Anyone going to WALK this winter?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I know it seems like everyone here runs when they are not biking. I can't run, it's too hard on my knees and ankles. But I do plan to do my walking when the snow flies this winter. Anyone else do fitness walking?

I don't plan on biking when the roads have ice or snow. I just can't bear the thought of pedaling in the basement. :(
Last winter, before I started biking, I used to briskly walk 3 miles almost every morning, come snow or ice. Even at 10 degreesF I went out. Sometimes I needed my YakTrax type thingies on my boots.
I feel I actually have much smarter clothes for walking this year, because I've gotten some great layering biking stuff this Fall, thin merino layers, balaclava, good warm tights, windjacket, etc. Last year I wore big HEAVY bulky sweaters and scarves and stuff that I feel would weigh way too much now that I've been used to biking. I've gotten smarter about cold weather clothing layers, thanks to biking. I also think that biking over the past 6 months has improved my circulation, as I don't seem to get as cold as I used to.

I live in a small rural town with lots of pretty routes to walk. My 3 miler takes me down Main St., past the schools and library and down a little wooded road too. Takes me about 50 minutes if I recall, but I suspect I might be faster this winter, with my new biking leg muscles. :)
My most beautiful walk last year was during a heavy snow falling with huge flakes on me and a 6 inch white blanet on the ground already. No one was out on the streets that morning, no cars, it was totally silent and beautiful. The only sound was my mukluk boots crunching in the snow. Only the snow plow man passed me several times and we waved, the only brave souls out that morning. ;) I looked like a snowman when I got home, and dh had to get out the broom to brush me off on the porch! :p

Anyone else do walking for exercise when they can't bike?

[kelownagirl]

I'm planning to this winter Lisa. Part of it is that my dogs are desperately needing to go for a walk and we've been neglecting them since we've been riding so much. We live in the hills and plan to take them up into the hills for an hour hike a couple of times a week. I enjoy the change in scenery from biking but I do find myself wishing I was on my MTbike from time to time.

[Offthegrid]

I can't run yet (soon), so I do all walking. You can get a SERIOUSLY good workout walking; I come home drenched in sweat. :D I tend to get bored walking, though. I usually listen to music or a podcast.

[bambu101]

I have to agree, Lisa! One of my favorite things is to walk in the snow, and it is a terrific workout. I definitely plan to keep walking all winter, just as I have been doing for years. It will be interesting to see what the effect of cycling for the last 5 months will have on walking. I also live in a rural area on the edge of 12,000 acres of watershed property with miles of logging trails and roads. It's also a great place for cross-country skiing. I also walk at lunchtime at work in a fairly busy office park location, but it's not as nice as home.

I plan to use the Schwinn Johnny G spinner exercise bike, walk, cross-country ski whenever possible, lift weghts, and use my Nordic Track ski machine (which I love). I used the Nordic Track at 5 AM this morning for 45 minutes, and sweated like crazy! I also have quite a few exercise DVDs, and just received some new yoga and Pilates DVDs ealier this week.

As a matter of fact, I was trying to decide earlier today how I am going to fit all these different things in with work and sleep and all that stuff!

[Fredwina]

snow? it that the white stuff on top of Mt Baldy?:rolleyes:
I do walking whenever the Santa Ana winds are in full force. Riding into a 20 mph wind with 50 mph gusts is so not fun. I just bought some new shoes just for walking.

[Pedal Wench]

I use the treadmill in the winter when it's too dark or nasty outside for riding. I can't run either, so I've got a special treadmill designed for hikers - it has a 25% grade. So I can just slowly slog uphill for 90 minutes, gain 3,000 feet elevation and burn 700-1000 calories, depending on my speed (which is usually pretty slow - 2.5 mph) I find this good training for my spring hiking trips. Going fast without the incline doesn't get my heart rate up at all without jogging, so the incline is the way to go for me.

[DeniseGoldberg]

I'm a winter walker too. I ride year-round, but only in daylight and usually only when the roads are dry. That means that my off-season riding is limited to the weekends.

