Warwick to Coventry AND BACK!!!

Start the day as you mean to go on I say – and with that in mind blisters appear to be the current theme developing for Sunday.

This morning I’d planned to meet up with a friend for a walk around Memorial Park in Coventry – but (as seems to regularly be the case with new and improved Davey) I woke up at ridiculous o’clock and decided that I’d make the most of Sunday and ‘pre-load’ with a warm up walk.

After a bit of pottering about around the house I decided it would be a good idea to walk the nine miles into Coventry for my stroll in the park – which is something I’ve not done previously.

Probably with good reason.

‘It’ll be fun!’ my mind said.

 

It’s actually been a really nice day for it (although it was rather cold to before the sun came up) and my mind is still sure that it made the right decision – however there’s a voice of dissent from elsewhere that’s growing louder.

Currently my left little toe strongly disagrees with my mind’s course of action and is sporting an angry looking little blister on it’s tip for some unknown reason. It’s quite used to such distances so I can only assume that my boots have been laced too tight.

I’ve loosened them.

It’s a good thing that I always carry emergency plasters in my wallet. I’ve made some hasty repairs and I’m good to go!

Either way my stats seem to indicate I made pretty good time. I think an average of 17 minutes a mile for nine miles is a darn good pace!

Mostly because of this (despite setting out late) I’m also early to meet my friend so I’m sitting outside the small cafe in the centre of the park trying to keep warm.

My hands are (as they often seem to be these days) like little icicles. I’m rapidly coming to the conclusion that other people have better circulation than me – because no-matter what I do and what gloves I wear lately they just don’t seem to warm up.

(Author meets friend and does a couple of laps of the park, bids farewell and heads for home)

Well I have to say although I normally walk a lot of miles what I don’t regularly do any more is walk long distances in really compressed timeframes. Most of the time my 10 miles a day is well spread out and on work days I get to rest and chill out in the middle for 8 hours at my desk.

I think maybe because I got something of a second wind mentally at the SW weigh in yesterday I’m keen to push myself today.

The weather is nice too.

 

I’ve had to stop for a break though.

My blister is throbbing and I can sense another appearing on the ball of my right foot.

I’m currently sipping my flask of coffee whilst sitting in a bus stop. Mentally while I’m here I’m segmenting the journey ahead. When I chop it up into chunks the thought of it seems less arduous – so I think the next pit stop will be Costa coffee in Kenilworth.

It’s a little way away though…

Sigh. It’s not that far. My blister isn’t that bad…

I better get going.

(Author heads for Kenilworth, gets sidetracked by a really nice shirt and really nice tie in a charity shop, decides to make a quick impulse purchase and then heads for Costa.)

Well Costa was jam packed and what’s more there was a queue for both of their toilets.

I’ve moved on and I’m now sitting on a bench outside Sainsburys eating a punnet of strawberries and a 6 pack of apples. My thighs and hips are flagging now and if I’m honest the soles of my feet don’t feel good at all.

Tomorrow morning’s walk to work is not going to be pleasant – but I’m determined to get home. My friend offered to come and pick me up and drive me back to my house if I wanted him to – and I’m trying to resist the temptation to call him.

I know he’d drop everything and come and get me if I called him (he’s good like that) but it’s about pride now. I’m damn well not giving in.

I’ve walked over 17 miles and I ‘only‘ have another four before I reach home.

(Author eats most of his apples and all of his strawberries, uses Sainsbury’s loo and sets off on the last leg of the journey, before grinding to an unexpected halt…)

Frikkin ouch!!!! Mother flipping mother flipper!!!

I just drew level with the Saxon Mill pub in Warwick (around a mile from home) and the blister on the little toe of my left foot burst, despite the sturdy plaster that’s been holding it together for the last 11 miles.

It hurt so much I actually hopped on the spot!

I’ve been standing still for a minute or two to let the throbbing decrease.

I can hobble on.

I can do this!

I’m not asking for a lift!!!

(Author does it. He gets home. However he has to nip out again immediately to collect a parcel and decides that since he’s driving he can hobble from his car to Starbucks on the way to have a coffee – because he absolutely deserves one.)

 

Now Dave is in his happy place.

Sort of.

I have coffee but I daren’t take my boots off. Things feel… raw… and… damp in there and no good will come of unlacing them until I’m done for the day.

In the meantime I’m just going to sip my drink, forget my feet exist and look at my stats.

 

Not only did I walk to Coventry, but I did two laps of Memorial Park, walked back to Kenilworth, browsed the shops and then marched back to Warwick.

I’ve walked 22.25 miles today and completed 321 minutes of exercise – a new single day record it seems! I’ve also burned 3,860kcal calories today which makes up for this little piggy eating a second box of hi-fi bars late last night in front of the TV.

I feel absolutely shattered – but also very proud of myself. I don’t think I’ve ever walked this far in a day before (my previous best I think was when I walked to Solihull – which was around 17.2 miles – link) and I like to think I’ve pushed myself a bit further than I normally would.

I’m definitely going to pay for it tomorrow – but in the meantime I’ve smashed my goals for the day, and set myself up for the week ahead. I’ve walked around 33 miles over the course of Saturday and Sunday, which means that if I need to I can relax a little for a couple of days.

In the meantime I’m going to buy myself something nice to eat!

(Author goes shopping and heads home to put his food in the oven.)

Well – you’ll have to forgive me internet. I need to eat – so this is where the post ends.

I’m really looking forward to what’s on my plate, because even if I hadn’t done an obscene amount of exercise today it would be totally on plan. I bought some butternut squash crinkle chips and some sweet potato fries and they’ve just come out of the oven, filling the house with a wonderful chippy aroma.

I’ve seasoned them with salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar, and I’ve also cooked some  turkey steaks which I’ve seasoned with cajun spices.

Since I’m having chips it would be rude in the extreme to not include a healthy side of pickled onions – so I’ve chucked in half a small jar of silverskins too…

Nom nom nom!!!

Davey