Walking badassity

[limeandpepper]

I know there are some of us on this forum who do more walking than biking. Come and share your badassity here!

For the past few months I've been walking 3.9 km / 2.4 miles to work almost everyday, though occasionally I do still take the tram instead. I often walk back as well.
And the past couple of weekends, when I've had some things to do in the city, I've walked the 5.3 km / 3.3 miles to get there.

It feels good! :)

[Annamal]

my last 8 day holiday I walked 100 km around the city and coast,I really needed the break

I've also taken to taking a 1k detour on my way to work so I can go down through bush and parklands, bringing my morning walk up a much more peaceful 5k

[Zikoris]

That's me and my boyfriend! We typically only bike once a week, to do a grocery shopping circuit for some of the stores a bit further away. Other than that, strictly walking - walk to work, walk to our three main grocery stores, walk to any entertainment venues (theaters, etc). I actually prefer walking to biking for closer errands - no need to bother locking/unlocking the bike, bringing my helmet, finding a bike rack, or worrying about theft.

[limeandpepper]

Annamal, that sounds great! Having nice scenery really makes the walk so much better.

Zikoris, I find walking easier too for closer distances, for the same reasons. I do enjoy biking as well but it's something I'm more likely to do when I'm travelling through, say, a countryside area.

[bikebum]

I walk 5 minutes to and from work every work-day, and I walk home for my lunch break too.

[crazy jane]

At work this month we are on teams as part of a walking challenge. We can get up to 12,000 steps per day for our team. I've hit 12,000 steps every day so far and have ridden my bike to work most days as well. On Monday I am going to walk to work and back almost 12 miles and give my bike a break. I love this challenge!

[mostlyeels]

I love walking!  I walk to work and back every day, which is about 25 mins each way (a bit more if I do grocery shopping on the way back.)  On weekends, if I need to go into the city, I'll walk if I can e.g. weather permitting.  That's probably about an hour and a bit, one way.  On the minus side I notice I go through shoes a lot quicker now I'm consistently walking.  In the process of finding some better shoes as we speak :)

[SDREMNGR]

There is a way to commute that is just as easy as walking but 50-100% faster.  It's also free and has better health benefits for most people.  It takes no special equipment that is any different than walking.

[agent_clone]

But that makes you sweaty, so not advisable unless you have showers at work.  I also wouldn't advise it for those 40C+ days where its 38C at 9am in the morning... (Yes a previous place I lived had that, for that matter I got to be there when the maximum minimum temperature record was made of 34.1C)

[Moonwaves]

I do walk a lot of places but I'm not really far enough from anywhere for it to count as badass. From home to work it's just over 2.5km. I usually take the tram in though and walk home. That's more a function of  me hating getting up than not wanting to walk in the mornings though. (No financial impact since work pays for my monthly ticket)

In the other direction then it's nearly the same distance from home into the centre of town. Less if I walk through the park, which also involves walking along not very nice main roads half the way. Or slightly more if I walk down to the river and in that way, which is what I usually do. I've been going to a pub quiz every Sunday evening for the last couple of months and the walk home along the river afterwards makes my Sunday evenings a perfectly lovely ending to the weekend now.

[mm1970]

I'm not as good as I used to be. But since November:

I walk 30 min (1.6 miles) on my lunch break almost every day - to move around, get some sun, clear my head.
I walk to the farmer's market every Saturday (3 miles) pushing my toddler in the stroller, to buy strawberries and other items.  (I admit though, my husband drives to pick me up and then I finish the grocery shopping on the way home, so it doesn't save gas)
I walk to the park on the weekends with the toddler, 2-3 miles round trip.
I try to walk to the grocery store for small items (2.5 miles round trip).
I walk on my lunch break to the post office to mail things (2 miles RT) or to Kmart or Costco if I need things (1.5 - 2 miles RT).

I like incidental exercise.

[aj_yooper]

I love the simplicity of walks and doing errands by walking.  My daily goal is 10,000 steps.

