Speed Up, Man 8 "Another 7-Miler"

Comfortable Shoes

"Seven miles in red spandex - I looked awesome"

A walk of seven miles is a comfortable distance as long as the weather cooperates and the walker is wearing a coordinated outfit (red spandex, blue t-shirt - nice!) and comfortable shoes.

Today or tomorrow I will complete the ninth walk in my current series of 90 brisk walks.... and jogs (or shuffles. I'm good at shuffling along). The ninth walk will represent 10 per cent of my goal, and so far I haven't officially shuffled at all. I put the lack of 'speeding up' down to bad weather and inappropriate footwear. Both issues will be resolved shortly, I'm sure.... I hope.

More miles to follow.

Please link to Speed Up, Man "Started the Week Easy"

Carry On Gang 58 "What Next I Wonder?"

Carry On Gang Part 2?

"Be careful out there. Don't get swamped!"

I enjoy my (almost) daily walk, oft-times with friend Don, and I don't want to do anything to upset the apple cart. As the 'Carry On Gang' series of walks draws to a close (I completed No. 58 0f 60 yesterday PM), I'm wondering what to do next.

I want to continue the process of making The GREAT Canadian Comeback but do so without lessening the enjoyment level or taking on too much. So, I have some thinking to do. Add jogging once per week? Start with a very slow shuffle? I'm not sure.

But I know I will be doing something!

I will keep walking. I will keep finding new trails. I will have some fun along the way. And I will up my game.... somehow.

Stay tuned.

Please link to Carry On Gang 55 "Put a Bow on It"

Photos by GH

Carry On Gang 51 "About 32 Miles Per Week"

Can I Maintain the Average?

"Keep on walkn," I say

I ended last week with two days off out of four, due to a birdhouse sale I was involved in, deeply (up to my knees in birdhouses), and because I was chief cook and bottle washer for a few days.

That being said,  and though I finished the week with a total of  24 walking miles, my average for March is still about 32 miles per week. Not bad for this ol' geezer.

"I have started this new week with two six-milers. AOK"

By the Numbers:

Looks like I will complete the 60 walks in the 'Carry On Gang' set by the end of March or early April. So, my new walking goals will soon be set, related to making 'The GREAT Canadian Comeback' after a ten-year hiatus from long distance running and 13 marathons. I'll need to design a new walkn outfit too. My kilts and matching woollen caps - they stood up well against all wintery weather - are due for dry-cleaning and summer storage.

Now, whether this ol' geezer can handle even one mile of steady, fleet-of-foot running remains to be seen.

More miles to follow.

Photo Log - Birdhouses near the dog park on Terry Fox Pathway caught my eye yesterday:

"Solid birdhouses stand up well to wintry weather. But to squirrels?"

Please link to Carry On Gang 45 "Miles Add Up"

Carry On Gang 31 "Rosy Cheeks on Monday"

First 3 Miles Into the Wind

"I got sun burn on Sunday and wind burn on Monday" 

"Rosy cheeks match my old running jacket"

Because of the wind, today's 6-miler was hard on the way out and easy on the way back. A fellow in Greenway Park, testing a wide kite, almost took off over my head. He would have been the first man ever to join Canada Geese on their flight path over the Greenway Pollution Plant. How exciting is that!

Photos from along the way:

From Sunny Sunday -

"Walkers, bikers, runners and skaters filled popular walkways on Sunday"

From Windy Monday -

"The same pathways - I had them to myself most of the way"

Please link to Carry on Gang 27 "My Favourite Indian Motorcycle"

Photos GH

Carry On Gang 27, "My Favourite Indian Motorcycle"

A Great Motorcycle and a Long Haul

"Sure, I'll start savin' up right away!"

On Thursday Don and I headed toward the downtown - for no reason other than that was the way our noses were pointed - and I spotted my favourite motorcycle inside a small coin shop on Talbot Street. The 1913 'mint' Indian was for sale but I didn't have the $50,000 on me so I had to be satisfied with a photo. We also stopped at an art shop and walked through the new and improved London Music Hall but the Indian was the highlight of my day.

"Good walks in good weather. Good biking in bad weather"

Today was bright and cheery and I made good time while covering six miles from my front porch to the Thames Valley Golf Course bridge and back. By good time I mean I walked at about 3 MPH the whole way and had a good chat with a former running mate.

Photos from along the way:

Link to Carry on Gang 24, "As Far, As Fast"

Photos GH

Carry On Gang 24, "As Far, As Fast"

Not Giving Up Just 'Cause It's Cold

"I had an extra long walk on Monday, to make up for one I missed"

Regularly, I go as far and as fast as my little legs will take me, i.e., about four miles at a 'Steady Eddie' pace. If the temperature is low, if snow is blowing, I just add layers of clothes, including my Fruit of the Loom long johns.

