Walkers' thread (those training for a moonwalk or those just wanting to get a bit fitter... sign in here)

[EllbellTheBluestocking]

OK... following on from another thread, I thought I'd start this for those of us who are not really that into exercise but who are struggling to get a bit fitter.

I am working towards doing the Edinburgh moonwalk in June (and would prefer it if no-one mentioned just exactly how blardy far it's going to be just yet [panic emoticon]), and am struggling to find the time and the inclination to train.

Anyone else in a similar position? Hippipotami? Quint? Don't leave me walking all on my own...

Will come back and post again when I've got off my bum and done some exercise!

Yes, thanks MumRum for Gmap pedometer site - brilliant link.

And well done Hipp on your walk today- that's really impressive - big pat on the back from here .... Btw a support bandage might be a good idea. It can't hurt anyway and better to err on side of caution. (I'm still resting today and even though I hope to be back on track next week, it is frustrating to have to stop in what is only my first full week of power walking.) On the positive side though, I'm guessing the canal path is nice and flat ... !

Hobbling or otherwise, we WILL get there!!!

Hi everyone,

I am going to start walking daily once half term is over; that gmap route thingy says my route is 2 miles long!

I did 3/4 of it in 20 mins the other day so am expecting it to only take 30 or 40 mins (40 because if I add on the extra bit, I'll be more knackered by the time I get to the huge hill..!)

Anyway, this is all in order to tone up and lose weight (I have 8 stone to lose)

Hope everyone is doing well...

Canal paths are usually flat, but may well be very bumpy so make sure you have good footwear

Hi Lewisfan, well done on setting out a route. I need to lose around 6 stone, so like you I am hoping the walking will help with this...

I have some lightweight hiking boots for my walks along the towpath, it is flat but very muddy!

I will need to get some lightweight trainers for doing the Moonwalk. May go shopping this half term.

I know about hills Lewisfan, I did a 3.3mile walk with my walking friends on Tuesday night and there was a huge hill to get up right at the end. I was nearly crying with exhaustion...

Please tell me there are not hills in London....

Me again

Have just come back from my usual 3.5mile walk. I really struggled this time, sore legs, sore bum , sore back, out of breath....

Strange, because I walked the same route yesterday with relatively few problems....

Argh, I still don't like this walking lark and am getting very very worried about the Moonwalk.....

Help...

Hippipotami Don't worry about the Moonwalk. You will be swept along in the huge atmosphere. There are stewards all along the route urging you on and a remarkable number of general public out and about.
And no hills in London, although I do recall some steps as you move down to and up from the Thames path
And there really is no rush. Yes some people do it very fast, but the vast majority do it at a more reasonable pace and use it as a big party/celebration/awareness event.

Haven't done any dedicated power walks this week, although have walked a lot if that makes sense. Hoping to get out over the weekend, then not sure about next week as it's our half term.

Thank you Posey You said just what my friend said, so I feel a lot happier now...

Thanks again, onwards and upwards...

Glad you're feeling a bit more positive about it!
Oh and before anyone picks me up on my statement that there are no hills in London, yes of course I know there are hills in London, just not on the Moonwalk course!

Aaargh! I am injured!

My own stupid fault. I took the dds ice-skating today (in Leeds) and dd1 got really overconfident and said [this is the bit where alarm bells should have started to ring] 'Come on mummy, let's go fast' , so we set off (not at all fast by other people's standards, but bravely not holding on to anything...) and dd1 decided it would be a really good idea to try skating on one leg [double ]. She fell and she took me down with her. She was fine. My legs shot right out in front of me and my whole weight (12.5 stone ) landed on my coccyx. I am now in agony. Have had a bath and have put ibuleve gel on but it's not doing much for the pain, and moving (anywhere) is a nightmare. Mind you, sitting still is pretty painful too. Every-bloody-thing is painful. It hurts. Ow!!!!!

This is my come-uppance for starting a thread moaning about dh and his man-flu yesterday. I take it all back.

Glad to hear of other people's achievements, though. My walking is going to have to be vicarious for a few days at least.

Meanwhile, any advice for pain relief welcome!

sorry to hear about all the injuries.

quite smug as We did a six mile walk at Dovedale in the Peak District yesterday, we do this a few times a year and it usually totally knackers me, but with all the extra walking i've been getting in lately, I felt pretty bouncy at the end (DH a wreck, though, but then he did most of the baby carrying.)

OMG Ellbell, how are you now? See, that is why I won't go ice skating... (plus I have an unhealthy fear of falling )

Talkingmongoose - 6 miles is fantastic!! The longest I have done so far is 4 miles.. And it is a struggle

Am very very demotivated at the moment, I have been healthy-eating and walking loads for the past 7 weeks or so, and decided to step on the scales this morning.
Argh, have only lost 5lbs

All that hard work, and I am still hugely obese and the weight won't shift...
If it wasn't for the Moonwalk I would be throwing hte towel in right now, that's how disappointed I am.

Bugger bugger bugger....

Can I join in please?

Already walk for about a hour a day, but rather than moonwalking, I am thinking of doing the three-peaks challange (no date for that though - need to get fit first)!

Walked four miles on Saturday along a mountain ridge which was nice (the walk up wasn't though!).

Hi everyone! Welcome jofeb04!

