Sunday 26th April

This weekend was supposed to be a 16 mile walk, but I only did 9. I really want to do the 20 miler next weekend so I didn’t want to risk doing a lot of damage to my feet and then struggling next week.

I was at my mum’s for the weekend and the plans around who was coming for a walk with me ranged from 4 people to 0 so many times I gave up trying to keep track. As it was I ended up going on my own, which, when you think you are going with someone else, is a bit of a mental blow but hey ho. I needed to work on my speed, and being on my own was probably the best way to do it.

I walked through a few of my old haunts, and a few places I’d forgotten even existed. It was a really hot day so my feet were playing up from 3 miles in. I wore a toe separator this time between my little toe and the next one in. I thought that £2 for a little bit of silicone was a rip off when I bought it, but I have changed my mind and would have paid a tenner now. I didn’t have one mark on my little toe at the end of the walk (well apart from marks from previous blisters but they don’t count). It did make my toe ache a little, with it being squashed into the side of my trainer, but aching is way better than excruciatingly sore and full of infection. I got a blister in the arch of my right foot as well, but it’s one of those thin ones which I have since burst and drained and it’s getting better already. I’m getting better at this aren’t I – what a skill!!

I’m also having to trial different lacing styles as well. My trainers have support liners in them for my ankles, but this means that my foot is higher in the shoe. So when I lace the trainers up it’s making my right foot ache along the guiders. In the end I took the laces out and just tied the top two holes in the way they showed me and left the bottom half empty. That seemed to work.

I have to say that physically, the 9 miles was fine, I practiced my power walking and got a real bat on at points. Arms pumping, bottom wiggling and everything. But mentally, this was of the hardest walks I have done. After having all the trouble with my feet, that little devil on my shoulder telling me not to walk too far, and being told at the last minute I was going on my own, I spent the whole walk wishing I was somewhere else, trying desperately to pretend my feet weren’t sore and needing someone to talk to. AND I’d forgotten my pedometer when I packed for the weekend, and knowing you are doing about 9 miles is so de-motivating compared to knowing you are doing 8.94 miles EXACTLY. Oh well.

Anyway, 3 miles from the end, having re-laced my trainers 3 times and changed my blister plasters 4 times, having made my finger bleed on something sharp at some point, and having getting thoroughly cheesed off with the whole thing... I took my ipod off the Scott Mills podcast and put it on shuffle. Then a Justin Timberlake song came on. I bought his album off Amazon when it was on offer at £3 – best £3 I’ve spent (apart from the £2 on the toe separator obv). JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE MAKES ME WALK FASTER. The things you learn eh? Now I’m going to have to find some similar songs and make a playlist to help me on the night.

So, provided I get a decent playlist, and maybe grow a spare left foot to replace the right foot I’m having all the problems with, I’ll have no problems. I did 9 miles in 2.5 hours, which when you consider I spent 15 minutes sitting on the floor re-lacing trainers, re-applying blister plasters or in a queue buying more water, is bang on for a 15 minute mile. Result.