We’re walking this year. Me and K. I mean, walking with something more like a purpose, more of a goal. We always walk, we like walking, we have done for years. K says it’s one of the few things we actually have in common.
So this year’s goal, prompted by a magazine that K subscribes to, is to walk 1000 miles. That’s an average of about 2.7 miles a day. And already, just a few weeks in, we’re finding out how hard that is to achieve when you’re already living a busy life.
Actually it’s easier when I’m in London for work. On those days, it’s quite easy to find extra time for walking when I’m en route to something or somewhere else. Get off the Tube a couple of stops early, and tot up an extra mile or so before even starting work.
Or do something more ambitious, walking (most of) the way home to my London digs. A good opportunity for photography projects.
So on London days, I find myself doing 4, 5, even 6 miles without much difficulty. Assuming my foot’s ok. I’ll tell you about my foot in a moment.
It’s harder to get the miles in on working-from-home days, because on those days I’m rarely en route to anywhere except perhaps the kitchen, so it’s much harder to halt the journey early and do some walking. We have to make more of an effort to actually get out the front door and walk somewhere.
On those days when there’s a lot to do, and we get up and step into the home office and sit and work until it’s time to cook supper – well, on those days, we don’t do very well at getting the miles in. Not well at all.
If we had a dog it would be easier. The dog would make us make the effort.
But we don’t have a dog. We have cats, and they don’t give a damn.
The other issue, as promised, is my foot. My left foot. I’ve got a skin condition on the sole of that foot. I thought it was psoriasis, but it’s something else, and it’s hot and painful and makes long walks difficult.
So: on one hand a sore foot, no dog, and busy lives. But on the other, a goal.
As of today, I’m somewhere around 80 miles in. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Filed under: walks
(22 Jan 2019)