Exercise, Enjoyment and Fundraising

I walk pretty much everywhere. Always have done. When I was a young child I was encouraged to enjoy walking in nature and when I got into scouts I became an enthusiastic hiker. The longest walk I took was the Essex Way Walk, a 35 mile, one day challenge that is, to this day, the furthest I have gone in one go.

When I worked up in London, it was almost impossible to walk less than 10000 steps a day, although my tendency to pace around while teaching helped that. Believe it or not I used to walk 2000 steps on average in a 2 hour lesson! Still, I always learnt that it was harder to hit a moving target 😂😂🎯🎯

Over the years I have done a number of walking challenges to raise money for charity. I usually do a short 25km walk, but in 2017 I did the March to the Arch, a marathon length walk in aid of Prostate Cancer UK. It was very taxing physically as you would expect, but it was also the best atmosphere I have ever walked in. We were all there for the same cause and we were required to walk together. I did find that a bit difficult as my tendency is to stride out and finish as quickly as possible. However, I really appreciated the common purpose and it really helped me when I hit the wall after about 22 miles because I was encouraged to finish as I had encouraged others when they were in difficulties. We started off from the New Den, Millwall’s ground, then visited Selhurst Park (Crystal Palace), Craven Cottage (Fulham), Stamford Bridge (Chelsea), Loftus Road (QPR) and finally Wembley Stadium. All but one of them were incredibly welcoming. Only at Craven Cottage were we not made to feel welcome and it’s the reason why I don’t like Fulham to this day!!

My next challenge will probably be a 50km walk along the Thames Path which I will do alongside my son. I am really eager to test myself by taking that distance on and I have already started training. Watch this space!