Choose your walking kit carefully
By Joe Walker
Many have been asking how I ensured comfort and minimised risk of injuries all through the 340km Kampala to Bushenyi road safety walk.
I think apart from good physical preparation, the other secret lies with the choice of tools aka weapons I invested in for the walk. As Benjamin Franklin said, “The best investment is in tools of one’s trade.”
From the moment I shared my intentions for the Kampala to Bushenyi road safety walk, concerned friends, experienced runners, marathoners and ultra-runners all asked me about the kit. What shoes are you using? What are you putting on? The socks? All the questions came with recommendations and with my inbox full of suggestions, I walked the streets of Kampala looking for options. I couldn’t easily get any. So I went online. I finally settled for a shop in Kabalagala for all the shirts, shorts and socks.
Shirts: I discovered I needed a well-conditioned all weather shirt that doesn’t retain heat and during cold weather is warm enough.
Shorts: These were my preferred sportswear. I was told I needed light ones and not the baggy type that have huge pockets. I also needed nicely fitting muscle tights to keep my muscles together but free enough not to interrupt blood flow.
Socks: I had two options, either short or long cotton compression socks. I got both but opted for the long version thus that famous blue pair of camouflage compression socks.
Shoes: A professional reliable pair of comfortable walking shoes were perhaps the hardest to get and at some point caused me a little frustration. Long story short, I settled for a pair of New Balance v10 Fresh Foam as recommended by ultra-runner Herman Kambugu. With time running out, we, (at this time I actively involved my wife in the hunt) used all the connections and networks and finally landed on some in South Africa. We were very lucky that the good Dr Paul Kasenene happened to be in South Africa when we discovered them and was travelling back in about two days. We requested our family members to help us buy a pair, and hand them over to Dr. Paul who travelled back with them. Remember that with shoes, it helps to buy a size bigger to minimise any form of discomfort.
Whatever mission you are setting to accomplish, be prepared not to compromise on the tools you choose to accomplish your task. If you are planning for a long walk, a good pair of walking shoes is as good as many hours you spend on body conditioning for strength and resilience. Any compromise can derail you and deny you a well-deserved victory.
