Guys,

There are no words to express my feelings. I am so happy it is over!!!

Thank you so much for your generosity, it means a lot to me to make so much money for charity. Big thanks to Helen for organising the mini-lottery. I am pleased to announce that the winning square is E2.

Our team target was to finish in around 26 hours. Injuries slowed us down but courage, strength and adrenaline took over and somehow we managed to finish the walk in 29 hours and 37 minutes.

I'd like to thank all for the text messages and phone calls during the walk, it was a real support and kept me going. It really served as inspiration and helped me all along.

My personal injuries started within the first 10k, which was a surprise, given that I never experienced blisters before. I was presented with my first one in the beginning, which worried but kept me going. Those new blister kits worked wonders and I truly recommend them. Better than regular plasters so consider them when wearing new shoes!

At around 6PM (11 hours on) an old ankle sprain decided to pay a visit, meaning I experienced pain on the outer side of my right ankle. This must have made me walk funny because the back of my left knee started hurting. So I wrapped up really nice both my left knee (almost the hole leg, really) and the right ankle and made sure I had my poles with me all along. I was "fine" after that.

A Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) curiosity for my TCM colleagues is that all my pains and aches were TCM clock related and I almost could tell exactly the time based on that.

The poles were particularly useful because at one point my legs felt like they were drunk (I didn't drink from about a week before the walk) and they wouldn't respond to my brain, so every time I wobbled I was able to regain balance and hold falls with the help of the poles.

I am not allowed to acupuncture myself, therefore I cannot comment on that. However, I regret to inform that at checkpoint 6, 7 and 9 I took ibuprofen. I know it was very little intake in comparison with most people on the walk and I am pleased I made that decision, but somehow it felt like a cheat. I took tons of guarana (Brazilian caffeine beans) and that kept me going really well. 

Today I feel sore, but well and happy, with a great sense of achievement.

I have taken lots of pix and I will post them soon.

Once again, thank you so much for believing in me. A special thanks to my team and more importantly to my support team with whom I could not have done without.

X

Andrea

Thank you for visiting my fundraising page. Please dig deep and sponsor me online.

Obrigada pela visita a minha pagina!
Aguardo seu patrocinio generoso.
Meu time e a Fundacao Gurkha agradecem

Grazie per la visita della mia pagina fundraising.
Aspettiamo il vostro generoso patrocinilo.
Grazie dalla mia squadra e della Gurkha Welfare Trust

Thanks,

Andrea and The Tropical Birds team

for our group page please visit http://www.justgiving.com/tropicalbirds

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Oxfam Trailwalker will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.