Accepting the Setbacks

So it’s 7th February and my first day back at work. I’m 7 weeks too early given my decision to stop my expedition due to injury.

It’s been a challenging few days to say the least, with acceptance of an unsuccessful attempt to complete my 2nd 1,000 mile unsupported adventure within a 12 month period now putting my vision back 12 months. 

This is the 4th time in the last 5 years I’ve fallen and not achieved the goal. But hang on a minute, was there an actual defining aspect where I had a win from this experience?

A big part of me wants to get on my bike and go cycle another 1,000 miles across and around the UK, but the reality, I need 7-10 days for my toe and finger tops to heal before I go out and smash another 1,000 miles. I still have 2 months to achieve another 1,000 miles but need to ensure I allow some time for recover. I have very limited feelings in the ends of my fingers due to frostnip and a not-so-great looking middle toe of my left foot. That said, everything is fine and ready to go!

But I pause, I ask myself - What would I achieve if I went and did 1,000 miles on my mountain bike? 

Personally, I don’t think it would be an achievement as I can do 1,000 miles on a bike all day long. I continue my pause for a moment and reflect. 

I realise I wouldn’t be gaining anything by grabbing my mountain bike and going off to cycle 1,000 miles, and it would be a tick exercise. That is not what I’m about!

It’s been a bitter pill to swallow. My pride, risk of reputation, financial outlay, expenses, time from working with clients and much more. All of which I have to overcome and focus moving forward with my learnings from this experience. 

My South Pole world record is still on track!

A big part of me is filled with huge disappointment and something that has yet to process fully within my mind.

All the training, planning and preparation suddenly came to a holt on day 2 when I had conversations with the medical specialist on my options to continue my adventure. I honestly thought it would be a conversation indicating that it would be ok to continue. How wrong I was.

It’s not how hard you fall, but how hard you are willing to get back up fight for your vision, goals and aspirations. You fall down, you get back up, and try again. Fall down twice, get back up again, fall down 3 times, get up 4. Fall down 4 times, get up 5. 

Guess this is where I’m at, it’s the 5th time I've gotten up, brushed the dust off my shoulders and continued my pursuit towards my goals. 

For me, It’s only when you quit following your goals, dreams or aspirations, that failure presents itself.

The Experience

Day 1 turned out to be one of the toughest days on any adventure I had experienced. The moment I was dropped off, I was faced with challenges. Challenges I did not expect to occur given the intensive preparations, especially with my equipment.

It took over an hour to get the pulk set up given one of the securing pins had managed to break into the pulk poles and I had to start making repairs. All of which in sub zero conditions didn’t make for a great start with my fingers and toes.

That said I remained focused on my goal.

For the first 4 hours, things just got from bad to worse. Cold weather management with my snowshoes meant I had to add extra socks, try and warm the toes on my left foot. Bearing in mind I have never had problems with keeping my feet and toes warm, but for some reason this time my toes got very cold and numb all of a sudden. 

By around hour 7 on day one I was ready for rest as I made it to Joatka Lodge.

I needed to be indoors and not in a tent. My right hand finger tips were suffering yet my toes were toasty and warm having worked on them and changed footwear.

As I warmed my fingers up, I knew I had to wait and see in the morning how my fingers were. I checked my toes and they looked great which was a relief, but I had concerns over the level of frostnip on my finger tips.

The following morning having slept with wool mittens on my hands, my fingertips didn’t feel right. I felt it wise to call back to Alta to see a Doctor and get advice before continuing on my adventure.

This meant checking into a hotel for one night as they couldn’t guarantee what time they would see me.

The Showering Moment!

Still in cold shower mode, I started my shower under cold water and then turned on the warmth. 

The lovely warm shower was great until I got out and dried myself off noticing an unforgiving image on my middle toe on my left foot.

There was no doubt, I had frostbite just on the tip of my toe going under the toe nail. I got dressed and went straight to the doctors. After a short wait, I was seen by a lovely caring Doctor. 

Good news Jonathan she said, there is circulation on the toes but the injury needs observing and the frostnip on your right hand fingers will ease off over time. That said, you need to be cautious until everything heals. Any further exposure at this stage could lead to serious damage.

The Realisation

It was at this point I made the call. I couldn’t feel any temperature difference on the tips of my right-hand fingers. This is a major concern. Purely because if I can’t feel the cold on my fingers, if I go back out on my expedition, I could lose some or all of my fingers and risk suffering a major issue, furthermore the frostbite injury on my toe could get a lot worse.

My ego and pride initial said just get on with it. My heart said hang-on Jon, Norway will still be here next year, but your toes and fingers may not. Calculate the risk. 

It was a simple decision to make. Norway will still be there next year!

Safety first and live to fight another day. No question about it or negotiations needed with my ego. It was simple and quick, postpone my adventure until next year. Afterall, I do control my bear!

It could have been very easy to be egotistical and push on. But really! What would I be proving, that I can destroy my body at any costs just for one of the many adventures I have planned. 

