In my last post I had a comment from Karen, my sister in Australia saying -
Are we dedicated or crazy? Probably a bit of both, but if we didn't get out there in Manx weather then we'd end up spending half our days waiting for good weather. We can't be fair-weather walkers over here. However - I have to ask the question
"How on earth do you play tennis in 45°C?"
This week I haven't been out walking at all but I haven't just been doing nothing. I decided to get out my Insanity DVDs and do a bit of shaping up. I have been told that doing Insanity is doing nothing for my walking but I disagree. The program increases overall fitness and flexibility so surely that has to be some help. I will find out today when I take to the road again for 15 miles.
During the buildup to Parish Walk 2012 I looked out for any related events and attended all of them.
"I've been looking at the photos of the king tides on the IOM - you have to be dedicated (or crazy?) to walk in that kind of weather :)"
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| Taken from Karen's car in Oz on Jan 4 2014 |
"How on earth do you play tennis in 45°C?"
This week I haven't been out walking at all but I haven't just been doing nothing. I decided to get out my Insanity DVDs and do a bit of shaping up. I have been told that doing Insanity is doing nothing for my walking but I disagree. The program increases overall fitness and flexibility so surely that has to be some help. I will find out today when I take to the road again for 15 miles.
During the buildup to Parish Walk 2012 I looked out for any related events and attended all of them.
The Parish Walk Talk - a great forum led by all the people in the know - judges, coaches, organisers and previous winners. Not only do they give you as much information as they possibly can and any hints and tips on how to get as far as you possibly can, they also answer any questions you may have about training, food, drink, preparing feet, what to take with you on the day etc.
The Foot Health Clinic Talk held at Up and Running - A talk by Robin from The Foot Health Clinic about how best to avoid blisters, muscle strain and injuries during training and during the walk.
Parish Walk training - held by Chris Cale from Up and Running during the training weeks prior to the Parish Walk. Excellent tips on how best to handle the up hills and down hills of the Parish as well as general race walking and endurance walking training.
I think I drove people crazy with all my questions but nobody complained and I got tons of information - some of which I used and still do and some which wasn't for me.
My tip of the day - make sure the shoes you have are correct for your feet, nothing will stop your progress quicker that sore feet!
Happy New Year! Enjoying your blog so far. Well done!
ReplyDeleteIn answer to your sister, the hard thing over here is getting out there. Once you are warm, the weather conditions make little difference apart from perhaps walking into driving rain.
By contrast, having completed a 5000m race on the Gold Coast the other week in about 30c with humidity, I can tell her that is really tough ;)
Thanks Michael, Happy New Year to you too!
DeleteI totally agree - once you get your walking gear on and get out the door the rest is easy (ish)!
Hi Michael,
ReplyDeleteWe Queenslanders have a habit of getting up ridiculously early in the morning to exercise. 5:30am will find everyone out walking, running, swimming, paddling, cycling. It's a beautiful time of the day.
To be fair - 45 degrees is very unusual - we usually have summer highs of 30c (I know that sounds hot for someone who lives on the IOM - but it's quite nice when you get used to it!).
Hope you paid a visit to the Sunshine Coast when you were here!