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Imagine you get out of bed one day and pull on your socks – when it is their turn in the sartorial routine of course – and you discover a worrisome issue. After sixty odd unproblematic years of balancing on one foot to pull the reciprocal’s covering on, you overbalance and knock into the dresser causing yourself some pain, garner a few bruises, and distribute all manner of photographs of loved ones unto the floor.
What to do?
Having decided it is a “use it or lose it” kind of deal I chose to get back walking. Ha! the hubris. After a few days ramping up the mileage, my first, tarmac only, six miler had me awaken in the morning hobbling like I’d stood on a nail.
A diagnosis of Plantar Fasciitis resulting in me being told to keep off my feet. The next day was 20th March 2019 and all of those lock down months when I could have hit the road were wasted.
Things pass and eventually I could try again. However, having obviously tried to protect the injury I now found myself with an over pronating ankle resulting in extremely tight and sore tendons.
Still, I can manage a mile or two without too much discomfort the following morning, so, the premise can start to be tested.
Can I regain the fitness levels that I had as a 42 year old when I completed the Ulster Way by walking all of the WalkNI routes?
I’ll need to start with the shortest ones in the list and work my way up and, for no particular reason, I’ll start in Belfast.
There are thirty two short walks listed for Belfast less than five mile category. However, I’m only going to attempt those under two miles to get warmed up – as it were.
To start with: