As I’ve not walked more than about 5 or 6 miles since I was 18 … I have some training to do 🙂
… and add to this (1) I always wear sandals, so even putting on a pair of walking shoes give me instant blisters and (2) have become so so nesh1; I’ve got so used to not being uncomfortable and need to train as much to be prepared to go out in all weathers, to get wet, too hot, too cold, and put up with it.
My plan is to walk a short 6 mile-ish walk every other day through the winter and then longer round the island (17 mile) walk once a week, and had I planned to start as soon as I got back to Tiree after being away in September … but I’ve been busy, deadlines, etc.; hardly left the house let alone long walks in last month 🙁
However, today, at last, my first walk. Just a short 6 mile circuit down to Hynish and back. I think that will be my standard short walk as it cuts along the sea all the way, and is not busy with cars (well this is Tiree no road is that busy!).
I’m planning also to experiment using a digital recorder while walking, so the time walking is not ‘wasted’ (hmm, is there a worker-holic tendency in there somewhere?), but today just a stroll by the sea.
When I walk next year I will only need to average 17 miles a day, so fairly relaxed, more the fact of doing that day on day that needs a bit of practice.
- Nesh is a lovely dialect world that means soft, not hardy. The online dictionaries all relate it particularly to cold, although the etymology in the thefreedictionary definiiton is broad “Old English hnesce; related to Gothic hnasqus tender, soft; of obscure origin”. [back]
Great initiative! But, I’d suggest to leave the recorder at home for at least the firs month and enjoy the walk itself.
When I do the walk proper next year, the recording will be about the journey itself, so part of the walking.
Over the winter, I’ll be treading familiar ground on Tiree, so then it is more the workaholic thing of needing to be able to not think “Oh I can;t walk today as I’ve too much to do”. Danger is no recording = no walking.
Extra dimension is that I have to do enough over the winter so that I can focus on the Wales walk only for 3 months!
Hi Alan
I’ve had good experience with Inov-8 walking shoes – 100 miles in a week with no blisters. I have non-waterproof ones – the lined ones are far too hot. Cool and damp is better than hot and sweaty. But if you are mostly on roads and good tracks, why not walk in sandals?
I got some Inov-8 socks earlier in the year for running (this was before I damaged my ankle … but that was my fault, not the socks … I’d not run for a year then went from nothing to 13 miles in 10 days :-/). However, not realise they did shoes as well.
I went into Achiles Heel in Glasgow http://www.achillesheel.co.uk in September and got some advice (GP told me they where the place to go to avoid future problems), and I’ve got some advice on suitable running shoes, although they didn’t have many walking ones – I do really need some arch support, years of wearing sandals have left me very flat footed!
I fact the sandals I’ve been wearing everyday have been trekking ones (HiTec), so maybe I should try to find trekking sandals with better support.
I’ve been thinking I should have a number of different pairs of shoes/boots for the walk, (a) to deal with different weathers and kinds of terrain, (b) so they each get a chance to dry off thoroughly every few days, and (c) so the blisters can get shared evenly over the feet 😉 … although I’ll need to wear the same ones for a few days at a time between visits to base camp.
Although hoping that winter walking will deal with toughen my feet so don’t get any blisters while walking properly.
I do all my best thinking while walking (the dogs mostly) and use my iphone to record thoughts using the audio facility in Evernote so it syncs with everything. Works well for me.