13th May 2007: A ten mile walk this morning to wrap up my training. There was heavy rain and I got soaked, having decided not to use my kit which is ready for packing. Instead I used an old waxed jacket from work which has long since lost it's wax. I had to change EVERYTHING when I got home. Ready or not, I leave in 6 days and if I am not ready now, tough!
I know it's crazy to change tactics so close to the off, but I tried out something new today. Instead of ankle supports and 1 pair of thick socks, I tried two pairs of socks and no ankle support. I was trying to reduce the pain in the soles of my feet. I'm not sure it helped. My soles didn't hurt so much but there was a lot more friction and I felt like I could have developed blisters, so I won't be doing that on the trek. This is not the time to be experimenting anyway.

8th May 2007: Two 8 mile walks last weekend kept me ticking over. I don't want to overdo things or give myself a strain so close to leaving, A good ten mile walk on Saturday morning will be enough and then I can rest up in the last week before the trip, take lots of pasta and build myself up.
I talked to the chemist at the weekend about replacing salts and minerals. She gave me some sachets which were originally intended to replenish the body after diarhoea, but will be good on the trek. I can take up to 4 per day so that should improve my recovery time, stop my legs cramping and combat the fatigue.

4th May 2007: I took longer to recover from Nevis than I would have liked, and haven't done very much training this week. It is a bank holiday weekend though, so I will try and have a final push and get as many sit-ups and walking-miles in as I can (between chores in the back garden and taking Emma shopping for her Prom dress).
In Peru I will be walking five days in a row so I will need to be able to recover a lot better than I did last week. Jim, at work, was talking to me about salt and clucose tablets. I will check those out at the chemist this week. It may not be good enough to only think about re-hydration, I will need to keep replenishing the minerals too.

28th April 2007: Ticked off Ben Nevis from my "to-do list" today. It took me 3hrs 50 to go up and 3hrs 40 to come down but the views and the sense of achievement at the top were well worth the sore feet and sore legs. There was snow at the top and a refreshing waterfall on the way down and it was very hot. I burned my neck and face. Still my new rucksack was good and my water tube did not kink, so I kept pretty much hydrated throughout. The drive home to Mum's was hard since I was physically, if not mentally tired at the end.
I feal a lot more confident about day 5 of the trip now (The long climb) but not so happy about day 7 ( The long descent).

23rd April 2007: I have Thursday/Friday off to go training. Looks Like Ben Nevis again but I need to save money so will just drive up and down with stop-offs at Cumnock on the way.

9th April 2007: I took my colleague's advice and have started painting the soles of my feet with surgical spirit to try and toughen them up. Can't say I've seen huge improvement so far but I'll give it a little while.
I'm having a recovery weekend now, lounging around after my efforts in Snowdonia, but I did take Domino to Savernake Forest yesterday for a couple of hours. It was way too hot and I didn't take any water, so it was a bit uncomforatable at the end. The kit I've bought, especially the jackets, are geared to walking in Peru. As the weather improves, I feal a bit over-dressed. I would buy something more suitable but I fear they might be a bit wasted from June onwards.

2nd April 2007: Just got back from a long weekend in Snowdonia, practising for Peru. I am exhausted at the moment, but it was a good few days. I climbed Snowdon twice (on consecutive days) and did two other mountain walks. I did over 62,000 steps in the last four days. The trek organiser told us last month that we will do around 78,000 steps in four days while in peru, so I'm still not ready yet. However I feel I am improving and don't feel as daunted as I did before.
I didn't visit The lake district as I intended because it was further away than I thought and the mountains there are not as tall as Snowdon.

29th March 2007: I have a long weekend and will be visiting Snowdonia and the Lake District for training on higher hills. With only seven weeks left, it is important I get away as often as possible for practise walks. With Easter, May bank holiday and one other long weeknd before the trip, it's starting to get serious.

11th March 2007: The walking has been a bit erratic lately. Domino has been ill for 10 days with a bug which left him lethargic and wheezing. The vet gave him antibiotics and he is feeling better now, especially since Asia shaved off his winter coat. I also have been a bit under the weather so not much training has been accomplished recently. Add that to my recent blisters and muscle problems and I am certainly dropping behind schedule. Anyhoo, Domino and I got the cobwebs out with a ten mile walk this morning and we are ready to step up the walking to daily; or as close to daiily as we can manage, given our hectic lifestyles :-)

25th February 2007: First day out with Domino since I returned from Wales. My calfs are sore, which is to be expected, so I just did an hour and a half up and over Sidbury hill three times and back. I fealt pretty good. Now I know I can get to Wales and back in a day, I will try and do it more often.

