SEPTEMBER SUMMARY

Only a third of a year left. And only a third of challenges completed. Crunch time!

My challenges

1. Write a book.
2. Run a 10km race.
3. Do at least 20 hours of some volunteering/charity work.
4. Record an album.
5. Learn a language.
6. The Three Peaks Challenge.
7. Raise at least £1,000 for charity.
8. Knit a jumper.
9. Go to, on average, one museum a month.
10. Read 10 books in a month.
11. Introduce tea/coffee to my life and regularly eat at least 3 fruits.
12. Clear out my garage.

And my progress...

1. Incomplete. After I finished the 3 peaks challenge, the first thing that Lynch (driver and friend!)and Mike (walker and friend!) asked me was if I had recorded an album or written a book yet. No. No I haven't.
2. Completed
3. Completed
4. Incomplete. See Challenge 1.
5. Incomplete. As you know, if you've been following, I have done an evening class in an introduction to Italian. What I'm going to do now is try and go on Duolingo everyday. As I've mentioned before, it's difficult to prove that you've learnt a language but, hopefully, I'll find an Italian person who lives in Norwich and converse with them. If I can have a conversation in Italian, that's challenge completed!
6. Completed OK I didn't quite manage to go from base to base in 24 hours as I was hoping for but I did manage base to base in 23! Honestly, I think that was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. 
7. Incomplete. But very close! Since the 10km run and the 3 Peaks Challenge, I've raised £745. And that's without giftaid. In the next week or two (Certainly be the end of September) I think this objective will be completed.
8. Incomplete. Bloody hate it.
9. Incomplete. Still a bit embarrassing but when Adele and I went on holiday we did at least go to a couple more: Gressenhall Rural Life Museum, Walsingham Abbey Museum and...maybe another one? Still, I'm confident that this will be easily completed!
10.Completed
11.Incomplete. Not quite.
12.Incomplete. I realise that I keep on adding excuses but now I have none. Since we've sold quite a bit of furniture, I can now take a lot to the dump, then go to a car boot and then, finally, sort the remaining few bits out. Maybe next weekend..

Anyway, the next challenge is surviving the first half term back. This six weeks has flown by. If anything it's not long enough...

3 Peaks Challenge DONE!

"I wouldn't swap the pain - it was worth it for the view" - Bell X1

I'm too tired and incapacitated to do much else apart from sit in front of a computer and type so I thought I'd write about my recent challenge.

I must admit that I had no idea quite how hard it would be. There are so many things that can impact on the challenge. And we certainly found that out the hard way!

Friday 23rd
This was the day we drove up to Scotland. Adele and I did it two big stints yet it still took us about 12 hours to get up there including time to stop and eat. Below is a picture of us having a massive burger and milkshake at an American Diner. Oh we were so naive and happy then!

Very much looking forward to our 10oz burgers

When we finally got to the hostel at about 10pm, me, Lynch and Mike looked round Fort William, the town at the base of Ben Nevis. It seemed nice enough but at 1:30am (the morning before the challenge started!) a group of drunken yobs woke us up by kicking in a door just outside our room, singing and shouting whilst doing so. The police came and eventually took them away. Soon after a party of people, who were staying beneath us, starting drinking and laughing, and as such, I did not have the best of night's sleep.

Saturday 24th

After an inconsistent sleep, I wasn't feeling too enthusiastic, I must admit, as you may be able to tell by the photo below. But a lunchtime pint, a Wetherspoons burger and a purchase of a base-layer for a bargain price of £9.99 seemed to perk me up!

Apparently Mike was the only one who could muster a smile.

Re-introduced to my old friend.

At 16:30 we were at the Achintee Car Park at the base of Ben Nevis getting ready by stretching, preparing rolls, and excavating our bowels. And by 5pm we were off! After about 45 minutes Mike was regretting his burger and seemed to be suffering a bit already.

With the exception of Mike's Muppets t-shirt, I think we looked pretty professional!

The beginning of Ben Nevis. The path got much harder than this but I couldn't take a photo then!

