Takeaways from my 12-hour walk
Almost two weeks ago, two days after my 48th birthday, I did a ‘12-hour walk’.
I covered around 29km on a day that reached 35 degrees.
Why? What was I thinking? And what is this '12-hour walk' thing?
Recently I interviewed Katrina Andrew on ep #45 of my podcast, and she shared about her own ‘12-hour walk', and introduced me to the concept detailed in the book, 12-hour walk by Colin O’Brady.
If you haven't heard of Colin, he is an endurance athlete that has 10 world records for crazy feats including a solo crossing of over 700km across Antartica, and rowing from South America to Antartica. He's also climbed Mt Everest twice, and done all kinds of ‘impossible’ feats after having a devastating accident that nearly left him unable to walk.
After doing an impromptu, 12-hour walk from his home during covid, when he was unable to travel and pursue his next, extreme physical goal, he discovered he got the same mindset breakthroughs and opportunities that he received doing his time-consuming, costly and risky adventures.
He showed that by doing a 12-hour walk you can conquer your mind and access a ‘possible’ mindset.
The basic idea is to do a solo walk in silence, without the company of audio entertainment, or in communication with anyone (you put your phone on aeroplane mode).
Distance is not the aim. It's not a race. Listening to your body and intuition is the intention.
This isn't something that you have to plan for months, train or travel for.
You leave your front door, and create your own route.
You share a rough plan with your loved ones.
So, within a week of interviewing Katrina, I had binged the audible version of the book on a few long drives, and found a day the following week I could clear and commit to.
For me it was Monday 12th February.
I signed up (it's a free registration online so your walk is recorded and you get reminders and tips). Then, a few days later, the weather forecast came out!
Hot and 36 degrees (96.8 degrees Fahrenheit)
This was my first breakthrough/takeaway…
1. Don't stop before you start.
I chose to consider the reasons and opinion that it'd be better for my health and enjoyment to pick another, cooler day, and, rather than cancel or reschedule my walk, I chose to honour my word and commitment.
I focused on the fact I would never know unless I gave myself the opportunity to start. I knew that I had the option to call it if it was too hot and unpleasant to continue, so why stop before I'd even begun.
2. Focus on the present moment, and what's possible.
I wanted to walk as much of the 12 hours as possible in nature.
In Melbourne, the Yarra River which goes through the centre of the city, is flanked by parkland so that was my destination.
In the days leading up to it, I gave it a lot of thought. I wanted to leave as early as possible to get some of the hours in before the day started to heat up, and yet I was uncomfortable about walking on my own in bushland, and even suburban streets, in the dark.
A lifetime of messaging that it's unsafe and unwise for women to walk alone, in the dark, was hard to unravel.
Turns out the fear was in my head.
I didn't feel it when I was walking in the cool morning air, in the quiet, sleepy suburban streets. I chose main roads, with lots of visibility around me, and felt alert and tuned in to my surroundings. I focused on my intentions, speaking aloud empowering ‘I am’ statements, and I never felt unsafe.
3. We're a part of a resilient, adaptive, wondrous and abundant natural world and we can survive and flourish wherever we are, whatever the conditions.
Even as I walked on the pavement, and along closed shopping strips, I felt Mother Nature's presence and her resilience and determination to survive in the urban environment. As I moved onto pathways and tracks beside the river, the abundance and uniqueness I witnessed in the trees and plants was a reminder of the infinite expressions and diversity in nature, of which we are a part.
4. Comparison is impossible. There's no one else in the world that has taken my/another's life journey. Comparison only focuses on one moment in time and not the context and broader picture.
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5. Slow down. Pause. Listen to your body. Do what feels right for you in the moment. Go at your own pace.
As the temperature rose, I felt fatigued and found it challenging to remain cool.
I came to appreciate that this was my walk, my pace, and I could slow down, even sleep.
I observed the self judgement about being lazy and not taking advantage of the opportunity to walk further, the desire to compare my progress with that of others, and the consideration of what others would say if I didn't walk a distance they thought ‘I should’ be capable of in completing in 12 hours.
With no requirement to follow a particular route, complete a set distance, or do it a certain way, I could walk my way.
No one else was doing this walk, on the same day, in the same conditions, and following the same route. Unlike most activities where you do it with others, there was literally no one to compare to.
It's the same with our lives when we compare ourselves to others. No one else has ever walked in our shoes and had our lifetime of experiences. Comparison is an illusion.
6. Weave pleasure into every experience, why wouldn't you?
I took practical and intentionally chosen items that would remind me of my family and friends, make me smile, or make the experience more pleasurable.
A sarong to rest on that my hubby and kids gave me years ago, a gel-filled neck scarf that my Mum and Dad made for our Cricket-mad son, and food that I loved (including some hedgehog that I had received with love for my birthday).
7. Undoubtedly, the satisfaction and surprises that are discovered beyond your comfort zone are worth any discomfort experienced.
Whilst it was hot, the upside was it gave me the gift of solitude.
It was a weekday so most people were at work or avoiding exercising in the heat, and I had the river tracks to myself. I rarely saw anyone, even though I heard the hum of the nearby freeway traffic the whole time. This is something I've found when I've visited Botanical Gardens - you can have the place to yourself, even when surrounded by an urban metropolis.
8. Follow guidelines and structure when it works for you. If it's not serving you, do what will, it's your life after all.
I love to take photos.
There was no mention in the walk FAQs or website that it was not part of the experience.
Yes, it's clear the intention is to put your phone away and disconnect from society (no internet, communication and music/podcasts/books).
With little guidance, I thought about it and came to the conclusion that taking photos gives me pleasure, would help me remember and reflect on the experience, and it might help to inspire others to get outdoors in their neighbourhood and do their own 12-hour walk or adventure.
I'm so glad I did. (You can see a video collage of them on my webpage blog).
9. If distance or time records are important, ensure you have a back up option and don't rely on technology!
There's an app created for the walk to give you access to a map, remind you to film a video at the start and end of your walk (which I've shared in my private fb group, Sister Space, if you're interested), help track your progress, and officially time you.
Turns out the distance measured by the app is wrong!
It recorded me walking approx 20km (12.83 miles) with my official route zig zagging across the river and cutting bends!
Whilst this could've been because I was walking dirt tracks, or my route followed the river with poor gps reception, I'm glad I thought to track my progress on another app, Strava.
I was about 1.5 km into my walk when I started to record it and, even when I accidentally paused the tracking about 5km from the end, and restarted it 1.5-2km later, it tracked me as walking 24.6km. Hence I'm guesstimating I walked approx 29 km.
So there are my takeaways!
If you're still reading, maybe you're interested in doing your own 12-hour walk? If so, do let me know if you do it.
If it's not for you, I hope these reflections have given you another kind of inspiration, insight or reminder for the next stage in your walk of life.