[Suit]

Walkability is one of the main reasons I love my neighborhood and parking is so challenging that I actually loathe when I have to drive somewhere. I occasionally walk to/from work (but usually ride the MAX since it's free for me) and I walk to the grocery store, bars, restaurants, walk my dog 3 times a day, etc. It's easier than riding my bike because there's no maintenance, lesser odds of being hit by a car, don't have to get the bike out of the basement and back to the basement storage rack (apartment living!), and I don't have to get all geared up with helmet, waterproof pants, etc.

[Thegoblinchief]

We tend to walk more during the winter months when it's too hard to safely bike (with the kids).

My neighborhood is walkable, but biking is just that much faster. I love, love hiking though and we will start learning and acquiring gear to do backpacking as the goblins get older.

[limeandpepper]

Nice to see so many like-minded walkers have come in to say hi! :D

I just came across this article:
http://www.news.pitt.edu/news/walk-much-university-pittsburgh-study-shows-it-may-protect-your-memory-down-road

[RootofGood]

Most of my trips are on foot and I typically only make 2-3 trips by car per week. 

Daily I walk the kids to school and pick them up.  That's 2 miles for me (0.5 miles each way x 2 trips).  The kids also get 1 mile/day that way.  I normally walk 2 miles round trip on Tuesdays to the library and community center for the 2 year old's recreation time/story time.  And we'll usually go grocery shopping once a week (and/or get take out nearby) which is 1 mile round trip. 

The cool part of doing all this walking is that my 2 year old now loves to walk and run.  He just turned two, but has no problem walking the full 1 mile trip to/from school.  Some people probably think it's child neglect to "make" him walk so far (he fights me when I put him in his stroller!).  But 90% of the people around the world would have zero problem with what I'm doing.

The walking also doubles as baby boot camp for our 5 week summer vacation coming up where we'll spend a week in 4 different Canadian cities (and a week on the US east coast).  We plan on a lot of walking.  Our kids are used to it so they should be relatively whine-free. 

My average walking works out to be 2 miles per day minimum on weekdays, and sometimes 5+ miles if I do the school drop off, library/community center, and go shopping all in one day.  I just started this routine 9 months ago when I got FIREd and now I don't even notice any particular fatigue after a 4-5 mile day.  I have almost worn out a pair of sneakers so don't think all this walking is free!  ;) 

[NinetyFour]

Love this thread!  I love walking!  It can be such great exercise.

Lately, I have commuting to/from work on foot.  I have a few different routes available.  I have been taking the long route which is about 2.4 miles each way.  I listen to music on my iPod.  I have a "Walk" playlist, which enables/forces me to keep up a certain gait.  Often feels more like dancing than walking.

About half of my commute is on pavement and the other half is on a trail.  I think the uneven surface of the trail is good for me--makes me work harder--I imagine that all the small muscles of my lower legs and feet are working extra hard to keep me upright and help me maintain balance.

Walk on!

[rocksinmyhead]

That's me and my boyfriend! We typically only bike once a week, to do a grocery shopping circuit for some of the stores a bit further away. Other than that, strictly walking - walk to work, walk to our three main grocery stores, walk to any entertainment venues (theaters, etc). I actually prefer walking to biking for closer errands - no need to bother locking/unlocking the bike, bringing my helmet, finding a bike rack, or worrying about theft.

I agree, so much simpler and less to think about. I LOVE walking.

I was just thinking about  how excited I was that I walked almost EIGHT miles on Friday...

- walked to work, walked home
- walked back downtown to meet some friends to "window" shop at an arts and crafts festival (and picked up a homemade hot pocket to eat for lunch while I walked, so I was proud of that mustachian choice, didn't buy any delicious food truck food at the festival)
- took the dog for a walk with my boyfriend
- then we walked downtown to do some bar crawling with friends... this was the non-mustachian part :) but I was still happy to get all that exercise in one day! it was awesome.

[smalllife]

To all of you walkers, how long does it take for you to walk a mile? 

We try to walk to everything within a 1.5 mile radius - excluding grocery stores as the one time we tried that it was a PITA getting the groceries home without a cart, but the biggest constraint is time. 

[Retireme32]

I just initiated a walking challenge at my job! We'll see if there are any takers! I participated in this at my old job and it really gets people conscious about how much they weren't walking before plus it's a fun thing to compete in. 

