Results

Start walking →

Published April 5, 2025  ·  All posts on Apr 5

The theory about big decisions is that they require a tremendous amount of thought, and that investing in all these thought results in better decisions. There are many classes of decisions where there is a right move. Deliberate planning around complex issues involving different people with varied goals is essential to making a correct decision.

~ Michael Lopp, from How to Write a Book – Rands in Repose

Elsewhere, this is 4uraai15. — slipbox

I say “start walking” not only because that’s the only way to get where you need to be. It’s also the easiest way to begin. Far too often I overthink things when simply taking action would get me what I truly want to know: Will it work?

ɕ

8 — Stiiiill walking →

Published August 30, 2023  ·  All posts on Aug 30

This entry is part 39 of 46 in the series Level 52 countdown

Frankly, if I just walked every day it’d probably be a win. :) Tomorrow: should probably include some actual running though.

09 — Walking →

Published August 29, 2023  ·  All posts on Aug 29

This entry is part 38 of 46 in the series Level 52 countdown

Still nursing my achilles from sprints. Really didn’t feel like I was running that hard… must have not warmed up sufficiently.

15 — Walking →

Published August 23, 2023  ·  All posts on Aug 23

This entry is part 32 of 46 in the series Level 52 countdown

Walked to my fave cafe for lunch. I’m not sure I’ve every accurately tracked this walk before. I was thinking it was just short of 2 miles; apparently I’ve been underestimating. Regardless, happy to walk 4.5 miles to see familiar faces and have a yummy sandwich.

21 — Walking in London →

Published August 17, 2023  ·  All posts on Aug 17

This entry is part 26 of 46 in the series Level 52 countdown

Final day before heading home. Found these two neat buildings; note the color of the glass windows on the left one. Tomorrow: A day of traveling.

23 – Walking →

Published August 15, 2023  ·  All posts on Aug 15

This entry is part 24 of 46 in the series Level 52 countdown

Another day of perambulation visiting Rhossili in glorious weather.

28 — Walking →

Published August 10, 2023  ·  All posts on Aug 10

This entry is part 19 of 46 in the series Level 52 countdown

I love to stroll around, and did miles of wandering around London. Friday’s activity will be day one of Rendezvous.

32 — Walking →

Published August 6, 2023  ·  All posts on Aug 6

This entry is part 15 of 46 in the series Level 52 countdown

Active recovery day. Oof, pebble wrestling always pays off. Tomorrow: A loop of our usual trail run.

Solvitur Ambulando: It is solved by walking →

Published January 4, 2020  ·  All posts on Jan 4  ·  

A few years ago, I read an article, Walking, by Steve Kamb about walking to Mordor and I set out to walk the round-trip 3,871 miles.

It’s 1,779 miles to get from Hobbiton to Mt. Doom. Then riding the eagles back to Minas Tirith cuts the return walk to Bag End down to 1625 miles. Plus 467 more miles, roundtrip to Grey Havens. Brings my total goal to 3,871 miles. This is roughly the entire length of the Nile river, or the distance from the surface to the center of the Earth. (Mid 2019 I’m a few hundred miles from Mt. Doom.)

§10 – Walking to Mordor

As best I can tell, in 2014, I had already started walking the ~4-mile round-trip to my office, and I was using walking in general to improve my fitness for some specific parkour events I was planning to attend. When I found this challenge, I looked back through all my journals and estimated how far I’d already walked. In November 2016, when I took up the Mordor challenge, I noted that I had already walked 124 times for a total of 496 miles.

As I mentioned, walk number 500 turned out to be just 8 miles short of Mt Doom. But really, I’ve only been estimating my mileage based on measuring some common walking routes and counting the walks. So this is an amazing confluence of walk-number and mileage. So at this point, I’m going to stop keeping track of the mileage. (I do still keep track of general activity each day, so I still note “walk” when I do so.)

Take-aways?

Well, I think it’s amazing how far you can get—figuratively and literally—with small daily progress. Also, I think it’s very good for me mentally, given where I am at the end of 2019, to stop tracking this goal. It makes for one less thing on my mind.

I’m hoping that walking is now a way of life. I will note that I think absolutely nothing of walking a few miles. I’ve walked miles with a 40-pound backpack, (in minimalist sneakers.) I’ve walked 2 miles carrying 20 pounds of vegetables farmer-carry-style. I’ve fixed my back. I’ve fixed my feet.

Walk on!

ɕ

§10 – Walking to Mordor →

Published June 23, 2019  ·  All posts on Jun 23

This entry is part 10 of 13 in the series Changes and Results

Many moons ago I had frequent back problems. There were many things which provided me temporary relief, but this is not an article about temporary relief. This is an article about one of the things which actually fixed my back: Walking.

(Losing weight and fixing my feet are the other two things.)

I recall Ido Portal saying in a podcast with Daniel Vitalis, something to the effect of: Your spine is for orienting yourself in your environment. Your spine’s myriad of joints should be flexible and powerful. At that point in my journey, I wasn’t even really thinking of my spine as joints; It was simply something with an upper and lower portion, both of which were frequently in significant pain. That was the exact moment when I became convinced my spine was weak.

…and then I read _Walking Found to Provide Significant Relief from Back Pain. At the time, I was preparing for a parkour trip to Québec for an event they where having with the Yamakasi. So I was already focused on finding my weaknesses—my back!—and trying to fill them in.

…and then I read Walking, an article by Steve Kamb about walking to Mordor. Yes, that Mordor. It’s a challenge to walk 1,779 miles (but see below.) I took my exercise tracker out on a few of the common walks I like, and noted the mileage. I’ve been keeping track of the total ever since.

It’s 1,779 miles to get from Hobbiton to Mt. Doom. Then riding the eagles back to Minas Tirith cuts the return walk to Bag End down to 1625 miles. Plus 467 more miles, roundtrip to Grey Havens. Brings my total goal to 3,871 miles. This is roughly the entire length of the Nile river, or the distance from the surface to the center of the Earth. (Mid 2019 I’m a few hundred miles from Mt. Doom.)

There’s so much that can be said about walking. But rather than read more about walking, why not go for a walk?

ɕ