Life Coaching with Donna

This is a longer than my other blogs!

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The phrase Mind Over Matter is totally true….and applies to everything you do.

 

The Brain is an incredible thing, and it will help and hinder you at certain times of your life.  However, when it is pushed, it will give you what you need to survive. 

 

Physical Strength is one thing, but sometimes you need to dig deep into your Mental Strength.   This definitely came into action when on Saturday 28th September I took the Ultra Challenge of walking 50km (30 miles) up and down hills in the Chilterns.

 

In October 2023, I was sitting on the sofa wallowing in self pity after hurting my shoulder, I was drinking some wine whilst my husband was out and I thought “right Donna, you keep saying you want to do another marathon walk, so go bloody do one”.  I got my laptop out and searched in google “marathon charity walk”.

 

I had previously walked the London MoonWalk in 2011, 26.2 miles around London overnight raising money for Against Breast Cancer.  If you don’t know it, it’s the one that women walk around London in their bras.  It was such a great walk, which also made me sign up for the Half Moon in 2018.  I wanted to do another long walk, but for a different charity.

 

The google search came up with Ultra Challenge – you could raise money for any charity and walk from 10 miles upwards.  Within 10 minutes I signed up for the 26.2 mile London Winter Walk in January 2024.  However, three weeks later I got Covid (for the 3rd time).  Training was out of the window, and I decided to transfer to the 26.2 mile walk in May 2024 along the Jurassic Coast.

 

Well, in February I got ill (again!) and again had to take the decision to change the walk. A colleague of mine wanted to join me as we were working for a homeless charity.  We transferred the challenge to the Chiltern50.  I mean why not add more hills and elevation and a few extra miles!!  What in the hell were we thinking? 

 

I was determined to do this challenge and by July, I had left the charity, wasn’t working, so I had more time to do the training and unfortunately due to injury my colleague had to pull out.

 

I recruited some friends to walk with me – well said I would buy them a much needed coffee or lunch after the walks. I started with 1 a 10-mile walk and boy did I struggle.  If I couldn’t do 10 miles, how on earth would I walk 30? Well, that’s what training walks are for!

 

Then I embarked on a 15 mile walk around Henley – managed to do 13.5 miles and to be honest I was happy with that.  Our legs and feet weren’t.

 

The training plan recommended to complete 2 x 15-mile walks in one week.  Apart from some mud and some holes in the ground that I kept on finding!  I was happy with my progress and how quickly I recovered from these walks.  I was very grateful for doing gym and PT sessions as I think this really helped my recovery from the walks.

 

My next training walk was the big one before the actual challenge.  The aim was to walk 20 miles / 30km.  A 7am start – only a few miles in I realised my hiking boots weren’t waterproof after walking through long very wet grass – they dried out pretty quickly.  Damp socks can cause blisters, and that’s definitely not what I wanted.  More muddy puddles, bloody hell – my dried out boots and socks were drenched yet again….

 

Hydration sachets, energy gel and a protein bar were had - I just needed to reach my favourite coffee shop Missing Bean and then 1 mile home.  I made it to Missing Bean, at 19.6 miles – got my flat white and started off again but nope my feet were done, my plantar fasciitis kicked in and luckily my hero of a husband came to pick me up.  I had a bath, and then stayed in bed watching films for the rest of the day.  I was beat. 

 

It was 2 weeks to go, and the training plan says to pare it back down to 2 miles the week before to give you enough time to recover.   I didn’t do our PT session on the day before instead I rested, drank lots of water and carb loaded – yummy pasta carbonara….then packed my bag with my 2.5 litre water bladder.

 

5am on Saturday 28th arrived and my alarm went off.  My walk was to start at 8am!   We arrived in the car park, I got out the car, it was freezing – grabbed everything, oh no I hadn’t – ran back to the car to get my walking poles.  “Right, I am ready” – I wasn’t but wasn’t backing out now. 

My reynards set in, and couldn’t feel anything.  I had to sort my walkers number, and pins.  It was so cold, I was shaking with being cold but also nerves.   7:45am – the stretches began.  7:59 – the whistle went and off we walked.  What the actual hell was I doing…..I wasn’t ready for this, the other walkers were so much stronger and quicker than me.   “Just keep walking Donna, you’ve got this”.

 

It was only several minutes in when we started to ascend our first hill.  Shite, I took it my own pace.  I was warm from the hoody and gaiters, but couldn’t stop to take them off just yet.  I stopped a few times with lots of people passing me.  Eek! I wasn’t even at the biggest hill yet!  We got to the top and hoody and gaiters came off, managing to loop it in to my backpack somehow.  And off I went….I knew what hill was coming along next.  The steepest at Turville. 

 

I heard people go, ”do we have to walk up that” and I was like “yep” dreading every moment to come.  I took my time and were with others who were also finding it hard,   I go to the top, sweating and out of breadth going I don’t know I can do this. 

