Trek training in the Lake District

I'm almost at the end of my three weeks in the Lake District. It was to be part holiday, part writing but most importantly..... trek training.

The first week went well. I was testing out my toes, making sure they were broken in gently. I had odd bouts of discomfort but on the whole I managed. I'm learning how to alleviate the twinges before they turn to pain. Realising how different terrain creates different pressure which leads to toe trouble. I've even discovered that 'hiking' socks don't work for me - they're too thick and bulky.

My Fitbit was ecstatic! It's never seen so much movement. And it was really encouraging to sit back with a hot chocolate at the end of the day and see how many steps I'd done.

Yay! for the Lake District. Bring it on, week two.

Well. On week two I started with a bit of a cold. Nothing to worry about. This week I'd planned to take on two longer treks and if I could manage my toes, a sniffle wasn't going to stop me.

Lovely SiL found a circular route from Grasmere, around Rydal Lake, on to Ambleside, looping back to Rydal Caves and back to Grasmere. Nine miles. I was a bit disappointed as I'd wanted to aim for something a little longer but we would be climbing to over 1,000 feet so I thought it would be okay. 

And it was okay. To start with.

We set off at a jaunty pace, admiring views and taking photos. We watched the weather coming in and put our hoods up. We scrambled up rocks, climbed steep paths. We kept going and going. We arrived at the caves in fading light, realising we had no torch and still an hour's walk down the hill and through the woods.

(And when I say 'down the hill' it sounds so easy. Yes, we mostly went down but there were also lots of very steep 'up' bits.)

We put our heads down and set off. The dogs put their heads down, too and stayed by our sides. My breathing became wheezy. I struggled to get air. I felt light-headed. But we went on. Lovely daughter and SiL waited for me to make it up the ascents, almost bent double went I reached the top.

We reached a lane and they kindly offered for me to stay there while they got the car. They were almost certain they'd be able to find me (fairly reassuring!). Now, anyone who knows me, knows that I am not very brave. My first thought was that if an axe-murderer came along, I'd have no chance of running away. The prospect of hanging around in the woods, in the dark, on my own was enough to spur me on.

Well, we arrived at the car, soaked to the skin (the waterproof I'd bought a few days before clearly wasn't waterproof enough), cold - and I was still struggling to breathe. A hot bath and an early night would do the trick. I'm old and unfit - that's all that was wrong. What did I expect, climbing mountains and gallivanting about for five hours in the wind and rain?

The next day my breathing was worse but lovely son had arrived for a couple of days and we spent the day driving around the passes. It was so beautiful, but I was too exhausted to get out of the car at some of the stops we made.

I took two lateral flow tests - all clear. But finally, a couple of days later, lovely daughter insisted on phoning 111. The doctor was lovely. A PCR test has confirmed I'm covid-free. But, I have a chest infection (which is a first for me). He said that it was likely that the sniffle I had was driven to my lungs by the hike. I'm on day three of antibiotics and have spent most of the last two days in bed. I can now read again and feel a bit more with it. But my ribs hurt from coughing and I still feel very weak.

I'm hoping to do a little shopping tomorrow but will have to see how I feel. The following day I have to drive home, which will take about five hours, and I'll need my strength for that.

Sadly, there'll be no more hikes while I'm here. But I've got some other training sessions planned. At the end of January I go to Fife to meet with lovely friends. In March I'll be in Northumberland with some of the other ladies on the trek. In the meantime I'll have to find some hilly terrain - it's gently undulating where I live, so not quite what I need.

Despite the disappointment of being unwell, the Lake District has been wonderful. I'm managing pain better and gaining confidence. And I'm so glad I completed that hike (although it would have been better to take it on once my cold had gone). 

I've now reached 60% of my fundraising target, which is phenomenal! Thank you to everyone who is supporting me. Your generosity and kindness bolsters me up. It's what keeps me going.

I'll be sad to leave the Lake District. I'm sitting in bed with a lovely view from my window, knowing that Tim would be so cross with me (he hated it whenever I was ill). But I think beneath the crossness he'd be smiling. And just a little bit proud.

Jane Lomas is fundraising for The Brain Tumour Charity (justgiving.com)