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Friday's walk happened in sections.

Not been very well this week so the walks have been put on hold. I started training early so i didn't have to push myself if I wasn't well so it's all good.

Hope to be back on training at the start of next week.

Wed 14th January

Distance: 2 miles (+1mile this afternoon)
Time: 9:50am
Weather: Nice and frosty
Time taken: n/a

Yes, technically I've only walked 2 of my 3 miles today, but you know what, I don't care about technicalities. I had a nice stroll between the various local outdoor clothing shops this morning. I couldn't go much faster than a stroll due to the icy ground but it was nice. I like frosty mornings.
Didn't find what I was looking for but I did get a lovely glass teapot (not from the outdoor shops, obviously).

I'll be doing (probably much more than) my final mile this afternoon when I head up to the city to run some errands.


Next walk: Friday, 2 miles.

Mon 12th January

Distance: 2 miles
Time: 6:15ish and 8:30pmish
Weather: 4'c feels like 0'c, very little wind, no rain. Great improvement on yesterday!
Time taken: n/a


Today's walk was interspersed by a visit to a friend's to play on the wii and congratulate her on her lovely news. I was joined by my lovely boy and my flatmate.


Next walk: Wednesday, 3 miles

Living up to its name.

Distance: 3 miles
Time: 1:30pm
Weather: hideous! Wind 34mph with gust of 41mph. Rain.
Time taken: 48mins.

Well, I was right to name this blog training in the rain. I'm quite impressed with myself though. I still went out for my walk even though there was horizontal rain and winds so strong that I was nearly being pushed over at times. By the time I reached my destination I was actually soaked to the skin. I think I need to invest in some waterproof trousers, it is Scotland after all. I've decided though that if the weather is like that for my longer walks I'll save myself some pain and treadmill it.

It wasn't all bad though as I'd chosen to walk to the local Turkish baths so I got to get all warm and toasty before heading home and then out for a lovely evening with friends. I'd never been to the Turkish baths before but I'll definitely be going again.

I'm having to rejig my training schedule for next week so that I don't have to walk at the weekend.

Next walk: Monday, 2 miles

Stars!

Distance: 2 miles
Time: about 6pm
Weather: cloudy, a bit chilly but dry. ( Metcheck says 1'c feels like -4'c)
Time taken: n/a


Well yet again, the timings went completely out of the window as I combined my walk with a trip to B&Q to buy light fittings for my loft and then a detour to find a postbox before heading to the supermarket to get some dinner. On the plus side though, these walks aren't supposed to be at speed so the timings really aren't important.

I had a pack of coloured stars kicking around (the sort you reward children with for doing their chores) and as they need used up I figured I'd revert to childhood and use them on my training plan to keep track of where I'm up to. For walks less than 6 miles I get a small coloured star. For 7 - 9 miles I get a small silver star. 10 - 18 miles large coloured star. 19+ miles a large silver star. Maybe I'll find a gold star somewhere for marathon night.

Yes, I have the mental age of a 5 year old.


Next walk: Sunday, 3 miles.

1st Walk

My first walk was supposed to happen on Monday. I had it all planned out, I had an appointment and was then going to walk a mile before getting the bus home. However as I left the appointment I skidded on ice and nearly fell and smashed my face off the pavement. Given that my chosen route was downhill and the ground resembled an ice rink, i thought it was maybe best to just leave the walking that day.

Today I walked a mile. Normally I will include a brief summary of the walk - distance, time, weather, other interesting and fun facts. Today's walk was interspersed with a 15 minute queue at the pool to renew my fitness card (It's january and you get two months free gym membership if you sign up. Woohoo! Let's all go join the gym! *ahem*) and a wander around the local supermarket which was very lacking in anything healthy to eat and therefore timings went completely out of the window. The weather was dark (with it being evening in mid-winter) but not too cold.

Next walk: Friday, 2 miles.

Preparing for the start

I'm not officially beginning my training until Monday but I'm using the weekend to get myself ready. I've dug out my training plan from 2007. I've chosen to go for the Beginners training program because 2008 wasn't my fittest, most active year ever and with an extra two months of training time I figure I can ease myself in gently.

It does however mean on Monday I have a massive walk ahead of me, prepare yourselves... I have to walk one mile (and not even at speed)! I'll regret mocking the distance in a few weeks when I start having longer walks to do on the weekends, in the rain and freezing cold that is the Scottish winter but hey, for now I'm glad of the gentle start.

I need to dig out my walking shoes and plan a few routes. On some of my rest days I plan to try and do stretches/dancing or maybe get myself back down the pool, we'll see how that goes though.

For now though, I'm going to sit back, continue to eat up all the left over junk food and chocolates from Christmas and be glad I don't have to go into the cold for another few days.

wooo first post!

Hello,

This post is really of no interest. It's just for me to see what I'm doing and get used to using this blog. It's all rather new to me and there's lots of options I don't know about.

If you've read the description, you will by now know that I'm embarking on nearly 6 months of training for a power walking marathon. Last time I did it, I wasn't as strict with my training as I could have been and with about ten miles still to go I felt like I was actually dying. Well not this time!