Monday 13 August 2012

The Walking Dead

Photo by Caitlin Christopher, Licensed CC-BY-SA
Well, the big walking experiment began with a bang last evening. 

I dug out my walking shorts, athletic socks, and hiking shoes and the Nerd and I walked briskly through the neighborhood just after sunset.  I picked a random straight line walk along a local street, and then picked an arbitrary street at which to turn and head back for home (along a different street, for variety).  Overall the walk took 35 minutes, including 5 minutes of sauntering at the end to cool down.

The night was a perfect one for walking, not too hot, not too cool (although I would have preferred more of a breeze - - it was fairly still).  It was surprisingly pleasant.  I was not weighted down my any heavy purse or bag, and we peeked into store windows and read the plaques on historical buildings as we walked along.  All in all, an enjoyable jaunt.  Even better, the Nerd has said that he loves going walking with me, so I will have a weekend walking partner, at least.

We ended up walking about 1.4 miles at an average pace of between 2.5 - 3 mph, which isn't too embarrassing.  I was pleased that I had no back pain, no blisters, and no real issues walking, even after 35 minutes.  I was sweaty (because that's what I do), and I was a little breathy on the home stretch, but that's to be expected when walking briskly. 

My objective is to walk at least 3 times per week, at gradually increasing distances, in addition to working out on the elliptical machine 6 times per week.  The first walk generally went well, so hopefully tomorrow's walk will be a similarly positive experience.

I did have a lot of trouble sleeping last night, in part because my leg was sore (I thought it was related to the groin pull I gave myself two years ago).  I hope that this nocturnal discomfort does not follow every walk!

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