Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with walking

Do the benefits of a cortisone injection outweigh the risks?

gypseefire — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:06:34 -0800

I was diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis a year ago. I am on Enbrel and it has helped a great deal with the pain I experienced in my arms and joints but I am still having really bad pain upon walking or standing in my low back, sacral joint areas...I swim and do a variety of stretches but it is not allowing me the recovery I long for. I use to walk a few miles everyday, hike on the weekends and I haven't been able to do that in a couple of years. I miss it! I have been reading up on Epidural Cortisone injections and I am curious about personal results people have had. I am interested in the good as well as the bad stories, so I can decide, after meeting with my Doctors, if I want to go through with it. In other words if the benefits outweigh the risks.

Pedestrian's shoes; pedestrians' rights

quarantine — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 10:48:58 -0800

This is a two-part question. First, what are the ideal shoes for long-distance walking on paved or gravel roads? Second, what rights do I have as a suburban/urban pedestrian in California in terms of not being hassled by "authorities"? The first part is fairly straightforward: I'm heavy (with an intention to become lighter if I keep up my walking), and will be walking in urban, suburban, and rural areas, sometimes on hills, with no terrain more difficult than gravel.

Second, as a rather fierce civil libertarian, what am I obligated to allow a police officer / whoever to do to me and ask of me (California)? Withholding my name, ID, purpose for being in the area; denying searches, frisks; etc.? This helped some, but does not fully answer what I'm asking. Something like a specialized ACLU-style reference would be great. I'm thinking about carrying a discreet voice recorder (to help me later) at all times; could that get me into trouble, if I record police without their knowledge?

Where can I buy a really awesome and functional cane to help me recover from my injury?

kryptonik — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:12:27 -0800

Where can I buy a really awesome and functional cane to help me recover from my injury? I recently broke my leg and ankle, got surgery to put a couple of screws in the leg, and am looking at a lengthy recovery, a month or two of which will require a cane to transition from crutches to walking on my own again.

I'm 28, in good physical shape, like to get around on my own, and want a sweet functional non-grandma cane to sport for the month or two that I'm going to need it. Any suggestions? I won't need the cane for another 10 weeks, so I'm OK ordering something online. Oh, I'm 5'6" which might make a difference.

Walking resources for Pollino National Park, Italy?

knapah — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 13:37:28 -0800

Where can I find resources on walks in the Pollino National Park in Basilicata, Italy? My parents are going to be in the area in a week or two and are very interested in doing a few walks in the park. They want things on the light end of the walking scale, up to 10km at most, but any maps and things would be great.

If you have any experience walking there, or know of any good resources (in English) on the park, I'd love to hear about them.

20 mile street hiking advice wanted

mairuzu — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 10:10:05 -0800

In less than 2 weeks time I am taking part in a 20 mile charity night-hike around the streets of London. Does anyone have any advice for such a venture? I've been doing quite a lot of walking over summer and am currently using a cross-trainer regularly at the gym, so hopefully stamina shouldn't be a problem - I'm mainly after advice to make life more comfortable. What footwear is most suitable for long distance pavement walking? Walking boots / running shoes?

Any recommendations for socks?

Anything else?

Many thanks in advance

Miles

Suggestions for hiking routes in the south of England

mairuzu — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 01:34:57 -0800

I want to go away for a good day's walking and 1 or 2 night's camping in the south of England next Monday / Tuesday and would like suggestions for any good routes people know. Ideally the route should be circular and have a camp-site and pub at the start / finish and should be within 2 hours drive of London. However any other suggestions also gratefully received.

Many thanks in advance

Miles

These shoes weren't made for walking.

Mr_Thirdworld — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 01:40:55 -0800

Are there any durable men's dress shoes that can withstand long distance walks? I've been doing a lot of walking to and from work since I started a new job a few months ago. Soon, I realized a drawback to this, the heels on dress shoes that I wear grind down pretty quickly. I spotted this very early on so I started buy cheaper shoes. When buying my last pair I decided to upgrade to a more expensive pair. It's been a few weeks since the switch and that pair looks like it's not going to last.

I am not going 'walk in sneakers then switch to the dress shoe' route that I see a lot of women doing.
Can anyone suggest a good brand of men's dress shoes that can last through these long walks?

Hello new shoes, bye bye blues...

triggerfinger — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:25:41 -0800

Help me find comfortable walking shoes! With high heels please. I am going on vacation soon and will spend a great deal of time on foot walking around a city. I have worn high heels (3+ inches) all the time for as long as I can remember. I am very comfortable walking in high shoes and would maybe even go so far as to say I walk better in heels than flats. The only flat shoes I own are my running shoes.

