Day 13 - Hills to Helensburgh
Today was... Interesting!! We did not get much sleep last night after going to Glasgow Warriors. We didn't get back to the caravan until 9.45pm, and we immediately put on the Engalnd V France game. Gutted we couldn't be there 😢 We all sat around my tablet, chanting and cheering. Poor, Neil had work to do, so had to take himself off and do that. We got to half time and had to go to bed. By the time we got in to bed it was almost midnight. The alarm went-a buzzing at 6.30am. My eyes did not want to open. I brushed my teeth with my eyes closed, and sat with my coffee looking gormless! 🤣 But it was go day, so I had to wake up fast. Cat told me the route was very busy and we had to take a different route half way, or I would risk being squished! But that was a common thing. Changing the route last minute.
So off we went. My wheeling bag packed with the usual kit: Garmin, little video camera, battery pack, phone, earphones, 8 gels, nakd bars x2, a protein bar, spare wrist wraps, a poncho, medication, and my good luck charms. A lucky 8 pin Neil had gotten me from John O’Groats and a lucky little ducky 🐤 from Sharon.
Off we went in the car for the 40 min trip back to the start line. Neil couldn't do his usual live post because the layby was so small. I got ready as quick as I could and off I went. A few yards down the road, and I was straight into a hugely steep hill with a camber from hell! On a very busy road, so I couldn't falter at all. I made it to the top, and then came a lovely section of downhills. Not too steep, but they burned through 2 pairs of gloves on that section alone. I am keeping every pair, which are labled with what day they were from. Neil's idea incase anyone would like them after?
After the downhills came up hills. The road got busier and busier. We had to stop on a regular basis to let cars past. This wasn't a quick thing either. The cars just kept coming and coming. I was worried people would get angry. But they diddnt. People stopped the other side of the road and took photos. Others shouted massive encouragement and clapped hands . It was so surreal, and really spurred me on. I'm not used to that sort of thing. ! didn't know what to do other than say thankyou. It was so lovely. Then came a change of road, and boy, what a change it was. It was a tiny road, with nothing but trees, and the road surface was absolutely awful. Pot holes, and cambers. Bumps and cake road. Wet patches and mud. I felt like I was off road mountain biking! My chair is not built for that kind of thing. I was worried something may drop off it! It was rattling like mad. Bolts were loosening. I was getting nautious from bumps over and over! 🤣 But then it eased into a nicer surface. Just in time for the next change. The rolling road! Massively steep, but short ups and downs. Over and over. Despite this, I was making good time. I was looking at a sub 4 hour marathon, easy! So I carried on pushing as fast as I could. I has done 40 km and just had 5km to go, when I reached a sign I'd seen before. The last one like it said 12%🤯 This one said 16%. This was the hill gradient in percentage. The last one was the steepest incline i had done yet. I barely got up it. I was tipping and had to lean right forward just to get up it. (Yep, that one!). This was far worse. I stoped and turned to Cat and said, I cant do that. I really can't. She just said to me, 'your gonna have to, don't psych yourself out, you can, your a machine!' So I sat in the road, took a drink, and a gel. And genuinely thought to myself, what would the Chiefs ladies do? They would carry on no matter what. I've seen them with broken fingers and bloody noses, carrying on regardless. They push against each other with such strength that any tendon or muscle could pop, and carry on. So that's what I said to myself. I will carry on. I can, I will, I must! So I sat, took a deep breath, and began. It wasn't too bad at the start, but that diddnt last. I was pushing with everything I had. I couldn't use momentum, because I couldn't sit up at all. I had to use my strength and nothing else. The front of the chair was coming off the road on every push, so I planted my chest on my knees and just kept pushing. This obviously restricts your lung capacity, so this was another issue. So I went on. I could see the top. It was about 500 feet ish long. Bad enough when your pushing a wheelchair up the equivalent of a flight of stairs without the steps. I saw many cars passing really slowly. One lady looked rather concerned 🤣
So I kept at it. My chest, triceps, shoulders and back were screaming and burning. Then my hands and forearms joined in. But I must be getting closer, right?
Wrong! The top kept moving, and getting steeper. It then got steeper again and longer again. I had to keep stopping, which was a challenge in itself. Holding yourself on a hill like that is almost impossible. But I had no choice. My arms would not take any more. I needed to rest for a moment and carry on. I kept on doing this over and over. Getting more angry with myself because I didn't have the strength to carry on. It was waining fast...
But I kept on going. My arms burning, but I kept on going. My heat rate racing, but I kept on going, my whole body aiching, but I kept on going, feeling like I wa going to be sick, but I kept on going...
Then, the sight I'd been wanting to see. The top? Could it be, or was it a mirrage? I gave it one last effort and it was there, it was the top, and there was a layby...
I wheeled into it, and as I did I felt my body go through something I've never been through before. Not even during my records. It welled up with intense immotion. Tears were streaming down my face. I couldn't stop it. I think it was a mixture of relief and being so happy that I'd done the impossible. Pam came out of the car, put her arm around my sweaty back (Poor Pam) and said, 'how did you do that? I've been watching in awe. Your awesome!' Which made me cry more, but because she had said it to me. Because my friend felt like that. ❤️
But it was no time to stop. I still had a bit more to do. This was a bit of downhill, and then again I saw the sight! Another mountain like I'd just been up. I just went for it, and got tho the top, and this happened 3 more times. I saw a lay by and pulled in and said that's it. I am done. It was the end anyway. I had completed my 45km. I looked at the stats. My steepest climb yet! But then what showed me was my fastest 10k, and my 2nd fastest marathon, 20k, 30k and 40k. I finished in just over 4 hours! How? I have zero idea. Really, no idea.
I was so relieved to have finished though. My whole body was shaking at that point. I desperately got intot the car to find my rego drink and stretch a bit. Knowing we had a bit of a drive to the accommodation.
About half an hour later we arrived at a cottage. It was still being cleaned, but the cleaner kindly let us in. Unfortunately it seemed to be one bedroom short, and it was. We had booked a 3 bedroom and this was a 2. Clearly not right. So we had to repack everything and drive anothe 20 minutes to another location. Not what you need when you've just worked that hard. The team were all mentally exhausted as well and just wanted to get there. I had finished early in the day for a change, and this was ruined by the accommodation, so none of us were very happy.
But the evening was nice. We had pizza night and sat watching the Engalnd roses game from the day before, on a proper size tv. Then I had to service my chair properly. Lots of bolts lose and my stump board was in the wrong place! No suprise though!
I'm very sore now, and have another 45km to do tomorrow! Wish me luck!! 🙏🤣
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- Lejog
- End2End-therugbyrelay
- Helensburgh
- Scotland
- Women In Sport
- Endurance
- Wheelchair
- Veteran
- Hills
Lexi Chambers