Tuesday, May 29
Mad Max killed Toe Cutter; Or Footloose?
The early 80s; VHS films just making their entry into UK living rooms, and the sight of Kawasaki Z900 motorcycles being unceremoniously trashed, en-mass. A friend of mine, a Z900 junkie adored the film, but can't watch it these days due to the wholesale destruction of what are now Highly Collectible Classic Motorcycles selling for upwards of £4k. And that film trashed a lot of Z900s.
But to my point. Or more like points. Ten of them.
I'm off to the Lakes next week, and have been casually collecting my food store for a few weeks now, new ideas to try out. But more importantly I've also been preparing my bodily bits as well.
Settle down at the back for this is serious stuff. No sniggering!
One of the key areas is naturally the FEET. Painful feet equals a miserable walking experience. Period. You can be the fittest person on the hills, but without comfort down below you're going nowhere. It's pointless spending hours training on a rowing machine if your feet haven't had similar attention. They might be ok for a couple of hours, but the constant thumping steps for a 8 - 10 hour backpack requires a different sort of preparation (My pedometer once estimated 15,000-20,000 steps for a 20 mile walk)
One tip I picked up from my years of running was to prepare for a race well in advance. Pre race night I could expect not to sleep too well, so the advice was to get the shut-eye the night before the final night (hope that makes sense)
Similarly, feet preparation was best done well before the event. And I don't mean the last couple of days either.
While walking, feet injury is occasional, but it tends to happen over a long period of constant (ab)use. Whereas I've totally stripped the skin off two of my toes in a 90 minute 'fun' race, and not even noticed until the trainers came off. Hmm. Oooo, now that's what I call fun. Not.
So pedicure those feet before you go out on the hills. And not the night before. Give them a chance to settle down whilst your still kicking around the local neighbourhood.
Toenails cut short? Ends filed off smooth? There now, that's better. No snaggy nails to rip the ends of your socks, or to cause you increasing pain as those downhill bits come along pushing the tootsies into the boot end, however well laced they were at the top of the descent.
Similarly if you are someone who builds up callouses, and if you walk or run regularly that has to be the case, then work on them to remove any excess. At worst they will rub within you sock/boot and become another hot spot for problems as your journey continues.
'An army marches on its stomach' (Napoleon Bonaparte) Backpackers prefer to use feet.
Don't get mad. Max. But do get toe cut...errr.Labels: Gear
Comments:
John,
Ihave a photo of Alan Sloman doing his blog thingy at Kingussue. If you give me your e-mail address I will send it too you so that you can insert it into his rest day blog and give him a suprise. Derek
#
posted by 
: 1/6/07 4:59 pm
Just thought you'd like to know that I walked 22 miles (Windermere to Penrith via High Street) on Friday. My feet were a little bit sore at the end but as it only took me 8 hours that's probably not surprising. Good training this rowing malarky.
I've read through your blogs and they are not very good IMHO. The fact that you have to have digs at people like me shows that this trip is read by a silly little clique who spend their time writing blogs and reading the blogs of others.
See I got a mention in your mate Mycroft's blog as well. Now, I must say yours is brilliant compared to his . . . but still shite
#
posted by : 2/6/07 10:21 pm
Thanks for the comment Anonymous. (I think I can work out who you are)
You're welcome to your opinion, but if you don't like the content of these blogs, why waste your time reading them? Easy solution really. And the dig wasn't at you, but the approach you've advocated so vehemently in the past
But to the real meat of you comment - I'm glad to see your walk went well, but you've not read this blog too deeply otherwise you might have picked up my belief that the journey is the point, not the distance or how far/fast it is.
BTW I rarely get sore feet, and I carry a full pack. But then my trip is more a meander. But I somehow doubt you'll ever understand the distinction here.
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But to my point. Or more like points. Ten of them.
I'm off to the Lakes next week, and have been casually collecting my food store for a few weeks now, new ideas to try out. But more importantly I've also been preparing my bodily bits as well.
Settle down at the back for this is serious stuff. No sniggering!