The second half of the ascent really was a slog. It just continued to go up. This was a common theme with all the mountains it turned out! Still, we dug in. We were hoping to make it to the top in 2h 50 minutes and in fact we made it in 3 hours. The view was pretty non-existent because of the cloud. Still though, the feeling was pretty uplifting and I personally felt a real sense of achievement and optimism when we got there.

1,344m up. There is nowhere higher in the UK!

Once we got to the top Mike seemed to be re-ignited with energy and on the way back down we were much faster than expected. We barely stopped except to capture an amazing sunset. The best I've ever seen. I would recommend anyone climbing Ben Nevis, albeit slower and not before climbing 2 others, if only to see it. It really was something I wont forget. And I forget a lot of things.

Like a scene from Disney!

We ended up getting back to the car for 21:55. 5 minutes ahead of schedule and things were looking good. We were tired but we felt like if we got some sleep we could do it again.

Sunday 25th
The first blockage of the day came at about midnight when we hit the A82, the main road to Scafell. This was blocked between 10pm and 6am for the next few weeks and we found out the hard way. So already the small amount of time Mike and I made up was lost by this. A sterling effort from Adele and Lynch saw that we got to Mountain #2, Scafell Pike, at about 03:55. Late, but only by about 25 minutes. Problem number 2 was  that I had no sleep at all. Mike might have caught about an hour's nap but between us we were already exhausted before the day began. If anyone is planning on doing the 3 Peaks, don't do it in a Vauxhall Corsa. Make that your priority!

Our morning only got worse. When we set off it was pitch black so we only had our headlamps to light the way. We thought we might have gone wrong as we hadn't passed the river, as expected. However a group of seemingly competent people carried on walking passed us so we continued to head in the same direction. We eventually thought we either had to climb a steep hillside or trust the path ahead of us even more. As the group ahead of us seemed stuck (their headlamps were stationary!) we decided to start climbing. This was fatal! After a good 20-30 minutes of climbing up a boggy, thorny, rocky hillside on our hands and knees, with the path on top of the mountain getting further out of sight, we had to cut our losses, clamber back down the hill and retrace our path. As the sun was coming up, it became immediately, and heart-breakingly obvious where we should have gone. We never saw that other group again!

Once I changed my entire bottom half (sliding down the hill was pretty wet!) we started climbing a rather brutal, yet correct path called Brown Tongue.

Brown Tongue. The correct path.

As we were completed depleting of energy from a lack of sleep and from climbing up the wrong mountain, we fell badly behind schedule. To say that we were exhausted was a massive understatement. We were physically drained. But still, we eventually made it, and the clouds parted temporarily to give us an amazing view. What's more we also witnessed something that is apparently very rare. It's called a Glocken spectre and it was our silhouette on a rainbow, caused by the fact we were in between the sun and the clouds. Seeing that on top of England's highest peak made my subsequent chocolate even sweeter!

So close now!

Knackered and relieved. 978m. The highest point in England.

The moon above the clouds. Beautiful.

On the way back I knew that to stand literally the minutest of chances, I would have to go like the clappers. I used up the energy consumed from a big slab of chocolate to get back to Wasdale. I knew Mike was a bit behind but I figured that if I got back early then I could get his stuff ready, get changed and, crucially, urinate, so that when Mike did arrive we could shoot straight off. Despite the running and all the goodwill in the world, this would prove to be a futile use of reserves. We eventually left the dreaded Scafell Pike at about 10:00am with only 7 hours to, not only make it to Snowdonia on a bank holiday weekend, but to climb and descend its county's tallest mountain.

Glad to be rid of it!

Once again with the nifty driving from Adele and Lynch we made it to Wales in good time but unfortunately not good enough. We arrived at about 15:00 with only 2 hours to ascend and descend Snowdon. This was impossible. As such we had to change our target to go from peak-to-peak in 24 hours (as opposed to base-to-base). This was still a bit of a challenge in itself as when we arrived I had such a huge headache. I had to stop several times at the beginning because my head thumped with every footstep. Honestly, I think that if I wasn't doing it for charity I would have stopped there and then.