No. I’m in full control of my bear, and sometimes, we have to take a step back to go forward.

So I chose to take a positive step, rest, recover and regroup, to the go back another time for a successful outcome. 

What I know, is that I can influence my direction going forward and whilst I didn’t achieve my desired outcome at this moment in time, I have to ask the question if it is the universe having another plan for me to which I have chosen to accept this adjustment.

Conclusion

Sometimes in life things don’t always work out as we hope they will do, but it doesn’t mean we bury our heads into the sand and take our bat and ball home. No, I believe in the approach where I embrace my learnings and grow from them. 

Parts of my equipment are being upgraded and my training is back on track for 2023 onwards.

Since writing this blog, I’ve spoken and met with my Doctors here in the UK. Everything is going to be OK. The frostbite has became localised and both toes and fingers are healing well. 

Could the injuries have been avoided? Mostly yes which I take ownership of. Could I have prevented the equipment failure at the beginning. No, I have stripped and cleaned the equipment maticulously.

That said, things don’t always go to plan in life, but it’s the actions and decisions I made during and afterwards that I embrace and take with me going forward.

For now, I will be focusing on my private client work, supporting clients achieve a solid mindset that can take on anything they desire both in the office and outdoors.

Roll on 2023 and beyond for my next set of adventures...

If you want to explore how I support clients, just click on the get in touch button below to arrange a short discovery session.

How do you train for a 1,000 mile unsupported trek?

Stepping up my training

Is there a method in my madness, or am I just mentally insane?

A question I often ask myself when self-checking on my approach and commitment or theory to application.

With just under 5 months to go before I fly to the Yukon for my amazing 1,000 mile unsupported trek along frozen rivers, lakes and wilderness, in temperatures that can plummet to minus 50 degrees, I’m now stepping up my training whilst pulling my tyre in the Derbyshire Peaks.

Please be warned, I've shared the images of my feet over a 6 day period so you can see how quick they can heal when your mindset is trained.

The last month has been about training and gaining mileage, on harsh terrain, whilst pulling the tyre. Sometimes even throwing the tyre over my shoulder whilst scrambling over boulders and much more.

Yes, I’ve had choice words with the tyre and moments of thoughts questioning my sanity and training plan. Yet, this recent weekend has evidenced the benefits of why I am so hard on myself and with my training schedule.

Exploring my pace

Friday night I went to bed at 10pm with the aim of a 4am alarm to get my butt out of bed, showered, fed and a 1-hour drive to my training destination. True to form I hit the snooze button and eventually kicked myself out of bed by 4.30am.

I get to my starting point with the vision of consistently walking a 6km/h pace which is just short of 4mph (3.72mph to be exact).

You may be thinking, this is just a fast walk, which it is, but I’m also pulling a tyre over uneven terrain with plenty of ups and downs as well.

Within an hour I hit just short of the 6km/h pace and now focus on maintaining the pace for a minimum of 26 miles. I know my total distance for the day will exceed a marathon distance, but my target is just to see what the marathon distance timing is. Afterall, whilst I may have walked 40 miles with my tyre a few Saturday’s ago, on testing terrain and hills, which took me over 15 hours, this time it was about easier terrain that could simulate the type of terrain I will be trekking along.

I wanted to explore my pace over long distances and how best to maintain hydration and body fuel/food intake.

My previous weekend training events had resulted in some pretty nasty blisters, yet they healed very quickly due to knowing how to work with my mind, but also some good basic first aid application. So, blisters were not going to be a surprise on this day’s training.

Sure enough, I feel the blisters arrive on my right foot towards the end of the marathon distance. One under the pads of my foot and one on the side of my heal. I finally decide that I must ditch my shoes when I get back and go back to my running trainers for the time being.

7 hours 18 minutes and I complete the marathon distance with just over 5 kilometres still to go. Feet hurting, legs stiff, but overall, feeling great as I continue my training day.

I’m not fazed by the blisters and know they will need treating with the full understanding that I will be repeating the distance the very next day!I complete the 1st day with just over 29 miles achieved and a very hungry tummy resulting in me having 2 ice creams at the ice cream van (99 flake cones).

Back home whilst enjoying a relaxing bath, I inspect my feet. Left foot OK, right foot has a nasty blister in the middle between the pads of my foot, and a blister on the edge of my heal.

Crap I think, these will hurt tomorrow. I dress the wounds and enjoy a relaxing evening.

Already I'm having to resolve my state of mind. The last thing I need is a mindset telling things will hurt before I've even begun the next day's training!

Setting the day's agenda

Setting the alarm for a 4am start again, true to form once again I hit the snooze button and eventually get out of bed at 5am.

I’m sort of relaxed about the idea of sleeping in and prep my feet ready for action.

As I set off from my starting point, my legs are screaming at me and my right foot feels like it’s walking on razor blades! Stiff, painful and weary, it takes around 1.5 hours before my legs begin to ease off, but my pace is way off! I’d been averaging 5.4km/h which wasn’t acceptable. But why? Tired from yesterday!Also, I set my goal to complete the marathon distance within 7 hours pulling the tyre, so I had put some pressure on myself to push the boundaries of the previous days’ performance.

