Training to date

My objective is to get the blog up to date with a couple more posts before I start adding weekly entries. This posting is all about the training.

Having committed to the walk we decided that we ought to do some training. I had previously read that the best training one can do for Kilimanjaro is to walk for 7 hours, camp, get up and walk for another 7 hours. Charles suggested a weekend in the Black Mountains and was keen to replicate the complete experience. However, I passionately believe that the good lord would not have invented Marriott hotels if he had intended mankind to camp.

I have reluctantly accepted that there are no Marriott hotels up Kilimanjaro and therefore camping en route is inevitable. However, I could see no reason to bring the 'comfort' of camping into our training regime. I suggested it was like a marathon. In training for a marathon you don't run the full 26 miles but build up to around 15 miles and then do the extra on the day. I argued that the camping bit was like the extra miles in the marathon training. We ended up agreeing a bed and breakfast would work!

Charles booked a B&B in Talybont-on-Usk (see the training page on the website for details) and we set off on Saturday 27th February. We were up ridge walking by 10:00am and completed about 6 hours walking on the snow covered Beacons before returning to Talybont to watch the rugby in the local pub.

The next day, well fed and 'watered', we set-up to climb Pen-y-Fan the highest mountains in South Wales. It was a cloudy day the the top of the mountains were covered in mist and cloud but we hoped it would clear as we ascended. We were cracking on well and were 1/2 way up the initial steep bit when the snow can in. It was sudden and heavy. We continued on for about 10 minutes but it got heavier and heavier. The path was getting covered and we started getting a bit concerned about finding our way down again. So we took the decision to turn back. Pen-y-Fan had beaten us.

Its always difficult to make the decision to turn back- especially where there is a group as no-one wants to be the 1st mover. However, discretion is the better part of valour, and we retreated. WE didn't want to be the people you read about in the local press who called the mountain rescue people out of their beds on a Sunday morning. I still think it was a sensible decision. It was a total of about 1.5 hours walking.

In the car park as we loaded up to go off to Talybont reservoir, we got chatting to a couple of professional mountain guides who were just setting off. They had a minivan full of kit and a lot of it with them. The lady chastised me when i explain that our assault on Pen-y-Fan had failed. You don't 'assault' mountains she explained you 'cuddle' them. I promised to remember this for next time.

We decided instead to go for a walk around Talybont reservoir. This we knocked off in about 3 hours. So that was a total of 11.5 hours walking over the weekend which is not a bad 1st attempt. The really good thing was that the five of us walked well together. Everyone was comfortable with the pace so the weekend was a success in that it provided us with some good walking and a bit of team bonding.

For me, March was spent looking after the kids (my wife was in Malaysia for 10 days) and in the USA on business. So I arrange a 'cuddle' on Pen-y-Fan for Easter Monday which is a public holiday here in the UK. This time Lyn couldn't join us but other friends could and we arrived in the car park at about 10:00am on the Monday morning. The plan was a 2 hour hike up, lunch, a couple of hours down and then home. A pleasant day.

We set off in a cuddling mindset. Pen-y-Fan is our friend, we are going along to cuddle it. We are not assaulting it. Unlike, it must be said, the army platoon complete with assault rifles and large Bergens who were ahead of us by about 20 minutes.

The route we were taking (from the North) has an initial steep climb and then a more gentle walk along a wide ridge before the narrower, steep ridge just before the summit. It was all going according to plan although it was windy with rain in the air. However as we completed the first steep section and headed out onto the ridge the strength of the wind became apparent. We continue. After about an hour or so, we spotted the army heading back down. We were impressed as we assume they had made double quick time to the top and were returning. Nope!

They had decided to turn back. The wind was too strong for them to head out across the narrow ridge. The officer in charge told us that the wind was blowing a fully grown man with Bergen and rifle around and he was concerned that someone would get blown over and, at best, break their leg and, at worst, get blown off the ridge. So we decided to continue to the start of the narrow ridge and then turn back - which is exactly what we did. About a 3 hour round trip. You can see from the photos on the training web page just how windy it was.

So our attempt to assault Pen-y-Fan failed as did out attempt to cuddle it! But fear not, we will try again. I am determined to get to the top of it before we head off to Africa.

Those are the two major 'organised' training events. We have another walking weekend arrange for West Wales on 22nd/23rd May. I will report in due course.

As to other training, my wife and I are trying to walk for a few hours every weekend and hit the gym. My problem is quite simply that I haven't got the time to get to the gym as often as I would like. But, as the deadline approaches I know I have to find the time and make the effort.