I’m determined to improve my walking distance and stamina especially up hills. So I set out this afternoon to walk a familiar route that is about 3 miles and includes a long hill. I knew I should have changed my socks as well as putting trainers on. But I didn’t listen to myself. Like a petulant child I thought I knew better and my internal parent was fussing.
I did the walk in good time. I didn’t rush but kept going without stopping (except to give someone directions to the farm shop). It felt like a steady pace, but didn’t want to walk any quicker. This has set the benchmark for this route. I call it the Stubwood & lake loop, clockwise.
socks good for green shoes, but not trainers
The socks concerned are ones I’ve had for several years from M&S. Thick pop socks. Good for spring and autumn – and when I’d worn shorter ones yesterday I was cold – so today I went for long ones. You can’t win! By the time I got to walking along the lake before turning back into the village the soles of my feet were feeling sore. I had wanted to do the walk within an hour but I knew I wasn’t going to succeed. But, only 3 minutes over target. Next time, it will be done in an hour. And I will put sensible socks on.
It makes a difference whether this route is walked clockwise or anti clockwise. There’s a very steep hill on one end and a long gradual one on the other end. I was really pleased with myself last week when I managed to walk up the very steep hill without stopping. Amazing – the last time I’d tried I had to stop several times to get my breath. As you can see the route is slightly different, but about the same length.
I haven’t written a blog post for a while, so I thought I should do an update. I am getting fitter and I have lost 7 pounds in weight. So feeling good and going to enjoy a Chinese Takeaway tonight as a treat. I’ll find a low calorie dish to have.
Next time I want a walk for an hour I will do the anti clockwise one.
Elizabeth Jones' Diary 