My Kenya diary - all the ups and downs

Sunday 12th February 2012 - Green Hills Hotel, Nyeri

Psalm 121: I lift up my eyes to the mountains - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

We arrived into a very sunny Kenya this morning after a 9-hour overnight flight. Immediately, we set out on a 4-hour bus journey. I slept a lot during the transfer to Nyeri, but when I was awake, I notice our 4-bus convoy was attracting a lot of attention from the locals, particularly the children who waved and smiled as we passed. I also noticed lots of schools and educational institutes - primary schools, secondary schools, university colleges, even special schools. This is a nation looking for a better future for their children, girls and boys alike.

Onto the cycling then - on arrival at our hotel in Nyeri (after some alarming hills) we were fitted with our bikes. Mine has a green flower pattern which is pretty, but it is a 17" frame, so I feel an awfully long way off the ground. I'm sure I'll get used to it quickly. We then had a short 2km 'warm-up' ride to test the bikes, which involved very steep hills - I was struggling just over that short distance, in particular with my breathing. We are at a high altitude so that won't have helped.

I'm now awaiting tomorrow with great trepidation - we have 99km over similar terrain, altitude and heat. Can I really do today's ride 50 times over? I may have to accept some time on the bus, but we will see what tomorrow brings.

Monday 13th February 2012 - Thomson's Falls Lodge, Nyaharuru

1st day done! Really, really tough but I did it! Had to go on the bus for 14km before lunch as I was too slow but I certainly wasn't the only one - 2 buses full! Carried on in the afternoon and did a total of 85km in the saddle - my longest ever ride.

Some beautiful views, particularly at the top of the (very) steep hills when you could look back at what you've achieved. I pedalled every bit of the 85km, albeit with a lot of breathers - I am now an expert at hill starts!

The team spirit between the girls is fab - supported on the road today by Sarah Wilson, Sarah Moore, Jo Camera, Emma Bridges-Helyer and Mel Frith (and probably others I've forgotten) and of course Henk who came alongside me on some of my lowest moments.

I seem to be developing a slight cold - I was OK during the day (I was out of breath a lot but that was more likely to be hills, heat and altitude) but it's bothering me now at bedtime so fingers crossed for tomorrow.

We crossed the Equator today so now in the Southern Hemisphere. Saw amazing stars tonight including a shooting star.

Tomorrow is a much shorter day with apparently a long downhill stretch, although I am sure there will be some ups as well. Feeling a lot more hopeful tonight about my chances - just hope I don't ache too much in the morning!

Wednesday 15th February 2012

Really tough couple of days. Was suffering on Monday evening, became really bunged up during the night and couldn't sleep. I got on the bus for the first leg intending to get back on the bike for the downhill section, by which point I was feeling so weak and dizzy that I couldn't contemplate cycling. I stayed on the bus for the whole of Tuesday, becoming gradually more poorly - by the evening I had a 39 degree temperature and was coughing up gunk.

I'm now on a course of antibiotics and do feel a little better today (temperature is still high but falling) - less hazy and more able to appreciate things like a beautiful sunrise over Lake Baringo.

Waiting at the top of the 'big hill' as all the others cycled in really made my emotions hits - all of the time, effort and money which has gone into this challenge, and I can't even complete it. I'm determined to finish with the group on Friday but I know I won't have achieved what I set out to do. Just feeling so incredibly frustrated and miserable right now. Everyone has been lovely and really looking after me, but when you feel ill and weak, home is the place to be.

I'm being given a sleeping tablet tonight to see if I can have an undisturbed night - hopefully I will feel better for it.

Thursday 16th February 2012 - Golf Hotel, Kakamega

I'm feeling much brighter today after a good nights sleep and I have managed to eat a little which will help me recover my strength. I am so determined to cycle tomorrow and cross the finish line with the girls.

Everyone here has been so lovely and supportive through what has felt like a lonely few days. We had a bus full today as there were a few sickness bugs and accidents.

I know I'm not the only one who hasn't completed the full challenge because of illness or injury but it is still hugely frustrating - I feel as if I have been robbed of the opportunity to achieve something amazing. The girls here are fantastic and try to reassure me that I have already achieved so much with the fundraising and training and, while I know they have a point, I will always feel that, not only have I been cheated of the experience of completing a challenge, but that I have somehow cheated all those who have sponsored me. I know I couldn't have helped it but I was sponsored to cycle 400km around Kenya and I haven't done it. I'm just so bitterly disappointed and angry.

