Alittlebitoutoffocus

Alittlebitoutoffocus

Happy New Year everyone! 🙂

They say you should start as you mean to go on, so today I set out to do a more challenging walk, to restart my fitness campaign.  That’s not because I particularly overdid it over Christmas you understand, as I probably overdo it all year round!  It’s more to get into shape for some of my up and coming challenges in 2017…

In January I plan to walk the (100k or 62 miles of the) Northumberland Coast Path with my mate Pete.  Everything is booked and we’re raring to go.  And in April, I hope to complete the Zurich marathon.  I entered yesterday, so there’s no backing out now.

Anyway, if you’re still suffering after the excesses of last night, get yourself an extra-strong mint (to replicate the crisp and cold mountain air) and then browse slowly through these few pics.  It may make you feel a whole lot better!

 

 

 

27 responses

  1. theitinerary1 Avatar
    theitinerary1

    Wow! So beautiful!

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      Thanks. It’s a wonderful part of the world. 🙂

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  2. Jackie Avatar
    Jackie

    Happy new year to you and your family! These are gorgeous captures! 😀

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      Thanks Jackie. It’s good to see you back. 🙂

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      1. Jackie Avatar
        Jackie

        It’s good to be back. 🙂

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        1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
          Alittlebitoutoffocus

          🙂 🙂

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  3. theitinerary1 Avatar
    theitinerary1

    It really is and good luck on your hike 🙂

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      Thanks. I only hope the sun shines as much as it has been here !

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      1. theitinerary1 Avatar
        theitinerary1

        Haha 🙂

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        1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
          Alittlebitoutoffocus

          🙂

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  4. neveradullbling Avatar
    neveradullbling

    Lovely! Now, what kind of footwear do you have that gets you over those thick layers of ice? And do you use the walking sticks?

    Happy New Year Mike! Good for you for signing up with Zurich! May you have a fabulous training cycle! (You are going to train this time, aren’t you, hehe! kidding!!) Wishing you a happy and healthy 2017!! 🙂

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      Hi Paula. (Sorry if you got a reply to another person’s comment. Technology! Honestly, you’d think I’d be good at that with all my IT experience!)
      I just wore hiking boots, but either walked (very slowly) across it (if it was flat), or scrambled around it on the dry grassy slopes. I don’t use poles – why carry extra weight? Light and fast is my motto! (Hence why I have to lose a few pounds ! 🙂 )
      Happy new year to you and Jamesie, & AJ of course, too I am trying to train this time, (only 90 odd days to go – yikes!) and I can’t blame the weather, which has been gorgeous, but I got a niggling pull near my right hamstring a few weeks ago and when I went out the other day, it came back. So it’s hiking training for me. If and when the snow returns (maybe on Saturday) I’m going to try and get seriously into cross country skiing. I’ll mix that in with the odd trip down the valley to do a long run along the Rhone (if there’s no snow of course). I’ve dismissed all the other ‘small’ marathons, so it’s now just Zurich and Zermatt to complete my set. So just finishing it is the key, regardless of the time. (Though we all know that sub-4 would be nice!)

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      1. neveradullbling Avatar
        neveradullbling

        Oh, I hear that cross-country gets you in shape super fast! It’s harder than downhill, yes, no? I don’t ski, but I would definitely try cross-country… I’m not an adrenaline junkie, lol. I hope your hamstring heals… try some Arnica on it. It’s a natural anti-inflammatory, so it may help. 😀

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        1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
          Alittlebitoutoffocus

          We’ve only tried the cross country 3 or 4 times over the past 2 years. So we’re still beginners and it certainly is hard work. Maybe it gets easier with more practive. We’ll see.
          I’m not sure what is causing the niggling pain. I suspect it may be related to my back, as it comes on after maybe 35 to 40 minutes.

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  5. studentzy Avatar
    studentzy

    Happy New year to you & your family.. Thanks for sharing those pictures, it’s beautiful & deafening ..

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      Happy New Year to you too Zy. There will be plenty more like this year for you to look forward to. 🙂

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  6. Tammy Twinkle Avatar
    Tammy Twinkle

    Great pics and great news about the Zurich marathon! I’ll be there to cheer you on. 🙂

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      Thanks Tammy. So, what takes you to Zurich – are you supporting another runner ? And how will I spot you…? 🙂

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  7. wanderwolf Avatar
    wanderwolf

    Looks like a great walk. Happy new year!

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      Happy New Year to you too. 🙂 It is a nice walk, which I tend to only do in the Spring, when the snow is receding. But with the snow being late this year, it was just about do-able without getting into a lot of the old, crusty snow which fell in November. The highest point would have been around the 2,200 metre mark.

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      1. wanderwolf Avatar
        wanderwolf

        Wow! That’s high!

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        1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
          Alittlebitoutoffocus

          Not really. The accessible* mountains around here extend to 3370 metres or 11,056 ft (i.e. Mont de L’Etoile – see my post from August 2015: https://alittlebitoutoffocus.com/2015/08/31/mont-de-letoile-walk-27/ ). That’s in the summer/autumn of course. I had thought about walking up to a small lake called Béplan which is around 2,700m, but I thought this walk would be longer and more interesting. Not only that but above 2,500m there is quite a lot of crusty snow, which can get a little slippery in places, so I played it safe! 🙂 For info. I started the walk from our chalet, which is at 1,400m. So it wasn’t a huge climb by some standards.
          (*By that I mean just walking/hiking rather than technical climbing or being led on a rope by a mountain guide).

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        2. wanderwolf Avatar
          wanderwolf

          Ah. I see. I guess to a south Florida girl, anything above sea level is impressive, 2k definitely! But good to know you could go higher and chose not to. A totally decent way to start the new year, either way 🙂

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        3. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
          Alittlebitoutoffocus

          I guess it is quite high. I used to live in York, in the north of England, where everything was pretty flat too. We had a few ‘hills’ but nothing anywhere near even 1,000 metres. So, after 11 years in Switzerland and almost 6 living in Evolène, I must have acclimatised in more ways than one! 🙂

          Liked by 1 person

        4. wanderwolf Avatar
          wanderwolf

          Ha ha. Yes. 🙂

          Liked by 1 person

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