Transition Zone Squared (10).

Another Good Week in the Books.

Photo: Trudging along near Blackfriars.

I walked every day last week for a total of 26.5 miles. Not bad for a geezer, some will say.

This week I may include bicycling (on board a recumbent exercise bike) more than once in my routine because I have a thick book I want to finish by New Years, and "readn and ridn" go hand in hand.

By the Numbers:

When I cycle, I count 20 min. as one mile. 90 min. = good readn time. 

Can I walk two more marathons in a row?

 My 10-week average is right around marathon distance!

I am an ancient marathoner after all!

Can you spot my last vacation?

Photos From Along the Way:

A new year is approaching. Will I maintain my average pace and cover 1,200 miles in 2017?

We shall see what we shall see.

Please link to Transition Zone Squared (9).

Photos GH

Transition Zone Squared (9).

Habit, Miles and Limits. And Blackfriars Bridge.

One of my popular routes.

I have been walking solid distances regularly for over two years, without much let up, and keeping colourful records re progress (e.g., miles per week, number of jogs, GOTD scores, aka 'get out the door' rate) so that when I'm 90 years old I'll have something to show my two sons - they'll be in their mid- to late-60s - about how to stay active without breaking any bones.... or even the bank. 

The habit of walking about 3 - 4 miles per day developed quickly a couple of years ago. (Colourful record keeping began 14 months ago). I had to remind myself to fit some exercise into my daily routine for the first month or so, and now I find it very easy to sense the right time of day to put on my walking shoes and GOTD. After lunch or supper usually works for me. 

"By the Numbers" also works for me.

This week by the numbers:

     I have walked 5.5 (miles), 4, 4, and 3 from Sun. - Wed.

     I have walked 16.5 miles so far. Weekly goal is about 25.

     I am currently completing a set of 120 walks entitled Transition

     Zone Squared (TZ2). This week I've checked off TZ26 - TZ29.

Yesterday I walked 2 miles and played a pick up hockey game, so I recorded 3 miles total for the day. Not bad for an old geezer, eh? And I always record distances in miles because I was born in 1949. Marathons are 26.2 miles and I generally finish one per week, thereabouts. (FYI - Steaks, coffee and butter are always in pounds. Speed is in MPH. My Imperial brain won't think otherwise).

Four miles per day is within my limits and finding a good scenic path in the City of London is not hard. My most popular daytime routes take me along the Thames R. and at night I stick to well-lit streets.

Habit. Check.

Four miles. Check.

Within my limits. Check.

Scenic routes. Check.

Staying positive. Check.

Please link to Transition Zone Squared (8).

Photos GH

Photos From Along the Way

At the Fork, London

Walkn - December, 2016

Please link to Transition Zone Squared. (8)

Photos GH

Transition Zone Squared. (8)

Urban Slogans.

"All roads are worth walkn."

I generally maintain a positive attitude about walking during winter in spite of cold weather, slippery streets and snow-encrusted walkways. Though hard going lies ahead I will don extra layers as a shield against stiff breezes that want to fly up me shirt or down me pants. I will don winter boots with good tread and - though trekking often consists of 'three steps forward and one back' - repeat a worthy slogan to keep things happy: "But it's a good workout, eh!"

I finished last week (on Friday, Dec. 9) with an easy hockey game in the early PM and a 2-mile walk to a London Knights game after supper. I recorded 3 miles on the day for a total of 27 for the week, which raised my 10-week average just a smidgeon to 26.375 miles. I imagine that over the winter I will be able to keep my weekly average around the 25 miles/week mark as long as I don't slide backwards into the Thames during my many treks through Harris Park.

Slogans from along the way:

About hockey: "Keep yer head up and yer stick down"

 "Start the week on a winning streak"

 "All paths lead to fun and fitness"

 "Four miles a day burns some calories away"

That spray bombed slogan seems a bit harsh.

"Make life easier for others when and where you can"

Keep on WALKN.

Please link to Transition Zone Squared. (7)

Photos GH

Transition Zone Squared. (7)

No Place Like Home Turf.

With the wind at my back.

Players in many sports like to play on home field before the home crowd. I'm sure several advantages can be listed.

When I go for a walk for fun and fitness I prefer home turf as well. I know where I can hit - when certain needs or goals arise - some good hills, clean comfort stations and a perfectly scenic four-mile route out of the wind, to name but a few home advantages.