23rd February 2007: I had a day in Wales yesterday and climbed the highest peak in The Brecon Beacons, Pen y Fan at just under 900 metres. I also did the two peaks on either side and a 3 or 4 mile walk both ends just to get there. It was the toughest walk I have done to date and I was physically and mentally shattered by the time I came off the third peak and started the long walk back to the car park. I lost 5 pounds on the day but it was a good dress rehersal in as much as I found out a few problems with my kit.

19th February 2007: The pain in my leg disappeared as fast as it came and I got a full weekend of walking in. Hoping to get to Brecon Beacons on Thursday as long as the weather holds.

14th February 2007: I'm still limping but feel a lot better now. I think I trapped a nerve or something on Monday. Every step I took caused a sharp pain in my right thigh. I couldn't walk and couldn't sleep as it was so painfull. However I woke up this morning and the pain had disappeared as fast as it had come. I still have a sore leg like a pulled muscle, but it's a dull ache. It'll heal in a few days. Still don't know if I will make it to Brecon Beacons next week, but the whole trek was in serious doubt on Tuesday so I have to be greatfull.

12th February 2007: I'm in agony. I'm not sure how I did it, but I pulled a muscle at the top of my leg and I can hardly walk. I don't know how; I didn't bang it or stretch it and I wasn't exercising , but I walked into building 300 OK and I walked out limping. That was just before lunch and by 5pm I could hardly walk. I need a hug.

3rd February 2007: Back walking now that the blisters have healed. Had an hour on the plain last night with beautiful clear skies and a full moon. It was really beautifull. I will try and get my ten miles in Saturday so that I have Sunday to recover if necessary.

28th January 2007: After six months of walking I finally got my first blisters yesterday. One on the ball of each foot. Asia lanced them and put some Polish Voodoo powder on them and they feel a lot better at the moment. I had finished my workout session in the morning and had a shower. After lunch I still fealt good so I went for a ten mile walk with Domino. I knew half way round I had problems and the last part of the walk was pretty hard. Why Now? Apart from the gym work, the only difference I can think of was having the shower before the walk. Maybe I softened up my feet too much.
At least I can carry on the gym work this week even if I can't walk.

18th January 2007: I have started to vary and intensify my training. My long walks are essentially weight reducing but I have started to combine them with stretches, aerobics and abdominal work. My body bars arrived yesterday and today I performed my first workout. Step machine, stretches, aerobics, abdominals, heavy bar work, and all. I didn't hit the number of repetitions required in the exercises, but tiny acorns... I'll increase the reps as I improve.
As luck would have it, my gym membership card arrived yesterday too. I'm going to persevere with my home workout in the meantime but will think about the gym once I don't feel so self-conscious.

14th January 2007: I finished the exercise book I mentioned last time. It was so inspiring, I went straight out and bought a skipping rope. It appears that a lot of what I am doing already is good. (I have lost over twenty pounds), but I need to increase the intensity and vary my training more. Contrary to what I said before, I don't need to go to the gym. I have a step machine and skipping rope, I go walking and I just need to learn better stretching/aerobic exercises and buy a 20 pound (9kg) studio bar for anaerobic exercises. I don't like gym anyway so saving the joining fees and doing the work at home sounds a lot better.

8th January 2007: The holiday period was good in as much as I could walk more often, if not further. I prety much did two and a half hour walks every other day. However my gym pass still didn't arrive so I will chase it up this week.
I'm reading an interesting fitness book at the moment (if indead such a thing exists). It describes which fitness activities are best for different body shapes so you can "exercise smarter - not harder". More about that in future posts.

31st December 2006: I didn't worry at all about over-eating or over-drinking over the xmas period but I find now I am still exactly 16 stones. Only 4 pounds added over the holiday period. That's good news. I did have three long walks this week in excess of 2 and a half hours each. I guess that helped to work off some of the christmas pud!.
My daughters got me a great watch for xmas which has a heart beat monitor built in. I used it today and found it really easy to use. The results were a bit high, but I have a couple of weeks celebrations to work off. I will monitor myself over January and see what I find. I know that one set of results by themselves mean very little.
At Xmas I also received a rowing machine, more posh socks and thermals for the trek, so I have most of my equipment. Just shorts and trousers mostly, but I want to loose a few inches more before I buy them.
Previously I was very lenient with myself about eating chocolate and drinking wine. However I only have 4 and a half months to go. Therefore my new years resolution is to completely give up chocolate and wine.