Friday 17th February 2012 - Sunset Hotel, Kisumu

Woke up sweating and shaking - temperature back up to 38.1 degrees. Day's cycling out the window. Had a pretty miserable morning on the 'sick bus' with lots of tears - I was feeling fairly rotten and so disappointed to be missing the final day.

I did manage to get on for the final 5km into Kisumu, but was fairly out of it. We rode through the town in a block, stopping the traffic. I had no strength at all - it was harder than my first ever training cycle (2 miles in Tiree). Jules cycled alongside me, encouraging me throughout - I honestly think I would have stopped without her support. I cried all the way from sheer exhaustion.

I was very emotional when we finally arrived at the hotel and got my medal - I still don't really feel I deserved it, despite the girls' assertions to the contrary.

The afternoon was spent mostly by the pool, until I crashed and had to come back to my room for a rest before dinner. We got dressed up for our celebratory dinner but, shortly after we sat down, the power went out leaving us in the dark. Then, to make matters worse, there was an impressive thunderstorm and we had to decamp to higher ground. Eventually dinner was had (although I'm still not eating much) but I crashed before the evening's entertainment and came to bed. The lift was broken so I had to walk up 5 flights of stairs which has really finished me off. It's been good to get out and socialise but it's making me realise just how little energy I have.

I'm glad I managed the final stretch to cross the finish line but it did prove to myself that there was no way I could have done any more.

Sunday 19th February 2012 - Ole Sereni Hotel, Nairobi

Saturday

We had a six-hour bus journey to Nakuru in the morning - as I was feeling slightly better I was able to appreciate the Kenyan countryside and people a little more. It is shocking to see large-scale poverty first hand, but what strikes me most is not the people's poverty, but their spirit. No one sits around feeling sorry for themselves (not in rural Kenya anyway, you do see it a little more in the larger townships), they just get on with their work, doing what they have to do in order to survive. Everyone works, from young children herding animals and working the field to old women with walking sticks and heavy loads on their back or head. Women with tiny babies strapped to them carry out their normal chores. People think nothing of sending their children to walk miles to school - usually they go alone, presumably because the parents must stay home and work. Laziness is not an option if they want to live. It makes me realise how spoilt we in the West are. We want for nothing yet we're always after more, usually for the minimum of effort. We could learn a lot from the African ways.

On a less serious note, I was amused by the names of some of the places - it seems that people name their businesses after English words without necessarily a clear understanding of the meaning. I have seen the Starbucks Hotel, Complex Shop, Hangover Hotel, Wool Matt Supermarket and, my particular favourite, the Lazarus Funeral Home. They don't stay dead for long in there... I was also slightly concerned by a proliferation of hotels/butcheries - I'm not sure I would feel too safe falling asleep!

On Saturday afternoon, we had a game drive in Nakuru National Park. I was actually quite disappointed - although I'm glad I went for the experience, it certainly wasn't worth the 14,000 shillings (£115) we paid for it. However, we did see baby rhinos which was lovely, along with zebras, impalas, monkeys, baboons, water bucks, water buffalos, eagles, pelicans, storks and flamingoes. We did see a lion and lioness but they were lying in the grass sleeping, looking very sickly and weak, which was a slightly odd way to see the 'King of Beasts'. I was very disappointed not to see giraffes - apparently the part of the park they live in was too far away for us to get to in the time that we had.

After the game drive, I was extremely fatigued so spent the rest of the evening in bed.

Sunday

After another transfer to Nairobi, we arrived at the elephant orphanage. This was, hands down, the highlight of my week. We saw first of all these elephants under two years old (the littlest was only three months) - they fed, watered, bathed and played. They were very playful indeed, including one naughty one who suddenly ran to the crowd - I got a splattering of mud, but one of the girls got the full impact. She was fine, but caked in mud! After the littlies, they brought the 2-3 year olds out. They are much the same in behaviour, just slightly bigger! I took loads of pictures - they are such joyful creatures and beautiful to watch. It was sad to hear their stories - many arrived there after the mothers were killed by poachers. The work done is amazing - the keepers actually sleep with the younger elephants as they need to be fed every three hours.

Afterward, we visited the Faraja cancer project and heard a little about the work they do and what they hope to do with the money raised. They have received £50,000 from our sponsor money and a further £100,000 on the back of the publicity they have received because of Women V Cancer. As their total budget last year was £10,000, this money will make a phenomenal difference to the services they can provide.

Finally, onto the beautiful Ole Sereni Hotel for a rest and relax before tomorrow's flight home. I am already planning my next holiday to Nairobi!

