Physical issues

As of this writing I am 76.

Today I decided to walk 9 holes at our golf course here at Mill Creek. The temperature was forecast to be in the low 90s and I wanted to see if I could get around 9 holes without passing out.

I've recently bought a remote controlled electric (battery powered) bag cart to carry my bag as I walk the course. It's sort of like walking the dog. Sometimes the cart leads me and sometimes I lead the cart.

According to my fitbit, walking the front 9 sets me up to walk between 6 and 7 miles for the whole day. Most of that is on the golf course. I live on the 17th tee, so I begin there, walk down to the club house, play holes 1 through 9, and then walk back to my house. That circuit racks up about 11000 steps, or about 5 1/2 miles (there's a lot of distance between holes on this course, probably accounting for 25% of the circuit).

Heat has bothered me since elementary school. I don't tolerate it well and have passed out from it maybe a dozen times through the years, so I bought this cart hoping to extend my walking golf longer into the summer. Not only does the cart carry my 45 lb bag but it's also powerful enough to help pull me up the many inclines and hills on our golf course, when I hold on to the cart's handle going up hill. Surprising how much difference that makes.

Well I started on my experiment around 1:30 - temperature clocking 90. If I were pushing my old 3-wheel cart, no way would I make this circuit. During the outing, I drank two 12oz Gaterades and 24 ounces of iced tea that I took in my thermos. I also ate a nice juicy apple walking down to the first hole and an energy bar after 5 holes.

By the time I got to the 9th green I was feeling a light headed, so after finishing, I found a bench in the shade and sat (and hydrated) for about 5 minutes before making the trek back home. When I got home the thermometer registered 92. I was soaked, bushed, and feeling woozy, clearly just on the limit of what I could physically tolerate.

So while the cart is making a difference and will expand my walking season, I'm clear it won't allow me to walk throughout our typically blazing NC summers. My summer golf will be relegated to riding in a golf cart, and even that gets iffy in August and September - until the heat breaks.