Gonna Fly Now, or at least Run!

Regular readers will most likely know that I'm not the fittest person on the planet, and I have goals of completing some stonkingly long walks in the next few years. I don't mean a couple of multi dayers either...This combination is not a very satisfying one.

Plus, I look at some 'shorter' walks that my friend Steve does with envy. He's just posted on his blog two walks that I would really love to do, the Ring of Steall and the CMD route up Ben Nevis, but realistically I am probably not fit enough to attempt them at present. I want to do walks like this in summer and winter conditions, to help prepare me for different weather and conditions on these longer walks, and for the sake of the hills themselves too. With the winter coming towards us, the lack of fitness and walking in more exposed areas increases the risk.

I can't remember the last time I regularly run. Well, I can remember a time, when I only did 1.5-2 miles a night, most nights, and got really skinny. I'm not bothered about getting skinny; it doesn't suit me and frankly I'd rather be strong and fit.

But I have started to run again, around my local park. I've only been out three times so far, but already I notice the difference in how well I do from one run to the next. I hesitate to call it running because I walk a bit too, but gradually the walking is becoming less and the running further. I'm pleased by this. I'm also pleased when I have those sublime moments where it just feels so easy and effortless. The moments may not last more than 10-20 seconds, but they're there and hopefully I'll have more of them!

It has a knock on effect in that I notice more what I fuel my body with. I'm reasonably clued up on nutrition having trained with bodybuilders and boxers in the relative recent past, and have a few books on the subject too. So different aspects of my life are being pulled in to support my walking goals; another aspect I like.

I think because I haven't approached this in a negative mind set (the "I'm so fat / unfit" type), I'm enjoying the process and a sense of rediscovery of what I can do, how I can push myself and when I should, how I talk to myself to encourage myself to keep going, what I sing to myself to give whatever I'm doing a sense of rhythm.

Currently it tends to be the Rocky theme tune, "Gonna Fly Now", probably because when I did a bit of boxing training in the past, watching the transformation of Rocky in the first film was inspiring to me. I was lucky enough to have to go to Philadelphia on a training course with work a few years ago and went to the Museum of Art and stood in Sylvester Stallone's tiny foot prints.

So I'll finish off with a clip from the film.