Jenny's UK Trip (including Beachy Head Marathon Report!)

How can I start to describe the last few weeks? The boys and I broke several records I think – most miles travelled by plane within a month, most friends seen in a week, and most miles run in one day!

The journeys went quite smoothly, which was a relief as it’s the first time I’ve done a trip like this without Roland. The flights to the UK were slightly easier as we were already in Lima having had a week there with Roland and the girls. Just one change at Madrid, not much waiting about, and my brother picked us up from Heathrow.  Roland had no problem getting back with the girls without me (I was there at check-in just in case) and I had the correct piece of paper allowing me to bring the boys out of the country without Roland.  (It was a document written in an office in Cusco and then stamped in another office to prove that the first office was a genuine office not a fake one!) The journey home was long as it involved a flight from London to Brazil, several hours wait in Brazil, a flight to Lima (where we had to collect our bags and check them in again) and then finally a flight to Cusco. 

Our time with family and friends was fantastic. Despite the short time, the three weeks were even better than I could have hoped. Having been gone nearly three years since last visiting home, and seven years in total, I did wonder how it would be. The boys loved being with their grandparents, aunties, uncles and cousins, getting to know some of the younger cousins properly for the first time. They have several friends in Eastbourne, which is remarkable really given that they see them so rarely.

The boys with some of their cousins

Playing at home with Nana and Grandad and Aunty Carol

They took part in kids’ groups at church in London, Eastbourne and Hailsham and Sammy even went to school for a morning and participated in a Year 6 class, including helping with their Spanish lesson. They loved visiting the beach and looking for crabs etc. and going on a few other wildlife-related trips with Grandpa.

 

An outing with Grandpa

I ended up with loads of opportunities to speak about our work in Cusco. I did an interview with my brother in London as part of his church’s ‘International Banquet’. I spoke at four different home groups in Eastbourne and Hailsham, plus a Latin Link prayer evening and four church services (three on the same morning which was interesting!). Then, a week after the marathon, I had a short live telephone interview on BBC Radio Sussex, at 7.30am!

A lunch with some of our Kings Church friends

The marathon itself was a great experience. It really was very hilly, and the 300 steps at around 3 hours didn’t help! However, it was at least dry and a pleasant temperature. I had a couple of good runs in Lima the week before flying – a 2 hour run and a 1 hour run that felt so much easier than the same at altitude. I then just did an hour in Dorset and a few shorter easy jogs in the 10 days before the race, including a short run up and down the very steep start and finish of the course in a gale and pouring rain! Still, that gave me the confidence that I should actually run (very slowly) the first hill rather than walk as many people quite sensibly do!

The first two hours of the marathon went really well and felt easy despite the hills so I got to half way slightly more quickly than I expected and it was a boost to meet the boys and Roland’s parents there. The next hour was OK but we were running into a strong gale and we had the challenge of 100 steps, shortly followed by 200 steps, a little before hitting the Seven Sisters hills! Since I had only trained up to three hours, the last bit was bound to be difficult. There was a huge hill up from the Cuckmere river and I ate all my remaining glucose sweets just to enable me to walk up it (most people in my part of the field were doing a lot of walking on the uphills at this stage!) I then felt a bit better and could at least jog the downhills from then on. The feeding stations were a bit too far apart for my liking, but I made it to the final one and grabbed a piece of Mars bar which I hoped would be enough to get me to the end. I just about made it, but really struggled through the last 800m despite being able to see the finish! The support from spectators, marshals and other runners was fantastic, people even waiting to hold gates open for others following on behind and encouraging each other the whole way, especially over the last 6 miles that were so tough. 

Coming down the steep hill at the end of the marathon

People have asked if that was the first of many marathons. I have to say I doubt it! Beachy Head marathon is a unique challenge with amazing scenery and I can’t imagine another marathon could be like it. Would I consider running Beachy Head again? I don’t know! If I could train better at sea level one day and enter it with sufficient (rather than minimal) preparation maybe I’d like to try again and see if I could run over those Seven Sisters at the end with more success! On the other hand, that was my final running ambition fulfilled and I might be quite happy with a few 10Ks from now on!

Finished - took about 20 mins before I could get up!

I’m very grateful for the sponsorship I’ve received and from the £1500 raised there will be around £750 to support people with ME, £375 for Kallarisunchis and £375 for resources for kids in Cusco hospital. Thanks to everyone who has been part of this!

Now back in Cusco I’m reflecting on what wonderful friends and family we have and what great churches we are privileged to know and be part of! All the services were encouraging – the worship and the sermons - from my brother’s message about faith not being so much the size of our faith but the size of the God we have faith in, to Andrew’s preach at Kings on ‘Christian warfare’, to a word shared at Christchurch (Hailsham) about God ‘never abandoning us’ and that ‘He is not slow’. 

Here’s a quick summary of some other thoughts:

Most stressful moments: The airports and flights, driving for the first time in three years, and perhaps the 7.30am live radio interview!

Most emotional moments: Too many! Meeting my brother at Heathrow, seeing parents and family, first Sunday back at Kings Church, feeling  ‘normal’ just chatting with friends, watching the boys playing in their ‘own’ garden at the Blue House.

The boys in the Blue House garden

Cross-cultural moments: Mostly to do with shops this time for some reason – how friendly the shop assistants were, and what a lot of stuff there is available! Also, most of the houses have roofs and are finished and quite neat and tidy!

Funniest moments: Watching all the cousins from Roland’s side, aged 6 to 21, playing ‘sardines’ together; being stopped at Lima airport so that they could inspect my two small packets of cheese; Benjamin’s amazement that people have carpets, even on their stairs; Sammy reading all the road signs and directing me from Hailsham to Eastbourne (a very short journey that he didn’t realise I knew extremely well!)

How did Roland and the girls cope while we were away? Well, I think. We phoned or Skyped every day and the presence of the Stoker family, who stayed most of the time we were gone, was a huge help. Daddy can even plait the girls’ hair now!


To finish, a couple more photos:

The boys with Grandpa in Puddletown Forest

Jenny with Dad, Chris and Beth