I DID IT!!!!!!!!!! 26 miles of hell but I did it.

Ok so this will officially be my last post for this blog.  I picked my sister and Alison up and we made our way to Inverleith park which is just outside the city centre.  We had to be at the venue between half 8 and 9.15pm.  See the tent below

So this was our first look at the tent and as you can see the weather is ok. WELL about 5 minutes later as we were putting a bag in the storage area the heavens opened!  The rain was sooo heavy and there was a bit of lightning, we decided to make a run for it to the main tent and got there unscathed.  The tent was already filling up and we made our way over to the food area to collect our pasta meal and banana muffin.  There were no seats and we had to sit on the floor for a little while.  This was the worst point in the night as we had to hang around for hours whilst we waited for a warm up and then to finally set off.  Around 11.15pm we did the first warm up and the first group set off, then we did another warm up and our group set off.  Beneath is a picture of inside the packed tent.

This was the start line.  Luckily the torrential rain had stopped for the start of the walk.  At this point I was feeling very very nervous for the walk ahead. 

 The walk the walk people had given us rain macs to wear, thank goodness.  I think we look rather fetching in them!

So we started off our walk in nervous but high spirits.  It was quite a sight seeing thousands of people walking round the streets of Edinburgh.  I started off feeling good after the warm up and got in to second wind comfortably, and then we turned a corner and were faced by one of the many long and steep hills in Edinburgh.  I had to stop a couple of times and I was getting a bit frustrated.  Having made it to the top we then went down a slight hill and back up the mound where we could see Edinburgh Castle had been turned pink for the occasion.  I couldn't take many photos as the rain kept appearing.  We got to the top of the mound and wound our way back down the Royal Mile and on to what I knew was going to be my biggest challenge dum dum dum Arthur Seat (look it up if you dont know!!)  The walk up Arthur Seat is a long steep one, I got my head down and concentrated on a steady pace.  I managed about 3/4 of the way up before pausing for a rest and then carrying on.  I was soooo relieved at this point as I had been worrying a lot about this hill.  we then snaked our way back on to the Royal Mile and walked all the way to the top.  At this point a drunken man decided to stand on a bollard and strip down to his boxer shorts, shouting encouragement whist swinging his t-shirt round his head!  It certainly made us all smile.

As we snaked our way through the streets of Edinburgh and out to Crammond and Silverknowes we were making good time and we all felt great.  The half way mark was Silverknowes and they had some music playing and lots of encouragement.  There were a lot of people clapping and cheering us on and it was really nice to see people supporting the walk.  Around mile 13 Kim and Alison decided they needed the toilet, the toilet queues were massive and so decided that a well hidden tree would act as good cover.  I then decided I should probably go too, thie was the BIGGEST mistake of my life.  Having already walked 13 miles my legs were pretty tired, I then squatted behind the tree and it was at this point that both my thighs went into McArdles mode!  I limped out from behind the tree in agony, saying I was not sure I could go on as both my thighs had gone into contracture.  I was absolutely gutted and on the verge of tears as I thought it was over for me.  I could barely lift my legs.  I know I will get into trouble for not stopping (Andrew!!) but I couldn't give up.  I was already in pain and decided that if I could gently walk on and try to loosen up I might have a chance of completing the walk.  I kept going and although every step was agony I slowly went on.  After about a mile my legs loosened slightly and I decided to carry on the walk.  I know I probably should have stopped but I just felt I couldn't do that.  Rightly or wrongly I did carry on.

We were all getting very tired and the snickers came out about mile 16.  It was starting to get really light which I think helped us all.  Both Alison and Kim were hurting too so we were all trying to encourage each other along.  At mile 19 my friend Calum came to see us and it was nice to see a friendly face.  At this point we were approaching Portobello and we knew we didn't have far to go.  We were counting down the markers in batches of 3 miles.  Alison was feeling ill at mile 19 and I gave her a glucode gel sachet which instantly helped her.  The next couple of miles were very quiet and we all walked a little away from each other, heads down getting on with it.  I knew my legs were starting to sieze up not to mention my sore calf.  At mile 24 I was not sure I could go on and it was a real struggle to put one foot in front of the other.  I was constantly eating wine gums as I felt very sick.  The last 2 miles were even more hell especially as a lot of it was downhill.  This was much much worse than uphill or the flat and it was a real struggle.  Then as I was walking down Broughton Street there was a lady standing on the pavement with a sign that read "Thank you from people like me, 11 years"  Well that was it I could barely control my breathing and the emotion was threatening to overwhelm me.  I managed to pull it together and we hit the 26 mile mark:

All we had to do was walk the last bit to the finish line:

This was the most amazing site after a long hard slog!

