Walkabout Under Sunny Skies

"We live in a fast-paced society. Walking slows us down."~Robert Sweetgall

These past two weeks, our little part of the world has been experiencing some ridiculously warm weather. Part and parcel of the warmer temperatures (and blue skies) is the desire to get out of the house and onto the sidewalks, nit for a run necessarily, but to walk. During the darkened evenings of the winter months, more often than not, my wife and I would find our mutual post-workday activities limited to trafficking kids to a variety of activities or watching the news.

Now that we can do so safely (and comfortably), Anne and I have found ourselves going for long(er) walks in the evening together, and often accompanied by our dog. It is nice to both get out together and to see so many others in our neighborhood taking advantage of the weather to do the same. It is not unusual for us to past a good number of our neighbors as we embark on walks in the evening, sometimes with a destination in mind (returning books and movies or to get some tea for her and ice cream for me).

In the context of training for a marathon, I like to think of this as cross-training. While not necessarily increasing my aerobic capacity, the movement does most definitely strengthen both my heart and head. While walking and talking it is difficult not to reflect on those things that motivate us to be the best of which we are capable, and for me, that motivation is not limited to the selfish goal of the elusive (for me) 3:30 marathon.

Breathe in, breathe out… YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!