 Yesterday I covered 5.5 miles. 24 mi. this week (so far)

This winter I will likely spend more time in downtown London and Harris Park (instead of Terry Fox Pathway, as last winter) because I'm thinking of ice-skating at The Market once in a while. Variety is the spice of winter. Have skates, will Salchow*!

Photos from along the way:

Another bad shelfie but I'm workin' on it!

* Salchow - Named after Ulrich Salchow, the Salchow is a figure skating jump with a takeoff from a back inside edge of one foot. The rotation in the air is made in the direction of the curve of the take-off edge. The landing is made on the back outside edge of the foot opposite the one used for take-off, and Gord can already complete the half-, three-quarter- and single-Salchow without doing any serious damage.

Please link to Transition Zone Squared. (6) 

Photos GH

Transition Zone Squared. (6)

Five Bucks, Five Bucks, Five Bucks!

From Dec. 6, 2015: "Longest walk so far...."

Two and a half hours? What was I thinking? That I needed to break in new runners? Burn 1,000 calories? Train for a marathon?

I cannot recall. I do know I likely covered 7.5 - 8.0 miles and taken several photos of Terry Fox Path and Springbank Park along the way.

Yup. Photos from along the way -

This week started with two five-milers, and on each day I walked a few miles in the afternoon, and a few more in the evening with my handy-dandy Walkman radio. Will I get three in a row? 

In the spring, as weather warms, I may get back to a jogging routine, and I will be very surprised if I surpass the 7.5 - 8.0-mile distance even once. However, I know it's possible based on last year's walking/running records, and if conditions are positive (e.g., it's all downhill, there's a strong wind at my back, somebody's pushing....) one never knows.

We shall see what we shall see.

Numbers: Last week I covered 26 miles and this week I aim to walk about the same distance. No need for an 8-miler! How many calories are burned by a 155-pound male when walking one mile? Answers vary from approx. 250 - 450. Do the numbers go up or down if I'm eating a cheeseburger at the same time? : )

More photos from along the way -

 Two walks per day seem to fit my schedule at this time

 Yesterday was a super day for walking (no cheeseburger required)

Walkn north in Harris Park

Please link to Transition Zone SQ. (5) - December, Off We Go!

Photos GH

Transition Zone SQ. (5) - December, Off We Go!

Ready For December.

Walking uphill from uptown.

December's walking journal was momentarily a blank slate. Thirty-one empty spaces on the calendar seemed to say, "You've got nowhere to go." But as soon as I'd tightened my shoelaces and stepped out the door the long sidewalks beckoned. Where to?

I headed north toward uptown and Harris Park. Winds were chilly the furnace inside my walking jacket soon kicked into action. By the end of the first mile, just past Kensington Bridge, I was sailing and warm.

Photos From Along the Way. Rare Selfie Included:

I looked south from Oxford St. Bridge

 With one mile to go I take out my camera for a selfie.... for Ruud V.

 This is the best angle I could manage, Ruud! Here's looking at you!

 December begins with a four-miler in a tall Stetson. A1

Link to Transition Zone SQ. (4) - A Blank Slate.

Photos GH

Transition Zone SQ. (4) - A Blank Slate.

We All Gotta Start Somewhere.

Downhill to Downtown.

My walking habit is a pretty solid 'fun and fitness' routine. I keep daily, weekly and monthly records related to the number of times I 'get out the door' (GOTD) and distance travelled. I suppose if I multiplied each mile covered by 20 minutes I'd also know - roughly - how much time I regularly spend WALKN city streets in Old South, in Downtown London and on City Pathways.

But I don't keep that stat.... yet. That being said, I do know that a few of the numbers I collect show a downward trend.

25 walks in November, 106.5 miles. A1

As the last 6 months went by I developed a certain trend, i.e., I aimed to walk and/or jog about 4 miles per outing, and cover about 100 miles per month. Currently, I feel that pace is within my limits for the foreseeable future, whereas earlier, higher numbers (e.g., 144 miles last March, 134 in April) were not. I live and learn.

More Number Crunching:

I walked 25 days out of 30 in November

25/30 is equal to a 'get out the door' (GOTD) rate of 83.33%

My average GOTD rate is 86.64%, and gradually declining from an unsustainable high of 92.9%

I covered 106.5 miles in November - perfectly reasonable - bringing my cumulative monthly average down to 116. I suspect my average will one day settle at around 110 miles/month

My average walk in November was 4.26 miles, a touch lower than my past average. That's AOK by me.... so far

Photos From Along the Way:

December is a blank slate.

Please link to Transition Zone Squared (3) - November Endgame.

Photos GH