Snow, socks, shoes and schedules

Woolly socks and Gore-Tex

Sounds like a cue for winter walking! As my training plans engage first gear, these are the sort of topics which loom large.

The last couple of weeks have seen a transformation in the weather in London, encouraging my head and my feet to ramp up the strolling a little. It’s hard to believe these two pics were taken just a few days apart:

 

It’s still quietly amazing, by the way, that both were taken within London postcode areas – they could be deep in the countryside somewhere.

Woolly socks to the fore then – my Bridgedales warming my toes through a few 8- and 9-mile sorties into the slippery white stuff, and a new pair of “Darn Tough” socks now on test. Darn Tough maybe, darn comfortable so far, and darn expensive too: let’s see if they are worth it. I’ve said it before, but the choice of socks is going to be critical for long-distance comfort.

Just before the second photo was taken, I had sloshed through a swollen boggy patch, the water covering my footwear. That’s where the Gore-Tex comes into play – perfectly dry feet kept on walking afterwards, completing that particular 10-mile jaunt in total comfort.

What kind of idiot…

…buys a new pair of walking shoes, wears then round the house for half an hour, then takes them straight out on a 10-mile stroll? Well, here I am!

I’m still testing different footwear options, as for my long trek later in the year what I put on my feet will be one of the most important decisions of the whole exercise. The shoes in question this time are Merrell Moab 2 GTX – half price if I could accept a rather odd shade of battleship grey (I did). I have a good history with Merrell in the past, they seem to work well with my fairly wide feet, and the Moabs attract very good reviews. They’re right. Straight out of the box they were just fine. Time will tell whether they can stand the pace.

Whatever I decide on during training, it is almost certain I will need a new pair closer to setting out for Wales, so there is still time to refine the options.

Scheduling, holidays, and early rising

Now that the year is rather rushing on I am beginning to take walking training much more seriously, although I am sticking to a plan which builds up distance gradually. This also allows me to settle to a comfortable pace for mid/long distances, and thus to predict when I will get home. That helps…

I am now going to 10 miles ideally twice a week, with a selection of 2-, 4- and 8-mile routes to fit around those longer strolls. Very soon 10 will become 12, then 15 and longer, but the progression has to be done in a planned and measured way. After being rained off on a previous attempt I have also tested going back-to-back – in this case 10 miles one day, then 9 the next. I got up early for the second day’s stroll and proved that 9 miles can fit in before breakfast. I think the early rising was more difficult to handle than the walking, but I’m sure that will wear off with future exercises.

But hey, a boy needs a break now and then: last week we spent five days in Yorkshire’s Bronte country, staying right in Haworth. Those very literary moors were extremely soggy, so they will need to be revisited in drier times. Holidays can put great pressure on a stepcount obsession, but they are great fun!