Exactly 8 hours later and we got our medal.....

The feeling when we crossed the line was unbelievable.  Then I felt a little bit sick and had to sit down whilst Alison got me a cup of tea!  Eventually with help I made it back to my feet and hobbled very slowly back to the car.  What was a 5 minute walk took 35 minutes!  I was however able to drive, its funny how my legs were barely able to walk but bacause we use different muscles to drive it was no problem at all!!

I got home about 10am and took some painkillers before having a little sleep.  I want to tell the truth in this blog so I will tell you that my thighs were very very swollen and I was struggling to walk and had to take lots of painkillers.  I had Monday off work and my legs were a little better and now today (tuesday)  i feel good.  My legs are still a bit tired but not overly sore and not swollen anymore.  I can honestly say I have never been prouder of myself and I am so glad I did it.  Im not sure I would put myself through that again but I am also finding it hard to know how I would have felt if I had not been so stupid and hurt my thighs.  I think that all the training paid off and that yes I would have been a bit stiff but that actually my McArdles would not have been an issue.  Both Alison and Kim are feeling sore and tired and I honestly believe I would have been feeling exactly the same as them.  Lesson learned though I should have waited in the queue for the toilet!  Over all though its been a brilliant experience.  I hope you have enjoyed reading the blog.  Maybe I will have a new challenge to write about sometime in the future!

Over and Out
Jen xx

Only one more week to go until the walk!!  Very nervous now but looking forward to it.

I did a 16 mile walk last Saturday but the weather was so hot in Edinburgh that I couldn't walk any further!  we had a bit of a heatwave here last week.  Luckily I had taken that particular week off work which was very lucky!

I will post some pictures on the night and I am going to try and tweet.  If you want to follow me its @jen_forrest and I would appreciate any retweets etc.

Lorraine - I got some sun on my lily white legs you will be glad to know!!  

I have recovered from my swollen foot so decided to go for a walk yesterday.  I bullied my sister into coming as she is also doing the walk.  We started off and within about 5 minutes I got into second wind.  We had a nice walk into town and then looped back round.  It was a really nice day in Edinburgh, which I hadn;t prepared for.  Needless to say I now have a very burnt face, not a good look!  There were a lot of other moonwalkers out yesterday which was nice to see.  We did a good 12 miles yesterday and considering I have not been out walking for 2 weeks I was very pleased.

This is me and my sister Kim at the start of our walk. (Im on the right)

Well my plan for a 20 mile walk today got ruined yesterday when i was bending down and I had a contracture in my foot!  As the night went on my foot just got more and more swollen.  By the end of the night my foot was so swollen I couldn't put any weight on it and had to be helped up the stairs!
My foot is still very swollen this morning but I can hobble on it.  Its very frustrating but Im going to have to wait for the foot to go down a bit.
x

Its only 4 weeks to go until the walk and I can honestly say I am getting nervous!  I have been a bit lazy the last couple of weeks so when my car broke down I decided it would be a good idea to walk home one night after work.  I chose wednesday.  Scott dropped me off at the bus stop on his way to the golf (yes I am a golf widow!) I had a 25 minute wait on the bus so decided that I would walk the 2 miles from where he dropped me off into work.  It was ok and didn't take me too long.  After a full days work I got changed and did some stretching before setting off.  It was a really nice warm afternoon, maybe a little too warm.  As I started off I could feel my legs were sore and I needed to stop.  This was after about 100 yards so I knew it was going to be a struggle already.  I was walking on a flat, good surface but every 50 steps or so I felt the need to stop.  Its very difficult for non-McArdles people to understand how we feel but my legs were so heavy I felt I could not take another step.  I felt like I was bearly able to lift my head or breathe.  Im glad I am able to write this post as most of my training has been fairly straight forward.

