Competa Walking Festival

My sister lives in this beautiful corner of southern Spain - about an hour east, and slightly north, of Málaga. The scenery is stunning, the roads terrifying (hairpin bends like you wouldn't believe), and the walking challenging.

Knowing of my love of hiking, she flagged up to me the Walking Festival that takes place in the region each September. This was its 13th year, and as far as I can tell, there were at least a hundred of us in the various groups that spent four days trekking in the region. 

Now, then. When I booked, there were only places left on Level 3 - the toughest one. The Level 3 distances for the four days ranged between 15 and 19 km (9.3 and 11.9 miles). As a daily three-mile walker, a veteran of two marathons, and a frequent walker of 10-15 mile distances, I thought, well, it's four days on the trot - but I should be OK.

On day one, I discovered my mistake. Yes, I knew it was steep and with rough terrain - and I've met that too, in the beauties of the Peak and Lake districts back home. But this was in a league all of its own... The steepest climbs - of which there were at least three on day one - were beyond anything I'd ever met. Not quite scrambling, but two-pole assisted rocky slopes, and minor roads which at times (according to a fellow walker) were in the one-in-four category.

I managed Day #1 - by the skin of my teeth - by opting out of the final steep upward climb; I simply hadn't any power left. Happily, one of the other walkers, who knew the route well, was kind enough to offer to take me around the foot of the final peak - still stony and tough to walk, but much flatter. 

Much to my relief, the organisers are happy for folks to switch levels after the first day, and it was with relief that I joined the Level 1 set for the remainder of the Festival. These were much more in my line - still with their challenges (there is no such thing as a relaxing walk in this area!) and some steep ascents - but kinder and as a result more enjoyable. Interestingly, by day four my legs had just about started to become accustomed to the constant steepness. Not easy to keep this sort of training going in Norfolk, however!

I had a truly amazing four days. I met so many kind and friendly people - many of whom were my age and substantially older, and displaying an awesome level of fitness. The scenery was, of course, utterly spectacular, and the sense of achievement very empowering.

We concluded the Festival with a buffet meal, medal presentations for all who had walked (at whatever level) on all four days, and lots of mutual congratulations.

Below are links to photographs, short video route maps, and statistics.

***

Day One (Level Three)

Distance: 8.59 miles / Elevation: 1955 feet

Video map: https://www.relive.com/view/vPOpkBZ3QRv

Photographs: https://photos.app.goo.gl/puQU6sBKDyZg4Fye7

Day Two (Level One)

Distance: 4.00 miles / Elevation: 831 feet

Video map: https://www.relive.com/view/v4OGr38xo5v

Photographs: https://photos.app.goo.gl/BXxcbHB8HUGpcTFh7

Day Three (Level One)

Distance: 2.75 miles / Elevation: 804 feet

Video map: https://www.relive.com/view/vdvmkxYN4N6

Photographs: https://photos.app.goo.gl/h6awUfoq2gCTynTC8

Day Four (Level One)

Distance: 6.30 miles / Elevation: 1457 feet

Video map: https://www.relive.com/view/vYvExBoZBGq

Photographs: https://photos.app.goo.gl/arLBfvkG8XTFeyrS8

Overnight marathon

I was tremendously proud of my Marathon Walk achievement, supported by Karl and his gang, in June 2017. My walking activities continued, with an annual 1,000 mile target, achieved with mostly a daily 3 miles or so, and interspersed with the occasional (monthly-ish) hike in the double-figures of miles.

For some while, I'd wanted to follow the suggestion of my good friend James to complete a midsummer overnight marathon. Marriott's Way is a splendidly friendly local walk, being the site of redundant railway lines and which has been converted to a well-known walking and cycling route. I've walked various sections of it at different times of the day; it's an especial pleasure in hotter summer days, as much of it is through tree-lined shade.

Our plans to do a through-the-night walk were originally mooted some time before, but were thwarted by various circumstances - including Covid. However, finally, in June 2023 we finally got our act together. James has been my good friend and 'hiking big bruv' for many years, being originally a colleague from our local theatre group, and I can think of nobody I'd sooner have with me on such an outing: completely trustworthy, highly experienced with such 'expotitions', as Winnie-the-Pooh would put it, and always comes armed with first-rate coffee.

Marriott's Way is marketed as a marathon distance, with way-markers (decorated with metalwork from the original railway lines) at each mile. In fact, the way-markers are more like 0.9 miles apart, and the total distance is a little over 24 miles.