Still though we continued to plug away. This time Mike mostly took the lead as I hobbled behind him, one hand on my walking pole and one on my head. At moments, despite the headache, I still couldn't help smiling at the view. The Pig Trail that we took really did offer some amazing scenery looking over the lakes on the inside of the mountain.

Overlooking the Miners Pass.

Through sheer exhaustion we had to take more breaks this time. We continued to complete it as fast as we could though, despite knowing that we didn't meet our original target, and finally we made it to the top. In fact, better than our secondary target: we climbed peak to peak in 23 hours!

Smiling used up more muscles so we decided not to bother. 1085m high. The highest point in Wales.

I must admit that taking the train down was a thought that entered my head more than once as we struggled to put one foot in front of the other but as we got to the peak the last train was leaving! So there was nothing left for it but for us to walk down. We wanted to take the Miners path back down originally but as the sun was going down, it made that path particularly dangerous. So we decided to take the slightly "easier", longer route back down, the Llanberis Pass.

And our 3 hour hobble back begins!

I say easier. I guess for most it would be. But Mike's quads were agonising (I could tell from his constant moaning) as were the blisters on my feet (I'm sure Mike could tell too!). So although it was an easier gradient, it was twice as long as the other routes back and, as such, twice as painful for our poorly little bodies. We were cheered up by the fact that we completed our mission and even happier by the fact that we caught a sunset that challenged Ben Nevis in terms of view. It was absolutely breathtaking. I remember thinking: "I wish I was sharing this moment with Adele...not Mike!" I noticed a Lenticular Cloud, which is a rare type of cloud only seen round mountains because of the change in pressure. So that ticked off another thing that I'd always wanted to see.

Some lovely, lovely clouds. p.s. Read the Cloudspotters Guide!

Come 22:00 we were not only back to see Adele and Lynch at Llanberis Train Station Car Park (about 1.5 miles further away than necessary. We just didn't know what road we were on so we couldn't ask them to come and pick us up!) but we were selflessly letting them order us Chinese takeaway. The following couple of hours were a bit of a blur because we were so tired. We made it back to the hostel, struggled to force some food down ourselves, showered (separately) and fell asleep (separately).

We had done it. Despite the sheer pain, lack of mountain training, the unreliable car, the lack of sleep, the roadworks, the busy bank holiday weekend, the fact we got lost in the dark, and my VERY bad headache, we had climbed and descended all mountains in just over 28 hours and had climbed from peak to peak in just 23 hours.

Yes, we didn't hit the original target but we did hit the second! And some people class the 3 Peaks Challenge as doing all three in 72 hours. Not 28! I am completely satisfied that because we did them one after the other without stopping, and because we all put absolutely everything into it, I can confidently say: Challenge Completed!

Monday 26th

Before Lynch and Adele's 6 hour journey back in very congested Bank Holiday traffic, we managed to sneak in an excellent fry-up. I must admit that I owe Lynch and Adele a lot!

Cooked breakfast on the left. Stone-skimming on the right. A great way to finish off a weekend of very mixed emotions!

And that's the story! If I could do it again I would:

• Not get lost
• Make sure we didn't drive a Corsa
• Take a group photo!

Otherwise, I'm pretty happy with everything else. Except the inability to walk properly for 2 days thereafter (and counting!). And Mike's ridiculous conversations. And Lynch's repeating playlist.... OK this could go on for a while...

Remember this wasn't only done so that I could complete a personal challenge this year. Like I said, if it wasn't for the very generous donations and followings from family and friends, I probably wouldn't have climbed Snowdon and I certainly wouldn't be writing all this now. So thank you so much to everyone who has followed and donated. You have undoubtedly changed the lives of adults who need your help. And please, if you haven't already and you have a spare few quid, please donate to Build Charity and make our agonies worthwhile!

Click here to give!