As I say I was stopping every 50 steps or so just trying to get into second wind.  I almost stopped at the bus stop and got my money out but I plodded on knowing that this feeling would pass and I would get into second wind.  I have not felt like that for a while and I found myself doing something which I have tried very hard not to do - everytime I stoppped I got my mobile phone out so it looked like I was stopping to read something.  I couldn't believe I was doing it, I was back to being embarrassed.  I know that the people speeding past me were probably not even looking at me but I felt like a fool stopping all the time, especially when I was all geared up and looked like I should have been running not stopping every two seconds.  I have tried very hard to get over this embarrassment and I really thought I was there but obviously old habits die hard.  Since walking with the group last year in Wales (if anyone is thinking of doing it you really should it was fantastic) I thought I had moved on a bit and could proudly stop if I need to.  I guess I need to work a little harder on that!

I kept going and eventually got into second wind.  This probably took around 15 minutes.  Its amazing how different your body feels when you are in second wind.  My legs felt lighter and it was not a continuous fight to keep going.  I think because I had been working for 8 and a half hours and it was a it warm I needed an energy boost as I just didn't feel quite right.  I always carry some jelly sweets so I had them and felt a lot better almost instantly.  The route I decided to take home is quite hilly.  I found this very difficult and struggled getting in to second wind on the hills.  I was heading towards Edinburgh City Centre and walked through Morningside and into Bruntsfield.  I had a quick stop in at Coco Chocolate to say hi to my manager and then onwards to town.  I decided to cut through Holyrood Park and then I gave in and got on a bus.  All in all I managed 9 miles plus the 2 I had done in the morning.

Im hoping to go out on Sunday for a long walk so fingers crossed.  I think its definately better for me to walk first thing in the morning after breakfast so I think from now on I will be sticking to that.  The countdown really is on.

xx

Not long finished a 17.53 mile walk.  Im pretty exhausted!  It was a very cold and windy walk.  It felt like the wind was constantly blowing in my face.  I almost didnt't go out today as I just was not in the mood but I really had to push myself to go out as I have had a very lazy week.  I walked into the city centre and did a loop back round through Portobello and Musselburgh.  I almost got on the bus numerous times and very nearly cut the route shorter but I had a word with myself and pushed on.  I was walking through Leith Links minding my own business when I got smacked on the leg with a football. I bas bare legged from the knee down and it was cold so I can only describe it as being a stinger.  Im pretty sure its going to leave a mark!  I decided to walk on and not even look back to keep my dignity! If the ball had been closer I would have kicked it back and aimed for his face, instead I just walked on pretending nothing had happened and trying not to look at my calf with the ball imprint on it.  All in all I cant say I enjoyed the walk today but its another few miles added.  My legs hurt already so I know the next few days Im going to be hobbling around.

xx

I did a little 8 mile walk this morning, I never thought I would be saying that!  I didn't really feel like doing a big one today as I was working yesterday, myself and Mary were doing two chocolate schools yesterday.  Yes you can come and learn how to make chocolate with us!  Its quite a tiring day so I was pretty tired.  I thought I would have a nice long lie in this morning but couldn't sleep past 8.30 so decided to get up and go for a walk.  I actually really enjoyed it.  I felt very good and it only took me 2 hours and 15 minutes.  I made sure I stretched properly when I came back and its amazing the difference it makes.  Feeling a bit more confident this week.  I need to try and do a long one sometime this week but I have a busy week coming up and finding the time is hard.
Just a little shout out to Scott's auntie Heather who ran the London Marathon today.  Amazing.  She was doing it for Alzheimers Society so well done to her.

xx

Oh also just to say thanks very much for all the comments I really appreciate it.  I hope everyone is enjoying the blog.  Andrew is passing on any facebook comments as I am not on there so they are gettign to me. 

