Walking

Me on a training walk with my friend Bill on a trip back east in August.

Getting ready for the Breast Cancer 3-Day has been a wonderful challenge.  I participated in the very first walk many years ago, walking from Santa Barbara to Malibu, but I did not really "train" for that one.  I was exercising in other ways and in good shape, but by the third day my feet were screamng in agony, so this time around I am planning a little bit better.  My training for this walk is just as much about getting my feet ready as it is about building muscle and endurance.

Doing all this walking has made me become hyper-aware of how fundamentally important walking is, how we take it for granted all the time and sometimes even try to avoid it.  Walking has become a meditative activity for me now, knowing that every step I take is to prepare me for taking enough steps to cover 20 miles a day for three days in November.  I love feeling the difference in my leg muscles when I put lotion on and love noticing how strong they feel at the beginning of each new walk.  I notice other people's legs much more now too, recognizing muscles that are developed from running, cycling, walking and strength training.  I have better posture and have so deeply ingrained the habit of regular exercise that I can't fathom more than 1-2 days a week without it.

I still have moments of overwhelm when I can't fathom walking twenty miles a day for three days in a row, with less than luxurious sleeping arrangements in tents & sleeping bags in between, but I know I can do it.  In fact, I can't imagine not doing it now, can't imagine not rising up to the challenge and reaching that finish line with all the other thousands of women I will be walking with.

"I can remember walking as a child. It was not customary to say you were fatigued. It was customary to complete the goal of the expedition." - Katherine Hepburn

Comments

[Frida]

Sigh. I love that you are getting all this walking, but with the security risk increased in Ghor these days I have no walking any more. Running has been out of the question for months and now I'm not even allowed my strolls with body guard. Walking is the first thing I want to do every time I get out of this country, that and eating sushi. Enjoy!

[kelly]

note to self - never wear shorts in front of swirly! oh my gosh my legs are so out of shape! but i do know what you are saying about the feet. last summer i bought a pair of keen sandals and a pair of mephistos. i walk in my keens all the time. they are so comfy - no pain in my arches.

oh - just found out 2008 national athletic directors conf.....SAN DIEGO!