Ok so it has been a wee while since my last posting. I am sure that both of my readers are worried sick about what is going on with me: “Has he quit!” they might decry, “Did he fall off a steep cliff and is rotting down a gully in some far flung remote part of New Zealand?” they might fret.
Well, fret not! I have not died yet. And I try and stay as far from remote New Zealand as I can (the whole reason for this blog aside . . . ), no, I have just been slack (another recurring theme in this blog).
The Plan™ has been interrupted somewhat in the past few months. Had a business / leisure trip to Europe, a birthday, and Christmas / New Years which have been in the way. I have determined that it is nearly impossible (for me) to maintain a healthy diet in the face of all that Christmas has on offer. And it is just ludicrous to even think about any sort of Plan™ when you are on holiday.
But not all was lost. I have maintained a modest activity schedule through it all. And I had a mini-hike while in Germany at the Black Forest.
That was a great little walk actually. I was visiting a funicular railway up a hill (they called it a mountain, I laugh!) at Baden Baden in Germany, but I arrived about an hour before the railway opened. There were a number of signs up for walks around the mountain, so thought I could pass the time by walking a little along some of them, so set off on a clear but brisk autumn morning. The further along I got the more I was enjoying it, so stopped and got into my serious walking shorts and shirt (which I conveniently had in my bag). And then proceeded to shanksnag it . I darted off down a side path which was sign-posted in German so I really had no idea where I was going. But the path looked neat, it was littered with fallen leaves and the trees were all dabbled yellows and golds, I half expected to walk around a corner to find a small cottage made of gingerbread. But what I did find was a bridge over the top of the railway, which is when I realised I had half climbed the mountain (actually only 1/4 climbed it I would find, but still good). So I determined to carry on.
Black Forest
The path rose steadily onwards and upwards, a bit steep in some places, but overall not too bad. The path left the deciduous trees behind and soon I was walking through a conifer forest, which was actually quite dark, so lived up to its name.
Blacker Forest
At the top the views were fantastic, looking out down a number of valleys which were filled with the quaint town of Baden Baden. On hills around I could see the ruins of old castles and watchtowers. The best part was that there was a cafe where I could congratulate myself on not being a completely lazy git.
One of the views from the top
Actually on the week or so that I was tourist-ing around Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands I was quite happy with my fitness which enabled me to get out and do a lot of walking around towns and tourist attractions. Another feat I was particularly happy with was climbing the belpre at the Brugge town hall. This was a significant and steep windy staircase, the going down much more nerve wracking and stressful than the going up. But it was well worth the effort.
Bruge Bell Tower
The only day that defeated me physically was when I was at the Van Gough museum, which involved a lot of standing around and tourist shuffling.
Looking at my log of walking though, I have now surpassed 1000 km, I actually achieved this back in November, but it is still an achievement. The tally to date stands at: 1216.2 km walked in 281 hours 58 minutes. Which adheres to The Plan™ at about 99%.
Weight loss is not so great, I have put on 7 kg in the past three months since I went to Rarotonga. I suppose it could have been worse.
There is now only 3 MONTHS until the Milford Track. I don’t feel prepared at all really. I have come along way, but now is the time to really knuckle down and get some decent preparation in. I still want to lose another 21 kg to reach the 50 kg lose target I set so long ago. And I will set myself increasingly difficult daily walking goals to increase my aerobic exercise.
I have no time to lose!
I’m glad to hear you are still alive and there isn’t a ghost sitting across the office from me. Wish I was doing the Milford Track too … but not at the same time as you, because you will hate the amount of crying and complaining I come out with when under that sort of pressure. I am not as tough as you
I bet I would be complaining and crying more!