No sooner had I recovered after a few days rest after my last training session did I find myself stretching at 6.30am gearing myself up for my fourth (or was it fifth?) session hard trekking. Admittedly, I was quietly confident – I was going to walk faster and go longer than before. I was raring to go.
We walked fast. Really fast. No sooner had we covered 2km did my shins begin to burn and legs ropey from the longer strides and quicker pace I was willing my portly body to go.
But I hung on and we blitzed the 30km we did that day, making it just under 5 hours and finally stopping at Bethnal Green tube station. I felt I could have walked even further. Confidence was building. This was good!
My next walk, I was going solo was the first time and with the event exactly a week away, I decided to wear the actual outfit and boots I was going to take with on the actual trek.
And that’s when everything came crashing down. After 10km I began to feel a burning session on the soles of both my feet. Oh shit. Blisters. This has never happened to me before. And I still had at least another 20km to go! It was agony and yet I willed myself that I’ve got to fight through it if the worse comes to worse in the actual trek. Bad move. By the time I arrived in St. Paul Cathedral (about 25km) I could take it no longer and collapsed, defeated. The blisters had won. I was gutted I wasn’t able to reach my intended distance of 35km.
On the train home, the disappointment sunk in and the fear that I might have to pull out of the event if my foot was unable to heal in time. What if blisters struck early on? Will it be this bad?
It was clear footwear didn’t help. It’s a good fit, it’s waterproof and robust under foot but doesn’t offer much by way of comfort under foot. This is a worry. My trainers which I’ve trained for the last week so are comfortable and has never given blisters but is not great for the terrain I imagine I’ll encounter I’ll need to invest in anything that will help in combatting blisters.
On the plus side, I’m lucky it’s happened now rather than in a weeks time. At least I know I am fit enough. t’s just a question now whether I can keep blisters at bay before it strikes. And ultimately, it’s all in aid of a great charity. I having blisters is nothing compared to what others have had to go through. I think that’s what kept me going.
I’ll be sure to recover properly from this latest setback before I go again. This personal battle isn’t over yet!
Kritt Normsaskul 