Into Spring gear

Been a while…

I know, I know, nothing from me for a month, but please bear with me as the weather gradually improves and plans get firmly underway.

The last few weeks have seen some quite impressive weather in the London area: gales, days of rain, random sunshine and alternations of warm and cold. The British traditionally talk a lot about their weather – recently it has very nearly (but not quite) toppled Brexit from the top spot in the chat list.

Persistent heavy rain turned the little brook which runs alongside some of my regular routed into a raging dirty grey torrent, at the same time flooding parts of the paths and rendering some areas impassable. As quickly as it came, so it gave way to drier times and a return to some normality.

At least flooded paths are a good test of GoreTex-lined footwear…

Most recently there is a hint of Spring, some little explosions of blossom and the return of green to the landscapes. Things are looking up.

Talking of looking up, it’s often the little cameos which stick in the memory. A day or so ago I saw a lady pointing her phone intently up at a cherry tree in full bloom. She was Japanese: homesick, or what?

Choices and combinations

A few words for the gear bunnies, now that my training schedule is fully active. Longer walks certainly sort out what works and what struggles. After various experiments I’m alternating my footwear between Merrell Moab 2 GTX shoes and Meindl Respond XCR mid boots, still undecided as to which would fare better on the long trek to Wales later in the year. There is little to choose between them for comfort, the boots are slightly heavier – a little harder work over longer distances – but more supportive around the ankles. There is lots of time still to work on that one. In both cases the combination of good footwear and the right socks is critical – I’ve talked before about Bridgedale and Darn Tough socks, so I am now pitching those against other brands of merino-based socks just to see what happens.

Having discovered them while in Yorkshire last month I’ve also invested in some Rohan Stretch Bags trousers – so far they seem to work well, comfortable, with lots of pockets in the right places, and lightweight.

Modular mixes

Now that my self-imposed training schedule is gradually ramping up – this week it requires at least 55 miles in total, but this must include at least three excursions of minimum 12 miles – it has proved invaluable to have a range of circular routes which can be plugged into each other to produce longer treks. Up to now I have circuits of 4, 8, 9 and 11 miles in various directions, which can be connected to give, say, 12, 15, 17 or 20 miles. I could also add them to a straight-line route for an even wider range of options.

Apart from seeing places and objects which would never be uncovered otherwise, this whole exercise helps to make connections, to link places together logically. It’s very much harder to do that from inside a car, but then that’s the whole point, isn’t it?

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!