21 today and coming home

I faced a tough choice today. Watch the Cricket World Cup Final, or go for a long walk. It was tempting to stay in in front of the telly, but I felt I could listen to most of the match while out walking. I caught about the last 15 or 20 overs and saw all the drama at the end. So my mind was not that much on the sights and sounds of my walk, only the sounds on my DAB radio.

On Friday, I caught up with a work colleague who is walking the West Highland Way, finishing with climbing Ben Nevis. Despite me initially going to the wrong room, we had a great talk for about half an hour, bringing back many memories of my own walk there in 2014. I was very fortunate that the most difficult day was at least dry, if the most draining I have ever had as a walker. And I had to get back out there the next day – I remember being very down at the end of that one. Jas seems very grounded and very well prepared – and when I asked her what she was doing over the weekend, she replied that she was climbing Snowdon! Ouch!

I am in some awe. Her sponsorship page is below:- https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jaspreet-gakhal2

After sitting out in the sun for hours yesterday at cricket, I did need a long walk. My job is for the most part a desk job and fairly sedentary, and I hadn’t had a long walk in July as yet. I was out of the house just after 10:30am and proceeded to stomp away in warm weather, not as warm as yesterday but still much warmer than ideal. I have started wearing a thin neckerchief on long walks in the sun, the type that is part of the kit given away as part of the Ultra Challenges. I burn easily and the neck is one of the most vulnerable areas for me as I normally wear a long sleeved t-shirt with no collar.

No Ultra Challenges for me this year but there will be something(s) in 2020, for sure. I do want to complete the set and that probably means one or two each year, costly though that might be. I am thinking about some sort of challenge in the autumn – the weather will be cooler, for one thing – but it may not be of that ultra level. Just enough to keep me sufficiently motivated; I would hate it to become a chore to keep my fitness up. Just under 21 miles today before I came home, as did cricket. Decent, but it might hurt a bit in the morning on both counts. Thirsty work too and rehydrating aplenty now.