Getting behind in my posting ... so much to do in retirement, along with training walks!
Up early today for a Good Friday Vigil at church for 1 hour. That is always nice to be alone in the church on a Vigil watch.
And since I was on the road yesterday, I will take a pass today. Plus, I have so much other stuff to do. Have to go to the bank to update some accounts and also to let them know that I will be in France and Spain during May and June. This is key so that they do not close my accounts when they see foreign activity. I also want to be sure that I get a new Debit card with a new magnetic strip. My current card is old and I don't want failure mode to occur in the middle of Spain!!
Yesterday I did another 10 mi. out-and-back loop with lots of hills. I have this one, another which is a continuation on a larger loop and will give me 14 miles, and the first circuit I did which is 8 miles. Trying to get something going every 2 or 3 days. I did two back to back days and that went well. Much of doing a long walk is psychological and the other key part is to Walk in a Relaxed Manner - from the title of the book. It is really key. And using my new poles, I found that they are very nice, easy to use, and comfortable in the grip.
Soon I will do a 14 miler, rest for a bit at home, and then go for a shorter 8 miler. That will probably be about the max for a day in Spain. Of course, I hope the snow melts soon; I would rather do that on dirt trails instead of the roads.
Some people NEVER do any training. I don't get that ... you want to do 500 miles over 6 weeks and not get in some road work? Crazy in my mind. These training walks serve two purposes, the most obvious is to get ones feet, muscles, and mind in shape for the long walks. Just to know what it feels like is very important.
The other reason is to test your equipment, to make sure it functions properly, and to know how it works. I now know how good the Vaseline, sock liner, Merino wool sock combination works. I have a good feel for my new poles, and as we go along on more works, I will know the ins and outs of my back pack.
Several years ago, on a full day hike to the summit of Mt. Katahdin, I was with a couple who had water bladders in their back packs. Filled with water and thirsting after several miles, they wondered why they could not get the tubes to work. Answer: the nipple that one sucks on was factory sealed and had to be cut open in order to function! We did it, but it might have been a major failure. This worked out OK in the end. Another example, I had my water bladder filled on a recent walk and wondered why it was slow to deliver water. The reason was that I had it upside down in the pack. These are the things you want to go smoothly when underway. And thus, you have to spend some time on the trail!
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