xx

Well folks I have bettered my walk of 13 miles last week with one of 15 miles yesterday.  Alison and I decided we should go for a long walk together to get some practise in.  I met Ali at the top of Leith Walk, this is a stones throw away from the centre of Edinburgh.  We then walked down to the bottom of Leith and along Seafield towards Portobello.  The sewage works are along the seafield route which made us walk slightly faster due to the smell!!  We walked along the promenade at Portobello and then onto Joppa and a straight road to the little town called Musselburgh (an old fishing town with a harbour, hence its name).  The first part of our walk was pretty cold and windy, especially along the prom.  There was a lot of sand blowing in our faces and the waves were crashing.  As we walked in Musselburgh we could really feel the heat of the sun and I wished I had brought some sun cream (im a little red in the face today!).  We were both feeling ok at this point and as we got to the end of Musselburgh racecourse we swung back round and started the journey home.  I think its always at this point that psychologically I start to think its almost over!  I tried really hard yesterday not to do this though.  We wlked a slightly different route back and walked the top road, parallel to where we had been.  We gave ourselves a target of reaching the chip shop before having a boost (chocolate bar) and then ate them like mad women when we reached there.  Just after we had eaten the boost and were crossing a little side road Alison got really bad cramp in her calf and was hopping about like a mad woman trying to get on the pavement!  I know its cruel but I got the complete giggles.  I managed to tell her how to stretch off her calf through the giggling though so Im not completely awful.  We were about 4 miles from home at this point so it was not looking good.  Alison managed to stretch it and carry on though.  We had many discussions about how bad we were feeling and how we couldn't possibly think of doing anothe 11 miles when we would reach our destination.  We alos discussed whether once we have done all our training are we going to get to the point where we dont feel bad until the 20th mile or so.  Through the pain neither of us could see it! 

Alison is now cursing the day she said yes to my proposal of doing this moonwalk.  We were both at the stage where stopping was not really an option in case we got cramp so we were trying to time every road crossing to happen at exactly the time the green man came on or when there was no traffic and we could cross.  We did well at this and the relief was huge when we could see our end point.  All we could manage at the end of the walk was a high five and a bye with no stopping.  I got to the car and had a stretch (6 second rule obviously!) before climbing in and driving home.  I sat down to relax and did a good stretch a couple of hours later.  During the rest of the night I decided to keep stretching and I think that really helped.

All in all I dont feel too bad today.  I have a little stiffness and Im a bit sore but Alison is feeling exactly the same.  Its usually a couple fo days later that are worse for me so I will see how tomorrow goes!  So a good weekend in general, and my football team beat the champions to go into the final of the scottish cup where we will play our local rivals Hibs.

xx

This is one of the paths I have regularly been walking on.  As you can see its narrow and also very uneven.  Makes walking with McArdles that little bit harder.  These are things you wouldn't even think would make a difference.

This was a view of Longniddry beach on my way back on the 13 mile walk last week.  I used to come to this beach a lot with my granny and sisters when we were younger.  Im pretty sure there are still photos lurking somewhere of us going into the sea with no clothes on!  Nice embarrassing photos your family have!  Not sure where they actually went!

xx

Happy Easter!!  I have just gotten back from a 13 mile walk! Very tired but feeling ok.  My muscles are tired but not McArdles sore so I dont feel too bad.  I walked out to a place called Longniddry and did a loop which brought me back running alongside Longniddry beach. The problem with this was that its a very fast bendy road and there is no pavement so I had to walk on a path just up from the beach which was bendy and hilly and had sand on it.  Sand is a very difficult surface to walk on at the best of times but when you have McArdles it is worse.  Yes I was in second wind as I had already done 6 or so miles but I could really feel the difference with the different muscles that I needed.  Luckily it was not very long and I was soon on the the concrete again.  I noticed the road surface really can make a difference and even if its just that the paths are not well maintained and there is loose gravel etc.  Going from a flat surface to a hill can be a bit tricky as well.  all is well though and I did enjoy myself.  I was struggling a little bit towards the last couple of miles but I got there!!  I will attach some pictures later.

xx

Hello all,

What a busy week it has been.  The gorgeous weather turned into snow!!  What the....  Scott (the ball and chain) forced me to go out for a walk on Thursday.  It was the last thing I wanted to do after work and in the cold weather but I went and he came with me.  The first part of our walk is on a steady incline.  I found this bit not too bad but as I reached the top where it flattens off I could feel the heart going and felt a bit dizzy.  I had the same feeling a week or so ago when I did a walk and had to stop at the shop for a sports drink and some wine gums.  This made me feel so much better.  Luckily I had taken some orange juice with me which helped but I see the real need to be eating properly.  Scott gave me a wee telling off so I have been told now and I am looking into the best foods for energy etc.  I eat fairly healthy and I know that I am going to need fuel especially on the longer walks but I have not really been following my own head.  I must make the effort to have an eating plan.  Its nine weeks until the walk and I am starting to feel pretty nervous.  I am becoming more aware that people have very kindly sponsored me so I dont want to let anyone or myself down.  Im planning to be doing atleast two long walks a week, hopefully 10-15 miles or more.  Its just very time consuming!!! 

Hope everyone has a good easter, I am so sick of the sight of easter bunnies/eggs etc etc we started to produce our easter stuff months ago, it really puts you off!!

xx

This is my view of the Pentland hills on my walks at lunch time.  Check out the beautiful sunny sky.  Amazing!  Hope the Wakelins are both happy now....

I have been walking but ive just not been blogging.  Ive not done another long walk as I have been pretty busy but I have been regularly walking 3 miles at lunch time.  Today was roasting hot, hard to believe about Scotland I know, but it was very hot.  Having had two big deliveries at work today all I wanted to do was sit in the sun for a while and then go back into an air conditioned kitchen!! 
As I have said before I work as a chocolatier which involves a lot of heavy lifting.  Today for example we had a chocolate delivery.  The chocolate comes in 20kg sacks and myself and Mary carry it off the pallet into the kitchen.  Today it would not fit through the door so it was left outside.  Not a good idea for chocolate so we really needed to get it into the kitchen. I know most people with McArdles will be quite worried about lifting that kind of weight.  I take my time and have a rest if I need to.  MAry and I always say we look like weight lifters when they are trying to carry a car or some other ridiculously heavy object down a runway or something!  I know some people would not agree with me lifting this weight but I have only ever hurt myself once and that was my own fault as the bag slipped and I tried to catch it instead of letting it drop.  I think it helps me to keep my upper body strength at a reasonable level as we mainly use our legs.  Anyway we went for a nice walk in the sunshine and were knackered by the end of it.  Im slightly relieved the walk is at night so atlest it wont be too warm.

I also went for a walk along the promenade at Portobello beach.  Its so nice to see the beach so busy.  I grew up and went to school in Portobello.  It used to be the ultimate beach destination and people used to come from all over to holiday there.  There were even a few outdoor swimming pools!!  So it was really nice to see it so busy.  Although the ice cream queue was so busy we never got one.

Im hoping to do a couple of longer walks this week.  My sister Kim is also doing the walk (she doesn't have McArdles) and she told me last night about her 9 mile walk so my competitive side has come out!

xx

Hi everyone I survived my walk!!

We started out going up hill as I live on a bit of an incline, it was ok and I didn't need to stop.  Got to the top of the road and the road is flat.  We started walking at a steady pace and kept that up for about the first 5 miles.  The walking itself was fine and we were both feeling good.  The weather was a bit chilly, luckily no rain but the roads we were on were very open so it was pretty windy.  We headed out towards a place called longniddry but decided going all the way out there was a bit much on our first long walk so cut down towards a little place called Cockenzie.  At this point a few niggles were started to raise their ugly heads.  Alison was having a bit of trouble with her foot and I was feeling it a bit in my left knee.  We powered on but it was also a very windy and open road and despite having thinsulate gloves on my hands were freezing.  Poor alison didn't even have gloves so her hands were white, turning to blue.

On the last two miles someone stopped to ask directions, aaarrggghh big mistake that tiny little stop did not help our legs and both of us could feel them seizing slightly.  Both of us were finding it tough going at this point but with only about a mile left we really tried to focus and not tell each other how badly we were feeling. Alison's calfs were cramping slightly and my hips were feeling it.  As we turned into my street I changed the way I was walking slightly and got a bit lazy - big mistake my calfs cramped up!  I stretched them a little, just a few seconds at a time and then carried on walking.  When we got into the house we both had to fight the urge to collapse on the sofa.  we did some stretching and some gentle walking round the livingroom. 

I am sore now but not through McArdles, just through general muscle stiffness.  Alison is feeling the same so I know its not just because of the McArdles.  We both enjoyed the walk but are feeling very tired now!  We completed 8.5 miles in 2 hours 35 minutes.  Thats about the 18 minute mile mark so we were a little disappointed as we want to be doing 15 minute miles to get a good time.  Hopefully that will come as we build up our stamina so we cant be too disappointed.  I think a nice hot bath is in order for me now!

xx

Im getting ready for a long walk this morning.  I had a bit to much to drink last night so I am feeling it this morning!!  Urrrggghhh why did I keep drinking!  Its going to be ok though ive had something to eat and feeling better already (lies).  I will blog after the walk, which will hopefully go ok!

xx

I got home from work thinking I would go out for a walk today but its very cold and windy so I couldn't face it and went on the walking machine instead.  As if that wasn't punishment enough I couold smell my baked potato cooking in the oven, calling out my name!  I just did a quick 30 minutes but I can really feel the difference of regular walking.  I also managed to get into second wind a lot quicker today, usually it takes about 8 minutes but today it was around 6.  I also decided to keep an eye on what sort of time it was taking me to go at a faster pace.  I tend to up the pace a little bit and walk at that pace until I feel like Im in "second wind" at that pace before putting the pace up again and repeating that same process.  Planning on doing an 8 mile walk on Saturday.  Im slowly building up my stamina and hopefully I will be ok for the walk.  I already feel a lot better within myself. 

