To think I can walk The Cleveland Way even though I'm obese?

[Brightandshining]

I'm going on holiday from work to walk the Cleveland way and this came up with a colleague who said "are you sure you'll be able to do that? Dont you need to be quite fit?"
I didnt react to it really just said "yes, I enjoy walking, it will be fine" but inside I was pretty hurt tbh and it did make me start to doubt myself a bit..
I'm 5ft 6 and 15 stone. So yes obviously fat... but im also very active. Ive never done this walk before.. its between 10 and 15 miles a day for 7 days... but there's not too much elevation.
Last summer I did the Yorkshire 3 Peaks for charity which I completed within the time limit.. it was hard but I did manage it.
I've climbed Snowdon, Scafelll Pike and Ben Nevis. I've climbed a few others of the wainwright peaks as well.
I dont do any structured exercise but I love walking and average at about 18,000 steps per day according to my phone.
Am I right to think ill probably be OK to do this walk? I'm second guessing myself now..
I do have some experience carrying camping equipment but not masses. I've been wild camping in the lakes and Scotland covering a fair distance with all my gear..
I think I'll be quite slow but we will be starting out early each day.. shouldn't be too hard to cover 10 to 15 miles?
Considering I did 28miles in 10.5 hours last summer for the 3peaks... (that was arduous and I could barely move the next day but it was up 3 mountains too whereas the Cleveland way doesnt have that much elevation)
Has anyone on here who is overweight done this walk? How did u find it?

@Ponoka7 im 35. I dont seem to have any issues with my knees and I do a lot of climbing.. i live in a valley. I do have my dodgy ankle tho! However that's been the case my whole life because I was born with club foot and had an operation on it.. so its not to do with my weight. Altho I know if I were lighter it might help as thered be less weight on it obviously.

fat doesn’t equal unfit but people make assumptions. From what you have said you’ll be fine op

@Ponoka7 I think it depends on your height, body type etc too
I've been over 15 stone for at least the past decade and done everything from pole fitness to spin classes to weights. Absolutely no fitness restrictions at all even at 17/18 stone
The only thing I don't do is run on hard ground but that's due to a spinal op

I've listed what exercise I do previously to doctors who have replied with "have you tried some gentle walking?"
Like I just told you I do 3 spin classes a week plus 3 days of weights....

And if you do get really bad blisters, or your ankle gives out, you can stop! It's not like you're going into wild jungle or up the Himalayas!
Just go for it, and enjoy yourself.

YY to Compeed.
I love my Merrells. Best boots I've ever had in four decades of hill walking.
Go for it!

Anyone with Merrels got a suggestion for plantar fasciitis sufferers?

I have Merrels and find them quite good for my foot pain (metatarsal problems). I have got silicone metatarsal pads that feel good and help a lot. Have you seen a podiatrist? I'm considering custom orthotics.

My custom orthotics weren't as good as vionics etc. To be honest I don't have it now but will do anything I can to never have it again.

Good quality plantar fasciitis insoles with springy arch support and gel under the heel - the full length ones, not 3/4 length. I use Athletes Foot, if you can get those where you are.

OP, your colleague is rude and not bright; you can disregard the opinion of someone like this. Hope you have a fantastic time :)

I roll my feet out on hard balls. It seems to help with the muscles.

You sound absolutely fantastic OP and I hope you have a great time! To prevent blisters I tape my toes individually with Hypafix tape, it's brilliant stuff. Do let us know how you get on xx

Do you have a link to the ones you mean please?

Like these

Thank you.

You’re welcome; they’ve been a huge help for me :)

I’ve not done a long distance walk, although I’d like to some day. I found this really useful blog on walking Hadrian’s Wall, there’s some good advice in it. One thing to think about is the weight of your pack - practice walking with it before your trip.
https://galloparoundtheglobe.com/walking-hadrians-wall/

For anyone interested, check out Abbie Barnes on YT. She’s done the Cleveland Way and many other long distance trails across the UK. Great channel with long immersive videos. Right - off to look up Merrells footwear now! Thanks to all those who mentioned them 😁

I would think you’ll be OK too. Maybe start practising carrying your rucksack on your daily walks? Long walks are not a problem for me either, but I find heavy packs to be tiresome. I am much older than you though.

Regarding walking boots/shoes - advice for everyone is to go to a proper outdoor shop and try many pairs on. I don’t get along with Merrells at all, and only wear Salomon (fantastic arch support) these days. DH’s feet are Meindel feet and he doesn’t like Salomon.

I walked the camino and I am fatter than you 😊

Sounds like a great challenge! You'll have a fab time.

If you're carrying everything ie tent mat bag water food clothes then you might end up with a pack weighing around 15kg or more - definitely have some practice carrying that to make sure your pack fits/sits well & doesn't rub.

I would be more worried why you are obese whilst you are walking 18000 steps a day?! Health wise i mean. Like if you walk that much, youll burn a lot. Which means you eat an incredible amount of food to stay the size you are atm!

Have you ever gotten like a thyroid check?

I did 21 miles of the Cleveland way last year from Whitby to salt burn by the sea and I was dead the next day.

I thought I was in decent shape and am a healthy weight however at the time my average step count was really low so think my body was just not used to the distance so you should be fine doing 18k steps a day.

Was a gorgeous day and stunning scenery. Plenty of places to stop as well for a sit down/toilets/drinks/ice cream. You'll have a great time.

The only thing I'd say is there was a fair bit of up and down up and off the cliffs so if you can get in any stairs/incline training before then that might help?

It doesn't sound like the walking itself would be a problem, but if you have time I would advise doing some rucking (carrying some weight in a rucksack) whilst walking before you go.

My experience is the grind of carrying a rucksack of kit is much more tiring than walking without. If you've not done much carrying when you're walking you might find 7 days a hard slog.

Agree with pp about practicing with your gear on.
your rucksack must have a good waist band to take the weight, can’t stress that enough.

I found walking 6,7 miles plus that my hands were swelling a bit, so I started using sticks to keep them up at chest height which solved the problem.

bil, a good walker, said sticks take 5% of effort off your legs, so that’s a free stride every 20!

can be tiring one your shoulders and upper arms initially though.

I think the carrying of your pack will be the hard bit (as it would for anyone).

Having learnt the hard way through scouts the key key thing is to minimise the weight you're carry. So coordinate with others to share a tent for example, or see what you can still switch out to lighter alternatives if you have the funds available.

The real weight addition you have control over is likely to be clothes, so think what you can do to minimise that (quick drying technical clothing and a solid clothes washing bar, plus some kind of washing line for drying?) with "dry kit" and "wet kit" so you just switch into dry kit for the evenings and back to your manky wet ones for the mornings? Worth thinking about how you can wash and dry day clothes overnight - if you have really light technical stuff and can get it hopefully fairly dry overnight so you don't have multiple days of outfits I think that would be best. The thing you really don't want is to have wet feet all the time as it makes them ripe for infection.