“I have to compete against myself to be better than who I was yesterday.” Nimsdai Purja
5th Feb
The aim for this weeks long distance walk was 5 hours. I didn’t make it. Not through want of trying, but the route I had picked out clocked in at 15.5 miles and 6 hours so I shaved the route to bring the distance to 12.5 miles which should have clocked in at 5 hours.
I shaved off too much distance as it turned out. A steady walking rate of 2.5 miles per hour (my average over the last few walks), meant that 12.5 miles should have brought me home bang on my target time. Whether I am getting better at this, or whether I pushed too hard I wasn’t sure. As it turns out, it was the latter. Whatever, I found myself back home 30 minutes earlier than expected. Average walking pace of 2.75 mph. (Ish – 2.77 recurring, but we’re not here to f**k spiders, or debate the semantics of maths!)
(As an aside, I always thought that the average human walking speed is 4mph, but reading up on that shows this to be on a flat, even surface. You’re lucky to make 3 over a protracted period of time. Let alone over hills and tracks.)
OK, so the walk itself was hard. The first 5km was on road, taking me on a wide arc around town to get to the Cotswold escarpment from the north. Compared to previous weeks where I have taken a more direct route, this was probably where I overextended myself. I managed the first three kilometers in under 10 minutes each. That’s a pace of close to 4mph (3.88). As soon as I left the roads and hit the hills I really felt it.
Pacing is something I struggled with during my early runs and I should have known better. But I was on my own, no #littleDacombe and I had to leave #dogbeast at home. (He had a biopsy on a lump on his leg and is house bound for a few days.)
Getting to the top of Long Down was tougher than in previous weeks. But I was thankful that this route didn’t take in TBH. Nevertheless, when I made it to the halfway point for a 15 minute rest I was thankful for the chance to sit and recover for a bit.
I took the homeward leg at a more reasonable pace and was thankful that the middle section coincided with the Owlpen route #littleDacombe and I had done previously. I knew what to expect and was able to check my pace to something a little more reasonable.
I chose a route that would take me through town for the last few kilometers. This would be more representative of the Dartmoor way, which is a mixture of on and offroad walking. I have to say, this was considerably harder than I imagined it would be. By the time I got home I was finished. My legs were screaming and I felt more tired than I had on previous outings. I guess that is a good thing. I need to push myself, but I also have to make sure I don’t over extend.
Irritatingly, my watch started to act up at about 15 km. The distance tracker was glitchy and downloading the route map afterwards confirmed that the battery gave up about 500 meters from the finish. The map itself is incomplete. I have to work out a way to keep the watch recording progress when I get onto the 6+ hour walks further down the line.
Good progress though, even though I was shattered by the end, I am still 98 days off the actual event. Enough time to bring my stamina and strength to where they need to be. Confidence is high and it is still thouroughly enjoyable. (Well, not so much in the middle bit of this walk, but overall, brilliant.)
Things to work on: Pacing, tech and building strength in my legs. Happy daze!
The quote at the top of this post is from the Nepalese climber, soldier and all round inspiration. If you haven’t already, watch the film 14 Peaks. You may not be that interested in mountaineering, but Nims story is just outstanding.
“I’m not the best, but I am the most persistent.” Beth Eastern, Return to Paradise