One of the key areas is naturally the FEET. Painful feet equals a miserable walking experience. Period. You can be the fittest person on the hills, but without comfort down below you're going nowhere. It's pointless spending hours training on a rowing machine if your feet haven't had similar attention. They might be ok for a couple of hours, but the constant thumping steps for a 8 - 10 hour backpack requires a different sort of preparation (My pedometer once estimated 15,000-20,000 steps for a 20 mile walk)
One tip I picked up from my years of running was to prepare for a race well in advance. Pre race night I could expect not to sleep too well, so the advice was to get the shut-eye the night before the final night (hope that makes sense)
Similarly, feet preparation was best done well before the event. And I don't mean the last couple of days either.
While walking, feet injury is occasional, but it tends to happen over a long period of constant (ab)use. Whereas I've totally stripped the skin off two of my toes in a 90 minute 'fun' race, and not even noticed until the trainers came off. Hmm. Oooo, now that's what I call fun. Not.
So pedicure those feet before you go out on the hills. And not the night before. Give them a chance to settle down whilst your still kicking around the local neighbourhood.
Toenails cut short? Ends filed off smooth? There now, that's better. No snaggy nails to rip the ends of your socks, or to cause you increasing pain as those downhill bits come along pushing the tootsies into the boot end, however well laced they were at the top of the descent.
Similarly if you are someone who builds up callouses, and if you walk or run regularly that has to be the case, then work on them to remove any excess. At worst they will rub within you sock/boot and become another hot spot for problems as your journey continues.
'An army marches on its stomach' (Napoleon Bonaparte) Backpackers prefer to use feet.
Don't get mad. Max. But do get toe cut...errr.
Labels: Gear
John,
Ihave a photo of Alan Sloman doing his blog thingy at Kingussue. If you give me your e-mail address I will send it too you so that you can insert it into his rest day blog and give him a suprise. Derek
Ihave a photo of Alan Sloman doing his blog thingy at Kingussue. If you give me your e-mail address I will send it too you so that you can insert it into his rest day blog and give him a suprise. Derek
#
posted by : 1/6/07 4:59 pm
: 1/6/07 4:59 pm
Just thought you'd like to know that I walked 22 miles (Windermere to Penrith via High Street) on Friday. My feet were a little bit sore at the end but as it only took me 8 hours that's probably not surprising. Good training this rowing malarky.
I've read through your blogs and they are not very good IMHO. The fact that you have to have digs at people like me shows that this trip is read by a silly little clique who spend their time writing blogs and reading the blogs of others.
See I got a mention in your mate Mycroft's blog as well. Now, I must say yours is brilliant compared to his . . . but still shite
I've read through your blogs and they are not very good IMHO. The fact that you have to have digs at people like me shows that this trip is read by a silly little clique who spend their time writing blogs and reading the blogs of others.
See I got a mention in your mate Mycroft's blog as well. Now, I must say yours is brilliant compared to his . . . but still shite
#
posted by : 2/6/07 10:21 pm
: 2/6/07 10:21 pm
Thanks for the comment Anonymous. (I think I can work out who you are)
You're welcome to your opinion, but if you don't like the content of these blogs, why waste your time reading them? Easy solution really. And the dig wasn't at you, but the approach you've advocated so vehemently in the past
But to the real meat of you comment - I'm glad to see your walk went well, but you've not read this blog too deeply otherwise you might have picked up my belief that the journey is the point, not the distance or how far/fast it is.
BTW I rarely get sore feet, and I carry a full pack. But then my trip is more a meander. But I somehow doubt you'll ever understand the distinction here.
Post a Comment
You're welcome to your opinion, but if you don't like the content of these blogs, why waste your time reading them? Easy solution really. And the dig wasn't at you, but the approach you've advocated so vehemently in the past
But to the real meat of you comment - I'm glad to see your walk went well, but you've not read this blog too deeply otherwise you might have picked up my belief that the journey is the point, not the distance or how far/fast it is.
BTW I rarely get sore feet, and I carry a full pack. But then my trip is more a meander. But I somehow doubt you'll ever understand the distinction here.
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