22nd December 2006: My gym membership card has still not arrived yet but should be here soon. I will chase it up after the new year if it hasn't arrived by then.
Southern England has been hit by thick fog for the last three days with temperatures below freezing. However last year's ski equipment has been really useful and I was able to walk two hours today, thanks to my thermal long johns and ski gloves, scarf and hat. The frozen spider webs and icicles on trees and plants are so beautiful. I must take a camera with me next time.

2nd December 2006: I had a long talk with Beth this week. My walking and motivation to walk has been low since I came back from Scotland. I had put it down to depression and the onset of winter. I wasn't too bothered as a break is good occassionally and I expected to be lax over the X-mas period. However after talking it through with Beth, I realise it may be just boredom. Walking twenty miles every weekend is pretty boring when it's not so much of a challenge and it's just repetitive. I have therefore got the forms to sign up for the gym at work. I need to wait for my membership card to be issued (from another office) and I can get my induction. I can vary the training between walking and gym, then throw in some swimming and squash if I feel up to it. I'm feeling more motivated already :-)

19th November 2006: A 6 hour walk across "the plain" today but my feet hurt a lot at the moment. I took the dog out for three hours around my 10 mile circuit. Asia met me at the entrance to the plain with some lunch and took the dog home. I then turned round and retraced my steps. World record (for me) of 32,000 steps on my step meter. I never really felt tired or weary and I didn't need to stop. Just the problem of sore feet. I know I said it before, but I really need to get onto higher hills and get into the gym.
Drum Role......All those 15 stone 10 pounds or less, raise their hand. Yes!, I finally broke that 16 stone barrier, having been there for more than 1 month. I started at 17stone 4 pounds so a total loss so far of 22 pounds or 10 Kilos. If I can lose another stone before May that will be so cool.

9th November 2006: I only put on two pounds while in Scotland for the funeral. Considering I was at Mum's for a week with her sweet tooth and my will power, that was a very good result. I only had a two hour walk last weekend but I will try to build it back up again. I need to go to the gym now so I will see if TLC will give me a good deal or a freebie (TLC = Tidworth Leisure Centre).

22nd October 2006: Week 11. This week I decided to slow down on my long walk. The target is to stay on my feet longer. Speed, distance and altitude aren't so important but longer walks and faster recovery times would be better. Asia, my wife accompanied me on the first part of the walk, over Salisbury plain. Then a quick lunch and out to Savernake Forest for the rest. I covered 15 miles and recorded 31,750 steps. I think I improved a lot on last week. I covered more ground and used 5000 more steps in roughly the same time scale. My recovery was good too. My legs and feet were a lot less sore last night and when I woke up this morning, there wasn't the usual struggle to make it downstairs.
I plan to stay on weeks 11 and 12 from now until the end of the year. I want to feel good with the 5-6 hour walks before I graduate to 8 hours.
Last Thursday, Asia joined me on my 4 mile walk so she could test drive my new head torch. Luckily it was dark and we were walking over Salisbury plain, so nobody saw us.

15th October 2006: I have progressed onto week 10 of the training regime (see menu on left). Today I had a 5 hour walk along the Ridgeway, from Avebury to Barbury Castle. It was exactly 14 miles and 26,000 steps but the path wasn't good, rutted and muddy in places, covered in small pebbles in others. My feet are pretty sore at the moment, but they will get better with practice.
I found a great site called gmap-pedometer. It has satellite pictures of Britain which allow you to plot your route and the software tells you how far you walked. So my regular Sunday three hour walk is just under ten miles and that's why I know today's walk was 14 miles. Try it out. www.gmap-pedometer.com

30th September 2006: I was in Scotland this week and took the opportunity get some practice on hills. On Tuesday I walked part of the Southern Upland Way, from Sanquhar to Wanlockhead. A three hour, 8 mile walk over three hills and two valleys to the highest village in Scotland at 732 metres. I did take the bus back down the hill to my car, but I was saving myself for later.
So, having had no lasting ill effects from Tuesday, I drove up to Fort William and on the Friday I walked Ben Nevis. Unfortunately the bad weather meant I did not reach the summit. Still, I got over 600 metres and it was good experience. It helped me realise that my walks over Salisbury Plain are just not good enough to prepare me for Peru. I need to venture farther afield at the weekends to find hills and I need to go back to the Gym. My legs were pretty weak by the time I got to the bottom of Ben Nevis.
The views were spactacular though and I did get a chance to use a walking stick. I fealt a bit awkward and self-conscious at the beginning but it was invaluable on the Ben. I can't see myself needing it at all on Salisbury plain though !

