The walks that I have done are
- 1st - 16km Work to Home
- 2nd 19km Richmond Park
- 3rd 27km Antwerp
- 4th 30km home and back to Richmond Park
- 5th 39km home and back to Richmond Park (2 laps of park)
- 6th 29km Aarschot
In between all that I have changed my boots and socks.
Today I started at around 04:50 in order to get the walk done and not lose most of Saturday in the process. I had every intention of doing in excess of 40km but I started to get blisters in new places and I think I made the mistake of not taking care of my blisters from the previous walk as, once lanced, this small blister seemed to cause some discomfort. This was also a change in tactics from switching between pairs of boots, in this case I only had the one pair with me. The other thing I made a mental note of is that the ground I was walking on was mostly paved, ie hard.
There is something to be said for starting out before the sunrise, the silent streets, the heightened awareness levels. I was ultra aware when passing under bridges and through darkened patches, watching for threats. Once or twice a lone cyclist passed, but nothing else of note.
The route I took is one that I am quite familiar with, having run and cycled it many times. In essence it is my River Demer run, it is good to know what is coming up and, despite knowing that some stretches were quite long, it did not seem too bad. My route back took me towards Rotselaar and then towards Aarschot, this was following the main road and thus was not pleasant with lorries and cars passing at high speed.
In terms of food and water I took some yogurt covered nut bars and about a litre of water, my pack also had talc to dry off my feet and plasters. I wish had had a needle with me to pierce the blister and also some proper blister dressings cover the blisters up. Still it is a learning experience.
The next walk will be in the North East, although I am not too sure where I will go or the route to take. The Derwent Walk springs to mind, it has been a while since I have done that walk.
