Harting Down

Walking when it's hard to breathe

I just got back from a swim to try and reset myself from my latest walk, two days ago. As well as my right knee getting more and more painful, I’ve had some unusual pains recently – the hitching on the right-hand side seems to be affecting my ribs which despite two osteopathy appointments won’t crack back into place.  So my ribs are sticking into my diaphragm which is making it hard to breathe.

May is #NationalWalkingMonth and on Friday I walked the 7.5 miles (12K) from Harting Down to Cocking Hill, which takes my total so far to 35 miles.  I’m trying to walk 100 miles of the South Downs Way to raise awareness of Hip Dysplasia (DDH) – a condition I was born with – and raise money for a small charity called Steps who support children and adults often newly-diagnosed with the condition.

It was actually a perfect day for walking; very light
drizzle so not too hot, but not so wet you have to wrap up in lots of clothing
or be careful not to slip.  I think one
of the reasons my body is hurting is because life has been a bit stressful
recently.  And like all of us, I tend to
hold that stress in my body and it finds the weak spots.  And anxiety also makes it harder to breathe.

Of course, stopping and breathing is a great way to relieve
anxiety.  It’s the fundamental basis of
Yoga and many forms of meditation - connecting body and mind.  And so, my walk on Friday was a workout for
both. 

I started where I left off at the top of Harting Down.  I’d caught a cab from where I was going to
finish, as I knew that today I’d have to take my time.  Not least because I’d forgotten my poles so I
was having to do it unaided.

This walk was a lovely one, I’d highly recommend it for
people looking for a good day walk. 
There was so much variation of scenery and of nature.  Vast grassland atop chalky hills led quickly
into woodland of all types – some deciduous, some evergreen.  Paths that went through sheep-studded farmland
suddenly turned into tracks through flowery meadows.  From the top of the hills you can see the
Isle of Wight (although again I picked a day that was a bit misty so alas not
that far from me).  But it was still
spectacular as you can see from the gallery.  What was fantastic about this walk was that
this amazing British countryside seemed to change mood every half an hour as it
changed landscape.  And each change gave
me the chance to stop and breathe.  And
having to stop and breathe more in turn gave me more time to take in my
surroundings.  In short, I was more
present.

I almost didn’t go walking that day.  I’d wanted to book two days but due to an
event at Goodwood, polo near Cocking and a local village fete all in the same
weekend, finding accommodation anywhere except the most expensive hotels was
impossible.  But somewhere inside I knew
I needed it.  Time to be. To walk. To
breathe. And to recognise that whatever I go through, I’m strong enough to face
it.

As always I met some lovely people along the route.  Usually they’re passing me as they’re
obviously faster - and everyone stops and says hello.  It’s common to share why we’re walking and
how we’re doing ‘The Way’.  I met a couple
who were doing a series of day trips around visiting family, another who saw me
panting at the top of a hill and said “more South Ups and Downs Way isn’t
it?!”  And a man towards the end of the
route who was walking the whole thing in 8 days for his holiday, and we talked
about the mental health benefits of walking alone. 

In terms of pace my fitbit was tracking about 18 minutes per
kilometre instead of my usual 12.  It was
less that my walking pace had slowed but the fact that I kept stopping and breathing.  And it turned out that was just the obstacle
I needed to get the most out of this walk.

Jill Pringle is walking the South Downs Way to raise money for Steps Charity – because not everyone can take walking for granted.  You can donate here and help families who are newly diagnosed with conditions like hip dysplasia, which Jill was born with in 1971.

by Jill Pringle