe to say if you are interested then please click here to take a look at our latest challenge.

Looks like I'm back to training again!

Caroline

Third and Final Challenge Complete

Marie Curie Yorkshire 3 Peaks

Well we've done it! Our last challenge took place on Saturday 2nd July, and it was a very long but very rewarding day. 
5am. I had forgotten it even existed until I had to get up at that time. We got up to bundle our cars full of gear, back up gear, food, fridge, sinks, and anything else I could pack in. Of course we had our dedicated support team on hand too (Mum and Dad) in case we just couldn't possible eat all those delicious pies on our own. The weather forecast was for a glorious day and it turned out to be just that.

We arrived at Horton at 7am, my cousin Lisa Stoppard had also registered to walk the challenge so we all teamed up and set off  for Pen y Ghent at 7.30 am

Pen y Ghent is a hard first hill to climb, and you are faced with an immediate one hour up hill slog. As it is the first one, you haven't really hit your stride and you begin to wonder just what you've signed up for and how on earth you're going to manage two more. Once at the top, however, the adrenaline kicks in and it's bring on Whernside.

We stopped a Ribblehead Viaduct for refreshments and some of the 20 assorted Potts Pies we had brought along for nourishment- yummy! I have never eaten a pie so readily in my life. We set off in high spirits for Whernside summit,  If you hate Pen y Ghent because you are not warmed up, you begin to long for it after the Whernside climb- two hours of constantly ascending, it never seems to end! It was a very hot day and we threw as much water over us as we drank, but at least the wind was nice and refreshing at the very top.

View from the top of Whernside you can just about make out the Viaduct

Nearly at the summit check point you can see Ingleborough in the distance

Caron at Whernside touchstone

Rob and Lisa enjoying the views

The very steep decent back down Whernside, again with Ingleborough looming in the distance

Setting off for final hill Rob, Caron, Lisa and myself

After a very quick snack stop at the base of Ingleborough we went once more into the breach. We had an hour of climbing before we hit this -The Wall- it is  the steepest climb of the day. It took us half an hour and because it was so busy, scores of people having turned up for the event, it was a toss up whether to stare at the person's bottom in front of me or the shear drop I was climbing, I decided to alternate (the person on front being my husband thankfully). 

The Wall

Half an hour after the wall climb we hit the top of Ingleborough- Here's Caron and Lisa making it to the top

Rob heading for summit check point

Admiring the breathtaking  view of Morecambe Bay in the distance

It was 4.55pm when started back down Ingleborough to Horton, there are a few steep bits but it is a good steady downhill path. We hit the final check point at 6.55 pm once again the sense of achievement overwhelmed how tired our bodies truly felt. Then it was back to Caron and Adam's -yes, you guessed it- for a plethora of pizzas.

We did take all the boys, our dogs always enjoy a day out, but after the first hill it was way too hot for them, so we left them behind with The Oldies (my parents) who took them to play in a beck. They were all very happy chappies. We even brought along the newest member of Team Chester, Helo, who is now six months old and utterly adorable.

Helo

On behalf of Team Chester I would like to say a BIG THANK YOU to all of you who have sponsored and supported  us in all our Challenges. You have been very generous and helped raise money for some very deserving charities. 


We hope to keep up the good work next year and hope you will join us then too! For now, it's time for a good long rest!

Caroline and Team Chester

Second Challenge Completed

Jane Tomlinson's Run for All Leeds 10K in Aid of Macmillan Cancer Support

The city of Leeds was taken over by thousands of runners to take part in the 5th Anniversary Leeds 10K on 19th June 2011.

Team Chester (consisting of Rob and myself) set off at 7.30am and it was pouring down as we made our way to the Red assembly area. I had played it safe when registering us and said it would take us 2 hours to complete, as neither of us had ever ran for anything ever! Not even a bus! 

We got totally soaked to the skin and it was only 8am. The atmosphere was astounding and everyone joined in the warm up which commenced with "Singing in the Rain" the organisers evidently not without a sense of humour.  At 8.40am we were lead en masse to line up for the start, had a Mexican wave down the waiting masses, then at 9am we were off! Well a slow paced 'off'' there were roughly 4400 people to cross the starting line before us. I have to say it was hard work on my legs, but only had myself to blame as training hit a wall after doing Asda's Yorkshire 3 Peaks, spent 4 weeks getting colds, pulling my back, jarring my foot and tweaking my knee, I was determined to complete the 10K even if I had to  crawl or plan B was to get Rob to give me a piggyback. 

