Lands End to John O'Groats, Day 10 - Thank God There Were No Turds.

Day 10 Morning

We were up nice and early on the 10th morning and everybody got on with the morning jobs, we had almost finished everything we could get done at the campsite when Amy and Dave from The 53 Foundation arrived. I'd spoken to Dave on the phone quite a few times, even before I decided to ditch the other charity he had contacted me to ask if there was anything he could do to help. His offer of help without wanting anything in return is why, when I ditched the other lot, there wasn't a second thought about who I was going to raise money for. The 53 Foundation fits right in with what I wanted my sponsorship to go towards - getting disabled people out of the house and using the abilities they do have rather than dwelling on what they can't do. Amy had set up the foundation with an epic 53 marathon challenge so both her and Dave had expert advise to give during the planning stage of my challenge, only each time Dave phoned me I was being messed about and waiting for something from the original charity. How he never gave up trying to help I will never know! Day 10 was the first time I had met either Dave of Amy face to face. It was lovely meeting them, just having smiley happy people around in the morning was nice enough. They had brought some vests, training tops, wristbands, stickers and collection buckets and tubs so Nick thought it was Christmas day. We had a little chat at the campsite but then we drove down to the start point.
 At the start point Ant, Ed and Nick sprung into action like the finely tuned pit crew that they were. Chair and bike un-racked, wheels put on, drinks mixed, bag packed with snacks, fluids, tools etc, cameras fitted, gps unit fitted. I'm not sure what Dave and Amy thought but I was pretty impressed.

Getting ready for the off!

Whilst all this was going on I was busy plastering my ribs in painkilling cream and changing in to our new 53 Foundation kit whilst talking to Dave and Amy about everything that had happened so far. Amy was made up that Shropshire had been so kind to us, it's her home county. Both Nick and I told her about the man with the water and the ladies giving us money on the dual carriageway, you could tell she was as touched as we were because she has done her own mad challenges. To anybody that hasn't done something similar it must seem odd that a man buying you a bottle of water makes you well up but if you know, you know. We posed for some pictures with Dave and Amy, Dave took the first picture of all of my little team and I together - the first one of the trip! Then it was time to set off. It would have been nice if Dave or Amy could have cycled with me for a while but Amy had run 49 miles the day before and the logistics of getting them back to their car after cycling were not easy. They bunny hopped us for a few miles, pipping and cheering as they passed.

Me and my crew!

Dave, Amy, Ant, Nick and me

Nick was cycling in a 53 Foundation top and carrying the donation box on his handle bars but we didn't get a single donation in Cheshire - the rich don't get rich by giving their money away!

  It wasn't long before we were in County number 11 Merseyside, we crossed the River Mersey at the Runcorn/Widnes Bridge which had major road works going on. We slightly held up the traffic here just as I climbed on to the bridge. This was the first time in the entire trip so far where we didn't let drivers pass. It wasn't far, probably only 300m or so but I did feel guilty. It wouldn't have been safe to let drivers try to squeeze alongside me. The road cones made it impossible to get out of the road. Straight after the bridge the road became two lanes again. Ed stayed behind me with his hazards on and the traffic streamed past us. We had lots of encouragement and even people handing cash to Nick for his collection box, whilst moving. All of Nicks practice of riding hands free for the photos came in handy as car passengers were handing him money out of the car windows whilst still driving along the dual carriageway. We even had a police car come past us, I was convinced it was gonna pull us over and ask us to leave the road but as they passed the lady copper in the passenger seat was clapping away at us and the driver gave us the thumbs up. Like on other fast busy roads that I had used I pushed as hard and as fast as I could just to get out of danger as soon as possible.

 That fast pace to get off the duel carriageway set the tempo for the morning, my pace was quick, almost race pace. I was enjoying the most comfortable day with my ribs since Bristol. The sun was out and I was already in the old county of Lancashire and not far from crossing the border in to the modern county of Lancashire. I'm a proud Lancastrian and I felt like I wanted to be in my home county as soon as possible.

Coming home.

Nothing actually changed when I crossed the border, I felt great to be home but it felt odd I wasn't actually going to see my house or even my hometown. At about 24 miles I started to feel like I was going to bonk again. We had a quick break for me to take on something other than energy gels. Of course a brew was needed, a couple of energy bars, a handful of jelly sweets and an electrolyte drink seemed to work together to perk me up. If I'd have been thinking straight I would have stopped there for lunch but I didn't think 24 miles was enough so I got back on the road. At about 25.5 miles we left the main road on to a country lane. It looked a normal lane at first but it soon turned into a tiny one track lane. I was trying to push myself to keep the traffic moving but I was what's technically known as fucked. Nick dropped back to tell the lads in the motorhome that I needed to stop ASAP and for them to overtake us so they could find a layby and also the other people stuck behind us could start to filter past us. This single track lane went on and on and on. I was starting to get into real trouble when the lane gave us something else to tackle; three humpback bridges. I swore my way up each of them.
 It was over 30 miles before we got to Ed and Ant in the motorhome. They'd started making lunch and already had a brew waiting for me! I needed help to get out of the race chair again. Ed and Nick lifted me whilst Ant pulled the chair away from me and replaced it with a deckchair. I was numb from the effort I put in. I didn't even have the energy to make much conversation but I was happy and content that I was in Lancashire.

