Feeling accomplished and a little sore!
Saturday, after putting this off for every reason in the book, “I got up too late”, “it’s raining”, “I’ve got lots of time”, I finally, in a panic induced moment when I realized that I have about six weeks before I actually am doing this insane walking tour in Britain, I strapped on my walking shoes and threw on my backpack and started walking. In total, I walked 16 kilometers, 10 miles. And the best part was that I survived. My legs were starting to get wobbly during the last couple of miles and I was definitely ready for a rest, but dammit, I did it. It’s not like I haven’t walked that far before but the last time I did was last fall and a winter of walking only about 2 k a day with my dogs (which is much more of a saunter, stop, sniff [the dogs doing the sniffing] and then onto the next pole/tree/fire hydrant) doesn’t cut it.
So I started, very nervously wondering if I was absolutely mad for thinking I could actually do this, and about twenty minutes into the walk, it started raining. My immediate reaction was to turn around and go home but I didn’t. I am used to walking in the rain. I live in a rainforest, ffs and I know that there is a very huge likelihood that it will rain on my walking tour. We are talking England after all. So I continued, pulling my jacket hood up. I at least had the wherewithal to have donned that garment. The rain was light and it actually felt pleasant, refreshing and stopped about twenty minutes later.
It turned out to be a lovely walk with the goal being appropriately enough, the health food store 6.6 k away. The road that I normally clip along at 70k in my car proved to be a delightful walk where I had the opportunity to actually see things. On either side of this road is farmland, berry farms mostly, a few kennels and a greenhouse which proved to be a great point to take a break and wander through. I stopped at two bridges which span branches of rivers and drank in the views. This is what I am hoping to do on my walking tour - stop along the way, enjoy the air (wet or not) and just be.
And now I’ll end the philosophical bent. After getting home and taking about an hour break, I also walked the dogs. I was a little surprised that I could get out of my chair! After that it was a long, hot bath and bed. Yesterday, I could feel the ache in my muscles at the top of my thighs and today, they sure let me know they were around and not all that happy with me. But I’m still able to stand and walk although the first steps after standing are a challenge. ;)
Tomorrow, I walk to work - 6.6 k in about 1.5 hours. I can do this.