I do some walking in my day to day life but not extensive amounts - usually just around the city for an hour on my lunch breaks. It usually takes about an hour or two of walking before my feet start to get sore, regardless of the thickness of my heels. I plan on doing much more walking than that on vacation and don't want to be distracted by sore feet. Does anyone know of shoes that will be comfortable for a lot of walking but also provide some height? At least three inches would be best, but I know that might be pushing it. All of my pants are too long to wear with flat shoes and I would rather buy new shoes than buy new pants. Closed-toe would be best as it will be in October and I don't care what kind of heel the shoe has, just as long as they provide some height and are black. Does such a shoe exist?

New Orleans jog / walk trails & a hair saloon

dog food sugar — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:51:37 -0800

New Orleans: looking for a hair saloon, places to jog, places to walk. We'll be there for about 4 days and I need a cut and some color. Please let me know if you have a recommendation.

Also I love to walk. I've walked all over the Quarter, much of the Garden District, all along the trolley lines. Do you know of places that are nice for a stroll? By myself or with someone?

And I'm on a health kick. Would love a place I could jog. Where are the trails?

Thanks so much for any and all recommendations. I love your city.

Whither, or withered, the French stride?

fantasticninety — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 22:04:39 -0800

Did French women really used to walk differently? I remember reading or hearing somewhere once that French women up until about the 1930s used to walk differently than in North America. However, with the rise in popularity of American cinema in France, this changed.

The different characteristics I believe, were:

– arms straighter out
– longer gait

Did anyone ever hear of this or know where this idea comes from?

P.S. I would argue French women today still do walk slightly differently; sharper upturns of the head and a shorter stride than North Americans now. But that's just pure conjecture, and I'd rather just find out if anyone knows anything about the original question.

Confoot be gone!

arniec — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 07:55:34 -0800

What can I do now to never get "con foot" ever, ever again? I am a sci-fi fan and every year go to a large number of conventions, with the biggest by far being San Diego Comic Con International.

I just returned from my 4th and, for the fourth year in a row, I feel like I have no feet; rather, I am simply walking on bloody ankle-nubs.

I don't know if it's the walking at the con, or the standing (there is far more standing than walking), and I don't know if it is the uneven terrain of the outdoor standing or the hard-ass floor of the convention itself, but every year by Sunday I am limping.

I am overweight, but I have several think friends who also suffer from horrible con-foot at SDCC.

For those unfamiliar, let me describe the symptoms/sensations. When I went, I was happy, normal, no foot pain. Over the course of five grueling days of being on my feet 18 hours a day I have:

*Blisters on the bottom of my big, middle, and 4th toes
*the entire bottom of my foot is much rougher and feels tougher than it did before the con
*My feet throb when in resting positions, approximately with the pace of my pulse.
*When standing my feet feel like someone has a voodoo doll of me and is lighting matches under its feet.
*My ankles are sore and at the worst of it feel like they might give out.
*The toenails of my fourth and pinky toes are very sensitive.

ALL of the pain is devoted to my feet and ankles. I have no hip, knee, or other leg pain.

I have worked hard over the years to try and play with different shoes (crocs, high tops, work boots, etc). This year I wore two pairs of shoes, alternating on days, which prevented some of the horrible blistering of years past, but still the problem persists.

To add: I have had a fairly bad instep all my life, so even my day-to-day shoes usually have some form of ankle support. My day-to-day shoes look like these:

http://www.foreigntrademe.com/Trade/Pic/200791319155.jpg

and I wore a pare of those at the con, as well as some high-top Nikes.

I am starting a fitness routine, but I'm wondering what I can do to make my feet and ankles not hurt this badly at future cons. I have thought walking/treadmill would work (I want to have cardio anyways to lose weight) but I don't know if an hour a day five days a week will help prepare me for five eighteen hour days, nor do I know if walking will help with the standing.

But I'm tired of being the slow guy on the 3rd day of the con, and a virtual cripple on the 4th and 5th. And I'm tired of hurting for almost a week after.

Help me Mefites...I have 51 weeks. How can I prep?

Need to buy a wooden cane in NYC

I-baLL — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:45:52 -0800

Tonight I need to buy a wooden walking cane in NYC tonight. It's supposed to be sturdy and not retractable. The grip doesn't matter. Any ideas where I can buy one? The average places like KMart and Duane Reade seem to offer only aluminum and fiberglass canes.

