Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Janathon Day 18: When walking is transport

Janathon Day 18: Walk17km, Time 3hr 10min, Weather sun and blue skies

I take it all back - all those gloomy thoughts about the endless grey days of January, the complaints about it being miserable. It only takes a little bit of sun and everything is forgotten - and today was delightfully sunny. it may be pathetic but my mood is massively influenced by daylight: if it is there I am happy, if it is not I am not.
There had however been a massive amount of rain in the night and in the morning droplets of water were still clinging to branches and leaves - so that is today's picture.
Today I tried something different. Instead of walking in a circle, I had a purpose. I wanted to go to Watford but instead of going by car, I walked. Leaving early and allowing plenty of time made it perfectly feasible and in doing this I feel like I was going back to a time when walking 10 miles to get somewhere would have been normal. 
On my journey I thought of Dickens and the amazing distances covered on foot in his novels. I also thought of the biography of Harold Larwood (a book I would thoroughly recommend if you have even the slightest interest in cricket; even if you don't it is a fascinating story of the social attitudes of Britain between the wars). 
"He walked six miles every day to work in the colliery. He walked four miles on Saturdays to watch silent movies in the afternoon 'penny rush' at the picture house. He thought nothing of walking a dozen miles or so to play local league cricket...In winter he would walk for miles around country roads in north Nottinghamshire. There were no gyms or sophisticated training techniques for Larwood. Walking was the only way he could keep himself fit. Well into his old age he would talk about how important all the walking had been to build up his strength and stamina and to firm up the muscles of his legs… The walking enabled him to bowl between 600-850 overs a season every season before the Bodyline tour and deliver 1,687 balls during it."
I comfort myself with thoughts that even if I am not running I am doing something that ought to build stamina.

4 comments:

sue said...

walking is probably the most natural thing we do. It's a shame that more people don't do it.

Everyone has been a little more chipper today due to the sunshine. I love these early promise of spring days.

Philippines real estate said...

Walking is very good to our health. It serves as an exercise to all of us. Sometimes I walk for almost a mile because of my work as a real estate agent.

Adele said...

That's quite some walk! Lovely photo. Today is bright and fresh, your mood should be good :)

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