Walking Lesson

This morning, I walked a little less than the middle half of the half marathon on the actual course and I learned about walking on a crowned road. Thinking back, the vast majority of my training walks have been on surfaces that were not crowned. Streets and walking / bike paths aren't usually crowned; the middle miles of the Des Moines Half Marathon are on a blacktop road that has a pretty impressive crown. Walking on that surface, I felt added stress on both feet and ankles. I felt the start of blistering on my left toes and moved up to the top of the crown to even things out. Evidently, it worked because, when I got home, there were no blisters.

For me, one of the added benefits of walking has been being able to just be outdoors during some great autumn days. Today, I saw one of only a handful of bluebirds that I've seen in my life. A chickadee was also flitting around among the tall grasses in the back of the park. I was also aware of the sports areas located in the flood plain around Des Moines' Water Works Park. Kids were playing ootball and soccer and there was activity at a softball or little league baseball complex. I was paced for a few miles by a man probably ten years my senior and his dog. Wherever people walk, you'll probably find dogs as well.