Walking from Firenze to Roma!

vespr1610 — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 12:30:42 -0800

Calling all Italians: Walking from Firenze to Roma, advice needed! This is what I have so far: Route

Firenze and Roma are the only fixed points. I'm planning to take a train from Firenze to Arezzo, the rest of the journey will be taken on foot. Here is a rough idea of the sorts of things I'm interested in seeing:

2) Arezzo: Basilica of San Francesco, Basilica of San Francesco, Casa Vasari, Vasari Loggia
3) Urbino: Galleria Nazionale delle Marche, Raphael's house (I know Urbino is a massive detour, but the artistic pull is to strong to resist)
4) Assisi: Basilica of San Francesco (very excited about this)

I'm spreading this over about 3 weeks. I can easily walk 30 miles a day on the flat, but once I get into the Apennines it will probably be more like 15, especially with the heat.

I'm looking for any advice on how to improve this route - places I've missed, places not worth visiting, sections I should take by train. All I care about is seeing beautiful art, and getting high into the mountains. I would love to know about any lesser known villages of that 'Renaissance spirit'. Also any advice on good routes through the Apennines to Roma would be very useful, do you have footpaths in Italy?

A few practical questions:
- will anyone mind me camping in the mountains? I pitch late and pack up early, never leave a trace, and camp above 600m. In the UK this is never a problem.
- is there plenty of water in the mountains during the summer months?
- will I have any trouble finding food shops in the mountain villages?
- long shot: are you allowed to light camp-fires?
- given that I'm 18, and that I don't speak great Italian, will I be well received by Italians in those villages off the tourist route?

Anything else I should know? Religious festivals? Mountain hostels? Whatever you can think of, highly appreciated!

Thank you.

Good Mary-Jane style sneaker with arch support?

ninotchka — Sun, 24 May 2009 07:20:10 -0800

What's a good Mary-Jane style sneaker (for walking) with solid arch support? I'll be moving to Europe soon and plan on spending many of my weekends out and about, walking. I have pretty flat feet, though, and could use solid arch support as I go. I'd prefer a slip-on, Mary-Jane style (a style something along these lines), something with a low profile - but I'd also like a shoe that's going to be as comfortable as possible for long walks. Any suggestions?

"Stillsuit, check. Thumper, check. Maker Hooks, check."

longbaugh — Fri, 22 May 2009 05:06:00 -0800

I am looking to be doing a charity trek across the Sahara desert in support of MacMillan Cancer Support next year and have several questions for the hive mind before I go ahead. I've read through the MacMillan site and read the FAQs but they are surprisingly light on several details about the trek. MacMillan say they will provide you with various bits of info when you sign up to do the walk but I would like to put out feelers before I take the plunge. £295 is a third of my monthly pay cheque and it's non-refundable. I want to make sure it's something I can achieve before I go ahead.

I have several questions for the hive mind which would be better placed in alternate categories but in the interests of brevity I shall summarise here :

1) Have you ever done a desert trek? What sort of fitness regime did you instigate? Any training tips? I have between 6 to 8 months for training and don't live near any sort of sandy beaches. I do live near some monstrous hills however and will be doing lots of hillwalking with a 35-50lb rucksack.

2) Above and beyond general fitness training, is there any other training and research that would be useful? I will be reading up on the locale and basic desert survival before I go (more than just re-reading Dune in other words).

3) What sort of kit would be useful and what sort of extras would you recommend? i.e. taking a camera - additional battery packs et al. Recommendations for lightweight, low volume but high calorie foodstuffs. Emergency gear (i.e. personal survival/medical kit), boots, clothing, carrying equipment. There will be camels helping to carry supplies (i.e. food, water) but I'd like to be as self sufficient as is humanly possible to allow for all contingencies without loading myself down with tat.

4) Fundraising ideas. MacMillan obviously suggest several avenues for this and I may be able to get donation matching from my employer up to a certain amount. I still have to raise somewhere in the region of £2300 overall. Any MeFites who raise money for charity have any handy hints or suggestions? This is perhaps my weakest area, whilst I have donated on an individual basis here and there, I wouldn't have time to go shaking a charity tin around town etc.

I have to admit I was drawn to the trek initially as it ends on my birthday and in a classical "mid-life-crisis" fashion have decided that I would like to say I have actually achieved something. Whilst there is certainly an element of personal ego satisfaction involved I believe that the charity is absolutely worthwhile and the challenge something that I can achieve given preperation and determination.

For those that haven't read the link, to summarise

Location : Moroccan Sahara
Terrain : Soft sand dunes to hard stony desert and salt pans
Duration : 7 days
Distance : 100km (60 miles)
Time of Year : Feb 27th - March 7th 2010
Temperature : 0C - 30C degrees
Walking time/day : 3 - 12 hours

Any other suggestions and helpful hints gratefully received. I am a newbie to the world of charity fundraising and haven't done long distance walking for nearly a decade. I average maybe 2.5 miles a day walking at the moment and am hoping to increase this figure considerably over the next couple of months to help get more in shape.

