Uneasy Rhetoric

In my “100 things about me,” I mention that “my idea of walking distance is probably three times yours.” I don’t really know what most people think “walking distance” is, but many seem incredulous that I walk the 2.5 miles between work and home on a semi-frequent basis.

It takes me less than an hour, even if I stop for a cup of coffee.

Walking has been an important part of my life since I was a kid. We used to go for walks in the neighborhood as a family. When I got older I walked alone to clear my head and deal with being an adolescent; one summer I walked nine miles two or three days a week. In college I walked after dinner to prepare for studying. Later, I walked for commuting, for pleasure, and for exercise.

For me, “walking distance” is as much a state of mind as an actual measurement. Furthermore, I’m convinced that part of the reason we don’t walk as much as we could is that we’ve convinced ourselves that things are farther away than they really are. At three miles per hour, a healthy pace but not a fast one, it takes 20 minutes to walk a mile. In downtown Sacramento, a mile is about 12 blocks. It’s roughly the distance from the west end of Capitol Park to Raley Field, or the distance around Capitol Park.

Here are some ways you can expand your own idea of walking distance:

Visit someplace you haven’t been. Print out a map of your neighborhood with your house at the center. Now draw a circle around your house with a radius of one mile. Use a compass if you’re a perfectionist. Find a place inside that circle you haven’t been and walk there. Repeat until you’ve gotten to know your neighborhood like the back of your hand. Then draw a second circle with a two-mile radius and do it all again.

Walk what you drive. The average commute in Sacramento is something over 20 minutes. Starting from your home, walk away from your home for whatever length of time your one-way commute is, then walk back, ideally taking a different route. You might be surprised how far you go and what you discover on the way.

Walk where you normally drive. Is there someplace within two miles of your home you always visit in a car? A store? A dry cleaners? Hair salon? Cafe? One day, tell yourself you are going to walk instead. But don’t decide to walk to Target to buy two boxes of diapers and some toilet paper. Schleping that home might turn you off of the whole exercise.

Have a walking meeting. Instead of sitting at a cafe over a cup of coffee, get it to go. Walk around the block or to and from a park. Use walking as an excuse for together time with your friends or your family. Unlike jogging, you can hold a decent conversation while walking, or pause to laugh, or make funny gestures.

Buy new shoes. Walking is a cheap sport, but if you’re a gearhead, it doesn’t have to be. I buy my walking shoes in bulk from the REI Outlet, but if you need a kick-ass pair of kicks to kick your butt in gear, feel free to spend a wad of cash. Break them in first, and then go. You’ll walk twice as far in a comfortable pair of shoes.

Wear a pedometer. I read somewhere that we should take 10,000 steps a day. Challenge yourself to do it. Or use the Gmaps Pedometer to track your distances.

Listen to music, the news, books, or podcasts. The iPod is the best thing to happen to commuting à pied since the Walkman. If you’re a gym rat, you’ve probably figured out that your workout is about a tenth as boring if you’re listening to something you enjoy. Once you’ve walked your route a few times, your iPod will help keep your commute fresh.

Pay attention. A corollary to listening to music is paying attention when you walk. Walking gives us a different perspective on everything. We see more of what is happening around us, we can hear the birds, dogs barking, people arguing in their homes, you name it. You’ll get to know your city much better and you’ll discover a new appreciation for the weather. Dress accordingly.

Tear down those (imaginary) walls. Major streets, freeways, bridges, even neighborhood boundaries create artificial limitations to walking distance. For example, people who live in Land Park might feel much farther removed from Downtown Sacramento than they really are because there is a major street (Broadway), a Freeway (the W-X), and several neighborhoods to pass through. Yet it is only three miles from the Zoo in William Land Park to the State Capitol. That’s an hour’s walk, or a little more if you stroll. Walk across a bridge. Walk under a freeway. Walk through an entire neighborhood.

Update (December 22, 2006). Here’s a couple more:

Walk with your pet. Fish, hamsters, birds, and tarantulas may be an issue, and your cat may hate leashes, but if you walk some extra distance with your dog, I can pretty much ensure you will receive much love. As someone who doesn’t have a pet but loves dogs, I am constantly flabbergasted at how people see walking with their pet as a chore, as just one more thing to do, and not as an enjoyable activity. (Thanks Carl)

Carry a camera. But not in your bag. Hang it around your neck and use it. If you’re trying to take pictures, you are likely to see things you might not ordinarily notice. Me, I tend to want to take pictures of things when I don’t have a camera. (Thanks Matthew)

Walking is slow but not nearly as slow as you might think.