[NinetyFour]

It can also be fun to have a destination goal--not just a mileage goal.  For example, in the next two months, I'd like to walk the equivalent of the distance from my house to the Grand Canyon (about 300 miles).  I suppose you could even plot your progress on a map.

[RootofGood]

To all of you walkers, how long does it take for you to walk a mile? 

We try to walk to everything within a 1.5 mile radius - excluding grocery stores as the one time we tried that it was a PITA getting the groceries home without a cart, but the biggest constraint is time.

I walk a 20 minute mile roughly.  I can definitely pick it up to 16-17 min/mile if the kids aren't with me.

[enigmaT120]

I like bicycling, but I think walking is my favorite means of transportation.  About 4 miles per hour, though, so I bike a lot more.

[Jenga]

It's so nice to see that there are other walkers!  :)

I really don't enjoy bicycling, but I love to walk.  I try to walk either to or from work every day - about a 45 minute walk (add 15 minutes in winter if the sidewalks aren't plowed).  In Spring and Fall I often find I can walk both ways, and we live in a neighbourhood that allows us to walk to the drugstore/grocery store/etc within about 15 minutes.

limeandpepper, that was an interesting article about the effects of walking on memory. Thanks for the link!

[totoro]

I walk everywhere and so do the kids.  They walk to school, friends, sports and music lessons.  I walk to the grocery stores/post office/bank.  We all walk with the dog. 

We occasionally use the car for walk-in clinic trips (could walk but the sickness factor wins), some grocery trips further afield, some hikes outside of our area, and family trips and visits.

It is not as car-free as it sounds though because DH commutes 25 min by car daily each way.  We won't be able to eliminate this until he retires as it is not a safe bike route.

[FRFC3S]

My workday consists of:
10 minute walk to train.
45 minute train ride.
5 minute walk to work.
1 hour walk at lunch.
25 minute walk to train.
45 minute train ride.
10 minute walk home.

I'm trying to find a bike for free on CList, but I really don't mind walking, even in New England.

Also, if you want to track your average pace, I recommend the RunKeeper app.

[OzzieandHarriet]

I like walking, but it doesn't work around here except as a form of exercise. I try to take about a 45-minute walk every day as my (free) replacement for the gym. I do walk to the local bank and grocery store, but the latter is only for random items rather than our regular shopping because it's not a great store and doesn't have the kinds of things we need.

[avonlea]

I like walking, but it doesn't work around here except as a form of exercise. I try to take about a 45-minute walk every day as my (free) replacement for the gym. I do walk to the local bank and grocery store, but the latter is only for random items rather than our regular shopping because it's not a great store and doesn't have the kinds of things we need.

Same for me.  From our house, we can walk to a forest area, a few parks, and a pond to feed geese but there are no businesses near us except for a gas station, and that's about a mile away.  We can walk to a bus stop. We might use the bus more this summer to go downtown. I don't like biking when it's very hot.  You all are awesome.  Way to go, pedestrians!

[RootofGood]

Same for me.  From our house, we can walk to a forest area, a few parks, and a pond to feed geese but there are no businesses near us except for a gas station, and that's about a mile away.  We can walk to a bus stop. We might use the bus more this summer to go downtown. I don't like biking when it's very hot.  You all are awesome.  Way to go, pedestrians!

It's a shame you can't walk to the gas station to fill up your car...  :)  For a split second I almost set out for the library/community center/gas station on a walking trip then I realized I'd have a hard time carrying the 9 gallons of gas back home to fill up my car.  I drove instead of course (and also stopped by Lowe's for a hundred pounds of lawn stuff and then aldi's for a trunk full of groceries). 

Might as well combine trips and go shopping for stuff you can't carry on foot while you're out right?

[Jon_Snow]

According to my wife's pedometer, I average about 18,000 steps in a typical work shift.

We did a bit of quick math and we figure that in the past 23 years I have walked the equivalent of one and half times around the planet at my job.

I don't bike much at all, and prefer to walk (or run) in my off work hours as well - safe to say that my walking accomplishments DWARF my biking ones.

