3 PC Update 7

Given that all the training seems to be going well, it's time to turn our attention from training to logistics for the event. My proposal is as follows:

Departure

Everyone meets at my house at 7pm on Friday 5th June, preferably fully fed and watered. We then set off in our two vehicles for Oswestry Travelodge, about 3.5 hours journey.

Food and drink

I'll do a big supermarket shop on Friday, aiming to cover all the provisions we'll need for the weekend (ie water, juice, energy bars, breakfast cereals, fruit, sandwiches, pasta, savoury snacks etc). Let me know if you have any special dietary requirements. I expect that we'll elect to stop for additional things en route (eg hot drinks and meals), but will generally aim to minimise stops between the three climbs.

Finances

I'll record all the costs and split them between the walkers (following expense policies set by our MPs).

Expected approx timing during the event

Leave Oswestry at 7.30am (eat breakfast in car?)
Start climbing Snowdon at 9am
Leave Snowdon at noon Saturday
Start climbing Sca Fell at 4.30pm Saturday
Leave Sca Fell at 9.30pm Saturday evening
Start climbing Ben Nevis 3.30am Sunday morning
Complete challenge 8.30am Sunday (with 30 minutes to spare!)
Back in Ashe at about 6pm Sunday evening

So that I know everyone is OK with the arrangements, can you each please reply to me to confirm you've got this email?

Cheers

Graham

3PC - Update 6 (there were two 4s)

Six of us did the Beacon 6 times again on Thursday, and this time we were joined by Lisa, Matt and wet weather. It was a useful training session as I was reminded of what happens when you walk through incessant rain. Apart from the obvious (ie you get wet), the following tend to happen:

• you walk slower (as it can get very slippy going downhill)
• if you wear glasses, you can't see much
• maps and other items in your backpack get soggy

Things I'm going to do as a result of these "learning events":

• bring lots of spare clothing in case it rains on all three climbs
• laminate at least one map
• reconsider whether to have contact lenses
• pray that we have decent weather in three weeks from now

I have not made any plans for a training walk next week, but if you would like to go walking one evening, please let me know which day suits you best and we'll advertise more widely (Tuesday or Wednesday good for me).

If you're interested in studying maps of our 3 climbs, I've attached maps. The blue squares are 1km wide.

Graham

3PC - Update 4

There were 6 of us trudging up and down Beacon Hill last Tuesday evening; thank you Arthur for introducing us to the Beacon Hill path. It was excellent training, and so enjoyable (!) that I'm going to be doing it again on Thursday 14th May, starting at 7.30pm. As before, it'll be 6 quick ascents.

I believe that Matt and Lisa will be coming along on Thursday, so here's your chance to meet the most youthful division of our team. Congratulations to the senior member of our team who passed the half century mark last week.

26 days to go.

Graham

3PC - Update 4

Our challenge kicks off exatly one month from today, so no doubt everyone is now in full swing with heavy duty training!

I will be walking again Wednesday evening (ie tomorrow), so please let me know if you would like to join in, and if so what time you'd be available to start, assuming we are in the Overton/Kingsclere area.

A few weeks ago I gave a list of the kit you would need, and forgot to mention the head torch, which might be needed either late on Saturday if we're slow, or early on Sunday when starting Ben Nevis. The revised list is therefore:

• walking boots and several pairs of walking socks
• small backpack (camelback packs are great as they make it easier to drink as you are walking along)
• wet weather protection (ideally lightweight top and trousers)
• hat (easiest way to regulate body temperature
• head torch!

Graham

3PC - Update 3

The countdown continues ... we set off 6 weeks from today.

And meanwhile the training is paying off: in the last week I have walked with Nick, Ben, Arthur, Simon, Rob and Dave, and there are no signs of stragglers within this group (although Simon's choice of shirt raised a few eyebrows). I hear that Lisa and Matt are training hard too, which leaves Mark as the unknown quantity. Now that Mark is back from California, I'm sure he'll be getting up to speed.

Caroline and Tristan have bravely volunteered to be the lead drivers. Welcome to the team.

There may be a practice walk again this weekend (sorry I can't join you), and after the success of our evening stroll on Tuesday, I propose another evening stroll on Thursday April 30th. I shall be at the intersection of the Wayfarers Way and the Kingsclere-Overton Road at White Hill at 7.30pm that evening. Let me know if you can join me for some steep hill training.

Have a great weekend

Graham

3PC - Update 2

7 weeks from now we'll be on our first mountain climb/descent, so only 6 weeks of hard (!) training to go. I know that some of the team is putting in some decent effort (I joined Arthur and Ben for a 12 mile walk up and down the slopes of Watership Down on Good Friday), and I am hopeful that everyone has managed to make some progress in the last two weeks.

I have now booked our accommodation for the night of Friday June 5th at Oswestry Travelodge. Yes, I know it sounds glamorous and extravagant, but I got a reasonable price for the twelve* of us.

In terms of other preparation, each person should make sure they have all the necessary kit:

• walking boots and several pairs of walking socks
• small backpack (a camelback packs are great as they make it easier to drink as you are walking along)
• wet weather protection (ideally lightweight top and trousers)
• hat (easiest way to regulate body temperature)

On evening of Tuesday 21st, I shall do a fast walk. Starting from my house at 6.30pm, passing through Overton at about 7.15pm. Let me know if you will be joining me and whether it will be from start or from Overton.

Graham

* we're currently still at 10 walkers plus 0 drivers, so it's time to find our supprt team! Happily we now seem to be sorted for cars.

Three Peaks Challenge: Update

Here's a quick update, along with some comments on preparation:

Logistics:

• we still need to find drivers and cars: any further ideas?
• I will book overnight accommodation for Friday June 5th this week (ie please shout now if you're not certain about joining in)
• you will need to have your walking boots and small rucksack soon so that you can get used to wearing them well ahead of the event

Training:

• by the end of this week, we have only 7 weeks available for training (excluding last few days when we should be resting up)
• essentially, there are three aspects to this (1) fitness/endurance, (2) being used to walking up and down hills, (3) being used to your walking boots; people fail the challenge because of lack of preparation in any one of these areas, so it's worth paying particular attention to each:

1. Fitness/endurance: this will come from putting the hours in: fast walking, jogging and cycling are all great for building up core stamina. Your body does improve quite quickly if you train properly, but 7 weeks is not long. Aim for at least 3 exercise sessions a week. For the 3PC, we need to be able to exercise for 5 hours and then sit in a car for 5 hours ... and then repeat twice, so bear this in mind when training. Practise exercising twice in a day to prove to yourself that you can recover quick enough.
2. Walking up and down hills: the best way to prepare for this is, funnily enough, walking up and down hills. If at all possible, get your legs used to working on gradients. If there are no hills nearby and you happen to work on the 25th floor of a tall building, then at least you can use the stairs as a form of practice. You also need to get your cardiovascular system used to the work rate of hauling your weight upwards which is why jogging is useful in the training routine (rather than just walking on the flat).
3. Wear yor walking boots whenever you are out walking. Please don't leave this to the last week.

I've marked the following dates in my diary to do a fast evening walk, probably in the Overton area. Let me know if you'd like to join in with any of them:

• April 21, 28 and 30.
• May 6, 12, 14 and 20.

Happy training.

Graham