Training walk: Swansea to Port Talbot
Today was- and I cannot emphasise this enough- not a good day. I stopped at work as I went past this morning to collect a debit card a colleague very kindly rescued from the scrubs laundry bin, and things went almost relentlessly downhill from there. Let me count the ways:
Not a good day because the whole walk was along A-roads, barring an excruciating mile (mile 12, in fact) on soft sand. A-roads were bad because there was no nice scenery to distract me, because I was dusted in road debris every time a vehicle passed, because I spent the duration worrying I was lost because surely, surely the Wales Coast Path couldn't have 11 consecutive miles running along the A48 (spoilers: it can, F-, would not buy again), and because relentless tarmac is no fun to walk along. Soft sand at mile 12 was bad because by that point my ankles were sore and the extra effort of each step made it all worse. Also, lack of any scenery meant nowhere to sit to eat anything until partway into mile 10, by which point I was so cold (see below) and the bench so unsheltered that I couldn't sit there for more than about three minutes.
Not a good day because of the above-mentioned sore ankles: they were slightly aching at the end of yesterday's walk but very transiently to the extent that I'd forgotten about it by the time I wrote yesterday's log. Today I think they started to hurt at about mile 7 and when I inspected them in the bath it turns out I have three very sore red marks around my left ankle and an actual bruise on the right, just over a tendon at the front. I'm impressed. In addition, I have three tiny but niggly blisters on my little toes, having been so pleased to avoid that yesterday.
Not a good day because of a constant headwind driving first sand, then road dust, then more sand into my face for at least 10 of sixteen miles. Also making me cold, but that I accept partial responsibility for as I should have worn more clothes. As usual, top half toasty under four layers, bottom half freezing with only one. If you fail to plan...
All that being said, I am pretty proud of myself for walking 16 and a quarter miles at an average speed of (still!) over 3mph (3.08, in fact), despite headwind and ankles and cold and not eating anything and all that. I also had a very, very welcome cup of tea at mile 4, which warmed me up no end, and also helped wash the sand of Swansea Bay out of my mouth. Another source of pride: I carried on after that break, despite secretly thinking maybe eight miles would be enough for today...
The sixteen miles, by the way, was not intentional and was in fact the result of my briefly glancing at someone else's route (11 miles) and saying to myself "well I may as well walk to the start point...and there's a station not far from the end there" - thereby adding on two and a half miles each end.
Blister count: 3, 1 of which is deroofed
Boot cost per lifetime mile: £6.42
Not a good day because the whole walk was along A-roads, barring an excruciating mile (mile 12, in fact) on soft sand. A-roads were bad because there was no nice scenery to distract me, because I was dusted in road debris every time a vehicle passed, because I spent the duration worrying I was lost because surely, surely the Wales Coast Path couldn't have 11 consecutive miles running along the A48 (spoilers: it can, F-, would not buy again), and because relentless tarmac is no fun to walk along. Soft sand at mile 12 was bad because by that point my ankles were sore and the extra effort of each step made it all worse. Also, lack of any scenery meant nowhere to sit to eat anything until partway into mile 10, by which point I was so cold (see below) and the bench so unsheltered that I couldn't sit there for more than about three minutes.
Not a good day because of the above-mentioned sore ankles: they were slightly aching at the end of yesterday's walk but very transiently to the extent that I'd forgotten about it by the time I wrote yesterday's log. Today I think they started to hurt at about mile 7 and when I inspected them in the bath it turns out I have three very sore red marks around my left ankle and an actual bruise on the right, just over a tendon at the front. I'm impressed. In addition, I have three tiny but niggly blisters on my little toes, having been so pleased to avoid that yesterday.
Not a good day because of a constant headwind driving first sand, then road dust, then more sand into my face for at least 10 of sixteen miles. Also making me cold, but that I accept partial responsibility for as I should have worn more clothes. As usual, top half toasty under four layers, bottom half freezing with only one. If you fail to plan...
All that being said, I am pretty proud of myself for walking 16 and a quarter miles at an average speed of (still!) over 3mph (3.08, in fact), despite headwind and ankles and cold and not eating anything and all that. I also had a very, very welcome cup of tea at mile 4, which warmed me up no end, and also helped wash the sand of Swansea Bay out of my mouth. Another source of pride: I carried on after that break, despite secretly thinking maybe eight miles would be enough for today...
The sixteen miles, by the way, was not intentional and was in fact the result of my briefly glancing at someone else's route (11 miles) and saying to myself "well I may as well walk to the start point...and there's a station not far from the end there" - thereby adding on two and a half miles each end.
Blister count: 3, 1 of which is deroofed
Boot cost per lifetime mile: £6.42
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