Progress

source

Below is an e-mail from Sept 2012.  Although I had already hiked, at a leisurely pace, a few of the more popular mountain trails with Kade, in the e-mail I was referring to walking in the city - everyday walking.   At that point, I was trying to establishment the habit of it.  It was hard!  Five miles daily (10.000 steps) was my goal.  And that's what's recommended by health and fitness experts.  Although Asheville has plenty of roads in the mountains - right in the city - I was focusing more on the neighborhoods that were relatively flat.  There are plenty of those, too.   But at that time, I just couldn't conceive of the possibility of walking up in the city mountains every day.  And yet now it's pretty easy.  I'm sharing this to encourage people just to get started.  Finding a walking partner or small group is the way to go - certainly at first.

Sept. 2012

It took me two months of regular walking with a partner to build up the stamina and will to do long walks on my own.  A definite breakthrough was when I could go out and walk five miles simply on my own without wanting to quit or cut it short.  Most of my walks now are solo, and I my will to keep walking is pretty strong.  Boredom can seep in, but I counter it by walking in areas where there's a lot of natural beauty.  There are many places like this in Asheville, so I would imagine that I could change routes frequently if need be and always be near a waterfall, mountains, parks or lakes.  Also, when walking, my mind isn't totally empty.  In fact, I may think through some things or talk out some things (like a crazy person!).

If there's anything that can keep me from walking, it's the weather.  I like warm, sunny days.  With Fall approaching, the challenge is going to be finding motivation to walk in weather that just not as pleasant.  Today is a weird weather day....overcast, a little cooler.  My mind is already looking for an excuse NOT to walk.

On my walks I typically have a climb of 250 feet (about 25 stories).  In comparison, in Headland, it's mostly flat.  But near Dad's, there's a hill we descend and then climb....60 feet.

Almost ten years later, I get up to 1100 feet in elevation.  My sweet spot for city hiking is 4-6 miles with 700-1000 feet of elevation.  I can do more than that, but if I want to feel fresh and ready the next day, I must stay in my comfort zone.  5 miles, 700 feet elevation is just right.  The good thing about hiking in the mountains is that 5 miles, with the elevation gain, feels more like 8-10 miles of basic flat surface walking.  So the way I see it, if I were in my hometown of Headland, Alabama, it would be like walking from my old family home on Solomon Road to where N Oates changed to S Oates at the E Main intersection.  Except here, I see bears!

More Details