Less than a kilometre in, I knew I was going to suffer.
There was very little energy in my legs and my hips were already uncomfortable.
It was slightly frustrating because there was absolutely nothing wrong with the day. The weather was glorious — beautiful sunshine without being overly warm. The route wasn’t particularly difficult either. In fact, Bev, Hayley and I had walked much of it only a few weeks ago.
The route wasn’t difficult. I found it difficult. Today.
That’s just how it is sometimes.
Many feet, eight paws
There were five of us walking today: Richard, Tina, Bev, Emma and me. Chewy and Ted made seven, although they obviously contributed four feet each and seemed considerably less bothered by the whole thing than I was.
I’d never met Emma before. She’s a journalist who had come along to find out more about FSHD, the Cleveland Way challenge and why I’m doing it. It turns out that walking is a pretty good way to get to know someone.
We talked a lot. Emma asked me about FSHD, how it affects me and what motivates me. The conversation moved around the group as we walked and, on a day when I was struggling physically, it helped enormously. So did the dogs. They were an absolute joy all day.
Just keep going
For most of the walk I managed reasonably well. I wasn’t feeling particularly strong, but I was moving. At around 9 km things got considerably harder. My right hip in particular was causing me a lot of pain.
I took some painkillers and slowed down. I knew I’d slowed down because the others started disappearing into the distance ahead of me. They were brilliant, though. They’d walk on and then wait for me at regular intervals to catch them up.
I didn’t particularly want to stop. I’ve found that once I stop walking, getting everything going again can be really difficult. So it was better to keep moving, even if I was moving slowly.
Just get it done.
I may have said that to myself a few times today.
Lord Stones
The recommended Cleveland Way stage continues all the way to Clay Bank, another four miles or so beyond Lord Stones. I’d already decided when planning the challenge that I didn’t need to do that.
Eight miles was enough. We’d stop at Lord Stones, enjoy the café and add the remaining section to Day 4.
Today, I was particularly pleased with that decision. 😁 Getting to Lord Stones was a relief.
We’d covered 12.76 km in 3 hours and 54 minutes. There had been plenty of climbing and descending along the way and, despite how I’d felt, we’d actually made pretty good progress.
Most importantly, we’d completed exactly what we’d planned.
I was very happy to sit down for the best part of an hour. I had a coffee. I had a banana. 🍌
And after spending nearly four hours talking in various little groups as we walked, we had a chance to sit together and chat properly. I think everyone was pretty pleased with what we’d achieved. I certainly was.
It had been a glorious day on the Cleveland Way. Beautiful weather. Beautiful scenery. Great company. Two very happy Border Terriers.
My body just hadn’t been particularly interested in any of it.
Some days are like that.
Day 3 done.