My invigorating walk on Tuesday marked the 24th trek - out of 60 - in the 'Carry On Gang' set that should take me to the end of March, or thereabouts.

Photos from along the way:

"This Chevette (?) is parked at 247 Victoria St., as it was when Pat and I
lived at 245 Victoria (behind the cedar hedges) in 1975 - '78"

Link to Carry on Gang 21

Photos GH

Carry On Gang 21, "Highland Park, Mildly Adventurous"

'Extra' Walks are Adding Up

 "The extra miles I walked on Feb. 17/18 = an extra walk"

"I was certainly dressed aright for the tramp through Highland park"

Seven walks in the last six days. I think the good weather has something to do with my energy levels and during three recent walks I added on an extra two miles per day. (Not bad for a geezer). As well, I know I missed five walks this month, so far, so I'm trying to make up for lost time, two miles at a time.

On Sunday, Don and I headed south on Wharncliffe Rd. to look at Hondas, and afterwards we discovered the southernmost entrance to Highland Park, a long-standing wooded area dotted with natural and man-made sections (incl. tarmac) of hiking trail. We were motivated to tramp along the trail (marked with 'This is a Coyote Area' signage) because we are definitely mildly adventurous at times.

Photos From Along the Way:

"Entrance to Highland Pk. is on north side of Ferndale

about two blocks east of Wharncliffe Rd."

Link to Carry on Gang 16

Photos GH

Carry On Gang 16, "Flying Solo in Snow"

"A Windy, Snowy Day"

I enjoyed most of yesterday's six-mile walk. Those bits when the wind took my breath away and ice n snow blew straight up me kilt - not so much. But the footing was excellent in Greenway Park so I made good time, to the bridge - 60 minutes or 3 miles from my front door - and back.

While snapping a few pictures of the bridge I happened to notice diving ducks doing a bit of fishing. A pair of Common Mergansers (male) in my estimation.

To make up for the five days this month I missed my walk, I did a "one and a halfer." If I do a few more such walks during the next two weeks, I'll be back on track.

Link to Carry On Gang 15

Photos GH

Carry On Gang 11, "Snow At Last"

Wind in the Face is No Disgrace

"The Carry On Gang likes lots of snow and wind"

For the next few days fresh Canadian snow and wind will be a feature of every walk outdoors. And I like it. All I have to do to survive is wear my red long johnnies under me tartan. And maybe I should sew a few more pennies into the hem of my kilt so when the wind blows, nothing shows.

Sidewalks will be slippery but The GREAT Canadian Comeback will go on, and when Spring comes I will likely be closer to svelte - a key word in this comeback if I ever saw one - than in the previous few years.

Photos of a blustery day in downtown London:

Carry on!

Link to Carry In Gang 9 "Long Walk a Beaut"

Photos GH

Carry On Gang 9, "Long Walk a Beaut"

Saturday and Sunday - Smooth Sailing

"The warm weather may be spoiling us"

Don noticed a couple of walkers ahead of us on Saturday and one was noticeably smoother, possibly healthier, than the other. He said, "You can tell which one will live longer than the other." And, in my opinion, the winner appeared obvious.

Women in Canada, on average, live longer than men, and the husband and wife team ahead of us looked like an average couple to us. So, to the guys I say, get out there and walk a couple of miles everyday and add a couple of years (or more) to your lifespan.

My solo long walk on Sunday was a warm one when the sun peeked out from behind clouds. I felt I'd over-dressed until a breeze pick up and carried me home. I finished 8 miles in about 2HR:40MIN (average speed, 3 miles per hour), in Greenway and Springbank Parks. I don't know if people would say my walking style is smooth, but I'm pretty steady. Svelte is what I'm going for... by 2017!

Photos from along the way with rambling commentary:

 "Is the couple up ahead 'average'? Husband seemed in poor shape"

 "I would rather see some snow in February. Too much green!"

 "Lots of people in Greenway Park are using the dog park"

"On the way home I noticed I'd forgotten my granola bars! Hungry Man!"

Link to Carry on Gang 7, "Good Days on Tap"

Photos GH

Carry On Gang 5, "Uphill Some of the Way"

Feels Like Spring

Is Spring around the corner? I hope not. I'd like cold weather for at least 6 more weeks. It kills the bugs. (Doesn't help with blisters!)

Good walk yesterday, though the blister that developed on Sunday - during an eight-miler on a wet day - grew worse by the time I reached home.

By the numbers -

I walked 30 out of 31 days in January

30/31 = 96.8%

I covered about 30 miles per week.

Not bad, I say.

More photos from along the way on Sunday:

Link to Carry On Gang 4, "Wet and Woolly"

Photos GH