Paleotech Transportation
In other words, bipedal locomotion -- walking!
My friend DOSquatch (not his real name, but it's quite appropriate) has recently started a personal weight-loss program (and is doing quite well.) He has inspired me to get back into my routine of walking home from work (at least part of the way; it's 4.7 miles, so I only do the entire distance when it's reasonably light out.)
An interesting way to stay motivated, doing something like this, is to add up your mileage and then use a mapping program to chart your progress towards some distant goal. The "Virtual Me" is currently walking -- very slowly -- towards the Space Needle, in Seattle, WA. He's very nearly to Harrisburg now (~90 miles), having started in Philadelphia!
Some geek observations on the art of walking:
* Cool weather is your friend. There are limitations to speed, and one of them is heat dissipation. I go a lot slower when it's 80 degrees out than when it's 50.
* Uphill can be just as easy as straight and level, provided you're willing to go slower. Shorten your stride and pull it down a gear or two -- no problem.
* People generally don't walk very fast. I'm by no means athletic, but my standard cruising speed when walking tends to be a lot faster than most (~3 mph / ~5 km/hr). I'm not sure why this is, since I know many of these people could run circles around me if they cared. Weird.
* Know your neighborhoods. The nice thing about my route home is that there are plenty of options to stop and take the train along the way -- there are twelve subway/trolley stations along the way, including the two near work and where I live. Some neighborhoods (and some SEPTA stations) are nicer than others, and that factors into my planning, too.
My friend DOSquatch (not his real name, but it's quite appropriate) has recently started a personal weight-loss program (and is doing quite well.) He has inspired me to get back into my routine of walking home from work (at least part of the way; it's 4.7 miles, so I only do the entire distance when it's reasonably light out.)
An interesting way to stay motivated, doing something like this, is to add up your mileage and then use a mapping program to chart your progress towards some distant goal. The "Virtual Me" is currently walking -- very slowly -- towards the Space Needle, in Seattle, WA. He's very nearly to Harrisburg now (~90 miles), having started in Philadelphia!
Some geek observations on the art of walking:
* Cool weather is your friend. There are limitations to speed, and one of them is heat dissipation. I go a lot slower when it's 80 degrees out than when it's 50.
* Uphill can be just as easy as straight and level, provided you're willing to go slower. Shorten your stride and pull it down a gear or two -- no problem.
* People generally don't walk very fast. I'm by no means athletic, but my standard cruising speed when walking tends to be a lot faster than most (~3 mph / ~5 km/hr). I'm not sure why this is, since I know many of these people could run circles around me if they cared. Weird.
* Know your neighborhoods. The nice thing about my route home is that there are plenty of options to stop and take the train along the way -- there are twelve subway/trolley stations along the way, including the two near work and where I live. Some neighborhoods (and some SEPTA stations) are nicer than others, and that factors into my planning, too.
Labels: heat dissipation, Philadelphia, walking
posted by M. Eric Carr at
22:41
1 Comments:
Good on ya! I've slipped a bit, what with Grandma, snow, and other distractions, but self-awareness is key. I know what I've done wrong, I know how to fix it, and it's all in the doing. Back on the wagon. Again. I'm sure I'll take a few more hits along the way. It's all good.
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