In an attempt to make things more fun and motivating, I wore a brand new t-shirt and socks that I'd bought the day before, and added a charm to my backpack that I'd found when I was going through my cupboards. It was less 'mountain-climbing girl' and more 'pavement-pounding girl', but it's a start. Anyway, without further ado, my stats, tarannnn-taraaaaa...
Time: 1hr 15min
Distance: 5.32 kms
Wow, I amaze even myself! I didn't think it was that far! I didn't think I would be able to walk that far after not having walked that distance in nearly 6 months. My legs are pretty sore today, and dang, it feels good! I have to say, I'm quite proud of myself. I'm not going to think about the people I passed who stared at me, who laughed or scoffed, or the girl who did such a severe double-take that she nearly swerved her bike off the road. I'm going to focus on my achievement. I awesomely walked over 5 kilometres on my first walk for 2013, and I feel fantastic! Aside from anything else, it's given me a good gauge on the sorts of distances/times I'll be able to do when I go proper bushwalking (hopefully in a few weeks).
There are a few things I want to note to remind myself in future:
* Don't tie my shoelaces up so tight; my feet go numb. Try getting some heel cushions to stop heels rubbing instead?
* Thick socks are good: get some more.
* Still getting the leg cramps from approx. 5min to 20/25min mark. I think eating a banana before starting out helped a bit. Perhaps try drinking more water, maybe some electrolyte drink?
* As I remember from last year, my small bag isn't really fit for purpose. It's too bulky and restricts me from swinging my arm. It only fits a very small water bottle, it's hard to access my ipod, and the other things in there get all mixed up. Consider designing and making a bag for my specific needs.
* My large backpack is the perfect size and a nice purple colour, but I don't like the design on it. Plus it doesn't have any tabs for attaching charms securely. It needs to be decoed!!
* As adorable as the outfits were that I posted last time, unfortunately they don't gel very well with the conditions and climate that I walk in. i.e. if I wore the same type of jacket, headband, legwarmers, gloves or even long-sleeved top I see in the co-ords, I'd keel over from heat exhaustion! Unless I was walking on an unusually cold day - which may only happen a couple of times in the middle of winter - I'd have no reason to break out the cute and warming accessories. Bummer. So I'll just have to deco myself up in other ways instead! That's a matter for a different time and a different blog, though.
Meanwhile, I've been doing some research on bushwalking (hiking, tramping, roaming, rural flaneury, etc.) and my favourite resource so far is Nerd Fitness. When I landed on this site yesterday and saw the similarities it drew between bushwalking and Bilbo's and Frodo's quests, a lightbulb went off in my head and I got even more excited. As long as I remember to pack Second Breakfast, I'll be happy. ;)
And before I forget ... photos or it didn't happen:
