It’s 4:36 am and there’s a bright moon and I want to walk. It’s because I’ve fallen in love with an idea.
I have an idea that if I walk often enough, and far enough, and fast enough, I can regain and maintain wellness lost during the months of Ireland’s first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.
Before that, I was walking all over the place without a thought. I had had a gastrectomy so I had lost weight and was maintaining a sleek physique (by my own standards) and was delighted to wear anything in my closet and had to stop myself from buying more clothes in the sheer joy of loving how I looked in anything.
But I hit a few bumps in the road – stressors and weight putter-ons. CPE, then Morocco, then being ghosted, then lockdown and a massive building project in the back garden that I coped with by learning to bake. I started gaining and it wouldn’t stop.
Now I have new hope and it comes from walking. I visited a podiatrist and got my feet and shoes in shape. In a few weeks I have increased distance from 1 to 6 km and time from 15 minutes to 1.5 hrs and steps from 300 to 10K.
So my hope comes from discovering that my body, even at 67, is a skill learning and strengthening machine. I want to take this body to its fullest potential.
I plan to make a note on my walking every day, including observations and thoughts as well as statistics. Neal has been my wonderful assistant coach and companion, but I’ve been planning and strategizing the walks.
I have two goals.
At the end of April 2021 I want to make the 5 km walk by the River Lee from Carrigaline to Crosshaven, have lunch and come back to Carrigaline for a total of 10 km on the flat.
In July, COVID permitting, I plan to attend a wellness retreat at Cloona where I will be walking 3 miles (5 km) a day for 4 days and 5 miles (8 km) on the last day, including yoga each day. Strenuous!
Westport, County Mayo
Subsequent dream goals include walking trails and beaches all over Ireland. When lockdown ends I want to be ready.
So I say to myself, “Cead Mille Faillte to walking!”
