Knowing when to take a step back, so you can strive forward

Chasing your dream, goal, ambition, pursuit of success etc etc can be an exhilarating experience, and for some, a rollercoaster of a ride. But is there a danger we can be drawn in too deep, and not maintain our health and wellbeing, with a risk of injury, whether it be to the mind, body, soul or business/financial wealth?

I want to share an example of a recent training day pulling my trye, as it’s the principle of taking a step back to all aspects of life and business where I feel it matters.

My training day target – to walk 40-45 miles over the Derbyshire Peak District pulling my tyre.

The weather – Hot, clammy and sunny with very little wind.

The terrain – undulatingly brutal, muddy, boggy, lots of boulders to scramble over with my trye on my shoulder. Plenty of moments with my tyre getting stuck between small boulders on the rocky paths, interest hills and a route I haven’t walked before which requires map and navigation skills.

It’s a bit like life really!

Food intake – an understanding my body will burn between 5-6,000 calories, therefore lots of

nutrition required for my training day.

Fluid management – I took 6.3 litres of fluid. Why 6.3 litres? 6 litres of water and a can of coca cola. I know, Coca Cola is bad for you, but I like it!

I plan to get up a 3am Saturday morning, have my breakfast, go through my route and double check my kit for the day. My aim is to be off in the car by 4am with an approximate 1-hour drive to my destination. Start walking by 5am.

In bed for 10pm and I’m wide awake. I slept in! 3.15am I wake up and drag my rear end out of bed! Shower, teeth cleaned and ready for action, I relax over my breakfast.

My mind is questioning what on earth am I doing up at this time of day and I chuckle to myself. “get on with it Kattenberg” I say to myself. My Bear is muttering at me. Just like a grumpy teenager not wanting to do something.

I get distracted and eventually leave the house at 4:10am thinking the roads should be clear! I thought too soon. My first obstacle of the day! A detour due to overnight road works. This puts another 40 minutes on my journey. I begin to get a little frustrated as I know this will have a knock-on effect on my finishing time but soon relax to some calming music. My blood line is part Italian, and yes, I have a tendency to allow the Italian temperament to sneak through every so often! But I know how to control it, well most of the time lol!

If I average 3 miles per hour (mph) over 45 miles, it will take me approximately 15 hours excluding breaks. Which means if I start at 5am, I should be finished around 9pm; if I allow for a 1-hour break and can maintain the 3mph average speed.

5:45am I eventually begin my walk. I’m a little frustrated with the start time and just focus on looking forward to the sunset once I get out of the valley. My pace is initially fast and I’m averaging 4mph for the first 15km. It’s an easy surface. (The calm before the storm lol!)

I then hit my first unforgiving terrain section of the day. Stop start every 20 yards, tyre jarring and getting caught on boulders. I know it’s going to be a long day but I’m enjoying the experience.

Part of my route is not often used, and the shrubbery clearly shows! Checking my map, compass and every so often cross referencing with my gps device. All to ensure I am on track regardless of my ego telling me I’m going in the right direction.

I feel it’s very easy to just allow your ego to tell you that everything is fine, but in fairness, I believe it’s better to have milestone markers and systems in place to verify you’re on the right path etc, whether it be on a trek, personal, or in business or work life. Having systems in place merely helps you get to your destination even if you go off track at times.

The temperature is now getting very warm, and the air is clammy. I’m managing my water intake as it’s super warm pulling the tyre. It honestly feels like I’m in the Marathon Des Sables again!

I’ve got to the stage where I’m navigating around knee-deep boggy terrain and using my tyre as a bridge to step over at times. I know my 15-16-hour target has evaporated due to the terrain I’m on, but I’m still focused on hitting the 45-mile point.

Navigating sections where you can’t see 20 yards ahead, unless you climb above the drops, proves very time consuming. You can see from the image how deep the sections are. This is where you have to trust your process and skills, have safety catch points to ensure you maintain course and much more.

As you can see, it’s an interesting section of terrain.

As the day goes on, I settle into my stride and enjoy the scenery and experience, knowing my time target has gone out of the window! It’s now just about enjoying and completing the distance.

I’ve already met some nice people and had pleasant conversations. Only a few remarks about the tyre and where’s my car, did I forget something etc, not forgetting “Oooh you must be Tyred”.

Once again, I get to the point of responding to the question, what are you training for – A cold beer when I get back!

Before I know it, I’m well over the 40km mark into my day and it’s now early evening. To my pleased mind, as I enjoy a flat surface, I begin to jog pulling the tyre for 1 km, I start laughing with a brief thought to myself! “You daft bugger Jon, why are you jogging”. The sunset is to my left and I’m approaching Bar Tor and Loose Hill. The scenery is stunning, but I am very aware I’m just about run out of water with half a litre left.

It’s been super warm; I have had to drink fluids to ensure I remain hydrated. I had people in the past at times say, “Oh you don’t need that much fluid, as your body can cope with just one day” Mmmmm, all very well if your body is willing to suffer the next 3-5 days with dehydration. Not something I’m prepared to experience. Certainly not something I want to train my mind to do when taking on a 1,000-mile trek in arctic conditions. Very simply – dehydration = frost bite! Training is also about your mind, not just physical fitness/stamina.

Approaching Kinder Scout

I know the next 20km’s will be brutal due to the inclines and terrain. I look at my watch and figure it will be probably midnight before I get back. More importantly, I can tell I’m at risk getting dehydrated and have to make a decision.

I have 2 options;

1/ Be stubborn and egotistical and push for the whole 45 miles, knowing I am dehydrated and could risk causing injury to myself.

2/ Take a step back, alter my route so I can get to my car and ensure I can continue my training the next day with a walk in the Lake District?

What would you have done?

Once I considered my options, planned a different route, I took the decision to cut my training short. Instead of 45 miles, I decided to finish at 40 miles, slow my pace and take more breaks so I can continue the next day and be fit for another walk.

Sure enough, I slow my pace and break the next approximate 24km into sections. My water isn’t going to last and I manage my hydration intervals the best I can.

It’s approximately 10pm, and I open the boot of my car. I devour a bottle of water and prep my protein drink. I feel pleased with my decision to cut my route short. Yes, I could have continued through to midnight and pushed for 45 miles, but what would I have achieved? A dehydrated body? A next day of suffering walking around the Lake District?

When I take on my 1,000-mile trek in the Yukon and Alaska, my target is to average between 40-45 miles a day. There will be times where I may not achieve even the 40-mile distance in one day due to the conditions and terrain. That’s fine in my mind. Having the ability to decide whether I take rest and shelter can be the difference to successfully completing my trek, or failure!

Training your Bear to protect you on your journey of life can be the difference of having an amazing journey, or the experience of pain and discomfort.

Don’t be scared of taking a step back and planning different routes to your destination. It’s the journey that counts, and if you have the right systems in place, you may find yourself on a different route, but still get to your destination, smiling!

If you wish to discuss anything with Walking With My Bear, don’t hesitate, get in touch.

We’re also very happy to share other people’s journey and success stories within our community. If you have an interesting story you want to share, why not reach out to us.

Warmest wishes

Walking With My Bear