Fatigue and the Lurch

It’s a fine line between too much and too little exercise. 

Yesterday morning, Bryony and I, took our usual early morning walk. It was fairly brisk, but not quite as fast as the previous day. Bryony, who was walking behind me on a narrow path next to the main road into Harleston, commented that I was lurching quite a bit. My dear wife has much longer legs than I and on the uphill lane away from the main road, I struggled to keep up with her. (That wouldn’t have happened in my youth.) We slowed a bit for the last mile, even so we completed the 3 miles in less than 50 minutes.

I was going to Norwich to get the car MOT’d and meet Patrick for lunch. I delivered the car to the garage and then walked to Magdalen Street in search of fresh herbs and spices from our favourite Indian shop. Typically before 9 am, it was closed. Coffee and cake beckoned from a new café whose shop decoration was bicycles and bits of bicycles. (As yet cycling for me is still wishful thinking, I’m determined to get there.) It was beautifully warm and sheltered on an upstairs open veranda. 

Walks around Norwich - 7 June 2016

Post coffee interlude and my Indian spices shop was still not open. I wandered up to Norwich Library, intending to use their computers for access to the world wide web. It was too sunny and warm to go inside so I snoozed on one of the benches outside. Fortunately, I had my sun hat for bald patch protection.

It’s quite a stretch from the Library to Foulger’s Opening (one of my favourite place names). Post exams, I woke Patrick up when I rang on his bell a little after 10 o’clock. We chatted for a while then together walked to the bus stop to take us to Patrick’s regular check-up. For me this meant going back into the centre of town. I confess I was getting a little weary.

At around 1 pm the garage rang to say that I could pick up the car. Patrick’s check-up was all OK, so we took the bus back to pick up the car.

Of course, I still hadn’t purchased the essential spices, so we found a suitable car park and walked, once again to Magdalen Street. Thank goodness, my favourite Indian shop was now open. 

Patrick fancied a burger at Captain America’s, more or less in the centre of town again. It was not worth taking the car, so we walked. Fortunately we both like burgers and I’m fairly sure the staff at Captain America’s are getting to know us. The portions of chips were distinctly generous. Not even I could get through my lot. The walk back to the car was ¾ of a mile at most but I was feeling distinctly weary.

Tiredness affects more than just one’s muscles, perception also slows. I noticed that I had to work hard to make the judgements necessary for safe driving – no this was not alcohol induced. On arriving home, Bryony insisted that I park myself on the sofa and had some pithy comments about walking more than I should.

This morning’s walk was postponed.