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!

Ah, mrspnut, that makes more sense

counting - happy easter to you too

I've been monitoring my walking over the weekend and I'm not doing too badly.

I'm averaging about 4 miles a day which is better than I thought but I'm going to walk to pick my daughter up from school today so that's a 5 mile round trip.

Hope you all managed to get some walking in this weekend without getting soaked.

Hi all! Hope you had a nice Easter break everyone. Some weather we've been having huh?

Managed to get out for a walk on Easter Monday (that would be yesterday!) and dodged a couple of hailstorms. Did 6.5 miles in 1 hour 22 minutes so very chuffed with that.
Weather isn't looking too good for the rest of the week but hope to get out on Friday agin unless it's pouring down.

Anyone out there? Hope the walking is going okay.

Hi Posey! Just back from holiday break in California (doncha know!), so will respond to your email soon.

Your walking pace sounds great. Well done! Wish I was doing the Moonwalk again this year.

Hello, hope you all had a fab easter weekend.

I have just come in from my walk with the girls, we did 3.4miles in 1hr10 minutes. For us that is a decent pace (although I did run out of breath, am still not able to walk and talk at the same time)

Am going to have to do the moonwalk mute, the only way I will get round.... Help.....

Am going to go on my own on Thursday (during the day) and have just mapped out a 6mile route to attempt.

Any advice on how to get better at talking and walking at the same time? Or will it be too noisy at the actual moonwalk to talk? (hopeful emoticon)

Earlybird - hope you had a good break, you deserve it Hope all is okay with you and dd.
If you were here, it would've been lovely to have you walking with us this year.

Hippi - well done for keeping at it when I know you haven't been enjoying it too much.
No it won't be too noisy to talk while you walk, but you may not feel like it, as you'll be grinning a lot at all the folk cheering you on!
I think I read that in order to get fitter/lose weight etc they say you should be out of breath and that if you can chat and walk (or whatever it is you're doing) then you aren't working yourself hard enough.

Oh Posey, that makes me feel better - at least I know I am working myself hard

Hello, I'm back!

Had a great time, though didn't do too much walking. The journey down was awful: two days in the car with no food in me at all, horrible weather and delays (a 4 hour wait for the Mont Blanc tunnel due to snow, which meant that we took a longer route via the south of France, which meant longer in the car with my churning stomach... ugh!). However, Liguria is wonderful. I did go out walking a couple of times, but didn't go very far (probably 2.5 miles the first time and about 4 miles the second time) due to the incredible steepness of the hillside on which we were staying. To give you an idea... the first two-thirds of a mile up from the house had to be all done in first gear it was that steep (with hairpin bends). Walking up and down it irritated my bad back (which still isn't right after the dd-related ice-skating incident) and meant that I could only walk very slowly. Did about 3 miles another day with the kids (slow again), and generally did quite a bit of walking around, but nothing very specific. Will have to get in training again now.

Still... one good side-effect of the bug is that (for the first time ever) I have come back from Italy lighter than I was before I went (only about 4 lbs though - my ice-cream intake went right back up again in the last few days!).

Hope everyone else is well. Just got back tonight, so will catch up with your news now and will post again soon.

Hi Ellbell! Nice to see you back. Glad you're now better (that journey sounded hideous). So besides walking, how was the rest of your holiday?

I was supposed to go out yesterday, after lunch with sil and her partner. Well lunch became very protracted, then we ambled to the bookshop and browsed there for ages, then came home and drank too much... It was a lovely day though!
However today went to not quite so local shops on bus as wanted to go to Clarks factory shop with kids. Anyway missed the bus coming home and couldn't be bothered waiting ages for another so we walked. Not too bad for me or dd, but poor ds is only 5 and it was a good couple of miles, probably 3!
Anyway will have to try and fit something in this week, between dh's work and the kids school and my work...tricky at the mo.

How's everyone else doing?

Hi Ellbell, glad to see you back. sorry to hear the journey was such a nightmare...

Posey, your amble to the bookshop and then lots of wine sounds like my ideal training session

I did 6 miles on Thursday, on my own. I was fine for the first 5, and then I really struggled to do the last mile.

Next week I am planning a 5 mile and a 7 mile walk.
Am trembling at the thought.....

Hiya. Aaaahh! Liguria! It was beautiful. We were staying inland where it was (as I mentioned) extremely steep with olive trees everywhere, very quiet, very un-touristy (at least in March). The coast was stunning, especially places like Portofino (hugely expensive, but beautiful) and the Cinque Terre. Oh, and Genoa is beautiful too with a really good aquarium. I'd definitely go back.