I was really really surprised when we managed to complete the whole 10K in 1:07:14 in fact have to admit coming over all emotional as I was so very proud of  us both!!  Once again the sense of achievement is such a buzz it's very addictive.

I would really recommend this as it's such a fun day. You can run, jog or walk it, you have a plethora of people ranging from teenagers to 80 year olds, fun runners to professional and the famous to the fancy dressed. I may have to train better for next year- not too impressed that I was out run by a Clanger! 

Just two weeks to final challenge... The Yorkshire 3 Peaks walk in aid of Marie Curie, and I can tell you it will be nice to have a long, long, long and hopefully well deserved rest.

I am delighted to say we reached our target for donations on the Run For All and once again I would like to thank everyone for your support and sponsorship.

Caroline, Rob and Team Chester

One Challenge Completed

Asda Yorkshire Three Peaks

The Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge is to be completed within 12 hours if you wish to become a member of the 3 Peaks club. It takes place in the Yorkshire Dales National Park whose peaks of Pen-y-ghent (694m/2276 ft), Whernside (736m/2414ft) and Ingleborough (724m/2375ft) dominate the skyline.  The Challenge is to complete a circular route of around 25 miles/40 km over these three peaks in under twelve hours.  The start and finish are situated in the village of Horton-in-Ribblesdale. 

On Friday 20th May 2011, we set off from the cafe in Horton in Ribblesdale at 7.30 am heading for the base of Pen-y-ghent, it took us about an hour to get to the top as it is a steep but quick first hill to climb, with a bit of hands and knees scrambling just before the very top. Due to some foot ware issues Caron was finding it very hard going.

The first check point is at the 10mile marker, we reached this around 12 O'clock, Caron manage to make it to here but had to pull out of the challenge, it was still a huge achievement to make it this far!! Luckily we had lined my Mum and Dad up as a support team, they were in a car driving to each check point with extra food and clothing if we needed it, Caron was able to stay with them as the rest of us set off for the base of Whernside. As we started to climb Whernside the aches and pains were starting to appear. I have to say Whernside seems to be a never ending climb- it is a long, long slog constantly going up!! Once we reached the top it was like, Hallelujah!! but if we thought the going up was hard, coming down was twice as bad. It is a very steep and fast decent, walking poles are a must, even with them my knees were killing me at  the bottom. A couple of miles later and we hit the second check point it was now half past three.

At this point the boys (our canine boys that is) had had enough, they had done very well walking a total of 17miles, but they were all looking a bit tired so Dillon, Dante, Seth, Jakey and Sawyer all stayed in the car as Rob, Adam and myself set off for the last hill Ingleborough. First thoughts-Arrrrgggghhh!
This is so very hard on the tired legs and body, it starts off climbing gradually, but then you hit a wall and I mean literally. Half an hour climbing straight up and that's still not at the top, once you do reach the top of the last peak the relief is immense, but there is still a 5 mile walk back down the hill to the finish point. My legs were starting to feel the pain as we headed back down and my knees were saying no more please. 

We all made it to the finish line at 2 minutes past 6. We were all shattered but the sense of achievement more than compensated!

We headed back to Caron and Adam's house for the night, ordered  5 pizzas  3 garlic breads with tomato a very large kabab and got 2 extra pizzas free, it was like they knew how hungry we all were!

As you may have gathered it is a very long hard and gruelling walk. If you take out the time we stopped for food we were walking for 10 hours none stop. However we are doing it all again on 2nd July for Marie Curie, but there are also a lot of other charities who organise the Yorkshire 3 Peaks challenge, so if anybody fancies giving it a go then we heartily recommend it, whether it's for charity or just for yourself.

A big well done to all who participated, and a huge big thank you  to all the sponsors too

Caroline and  Team Chester

TWO DAYS TO OUR FIRST CHALLENGE

  Only 2 Days till The Asda Yorkshire Three Peaks!!!!

I hope my old knees and feet are ready for it, but I do have something as a backup if all else fails .....

I will put my cape on!!! (I warned you that there could be some silliness)

Once again on behalf of Team Chester I would like to say a BIG THANK YOU to all of you who have made a donation to sponsor us in our Challenges so far.

