Towards the beginning of last year, Eve and I went for a hike. Neither one of us was very fit. I think she was training for her hike in Kruger. Anyway we hit the first elevation and I remember nearly crying. We stopped a few times. Then it levelled out a bit and we felt ok but then we started going up the mountain. I remember so clearly plopping down on the floor and telling Eve this whole thing was stupid while trying to catch my breath. It was rough.
I now walk that same walk at least once a week with no issues. Sure I still get a little short of breathe but I don’t need to stop at all.
It has taken me almost 5 months to get to this point though. There were times where I wasn’t sure it was ever going to get better. It felt like my lungs would burst on every single walk with elevation. It was so frustrating, month after month I would walk but still I was huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf each time.
Until I wasn’t.
I don’t remember which walk it started getting easier. I just remember Eve saying “Remember how we used to stop here” and I noticed how I was telling David a long story all the way up the mountain.
I will also admit that it become a bit of an internal competition to get fitter to be able to navigate the elevations better. I found it so frustrating that I couldn’t breathe properly. I know it was normal but it was frustrating and irritating. So I was determined to get fit enough to be able to walk regularly and not have it happen.
I am not really interested in being able to walk 20km a day or run races or climb Kili. I just want to be able to walk my local 10km walks without feeling like my lungs may pop. The only way I was going to achieve that was by consistently showing up for myself. I have consistently been getting up 3 mornings a week and going for a walk. Sometimes with David or Eve or my walking group but sometimes it is just me and Coco doing our thing. Some mornings I am up and keen to go, some mornings I have to dig deep – on those mornings I tell Coco we are going so she gets excited and then I feel too bad to cancel.
We all know the power of consistency but it can often be frustrating and tough to stay motivated when nothing seems to be improving but the beauty of consistency is that every little step you take consistently is making a difference. You just have to keep taking them.
