Post fast walk exhaustion?

Walking groups are the new big thing with me. Thursdays and Sundays - and now I've heard of a once a month all dayer on Fridays. I'm really enjoying the Stanmore Bay Leisure Walkers who have a six month programme printed twice a year with a different walk each week. All walks are at least an hour, sometimes a little bit more. I've walked with them three times, once through the Alice Eaves Kauri Reserve at the northern end of Orewa and then down to Hatfield's Beach. As you wind down the walkway there's a good view of that funny little green volcanic looking hill behind Orewa. It's a totally rural, tree-filled view and a change from seascapes. Of course the kauri reserve is quite stunning. On the second occasion we left from Okoromai Bay in Shakespeare Regional Park and walked along the clifftop towards Gulf Harbour. Okoromai for some reason is almost mudflatty - the tide goes out a long way - but there was just enough water on the sand flats for the Norfolk pines to be reflected faintly on the wet surface.

Although there's a lot of development on the coast here both places provide a view of unspoiled scenery.

This week the walk was in Orewa - the Millenium Walkway - so was never going to be as spectacular. I've done it before ... blue painted footprints take you round the back of town, briefly through the kauris and back along the beach. It's a longer walk and I needed to be back by 11 am so walked with the blisteringly fast (to me) front people for the last part of the walk. My new orthotics seemed to work well, aching was minimal and stopped once I stopped walking but it was 1 1/2 hours of fast walking and I seemed to suffer today. Exhausted, Hoping against hope it's just part of a getting fit process not a sign I can't hack it. I like pushing myself, always have.

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