Pushing on day 2

I eventually hit the average 6km/h pace and now focus on maintaining it. There was no way I wasn’t going to achieve my goal of a sub 7-hour marathon pulling a tyre.

24 kilometres and I’m feeling strong and managing to keep the 6km/h pace. That said I know any faster and I’ll need to jog. If you have ever tried walking at 6km/h, you’ll know it’s a pretty fast walking pace.

I keep a close eye on my pace and by 32 kilometres I’ve dropped to 5.9km/h average pace. I feel annoyed and know I have to make a decision. Knowing full well the nasty blister under the pads of my right foot will only get worse if I jog sections of the route. Is my pain of not achieving my goal greater than the pain I feel from the blisters? You may have guessed, yes, it is, and I begin to jog 100 yards or so and walk, and repeat. “I will complete a sub 7-hour marathon pulling a tyre” I say to myself.

The downhill sections are really taking their toll on the pads of my right foot and I know the blister is a big one!

Only one option

My music is blasting away and by now I’ve pretty much listened to all The Killers albums and much more. Singing away in my head I keep going. Jogging walking, jogging walking and so on.

I hit the 38.5 kilometre point and its way in front of my target time. I smile and have two choices. Ease off and settle for the 7-hour marathon or push harder to ensure I smash it. Only one option and that’s to smash it. I press on and maintain the jog and walk momentum.

Pushing your boundaries

6 hours 56 minutes I hit the magic 42 kilometres. I’m so chuffed with myself as I know I can get my time down to a 6:46 marathon within a couple of weeks given my training schedule and ability to jog pulling the tyre.

But hang on a minute! I have a very nasty blister! “Good” I feel. Why?

I take the mindset approach that I want to experience pushing my mind and body beyond any perceived limits. I’ll soon be walking 1,000 miles in extreme conditions and inevitably experience some challenges along the way.

I want to experience, explore and remind myself how my body recovers and how I deal with potential injuries, bodily sensations and mindset when going beyond the unknown.

Method in madness

My method in my madness I feel is to prepare now for the variables. See how quick I can heal from injuries such as blisters, tiredness and fatigue both physical and mental.

I’d completed over 57 miles pulling my tyre in just over 34 hours, having had rest, food and water. My plan for walking the 1,000 miles is a minimum of 30 miles a day with walking time of 15 hours a day. I know I’m on track. Under 9 hours to complete the 29 miles on the Saturday and 7 hours 56 minutes to complete the 28.5 miles on the Sunday. By allowing myself an extra 7 hours each day to achieve the minimum 30 miles a day, this will allow me to push for the 40 miles each day where possible.

Blister Management

With regards to my blister management. I genuinely wanted to incur blisters during my training. Why? Because I want to explore how quick I can heal when combining my mindset with healing, but also first aid treatment.

Can I actually recover within a few days so I can continue my journey on my expedition trek if I experience a bad blister? I know, don’t get blisters in the first place! Crap happens, things don’t always go to plan and if you’re not experienced in dealing with challenging situations, how on earth do you know how you will handle the situation when in extreme conditions?

As I began writing this article, within 1 week, I will complete another 28.5 miles pulling my tyre whilst healing a major blister as shown in the images. People thought it couldn't be done, but you can see from the images it can! 

I experience fast healing due to the combined mindset and first aid I apply. This is such a mental positive boost.

Day 6 Ready of another 28.5 miles

My training

Training to walk 1,000 miles whilst pulling my expedition pulk isn’t just about getting the mileage under your belt. To me it’s about pushing yourself both physically and mentally in a safe place. So, you can understand how you react, respond and apply yourself in a fatigued state. Afterall, I’ll be in extreme conditions on my own with no medical assistance or any support.

Even the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest Dog Sled race isn’t being run in 2021 due to COVID19, so I’ll be no doubt making my own route at various stages.

So, you see, I feel that when training or practicing you need to push yourself beyond your limits when in a safe place. That way, when you’re in the real world of applying your training, everything is automatic, and your mind knows exactly what to do. Don’t put yourself in a position where you are learning on the job. That could cost you your life when it’s minus 50 degrees with no help around.

My training schedule

It’s September the 7th 2020 and I have approximately 11 weekends left before I ease off training.

My aim is to manage and maintain 2 x 40-mile days each weekend. 3.72mph = 11-hour tyre pulling walks.

I will maintain 2 x 29-mile tyre pulling walks each weekend for the whole of September and October

In November and December, I will increase and maintain at 2 x 40-mile tyre pulling walks.

My feet will be conditioned, my adjustments to the insoles, boots broken in, equipment positioned perfectly to suit my walking style.

My mind will unconsciously know where everything is positioned within my pulk (sled).

I will know key areas exactly on the maps; where I will be resting.

Everything will be in place allowing for January 2021 where I just ease off, gain a little weight and maintain regular training but at a reduced rate ready for the 6th February 2021.