Walking back to health
One of the lovely outcomes of writing these Walking for Wellness articles has been the number of people who have been in contact with me to share their walking stories. The walkers who contact me have uplifting and inspiring stories to tell; that they feel will help others to stay motivated and active.
James Finnegan from Tralee is the latest walker to share his story with me and he tells it best in his own words.
“You don’t really appreciate something until you cannot do it – especially something as simple as getting out of the bed and walking to the window.
In late 2012, I ruptured my Achilles tendon descending the steps of a plane. It is usually a reasonably simple injury to repair, but unfortunately, everything that could possibly go wrong went wrong, from infections to embolisms on the lungs and a heart attack.
For the next couple of years, I was bedridden, occasionally in a wheelchair, usually house-bound, walking with a frame and undergoing approximately an operation a month in hospitals between Kerry and Cork. Incidentally, you would be horri ed to nd out how many shops, pavements and facilities are still inaccessible to manual wheelchairs.
I was made redundant and things were not going well. I went for one nal operation and decided that was going to be that. I had received the best of treatment, but enough was enough. The physical battle was a ecting my mental state and something had to change.
Even these days, there are times when I walk with a pronounced limp. I might not have the speed or distance I had before, but at least I have forward motion.
It is said that it takes between 21 and 28 days to create a new habit. For the past few years, I have taken part in Dr Ciara Kelly’s ‘100 Days of Walking’ challenge, which is to walk for a minimum of 30 minutes each day from January 1 until April 10. So on January 1, 2021, I set o on my challenge; one step at a time, one day at a time.
However, even down here “in the beautiful Vale of Tralee”, we can experience the four seasons in one day, so I needed to set myself some additional incentives to get me out and about. I decided I would take a picture from my walk to put up on my social media each day, as well as doing some fundraising.
I also decided to carry on after that initial 100 Day start, because there had been a de nite improvement for me!
Thankfully, we are blessed here with both natural and manmade amenities. The rst is the Tralee Canal Walk, which takes us from the town right out to Tralee Bay on the Atlantic Coast. It was originally completed in 1846 to transport freight and passengers and it is a poignant reminder that this would have been the last sight of home for those emigrating, probably never to return.
It also takes us past the stunning Blennerville Windmill and this landmark features often in my photos.
However, the real joy of the Canal Walk is nature. This area is part of the Tralee Bay Wetlands and Nature Reserve, 8,000 acres that are home to many species of ora and fauna. This wildlife has become the unknowing victim of my photographs!
I have developed a particular a ection for the swans, that I have watched grow from cygnets, balls of u , into the majestic creatures that y with such poise and grace, one generation after the next. Their mere presence can soothe the soul.
However, as we see so often, there is another side to nature and I have watched helpless from the bank as swans have fought o otters, that like nothing more than a tasty cygnet. I suppose it is their part in the Circle of Life.
The other great amenity I use is Tralee Town Park, 35 acres of green space in the centre of Tralee. It is home to over 35 varieties of roses, a Garden of the Senses, and a playground where walks around the park with my wife Kathleen and granddaughters Amy (10) and Ava (5) must always end. Our twin grandsons Harry and Louis (5 months) watch from their pram, but their time will come. It is a great joy and privilege to share these experiences with them
My walking has also given me the opportunity to raise funds and awareness for local and national charities such as Debra Ireland and Help Rose Bloom, complete Virtual Challenges, have my photographs published by local media and even achieve a Guinness World Record by participating in a Global 10K.
Whether I walk alone with my thoughts and musings, with just the background music of birdsong, or chatting with my good friend Derry Butler, or in the Tralee Park Runs (walks in my case), there has never been a day I regretted walking.
So as I approach my 500th day of walking (May 15, 2022), I think I will keep going. It has given me a purpose and a challenge. It has been good for my physical and mental well-being and it has been of bene t to others. What more can one ask?”
Frank Greally meets James Finnegan, for whom walking has been a life-saving experience