Thank you x

3 Peaks. The Challenge Begins!!

So the week has arrived! In less than 5 days me and Mike will be completing the 3 Peaks Challenge!

Inevitably, problems have already cropped up. Firstly and unfortunately, Mike's Dad, who was going to be our dedicated driver, just broke his hand. Thankfully my lovely wife and friend, Lynch, have offered to help. However, as my wife is just one week under 25, she can't get insured on my parents' big and rather comfortable car. So now the challenge will have to be completed in my 1.2 litre Corsa. Any chance of sleep (or comfort!) was slim anyway. Not to mention that the ability of our rather bad, 3-door hatchback, attempting to drive in the highest 3 mountainous regions of the UK, makes me feel rather unsettled to say the least!

In terms of equipment and logistics I think we're pretty much sorted. I have bought some energy products, a guide to the challenge and have sorted out the other equipment I think I'll need (waterproofs, thermals, first aid, walking pole etc). Earlier I booked a youth hostel for the four of us to stay in. And now we have also organised what walking routes to take and what schedule we will try to stick to.

And here it is, for your pleasure.

The total walking distance (up and down mountains) is 23-27 miles with a total of 9800ft of ascent.
We aim to climb and descend all three mountains in 24 hours, including time for travel between mountains, sleep, eating etc.

START

BEN NEVIS
Base: Achintee, Glen Nevis
Start Time: Saturday, 5pm
Estimated time up: 2hrs 45, down 2hrs 15
Finish: 10pm

Drive 1
From Ben Nevis to Scafell Pike: 6 hrs, 255 miles, A82

SCAFELL PIKE
Base: Wasdale, Cumbria
Start Time: Sunday 4am
Estimated time up: 2 hrs 10, down 1 hr 40
Finish: 8am

Drive 2
From Scafell Pike to Snowden: 5 hrs, 214 miles, M6

SNOWDON
Base: Pen y Pass, Llanberis
Start Time: 1pm
Estimated time up: 2 hrs 15, down 1 hr 40
Finish: 5pm

FINISH!!

These timings allow us to walk in as much daylight as possible. We'll also have the day on Saturday to get ready and the evening on Sunday to recover/celebrate!

We plan to make a video diary and upload progress updates as and when we have signal/have time/have the energy!


In a way, I'm looking forward to it! I can't wait to see the sunrise at Scafell Pike. I can't wait to feel that final sense of achievement. And I'm even looking forward to our road trip, despite Lynch's often unbearable playlists.Basically, I need to remember to have fun.

Please, show your support and help raise Build Charity some much needed money. They help improve the lives of so many adults by providing excellent social and learning opportunities. Any donation will go a long way. Not only that but your donation will help to Mike and I to perservere when it's 3 o' clock on Sunday morning, stuck in the back of a Vauxhall Corsa, after having no sleep, having just done a mountain climb, and still having 2 more to do, in 2 more countries, in half a day!

Honestly, all donations are welcome and could very well change lives.

Donate here at http://www.everyclick.com/buildnorwich

JULY SUMMARY (I'm back!)

I usually start off my monthly summaries with an overview of how many challenges I have achieved and have yet to achieve. Today I include them at the end of my post. No, it's not because I'm a maverick, but because I've simply copied and pasted last month's summary and it might confuse you to see the same thing twice. 

You might, for instance, think:
"Matt has surely made a mistake. Given that he's now had a week off and was so motivated the month before, SURELY he's completed one more of his challenges by now?"

Well, thanks for your belief in me, but I haven't. So shut up.

(Sorry for telling you to shut up. I blame the fact that my sister is watching Eastenders in the background. Man there are some angry characters in that terrible, terrible programme.)

The reason I haven't written much/anything in the last month is because I've tried to get a grip of reality. Trying to learn Italian in between breathing, and worrying about the hideous time when I'm actually going to have to learn to knit, has taken it out of me a bit. Whilst reading Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman I came across an interesting sub-chapter on Optimism. He points out that optimists are more likely to persist when they meet challenges but they are also more likely to spend a lot of time and money when the likelihood of achieving is slim. Optimism can be expensive. 

