October 27, 2019 Walking

Measuring the miles with Strava, three weeks into Harrison adventure. On my way to walking the distance of Baltimore to UCALA -- and back!

Latest trek through Harrison

Thirty-five years ago, in my peak running years, the idea of walking for exercise would have been something I'd not even consider (as exercise). As one long ago colleague quipped, "Anything less than four miles is not even worth changing clothes." Today, a four-mile walk is probably my upper limit. While I have shifted from two-mile walks that began in our old Oak Farm neighborhood, to walking three-plus miles at a time, four miles is a limit primarily due to boredom.

To combat boredom, I have multiple playlists. I've replaced my heavy, bluetooth, "Skullcrusher" (now there's a strange branding if ever I heard one) headphones for light, white, corded Apple ear plugs. Sometimes I'll time the walk to coincide with a radio show. Other times, it's a podcast or a TuneIn segment. My radio and podcast 'tastes' -- if you can call them that, run from Chicks on the Right, to Dave Ramsey, to Mark Steyn, to Ben Shapiro. I've tuned in to the Buffalo oldies station -- WECK -- and even picked up WBEN. Hearing Sandy Beach drone on about innocuous matters can be soothing, if only for the insipid nature of his style and remarks. At times I will slip back to my old Baltimore broadcasts on WCBM.

The best barrier to boredom now is the joy of reminding myself that I have nothing calling me back home, or to the office, or to an appointment. Appleton is especially bereft of social contacts for me. It's going to take some time to work my way into a social network or routine. I've even thought of volunteering to teach or serve in a school or church.

Meanwhile, we are church hunting. We found a remarkably quaint church in Sherwood, just ten minutes down the road. The church is small -- maybe 150 were in attendance last night -- but it was energetic. There was a baptism, a chatty priest, a not unpleasant nor tedious homily, and reasonable music, primarily from that St Louis Jesuit group. The church is linked with two other nearby, also rural churches, each in towns with fewer than 10,000 people. My best estimate of Catholic churches is that there are as many as 18 within ten miles of our home.