On the way towards Southport

Dinner stop

Day 10 Morning Stats

Miles: 30.28
Time: 2:31:26
Average Moving Speed: 12.0mph
Top Speed: 32.2mph
Slowest Mile Split: Mile 4 - 8:51
Fastest Mile Split: Mile 6 - 3:01
Total Ascent: 964ft
Average Heart Rate: 143bpm
Max Heart Rate: 170bpm

Day 10 Morning Progress Maps

Day 10 Afternoon

In the afternoon I was a bit slow to get going, if you bonk as a runner in a race you would take a minimum of two days off - most would take longer. Without doubt you would never go out for a run an hour and a half after you'd bonked. I had to get back out there to get Nick to Scotland. I started off slow not because I was trying to be sensible and not cause myself anymore damage.

It was a roasting hot day, there were lots of people out on the streets and many of them were stopping us to make donations. I stopped for the first few to say thanks and talk to them about the challenge. Each time I stopped I found it hard to get going again. With that in mind Nick and I decided I would just shout thanks or cheers from now on but he would stop to tell them about the 53 Foundation and what I was doing to raise money for them. I think Nick enjoyed chatting to people donating, especially one little lad of about 5 who put all of his pocket money in the box. When Nick caught me up after that I could tell it had made his day meeting and chatting to this little lad.

Nick being Nick

When we travelled through Much Hoole Ed had been to a pub to ask some witnesses to sign to say they have seen me pushing. The people in the beer garden all shouted me on as I passed. I felt like a rock star. The people in the pub had made some large donations too.

On the approach to Preston a woman shouted out of her car
"I follow you on Facebook"
I loved that, it felt like I was starting to get somewhere with letting people know what I was doing. Also on the approach to Preston I had a little race with a couple of school lads on bikes, they stuck with me or a couple of hundred meters but then started to fade. The shouted to me that I was quick and then asked how far I'd been, I told them it was around 400 miles. They were pretty shocked and started cheering me on, calling me a legend. I probably shouldn't have got into that race with them, I do it all the time when I see a cyclist travelling at a similar speed to me I like to hunt them down. Overtaking people using their legs to power a vehicle that has gears shouldn't really be possible in a wheelchair without gears powered by arms on the flat so it feels great when you do it. Myself and Nick decided the next time Ed was taking a photo we would do a superman pose just for a laugh, it became one of the most shared photos of the challenge.

Supermen

 As we got to Preston I started to feel a bit crappy again, I'd been pushing hard all day. The hot weather and hundreds of people supporting me had got me all fired up but now I was feeling it. I had a pain in my wrist and I was just generally shattered.

In Preston

I crossed the River Ribble in Preston, I think that was the point I was closest to home during the push. Ant and Ed did a brilliant job of directing Nick and I through the centre, Ant was jumping out of the motorhome at points Ed couldn't park and he'd then point us in the right direction before running back to the motorhome. In Preston I met my first hills of the day. They weren't anything spectacular but it was enough to finish me off for the day. I did make my way through Preston before stopping, I didn't fancy pushing through the centre during the morning rush the next day. I quit for the day at a pub just on the north side of the city centre and we made our way to the camp for the night.
  Ed had found a campsite  with a Preston postcode, unfortunately it was bloody miles from Preston. It was actually quite close to Blackpool Zoo. It took a while to get there but it was a cracking little site once we arrived the receptionist called the owner who drove down to the site to meet me and have a few photos taken. I had to get back in my chair and do my interview with Ed, which was slightly easier today, I knew where I had been because we were in places I had been to before. Video boxed off we made our way to our pitch which was close to a Lynx helicopter! How cool! You could spend a night in a Lynx helicopter instead of a caravan at this site. The site was a lovely one, really well kept and with great facilities. The staff were really friendly, even opening the laundry room up late so we had time to wash and dry our kit. Ream Hills Holiday Park is definitely worth considering if you are looking for a site near Blackpool.

Campsite owner.

Fancy a night in a Lynx anyone?

 When hooked up we started to clean the bathroom which had started to smell really bad. We'd not really used the bathroom because we'd been using the facilities at the campsites. We'd mainly used the bathroom for storage, cleaning our teeth and a quick pee when we weren't on site. We cleaned the bathroom but it still smelt like a lift in a multi-storey carpark. Who is it that pisses in those lifts? - I've always wondered that! Anyway Ed and Nick went to investigate and opened the hatch that was used to get to the piss collection box. When the fella at the motorhome place had showed us how to empty it he hadn't reattached it and our piss had been leaking everywhere! 10 days worth of piss. It stunk! Ed bit the bullet and cleaned it all up, what a star! I don't think my stomach would have been strong enough to be cleaning up my mates stale piss! Thank god there were no turds!
 Nick's mum and dad came to visit us at the campsite,  they stayed for a while and chatted with us sat out in the sun outside the motorhome. You could see how proud they were of Nick for cycling most of England already and even better to see was that Nick was proud of himself. He reverted back to a little kid telling them all about his journey so far. I was dead chuffed for the lad, going from never cycling more than 15 miles before to cycling over 400miles is impressive stuff. We had a laugh with his parents before they left and then got on with the evening jobs. Food, wheel and glove repairs, laundry and the like. We had carbonara for tea, made by Ed, I was a little worried about what Nick would eat, his dad had told me to keep nagging him to eat properly, I even had parental permission to give him a slap if he didn't eat what the rest of us were eating. Nick shocked me by saying he would try it! We were definitely making progress with his eating.... but then again carbonara and spaghetti are both beige so they fitted in to his colourless diet haha!
After tea, all three lads went to walk Bonnie whilst I got on with transferring some of the GPS and heart rate data onto my external hard drive so I had copies in case anything went wrong. When they got back they sat down with me and said they'd been a bit worried that after day 14 all of them were due to leave me and that would have just left me pushing with no cyclist and my dad joining me to drive the motorhome. Nick had to go back to work or risk losing his job. Ed and Ant had decided they were staying with me for the full trip. I was fighting the tears! Two lads giving a months wages up just to keep me safe and get me to John O'Groats. I was worried about their finances and if they would both keep their jobs but they assured me they would be fine and that they wanted to stay. Nick also wanted to stay and was a bit upset that he couldn't. Ant would need to go back home the next day and spend the night there to sort a few things out and bring some more clothes etc for himself and Ed, he would get a lift back with our other mate Danny.
The night wasn't the most comfortable of the trip as both the fridge and the air-conditioning had stopped working. The motorhome was very warm that night making sleeping difficult.

