It

Day 83: It's in the house! The Park's Winter Fitness Challenge begins tomorrow, and while I've made it abundantly clear that I have no intention of trying for the Iron Ranger title again this year, I still intend to kick a lot of much younger behinds with my mileage total.

Since this is the fifth year of the challenge, a lot of fives have crept into the rules. The Proclaimers' "500 Miles" was chosen for the theme music (and incidentally was my personal "power song" last year), and teams of five are expected to complete the equivalent of walking the Scottish National Trail, a 537-mile route which runs from Kirk Yetholm to Cape Wrath (as close to a 500-mile trail as the committee could find, tying in nicely with the nationality of the vocal group). Of course, there is also the additional challenge to "walk 500 more" as specified in the Proclaimers' lyrics. I've joined a team, but nevertheless have set a personal goal of 500 miles with an eye toward that "500 more," something I should be able to achieve if I put in the aerobic equivalent of walking 10-15 miles every day. Last year, I was doing 15-20 miles per day, so barring drenching weather and if I can find a better pad for the seat of the exercise bike, that distance should be a piece of cake. I figure I'll walk five or six of it, and then ride 13-minute miles for the remainder. Remember, the mileage is the aerobic equivalent of walking one mile, not actual "road" miles. That translates to numbers of minutes at specific resistance on the bike.

I'm not exactly looking forward to long walks in the rain, but the benefits to be derived here are enormous. When the hiking season came around last summer, I was already in such good shape that I strode up hills without a gasp, hills which the previous year would have left me puffing. You know what they say: No pain, no gain. That's the philosophy which has kept me fit for almost 70 years, and makes it possible for me to trounce those young bucks and does despite my age.