We can not thank you enough for helping us to raise money for the  wonderful Cancer charities Asda's Tickled Pink,  Marie Curie Cancer Care and Macmillan Cancer Support who do so much to help support and care for people with cancer everyday.

If you would like to donate anything or contribute to the cause then please check out the links posted on the right, these will take you to the individual charity's Just Giving Page where you can donate by Debit/Credit Card or Paypal. All the money goes straight to the charity and will continue to do so even after the fund raising events, so if you'd like to help out then any donations are more than welcome!

Caroline and the Team Chester

An update!

Well gosh it has been some time since I managed to get on here! Apologies to all, I believe you're owed an update.

Training has been going well, had the occasional interruption or two (Easter, Royal Wedding, puppy watching for my daughter...) but we're coming ever closer to our first challenge so I'm kicking things back into gear again!

For people who believe it may be expensive to exerci

se, or that you can't do it effectively at home, my oh my how you are wrong. For those wishing to build leg strength, something as simple as running up and down the stairs can work wonders. During the times I haven't been able to get out for a run, just seeing how many times I can go up and down my stairs has been a great help to building stamina and leg strength and also as a cardio work out. I can tell you that after a while you d

efinitely feel the burn!

After investing in some new gloves, I've also been having a go at 'Mr Punchy' as I've decided to call my punching bag. Poor thing has been taking a literal beating and is a bit worse the wear for it.

As you can see he doesn't relish the idea of me working out. However it's a great way of toning your arms and getting upper body strength. The actual exercise itself is also pretty cathartic, and a fun way to work out if you've had a not so great day. If you want any tips on working out with a punch bag (even if you don't have one) then have a look at the link in 'Stuff We Like' at the bottom of the page.

Anyone interested in joining in on the challenges it is not too late to sign up and come join the fun! Check out the links to the right for information and as always we would like to thank everyone who has donated so generously, it really makes a difference.

Right, well I had better get going, I have a date with a tall red head...

Bye for now guys!

Caroline

Well goodness me! It's getting closer to our first event! The Asda Three Peaks is on the 20th May (for all those thinking of joining there's still time) and not too long after that the Jane Tomlinson Run for All is on 19th June, and finishing with another Three Peaks for Marie Curie on 2nd July. So I figured I best get myself into gear, and what better way than by getting some new running shoes!

As you can see the trainers are still a bit bright and shiny, I am working on that, just the weather been so wonderful not been running in wet muddy puddles!! ahem tis true honest.

I have also enlisted the help of Mr Punchy

Mr Punchy gives me a good all round workout combining strength and muscle building with cardio. I also incorporate some kickboxing into my punch bag workout. Giving my legs a good workout and I like kicking butt !! Though technically Mr Punchy is buttless.

I have been a little remiss with workouts this week  as I have this as a distraction

This is Helo he is a little too young to join Team Chester this year, but I'm sure he will be up for any future challenges!

A Week Spent Walking Hills, Fells, Knots and Crags - w/c 28/02/11

Grizedale Forest 10 Mile Circular 

Caron and I

Ambleside Loughrigg 6 Mile Circular up and over 

Fells in the Lake District from the top of Loughrigg

All the boys together at the top

Team Chester all together at the bottom ;))

errrrr

Yes at a pub .... it was a very steep fell lol

Pen- y Ghent 6 Mile Circular up and over

Nearly at the top! Just last bit to Scramble up

Just over the ridge lol

Pen-yGhent

Caron and the boys find some water to play in on the way down

Finally Arnside Knot 7 Mile Circular

All the boys, Seth didn't want to be in the line up so he sat back a little 

Some of the wildlife :)) on the Knot

Hello and Welcome!

Thank you for taking to the time to take a peek at this little blog of mine. We hope you will enjoy following the escapades of Team Chester as we prepare for our various fund raising events and earn money for some very good causes along the way. Check back once in a while to hear how we're getting on with our training, we'll keep adding pictures and news as we go. If you would like to donate anything or contribute to the cause then please check out the links posted on the right, these will take you to the individual charity's Just Giving Page where you can donate by Debit/Credit Card or Paypal. All the money goes straight to the charity and will continue to do so even after the fund raising events, so if you'd like to help out then any donations are more than welcome!

Caroline and the Team