Rather a long gap between posts. Not my intention, but the product of a busy period and a bit of a wobble in training. Those two are connected. Illness and minor injury led to the dropping of a few sessions, and then fitting in three 6- or 7-mile sessions during the working week, on top of a long walk at the weekend, has proved harder than expected. I've gained an extra level of respect for people who manage to compete at high level on an amateur basis. I've learnt some lessons, so next time I do something like this (see, I knew this would happen - there will definitely be others...) I'll be better prepared for the things that are likely to get in the way.
Still, I'm not too far behind where I wanted to be at this point. Seventeen weeks into training, I've covered a total of 311 miles, with a further 228 to go before the event. From here I've got four more weeks of full-scale training, then two weeks of tapering, then a week off before the day itself. This week has gone well, with walks of 5.1, 7.6, 5.3 and 20.5 miles, all of which I've enjoyed. None of them were speed walks as such, but keeping the pace respectable has become much easier as my natural speed has increased.
Yesterday's long walk incorporated parts of the Tissington and High Peak trails, both of which follow the routes of old railway lines through some lovely countryside. Aerobic-fitness-wise it's still dead easy, and my legs and back coped much better than they have on previous long walks. After finishing an 18-miler a couple of weeks ago in quite a bit of pain, I decided to take last weekend off and spend the two weeks hammering the stretches and foam roller instead - that seems to have worked. I was sore by the end of yesterday, but much better. As long as I keep doing the right things, I think I'll be OK.
Annoyingly, I did come out of yesterday's walk with three decent-sized blisters - one was there when I set off, though much smaller, and the other two appeared later. It was the first long walk I'd done in trainers rather than boots, but I can't tell how much responsibility they bear. Socks are also a factor, plus there's more than one way to lace a pair of shoes, and there is also the sheer number of miles I've walked over the last few months. It may be an unavoidable situation. Whatever the case, I can't afford to change my shoes, so either I crack on with these ones or I do the Parish in my boots instead. I'm going to experiment with some different socks over the next couple of weeks and see if I can crack it.
I'm not sure what to do about this week's training if the blisters don't heal quickly. I don't want to take any time off, but I'll have to balance that against the long-term damage I might cause by persevering. The only walk that really matters is the 42-mile one on the 17th of June, and I've got to be fit for that. Some hard thinking is required, and some advice.
On the positive side, I've managed to get a photo I've been wanting for a while, to remind people that it's more than masochism and pig-headedness that's making me do this.
Unfortunate ice cream placement notwithstanding, that T-shirt is the most important thing in the picture and it represents what's at the heart of all this.
No comments:
Post a Comment