4th December 2010.

Still stuck in Ulverston instead of with the family, not good.
Got an e-mail from a friend of mine, one with a sports ph/d so he can talk the talk, who'd glimpsed through the blog. His interpretation was that I was training for next year already (I'm not) and this was not good. What he basically said was that walking was good, obviously, not full on 5 to 6 mph training, just gentle strolls to keep in healthy shape. Anyone considering the Parish for the first time should be changing their diet and considering weight at the moment, which means healthy and natural foods, and enough exercise that more calories burned then taken in. Two or three good walks a week, and lose any excess weight gradually with more success in keeping it off. Remember, any spare pounds you are carrying have to be carried for 85 miles. To feel the effect, walk 10 miles with just drinks, then another day do the 10 miles again with 5lb potatoes in a rucksack. Notice the difference.
Myself, I am a few pounds heavier than last summer, one of the things I did wrong was peak in fitness march/april time and keep it up for the summer months, ending in all kinds of injuries cropping up. The professor at Hull Uni advised me that fitness should be allowed in peaks and troughs, it's when the body is coming down and resting that any damage to the joints and muscles repair themselves.
I am doing some 10k races through the winter, although mainly using these to hone my race walking technique. I'm putting the full on walk now, and my coach is also walking in these races so he can keep an eye on me. Not too quick at the moment, breaking the hour mark, which is slower than my old walk, but with a few months practice hopefully it'll become more natural and I should speed up.
So, build up the training slowly, diet, cardio, and just gradual improvement, trying to peak in June, at the right time. Fingers crossed.