To sum up the week, it has been incredibly challenging, but for all the wrong reasons. However, there have been some fantastic highs. Reaching the end of the first day and realising I could actually do this. Seeing the baby elephants. Seeing so much of the beauty of Kenya and it's people. And, most importantly, meeting some fantastic ladies and hearing their stories. I hope I will keep in touch with some and we are already planning to meet up again.

Not being able to complete the challenge has been so bitterly frustrating - not only do I feel I have not achieved what I have been sponsored to do, I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. Having given it some thought, I am hoping to arrange to complete the mileage later in the year - both for my sponsors and for myself. I had been looking forward to hanging up my bicycle wheels for a while, but I know I won't feel as if I have completed the challenge until I have completed a 400km bike ride. Obviously, I won't be able to recreate all the conditions (we don't get much 35C weather in the UK) but I can find hills and on/off road terrain and cover the same distance. Only then can I say 'challenge done'.

Well, the day has arrived - in a couple of hours I will be en route to Heathrow ready to start my Kenyan adventures!

I've learned many things about myself over the last 18 months:

1) I'm a terrible blog writer! 9 posts in a year and a half is a pretty poor show, so if you have been eagerly awaiting the next instalment to find it unforthcoming, I apologise.

2) I'm not the outdoorsy type - having to leave my nice warm house to cycle in the rain and mud makes me a bit miserable.

3) More positively, I can achieve anything (however far outside of my comfort zone) if I really set my mind to it. Admittedly, I haven't yet completed the 400km, but I have managed the first 2 parts of my challenge - fundraising for a fantastic cause (£3,395.32 to date with promises of more to come) and training (building up from a very slow 2.3 miles just 18 months ago).

There's always more I could have done - I could have done more training or lost more weight or raised more money - but for now I am happy with what I have achieved. Completing next week's ride will just be the icing on the cake. I, along with everyone else completing this challenge, have had obstacles - there have been times when I haven't been able to train because of health or injury, there have been times when I've had to prioritise other activities over my training, and quite honestly there have been times when I just didn't want to do it. Yet, here I am, ready to set off, and I believe I will make it. I know it will be hard, painful and emotional. It will also be beautiful, amazing and quite possibly my biggest achievement in my life so far.

If you haven't yet sponsored me and you would like to, it's not too late. Go to http://www.justgiving.com/mimcycleskenya and help me make a real difference to the lives of cancer sufferers.

Before I go, I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has supported me over the last year and a half, whether through the sacrifice of time and finances, or emotional support (and in many cases both). I could not have got to this point without the help and love of the people around me. Thank you.

Update

The last few months have been a busy whirlwind of fundraising and training. Last month I completed a C2C (coast to coast) cycle ride from Whitehaven to Tynemouth - 137 (very hilly) miles in all! It was a tough challenge but a good step towards the eventual Kenyan adventure. It was lovely to be joined by Dad (Alan Dix), Janet Finlay and Rachel Cowgill, along with our fab support team (Esther and Fiona Dix) who were always at the ready with warm cups of tea and changes of clothes. :)

The fundraising is going well but it's never to late to donate - please visit www.justgiving.com/mimcycleskenya for details of how. If you're after some quality entertainment in return for your donation, why not come along to Christ Church, Selly Park at 7.30pm on Friday 18th November for Hear My Song - an evening of music, song and drama. Tickets cost £8 (£5 concessions) and are available in advance from miriam@miriamdix.com or on the door.

Concert!

First things first - a massive thank you to everyone involved in last weeks fundraising concert on Tiree, in particular to Gordon, Katie, John, Ishbel, Kenny and Gemma for their wonderful performance contributions, Gordon (again!) for the PA, Oliver for his support throughout and operating the backing tracks, the team of helpers who organised food, tickets, setting up/down, advertising, etc., everyone who donated raffle prizes, to the support of a lovely audience (it was a pleasure to perform for you all) and, especially, a huge thank you to Mum and Dad for their unfailing support and particularly to Mum for pulling the whole thing together - I couldn't have done it with you.

Now, drum rolls please, the total raised was a fantastic £709.93

A real boost to my fundraising total and I know this will go a long way towards the work of Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust, Breast Cancer Care and Ovarian Cancer Action. A huge thank you to everyone who contributed.

I’ve been taking advantage of the recent spell of good weather to get out for some good rides along the canal – a good off-road surface but slightly lacking in hills. I may need to get a little way out of Birmingham to remedy that as it’s not known for being the hilliest place in the world…

Plans for the warm-up Coast to Coast cycle (Whitehaven to Tynemouth) are in place for the 6^th-9^th October – 137 miles in 4 days across the Pennines… not much then! I am delighted to be joined by Janet Finlay, Rachel Cowgill and Alan Dix, with support from Fiona Dix and Esther Dix.

