It was just over a week ago but I completed the Trek 26 challenge to raise money for the Alzheimerâs Society. The best part was I got to spend the whole weekend with my parents who I havenât seen for two yearsâ¤ï¸ My sister and family also surprised me by coming down to greet me at the finishð
The trek itself was extremely tough. I expected it to be difficult as it has been so long since my last one and Iâve spent the last year and a half mostly cooped up inside. However, I naively told myself it wouldnât be as bad since the distance this time was less (26 miles / 41 km vs 62 miles / 100 km) but I couldnât have been more wrong.
Very early on I found my âCOVID lungsâ struggling on even the gentlest hills. The terrain quickly changed to rocky paths with lots of inclines and declines which my knees hated. I fell off the side of the track at one point but only scraped my finger and bashed a nail. Others werenât so lucky and there were many injuries including a broken legð¬
By the halfway point my knees were in agony and my feet were starting to feel uncomfortable. The terrain of the second half was just as treacherous with lots of scrambling over tree roots and rocks. It rained on and off the whole day which made the going difficult.
When the last six miles finally opened up again onto grassland, my legs found even that difficult. I really fought for every step at this point and was seriously considering giving up. The last couple of miles were just a dogged stumble towards the finish.
I was very sick the day after, mainly due to the lack of a proper meal during the walk. I regularly get excess acid when I donât eat well and there just wasnât enough provision for a vegan diet that I could find.
I escaped with only three blisters on my feet and those have all but settled now a week later. Itâs taken a week to catch up on sleep too. I went straight back to work which in hindsight wasnât the best idea. Hopefully my colleagues didnât find me too grumpyð
Iâm grateful for the experience and the money raised to help the Alzheimerâs Society help people like my mum. But I think Iâll give my body a break for the foreseeable future (famous last wordsð)
Posted on 14 Aug 2021