Although I do go to the gym a couple of times a week, I walk outside on most days. My walks range from 60 to 90 minutes, day or night (lit up by flashing lights if I walk after dark...). I used to ride my bike on a trainer, but I stopped that two years ago when I realized how much I hated it. My riding now is on the road and not indoors. Guess it's a good thing that (fast) walking is something that works for me.

--- Denise

[mimitabby]

I think it's important to walk all year round, otherwise, the big O is going to get you.
I try to walk a mile every day i am at work. I started this campaign in October.
I walk when we have breaks or at lunch if i am fortunate enough to get a lunch break.

[mtbdarby]

I'm a walker too Lisa. I love winter! It's my dogs main excersice so we get out at least twice a week, usually 3 times. I bought snow shoes last winter so I could walk them in the woods. Only thing missing now is snow...

[SadieKate]

Walk? What is that? I'm unfamiliar with the word.:p Snowshoe, yes, if only the snow was closer.:(

[spokewench]

Yeah, I walk a lot in the winter. walks around the neighborhood - out into the national forest behind my house; hikes up the mountain with and without snowshoes (depending on depth of snow). It's a good way to get outside when the daylight is limited:)

[Trek420]

Yep, I walk with and without doggie company. During winter I get off BART (rapid transit here) 2-3 stops early and walk around the lake, well part of the lake anyway. That gets a good half hour brisk walk in 2-3 times a week.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Wow, so great to hear about so many women walking as well as biking!
I'm ready for the winter. Clear roads=bike. Icy roads=walk.

[Dianyla]

Snowshoeing is a complete blast! Much more fun than tramping through deep snow. :)

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Is snowshoeing slippery if you walk on say 3" or 4" of snow over an icy layer?

[suzieqtwa]

Hey Lisa,
Still cant do the walking thing.:eek: I just get sooooooo bored. Ive managed to start running a bit now. I did 7miles twice this week ,but I dont want to hurt my ankle again . I am with you on the stationary trainer thing. I cant do that ,or a treadmill,,,I rather face the elements outside. Although in Portland its not really as bad as you guys living on the east coast.
Im still able to bike here ,but not as much. Its been rather chilly the last couple weeks.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Hi Suzie Q,

I'm glad you are able to do a little running again. But hey- don't hurt your ankle, or you won't be good for running OR biking! :o Take care of yourself!

When are you thinking you will be able to pick up your new bike? Do you have a timeline?

I will keep biking down into the 20's, as long as the roads are clear and dry. God knows I have the layers to be able to do it! (and the bills to show for it!) So far my coldest ride was at about 32 degrees for two hours and I managed ok- actually had a good time. At that point it mostly depends on my hands and feet keeping warm.

At least when I walk I don't need to worry about a flat...and wearing a backpack is easier too, so I can pick up bread and stuff on my trek through town.

[suzieqtwa]

I guess I could get it out anytime ,but I've been riding my husbands with straps ,and I'm comfortable (except its a bit too big). I'm kinda afraid of my new bike...no pedals ,and those skinny tires than can go flat. I've been to a couple classes on how to change a flat ,but if it ever happened I wouldn't know what to do. Have you had flats? I still owe about $500.00 on it ,and its Christmas ,so I think Ill wait till January sometime. Are you clip less yet???

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Suzie,
I watched DH change tires a couple of times, and I read a couple of websites with insructions. So a few nights ago I actually changed both my own tires and tubes all myself for the FIRST time. Now I am much more confident. Of course I did it in the comfort of my warm livingroom, not sure how well I could do it at 40 degrees outside. :eek: I just put on 700x28's, so mine aren't "too" skinny and flat prone. How wide a tire can your new bike accomodate? YOu might ask them to put on the widest ones that fit to start with- for your road bike, that might mean 25's? Th ewider, the less flats. Oh, and try to get Kevlar or TourGuard treated tires- they have tough membranes inside that REALLY DO help prevent flats- I've seen them in action and they are very impressive.