Sorry to hear about your injury Ellbell. A coccyx injury can be excruciating. Hope it gets better quickly.

Hippi - don't be so hard on yourself and DO NOT GIVE UP - 5lbs weight loss is good. Muscle weighs more than fat remember and the weight will stay off if you lose it slowly over a realistic period of time. So you are doing the right things. JUST KEEP AT IT. Think of where you would be if you hadn't done all that walking and healthy eating. Don't forget the "side" benefits such as lowering your sugar levels/boosting your immune system etc.

A good tip is to write down everything you eat and drink every day. Oh and maybe you could put together a "motivation" board to look at when things get tough: picture of your children/a reward you are going to buy yourself/a list of how you will feel when you are slimmer/a list of the things you will do once you have lost the weight. I need to do this too and I'm told it really helps.

So, no kick up rear today but double clench fists jumping up and down on sidelines shouting "Geerrr aalllongg tthherrre, yoo CAN do iiiitttt"

My ankle has recovered so I'm back on track since yesterday. Keep going everyone!!

Thanks counting

But realistically in 7 weeks, how much muscle have I put on?? Can't be that much can it?

I have visions of not losing any weight and ending up looking like a Romanian shot-putter by the end of this...
Not really what I was after [sigh]

How is the coccyx Ellbel?

Ok, concede you can't have put masses of muscle on but maybe your body is just going through a period of readjustment.

In my case it's taken a long time to put weight on and I know it's going to take a while to lose it too. And better to lose weight slowly than lose loads at the beginning and then not be able to sustain it and then put it all back on and more ...

Feeling a bit of a fraud now because having delivered the 'you can do it speech' this morning I got really down today (dd home from school with yet another virus)and I haven't been out for my walk yet . If I don't do so today, I'll have to walk one day at the weekend ....

Some of those shot-putters scrub up really nicely once they've shaved off their moustaches you know ...

roffle, thanks counting

mmmm, okay, shotputter style then - very short hair? and tiny little shorts for the moonwalk?

urgh....

Hipp

Managed to go out for a 40 min walk in the freezing cold last night so feeling more encouraged today ...but debating whether to walk today because have bad sore throat and swollen glands ... we've all had so many viruses recently that if I wait to exercise until everyone is better, I'd never leave the front door ...

Hope everyone else is having a more positive time of it ...

Sorry you feel ill counting, it is one thing after another at the moment with illnesses isn't it?

We went for a 3 mile walk last night, but we walked very slowly because the lady who is currently going through chemo for breastcancer walked with us. (she is signed up to do the moonwalk too, am in awe of her!!)
I actually found myself wanting to go faster though, whereas in teh past I have been the slow one lumbering behind, so hopefully I am getting fitter!!

I have decided to add half a mile to my three-times-a-week dogwalk and am planning a 4 mile route. Then once a week I will increase one of the walks by half a mile. (I can't add any time to the other walks as I need to be at the dc's school at lunchtime as I am a reader helper 3 times a week)

I still worry that we are not going to get up to 13 miles before mid may. The girls last night were very breezy about the fact taht we had 3 months left and there was no need to increase things too fast, but I am starting to panic and think we DO need to get a move on....

Sorry, random waffle there.
Right, am going to take dd swimming. Back later

Have you got a recommended training plan? I know they put one in the welcome pack (which they are very tardy at sending out)?
It kind of helps see what they think you should be achieving, and does a 12 week plan.

Have you got a recommended training plan? I know they put one in the welcome pack (which they are very tardy at sending out)?
It kind of helps see what they think you should be achieving, and does a 12 week plan.

Just looked at the Walkthewalk website and welcome packs are going out at the mo, so watch those letter boxes. V exciting!

Hi Posey

Am looking forward to seeing the welcome pack. Am starting to feel like I am in a surreal world at the moment. The mums/ladies I am doing the Moonwalk with are all very fit (weekly running, gym or tennis sessions between them) I am the only couch potato in our team. Yet I am the one eagerly awaiting training plans and wanting to walk more/faster/further, whereas they are planning hiring hte village hall and getting a takeaway in for a mass bra-decorating session. (there are over 20 in our team)
Talk about a complete role-reversal

As long as the 12 week training plan actually arrives 12 weeks before the Moonwalk then that's okay

well last year it was a 16 week training plan, so hopefully they will have revised that

it's been tricky for me to get out much over the last couple of weeks as 2 of my children have been ill and they've all been on half term and as dh mostly works away I've not been able to catch upon the weekends

anyway got out for an hour and a half this morning and have a question - I quite often get a stitch in my right side when I start walking fast - what's causing this and how can I stop it?

I am so glad you asked this, I get the same stitch....

So if anyone has an wanswer, I would love to hear it!

And yes, it better not be a 16 week training plan, because by now there are only 11 weeks left

I have not managed to get out much this week either, as it has been half term and I have been busy ferrying the dc to activities, taking them swimming etc.
We did do a short walk Tuesday night, but it was slow and not much of a challenge...

Starting to feel a bit frustrated really. Next week I am back to walking with the dog, but he darts all over the place so it is not really a powerwalk as such, more a disorganised event in the woods....
And if I want to walk on the paveements with him he has to go on the lead, and that does not allow me to do powerwalking either....

So all in all I feel my training is going utterly pants...