Going Back On A Promise

"Don't ask me why I'm doing this, you wouldn't understand,
 You're asking the wrong questions, you couldn't understand,
 A mountain isn't far to fall when you've fallen from the moon..."

When I completed the The South Downs Way trek last year, I clearly and adamantly stated that if I ever put on another pair of walking boots then please shoot me...hence the photo of me accompanying this blog showing me throwing my old walking boots into the bin on Eastbourne seafront last April.
Yet here I am once more...

One of the most regular questions that I get asked is why am I doing another charity walk, especially after what I previously said. Chappers has been tapping me up for sometime about the possibility of doing another project, and as the months have passed since the previous campaign, the pains and stresses incurred from that event have slowly eased...as has my resolve to never participate in anything similar again!
Chappers wanted to do something even more challenging, yet we also had to find a vehicle which would also prove realistic and practical. We thought of bikes; of running a marathon; but no matter what suggestions we thought up we kept coming back to another walk, although this time one of epic proportions!
I liked the idea of walking somewhere new, whilst keeping on a designated path, and the idea of walking back home from Lands End often came into our thought processes. Once we discovered just how far away it was we realized that we had to tweak our plan somewhat, but once we found The South West Coastal Path and all the various stages which makes up its entire route, we knew that we could achieve something both challenging and practical...if you can call walking 22 miles per day for 12 days practical?

So why put ourselves through the pain again?
Well, purely speaking for myself, I constantly feel a need to test myself and to go beyond my comfort zone. Without meaning to sound too sorry for myself, I haven't much going on in my life at present, so why not combine the opportunity to have a holiday in the sun (hopefully?), to keep myself fit, and to raise a few quid along the way?
I've never really been that ambitious as a man ~ I guess I had a lot of my ambition ground out of me in my early adulthood, whilst experiencing unhappy jobs and a miserable personal relationship. Two life long dreams however, were to visit New Zealand and to skydive through the clouds ~ both of which I fulfilled in November 2008 much to my great pleasure.
Since then there has been a certain void in my life, as there have been no real goals to grab my imagination. The previous charity campaign did engage me completely, right from its original inception through to its final completion, taking up my time for the best part of a whole year, but as previously stated there were some very personal circumstances surrounding the event, which made this goal unique for equally obvious sad reasons.

For the next few years I am quite restricted financially, partly due to living the dream which was NZ (which I'm still paying for!), so it's important to keep myself occupied with a true sense of purpose ~ this is where The South West Coastal Path walk comes into play! I want to put all my energies into this event, and forget about any previous goings-on in my personal life: women only seem to bring me grief and heartache, so the less said the better, although some of my recent Facebook posts may well explain my feelings!

Also, it has to be said that I'm not getting any younger!
For me to participate in a trek of this length and duration may well prove a challenge too far. I'll be 46 by the time of the walk, whereas Chappers is a mere 'whipper-snapper' in comparison, seeing as he's 15 years my junior to the exact day.
What we've both learned from last time are our own limitations, and the conditioning required to succeed.
The only real injury I sustained last time was a very painful right knee, but I now know how to manage this condition as the discomfort only comes when I go beyond the twenty-five mile mark. I now also know the magic healing powers of ice, so I'm confident that I'll be fine.

I've started a fitness regime involving two lengthy walks per week, which I will slowly build up and increase towards the event next year. I'm also watching my dietary needs, as a previous health issue has recently returned causing a restriction to my intake of certain foods, but this has ironically been a blessing in disguise, and has actually helped me get back into my old lean physique much earlier than anticipated.
I'm only drinking alcohol over the weekend ~ a few beers with the lads on a Friday and/or Saturday night ~ so that should help too...although no doubt I'll still get a little bit tipsy occassionally, thus resulting in a few random texts from time to time (sorry Trace! Lol).

So all things considered I think all is progressing well, although the whole campaign is still very much in its infancy at this stage. We've just ordered an official guide book relating to the walk, and we'll shortly be looking to plan the first leg of the trek incorporating the seven days from Lands End to Plymouth.
I've started receiving regular updates via The South West Coastal Path's Facebook page (check it out for yourself if you get a chance ~ see my latest photo bottom left), and I must confess to beginning to feel quite inspired...long may it continue and let's hope that we haven't bitten off more than we can chew?

Walkin' Steve

Walkin' Man! ~ An Introduction

Welcome one and all to a brand new series of blogs entitled, Walkin' Man!
I've recently posted on Facebook an outline of an intended charity walk planned for next year ~ please see posting on June 21st on my wall. The idea of these blogs therefore, is to support this campaign and gain some publicity where possible.
The title is partly inspired by the Seasick Steve song by the same name, and also due to its obvious relevance to the subject matter concerned. In addition, Walkin' Man! seems a natural progression from my old series of blogs named Ramblin' Man! which were connected to a previous charity campaign, similar to the one that we now have planned.

"And you say walk, I will walk, to the end of the line and back to you,
 My name is Steve and I'm your walking man, yes I am..."

The South West Coast Path National Trail is one of the top walks to be found anywhere in the world.
Where else can you walk along 630 miles of such superb coastline? The heritage, wildlife, geology and scenery along the way are truly inspirational and every day walking it brings stunning new experiences.

Late next April, my good pal Ross 'Chappers' Chapman (pictured, bottom right) & I intend to walk two seperate stretches of this amazing path covering 270 miles in total. We aim to set off at Lands End and walk 157 miles to Plymouth over seven days, then take two days rest including transferring to Exmouth, before embarking on our second leg of the trek to finish in South Haven Point, near Poole five days and 113 miles later.

Once again we hope to gain the support of our employer, Mercer, although this time we will be supporting their chosen charity which is Age UK. This differs from the previous campaign in that last time it was very much a personal crusade for me to raise funds for Cancer Research UK, whereas this time the main purpose of the event is purely to challenge Chappers and me with our capabilities of endurance...any funds raised for Age UK will be a bonus. We are counting on the experience gained from last time when we trekked The South Downs Way, but time will tell as this project is of a grander scale, and will severely push us to our limits.

With the actual event many, many months away at this stage, all I will be doing is posting updates every month, highlighting any progress with the planning, logistics, and organising of the campaign, which at the very least gets me back into a writing groove, so until next time I wish you well and thank you in advance for all of your continual support.

Walkin' Steve