We started from the Norwich end of the trail shortly before 8.30pm, with a little while to go before sunset. We took photographs of each other at alternate way-markers, stopped for the aforesaid excellent coffee (freshly brewed on small camping stove) and pork pies at Whitwell Station, roughly halfway along, and emerged blinking like owls into a summer morning at Aylsham just after 7.30am.

The experience was a really special one. The sounds and atmosphere of a summer night are quite remarkable; the occasional glimpses of sheep, deer and confused pigeons; watching the progress of the sun and stars as we emerged between trees and open land. Plenty of time for chat and for silence, and to feel the land beneath our feet. 

We took the bus back from Aylsham to Norwich, where my husband collected us; James picked up his car from our house and went back home to sleep, while I went with my husband to enjoy a full English breakfast, and then crashed out for the rest of the day!

Photographs: https://photos.app.goo.gl/cs48i1Gx5gBu9tL49

Video route: https://www.relive.com/view/vYvrV324Nxv

Playing at mermaids

While I'm not a speedy swimmer (or speedy anything, for that matter) I've always been quite confident in the water - mostly due to having a mother who was a swimming teacher, and who introduced me to the water when I was far too young to be nervous of it. 

When I spotted some stunning photographs of the lovely Lindy Pieri (a beautiful model of my acquaintance) taken in the unique Tankspace venue, I commented that I'd love to give it a go. The cost of a directly-booked session was somewhat beyond my budget - a solo two hour shoot costs £350. However, a few weeks after commenting on Lindy's post, she dropped me a line to say that her photographer, the magical Halo, was booking the tank for the whole day and selling 45 minute slots for £70. Despite being a three-hour drive away in Northants, I decided it was a chance not to be missed.

I then put up a Facebook shoutout to see if any other friends fancied sharing the journey / petrol / experience, and happily Dawn decided to join in. We shared the most wonderful day, booked adjacent slots, took it in turns to dive / change costumes to make best use of the time, and had an absolute ball.

The trickiest bit is the buoyancy. I am a natural 'floater' (something to do with large front-mounted waterwings?!) and keeping myself low enough in the tank is quite a feat. The process is to breathe in through the nose, but then exhale through the mouth as you descend - if you keep lungs full of air you just stay bobbing on the surface. Not very photogenic. Trying not to strangle oneself in scarves, drop props, or breathe in a lungful of water on emerging are all interesting challenges. However, by the end of the session, both Dawn and myself loved it and only wanted to have another go. There's no question of if we return to TankSpace - only when!

I took two costumes - a red evening dress and my (last worn in 1995) wedding dress. As a last-minute thought, I also took my favourite rainbow dungarees, and sneaked in a quick five-minute dive at the end of the session, also using the hoop (last encountered in my 'budgie-hooping' attempts a few years ago).

The Tankspace staff and Halo the photographer were delightful, friendly and reassuring; the tank itself was beautifully warm, as were the loos and changing room; the whole experience was empowering, amazing and magical.

I couldn't have been better pleased with the results. We had to wait for a couple of weeks until Halo had had a chance to sort, choose and edit from a day-long session, but they arrived on 30 December (the shoot was on 16 December), and as my husband put it, I didn't stop smiling for the rest of the evening.

It's a tough choice, but I think this is my favourite shot:

- the whole set can be seen here.

What a fantastic end to the year.

LEJOG: did it!

Triumphant to have managed the whole 1,083.8 miles with one week to go (final miles achieved on Christmas Eve). This is the last of the 'virtual postcards' that appeared along the way in my inbox!

Doing some serious walking around / through / across the UK for real would be a truly wonderful thing to do - except that my other [very enjoyable] commitments (theatre / church / decluttering clients / friends / family / husband) would probably go somewhat askew if I did... Any chance of cloning myself?!

LEJOG: 90% there

 In January 2021, I knew that I badly need a new target. I'd slipped back on many of my health and fitness goals, and I know from past experience that a specific aim is helpful to my motivation.

It was Kim who pointed me in the direction of LEJOG: the Land's End to John O'Groats challenge, via the Conqueror Challenge. This is one of a selection of virtual distances all over the world: you clock the real distances you've walked, but they are logged on a map showing where you would be along that route had you been walking in that location for real. I chose LEJOG as being an achievable target based on previous years: this particular route covers 1,083 miles, which across a year equates to just over 90 miles per month. Having managed 80 miles per month consistently for eighteen months back in 2017/2018, I reckoned I could aim a little higher.

The year started pretty well, and for the first four months of the year I actually exceeded 100 miles per month. The summer months went into decline; as we all struggled with the uncertainties of the lifting of lockdown but the continuing dangers of COVID-19, I suffered like so many others with uncertainty and a lack of motivation, and my weight rose again as my mileage decreased. However, I gave myself a metaphorical shake in August, my monthly mileage exceeded 100 miles again, and now - mid November - I have just over 100 miles to walk in order to 'reach' John O'Groats in the next six weeks.

