Bad Foot

I tweaked my ankle at Bonnaroo. Don't ask me how, I'm not really sure. I think something just got a little tired after days of standing and having a lot of fun. The tweaked ankle led to a sore foot. I figure this is probably from walking around a lot with a bad ankle. It's almost better again. It still hurts a bit but overall I'm mobile again.


The whole thing made me realize how much I rely on my legs and feet for my lifestyle.


I normally walk to work. Yes, everyday, even when it's cold out. About the only thing that will stop me is freezing rain. That's just too slow and miserable to endure. I walk to the gym. I exercise to manage stress and stay balanced. I walk for most of my entertainment. I walk to take care of a lot of errands. I walk a lot. 


So, when I couldn't walk as I normally do, my life was flipped upside down. I had to drive to work. It takes about the same amount of time and about ten times the frustration to drive home. I took the bus. I like the idea of public transit but I hate taking the bus. I'll live within walking distance and walk. I had to skip a couple of workouts. It surly affected my mood. All of this because I had a foot that didn't want to work properly.


As the foot was starting to get better and I was walking more, albeit much slower than I would have liked, I found I was still going the same speed as a lot of people. First it made wonder why people couldn't walk any faster. Here I was injured and I was keeping up to them. Then it made my understand why so may people don't want to walk. If you walk really slowly, it takes forever to get anywhere. I'm not talking about very old people or people with injuries that have to use a walker to be mobile. I'm not talking about people pushing strollers or have small children with them. I'm talking about people younger than me. Walking so slowly it would take an hour to get from my office to my home. 


If these people walked with some purpose, they would get places much quicker, into better shape, fell better about themselves, and have more time. And as an added bonus for me, they wouldn't always be in my way when i'm trying to get somewhere.


I admit I walk fairly fast. I'm not the fasted but for a dude with a 27" inseam, I make tracks really quickly. There is so much benefit to walking a lot. I admit, its not going to turn you into a supermodel but if you were spending the same amount of time sitting in your car or on a bus you are a lot less active and do not see the physical benefits from activity. There is also the financial benefits. It is cheap to walk. No fuel, parking, bus fare, or cab fare. Possibly the best benefit is the entertainment. I see so much while walking. It is the best way to experience a city. You hear things, see things, smell things, and read things that would never be noticed if you were driving. You can zip into a store with no worry about a parking spot. If you run into someone you know, you can chat for a minute, just to catch up. All this is great.


I realize some people choose to live beyond walking distance from their workplace, but I'm sure their life would be enhanced if they could walk everyday. To do that, you can't hurt your foot.