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CEO's Training Blog: March 2010

Week Two - Getting off on the right foot:

Preparing for a 100 mile walk is no easy feat so before my first training session with fellow Eventia board member Matt Storey of Gallowglass, he sent me off to get the right footwear.

I wandered into Snow and Rock in Covent Garden on a Friday afternoon, if nothing else - the idea of shopping certainly spurred me on.  After explaining my plans and my knee problems to the sales assistant, he suggested I needed special advice so to wait for the store manager, who was ‘more experienced in these matters’. 

Dressed in cashmere with matching Michael Kors handbag I stared at the hiking boots as though they were some form of foreign object designed to inflict pain on the wearer, I then spotted the slightly more interesting outdoor clothing and started flicking through looking for matching colours.  The store manager quickly realized that not only was he faced with an inexperienced customer this one was also image conscious and totally unaware of what is actually needed to survive a 100 mile walk through the Southdowns Way, let alone a climb up Kilimanjaro. 

I repeated my initial response when first invited to participate in these activities with some other events industry friends and that I thought it was a joke, ‘can I take my hairdryer and someone to carry not only my bags but me too!’ but has since become a dedicated task that I’m quite determined to achieve.  He was very understanding and extremely helpful, (probably his form of charity towards this hopeless case before him I’m sure!)

So an hour later I emerged with boots, three different types of socks, sock liners and a waterproofing sponge to use on the boots.  Feeling rather happy with my purchases I headed off to BKB in Soho to celebrate with a glass of bubbly. 

The next morning I headed off to meet my training partner, Matt, waiting for me at Baker St tube. He looked mildly amused when I emerged fully decked out in my hiking boots, cycle pants and a rain jacket – ok so I hadn’t quite got all the clothing yet, that was next week’s task!  So we headed off through Regents Park, Primrose Hill and surrounding areas, this all seemed fine I thought….until about 1.5hrs into it when I realized that I could no longer feel my big toe on my right foot, I needed the bathroom and a coffee and we were miles from anywhere at this point.  Then the reality sunk in that on the day we would be walking a good 10hrs and although I’m sure we will get comfort breaks and be fed along the way, this is not going to be an easy task.  We finished in a little over 2hrs that day and when my feet emerged from the boots, an ice bucket and a yoga pose with legs up the wall were the only way of dealing with the throbbing.  The following day (Sunday) I was thinking that I need to keep this up but perhaps I don’t have to train every day in the proper boots - so I don my usual walking gear and head out to cover a short 1.5hrs stroll through central London.  This I am told is to ensure the lactic acid drains from my muscles making recovery time much smoother. 

The following week was my birthday so I head off to Barcelona to party the week away and aside from a shopping jaunt through the rambles for a couple of hours there is not much walking going on….although one night in a dodgy Barcelona bar playing the best of the 80s I do manage to ‘walk like an Egyptian’, does that count?!   I have the best of intentions arriving back from my week of lurid behaviour and promptly come down with a stomach virus- this is not looking good so far.  Reminding me of my report card from school for PE where I was graded an overall C – ‘must do better’, Ms Johnson wrote: ‘If Izania applied herself she could do far better at sport, it seems her attitude is at fault rather than her ability, we are aware of her achievements in gymnastics it is a pity she does not apply herself to other sports as well.’  Urgh I never did like that screeching American who never pronounced my name correctly anyway and was all done up like Joan Collins to teach physical education!  Who was she to still haunt me 22yrs later when I’m failing my training regime in the first week? Ok ok, must do better, I get it….

Yours,

Izania