I don't have any desire to go clipless at the moment. I use regular pedals with PowerGrip straps and I really love how they work for me. Hey, if the clipless thing is keeping you from getting your new bike, and you are comfy right now with your DH's straps, why don't you just get an extra set of pedals and straps and put those on your new bike first? Regular pedals are pretty cheap, unlike clipless pedals and shoes. Besides, then yuo could save $ by not having to buy covers to keep your special clipless shoes warm over the winter! I wear my heavy insulated hiking boots for biking in the cold- heavy wool socks and the boots do fit nicely in my straps.

For walking in the winter, I wear my chunky mukluk boots, but they will not fit in my pedal straps. (See, I DID manage to work the walking subject into this post!) :D

[ribbit_zap]

Lisa-My mom and I go walking every evening and have a great time! We get a good work out and we catch-up along the way. Talking and walking makes you work twice as hard because you have to use extra energy to talk :) . My fiance only walks because it is too hard for him to run and he has lost a lot of weight doing it. Good luck with your winter walks! :D

[emily_in_nc]

Anyone else do walking for exercise when they can't bike?

Absolutely -- of course, I walk year round since Pepper, our Boston Terrier, requires it! This time of year it's too dark to walk when I get home from work (so DH walks Pepper earlier), but I walk or jog on the treadmill at work, or, if it's nice, walk around our building on trails at lunchtime. If it's nice out, I'll walk up to the bank, as I did today (about 2 miles round trip, which I walked briskly). It's nice to get some sunshine and out of the office during the day!

On weekends in the fall, winter, and spring, DH and I enjoy hiking. We take day packs with hydration bladders, snacks, etc, lace up the hiking boots and head to a state or county park to hike trails. We've done some pretty strenuous hikes in the NC mountains, in addition to plenty of moderate hikes here in the rolling piedmont. It's been fun getting into hiking as we've been to so many parks in our home state that we never had visited before and seen some beautiful landscapes. We can also hike on horse trails behind our property (all wooded and vacant land) for miles, but not during hunting season, except on Sundays (no hunting allowed).

I ride the trainer twice a week too, this time of year. DH and I have two trainers, set up next to each other, we crank up music with a good beat, and turn the TV to the news with close captioning, so I can "read" the evening news while riding. It's not as much fun as riding outdoors but is quicker, safer and warmer, so I don't mind it on a dark week night.

Enjoy your walks!

Emily

[MyLitespeed]

I walk both my dogs for 45 minutes each morning, then at night my husband takes one dog and I take the other and we walk from 45 minutes to an hour. It works out to 2.5 - 3.0 each time. He is getting bored with riding the trainer every other day so he figures walking will do him good too.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Well, it was a beautiful sunny day today 35-45. I couldn't bike because my bike is getting repaired (broken spoke) and won't be able to pick it up until yet another day, tomorrow evening. :( :(
Anyway, no snow yet either, so can't try my snowshoes yet.
So... this morning I got tired of sitting on my butt for the past 3 days and went out on my first "official" winter walk of the season- 3 miles brisk walk around my small town. It's a pretty walk actually, and I always reward myself by starting out with scrambled eggs, croissant & latte at our favorite cafe. :eek: :cool: :p Gotta have fuel, after all!! ;)

I did this 3 mile walk almost daily for about 8 months before I started biking, then I just was biking all the time for the past 7 months now. One thing I noticed this time was how much EASIER the walk seemed than I remember, and shorter. Definitely WAY less hard breathing on the uphills...biking has greatly improved my respiratory efficiency. The other thing I noticed is that my hip joints got a little sore- it must be that the heavy walking uses my hips in a slightly different way than biking does....interesting!
I guess it will be good to get a few walks in more regularly....at least for my hips' sake! ;)

[MomOnBike]

I walk all the time, too. Monty (dog) requires it to keep his little innards working. (IBS in a dog - sheesh!)

