More weight

A week ago, I felt the strain carrying 5 litres of washer fluid in a short walk along the A6. This morning I took another shorter walk, this time 5 miles around Stoughton and back, loaded with a total pack weight of 8kg. On top of this I wore my fleece, hat and coat, so all in it wasn't far short of the 10kg pack weight that I'm aiming for when Walking Home.

The problems I had last week with my neck and upper back didn't materialise. There was a sensation in my lower back but this faded in the first hour. My lower legs felt the weight more than usual. But I was really pleased with the progress that I seem to be making. A proper back pack will be much easier to manage than the overloaded day pack that I'm still using. It's still a little daunting to think of hauling 10kg for six hours in a day but I sense that I'm getting more capable by the week.

Last week I weighed myself at 13st 1lb. That's about the heaviest I've been, so if I can get my weight down in the 20 weeks that remain in my training, I'll be in a much better position to start. Losing a stone would be a challenge but moving around with 6kg less on my knees and hips would make the long walk a lot more fun.