Also wanted to say thanks for the comments.  Im not on facebook but Andrew has passed on those comments to me so I am getting the encouragement.  Im no expert but I think that if you can do even a little bit of walking each day or every other day you will notice a difference.  Even if it takes 50 stops before you can finish a 5 minute walk the more you do it the more its going to help.  I have learnt to listen to my body and to stop or slow down if I need to.  I also know that I CAN do it.  I used to run around, play football, go horse riding, play any sport I could so I know that if I do it safely I will be ok.  When I was diagnosed I think I ended up using it as an excuse to be a bit lazy and I really regret that because it had made it all the harder to stay at some level of fitness.  I miss playing football so much but it used to take so much out of me and I always wondered why I could barely move the next day, so I do have to be a bit sensible and change to walking.  I used to jog a bit and I know that if I can carry on exercising I will be able to start jogging again, well I hope so anyway!!  I hope other people can maybe take a bit of hope from this, I know that everyone is in a different postion but I do have McArdles and we can exercise, we just have to be a bit more careful!

xxx

Hi,

So I had a good week of walking this week.  I did a couple of miles Mon, Tues and wed at work and also 2 miles on Tuesday night.  I had a day off on Thursday and then did a 5 mile walk on Friday.  Saturday was a day off and then 3 miles this morning.  Fridays walk was good as I walked with my friend Jenny and my other half Scott.  Jenny also had her baby Nathan with her so I did a bit of pram pushing as well.  We left our house and walked slightly up hill to turn off to a walk way which takes you down to the local town, Musselburgh.  I actually found the incline fine and I was pushing the pram all the way up.  It was the last few metres where I needed to give the pram to Jenny to push.  So I was very happy with that.  I have been trying to concentrate and time when I get into second wind.  Its very easy to do on the running machine but outside I always forget to check.  I didn't need to stop or slow down on my outside walk but I can definately feel a difference when im "warmed up".  I feel instantly different.  We ad a bit of rain (of course its Scotland)  but all in all it was a pretty good walk.  Again today when I was walking on the running machine I didn't feel the need to slow down or stop to get in to second wind and was able to walk at about 5kmh before upping it to 6.2kmh and then was able to stay at that pace for 40 minutes.  As soon as I start walking and exercising again I instantly feel a lot better.  the only problem I have had this week is ive still got a bit of the sniffles and I inhaled a crumb the other morning and went into a pretty hardcore cough.  when I eventually managed to stop I had hurt both sides of my torso!!  Very annoying!  i was ok a couple of days later but was in a bit of pain at work trying to lift sacks of chocolate etc.  Ive heard other people say that they would get their ck checked if they had hurt themselves but I never do.  I have only ever had it checked once, which then started the investigations into what was going on.  What do other people usually do?  I have McArdle aches every week or every other week, nothing major usually but swellings and soreness but I never attend the Dr. Not sure if I should be??!!!

xxx
p.s if you want to follow me on twitter i am @jen_forrest.  I am going to try and tweet during walkind and also on the big walk itself!

Im finally back walking after having a pretty bad cold and just feeling terrible.  I did my usual 2 mile walk at lunch time on Monday and then again yesterday morning before meeting up with my friend Alison at night to do another 2 miles.  Its the first time we have walked together properly so trying to get the same rhythm going.  She is about 5"2 and I am 5"7 so there is a bit of a difference in our leg size!! 
I thought I would divert from McArdles tonight to tell you about Ali.  Ali and I have been friends for a long time, since high school so about 13-14 years.  A few years ago Ali decided to lose some weight, to be honest Ive never really noticed her size, obviously I knew she was a bit bigger but she was just Ali to me so I never really thought anything of it.  Anyway when she went to glasgow to uni she got a bit bigger and was at her biggest when she decided to make a change.  A couple of years later and she has lost 6 and a half stone!!!  Amazing.  I know this sounds really silly but to be honest I never noticed until we bumped into a school friends mum who didn't recognise her!!  In fact even my own dad who has known her a long time didn't recognise her.  Its not until I look back at photos of her that I see the difference she has always just been who she is.  So she has made this massive change in her life and looks amazing so its quite an achievement for her.  Whilst we have been asking for sponsorship ive been (slightly cheeky) and using my McArdles, I have been joking with her that she needs to say she is an ex fatty and should get an old pair of trousers and get into them in the classic Ive lost lots of weight pose then peoplpe will sponsor her more!!  Anyway I just thought I would share that with you as its going to be a big achievement for both of us to complete this walk.

We did fine on our walk, just need to learn not to talk so much!!

xxxx

Feeling mostly better after a week of stuffiness but still not 100%.  Had a couple of short walks this week which made me feel a lot better.  Thought I would do a longer 5-6 mile walk today, the weather is actually quite nice here for once! however I hurt my thigh kneeling down to talk to my niece so now have to rest it.  very frustrating.  Should be ok by tomorrow so need to get back to it. 
Walk the walk send you out a training programme to follow which if you follow should only take 3 months training in order to complete the walk.  Ive been following it to a certain degree but also listening to my own body.  As long as I get my stamina up I think I can complete it no bother. 
Thanks to Cheryl for the comment - 1 whole comment, come on people where is the support!!!  I probably have not said anything of interest so far to be fair but still!  Im just wondering if it is of any interest to people or helps or if there is something people want me to talk about.  I know I have not written to much about ho the actual walks are so maybe my next post should be about this.  Let me know folks.
Ok I also see I have forgotten to say that we are raising money for breast cancer, if you should feel inclined to sponsor me the link is www.walkthewalkfundraising.org/the_monkeys.  Its a great cause so if you can spare a couple of quid then great.  If not no problem just some encouraging words are good enough.

Thats it for now Scotland are beatign France in the rugby so off to flick between that and the football.  enjoy your Sunday everyone. xxx 

Hi Everyone,

i have been taking a break from training as I have not been feeling well.  Just a cold and a very swollen neck and sore throat but its been making me feel very tired. 
Even though I have been avoiding walking I still had to go and do my monthly shop.  I dont know how everyone else does with this but I find it soooo tiring!!!  I guess I shouold get someone to help me with the trolley full but sometimes thats not practical and you have to go yourself.  I prefer it when the check outs are a bit busier as it gives me time to put everything on the belt and have a break before I have to pack it and put it back in the trolley.  Tonight was especially difficult as the supermarket was quiet so I got straight to a till.  this is one occasion where I dont speak up and say to the check out lady that I need help packing or that I'll just be a minute.  Then I feel bad as I'm taking so long and they are trying to put my stuff through but they are waiting on me getting to the other end and packing it.  Its the little things that can cometimes be the worst!!  Never mind I made it home in one piece just a slight shoulder strain but nothing serious.  Im now home having some lemsip, paracetamol, water and watching the football.  Im going to try adn get back to the walking tomorrow but my ears still feel like they are full of cotton wool and I cant stop coughing but I really need to pull it together, get a grip and start walking again.  There is not long to go and the longest walk Ive done so far is about 4 miles.  Sigh. 
xxx

Yo Yo Yo

So training has begun for the dreaded walk!! I have been trying to have a walk at lunch time, which has been slightly successful, for those of you who dont know I am a chocolatier for a small business called Coco Chocolate, we have shops in both Edinburgh and Australia.  As you can imagine this does not help keeping the weight off, which as you McArdle-ites all know, is very important.  Walking can also sometimes be the last thing you want to do, but it also can be exactly what you want when all you have done all day is look at chocolate. There is a nice walk up past the Edinburgh Dick Vet School and round Bush House.  I have done this walk lots of times, there is a bit of flat before a slight incline and then a fairly flat walk up the road, which is around 2 miles.  Some days I find I dont need to stop at all and some days I need one stop on the incline.  Yesterday and today were very difficult.  Yesterday I had to stop twice, once just before the hill and once on the hill.  I always walk with Mary who I work, she is great and understands if I need to stop and I never feel uncomfortable stopping, she noticed I was a lot more sluggish than usual and that I had to stop twice which is very unusual.   Once Im up the hill I find I can get into second wind very quickly and I can usually speed up and cover the distance in a short time.  Sometimes Mary can be the one who needs to slow down and I can pick up the pace.

