The Milford Track, my reward

This story,  I wrote a couple of years ago.  Although it is not recent,  it is still valid.  So that is why I like to share this story with you.  It was in 2014.  I was not using any insulin yet, of course still diagnosed as a diabetes 2 patient, but I was on the weight lose/keep fit journey, I am still on.  Hopefully in the near future I will be able to do a great walk like this again.  

From a blog of 2014: 

When I started my weight lose journey, I was looking for something to reward myself.  We all know that you need to reward yourself to keep motivated in your weight loss battle.  As exercise is  a big part of my journey, I was looking for a goal/reward in this direction.  So I came up with the idea to walk the Milford track.  You can do this as a (budget) free walker or as a member of a guided tour, the luxurious way.  As this was my reward, I decided to book this one.  I booked the track a year ahead.  This is  required anyway.  My goal was to be so fit, that I could easily walk the 4 day track and really enjoy it.

At the start of the track

Walking was already a part of my day to day exercise regime.  The Milford track is totally 56 km, divided over 4 days, so average 15 km’s a day.  However the first day is hardly any walking, the second day 16 km, the third day 15, with a decent climb and descent in there and the last day 21 km’s.  So I had to take care that I had enough stamina to walk for 6 hours or more hours a day.  

Approximately half a year before the day that I would walk the track,  I made the decision to quit my full time job and focus completely on my fitness and health. The Wither hills in Blenheim became my training area.  There are lots of walkways in this farm park.   I started with the lower walkways and I slowly built this up to round walks from and to our house of approximately 5 hours.  Mt Vernon is the highest peak in this area and you have stunning views from this summit.  Walking on the ridge is a reward on its own.   When the walking hours on its own where not a problem anymore I started to train with my back pack.   I booked the track for the 3^rd of February 2014, just a couple of months before my fiftieth birthday and YES, I was ready for it.  I think I was never so fit in my life before.

The whole experience was marvelous.  I walked the track together with a friend ( Sharon)  and we had a great time.  We were very lucky with the weather.  Only when we reached the summit on the third day, we walked in the clouds, so we missed the view here, but  overall it was a marvelous experience.  I was so pleased that on day 3, the day with the climb (altitude difference of around 700m ) and a descent of more than 3 hours, I easily could do the extra walk of 1.5 hours return to the Sutherland Falls.  I never had any muscle pain. I never felt exhausted, so unbelievable.

I had done it

Unfortunately I have to admit that blood sugar level wise, it was not the best week.  I thought,  all the exercise would mean that I could  eat everything that was offered on the track.  But this was not the case.  I did enjoy all the very nice food though.  Afterwards I found out that the blood sugar levels were way to high.  This was not only caused by me eating all the food, but I also learnt that my body had not been able to reverse the diabetes. 

Now I am looking for a similar kind of reward so I keep (even more) motivated to exercise and keep the weight off. Lucky that I live in New  Zealand, because here is a big choice for great walks.