Hello!
And here it is, the very first blog post of this crazy adventure I’m undertaking!
It has taken me a while to get around to writing this first post – that’s the perfectionist in me coming out and wanting to make sure I “get it right”. We’ve all got that little bit of perfectionist in us right?! The awesome Dr Jo Martin says “You do the first one…to get the first one done”. When I heard her say it, she was referring to the business presentations we’d just been creating, but of course it’s applicable in all scary situations. The thing is, sometimes you’ve just got to start, and course-correct as you go. I certainly wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now if I’d waited for the perfect time, or waited til I’d figured everything out (believe me, very much still working on that one!). And I have a feeling that this whole journey will probably be a series of course corrections. I’m not just referring to occasional hiccups in navigation skills here (albeit based on the last couple of training hikes there will almost certainly be a few stories to tell along that theme…watch this space!), but learning and developing my skills along the way, getting to know myself a little better (1,200 miles allows for a LOT of time for contemplation) and refining the ideas for my new company.
And so, here it is. The very first. Because starting is the hardest part!
For you, my followers.
It’s the last day in May, which means that tomorrow I can say my walk starts next month. How did that happen?! 33 days until I start walking. That doesn’t seem very long! So much still to plan and still some gear to buy (any excuse to visit what is possibly my favourite store in the world…!), and whilst part of me is itching to get going, I know the time is going to fly by and good preparation now will make the journey so much easier.
The last week and a half since finishing work has already flown by. I’ve been blessed with beautiful summer weather, with the exception of the one day a friend and I went hiking in the Malverns where we could only see about 10 feet in front of us due to the mist and rain. I’m sure the views are stunning…clearly I’ll just need to go back one day! But generally the sun has been very kind which has enabled me to get out for some lovely long hikes – I’ve hiked over 40 miles so far in the last week – but also get in some much needed R&R before I put my body through the hardest challenge it has ever faced.
Far from being bored, I’ve been filling my time with a lot of planning, training and eating. If you are on a diet you may wish to skip the next couple of sentences, but trying to put on weight is hard work! I feel like I have been stuffing my face and yet I’m still struggling to get all the calories I need to put a bit of weight on, let alone the calories I’ll need on a daily basis when I’m hiking 12-20 miles a day…. I have to admit though, I do have a little bit of a smug feeling when I get to devour cake and ice cream without a moment’s thought. I’m already at a severe risk of putting myself off oatcakes and peanut butter for life though. Wait. Did I just say that?! Is it possible to go off peanut butter?! I’m not convinced…. My latest favourite is peanut butter and chocolate spread with banana on toast. Heaven! Recipes and suggestions for your favourite peanut butter combo welcome.
Quick, get me off the subject of food before I start drooling on my nice new sleeping bag….talking of which…. You know I said that I wasn’t planning on carrying a tent etc? Well, I may have reneged on that decision, and not just because of the beautiful and super light tent-shaped present I just bought myself (ahem). I decided that for the added flexibility, reduced accommodation cost and extra satisfaction of my adventure-and-nature-loving madness, a tent might not be such a bad idea. And I am utterly amazed at just how light this thing is! I seriously thought they must have forgotten to put the poles and pegs in or something. I carried it around the shop hugging it like a baby. If you’ve ever been shopping with me in any of my favourite stores you’ll know exactly the expression of love and childlike glee I had on my face…
Anyway, said tent (Terra Nova Laser Competition 1, if you’re interested) nearly resulted in further delay to this blog…. I was just about to sit down to wri
SQUIRREL!!!
A beautiful tent-shaped squirrel looking forlornly at me from its bag. It would be rude to not put it up and have a proper look at it…as it’s sunny… Cue the putting-up-a-new-tent-for-the-first-time head scratching, finding an appropriate space in the garden, cutting back a shrub because the appropriate space turns out to be not quite as appropriate as you first thought (for a little tent it’s quite big!), and then the obligatory sitting inside for a bit. Followed by testing out the sleeping mat inside for size, and then the sleeping bag…. Time flies when you’re having fun! And since the tent’s now up, well, it would be rude not to try it out! So here I am, finally typing this blog on my iPad whilst curled up in my sleeping bag in my tent in the back garden. I never said I was normal…! [Post blog update: my amazing housemate brought me a cup of tea in a thermos this morning and left it on my ‘tentstep’ because she left before I was awake. #besthousemateever. If only tea could appear miraculously like that while I’m on my walk!].
And that, lovely people, is probably a good place to leave you for now (not least because I’m getting pins and needles in my arms from typing this while lying on my front…). I’ll be putting up a couple of posts about my route over the next week or so – including requests for accommodation – so watch this space! And if you’ve read this far, thank you! Let me know what you liked 🙂 there’s a form at the end if you’d like to register for blog updates.
Love to you all, and a big thank you for all your support xx