LEFKOŞA.....GİRNE.....KARAOĞLANOĞLU....GİRNE.....LEFKOŞA
The weather was nice. It was sunday. Unlike the last sunday, it was open, a bit cloudy, but not much cold. However, i had taken all the necessary precautions, because i was not sure about the rain.
I was going to carry out the 50km walk in remembrance of the two great leaders of Northern Cyprus, viz DR. FAZIL KUCUK and RAUF RAIF DENKTAS.
DR.FAZIL KÜÇÜK RAUF R. DENKTAŞ
I started off from my home at around 9.15am. My wife was kind enough to drive me till the starting point. She also took some photos from the starting point.
I started off at 9.35am.
I was having a light pain in my left leg for the last few days, and i was giving myself due rest, by not running at all. This time too i had decided not to run at all.
The clouds were covering the Five Fingers mountains, on the northern side. The mountains were at the distance of about 10km ahead of the point from where i had just started off. I had had to go through them.
But first at all i was supposed to finish the straight 10km stretch. There was very little traffic on the road. I started off walking slowly. because i was a bit suspicious about the pain in my leg.
As expected i started feeling light pain in my left leg, after walking for about 500 meters. But i had already decided not to stop, because i had expected the pain would ease out in a matter of time. But the situation changed as i started feeling the pain in my right leg too, after a few more hundred metres walk. For me it was a dangerous sign.
I stopped, and tried to scan the area of the leg that was hurting me. There was nothing extraordinary there. I restarted walking, but with a much slower pace.
I was too cautious about this pain. However luckily it wained away after covering a few more kilometres.
I ran a bit, after crossing the 5km mark.
As it always happen, i came in good swing after passing the 5km mark. Yet i was still cautious, because there still were a lot of kilometres to be covered. The mountains, in front of me were the real challenge. Although i had been through these mountains quite too many times in the past, yet they were always a challenge for me.
It took me around 2 hours to reach the Boğaz . This is from where the steep climb of the Five Fingers mountains start. The total distance i had by then covered was 10 kilometres.
The steep climb was a bit difficult, also because the weather was too hot for me, particularly because i had worn a full sleeved shirt. I was feeling too hot. I preferred to walk slowly and to get benefit of the shades of the trees by the side of the road.
Once i climbed the mountains, it was a long long way to go down and down till the city of Girne, some 8 kilometres from there. On past occassions i used to run for the next 8 kilometres, to make good the time lost on the climbing. But this time, i was too cautious. I did not want to overburden my feet. So i continued with brisk walk.
I reached the Girne roundaboout, in about a less than 4 hours. This was the distance that i had previously been covering in 3 hours time.
From the Girne roundabout, i turned left westward, on the Lapta road. It took me more than an hour to reach Karaoğlanoğlu. Half of the days work stood done. The other half, way back to home through Girne was yet to commence. .
It was too hot. I had finished my 25 kilometres walk. The remaining 25 kilometres to reach home back were still there. I did know that the climbing on the return was too strenous. It was too hot and i was tired too. But i had had to be through this phase.
As i always say, long distance run/walk depends 30% on fitness and 70% on strong will power.
My climbing of the Five Fingers had started. This was the part where the 70% will power was supposed to play its part. I decided to take rest under a tree. I ate the biscuits and drank the Fanta, which i had bought from the market in Girne. I was terribly feeling the heat. I took enough time to take rest under those trees. But the recess had had to be ended. So i restarted walking again. Climbing once again. I was tired.
The more than an hour climb made me terribly tired, but i was too happy to complete that difficult part of the walk.
There remained a flat straight 10 kilpmetre long road in front of me , to reach home back. The last part of the 50km run had started. It was around 4pm. I was quite behind the original schedule. But in fact it was due to the additional ten kilometres that i had walked.
I was terribly tired. I wanted to run to finish this last part early. I did run a bit, but not much. I saw the sun setting down. I was still a couple of kilometres away from my destination when it had become almost dark. I ran the last few kilometres, to finish this 50km ordeal.
Was it an ordeal? No it was not. To tell the truth, i was not fully fit for the 50 kilometres. Perhaps it might have not been that difficult and tiring had i stuck to the original plan of 40km walk.