Day 10 Afternoon Stats

Miles: 14.77
Time: 1:22:12
Average Moving Speed: 10.8mph
Top Speed: 25.4mph
Slowest Mile Split: Mile 13 - 8:04
Fastest Mile Split: Mile 2 - 4:40
Total Ascent: 397ft
Average Heart Rate: 142bpm
Max Heart Rate: 157bpm

Day 10 Afternoon Progress Maps

Total Daily Mileage: 45.05

Lands End to John O'Groats Day 9 - The History Lesson

Day 9 Morning
Both Ant and Nick were slow to get out of their pits again on Day 9 and with me next to useless because of my rib pain I couldn't help Ed get things ready. I was struggling getting the footage downloaded from the cameras because the table was still full of spares, luggage and racing kit. The tables couldn't be cleared because the stuff was put on the beds during the day and Ant and Nick were still in the bloody beds. Ed and myself kept making a lot of noise and throwing hints to get them up but they took their time. When they eventually got up I told Nick he'd have to set his alarm 25 min earlier than the rest of us in the morning and Ant would have to get up when Ed got up and not 20 minutes after. Nick had a strop about me asking him to get up earlier when Ant was late up too. The difference was that Ant was running round shifting the kit where as Nick's getting up was him leaving his bed, to sit on my bed whilst he rolled a fag, then go out and smoke his fag whilst the rest of us got on with the work, he'd then come back in to his breakfast on the table waiting for him. It was our first bit of agro. The younger two were shattered so struggling to get up, I was sleep deprived, in pain and suffering from my med withdrawal like every morning. I was being a grumpy sod but I've been brought up to make sure the work is done before I sort myself out and I've never thought that smokers should be treated differently. I've always thought its a strange habit anyway, let's get some dead leaves. wrap them in paper, set fire to it and then suck it. Who thought of that?
   I'm not very tactful at the best of times, you might have noticed whilst reading my blog, but when I'm in pain I can be a bit of an arsehole. That said, I'd say the same again. We didn't get to the start on the A49 in Shrewsbury until gone 10:00AM, The day I pushed my biggest total I was in my chair and pushing before 8:30AM so we'd all let things slip.

I'm looking really tired in the pre push pic.

Once on our way we were back chatting normally again, I get on really well with Nick so we can be pretty honest with each other and it just blows over. We passed through an place called Battlefield just after setting off which was pretty apt with my morning rant. I was battling pain again on this push it was pretty bad and the same as the previous day I had to pull over for more pain relief at the 6 mile point. The pain killers I am on are very strong, they give you the good ones when you have a tumour made of bone playing havoc with your pelvis. The downside to having very strong painkillers is I had to stop pushing, get out the chair and eat something whenever I took one. So we had a brew and some toast, popped a pill, and got on our way again.

A59 times.

We were travelling through some lovely countryside, there were hills but they weren't steep or too high, it was good pushing. I didn't know it at the time but we came within 1 mile of the Welsh border. If I'd have known I would most definitely popped over the border just to say I'd visited all three countries on our little island. ... I say little, it felt like a bloody big island so far on the challenge and I wasn't even half way yet! Not long after our close encounter with the Welsh I needed to stop again. We were near a place called Whitchurch. This time I thought if we put some more foam under my knees to raise them up it might cause another part of my rib cage to bang on my knees rather than my broken ribs. Anything was worth a go at this point. I guess it did work to some extent but I'd also eased back on the effort and was enjoying the views and chatting to Nick rather than stressing about my speed.

Me and my shadow!

Once I'd passed the Marathon mark in 2:25 I decided we would stop in the next suitable place so Nick spoke to Ant and Ed and asked them to pull in at the next layby they found. The layby was only half a mile away but they already had the deckchairs out and the kettle on when Nick and I got there. Although a marathon is a lot further than I had originally planned to do in the mornings it was less than I had been doing for a good few days. I still had the thought that I needed to catch a couple of days back to make sure Nick made it to Scotland for the reasons I explained in an earlier blog. I knew I couldn't push myself much harder at the moment because if the ribs got worse it risked me not finishing. I felt like I was on a tightrope walk, too many miles and I'd fall off on the injury side and too few miles and I fall off on the no haggis for Nick side.

Nick attempting to take off!

Day 9 Morning Stats

Miles: 26.74
Time: 2:28:06
Average Moving Speed: 10.8mph
Top Speed: 31.2mph
Slowest Mile Split: Mile 6 - 9:17
Fastest Mile Split: Mile 22 - 3:29
Total Ascent: 986ft
Average Heart Rate: 137bpm
Max Heart Rate: 160bpm

Day 9 Morning Progress Maps

Day 9 Afternoon

Shortly after lunch we passed over the border into Cheshire, I was very close to home now. It felt strange to be in a county that I hear about on my local news reports. It seemed a bit surreal. The west country had taken what seemed like an age but just a few days after leaving Bristol I was making great progress up the country.

