Obstacles

No doubt various obstacles will be placed in our path between now and October, challenging our commitment if not threatening the very viability of the project. Just this morning I received an email from Erik saying that he had discussed taking time off at work, and had been told that while two weeks wasn't a problem, three weeks might be difficult. I replied explaining that even at a pace of 40km a day it would take at least 15 days to complete the walk itself, not allowing for rest days or days at the start or end of the walk, and that two weeks wouldn't be enough. He's going to have another go at getting three weeks, I think.

Other possible obstacles include fitness and health issues. A few years ago I suffered a serious gardening accident (dangerous thing, gardening) which has left me with a dodgy groin. I was trying to pull out a small tree root at the front of the house when I stumbled backwards and felt a sharp pain shoot up my right hip. I was still on my feet, but when I tried to walk it was so painful I had to sit down. That turned out to be a bad move, as I found it impossible to get up again. Even crawling was too painful, and so I ended up flat on my back, totally immobilized. To cut a long story short, an ambulance was called and I was hauled off to accident and emergency, where x-rays revealed no bone damage (I thought for a while I'd dislocated my hip). The doctors plied me with increasingly potent painkillers until I was able to stand up, at which point I was told there was nothing more they could do and that I should go to my GP for further treatment. My GP diagnosed a groin strain, and after a couple of weeks on crutches and a dozen or so visits to a physiotherapist, I was feeling a lot better. However, back in February this year I suffered a mild relapse while out jogging, not serious enough to warrant a visit to the doctor, but scary enough to make me reconsider the jogging thing. Looking back, I think my groin problem can actually be traced to my first trip to Japan some 25 years ago, when I suffered a mild strain shortly after taking up Shorinji Kenpo (a Japanese martial art) that wasn't particularly debilitating but did prevent me training for a few weeks.

The other health issue that may come in to play is my history of ingrown toenails. I've had surgery twice on my right big toe, but have also had problems with the left. Particularly worrying is the fact that on at least two occasions these problems occured while I was overseas. I could handle a flare up while in New Zealand preparing for the walk, but nothing would be worse than an ingrown toenail occurring midway through the trip. Well, a few things would be worse, I suppose. Like a typhoon. But you know what I mean.

Distance walked today: 11.4km
Total distance walked since blog began: 16.5km