I’m very excited about my forthcoming fundraising concert on the beautiful island of Tiree. The date is set for 30^th May and a number of special guests will be announced over the coming weeks – watch this space! All proceeds will go directly to the work of the three cancer charities so, if you are in the area, do come along for what promises to be a wonderful evening of music-making.

In other fundraising news, I have a matched giving pledge which will cover all the costs of the Kenyan trip itself, so you can be sure that every penny you give will go directly to the charities. Visit my fundraising page and give generously to support the fantastic work of Breast Cancer Care, Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust and Ovarian Cancer Action.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and I wanted to take the opportunity to highlight some of the amazing work of Breast Cancer Care, one of the charities I am raising money for.

• Nearly 46,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK each year. That's one person every 11 minutes.
• Just over 12,000 people die from breast cancer in the UK every year.
• Breast cancer is the second biggest cause of death from cancer for women in the UK, after lung cancer.
• There an estimated 550,000 people living in the UK today who have had a diagnosis of breast cancer.
• In women under the age of 35, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer.

A few years ago, I spent some time in hospital on a surgical ward where the majority of the patients were undergoing mastectomies. The strength and cheeriness of these women through incredible adversity was inspirational, but one memory will stay with me forever. A young, beautiful woman with a young, beautiful husband and a young, beautiful child was admitted to the ward. They looked like the perfect family. Shortly after her operation, she returned to the ward and her husband came in to see her. He clearly saw her as every bit the beautiful woman she had been before, but she couldn't look him in the eye. It was such a sad but powerful expression of the pain that must go along with losing such a key aspect of our femininity and the impact that has on how we feel and identify with ourselves and others, and I have never forgotten that day. Breast Cancer Care work everyday to try and prevent any woman from having to feel that pain, to save lives and to provide key support, both emotional and practical, for women and their families who are fighting this battle even as you read this.

For more details of this charity and the work they do, please visit http://www.breastcancercare.org.uk/about-us/who-we-are/ and then visit http://www.justgiving.com/mimcycleskenya and support their work and that of two other fantastic charities, Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust and Ovarian Cancer Action.

4 weeks in

It's been a few weeks of training and things are starting to get moving. Since coming back from Tiree, I've bought my own bike (a rather lovely Specialized mountain bike) and have been commuting to work for 2 weeks now. My speed is starting to pick up - I'm usually 10+ mph if I make the effort and I have pedalled up to 14mph on a nice long straight stretch - not sure how long I could keep that up for though... I'm gaining confidence in traffic by working on the general principle that I can't trust motorists actions and erring on the side of caution in every situation - probably slows down my journey sometimes but I'd rather get there a little slower but in one piece! I've been up the canal path a couple of times which can be very pretty when you get away from the city centre - I had to slow down for a heron the other day! Hoping to make it to Worcester (30 miles) at some point in the next few months - I know there will be a good meal waiting for me at the other end as I have friends whose back garden backs on the Worcester end of the Worcester-Birmingham canal.

In other, non-cycling news, I've joined Slimming World, as I decided I need to train myself with some new healthy eating habits to get rid of the excess weight. 2 weeks in and I've lost 6lb so something is obviously working. I actually got the Slimmer of the Week award last week and won myself a big bag of low-fat goodies as a reward. I've also joined a new gym, Bannatyne's, and had my induction there on Saturday. I've got a full cardio programme to follow for the next 3 weeks and then I'll have a review. They seem very helpful and a lot more proactive than Virgin was, though obviously I'm more motivated as well. They've also offered to help with publicity and fundraising via their PR department so you might be seeing me in the papers...

Today was a long day, with early morning gym session, cycle to work, full days work, and then cycle home. I was feeling rather lacking in energy by the time I reached the final hill, but I made it home. The real killer will be when I start teaching again in a few weeks, it's a good thing I like to be busy!

I don't have any major short-term goals at the moment, as I'm really working on basic fitness, but I'd like to be able to join Beacon Roads Cycling Club for their Intro Ride by February 2011 (i.e. one year before Kenya) and work up to their B Run over the few months following - I don't think the A Run (15-17 mph) is a realistic goal on a mountain bike and I'm not really going for speed anyway, endurance is the key. Even longer term, I'm looking at doing a Coast 2 Coast ride or similar as a 'warm-up' sometime in the second half of next year.

But for now, it's just the daily slog, trying to up my general fitness, lose weight and gradually build up speed and distance on the bike.

Please visit my fundraising page at www.justgiving.com/mimcycleskenya or check back to this page regularly for other events which will be going on over the next 18 months.