The need to walk

I like to walk.
I’m used to walking far, because in the past I had no choice but to walk in all weathers because I had no money for buses. (Before I was deaf and eligible for a bus pass.)
Walking helps me to get rid of any built-up tension and I feel good.
If I don’t walk like I usually do for some time, I find my legs tell me so. I still have times my joints tell me so when I am walking, but it’s worser for not. So I’m better off walking.
Walking keeps me physically and mentally fit as I can be. If I slack, I will know about it.

I’ve had the urge to run as you know and I still do, but I don’t seemed to have progressed to the running part yet, due to what’s been happening, but also motivation. But getting myself to walk, never fails me.

Some people don’t understand the need for me to walk, what ever the distance. I find these tend to be the ones who are either car drivers, or rely on lifts regular. Some of them have admitted they can’t be bothered to walk, especially after a shift at work. Sometimes I feel I can’t be bothered after a shift too, but I still walk home, except for one night per week, where I may have a ride on the bus back home.
If I start to be a regular passenger in a car and keep accepting lifts on a daily basis, I soon start to feel fidgety. I have to walk at some point in my day, whether it 30 minutes, or longer. I don’t care. I’m happy and I feel free when I am at least walking.
This freeness also stems from my childhood as I once blogged about here, in the past. I used to then, when old enough to be by myself, walk some distances in fields with my dog, just to escape my troubles from home and the bullying at school. I loved being out there with him, what ever the weather.

Walking will never get boring for me. 🙂

Getting the gear to run

You know through following my posts, that I have been getting the basic gear in preparation to run. Until I run, I have upped my pace in my walking.

My running belt I ordered, I boobed on. It wasn’t quite big enough to hold what I wanted; phone in its case, my keys and inhaler. Thankfully, it didn’t cost much. But for the price, it looked good quality. It will come in handy for someone’s Christmas box next year, or it will go in a charity bag this year.
I have now ordered a Spiebelt. The large one. From watching the original be filled, this should work for me and I read somewhere last night, how someone was using one to hold the same things.

I also bought a Garmin Forerunner 30 watch for accurate distance I walk, or run. The watch alone will be enough for what I want it for, but trying it out to make sure it was ok and tracking me, I did upload to my Garmin account. I’m hesitant about uploading regular, because I was worried what internet data it would take up, with my internet being only a certain amount. Maybe someone reading this, who this uses their fitness watch everyday and uploading their content can tell me if it is known to gobble data, or not. Until then, I may just use my Garmin account every couple of months or more. I make notes that I want to keep in a journal.
The watch I have it set so it automatically stops when I do. From trying it outside for the first time walking to work, it seems to accurately track me. But when I tried it just for fun inside while working, (which at this point you are not using GPRS, because you are indoors,) I found that if my walking was at a certain slow pace, it did not monitor my walking at times. The timer was still on stop, even though I was walking. But anyway, my watch isn’t for work, it’s when I am outside to walk at a pace then at that point I was observing at work and for running.

So, using details from my watch, walking from home to work yesterday, it took me 27 minutes 14 seconds at the distance of 1.54 miles.
Coming back home on my same route, it took me 24 minutes and 56 seconds at distance of 1.55 miles.

The distance slightly varying, depending where I stood to start and end my watch from, on each occasion.

Do you run some miles, whether beginner, or been doing it for some years?

Do you use a fitness watch to monitor your walks/runs?

Have you ever done 5k?

Since the post, “the urge to run.”

Since the post, “The urge to run” I have decided to get some running gear. (You would have already known this, if you were following the comments in that post.)
I started with my trainers, thinking this would be the expensive part, but I came out of the shop smiling. It turned out not to be expensive. The trainer’s were in a sale and I thought the price I was looking at, was the sale price. But when I got to the till, further amount was knocked off! Only paid £25 for these Fila Threshold running shoes in the end. 🙂 I see they are not available online now, as I write this.
I bought these half a size bigger than I would normally wear, to allow room for my feet to spread when running. This is something I have learnt about, when it comes to running shoes.
Some recommend half a size up from your usual shoes and some say a size up. I wasn’t going a size bigger than my current shoes, as years ago, by accident when I done this, it caused problems. But I will try half a size up. Although years ago, I never had problems running in trainers that were same size as my other shoes.

Prior to buying these shoes, there was some excitement in town, as I blogged about in this post here: “An exciting time in my local town”.
After lunch, I went and bought my jogging bottoms from a local supermarket. I also bought a zipped jacket that wicks away sweat and I allowed myself one t-shirt that did the same thing. If I stick at this, I will allow myself another sports top later down the line, but until then, I will make do with some of my t-shirts.
I ordered my sports bra online and a running belt to hold my keys, small change maybe and mobile phone. I am waiting for these to arrive as I write this. Once they come, there is nothing to stop me from starting.

I do need to buy a sports cap and I will sort this out maybe this weekend, by going back to the sports shop. I will need to wear the cap especially in summer, as so I don’t get sunstroke.