Regardless, I'm still plugging away. Like a hero. And soon I'll be completing what I anticipate to be the hardest challenge I've set. Challenge #6. The Three Peaks Challenge! 

Mike and I will be setting off to climb Ben Nevis (the highest mountain in Scotland) at about 1pm on the 24th August. Once completed, we'll be driving to Scafell Pike (the highest mountain in England) followed by Snowden (the highest mountain in Wales). And we'll be climbing all three in 24 hours! That's right; 3 mountains, 24 hours, 1 car (driven by Mike's Dad, James), 1 brother (Mike's brother, Matthew, is joining us for Peak 1 and 3 for morale), 1 Music Graduate(Mike), 1 Maths Teacher (Me) and presumably lots of flapjack. 

So please pass on this Charity Page: www.everyclick.com/buildnorwich to everyone you know! Not only does this amazing charity, Build, change the lives of adults with learning difficulties, but, selfishly, it's also my best opportunity to reach Challenge #7! 

Spread the word! Forget about uploading a picture of a pretty cake or posting an obvious comment about the weather. Think of the lives that you can change if you post this link. Here it is again: www.everyclick.com/buildnorwich. Post it on facebook. Hack in to your friend's facebook page and post it on there*. Tweet it. Email it. Ring the Auntie that you rarely speak to and tell her about it. 

And... if you really want to.... if you really, REALLY want to help.... please donate to this amazing cause.

*I accept no responsibility for what happens should you hack into a friends social networking account. If it comes to it, I will simply claim that this blog got hacked into and that this sentence is simply an elaborate double bluff. 

My challenges

1. Write a book.
2. Run a 10km race.
3. Do at least 20 hours of some volunteering/charity work.
4. Record an album.
5. Learn a language.
6. The Three Peaks Challenge.
7. Raise at least £1,000 for charity.
8. Knit a jumper.
9. Go to, on average, one museum a month.
10. Read 10 books in a month.
11. Introduce tea/coffee to my life and regularly eat at least 3 fruits.
12. Clear out my garage.

And my progress...

1. Incomplete
2. Completed
3. Completed
4. Incomplete
5. Incomplete
6. Incomplete
7. Incomplete
8. Incomplete
9. Incomplete
10.Completed
11.Incomplete
12.Incomplete

As I said, a simple copy and paste job.

JUNE SUMMARY

My challenges

1. Write a book.
2. Run a 10km race.
3. Do at least 20 hours of some volunteering/charity work.
4. Record an album.
5. Learn a language.
6. The Three Peaks Challenge.
7. Raise at least £1,000 for charity.
8. Knit a jumper.
9. Go to, on average, one museum a month.
10. Read 10 books in a month.
11. Introduce tea/coffee to my life and regularly eat at least 3 fruits.
12. Clear out my garage.

And my progress...

1. Incomplete
2. Completed
3. Completed
4. Incomplete
5. Incomplete
6. Incomplete
7. Incomplete
8. Incomplete
9. Incomplete
10.Completed
11.Incomplete
12.Incomplete

Finally. Actual, measurable progress! As a teacher, we're always told to have measurable, accountable targets. Well here you go, Ofsted. Stuff this in your report. On Wednesday I got to my 20th hour of volunteering (or rather 21st) and yesterday (Sunday) I did my 10km run!

I almost enjoyed the run, if I'm honest. I drank so much water before my run though that by the time I drove to my starting point, I desperately needed to pee. So my first challenge was getting to the country lane about a mile away without weeing myself. After I managed that I could relax and focus on running. What was great was that, at the finishing point, some friends welcomed me and bought me a beer and a roast dinner. Brilliant! That made the fact that I can't walk properly now completely worth it. 

Also now, as you can see, I ONLY have 9 challenges to complete. Another way of looking at it, of course, is to say that I STILL have 9 challenges to complete. But if this year's taught me anything, it's that I should be optimistic. 