Nice gaff like.

Me being a tit outside a pretty little cottage.

Whilst still on the A49 we passed a town called Tiverton, Nick recognised the name from the Tiverton we had passed in Devon. He asked me why people would call two separate towns the same name. History geek Gotts came out and told him it was pretty unlikely the people that settled in both areas had ever visited the other area when the towns were founded and that the name probably means something in a language older than English. I told him that the 'ton' bit meant town so whatever the start of the word meant probably described something that was in both locations. I could tell from the look on his face that I'd just completely confused him. I was waiting for it, I knew without doubt the response was going to be ridiculous.
"A language older than English, in England? So they didn't speak English here?"
"Oh god! Nick you do know it hasn't actually been called England for that long don't you?"
"What!!!!!!??????"
I tried to explain that we weren't really a country until Alfred the Great and before then England was broken up into smaller kingdoms but before the Romans a lot of the counties we have now were little kingdoms that were really just big clans. Nick was just smiling and nodding, much like I do when Ed talks about space to me. I find it interesting but I don't take it in because I don't understand it. Anyhow, I gave up trying to teach Nick history because whilst confusing him more and more we'd been directed by Ed and Ant onto the B5152 a tiny country lane. It cut across country towards Frodsham. It would save us a lot of time compared to sticking to the main roads.

Ant Pointing us in the right direction

Cross roads in Cheshire

We were getting the odd glimpse of Warrington in the distance. Warrington is only a 40min drive from home so it gave me even more of the surreal 'home' feeling. Almost like I had nearly finished but as I said earlier I wasn't even half way yet. Unfortunately Cheshire lived up to its reputation for attracting people who think they are a cut above the rest. We hadn't had a single donation and very few people had waved or cheered us on. What Cheshire had provided us with is tons of arsehole drivers in ridiculously big and expensive cars driving in an aggressive way. I think Nick's middle finger was probably getting sore from all the use it was getting. We weren't in a different position on the road than we had been on the previous 8 days, the road was no narrower than any we'd already passed, we were acting in exactly the same way we had for the hundreds of miles so far. The only thing that was different was the drivers, we were being blasted with horns and we had people driving way too close to try and scare us. It was such a huge contrast to the day before and the people of Shropshire.
 Ed had found us a campsite for the night, another freebie, that's 9 free pitches in a row. This one was in The Delamere Forest. Right on the same road I was pushing along. When we got to the campsite I spoke to the lads and said I was feeling good, my ribs had eased slightly so I wanted to do a few more miles as I didn't know how I would feel in the morning. The lads agreed to make an effort in the morning to get up on time so we could accommodate the extra time we would need to travel from the campsite to the start. I ended up pushing another 6.5 miles, I thought any further would make the drive in the morning too far. Plus at that point we had reached a pub called The Traveller's Rest, it seemed the right place to end the day. I was reasonably happy with 43.5 miles for the day. 10 more miles than the original plan that my ex club thought was too far for me to manage.

Seemed an appropriate place to stop.

Dave from The 53 Foundation had asked Ed to get a short video interview of me each day for facebook. This was our first day doing the video and I'm really not good with being filmed, I even struggle with being photographed. It took about five attempts for me to stop laughing. On the take before the one we used Ed had asked me where I'd been that day and I answered with
"absolutely no idea mate"
My brain wasn't switched on, I had genuinely forgotten where I had been so Ed had to remind me of the towns and then start recording asking me where I had been before I forgot again! I stumbled through the interview and then we made our way to the campsite.

Delamere Forest Camping and Caravan site was one of the very few with disabled facilities and I was really glad of them. It was nice to have a proper shower seat and not have to sit on the floor. After my shower I rang Mother Hubbard to tell her how far north we'd got, she wasn't best pleased because she had booked a day off to come and support me through Lancashire but I was likely to be in Cumbria on that day now. I reminded her that I was trying to set a world record - I wasn't just on a jolly and told her just to come and see me after work instead. Showered, fed and told off I got in bed very early again, I was hoping for a better sleep so I would wake up in a better mood the next day. I couldn't sit up because of my ribs anyway so I didn't really have any option other than going to bed.

Day 9 Afternoon Stats

Miles: 16.79
Time: 1:37:17
Average Moving Speed: 10.4mph
Top Speed: 36.2mph
Slowest Mile Split: Mile 8 - 12:08
Fastest Mile Split: Mile 9 - 2:29
Total Ascent: 854ft
Average Heart Rate: 143bpm
Max Heart Rate: 163bpm

Day 9 Afternoon Progress Maps

Total Daily Mileage: 43.53

Lands End to John O'Groats, Day 8 - near, far, wherever you are.

