It’s that time of year again when one reflects upon journeys undertaken.
Sometime and somewhere earlier I signed up * to walk 1000 miles in the year, well I didn’t actually sign up but having seen the challenge I decided to keep a personal tally of my mileages. Most years I do far in access of a thousand, but we were living in strange times and travel was limited. Doing less than three miles each day seemed easy enough. I was just going to count actual walks, not going to the shops etc.
* I think it was one of my fellow bloggers that mentioned it first. Just found the website concerned http://www.walk1000miles.co.uk
I was well on target by the middle of August, 900+ miles, despite the lockdowns and the ban on travels abroad. But then disaster struck, that’s a little strong, when whilst bouldering I landed badly on my right heel. I rested what I thought was just a bad bruise, but it persisted to the extent I couldn’t walk comfortably at all. The pain and disability started to resemble Plantar Fasciitis (self diagnosis). My walking was curtailed and I started on rest, ice and stretching exercises. Despite visits to a physiotherapist and a podiatrist, I’m still not back to fitness.
As you have noticed from my posts, to keep some sort of exercise going, I dragged my bike out of the garage, gave it a quick oil and started cycling around the area, keeping off busy roads as much as possible. A daily walk comes natural to me, but getting the bike out, gearing up and perhaps driving to a suitable venue is not as spontaneous and thus often missed.
So, how is my walking mileage tally working out if I want to equate to my cycling exploits. Let’s say I walk at 2.5 miles per hour (4.02 km/h) and cycle at 10 miles per hour (16.09 km/h), a leisurely pace. Does that make a 30-mile bike ride the equivalent of a 7.5-mile walk. If you agree with that premise, all I have to do is divide the cycling miles by 4 to obtain the equivalent walked miles. Job done.
But it doesn’t feel like that. When I’ve finished cycling 30 miles in just over 3 hours, I think I’m more tired than when having walked 7.5 miles over similar terrain. I know I’m trying to compare oranges with apples, and I’m not very efficient using a mountain bike on roads. I could get scientific and talk about calories burnt – 200 cals walking and 60 cals cycling a mile. But I don’t worry about calories when I’m enjoying exercise outdoors. What about steps, which I’ve never counted, – 10,000 steps for 5 miles walking whilst roughly 16 miles equivalent in cycling. Both these examples give an approximate ratio of 3 to 1 instead of my original 4 to 1. Thus, 30 miles cycling would be 10 miles walking.
I’m as confused as you by now. Sticking a pin in it, I think I’ll use the more conservative 4:1 and be done with it. So since I started cycling in September, I’ve “walked” at least an extra 140 miles, so my modest target of 1000 has been reached.
‘So what’ you may say.
.
I’d say that’s pretty good going. I remember being inspired by that blog of yours to log my own mileage as I went along this year. I knew I wouldn’t get anywhere near 1000, but I thought I might get to 500. So, I’ve just totted up, and I’m quite a bit short of that one too – a humble 350 – with probably 20 to go before the year’s end, if all goes to plan. I don’t mind. I’ve walked a lot more than I usually do, and had some great walks this year.
I’ll go with your conversion from cycle miles to walking miles, and happily allow you the 1000, but the main thing is you don’t seem to need much of an excuse to get out there, walking or cycling, rain or shine. I hope the heel gets better soon. All the best.
Quality before quantity in your case, Michael.
You have slipped into retirement remarkably well.
Let’s hope we all have a more auspicious 2022, but it is not looking good to start with.
It was certainly a weird time to begin retirement, and yes, it looks like we’re about to go backwards again.
Just worked out my feet of ascent for the year: 30,000, which sounds much better.
Mount Everest comes to mind.
Naismith would be envious.
Yes, I could have complicated things further by including elevations but might have had to resort to graphs and slide rules.
Like the above commenter says, you don’t seem to let anything put you off getting out and about. You certainly have done miles and miles.
Have had two weeks inside around a hospital visit, but hopefully will be on the go next week.
You could take Gayle on as an assistant.
Hope you get up many miles in 2022\
Hopefully more.
You’ve done exceptionally well whichever way you clocked up the miles. I signed up to ‘walk 1,000 miles in early January last year but failed at the first hurdle when I spent five weeks nursing little Sophie after her stroke so I didn’t go anywhere. Then Covid restrictions kicked in followed by ‘losing’ my pedometer – it’s in the house somewhere but I still haven’t found it – so I just gave up as I would only have been doing it for my own satisfaction. I’ve recently got a new pedometer so hopefully (weather permitting) I can start counting the miles in the New Year.
Thanks, Eunice.
I’ve never had a pedometer – I measure my miles on the map. As I said, I don’t count going to the shops.
Let’s hope for a better New Year for all of us.