Just home from a week in Andalucia and happy memories of true adventure; a mapless hike from Ronda to the coast that I did with Rob at university. We spent £5 in a week, walked south in a straight line up mountains and through valleys until we reached the sea. We swam in rivers, nicked apples from the trees and I slept in a sewage pipe for the first (but not the last) time.
This holiday I was eager to keep on with my training. I tried swimming but the hostel’s 5m pool soon broke my resolve. Ditto aquajog. But I did begin running, tentatively at first, then sweating and puffing, then with relief that my foot was healed and exuberance at the pleasure of running up the dry-smelling dust tracks, up from a hermitage dating from 1537 up to the castle on the hilltop at Gaucin.
I’mm enjoying getting fit, but quite worried about my strength work: I’mm simply not very strong. I am new to gyms and gym mentality, I’mm naturally scrawny, and I know I’mve still got a long way to go. I’mll get there though.
What I’mm most excited about though is that I’mm no longer a teacher. I’mm unconstrained and free (aka: ‘unemployed’) once again and able to dedicate 100% of my efforts to SOUTH (if I was a footballer it would be 110%). I can’t wait for tomorrow morning: it’s Monday morning and the expedition office beckons. Shorts, T-shirt and a fierce energy to get the show off the ground.