Day 8 Morning

I woke up after an awful nights sleep due to my ribs. I move around a hell of a lot in my sleep because my bone tumour makes my legs hurt if I am in the same position for too long. Once my ribs were bust each and every movement in bed woke me up in heaps of pain. We'd decided against the full English breakfast that the farmer's wife made for the campers. It was a little on the expensive side and I wasn't convinced I would keep it down once I set off. I still regret not having it, I have a feeling it would have been a huge breakfast cooked really well.
We left the campsite and headed for our start point near Leominster but today I didn't get the same relief from the rib pain when I sat in the race chair. In fact it was worse, a lot worse. Along with the bust ribs I had a small tear in my left pec and my chest was really tight so I was struggling for breath. Only a few hundred meters after setting off I said to Nick we needed to pull in at the next layby as I was in a bit of trouble. I'm quite good with pain, my legs hurt 24/7 so normally a bit more pain doesn't bother me but the ribs, pec and asthma symptoms were a bit too much for me. Before we got to the next layby we saw a guy who was walking in the opposite direction - John O'Groats to Lands End. He was doing it unsupported so everything he needed for the trip was in his kit bag on his back. We both clapped each other and although we didn't stop it was really nice to acknowledge each others efforts. I got a buzz off someone doing something similar to me, it gave me a boost to see someone almost as nuts as I am.
Around 5 minutes after passing the JOGLE walker I spotted two ladies parked up on the grass verge on the opposite side of the road. They were making lots of noise, clapping and cheering whilst trying to cross the busy main road. They managed to cross just as I got level with them. They shouted good luck and told me I was amazing. They handed Nick a couple of quid sponsorship and he stopped to talk to them and explain what I was doing and who I was doing it for. Their kind words and donation to the charity gave me a real boost. They already seemed to have a rough idea what I was doing, maybe they had seen the motorhome decals or some of the press reports thanks to Elouise, Natalie and Lance's hard work back at home. I managed to limp on to the 6 mile mark thanks to the motivation I received from both the JOGLE walker and the two ladies enthusiasm. Nick had already spoken to Ed and Ant through the motorhome window to tell them I needed to sort myself out ASAP. Ed found the closest layby and when I pulled in the deckchairs were out, my meds were waiting for me and Ant was making a brew - maybe my magic medicine might help! I took some painkillers and myself and Ed put some padding in the chair to slightly change my seating position and hopefully relieve some of my pain. I also took my inhaler to ease my chest, I very rarely use my inhaler these days because my asthma doesn't bother me often. It's normally only when I am ill I struggle for breath.

On our way towards Shrewsbury

Passing by Ludlow Castle, just a glimpse of it in the distance

When the pain meds had kicked in we set off again, heading for our 9th county of the challenge - Shropshire. The flattest part of the entire push so far was when we came past The Shropshire Hills Centre. It tickled both Nick and me that there wasn't a hill in sight! To say I wasn't able to push properly I was batting along very well. It was frustrating that I was having to hold back, I'd have loved to see how fast I could have pushed on this route uninjured. My heart rate was only 136bpm which is lower than when I warm up before a training session on the track. In the end I managed to grind out just over 24 miles.

A car proving these signpost shots aren't staged! Shropshire.

Another level crossing.

Nick had to virtually lift me in to the motorhome which was parked in a pub carpark, I couldn't lift my arm high enough to grab the handrail to pull myself in. When I did make it inside the motorhome I just couldn't get comfortable so I ended up laying down again. I hate seeing people work when I can't join in. I buttered some bread in my bed for the sandwiches but I couldn't make myself useful in any other way. Dave from The 53 Foundation had got a radio station to interview me
over the phone. I absolutely hate talking on the phone. If Mother Hubbard gets 30 seconds of conversation over the phone she has done well. I have no idea where this phone call stress has come from but I've had it a while and try to text wherever possible. So I was totally bricking it, I made the lads take Bonnie for a walk so they weren't listening in and laughing at me. I managed to get through the interview without stuttering or swearing and I was pretty pleased with it in the end. The interview  was to be played out a few times whilst I was in the area.

Day 8 Morning Stats

Miles: 24.34
Time: 2:16:29
Average Moving Speed: 10.7mph
Top Speed: 31.4mph
Slowest Mile Split: Mile 13 - 8:00
Fastest Mile Split: Mile 9 - 3:22
Total Ascent: 916ft
Average Heart Rate: 136bpm
Max Heart Rate: 154bpm

Day 8 Morning Progress Maps

Day 8 Afternoon

I took another strong pain killer at lunch to make getting back in my chair more bearable. The support I was getting on the A49 was incredible, lots of people were pipping, waving, clapping and cheering. I loved it! It really helped to pass the time and the miles whilst I was suffering. This part of the route was largely downhill so my average speed was the fastest of any push so far in the challenge.
The day had started to get really hot, both Nick and I were melting on one of the few climbs of Day 8. A car came past with the driver beeping out a tune with his horn. We both smiled and waved at him and didn't think much of it until in the next village the car looked like it had been dumped by joy riders. It had been parked in a hurry that's for sure - half on a grass verge at a wonky angle. The driver was stood on the pavement waiting for us to get to him. He had dumped the car and legged it to the village shop to buy us an ice cold bottle of water each. We stopped to accept the bottles from him and to thank him, he had seen us the day before as well as on today's morning push and he'd guessed what I was doing. He gave us £20 sponsorship when he heard about the work The 53 Foundation do, he was really interested in the charity do but told us to get on our way so we could get some more miles in. A few moments later he came past us again beeping his horn like a mad man - he had well and truly got in the spirit of things! I don't know the guy's name but on the off chance he reads this blog - thanks very much for your kindness!

Some hills in Shropshire but nowhere near the hill centre!

Nick giving the thumbs up.

It's really odd how much better a random act of kindness can make your day. A wave from the car would have kept my spirits up but what he did changed my mind set from 'lots of people want me to fail and I'm in pain' to 'Lots of random people who don't know me, friends and family believe in me'

Getting ready to pull in for a brew.

