here we go again...

yep. it's walking time again. so welcome back to old readers and hello to new ones.

time for an update? in the last year i have trained to become a science teacher. i wanted to blog about it, but quite frankly, there just wasn't time! i think this blog will be reserved for my summer adventures after all.

in terms of those...the plan this year is to walk the pennine way. and in terms of planning, that's about it.

yes. after the military precision of last year's planning, my friend em and i have decided to 'wing it' despite bothbeing incredibly unfit. my excuse is the combination of teacher training and boyfriend steeling all my exercise time (i never said it was a good excuse). her excuse is, well, i'm not sure to be honest. am i worried? not in the slightest.

why? two reasons:

firstly, my friend em and i have this odd way of egging each other on that just kind of works. it worked for the half marathon we ran last year, and the overnight walk through teignmouth last year. so we're planning on it working this year. flawless logic. right?

secondly, i went out on an attempt at the devon coast to coast last week. the purpose of this trip was to reacquaint myself with my fully loaded up pack and to test out the legs in light of the unfitness (no, you're right, that's probably not a word, but it's got a good ring to it so i'm overlooking it). long story short...i bailed - i'm getting better at that! the met office put out a 'red warning' for rain. and since i'd been up to my knees in mud, and soaked to the skin for most of the day, i decided it would be prudent to take a day off while the worst passed. then my laziness, along with the realisation that just cos the rain had stopped it didn't mean that the ground would have stopped being a bog overnight, making camping a nightmare, meant i called it off completely. the plus side? it turns out i still really love my bag. even after almost a year it's incredibly comfortable when loaded up with all my walking gear*. and despite some mild leg ache that night, i managed to complete the 15 miles of the erme-plym trail in good time and with little difficulty.

i'll write a post soon about who i'm walking for this summer**, but apart from that it'll essentially be a case of 'off for a 268 mile walk, back in 14 or so days...'

jin x

*oddly it's less comfortable with less in, perhaps cos i know how to set it up when it's loaded up?!


**i'd have walked for oxfam again, gladly. but i've been moved to change my cause this year...more on that to come.