Time to test the hypothesis , do evening carbohydrates improve my walking speed . Not chocolate cake , but two slices of toast plus some grapes . Not excessive I know , but contrary to my self imposed dietary rules :
A variation of the keto diet, itself quoted as useful in loosing excess body fat ..without hunger . Now that sound too good to be true . Also good for improving type 2 diabetes ( needed ) …or ‘metabolic syndrome’ ( whatever that may be ) . The diet requires consumption of lots of protein and fat and little carbs’. Sounds attractive , but difficult in KL where we eat out all of the time . Chinese without rice or noodles ..mmmm.
Now its Monday morning , and time to burn off those excess carbs ; and see if I can at least match my previous speed record of 6.1km/hour .I still have some way to go to attain international speed walking performances , like double my rate ( the world record is apparently 20km in 1hour 38 minutes ; 11.8km/hr ) . So plenty of room for improvement , although I doubt my hips would allow the sort of flexibility required for too greater increase.
Fortunately the roads are still quiet , the majority Muslim drivers are in Ramadan mode ; and taking life easy , at least during the day . Those working as taxi drivers have a special challenge , they need to be alert at all times , despite being tired and hungry at the end of the day . My son had to engage his drive in animated conversation to ensure his safe arrival last evening ! The lack of cars on my walk required few compromises to my safety over speed . So I set out with a greater effort on stride length whilst maintains pace .
I walk early morning , and so it seems so do the local troop of monkeys. They also follow the road , I suspect using the ubiquitous overhead telecom cables . Clever for them , easier than jumping from tree to tree, and with no inconvenient gaps to worry about . My routine also matches a surprising number of two legged travellers , either out for their constitutional or that of their dogs . Well a qualification there , their employers’ dogs . Why walk yourself when you pay others to do the walking! I try and wish all I pass a ‘good morning’ ; it is a pleasant surprise when that is reciprocated ; there is no common factor that seems to separate the pleasant from the ‘ others’ .
Now apologies for the error in the previous blog, I should have said ‘left right’ , plus another , ‘left right exhale’ . So with that correction I concentrate on maintaining speed . First check point ; ahead on time ; but then my mind wandered .
So would you if you were walking along side the king’s new palace . The current king is the Sultan of Johor , a billionaire in his own right ; and like any self respecting mega rich person , he is building himself a new palace . Well actually rebuilding the former Johor palace that overlooks the centre of KL . It is clearly there to make a statement, complete with tall observation tower . Unfortunately the architect seems to have lost his way . The tower would not look out of place in an American prison and the multi story parking , in a shopping mall. However to ensure that there is no doubt has too the real purpose for the edifice , it comes complet with a one story sized crown ! No further comment required .
Left right, left, right exhale . Time check, oh drifting back on speed . Concentrate!
To cater for the needs of those breaking their fast , arisen are a plethora of pop up eating tents . These are mobbed , the one we passed last night was complete with squaddie in camouflage to maintain order . A car park on my route provided one such venue . At 8 in the morning it was deserted ; at night we can see the smoke from the cooking 2 km away . It would seem that this is yet another religious event that has lost out to commercialisation ; eating is more important than contemplation ..just like Christmas .
Left right, left right exhale. Onwards and upwards , the final hill to the finish .
With all this strenuous exertion , is that a chest pain I can feel ? ; and my fingers are swelling . No this is normal , and I have just had an ECG as part of my recent check up. Pain was wind . Some 30 years ago , I completed a 24 mile walk around Chatsworth , in Derbyshire . It may be a magnificent house , but it surrounded by a never ending series of hills , all needing scaling to complete my sponsored walk in aid of a good cause . Next day I took my swollen fingers symptom to my GP . Explaining the walk involved , his gruff response was “ there can be nothing wrong with you , next ! ”
Left right , left right exhale . Finished , and another minute faster; 58 minutes 12.11 seconds . ( 6.2 km/h ) . So what’s next , more effort in the week to speed up . But we are off back to France next week , what then . Ah ! I still have 550km of the GR 10 ( the coast to coast Pyrenees hike ) left to finish. This needs 20km plus 1 km ascent each day . Realistically I have very few years left to complete this . Time for some serious training?