The first few steps of many....

Event: First training walk
Date: Saturday 12th January
Distance: 10km – Easy/ Leg stretcher
Location: Waterford Marsh/ Stapleford and Sacombe, home via Bengeo
Conditions: Mainly flat, muddy fields, some footpaths flooded
Weather: Dry & Cold, Blue Skies
Participants: Nik, Phil, Gee and Burnsie

This is the first time most of us have walked together, other than down to the pub. A strange experience for Phil & I as we have done a lot of walking but mainly on our own. The idea of this gentle walk was just to see what we’d be like in a group and to start to get new boots worn in (my dearly loved boots finally gave up in October last year) Although Carl wasn’t there due to an over-turned ankle, I’m sure he was with us in spirit.

Within two minutes the bickering, or should I say banter, had started. This was mainly aimed at Burnsie due to his attire. Gee’s description of local farm hand wasn’t far off. Burns gets full marks for innovation though – using a baby’s milk container as a water bottle. I feel a trip to Millets coming on…

For Gee I think the whole experience was a bit of an eye opener. Don’t think he quite believed any of these places existed around Hertford. His most over-used phrase of the day was ‘nope, never been here before either’. How long have you lived in Hertford Gee?

Overall the walk was enjoyable as it was nice to be out and about with friends, however having done this route several times before, I’m itching for new ground and something a bit tougher. Hertfordshire hardly has the scenery of Scotland or the Peak District! At this stage though we just need to rack up the miles and stop the new boots from rubbing so much before we start intensive training in April.

Nikki