We were heading for Shrewsbury that day as I was being given a free massage and treatment from a physio at Shrewsbury Town FC. My higher speed got me there faster than expected so I chose to use the extra time before my massage to take on Shrewsbury's ring road instead of leaving it until the morning. I had Ed and Ant driving behind me to protect me from cars driving into me so I felt a lot safer than a day earlier at Gloucester. For most of the dual carriageway I was loving the smooth tarmac. A good road surface can make a massive difference to the speed of a wheelchair, with our wheels not being in line like a bikes wheels it makes it much harder to avoid pot holes or even rough patches of worn tarmac. The only hairy part of this section of road was each time we reached a junction with people trying to enter or leave the ring road, again this is somewhere the second vehicle would have helped. I'd have felt a lot safer sandwiched between two vehicles. I had visions of a car bunny hopping the motorhome, cutting across the front of it to make an exit and taking Nick and I out in the process. Whilst on the ring road Nick spotted a sign for Preston
"Wow! Mate, We're nearly at Preston, I was meant to tell mum and dad when I was near Preston so they could come and visit us."
" Nick you dick! That is not the Preston you are thinking of!"
"Well how do you know that? It says Preston!"
"It says Preston 3 miles."
"so!?"
"So, bloody Preston is more than 3 miles from Shrewsbury you fecking tit!"
   You really do have to love Nick, he's not thick at all, he just doesn't think before he opens his mouth. It's like his eyes bypass his brain and sends the message to speak straight to his mouth. He see's something and makes a daft comment straightaway without thinking about it. I love it.
   Once we found our exit off the ring road we went through our now slick routine, Ed and Nick stripping the chair down and attaching the bike to the back of the motorhome whilst Ant got me my recovery drinks and bars.... along with a cup of tea. I'd say we had it down to less than 5 minutes now everyone knew their rolls. We headed for New Meadow stadium which is the home of Shrewsbury Town Football Club, one of their physios had stayed behind to treat me. The receptionist called the physio, Richie, down to see me and I followed him through the stadium in a mini behind the scenes tour to get to the treatment room. We had a quick chat about the challenge, the action of pushing a chair and the niggles I'd been feeling. Obviously there was nothing he could do for my ribs but he gave a really thorough massage of my full back, neck, shoulders, biceps and triceps then did what he could with my pecs. We got on pretty well, I'm a qualified massage therapist so we had a bit in common. We chatted all about sports and how bad some people are at sports massage, I struggle like mad at home to find somebody who can massage properly. A lot of therapists are scared to go deep enough so all they are doing is stroking you better which I find a bit creepy. A good sports massage is pretty uncomfortable as they put a lot of pressure on. That is exactly what Richie was doing, it was sore but I knew it would be worth it. He then used ultrasound on my pec to aid the healing process. He spent a lot of time working on me and I was really grateful.
 After Richie had treated me he led me through the changing rooms to the contrast baths. Two very big baths one which he ran hot water in to, the other he filled with cold water and four buckets of ice. I then spent 20 minutes switching between the baths every 2 minutes. Unlike footballers who can get away with sitting in a shallow bath just icing their legs, most of my niggles were upper body niggles; I had to lay down in the ice. The contrast between hot and cold made the hot feel burning hot and the cold feel like Kate Winslet was going to push me off her plank of wood to my certain death before saving herself. It really wasn't pleasant. After 20 minutes of the torture of Celine Dion belting out 'My Heart Will Go On' on loop in my head I towelled off and instantly felt better. Yes my ribs felt sore but my other niggles were a thousand times better.

Richie Higgs and myself post massage.

Luckily I hadn't drowned in the ice bath.

I called the lads to let them know I would be ready shortly, they had been to find the campsite. It was Oxon Hall Touring Park and they were Our 8th free site. It wasn't far from the Stadium so it didn't take long for them to get back for me. I introduced Richie to the lads and Bonnie and asked him for some photos for facebook. Then it was time for goodbyes, what a top lad for staying behind after work to help me out for free. He didn't rush the job either. The people of Shropshire had been by far the friendliest on the trip so far. I'd had so much support that day it was humbling.
  During the drive to the campsite, after Ed's double entendre fest around the subject of getting a massage from a lad, the three of them were telling me how beautiful this new campsite was and how we had an amazing pitch right next to a very large pond. They weren't wrong, the campsite was very posh, the pitch was a lovely one too. If Mother Hubbard went caravanning then its the type of site that she would love. When I saw the list of rules and regulations I couldn't help wishing we were back at the Nicholson's farm with the one rule of not damaging his precious grass! No swearing!? What is that bollocks about? We broke that rule a few hundred times that's for sure. We had to keep reminding each other that we had the windows open!

Our motorhome right next to the pond.

A lovely spot.

   That night Ed made a cracking Thai Green Curry. One of my favourite meals and in a minor miracle Nick actually tried some. I think the beige colour helped him get his head around eating something that wasn't chips, noodles, chicken or fish in bread crumbs, bread, toast, plain rice...
   I was absolutely knackered so I went to bed at 7:30PM I tied a scarf around the slats on Nicks bed above mine to pull myself up with as doing a sit up was extremely painful because of the ribs. I also hung a towel over another slat to section off what was meant to be the foot end of the bed. The foot end was very narrow as the bathroom cut into the bed at this point. I had decided to use that end for my head as I could make it darker with the towel but also by having a pillow next to me there was zero space to roll over and wake myself up in pain during the night. Nick was up late again working on my gloves with his sewing needle, Ed and Ant stayed up to keep him company and they took bonnie for a long walk too. I was happy with my 45 miles for the day and glad to be moving north now!

Day 8 Afternoon Stats

Miles: 20.64
Time: 1:38:04
Average Moving Speed: 12.6mph
Top Speed: 29.9mph
Slowest Mile Split: Mile 4 - 6:46
Fastest Mile Split: Mile 8 - 3:07
Total Ascent: 427ft
Average Heart Rate: 141bpm
Max Heart Rate:163bpm

Day 8 Afternoon Progress Maps

Total Daily Mileage 44.98

Lands End To John O'Groats Day 7 - The Flying Cripple Situation.

Day 7 Morning

After the excitement of going public on Day 6 of the challenge I had been adding up the figures for how far I had travelled in total and how high I had climbed too. Before Day 6's total was added it was somewhere around 225 miles and 18,000ft of climbing. I was happy with that but I now had two bust ribs to deal with. Whilst adding up the mileage something had dawned on me and it had me worried all night. Nick was only supposed to be cycling for two weeks as that is all the time he could take off work with such short notice. The original plan was to have Nick show his brother Mike the routines when he joined us on day 14, Nick would then carry on with us until the Scottish border around day 16 or 17. A combination of Mike's work and his dragon, sorry I mean wife, meant that he couldn't take part due to the date change but that wasn't what was worrying me. Nick had set his heart on cycling the entire length of England but we now had two or three less days than planned, there was no way around it, Nick had to leave on day 14 or he would risk losing his job.
  Nick wasn't only cycling to help me out, he was doing the challenge in memory of his son, Charlie. Charlie had come in to the world too early and despite putting up a big fight he sadly passed away. Without going in to too much detail I think it is fair to say that Nick had struggled to cope with the loss of his little man after just a few precious days. Nick wasn't much more than a kid himself when it happened so it must have been absolute hell for him. He had been trying really hard to sort his life out and had made big changes to his lifestyle, not least moving from London to Rossendale to be closer to his brother. I knew how important it was to Nick to get to the border, I knew I needed to do whatever I could to get him there in 14 days!
It was another wet morning but at least we'd left the hilly west country behind us. It felt nice to be heading north instead of heading east like I had been doing for the first 6 days. I had totally underestimated just how long the west country is. I was in front of schedule but I didn't feel much closer to Scotland as I was still down the bottom end of England. We got on with the morning routine and set off to Berkeley Heath where I would be starting my push. Ledbury was 30 miles away so I thought on a wet day and in pain with my ribs that would be a good target or maybe 5 miles further down the road.

Damp Day 7

  Oddly, after being in heaps of pain all night and not even being able to sit at the breakfast table without being in tons of pain, once in my race chair I felt much more comfortable. Myself and Nick got on our way and once Ed was happy that I was ok pushing and not going to need him or Ant they shot off to get some shopping and fuel. I got myself settled into a nice rhythm, pushing along at a speed not too far behind my race pace. The roads were flat so despite the rain I was doing well. It wasn't long before we crossed the River Severn (which I excepted to be more impressive) and we could see Gloucester Cathedral in the distance. When checking the route the previous night Ed and I had been unsure if we should head through the city streets or use the ring road which would be shorter and faster but more dangerous. Ed was going to scout the start of the ring road out on his shopping trip and let me know what he thought when he got back. Unfortunately Nick and I had been following the road numbers we needed and completely missed the junction where we'd have to choose between ring road and city centre. We found ourselves already on a busy ring road. We pulled in to the first layby to phone Ed and Ant to see where they were, they were on the road further down towards Bristol looking for us. They told Nick not to use the ring road as it was too busy but it was too late we were on it! They turned around and headed back towards us but we made the decision not to wait for them as we were getting very wet and cold. I was pushing hell for leather, faster than my race pace, trying to get us off this bloody dual carriageway. There wasn't a hard shoulder, just a 2ft wide bit of tarmac beyond the white line. Nick could get his bike into that thin strip but I could only get one wheel in the space. I was trying to keep my front wheel in the tiny gap between the rumble strip and the cats-eyes but this was really hard work at speed and in the wet. Each time my front wheel hit a cats-eye it squirted water all over me. After 5 or 6 times of getting a face full of filthy water I tried getting my front wheel the other side of the rumble strip but that meant every so often my back wheel hitting a cats-eye and squirting Nick. Each time I heard him shout I giggled to myself, partly nervous laughter as I thought I was about to be run over but mainly just the thought of Nick getting a face full of dirty road juice.

Nick being Nick

Once off the ring road we found a layby for Nick to phone the lads, we had 8 missed calls from them but there had been nowhere for us to stop safely on the ring road. Apparently they had been up and down the ring road 3 times looking for us and had thought we'd got lost or taken a different route as they hadn't spotted us. They weren't far away so it only took them a couple of minutes to find us in the layby. Ant put the kettle on, you know me, any excuse for a cup of tea! A near death experience was definitely a good opportunity for a brew. Nick and I told Ed and Ant all about the ring road like a pair of school boys telling their mates what they'd been up to on the summer holidays. Brews drunk and stories told we were on our way again.