This coming week or the week after, one of my sixth formers will record one or two of my songs, which is a start to Challenge #4. And I have steadily been selling things to make room in my infinitely messy garage - Challenge #12. That's all I have planned at the moment. Maybe I could try and eat fruit again? Or practise knitting again? Or (here's an idea) neither. I think I should just chill out for a bit and consider this last week a job well done.

Yeah. That sounds much easier. And easier is, very often, better.

I would like to say a HUGE thank you again to all of those who donated. Remember, I'm trying to raise £1,000 and so far I'm at £290. You're all lovely people. If you haven't yet donated, feel free to check out my donation page, whilst I go back to watching Wimbledon and looking for camping holidays. 

http://www.everyclick.com/buildnorwich

X

Biggest Test of the Year So Far!

And it's finally time to put my words into action. I said that I would do a 10km run this weekend, it's Thursday, and I'm worried! Firstly I've had to change the day as I was roped into helping out on a school trip on Saturday. I couldn't think of an excuse quick enough. So, regrettably, I changed the day of the run to tomorrow (Friday).

The problem is although I've been steadily training most of the year I haven't really managed to get any exercise in for the last couple of weeks. Last week I was just so busy and, with any free time I had, I was helping my wife pass her Maths QTS Skills Test (she passed so it was well worth it!). And this week, although I played football and Ultimate Frisbee on Tuesday, that's about it. Today I was going to do a short practice run but I've been feeling rough all day. I've actually been so pathetic that I took a 2 hour midday nap*. What a loser. This was not how I planned my preparation! Furthermore, I've literally just woken up to find that my beloved has just put in a huge pepperoni pizza and chips in the oven.

So I think considering all the factors, I will probably perform my run on Sunday, as opposed to Friday. This will give me an opportunity to feel a bit better, get some more exercise in on Friday when I play football after school, and it wont be after a day of work. Plus it will still mean that I complete this challenge this month! Of course if I feel healthy tomorrow, I'll do it then.

So here's my route again. It's a hilly 10.02km run between Wymondham and Bawburgh Kings Head.

Well...quite hilly.

Remember, this is all in aid of raising money for a fantastic charity: http://www.buildnorwich.org.uk/

If you have a couple of quid to spare, feel free to donate on my charity page: http://www.everyclick.com/buildnorwich.



Every penny goes straight to the charity and they really would appreciate any donation.

As I've mentioned before, I've already promised to see off a pint because the total has got up to £200. I also stupidly promised that if we get up to £300, I will also do a Jagerbomb. I'm not endorsing drinking irresponsibly. But apparently other people are. As soon as I mentioned that I will see off a pint, I raised £70 in half a day. So keep on donating please, not only to support the wonderful young adults at Build, but also to increase the chances of seeing a grown man, in a pub, cry (me).

*The school I work at had a day off today. Napping is not usually possible.

Ben Got Pooed On

I went for a 7km run today with a friend, Ben. It turns out that he's much fitter than me. But, whilst he was waiting for me to catch up at the finish line, a bird pooed on his head. I think this goes to show that if you run round, pointing out all the pretty scenery whilst your tired friend struggles to breathe, justice will be met. Sometimes in the form of poo.

Today's run was the furthest I've ever run. That's if you can call it a run. It was closer to a pacey stagger. My lungs felt like they had shrivelled to the size of peanuts, my legs felt like jelly (made of lead) and I had as much strength, by the end of it, as a crisp. But I completed it. And Ben ended up driving home half naked because of the bird faeces. So it was worth it.

I'd also like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has supported me. Since I announced my intention to see off a pint as soon as I finish my 10km run later this month, a surge of people have donated. I've now raised £200, which I'm very happy about. 

I've recently upped my offer. If I raise £300 before the 29th June, I'll also see off a Jagerbomb. In no way do I want to endorse irresponsible drinking. But apparently you lot do.

So please continue to be lovely people and donate at http://www.everyclick.com/buildnorwich.

Shit happens.