I hadn't planned to walk since Tuesday wasn't a fasting day, but once I got outside after work, I thought the weather was too nice to waste by just taking the subway home. So I walked the 7K route from work to the Han River, then to my apartment. There was a small amount of chest pain at the beginning—an ache and some pressure that almost persuaded me to stop and take a rest, but I pushed through it and kept walking. When I hit the down ramp to get to the creek level, that was enough to alleviate the pain and strain, and I was fine for the rest of the walk. So if this was the result of taking that one nitroglycerin tablet, I can now say that the tablet doesn't work miracles, but I do still wonder how it is that I remain able to walk without stopping. Wednesday is also a fasting day (Friday, too), and I'll be doing the 9K version of this route Wednesday night (apartment, Han River, apartment). Either Friday night or Saturday night, I'm finally going to attempt a longer walk—maybe an 18K walk down to Bundang, or maybe that 22K walk from Gayang Station in western Seoul to Unyang Station in Gimpo, following a part of the Han River I've never seen before.
Summer is here, so the nights are warming up as well, but we've been lucky this week, with nights that have been both windy and cooler than expected. More later.
__________
NB: I also found another route I'd like to try. It involves a creek that's to the east of and roughly parallel with the Joongnang-cheon: the Wangsuk-cheon, or Wangsuk Creek. If I walk from my apartment all the way up to Jinjeop Station, that's a healthy 38K trek. I'm not quite sure that I'm ready for that this week, but I'll build up to it, and maybe I'll tackle it as a practice walk in the early fall. Summer walks will be mostly short and local.
It's good to hear you're pushing forward. I'm in awe of those double-digit routes. I'm pretty much done after 8K these days.
ReplyDeleteOn those 22K and 38K treks, I assume you have the ability to bail along the way and taxi or train home should the need arise. Ha! I'm always thinking of the shortcut, even on your hikes.
Good luck, and keep it going!
Just out of curiosity, have the docs said anything about long-distance walking--good, bad, or otherwise? You might have mentioned this at some point, but if so I missed it.
ReplyDeleteI was vaguely told to take it easy when exercising. When I mentioned my angina last time and received my nitroglycerin pills, no one said to stop walking.
ReplyDeleteJohn,
ReplyDeleteYeah, these walks are all in the metro area, so finding any kind of transportation back shouldn't be a problem. I doubt I'll need it, but it's nice to know it's there.
It appears that inclines or level pathways aggravate the angina, but while the downhill stretches alleviate the same symptoms.
ReplyDeleteHow'd the Wednesday evening walk go? (Perhaps you're still on the trail as I pen this?)
I think staying active, perhaps at a slightly more leisurely pace, is probably the healthiest thing you can do at this point. Mobility is very much a use it or lose it type of thing, so the more you move, the greater the likelihood you'll keep moving over time.
I know you're not a drinker, but perhaps John and Charles will remember the old Johnnie Walker marketing lingo, "Keep Walking." (With the additional tagline: "Together, We Move Forward." Regardless of if we walk alone or with company (for you, I'm guessing that means JW, and for me, a bunch of whining rug rats), as long as we keep moving in a forward direction, we must count ourselves luckier than the other contingent moving under - six feet under. (Which is also a fantastic early 200s series on HBO, if you've never seen it...)
https://www.johnniewalker.com/en/keep-walking/
https://www.hbo.com/six-feet-under
Daniel,
ReplyDeleteI'm doing the Wednesday walk tomorrow (Thu.) night. Am baking keto bagels this evening, then doing keto white bread tomorrow morning. This white bread is a weird combination of fathead dough (cheesy) and cloud bread (eggy). I'm morbidly curious as to how it'll come out.
Yes, I came to a similar conclusion about uphills and downhills.
I haven't seen "Six Feet Under," but I'll put it on my ever-growing queue. Maybe I'll get to it in a few years!
JW and I don't talk anymore. He stopped being a friend and started acting as if he were a teacher or someone superior—always telling, never conversing. And I'm the 형 in our relationship! He's also been insufferable in various ways over the years, and it finally became too much for me. I can forgive him, but I'm not about to forget or allow the past to repeat itself.
I was wondering why we hadn't heard about any excursions with JW lately. Sorry things turned out that way, but I respect you looking out for your own peace of mind.
ReplyDeleteI had forgotten the Johnnie Walker commercials Daniel mentioned in his comment. I'm not a whisky drinker, but I appreciate the sentiment. When I walk to the bars from home, it takes me twenty minutes. When I walk home, it takes forty. The difference is staggering! (sorry, that's an old one).
I do remember the Johnnie Walker tagline. I always thought of it as a motivational speech that you could repeat to yourself after a night of too much Johnnie Walker. "Keep walking. Just... keep walking."
ReplyDeleteThe keto white bread sounds delish.
ReplyDeleteWhisky/whiskey drinker or not, glad I'm not the only boozer who remembers taglines. And @John, I've done my fair share of staggering over the years.
Sorry to hear about the break with JW. Communication needs to be a two-way street for a strong friendship and if he was acting all didactic or borderline pedantic on a regular basis, you're best off without that kind of friendship. Hard to let people go but, as a fan of long-distance walking, I'm sure you'll agree - the only way is forward.