I'm also walking home from work semi-regularly. On those mornings that I'm too lazy, or the weather is too yucky, or it's just more friendly to ride with DH to work, I car it, then walk the 2 miles home. Co-workers don't think such a thing is possible. What do they know?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

IBS dog?-good grief, that must be difficult! :eek:

Since my bike is STILL being repaired, I walked my 3 miler again today. The muscles on the upper INSIDES of my thighs are really sore from the sudden new walking- funny isn't it?

[sbctwin]

I have worked walking into my daily routine until I can start commuting on my bike to work again. I get up and do 30 min on my trainer, shower, then head out for 1+ mile walk to the trax station. I catch trax to within a mile of where I work, and walk the mile to the office. On my trek home from work, I take a bus to the trax station, ride trax to my original station and walk home. I don't slouch when I walk and have learned that I can't wear my work clothes when I walk in the morning. I work up a good sweat, even when it's 15F. I do enjoy the change from my bike commute. I still have some "control" over my time and I use public transportation to get to work. Today we had a good snowstorm and so the walk home was slow because most of the sidewalks were not cleared...

[MomOnBike]

Yeah, poor little guy. When he gets excited he can't poop. He's a mini-Dachshund, so he's excited a lot.

Furthermore, his backyard is NOT a toilet. It's a walk or nothing.

It doesn't help that he had a fight with a car that really messed up his back end. (To hear Monty tell it, he won. After all, he's here, and do you see that mean old car anywhere? Now do you? So, he won. QED)

I sure put up with a lot. :rolleyes:

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Poor little guy! :o

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Well, too cold for biking (minus 5F this morning!). So I bundled up good balaclava and all and did my 3mile/1hour walk this morning in 0 degrees F. It was pretty darn cold!! Had to take off my glasses (too cold) and pulled my balaclava up over my nose and mouth. My fingers got pretty cold despite 3 pairs of gloves. Will have to find some giant mittens to pull on over all that. Everything else stayed warm enough. Pulled my hat way down, and the only skin showing anywhere was a narrow slit for my eyes.

It felt good to walk though, better than sitting on my butt at my desk all day here.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Bumped this thread up because it's now winter again and I'm often walking instead of biking due to sleety weather and bad roads.

I walked a brisk 5 miles this morning, about 40 degrees F and kind of nice out. But the roads too nasty for biking today.
I really enjoyed my walk and had no trouble at all keeping warm. I wear several layers of thin merino wool, plus a heavy wool vest and good wool socks and gloves. I'm a wool nut. The wool keeps me warm but breathes well. Here's pretty much my typical gear for winter walking:
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=4953&d=1196475263
We are supposed to get 3-5" of snow tomorrow. Still not enough to snowshoe :( ...but fun to walk in! Maybe I'll go on the 2 mile nature conservancy trail through the woods near my house if the snow is pretty tomorrow. :p

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

We got 6" of snow today! :D :D

I decided to walk a trail through the woods near my house before dark. About 2 miles through the snowy silent woods, it was beautiful. :p
I passed one x-country skiier on the trail with his black dog following behind him.
I slipped here and there in the snow and had to cross 4x over little brooks with boards placed over them to cross. The trail ends overlooking a small pond with a bench. It was lovely. I stayed toasty warm in all my wool layers and my good boots and gaiters.
I got home just as twilight was falling, and shoveled our porch off by the light of our little strand of xmas lights before going in. :)

Tomorrow I want to go snowshoeing if I can carve out the time.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

It was about 20 degrees F today, but sunny and no wind. I went for a 5 mile walk, looping around the town through various streets and roads.
There were a lot of leftover ice patches and unshoveled sections of sidewalks, plus some icey/slushy hills to walk up and down. I wore my pull-on ice pin crampons over my boots, and they made all the difference in the world. I was able to walk normally over slippery ice with no problem at all. There are lots of good brands and models of these type of things, this is just the type I have:
http://cozywinters.com/shop/gag-ultra.html
It's something to consider for when one is afraid of slipping on icey surfaces.
I used them last week too, after our ice storm. Had to go out and shovel and clean off the cars, and there was ice all over the ground. They sure kept me from falling. :)