 

We got to the 1st rest stop at 14km.  I was beat, blisters, and emotional.  I found a seat and called Mark, and burst into tears. I said “I don’t know how to do this, I’m exhausted, I’m going to pull out”.  All Mark could say was “its ok, you have got this”.  Bless him, he really didn’t know what to say and to be honest what else could he say.  My head was spinning – I had no energy, my legs and feet hurt, but how could I let the people that had supported me along the way, helped do my training walks and how could I let the charity down who I was raising money for.  I could pull out at lunch stop if needed.  I said to Mark, I would get a coffee and get my blisters sorted.  And see how I felt.

 

Well, that’s exactly what I did – the St Johns Ambulance people put a plaster on one of my blisters and gave me some paracetamol.  I had a coffee and a pastry and then called Mark back to say “I’ll see you at the halfway point”.  I had to do this, and it took a lot to get moving again but I did.

 

Another hill, and then on the other side on the way down, a guy was walking behind me and then went passed me, I apologised for being slow,  He said “don’t worry, you’ve got this.  I can see you’re a strong walker.  Theres two more hills before lunch stop and if you keep at the pace you’ll do well and finish this”.  I definitely needed that, he was also one of the Ultra Challenge walkers (ones who signed up to do the whole thing in 12 hours”. 

This is exactly what I needed, and I kept pushing.  I checked my phone and could see the numerous messages of support coming through, but saw one from Mark, going “you are smashing this leg”.  “Yes Donna, you can do this”.  I saw the white tent at the rest stop and started walking so fast”.  It was 14:20 – I had been walking for 6 hours.  I saw Mark and then I saw the Ultra Challenge guy next to him, he shouted out “there she is, the superstar” - what an amazing thing to say and what a boost.

 

Lunch stop came at the perfect time.  I got my toes plastered up – well they were definitely not happy (sorry if you are squeamish).   The nice guy came up to me as he was leaving the rest stop, he said “keep going, you have got this”.  I asked his name and he said “Michael”.  I said “thank you Michael, you don’t know how much that means”.     They started packing up the rest stop, so I quickly said goodbye to Mark and said “see you at the finish line”. 

 

It took me a while to get going.  We got to Warburg Nature Reserve and knew that it was going to be the next rest stop before Henley.  It was tarmac, so I pummelled it, passing people that had passed me ages ago!” Yes Donna, you can do this, not long to go…..

 

One hill before rest stop.  39km!  WTA!!! 11km more to go, so chugged down a coffee and a snack and off I went, with headtorch in tow.  It was 18:40 and was not expecting it to be so dark so quickly.  Oh crap.  I got into a wooded area – I was on my own.  All I could see was darkness, I had lost the green glowsticks that we had to follow.  I meandered off the path and got to disorientated.  My breathing became rapid and started to get scared.  I was stuck.

 

I said out loud “Right, Donna, get a grip, and stop, you need to wait for someone to come by”.  Luckily within about 30 seconds, I saw a headtorch come through the trees, as they edged closer, I said “Hi, do you mind if I walk with you, I have got a bit off path”.  It was two guys I had passed a while back.  We got to the bottom of the hill back into Henley.   I said “ thank you so much you don’t know how much you have helped me”.  And off I went into Henley. 

 

I got through to the other side of Henley, but due to the rain the route was diverted…..up another flaming hill.  Again, it was dark, in a wooded area and again I got disoriented.  I stopped and heard people behind me, so needed the lights from their headtorch as couldn’t see a blooming thing.   After the hills, the darkness was the most challenging.  Its so disorientating, you’re trying to find these slim green glowsticks and on my own!

It was crazy.  I got to another field, and kept finding holes, I was swearing and crying, and kept saying to myself “Donna, keep going, you have got this”.  I looked up and saw a sky full of stars.  I can do this, and have nearly done it.  I got through a field, and saw a marshal – the first one for miles.  She said, “you’re nearly there, just up the lane and then turn right into the field and you’re there”. 

 

It was tarmac so tried to walk as fast as I possibly could using all my energy.  I can’t believe I was nearly there and completed it. 

I saw the white tent and lights, and then saw Mark.  I had only gone and bloody done it. 

 

I was expecting to cry, but I think I was too exhausted to cry lol. I got my medal, and then went and got my glass of fizz and food.  I downed the warm fizz.

 

Oh god, getting in the car was hard.  I eat my chips in the car on the way home.  I gradually got colder, and by the time I got home I was crying with pain and being so cold.  I made my way upstairs whilst Mark ran me a bath full of Epsom salts.  Whilst the bath was running, I got colder and shivery, with a duvet around me. 

 

I tried to sleep, but I was in so much pain.  Then I tossed and turned all night, and ended up putting a light on.  The next morning I stayed in bed just watching films and video chatting with friends, replying to the amazing message of support from all of my friends and family.

 

I couldn’t sleep properly for a few days, and think it was being in the dark on my own that affected me sleeping.  I was back in the gym on Monday evening doing our usual PT session. 

 

Well, that was a challenge.  They don’t call it Ultra Challenges for nothing.  I knew physically I could do it, even if my adductors didn’t like me.  It was the mental challenge of it all, and made me realise I was stronger than I thought I was.  I can do things if I put my mind to it, whether a physical challenge or owning my own business to help people. 

 

I was strong and determined, don’t get me wrong some days I have a wobble like we all do. 

 

Just Breathe and change that mindset, you can do it and working with me, I can help you achieve it.  

Shall we start this journey together?