Back out on the country roads

There was quite a climb away from Gloucester, my arms were tired from racing to get off the ring road, my ribs were sore and it was wet so maybe it seemed a little tougher than it should have done. The climb was followed by a steep descent which I was really enjoying until I saw brake lights in front. I tried hard to stop but wet gloves and brakes did nothing to slow me. I was headed straight for the back of a car when I spotted a left turn onto a residential road running almost parallel to the main road a bit like a layby with houses on it. I took the turn to give me more time to stop. A split second after I turned I hit a speedbump and took off, all three wheels in the air. "fuuuuuuuuuuuuck!"  Obviously when you have no wheels on the ground braking is impossible. I landed with a thud. just metres away from the next speedbump where I got air time again "shiiiiiiiiiiiiit!".  Luckily I just about managed to get control as the road met the main road again and the row of cars that were sat waiting at the lights. I wonder what they were thinking seeing a lad in his wheelchair flying through the air, twice. Then Nick caught up, came to a stop with a skid and gave me a right bollocking! He sounded just like my dad! The lights changed and I set off tentatively, not sure if I had damaged the chair, the wheels or even myself. Everything seemed ok and it wasn't long before Nick was laughing at the flying cripple situation. Threatening to get me a cape and playing the song One Call Away on his phone singing "superman's got nothing on you" at the top of his voice.
Before we knew it we were in the Malvern Hills and just a few miles from Ledbury, I didn't feel tired at all so I pushed to Ledbury where we stopped for lunch. Almost 31 miles! When I got out of the chair my ribs started hurting like mad again. I found sitting at the table for lunch too painful so I ended up eating whilst laid on my bed. During lunch we had to cancel the campsite we'd found near Ledbury as it was going to be too far away from the finish point now.



Day 7 Morning Stats

Miles: 30.87
Time: 2:50:43
Average Moving Speed: 10.8mph
Top Speed: 33.7mph
Slowest Mile Split: Mile 28 - 9:21
Fastest Mile Split: Mile 4 - 3:42
Total Ascent: 1358ft
Average Heart Rate: 144bpm
Max Heart Rate: 169bpm

Day 7 Morning Progress Maps

Day 7 Afternoon

Back in my chair after lunch I felt comfortable again I found it really odd how being in the position that had bust my ribs was the only position I was comfortable in! We were now in our next county, Herefordshire, the weather had brightened up and the scenery was the stereotypical English countryside, lots of green fields, ancient hedgerows and rolling hills. The houses we passed were amazing too. This was a posh neighbourhood. Lovely place.

English countryside.

Still damp

We started to see signs for Hampton Court Castle which confused me for a while as Hampton Court is in London not far from where my now ex club trains. Eventually my tired brain clicked that Henry VIII's gaff was Hampton Court Palace not Hampton Court Castle that we were about to pass. As we got to the gate house I could see Ed and Ant poised on the opposite side of the road, ready to take photos of us with the gatehouse in the background. It took everything I had to fight the history geek inside me. The history geek wanted to turn and look at the castle but there was no chance I was going to stop and pose for a picture or go back and do a rerun for a staged picture. I kept looking forward and didn't get to see the castle at all. I am so glad I made that choice because Ed captured my favourite photo of the entire trip, Nick and I going fairly fast, the gatehouse and through the gate up to the castle. This is another of the places I want to go back to - if only to see it with my own eyes!

Hampton Court Castle, my favourite photo of the challenge.

 I kept a fairly steady pace through all the rolling hills and I managed an enormous total of 50.2 miles for the day. Partly this was because of my growing confidence that I was going to get to John O'Groats but mainly this was the start of me trying to get a head of schedule to get Nick to Scotland in memory of Charlie.

Our new campsite for day 7, another freebie, was called Nicholson Farm and it was a fully working farm. As soon as we headed down the lane and into the farmyard I was excited about the stay. Ed went in to find out where to hook up and the farmer had given him a firm warning not to damage his grass. I love farms and I love country people. The place was absolutely stunning, there were cows everywhere and the farm dogs just wondering around. They came to say hello to Bonnie and they all had a run around the field together. I was desperate for a shower, they were housed in an old outhouse for the farm, possibly an old pig pen. They weren't the cleanest but I didn't care, I loved the place. The showers were full of spiders and I was grinning to myself thinking that Nick and Ant were going to struggle as they are both soft arses when it comes to spiders. Right as I was lent against the wall showering and dodging spiders the bloody light went out and as there were no windows it was pitch black. There I was, naked, fumbling about looking for the door lock so I could go out and turn the light back on. I secretly hoped the same would happen to Ant and Nick!

Back at the motorhome Ed was talking to the owner of the only other caravan on the site. An old man from Oldham, he had come on holiday with his wife and two dogs but sadly one had taken ill and needed to be put down. He had been due to go home a few days earlier but he wouldn't leave without his dog's ashes. It was such a sad thing to hear, I don't know where I would be without Bonnie!
After we ate the lads went exploring the paths around the farm and down to a lake, they come back thinking they'd been to the wild west because the cows had followed them. Ed found it highly amusing that he'd found another animal that Ant was petrified of!

The Nicholson's cows!

In the evening we were treated to the loudest bird song I've heard for years; Ed managed to get a short video:

Day 7 Afternoon Stats

Miles: 19.34
Time: 1:57:59
Average Moving Speed: 9.9mph
Top Speed: 23.9mph
Slowest Mile Split: Mile 3 - 8:46
Fastest Mile Split: Mile 7 - 3:26
Total Ascent: 856ft
Average Heart Rate: 143bpm
Max Heart Rate: 163bpm

Day 7 Afternoon Progress Maps

Total Daily Mileage: 50.21 (17 miles beyond the target)