Once upon a time I used to run about 40-50 miles a week, but now I’m old and decrepit.

Just kidding.

I took up running in the autumn of 1997 when I was 19 and I went from doing a walk-a-minute-jog-a-minute round a tiny park to my first 10k in May 1998 to finally the Edinburgh marathon in 2005. Mostly though, I ran back and forth from Renfrew where I lived to Paisley because it’s a straight road and I struggle with finding my way around due to a topographical memory impairment (caused by a brain injury).

When I moved to Edinburgh in 2020, finding a straight route was compounded by the lack of flat routes (I have poor depth perception too and struggled with the cobbles). Unfortunately, I was quite literally stopped in my tracks when I fell over a loose paving stone and broke my ankle.

Still I persevered, and once I was back on my feet, I started training to do a marathon… on the treadmill. Then I had a bad flare up of plantarfasciitus (a condition that troubled me on and off for a decade) and I had to give up shortly after I reached the 20 miles mark.

Its now been over a year since my last long distance running attempt and, thankfully, the pain in my feet has subsided. I can jog for around 5k and walk consistently for about two hours.

I decided to do the Edinburgh kilt walk because I thought the challenge of training for a 21 mile walk would motivate me to restore my fitness and make the most of the summer sunshine. There is also the added bonus that any sponsorship I get will go to Edinburgh Leisure’s Ageing Well project to help people over 55 get involved in physical activities.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to visit this page.

Ely