I have said "Im having a bad McArdles day" lots of times and I know our McArdles is not thought to be different on different days but thats how it feels.  I know its because Im just generally feeling run down, I can feel Im coming down with a cold so I know that will be affecting me but sometimes you just want to scream and be pissed off that your McArdles is "stopping" you from doing something as basic as walking 100 yards without stopping.  In general though I find having this walk at lunch time very beneficial.  I find that as soon as I stop exercising I feel terrible.  I know that other people with McArdles feel the same.  Last year after I did the walking in Wales with the McArdle's group I felt great (If anyone is thinking of doing this I highly recommend it).  I came back thinking I would keep the fitness up and quickly fell back into not exercising and I can honestly say I have not felt so bad for a long time.  I felt run down, tired and just generally ill, I kept hurting my muscles and they were swelling up.  As soon as I started walking again I felt so much better.  TING the light has just come on - exercise is good for me!!!

Jen x

Happy Valentines Day everyone!!

So having signed up for the walk I thought the best thing to do would be to invest in some comfy trainers.  On a very cold, windy and rainy day in Edinburgh I decided to go with a friend into town and go to a proper trainer shop.  Not one of these designer trainer shops but one that actually knows if a trainer fits and who can actually give you advice.  I went to a shop called 'Run For It' and spoke to a lovely man who informed me that I should walk on the treadmill whilst he filmed my bare feet to see how I actually walked.  Fine I thought, his next question was "do you have any injuries at the moment?"  Hmmmmm well now.....I kinda have this muscle thingy disease type thing I tell him, I see his eyes glaze over slightly and the thought process going on in his head.  In my mind it went something like this, "What the hell is she talking about!!  She is in here to get shoes because she is doing a marathon, she looks fine and I have no idea what this muscle thing is ....."  In reality he probably thought ok thats fine you just tell me how fast you can go on the treadmill and how far.  Luckily it was a slowish pace and for about 30-40 seconds so I was absolutely fine.  I do admit however that I was slightly panicked.  Even though I have now gotten to a stage where I (most of the time) have noe embarrassment about stoppping or telling people about McArdle's, there are times when that age old pushing yourself too far and not stopping in time come into play.  Why do we do that??????  Its funny I never thought something as simple as going to buy new trainers could be potentially troublesome.  My advice if anyone is doing something similar, just be honest with the person and speak up.  Years ago I might not have had the confidence to say I need to tell you how fast and how far on the treadmill.  I seemed to have lost my embarassment, I think its mainly from actually having a diagnosis, I would probably have told the guy that I was really unfit and thats why it was sore pre diagnosis but actually having a name for it makes it so much easier.

So after a few trainers and walks on the treadmill I purchased my trainers and made my way back out to the cold and off to look at my new purchase thinking I will put them on soon!!!  I must say I have had a walk in them now and it was like heaven!  I have never been so happy in a pair of trainers.

Jen x

Hi everyone,

My name is Jen, I'm 27, I'm form Edinburgh and I have McArdle's.  I was diagnosed around 5 years ago.  I have decided to take on a 26mile marathon walk, the Edinburgh Moonwalk!!!  I thought I would write a blog to let people know how my training is going and hopefully help, encourage, motivate and generally just make people smile.
Ive always been a very fit and active person and could never understand what was going on with my body, a feeling Im sure all you McArdle-ites know about.  I played a lot of sports but my one goal was to run a Marathon.  Im pretty sure I cant run one but the next best thing for me is to walk it.  The Edinburgh Moonwalk is taking place on Saturday 9th June 2012 and myself and my friend Alison have signed up.


Im going to try and blog atleast once a week and let people know how the training is going.  I start from a position of having not done a lot of exercise for a while.  I do gentle walking but not regularly so I'm starting at a low fitness point and hopefully over the next few months I can build this up and complete the marathon walk.

This is my first post so I dont want to write too much but I will post again in a couple of days and more when the proper training kicks in!!  I will also be tweeting on the actual walk but I will post details of how you can follow me later.

Please feel free to comment or get in touch with any comments etc.  Apart from hopefully being of interest to others I am doing this for myself.  Im not a medical expert or anything so Im just writing this from personal experience so hopefully people will take it in the vain its meant to be in.  A bit of FUN!!!

Over and Out, Jen