Michelle's Chile Trek 2002

The statutory post-training debrief - valuable fundraising time too!

There is heaps of advice in the information pack on training: detailing warming up and cooling down exercises, also how to devise your own plan and how many miles you should be building up to walk each week etc.

This is what I did, I recommend you try to do more; I got bogged down with the fundraising, reasoning that if I didn't have the money I wouldn't be going anyway. I do definitely recommend you actually doing some hiking; expedition-style day-packed up etc as I did on Ben Nevis, Snowdon and the Beacon Beacons with BMF, they really brought the Chile Trek sharply into focus. I realised what I'd actually signed up for and it was a good job they were all very positive experiences!

Fitness is a relative term; I would consider myself pretty 'average', I could be much fitter if I trained harder and the challenge would probably be a lot easier, that's common sense.

Right now 'fitness' for me means: jumping out of bed full of health and vitality, with supple joints and muscles and I'm working on that.

Do I wish I'd trained more? YES! But I felt the same with revising for exams. When is enough, ever enough?

Will I complete the challenge? A resounding YES.

Why? Because I've made up my mind I will succeed.

Will I find it easily? I doubt it, but it wouldn't be a 'challenge' otherwise.

Does it scare me? Yes, but I'm also excited too.

I'm not a 'sporty' person; I used to think exercise was something I had to do as part of the whole dieting not-so-merry-go-round, a real drag. Then I starting finding activities that I enjoyed, where I learnt new skills and the resulting 'fitness' was a secondary benefit. No aerobics for me then, I preferred kung fu, kickboxing and more recently t'ai chi and yoga - I've definitely mellowed getting all of that latent aggression out.

I have been considerably fitter, and lighter than I am right now, but through a succession of lifestyle changes and office-based job with added doughnuts, has left me less time to look after myself properly. This venture however, has re-focused my priorities.

I do consider myself very fortunate in that during the build up to this challenge, I have consistently found myself in the company of people who have been very encouraging and generous in their advice. Through them, I also know that even though I may not be at my peak physically, I'm in pretty good shape mentally. If you can still laugh after being continually blasted by the elements and the only thing keeping you going is the sheer determination to be somewhere else, preferably warm and dry with food - you'll be all right.

I started out going for long walks along Bognor Regis seafront, and in the summer this was lovely, although mundane after a while. I bought a pedometer to measure how far I was going and gradually increased the distance I was walking each week. I also wanted to make use of the South Downs on my doorstep. I was wary of being out there on my own, as a lone lady hiker had just been brutally attacked and sexually assaulted up from the Brighton area.

Not that I always have, or want to have someone holding my hand, I just feel a little inexperienced right now. I would like to thank Paul Gravett for doing a great job boosting my confidence (even though I still can't keep up with him, which has improved my orienteering skills through default...), for agreeing to go hiking with me for a lot of weekends. I have also actually managed to be out, see a view and not get rained on - how unusual!

As one instructor said to the other, "Well, they did alright with The Ben and the abseiling, I know lets really test 'em on the minibus on the way home!" - BMF events - action-packed from start to finish.

Pre-Paul, I began to make enquiries whether anyone would want to accompany me and the two offers I had both turned out to be ex-army guys. Although in reality, all of our circumstances prevented any serious training, it did open another door as I mentioned this to a friend, Astrid, who had been struggling with the whole gym-thing and this reminded her about an advert she'd seen for British Military Fitness. She promptly joined to be shouted at by ex-services instructors to get fit and muddy in parks in London. Astrid really enjoyed the classes and started enthusiastically promoting the benefits she was experiencing to anyone who would listen. Shortly there came an earnest email about an event that BMF were running one weekend in Oct 01 to Ben Nevis, she correctly pitched it as 'perfect practice for the Chile Trek'. After firming saying, 'I'd love to, but no', Astrid proposed that she would pay my fare on condition of repayment (repaid!). A week before the trip I found myself panic-buying vital items such as my now much-loved hiking boots.

I have since learnt that it is possible to smile AND abseil. This was my FIRST time, and to explain, I was told NOT to step on the guttering and there was about a foot and half overhang to the wall. OK??

The Ben

I was now exhorting the benefits of the BMF events, and quickly signed up for the next trip to North Wales (Snowdon) event at the end of Nov 01 and then the South Wales (Brecon Beacons) in Jan 02.

During the depths of winter, and as the fundraising started to show results, I decided to get back on track with my training and approached a local gym with a request for help. The Tone Zone, in the Arun Leisure Centre, Bognor Regis generously gave me free temporary membership and I have had great help from Neil Croft and the rest of the instructors. I explained that gyms are not my natural environment, but with a programme specifically designed for my task and my fitness level, I could see the results and feel the improvements whilst out trekking. That has helped me incorporate regular gym sessions into my week.