I did 7 miles today (in 1 hour 45 mins) and, like you Hippi, the first five miles were fine but the last two were hard work (must remember to find routes where all the hills are in the first half!). I had an hour's riding lesson this morning too, so will be stiff tomorrow.

Am quite excited because dh has bought me a treadmill. It's a very basic one - magnetic rather than electronic - but it will mean that I can do a little bit of walking (even if only half an hour or so) on the evenings when dh is working till late and I'm at home with the kids and can't go out. Work will also be a bit more flexible for me in a few weeks (exam period - loads to do, but less tied to when I have to do it) so I may even get out a bit during the day. Fitting in the longer walks is going to be tough time-wise, but I hope the treadmill will help a bit. It feels very weird at the moment (keeps sort of sticking and then shooting backwards so I nearly fall off) but that may be because I'm trying it out in my slippers () rather than in trainers.

Hippi - it sounds like you're doing really well. Just a few weeks ago you were struggling to manage 3 miles, remember, and now you've done 6! Good work!

Have added some pics of Liguria to my profile (for a limited time only). Hope you can see them.

Ooh it sounds, and looks amazing. Roll on the hols!

Good luck with the treadmill (and remember not slippers, trainers)

Wow, fantastic holiday pictures. Italy is so breathtakingly beautiful...

Enjoy the threadmill

Hiya. How are you all doing this week?

I've just done a very good 5 miles (it felt quite easy, iykwim) in 1 hour 15 mins. Did a short 3.5 miles on Monday but felt quite stiff after riding and then walking 7 miles on Sunday, so didn't enjoy that much. But tonight I almost believe I could walk 26 miles.

Wow Ellbell, well done

I did 4 miles with the girls last night. I struggled.

The last few times I have walked I have come over all lightheaded, a bit dizzy, and last night with the added joy of pins and needles over my bum and thighs. Very very odd....

We are hoping to attempt a 7 mile walk on Friday.... (help)

That sounds nasty, Hippi. Have you had enough to drink (no, not that kind of drink, silly ) before you go/while walking? I sometimes get a bit light-headed if I forget to drink enough water. Pins and needles in the bum/thighs sounds more like a trapped nerve or something... not sure what's the best thing to do for it though. Perhaps lots of nice stretching? Good luck for Friday, anyway. You are doing really well. Don't let one bad walk put you off. On Monday 3.5 miles felt like about 10, but tonight's 5 disappeared in no time. You can do it!

I think it is a lack of water thing. Very very possible. Also, we walk around 7pm, so I will just nibble a bit here or there instead of eating (can't walk on a full meal) and I am prone to lightheadedness when I am hungry.

The trapped nerve thing makes sense - I have a lot of trouble with sciatica since having dd, so yes, that may be the reason.

I am looking forward to my walk on Friday, I am walking with one other friend, who is a fantastic laugh, so it should be okay. Am just in the process of planning a route.

You maybe need to eat something more substantial earlier on (have a sarnie at about 4.30) and then maybe a banana or something before you go out. Sympathise with the hunger thing... on my route tonight I think I walked past 3 Chinese takeaways, one fish and chip shop, one pizza place, one Italian restaurant (actually I went past that one twice) and a dodgy kebab shop. I was starving when I got in!

For the pins and needles thing, did you ever do 'the cat' when pg? (On all fours, arching back like a cat and then straightening it, and maybe circling pelvis a bit too.) Stretching like that works for me (not with pins and needles, but for the ongoing stiffness caused by dd1 and her bloody ice-skating!).

It's dd1's birthday early in May and she has asked for an ice-skating party. Over my dead body! I'm not risking injury so close to my 'big event' [precious emoticon]!

Oh Ellbell, step away from those iceskates!!

I never tried the 'cat' thing, but may try it now.
I will try to sort out my pre-walking eating habits too, and make sure I drink enough.

I may do a short walk tomorrow, I have been missing the woods and the dog is getting fed up with pavement walks....

Then the big one on Friday, I really really hope I can do it....
I am still not very confident about his moonwalking business.....

There's a video of the cat thing here (though I got distracted by the fact that the woman's fence seems to have blown down!).

You can do it! You can!

You need to get this on your iPod!

You need to get this on your iPod!

Oops... once is probably enough, though

Thanks Ellbell, you have missed your calling as Mrs Motivator

Love the yoga vid too, love the gap in the fence (strangely transfixed with it hoping something interesting would come in through the gap) and I love the juxtaposition of posh looking side tables with table lamps inside what looks to be a giant shed....

Will get on and do some cat cowing, and will increase my stretching.

I am going to do a short walk today (well 3 miles, in the past that would have been classed as a long walk) with the dog, and then attempt 7 miles tomorrow.