O.M.G

Don't really have to write anymore then the title to sum up my first experience walking with the Cornwall & Devon LDWA group yesterday.

Firstly lets set the scene...
Having been woken up at 01.00am Sunday morning by my lovely daughter (who shall remain nameless, it wasn't Kate), she needed rescuing, locked out of her own house. Not too bad your thinking, it's Sunday so there is probably a lie in coming, not so. The alarm was on for 05.45 so I could get to Callington to be picked up for my inaugural hike with the above mentioned group.
OK, now I'm up having slept another 15 seconds or so after the rescue. Everything is just about ready, I just need a bit of breakfast and make up my large flask (which I realised was way over the top for a days walk but hey ho, I'm quite used to looking like an idiot so I wasn't to bothered).
Made my way to Callington, all the while thinking I'm sure I've forgotten something. Within a few minutes of arriving David and Marian pulled in and off we went, into the wild blue yonder or Wiveliscombe in Somerset as it is better known. Which was a pleasant enough journey, although, mostly in the dark, which just happened to mask the overwhelming theme of the day, RAIN.
We arrived in plenty of time without much fuss and prepared ourselves for a wet foray into the countryside of Somerset (20, that's twenty miles of it, (19.1 really) but I slipped about .9 of a mile so I'm calling it 20).

Now before I go on, you will need to know a little about our leader for the walk. I've never met her before but was assured that she was a lovely lady called (let's leave real names out for now shall we) Joan. She must have been around the mid sixties at least, was around five foot nothing and probably weighed a couple of bags of sugar. In fact she made Gordy (he of Kawasaki fame) seem of average height. I had been informed, or as I now know warned that she could and probably would set a good pace.
Now, was I wrong to have imagined that any pace this little, fragile old lady could muster I would have no trouble in keeping up with, in fact she would more then likely hold up this fit and healthy outdoors man.
Good grief was I wrong, YES, in the most monolithic, cataclysmic and nuclear explosive way. She never even made an impression in the mud while everyone else was slip sliding around, some of them on their posteriors. (One thing I didn't do was fall over, which is lucky cause I don't think I would have been able to get back up).  As the miles ticked away my stride length became smaller and smaller until I was walking like a Japanese Geisha Girl. At first I was managing to keep up with the leaders of the group and then gradually I went backwards until I was keeping company with Norm (another thoroughly nice chap) who I suspect was at the back to take care of stragglers of which, I appeared to be the only one out of around twenty people (or freakishly fit athletes). The group was made up of around 50% men and 50% women of which most of them appeared older and as I know now much fitter then myself.
At this point I feel I should point out my lack of sleep from the night before, the man flu I was recovering from, the fact that it was my first long distance walk, it was raining constantly and that Dame Kelly Holmes was leading the forced March.
Anyway lets not linger on the hardest thing I have attempted in a long time and the fact that my ego and my belief in my own physical well being are way out of line with reality. lets wonder why twelve or so people along with Marian opted to walk a leisurely more sedate twelve miles. I think that I will be listening to Marian a little bit more in the future. A future that at this moment in time is all about aching limbs.

Now the big questions...

Did I enjoy my debut walk with the LDWA and Joan of Arc?


NO.

Will I be joining the group again to attempt another challenge?

YES.
but not with the lovely Joan, at least until I'm a lot fitter.

Have I bitten off more then I can chew in believing I can walk from Lands End to John O Groats and back?

YES.
Is the short answer at the moment.

To wrap this up, I will write in conclusion that it was a real eye opener for me and hopefully the beginning of the proper fitness I will need for my future hikes.

I've now just remembered what it was I'd forgotten on my drive to Callington, it was of course my brain.