During 2021 I've enjoyed some wonderful hikes - some (the shorter ones!) with my husband, some with friends, but mostly I have enjoyed solitary excursions, between five and fourteen miles. When we've managed some lovely holidays in the UK, my patient husband has been happy for me to take a day out alone to explore new territory. In April I walked over 14 miles along the Cranborne Loop in Wiltshire, and in September nearly 13 miles between Blanchland and Hexham in the beautiful Northumberland countryside. 

On average, I'm investing one hour per day in my walking activities. Time for me and for my health. And as I approach my 59th birthday, it becomes more than ever vital to my wellbeing that I continue to do so.

Running... and not running

Reading back over this blog, I see that at New Year 2020 I was five weeks into my umpteenth attempt at Couch25K. I thought it was worth recording that I did, in fact, complete the course in late February 2021. And there I stopped.

So what happened? There were no ParkRuns at the time (pandemic lockdown) to keep me motivated to continue; and in fact, I started to find that I truly wasn't enjoying the activity as much as before. The recurrence of my old plague, plantar fasciitis, didn't help; my additional injuries incurred with a severe sprain in the right foot (2013) have never really gone away, and with age I'm finding that the lower-impact activity of walking and hiking (even for long distances) causes me much less discomfort, as well as being easier on the back.

I do miss the time efficiency of running, the occasional exhilaration when the fitness is good enough; but my hiking activities are, I believe, best for me going forward. I'm proud of the few times that I achieved 5K continuous running (OK, plodding), but now - I'm walking onwards.

More of the 2021 walking achievements elsewhere, especially under the tag #LEJOG.

Couch to 5K - and other goals

Way back in May 2007 I 'ran' (that's rather overstating the case; it took me about 39 minutes) my first 5K - the local Race for Life. 

I continued to enjoy modest runs for the next couple of years until a nasty bout of plantar fasciitis put paid to that activity. 

During this 'life list' phase I decided to have a go at Couch to 5K, and blogged here about this in March 2018. Much to my amazement, I managed it, 'graduating' in May of that year. For the next few weeks I ran for three miles two or three times a week, and achieved my first ParkRun on 2 June (at a not-very-blistering speed of 36'17" - pace 11'16" per mile). 

What happened? Well, we moved into a heatwave. I returned to walking instead of running. And got out of practice. And then we moved house - from Winterton-on-sea to Norwich - in August. 

Once we were settled in our new home, I started C25K again in November - and gave up. And February 2019 - and gave up. And October 2019 - and gave up. Although I was still walking a reasonable amount, I'd lost my impetus and the feeling of being 'a fit person'. I gained between seven and fourteen pounds (this went up and down - although I'm relieved to say that my highest weight in this period has been 11 stone 7 - well under the 13 stone 1 that was my very heaviest in 2014).

In late 2019, I started C5K yet again, and in February 2020 I 'graduated' for the second time. And on 22 February I took part in my second ParkRun.

And what happened then? Well, we all know the answer to that. A month after my ParkRun, we went into the first covid-19 lockdown. Walks continued, but not as often or as far as before; life became a struggle, motivation plummeted, fear set in, and although it would have been rational to use activity to keep my mood lighter, I just gave up. My old walking targets of 80 miles per month were seldom met (when they were, it was due to taking long hikes - between 10 and 20 miles - with my good friend James). Lockdown #2 kicked in. We moved from that into Tier 4 - which was tantamount to lockdown anyway. 

Monday 16 November. Time to start again. Food is still rather out of control ("it's nearly Christmas and we're halfway through another b****y lockdown") but I start C25K again. And somehow, I've kept going. 

Today - Sunday 3 January - I've reached the end of week 5, and have just succeeded in conquering that startling 20 minutes of non-stop running that they spring on you at the end of that week. Slow, ploddy, hard work, but done - 1.5 miles, and at a pace of just under 13 minutes per mile.

It's 2021. During this year I'm determined to 

• achieve a running/walking distance of 80 miles per month (coupled with the #walk1000miles group on Facebook)
• to graduate in early February on Couch to 5K
• to walk a marathon again
• to get my weight back down to my optimum ten-stone-seven and below (I'll be doing weights-and-measures tomorrow, but it will be around 10-12 pounds to lose)
• to rebuild this lifelist and carpe diem.

In three days' time I'll be 58 years old. I've missed my lifelist challenges, and I miss the feeling of fitness and freedom that I achieved four years ago. 

The only person that can achieve this... is me.