I find that walking is more than adequate to get me where I need to be - I'm also 6'4" so my long legs eat up the miles/kilometers with ease. :)

[enigmaT120]

Walking, the transportation option wherein the transport is the maintenance.

Sorry, you guys just had me wondering why I like it better than biking.  I'm still not walking the 9 miles to the bus station.

[avonlea]

Walking, the transportation option wherein the transport is the maintenance.

I like that!

[aj_yooper]

According to my wife's pedometer, I average about 18,000 steps in a typical work shift.

We did a bit of quick math and we figure that in the past 23 years I have walked the equivalent of one and half times around the planet at my job.

I don't bike much at all, and prefer to walk (or run) in my off work hours as well - safe to say that my walking accomplishments DWARF my biking ones.

I find that walking is more than adequate to get me where I need to be - I'm also 6'4" so my long legs eat up the miles/kilometers with ease. :)

!

[avonlea]

Oh wow.  I just read through all of the posts (should have done this earlier).  You all are serious walkers.  I can get the kids to bike up to 4 miles each way, but my 8 year old whines like crazy if we walk much more than 2 miles total.  Yes, I am a crappy parent in that regard. :p

[Annamal]

Oh wow.  I just read through all of the posts (should have done this earlier).  You all are serious walkers.  I can get the kids to bike up to 4 miles each way, but my 8 year old whines like crazy if we walk much more than 2 miles total.  Yes, I am a crappy parent in that regard. :p

Heh, I was the reverse as a kid, hated biking (once locked myself in a bathroom to avoid it) but loved/didn't mind walking.

You could always let the kid bike while you walk?

[avonlea]

Haha!  I believe I would have to run.  Hmmmm.... I'll think about it.  Thanks for the suggestion!

[JT]

Hi fellow Australian

Train into work (1 stage only) and then walk home 6.3 km / 3.9 m.

I used to bike into work and back, but fell off my bike and broke my shoulder last year.

Shoulder is nearly recovered, so I'll get out on the bike again soon.

But walking has been great food for the soul, especially as my walk takes me over a hill with daffodils and sea views.

[sobezen]

I walk to and from work averaging three miles each day.  I also have a sit/stand desk and squeeze in walking throughout the day (stairs) plus during lunch (all of this results in about one more mile per day.  And on weekends I walk more (such FUN), averaging three more miles.  So by the end of the week I've walked about 23 miles which is separate from the additional jogging and running I do just for giggles.  :) 

Whenever I walk more it makes me feel happier and helps relieve stress too!  Hope everyone else enjoy walking now especially since we have such lovely warm weather! :)  Cheers!

[aj_yooper]

sobezen, that is impressive!

[Annamal]

I walked about 75km over the last 6 days

[NinetyFour]

I walked to the library today to return 4 DVDs.  The library is about 1.25 miles from my house.  As I neared the library, I opened the DVD cases to discover that not one, but two of the DVDs cases were empty!  Well, yeah, I was not pleased (with myself) at that moment.  I returned the two DVDs, traipsed back home with the two empty cases, did a few things at home, and then made a second trek to the library with the other two DVDs (yes, I found the discs and put them in the cases).

The good news is that I got extra exercise--walked about 5 miles altogether.  Plus, it was a gorgeous day!

[Chranstronaut]

It's not huge, but I walked to the grocery store and back, about 1.5 miles each way.  It was a really pleasant day, but it was harder work than I expected on the way back.  I hope to make it a habit, since our grocery needs are pretty consistently small.

I also discovered that our closest library has a back entrance on our street about 1 mile away.  The front opens to a very busy main road with no bike lanes, but I can just slip in the back instead!  I never took the time to notice it when I drove past.

[RootofGood]

I also discovered that our closest library has a back entrance on our street about 1 mile away.  The front opens to a very busy main road with no bike lanes, but I can just slip in the back instead!  I never took the time to notice it when I drove past.

