Tuner Tuesday: iWalk 3.45 miles 👨🏻‍🦯

The Pond Panorama…

Hi Friends…

There was something different about this morning’s walk. The trail hadn’t changed. The trees hadn’t moved, the paths were exactly where they have always been, and the hills certainly hadn’t disappeared overnight. But for the first time in a while, it felt like I was properly back on the trail.

The difference?

The sunshine had gone. After what seems like weeks of blazing sunshine, this morning was heavily overcast. And for me, that makes an enormous difference. The blazing sunshine is my nemesis. When the sun is hammering down, there is another layer of information my brain has to deal with. Heat, glare, changing light, shadows and the general sensory assault of a bright day all add to the cognitive load of navigating the trail.

This morning, that extra noise had disappeared. The trail felt calmer. And so did my brain.

Getting Back Up to Speed

Something else happened today that I’ve been thinking about ever since I got home. I found my speed. I’ve mentioned before that when I deliberately slow down on this trail, I can actually find navigation more difficult. You might think that walking more slowly would automatically make things easier, but for me it can have the opposite effect…This trail is incredibly familiar to my body. I’ve walked it so many times that my subconscious has effectively built a map of it. My body knows the rhythm of the path, the changes in gradient, the corners, the surfaces and the sequence of what’s coming next.

It’s almost like being an F1 driver who knows a circuit so well that they aren’t consciously thinking about every corner. They don’t drive around thinking, “Right, there’s the corner. Now turn. Now straighten up. Now accelerate.”They simply know.

They feel the circuit. That’s what walking this trail can feel like for me. When I’m moving at my natural pace, everything starts to flow. My stride, balance, orientation and memory of the trail all seem to work together automatically. When I slow down too much, I interrupt that rhythm. And suddenly my conscious brain starts getting involved…And I can go completely blank!

“Where am I now?”“Is this the next turn?”“Am I still on the right section?”The slower I become, the more I seem to have to think about something that my body already knows. So this morning, when I got up to speed, something clicked. I wasn’t fighting the trail. I was flowing around it.

Sarah’s Sunshine Bench Panorama…

And the Knee?

This might actually be the best part. My knee held up brilliantly. After everything I’ve been through with it, there’s something quite satisfying about being able to get out onto the trail, increase the pace, tackle the elevation and finish the walk feeling good. So although it felt like I was absolutely flying compared with some of my recent walks, my body wasn’t screaming at me that I was overdoing it.

Without the blazing sunshine, there was simply less cognitive load. I wasn’t dealing with the same level of glare and heat. I wasn’t constantly processing the effects of the sun. I could concentrate less on managing the conditions and more on simply walking. And when you combine that with a trail my body already knows, something interesting happens. The conscious mind can step back. The subconscious takes over. The body remembers. The trail flows beneath my feet and, corner by corner, hill by hill, I know where I’m going. Maybe that’s why today’s walk felt so different. It wasn’t just that the weather was cooler. It wasn’t just that my knee was behaving. It wasn’t even just that I was walking faster. Everything was working together.

For a little while this morning, I didn’t feel like someone recovering from a knee injury who was carefully negotiating a familiar trail. I felt like the old me again.

Now focus…

Now it’s time to get back in tune: back to a healthy calorie deficit, consistent walking, and working towards a healthier version of myself. With around 9 months until my birthday trip to Florida (God willing), I’ve got a great goal to keep me focused, one step at a time. 😀

EADGBE…🎸 

• E – Endurance: Tortoise NOT Hare…This is for LIFE!
• A – Activity Rings: Close my daily apple fitness watch rings.
• D – Deficit: Make sure i’m in a healthy calorie deficit each day until healthy weight.
• G – Goals: Focus (and celebrate) small, medium and BIG goals.
• B – Body & BP: Check blood pressure & listen to my body and look after it (it’s not young anymore).
• E – Edification: Feeding my mind and soul fuels me to serve, encourage, and inspire others.

Scripture snack…

Isaiah 40:31.
But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint. (ESV)

Motivational Quote:..💪🏼 

Progress isn’t always about pushing harder. Sometimes it’s about removing the things that get in the way, trusting what you’ve practised, and allowing your body to remember what your mind has already learned. Today, the sunshine disappeared, the cognitive load became lighter, my rhythm returned, and the trail seemed to flow beneath my feet. The knee held up, the miles went by, and for a little while, I felt like the old me again. That’s the thing about a journey towards a healthier life: some days you build strength, some days you build endurance, and some days you simply rediscover what you’re capable of. Keep showing up. Keep moving. Keep learning. Keep trusting God with the bigger picture. You don’t have to conquer the whole journey today… you just have to take the next step.

Let’s ‘FitBlitz’ 2026 Together! 💪🏼