19th september 2006: feeling better again and re-sitting week 9. I am off to Scotland on Sunday and hope to get my first 5 hour walk under my belt while I'm away.

10th september 2006: First walk today in ten days. I did an hour and a half around my usual week-day route and fealt no bad effects. I will take it gently this week and repeat week 9 after that. There are still 8 months to go and I don't need to push myself too hard at this stage.

4th september 2006: I haven't walked since last Thursday after a heavy cold sapped my energy. It was my own fault. After an hour and a half walk, I sat down to watch a favourite TV program rather than stretching, showering and changing. Sitting in damp clothes wasn't such a good idea and I went to bed Thursday night with the start of the cold which kept me in bed till Sunday afternoon. I need to learn from this and make sure my training covers prep and warm down as well as the actual walk.

28th August 2006: Great week as far as training goes. I didn't get the chance to go to Scotland as just too much to do down here. However I had long walks everyday except Thursday and a strong three hour march on Sunday. I'm happy with my progress and would place myself at week 9 of the training program. I'll repeat this week until I'm happy with it, though.
Looking at the training program, I feel week 12 is out of place. I plan to repeat week 9, go on to week 12 then weeks 10 and 11. That looks like a far better plan.

18th August 2006: I'm on vacation now for a week so plan to get a lot of walking done this week to keep the daily step count going. I will also go to Scotland for a few days to meet the team at Yipworld and hopefully get some hills under my belt.

6th August 2006: Into week 7 of the training regime and a three hour walk across Salisbury Plain this morning. In fact it was a half hour short but I was v. tired after it anyway and poor Domino (my dog) was worse than me. I didn't wear my new boots as I need to wear them in around the house for a couple of days. I did wear my new socks though and they were great. Still, at £13 a pair I would expect them to be Billy's Boots! I only registered 14000 steps, so it either reset on the way round or I was going too slow. I aim to stay on week 7 and 8 of the training schedule until I am confident that I can comfortably walk three hours without tiring myself out for the rest of the day. I won't go to the next level (6hr walks at the weekend) until I am happy my fitness level can cope with the current walks.

31st July 2006: Well, the food diary is still going and I'm still not the ideal fitness freak nor get my five-a-day everyday, but I'm not going to beat myself up over it. I will try to get better but it may take some time.
More important is the fact that I have started going longer walks in the evening. I started with One and a half hour walks at the weekend and two shorter, half hour walks during the week. That complies with the training regime MacMillan suggested and is in addition to my 10,000 steps per day. I will progress next week to 3 hour walks at the weekend and two 1hr walks in the week. Full training program to appear on the menu soon.
The extra walks have helped my weight loss and I am NEARLY down to 16stone. Getting under that will be a good milestone for me.
Sleeping very badly at the moment with the news that my sister's cancer is back already. She is having tests this week and we all hope for the best.

15th July 2006: Wow! I have finished two weeks of my food diary and am ashamed of myself again. I honestly thought that I was eating fairly well, hitting my 5 fruit and veg every day and keeping off snacks. I therefore tried not to do anything differently in the first two weeks, just to get a baseline from which to judge myself later. However I only achieved "5-a-day" on four out of fourteen days, I still have way too many snacks and I don't have enough variety in my food. I resolve to eat salads at work at least three days a week, eat more fruit and cut out the other snacks completely. At the end of the month I will review it again.

30h June 2006: Serco have offered to allow me time off work to train for the trek. It was a nice offer and I appreciate it . However I think I can accomplish the training during the day and at evenings and weekends. .

29h June 2006: Time to look at my diet. In the last three months I have improved my fitness. I now walk 9-11,000 steps everyday and my knees do not creek every step, like before. However I have only lost about 12 pounds and I am remaining static. I'm going to keep a food diary and resolve to completely give up sweets, biscuits, cakes, pastries, crisps and deserts. In my mind, I don't have much of these things anyway. However the diary will help me and I may once again be shocked when I actually write it down. The diary will start 1st July, in two days. and I will step up my gym work at the same time.
Magda, my eldest, bought me a new step counter for father's day. Happy to report that my daily output has not reduced and I am still hitting my target.