This is one thing you notice when you are on foot pretty often.  Our library is surrounded by residential areas, mostly mid to high density (lots of apartments, townhomes, duplexes or quadplexes), yet the library site is laid out like a traditional suburban development.  Huge green swathes of grass surround the library which is set off from the road by 100+ feet.  To get inside, I have to walk past the library, go down the sidewalk past the parking lot, around the driveway/drop off loop, and then back toward the library building.  There isn't a path to the library from the main road or the side road for pedestrians (this, in a low income area with lots of carless people), and the only door to the library faces away from all the roads and toward the parking lot.  Some of this is city planning/zoning code, but it's also due to the acceptance of the suburban aesthetic (that penalizes non-motorized transportation) and ignoring the actual users of the facility. 

It just bugs me.  That, and I'm usually winded from running across an extra wide four lane road with extra width for on street parking in an area without crosswalks and routine travel speeds of 45-50 mph.  While pushing a stroller.  If it's just me on foot, I'll often cut through the beautiful grass and sneak through the planting beds and behind the holly (ouch!) bushes to cut a corner to the front door. 

[WalkingWisp]

Yeah, walking is definitely my exercise.  I work from home (programmer) and built a walkstation.

• I walk 2 hours in the morning while working at 3.2 mph.  That comes to 12,500 steps on average.
• Then I either walk the dog over the noon hour or walk to the nearby grocery store(s).  That's usually another 3 to 4k steps.
• Then if I walk my son to the park after he gets home from daycare, another 3 to 4k.
• Then just the rest of the daily stuff with household things, playing with son, chores.  Another 3kish.

Weekdays are typically 20-23,000 steps.
Weekend days are typically 10-15,000 steps.
Average is 18,000+

I wear a FitBit and use it as a gauge to see how I'm doing throughout the day.  I started with a goal of 10k everyday, it's ramped up slowly to 15k now that my routine is primed.  I only bike a little, and don't run or use a gym so this is my form of exercise!

[aj_yooper]

nighttrain, that is more than impressive.  Wow!

[retirein5yrs]

I love this thread! My girlfriend and I tried biking the 4.5 km to and from work but she's a bit uncomfortable on the roads and I'm on route to a accident the amount of times I turned around to check on her while cycling (We are riding on the weekends to get her used to everything).

So for the last 3 weeks we've been walking! Takes a little longer but we walk slow and when you factor in the time taken to lock/unlock your bike, shower at work and change - it doesn't take too much longer to walk.

Added bonus is we have really nice long chats in the morning and get to talk about our goals which motivate us for the day!

The extra exercise and the savings aren't too shabby either!

[Annamal]

Nighttrain that is awesome!!

[NinetyFour]

Yeah, walking is definitely my exercise.  I work from home (programmer) and built a walkstation.

Hey nighttrain, any chance you could share how you built your walkstation?  I do a lot of work on my laptop, and end up sitting for HOURS every day.  I would love to move while I work!

Thanks!

[HappierAtHome]

I much prefer walking to any other mode of transit, though the free buses in the inner suburbs around the city here aren't too bad.

Work is 3.5-4kms from my house (depending on which route I take). I rarely walk in because I'm one of those people who gets sweaty and red after a block, but I walk home most days.

Because we live centrally, we also walk to other areas a lot - like 4.8km to a cafe strip and 4.8km back, to have brekkie out on a Saturday morning.

[WalkingWisp]

Hey nighttrain, any chance you could share how you built your walkstation?

I tried to attach a few photos.  I basically found a quality treadmill that had super long, flat arms that stuck out.  That allowed me to cut a piece of wood as my tabletop to set on it for the mouse and keyboard.  I also adhered a few layers of foam to the bottom side of that so it had a little give when using it.

To make room for the monitor, I had to disassemble the control station and moved it below.  For placing the monitor, I purchased a wall-mountable swinging arm.  This is key, so that as you move and step on the treadmill, the monitor won't shake since it's not attached to treadmill in anyway.

I built this thing in probably 2006 or so.  There were not any (that I was aware of) commercial versions of walk-station desks on the market.  There are some now.  But, they're spendy.  I have a co-worker that has one and I'd say it's OK.  But the monitor mounts are attached to the treadmill, so I'd say not ideal.  If mine broke down right now though, I'd still do exactly what I'm doing now.

But, every treadmill is different, so I'd probably hack and slash each one differently.

We could probably start a separate thread on these babies!  Let me know if you have any other questions...

Cheers,