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Day 843



I have not updated all you folks of my progress with walking since September. I have now (after this morning's walk) walked 843 days in a row! This is walking outside, each and every day... regardless of holiday, regardless of weather, regardless of illness. I have 4 primary routes I choose from. The shortest of these is 4 miles, but typically I am picking the 5 or 5.5 mile route probably 90+% of the time. During the last few months, I have taken to walking very early in the morning. I usually get up around 5:00am and after I get dressed and have a pipe, I am usually on the road by 5:30 at the latest. It is a grand feeling of quiet and serenity at that time of the morning.

Walking in the Winter is a bit different. I have chosen to wear very heavy galoshes to keep my feet out of the snow and wet that is such a part of Winter here. The very heavy galoshes (actually, they are hunting boots much like those pictured above). This really does mean that I am WALKING during the Winter. Added to this that the roadways are often very icy and slippery as well and jogging is out of the question. In the Summer, I have walked and jogged, and plan to do so again this Spring and Summer, but in the Winter, only walking is safe.

With temperatures typically hovering around 0 degrees - 5 degrees Fahrenheit, and sometimes plunging as low as -10 - -20 degrees Fahrenheit, being bundled in layers is also essential for the walk. I typically am wearing four layers (two long underwear, one sweat pant and jeans on the bottom - two long underwear, a t-shirt and a sweat shirt on top) plus a jacket and full face hat/mask when I walk in that sort of temperature. I feel sometimes akin to an arctic explorer... at least I let my mind pretend and fantasize in that direction as I trudge through new snow. When the humidity is just right, I often grow crusty, elongated icicles from my mustache and beard during the walk, adding to my ability to fantasize about being an explorer in the arctic.

My current stats are as follows:

Current weight - 179.4 pounds (normal range BMI)(104 pounds lighter than I was at my heaviest).

Typical resting heart rate - 66

Typical resting blood pressure - 110/70

I am starting to set my sights on potentially reaching 900 days and then perhaps even 1000!

My starting to walk each day has been one of the best decisions I have made for myself in a lot of years.

PipeTobacco