Hiking and I

Dear Readers,

I did it again. I went on another organised hike, albeit different to the last one. Last time, I did the Shine Night Walk in aid of Cancer Research; this time, I did the Windsor 50 Ultra Challenge® organised by Ultra Challenge.

For me, the main difference between those two is not the location—one was in London, one was in Windsor—nor that one was for charity, and the other wasn’t, but rather the distance. The Shine Night Walk is 26 miles or 42 kilometres. That’s the distance of a classic marathon. The Windsor 50 Ultra Challenge® was 50 kilometres, which is longer than I’ve ever walked in one go in my entire life.

I felt on top of the world; I did yet another long-distance walk. While I didn’t come in first, I challenged myself and put one foot in front of the other for 50 kilometres.

I started at Windsor Racecourse at 8.30, chirpy and smiling, if slightly panicky, unsure about my sanity. What was I thinking? I finished twelve hours later, a tired zombie. But I wouldn’t change it for the world.

It was a fantastic experience walking past Windsor Castle, my old university hall, the River Thames and more. I bonded with random strangers, ate crisps and tangerines galore.

Ever since I was small, I’ve enjoyed going on walks. Some long, some short. Alone and in groups. Walking is in my bones and my psyche. It makes me happy!

But I was born with a medical condition, which doesn’t affect me much in my day-to-day life, apart from not being very sporty and having loads of physiotherapy when young. I was the kid picked last for sports teams and the slowest runner in my school. It was just who I was. I got used to it. I excelled at other things.

When I was sixteen, however, things changed. I had a P.E. teacher who was beyond awful! I won’t name and shame her, although she would deserve it! She said she worried about me leaving school and entering the real world. She exclaimed very loudly in one P.E. lesson that with my physical health and me being a cripple (Yes, she used that word!), I would never be able to hold down a job, live alone or shop. She kept going on about me and grocery shopping week after week. (That was before online deliveries were a thing.) IDIOTIC WOMAN!!!!!

Those who know me know I am more than capable of living alone, working, and grocery shopping week after week, just like most of you.

But of course, not everyone is. We all have strengths, weaknesses, and different abilities to cope with everyday life. I work as a professional organiser, where I help people declutter their homes, digital devices, and photos. Many of my clients are physically capable of going through their wardrobes and discarding stuff but cannot do it mentally. I help them! There are others who, through illness or disability, struggle to lift or walk. I help those, too. I am hands-on.

After the incident with my P.E. teacher, I started self-identifying as a ‘cripple’. Not a word I would use on anyone else, but society is very good at making women feel inadequate, despite more equality between the sexes compared to 50 years ago. I stopped doing any exercise (unless you count drinking) and just accepted that I was physically useless. I never actually came across anyone else who could claim they failed P.E. at school.

At 20, I read an article in my university newspaper about a fellow student who only had one leg and attempted to join the rock climbing and mountaineering society. When she finally got accepted after taking them to court, she successfully participated in about 80% of their activities.

This was my wake-up moment. I thought to myself, if a woman with one leg can climb a mountain, I can move my body. I started swimming regularly.

After years of swimming, I got into hiking and did this as a hobby at weekends, but I did it slowly and at my own pace.

I completed my first long-distance hike to challenge myself and do something I didn’t think I could do – walking 26 miles, but I did it! Training for that first event and all subsequent ones meant having to go out walking several times a month. It got me out, it got me moving, it made me fitter than I was prior.

After completing my first Shine Marathon, I wanted a mobility scooter. After the Windsor 50, I felt tired and in pain, but I did not desire a mobility scooter. Instead, I wanted to sign up for my next hiking event. I think I caught the long-distance hiking bug, LOL.

I haven’t decided where and when my next challenge will happen, but I know I want to take hiking to the next level and work at my speed so that when I do another challenge, I can do it quicker than last time. I am not doing this to compete with anyone else, to prove anything to anyone else. I am doing this purely for myself.

Of course, not everyone can or wants to take walking to this level, which is fine. You don’t have to walk 50 kilometres to reap the benefits. Just a gentle 20-minute stroll twice a week will do good things for your physical and mental health.

Walking clears your head, de-stresses you, gives you time to think through problems and helps prevent ageing and weight gain.

The best thing about walking is that you don’t need an expensive gym membership or fancy and expensive gear. At its most basic, you only need a good pair of hiking or jogging shoes and plenty of water to get you started.

As with any activity or hobby, you will buy more gear and accessories as you go along. I, for example, invested in a Camelbak rucksack with a drink bladder that aids in consuming liquid while on the go and some hiking poles from Decathlon. But no, you don’t need any of this to get you started.

Are you into walking? Do you do any other form of exercise? Let me know in the comments below.

trabantbettina

Bettina Anna Trabant, Founder of Life Organised, your professional organising and decluttering service in East London. Eco-conscious minimalist and avid tea drinker,