Most adventures start with a random thought, an idea, and most likely a bored hour scrolling through the internet looking for inspiration. And inspiration I found. I have always loved walking places and hiking and soon turned my passion into walking long distances. So needless to say, I booked a ticket after I stumbled upon a website that hosted an event for walking long distances. One might think, why spend money on simply walking and putting your body through such an ordeal when you can just walk the distance for free?
I totally agree and question myself at least a million times before, during and after an event. But it all comes down to the community. I pay money for such an event because I am not the only crazy person that has decided to walk until our feet hurt. I am looking for other like-minded people who feel the exact same thing. The environment with music, snacks, cheering, bystanders who watch you in disbelief and of course the medal at the end that is proof of my insanity.
I decided to walk the "Ostsee - Scharbeutz to Grömitz" event, and of course needed a plan to get to the start line. Sierra would stay with my parents for the day, as she would probably be able to walk this distance but would not appreciate so many people around. Lucky for me, I knew a couple of people from an old running club in my area who also had the idea of walking this distance. So we teamed up for the drive there and back, the start and finish walk. We decided from the start that there was no point in walking together for most of the walk, as we all have our different paces. But with so many people walking with you during this event, you really never walk alone.
With a start at around 7 am and with hundreds of other people, we took our first steps into our 50 km walk, with a time cut set for 12 hours. Well, we did not exactly walk. I discovered after roughly 6 km that one must not simply walk to successfully make it in 12 hours. One must march. To fuel the body, catch one's breath, put on a good playlist and walk with a fast pace and big step. Walking this event in a calm nature is the first step to failure. You won't have time for breaks if you walk this slow as you fall behind. Soon I came to the realization that this was going to be a long, hard day and I needed to make some smart decisions, come up with a tactic to make it in time and with some energy left for the other day. So I decided to walk this day exactly like I would on the PCT.
I did prepare myself well ahead of time about where this route was going to take me and where the break spots, water stations and difficult sections were located. My strategy from the PCT is, one milestone at a time. So it does help to know the route ahead of time and instead of looking at the big picture, split the route up in little sections. I focus more on a specific stretch, my body and my energy. Walking 50 km, one break spot at a time. The first part was great. The route followed the coast before heading inland while my motivation was still high, and I was buzzing with the energy that surrounded me. Be aware to not skip the first break spot, even if you feel great and see no need in stopping. Even if it is just to walk around, grab some pretzels, gummy worms and head off again. Grab some coffee, get some salty bouillon soup in you, or simply retie your shoes. Break spots are check ins. When doing an event that is fast-paced and where a clock is always ticking in the back of your mind, it is important to check in and take these breaks not necessarily for food but for asking yourself how you are feeling, to come back to and feel the moment. Are there any pains you notice? Is your shoe too tight? Do you need to pee? Is your backpack itching or do you feel any sore spots coming up that need some taping? Take a few minutes to adjust - grab candy - and keep going. Even if you don't need to do any of the above-mentioned adjustments. Just at least take some free candy.
The second half was great. I was still in high spirits and the scenery was incredible. Always along the coast. We walked through little beach forests, on the beach and through and along small camping sites that are scattered along the route. There was so much to look at that I was busy eating my snacks on the go and taking in the scenery. The crashing waves along the sandy shores. The seagulls flying in the distance and the smell of the salt water. There is something healing about the ocean and the air I was breathing in. And so I walked and walked and soon got to the second half of the event. This is where I started to struggle.
There were a couple of reasons why I struggled. The first one was a mistake I made while planning for this event. I wore the shoes I wore on the PCT, which are still the shoes I wear on long distant trails. But that is exactly the cue to my mistake. Trail. I did not take into account that I would not be walking on a trail for most of the route. It was all concrete. And concrete is harder on the feet, knee and overall impact on the body. I knew that, but simply made the mistake of not taking this into consideration while getting ready for this event. So after a good amount of 30 km I stated to feel a pain in my feet. I used the last break spot to massage them, cool and dry them. But unfortunately it did not help this time, as the last 20 km were not going back to the trail but were instead following a concrete road again. And as the kilometers started getting smaller, the pain was getting worse. I started to listen to podcasts and better playlists to distract me from the uncomfortable feeling. Now I got to the most difficult part. The last 10 km were a pure mental game. It was me against the pain in my feet.
There were no blisters, just a muscle that decided to finish this race 10 km ago. This is the moment where I can only tell you what I did. I am not a doctor, nor do I know your body, only mine. I knew this kind of pain, I knew on what scale it was, how to fix it after and what was the cause of it. As this is a regularity for me, I decided to keep going and finish. My stubborn self saw the ending far in the distance and as much as my body was screaming that I was done, I was not going to stop until I reached the point in the distance. The closer I got, the louder the voices echoed in the distance. Voices and laughter, mixed with music and someone congratulating those who walked before me. Now I saw people walking towards me holding a certificate in their hands and a medal around their neck. Not stopping now.
My brain started zoning out, my body just started functioning, and a smile started creeping on my face. 10 more meters. 5 more meters. 1 more meter, and suddenly I head applause, felt a tap on my shoulder and a heavy weight on my chest. I did it.
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