Will Hike For Food

Switching from running to mostly walking has been quite an adjustment.

But, then again, not really.

You see, the last few years of my professional running career, I could hardly wait to be able to slow down and enjoy the journey without feeling guilty. Without feeling like I was “getting behind” or “not training hard enough”. I felt like I was living with the perpetual stress of the mantra of “MORE MILES’ and “FASTER”. I was burnt out, both physically and mentally.

But, even though switching to walking came as a relief in most respects, it took a while to adjust to a slower pace, a slower attitude, and a slower lifestyle.

Without an important race – one that could determine my fate on the US National Team – looming on the horizon, I had to really search for meaning in my miles. Yes, there was still satisfaction in hitting my daily goal of 20 miles, and yes, there was still reassurance that I could continue to (mostly) eat what I love without the risk of blowing up like a Macy’s Day Parade float, but the PURPOSE of my daily miles became vague and, if I’m honest, somewhat pointless.

I started creating “Projects” – yearly mileage goals that I would post updates daily on social media. This helped for a few years. But, eventually, that became mundane and, frankly, pretty mind numbing. I found myself sinking into a bit of a depression. All of this was exacerbated by lockdowns, the stress of taking care of my dying mother, and worst of all, the crushing grief that came from her eventual death.

Truly, I was lost.

What does a middle-aged retired athlete do? Yes, I had an active law license to fall back on, and for a time, I zealously took up political activism (all while getting in my 20 miles per day), but that didn’t fill the hole left by the loss of a life I loved – purposeful hard training and the adventure, world travel, and great food that came with it. I physically craved an older, wiser, but less extreme version of the life I loved, and lost.

Was that even possible?

I searched. And I searched. I read and watched documentaries. I traveled. I cooked, ate, and tried to write about it. But nothing felt right. It all just seemed rather pointless.

Then Tim and I started hiking around the UK.

Turns out, I LOVE hiking. Growing up in the high desert mountains of West Texas, I had only really ever experienced HIKING – scary wildernesses, predatory animals lurking about, and the almost absolute necessity of camping if one wanted to do more than an out-and-back day hike.

In the UK, you can hike from beautiful town to town, spending the night in every type of accommodation, from pubs to seaside resorts to 5 star country houses. And in between, eat the most fabulous food imaginable.

Yes, the most fabulous food.

So what started out as a running blog that very quickly morphed into a food blog, is now a…what? Well, I guess it is really just more of the same. But more grown up. Slower, and hopefully, more thoughtful.

Thank you for joining me – or sticking with me if you have been here for all these years. The only thing better than hiking and eating is sharing it.