Three Hundred Walks
nedbatchelder.com
nedbatchelder.com
It's such an ancient activity for humans. It's interesting to look at the Bible and see how often it records people walking, or to think about how much hunter-gatherers walked. Humans have been walking for many thousands of years.
Walking also seems integral to the high heat dissipation and endurance that humans have compared to other animals. We can walk for insane distances. A cheetah might be able to out sprint us, but can it cover more distance at a slow and steady pace? I doubt it.
It's posited as the reason humans "took off" the unique physiology of infants and not being able to walk due to our cranial size at birth - because longer gestation to facilitate walking ability means our heads would not fit for natural childbirth - means that cunning and determination are what matters. To anthropomorphize a bit.
Interestingly, dogs and probably other animals have evolved strategies to keep the brain cooler than the rest of the body. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/836587/
Now I'm thinking about other animals that travel long distances. Butterflies and birds sometimes travel ridiculous distances. Do they have to deal with heat dissipation issues? Maybe having smaller brains help here, since cooking the brain seems to be the main issue.
from https://www.bnl.gov/newsroom/news.php?a=217044
> The team discovered that the insects use their wings to sense the direction and intensity of sunlight—the main source of warmth or overheating—and to respond with specialized behaviors to prevent overheating or overcooling of their wings. For example, all species studied exhibited a relatively constant “trigger” temperature of approximately 40oC (104oF), turning within a few seconds to avoid overheating of wings from a small light spot shone upon them.
Nature is mind-blowing!
I live in a very walkable suburban area (not in TX), but just to the east is a freeway. I'd like to cross that freeway to access some walking trails that go along a creek, but it's just so unpleasant walking over the freeway overpass (and dangerous as drivers don't seem to be expecting people walking there even though there are walk signals) that I find I never walk in that direction anymore.
I start each day with 4miles and then try to get to 8-10 miles a day. It's hard to do 10, but 8 is pretty routine. All in maybe 3H a day, where I do meetings, etc. and listen to audiobooks.
I'm more of a suburb guy, so this is sort of arguing against my position, but...
So back when software developers used to travel, like 3 years ago, I went to Texas for a conference, and I stayed at a hotel in some exurban area. Walking back from the grocery store that was maybe a quarter mile from the hotel not one but two cars stopped and people asked me if I needed a ride.
Think I'm fine, thank you!
I'm just now in this boat, so perhaps you can offer some advice. I have a bunch of running shoes, some brand new even. I'd hate for those to go to waste. Did you start walking in running shoes when you first transitioned? If so, were there any cons, where you wish you'd have just invested in walking shoes from the start?
(of course, I would donate the running shoes if I weren't going to use them, so they wouldn't truly go to waste, but I'd rather not have to shell out for new shoes if I don't have to)
When I hike, its almost exclusively with my trail gloves, they just provide so much flexibility, they are also super light weigh and quick to dry.
I'm a bit of a shoe lover though, so walk with what you have, when you NEED something different only buy it then, but you can get 500-1000 of miles out of your running shoes when you are just walking.
And funny enough, I recently switched to Asics from a lifetime of Brooks! But I still have both, and like both.
I experienced it once I started walking again, and learned quickly to rest it a couple of days before walking again. If you start out too eager and quickly, it's likely to happen - I was eager and walked too briskly and let me tell you that shit hurts. Even walking, I learned, is a physical activity to ease into.
Even without colours Neds maps have some nice esthetic to it.
Is there an app that will generate walking routes, so you visit different streets each time?
If I wanted to develop something like this, where would I start?
He's probably got the chops to do it, but no idea if he'd think it was worth it.
How it works: https://trailrouter.com/blog/how-trail-router-works/
You provide a start and end point and desired distance. It generates one-way or looped walking/running-oriented routes. I’m not the creator, I just use it occasionally.
Excerpt from the result (don't want to disclose where exactly I live): https://i.imgur.com/FPyRAkA.png
My setup for it:
- andoid app tasker (checking if I loose wifi, in that case start GPSlogger)
- android app GPSlogger does the logging, set to relatively coarse in hopes to save battery)
- and visualize on my computer with this python script http://sethoscope.net/heatmap/ (with a custom gradient that has no transparency. I want to see where I've been just once too.
It's tough on your phones battery though. I think I pushed my aging one over the edge with it.
Been doing it for years. Never thought of logging it.
This is interesting b/c the esplanade is a pedestrian park with some beautiful water areas and bridges, its prime walking area.
otherwise dedicated apps for it exist or you use google location history and some online plotting tool.