I just did my 9.4K walk (yes, it's 4.7 km each way; I keep forgetting, and I just remeasured the distance) out to the Han River and back. It took exactly 2 hours and 20 minutes, so that's an approximate average speed of 4.02 kph. Once again, I'm sure the cooler weather at night was a factor in my more-energetic-than-usual pace.
I've got some chia chocolate pudding chilling in the fridge; I might eat it tomorrow. Or I might wait until Saturday. You never know with these things. This pudding, by the way, is the same one that my buddy Charles had said looked "like ass" the last time I'd made it, long ago.
As for my biker commenter who recently told me to stop being set in my ways (I'll change when you stop biking and start swimming, buddy), I'll point him to this 2023 post in which I extolled the benefits of walking the same path, which is never really the same:
I sometimes wonder whether my readers understand why I'm thrilled with doing what seems to be the same route over and over. (I've now done Yangpyeong-Yeoju three times this year.) I once had a highly intelligent coworker who was easily distracted, his attention always being pulled to the newest, shiniest thing. He and I (and occasionally one or two other coworkers) would go on daily walks during our breaks at work, and he was always the one wanting to explore new routes because repetition bored him. I suspect that a lot of people are like that, and I wonder if the reason has to do with seeing only the salient features while ignoring the details. For me, the "same route" is never the same route at all. The details are constantly changing: ambient temperature, the people I encounter, the state of the foliage, the time of year, the clouds and stars, my own internal state—you get the picture. So for me, each of these walks is actually unique; I never stop enjoying them.
I don't think bikers have time to appreciate details when they whoosh along their paths: a moment's inattention, when you're on a bike, can spell disaster, so a lot of one's concentration has to be on the path itself, not on everything around it.
Ass can be a good thing. Hopefully it will be good ass this time.
ReplyDeleteAs for walking the same path... I walk the same 2.5 km path to my office there and back every weekday. The details do indeed change, but there is also something comforting about seeing familiar landmarks. I guess that's because I change, and having that grounding feels stabilizing.
Not that I'm against exploring new routes. I will do that, too. But I don't mind walking the same route every day.
Good job on the hike. I like the adventure of a new trail, but I understand that even an old, familiar path can be satisfying. That's why I do the "My Bitch" trail so often. Also, I found that walking a common trail in reverse gives it a whole other vibe. To me, it's great to be out and about, soaking it all in.
ReplyDeleteI'm normally cycling at 23-27 kmph unless I'm pushing it. I'm sure I do miss more than you, but I do notice a lot too. For me, cycling is the best of both worlds, fast enough to actually cover a decent distance but slow enough that I can still see plenty of things, and it's easy enough to stop if something really catches my eye.
ReplyDeleteRe. swimming, last week I was on holiday and did scuba diving for the second time. My minder said that when he is under the water, it's a meditative experience for him and he forgets all his troubles. I get that from cycling, and I guess you get that from walking.
Also, re. trying something new, I've always had it in the back of my mind to canoe from Incheon to Busan...I'm pretty sure it would require lots of government permissions and lots of porting around dams, but still...
Perhaps, getting a 2-man canoe would be a suitable compromise for us.