In the meantime, as you know I like walking and there were times last month I really put a spurt on, to get the frustration out of my system of stress caused, which I felt the benefit from.  I have this past week, kept that pace going to work and coming back home from there and I have a personal best (PB) in that, as of yesterday. It now takes me 24 minutes to work, when it used to take me 30 minutes. I am happy with that. That walk, when I googled it, is 1.6 miles.

The urge to run

Most of January, I have had the urge to run. Not run from the issues I have been sharing with you in my blog posts, but as in the urge to go jogging. This urge to jog has surprised me, because I have not done any jogging/running, since I was a teenager.

Through stresses I have had and as I shared in a post and some comments of posts on my blog as well as other blogs, I have been walking off my stress. I have felt the positive effects from that when I have. But to feel the urge to run, has come as a surprise.

Even now, I have the urge to go running. It’s not as strong as in January, but it’s still there. My mood dipping this week and so I think that’s why it’s not as strong.

Trouble is, I have no trainers, or a sports bra to keep things in place. Trainers I have not worn since my 30’s.
As I have shared in an earlier blog post, or in a comment this year, money has been difficult. I would need to draw money from my savings to get appropriate running shoes, sports bra and a couple of pairs of jogging bottoms, making do with everything else I have. As much as the urge to run, at the same time I don’t want to spend. But I know from other bloggers that run, that running does help their mental health. I know that will be true, for the effects I had when I really put some leg work in when walking around my area quicker than usual, to work the frustration I had off.

Whether I will risk and spend, I don’t know. It’s the part I am not liking right now; the parting of money.

Well I would walk…

… some miles.

3.1 miles to be exact, so Google says.

Tonight, after work, I had to walk all the way home from work. This happened after realising I had lost my disabled bus pass. I had no money on me, so walking home was the only option. Had I had money on me, I still would have walked it.

The walk may not have been planned, but once I put my mind to it, I set my usual walking pace. It took me an hour and 5 minutes to get home.

I kept the pace until the last 10 minutes of my walk, where I started to slow a little. Once I stopped at my front door, I really felt my feet. But as I write this with my feet up, they are not feeling as bad as I was expecting.

I have always wondered what this walk would be like and put my mind to it to try one day. Well, it now happened. I have never walked this distance continously before, until now.

Here in the UK,  we are having beautiful weather all week. It’s going to be very hot, apparently.

I have to say, I am proud of my walk tonight and I have enjoyed it.

And guess what?

Tomorrow night, after work, whether my bus pass turns up, or not, I plan to do this walk again.

I must have walked some miles

Between Friday and today, I must have walked some miles.
Friday, I walked back to an area where a flat I thought may be too far than I liked and also that I felt I would not like to walk via that way at night, to see if I quickly misjudged. I forgot my map, but thought I memorised it and so I continued my journey.  I found I went the wrong way and so I had to back-track until on the right route. I found that my views walking that way had changed, but I still did feel it was quite a walk to get to, so I was right not to enquire about it.

Today, I visited a park that I had not been to before and absolutely loved it. Vicar Water County Park is a hidden gem, in Clipstone. Many a times I have gone through this area and always said I would one day visit,so after yesterday being a total downpour, I was determined that today I was going. I set out early, so I could get the walk in,  as rain was predicted for the afternoon.

There are three trails around here and the trail I had in mind was the longest one, which was 3 miles. After over half way round, I found signage to be poor and the walk I had I’m mind, I ended up trailing off somewhere. The last signage I seen and I hoped would point me in the right direction was damaged, so I could not see where I was. I did not panic at this point, as I would have done years ago and trusted my own gut instinct. Eventually, after some walking, I came across a guest house and at this point, a little anxiety came in and I felt lost, but I pulled out my phone and Google it. I found I was in Forest Town, so I had gone out of my way. But I wasn’t far to walk back to my starting point, which was The Rumbles cafe. As I was going to walk in what I thought was the right direction, I asked someone who was walking their dog, to check I was going in the right direction. It was a good job I asked, because I was going the opposite way to where I needed to go. Once on the right course, it was lunch at The Rumbles Cafe and I was ready for a drink most of all,  when I arrived there. The meal and service there was excellent like at any Rumbles cafe I have been to. Had I started here first, I could have picked up a guide for the walk and just maybe, not have got lost.

Find out more about the park here: http://www.newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk/vicarwater/

Boogie to Zumba and Dance That Walk

Since this post; “Self-destruct: sugar,” I soon after got down to it and boogied along to my Zumba DVD. (“Zumba, Get Your Fitness Party Started.”) I thought I did really well the first time and I wasn’t unfit as I was expecting. I felt really great after too, which was a reminder to stick at it.
After using the Zumba DVD a few times, which although I love, I felt I needed a different one to mix it up a bit, so I bought a DVD called “Dance That Walk, Cardio Party,” by Aussie Gina B. This one has two DVD’s of walking workouts. I found this more hard work than Zumba and I enjoyed it even more, so I probably buy another of her DVD’s.

Do you Zumba, do walking workout, or some other form of exercise DVD at home?