18th June 2006: The hot weather is a definite hindrance. It has been 28 degrees for most of the last fortnight and I have found it difficult to walk around site to see my customers. So, I will relax my walking in the day, use the van more often, and have more time and energy to walk in the evening. I can also concentrate on my step machine and sit-ups since I can do that in the shade. Of course I need to be more flexible and be ready to change the training regime according to the seasons. I'll ask my friend Innes about that.
I found myself more lazy since the world cup started. Watch Brazil or go out walking.... Mmmm
I lost my step counter last week, under a desk in building 106 probably. I went back to look for it but it was gone. I put up with the loss for a week but it's like an addiction. I just need to get another one. I need it. Just one. That's all I need. Just one.
I lost half a stone since I started walking more. I also lost 4 inches off my waist so I am happy so far. However I would like to loose another couple of stones, loose another 4 inches off my waist and flatten my stomach; and it would be nice to do as much as that as possible before my medical in November.

2nd June 2006: A bit of a roller coaster time but seem to be getting back on track now. In my last entry I reached my daily 10,000 steps target. However I must have overdone it as I was exhausted and spent the long weekend in bed. It took me the whole week to recover and I was rarely over 5k steps in the following week. However I talked to fellow trekkers on the blog sites and got some encouragement and my confidence back. This week was much better. I have released myself from the pressure of "having to" do the 10k target but am still averaging that over the week. I guess being in the 8k - 12k bracket over a long period will even itself out. My legs are standing up to it better now and I am almost ready for the next step of adding step machine sessions or weekend marches.

20th May 2006: Finally topped the 10,000 steps per day barrier and did that three times this week and never below 9,000 steps. I was so tired by the end of the week though and rested a lot today. I really need to push myself to keep that up and improve my stamina to do more at nights and weekends.
Phil from work came back from Machu Picchu this week. He has been training for 18 months, including hill walking in Scotland and daily, one hour sessions on the step machine. His group were all fit and found they didn't walk more than 6 hours on any one day. However without the training, he stressed I would find it very difficult.

13th May 2006: Registering 9,000 steps per day now, but the backs of my legs are sore. Jim and Nobby at work have step counters and are encouraging me. I now park in car park A, which is the furthest from my office. From Monday, I will also join my colleagues in walking the perimeter of the site on the way to lunch rather than straight to lunch. (Sorry, with all this walking, I feel I can't skip lunch altogether.)

8th May 2006: I was using the step counter incorrectly. It was in my pocket and doesn't seem to have been registering properly. I put it on my belt this week and saw an instant rise. from around 4000 daily to around 6000 daily. I'm a lot better than I thought :-)

30th April 2006: Keeping above 4,00 steps everyday and regularly in the high 6 thousands. Using the van less and less, unless I have to visit my most far-flung customers. My weight is hovering at just under 17 stones but I do feel a lot better, apart from the sore calfs and sore back. I hope that is just me body getting used to the extra exercise. My body shape is getting better though and I feel my waist is reducing. My knees are a worry though and I need to make them stronger. I have until November to hand in my medical form signed by me doctor.

15th April 2006: Another week, another 2 pounds lost. I had a can of lager while working in the garden last weekend, and a chocolate bar while walking around Bath yesterday, but good otherwise. I bought a step counter and have been surprised how little I walk each day. My clients are very widespread and I have increased my walking, but am still struggling to get over 5000 steps per day. I need to do more at lunchtime and the evening. However I need to study for a Microsoft exam so I may have to put up with the current level for another month or so.

8th April 2006: Lost just two pounds this week, but stayed off the wine and chocolate. Was led astray with an almond slice on Tuesday and a couple of slices of ginger cake on Thursday, which a customer's wife made me for helping with their home computer.
Feeling tired at the moment, so am looking at supplements. I will resume my regular iron tablets and start up daily glucosomine tablets to keep my bones in shape. I need to improve my stamina and will increase the amount of walking I do. I already stopped using the van so much at work and will increase the amount of walking I do at the weekend. I need to buy a step counter and keep tabs.

30th March 2006: I weighed myself today and got a shock. I was embarrassed to think I was around 16 Stone but find I am actually 17Stone 4lb, 242 pounds altogether. That is scary. I have kept off the wine, which was hard this week for two reasons. We had a house party a couple of weeks ago and there is a lot of drink left over from that. Temptation indeed. Secondly, it was my birthday on Monday and I let that go past without celebration. What a good boy am I? I have also been good at cutting out snacks; no Mars Bars this week.

26th March 2006: If I am going to do this trek, I need to get fit. I was in the Tatra Mountains at New Year and know how tired I felt at that altitude after a strenuous day of exercise. I have decided the first faze will be a detox. I will stop drinking and cut out chocolate and snacks until the end of April. I don't drink that much; 1 or two bottles of red wine per week. However the chocolate isn't good and I have had little exercise for years. I don't expect to completely stop drinking for the next 14 months, but it is a good start.