Finally and as an afterthought - I am in the UK which may make a difference to several suggestions for kit etc.

Thanks in advance folks :)

Walk home from dinner or carry a lunch?

dbmcd — Wed, 20 May 2009 15:55:23 -0800

Okay to walk back to our hotel (Riverfront Residence Inn) from Simpatica (Portland, Or) on a Saturday night? Mr Dbmcd and I will be in Portland for our anniversary this year (again!) and I just made reservations at Simpatica for Saturday night. We won't have a car while we're there, and the bus there looks pretty straightforward - my question is: Is the walk 'safe' at night on a Saturday? We're not skeeved out by much, but may not be at our most alert after a big meal/wine, so just trying to figure out if we should take the bus back, or if the walk would be okay.
Thanks for your help.

iPhone or dedicated portable GPS?

thread_makimaki — Mon, 18 May 2009 04:03:14 -0800

I've resisted getting in iPhone so far. However, now I need a good, portable GPS and am wondering whether I should go for an iPhone, or a dedicated GPS. If the latter, which one? I've resisted getting in iPhone so far. However, now I need a good, portable GPS and am wondering whether I should go for an iPhone, or a dedicated GPS. If the latter, which one?

I am travelling a lot these days, so I want a small, compact and portable GPS that I can carry with me when I go for walks in an unfamiliar area. It should also help me navigate when I'm driving, but the portability is more important. In terms of portability the iPhone is a winner, but I have read conflicting things about how good the iPhone is as a GPS device. So, what should I go with - a dedicated device (which one?) or an iPhone? Big bonus points for something with good local maps for Europe, especially France and Switzerland.

Alternatives to Nike Free shoes

dicetumbler — Sun, 10 May 2009 10:51:26 -0800

I've been hearing a lot about the benefits of walking barefoot, and barring that, wearing shoes like the Vibram Five Fingers or Nike Frees, which aren't padded. But are there cheaper alternatives? Wouldn't the lineup of Converse All-Stars and Puma shoes, to give two examples, have the same effect? Any others?

Travel walking routes?

pintapicasso — Wed, 06 May 2009 09:45:09 -0800

What are some established walking routes for tourists around the world? I know about the Camino de Santiago and light trekking in Nepal. What are some other established walking routes for tourists around the world? Bonus points if it's a route (like the Camino) rather than a set of trails.

When to make eye contact with people on the street?

rwatson — Sun, 03 May 2009 23:17:42 -0800

When do you make eye contact with people you see on the street or on a trail? I really enjoy making eye contact with and smiling at strangers as I pass them on the street (okay, mostly women, but still). It's even better when they smile back. But I still somehow have a fear of doing this that I would like to get over, and part of it is that I don't think I am timing things right.

I usually don't make eye contact until a split-second before I pass the person. While this occasionally works (in that they will smile back), I often feel that I am being way too timid, and that I am exhibiting a lack of confidence by avoiding them until the last minute, and then suddenly looking at them might just seem weird.

On the other hand, I feel like staring at the person the whole time they are in view would be creepy. There must be a happy medium. How do I find it?

Ready ready ready- ready to run (?)

I_Love_Bananas — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 07:23:33 -0800

Help choosing a good women's walking/running shoe? After way too long recovering from injuries and losing all my conditioning, I am ready to get my show back on the road. But I need a shoe to help get me there. I don't think the $100+ running shoes I used to wear are necessary at this point since for the next 6 months or so I'll be doing more walking than running (I'd say a 70/30 split).

I used to adore New Balance 856 (now out of production) and switched up to 857 (also out of production) so suggestions are welcome. I need to accommodate custom orthotics as well, so I will have to remove whatever inner liner the shoes come with.

I have access to all the major stores as well as a fantastic specialty running store so no worries there. Thanks!!

My toe continuously keeps threatening to drop out of joint causing much distress and pain - any ideas about what's going on?

Chorus — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 11:49:53 -0800

My toe continuously keeps threatening to drop out of joint causing much distress and pain - any ideas about what's going on? Back in February while out walking, the second toe of my right foot popped right out of joint with no prior warning. After much pain and clutching with both hands, did the toe go back into joint and, while the foot was incredibly tender and sore for the rest of the day, I was up walking fine the next day and... fine also for the two months since. So I just wrote it off as one of those things.

However in the past week, foot-matters have seriously deteriorated - rapidly and out of the blue. What began as the odd niggling 'uh oh here we go again' sensation has now become quite debilitating. It's gotten to the point where if I walk for longer than 5-10 minutes, it feels as if that second toe is going to drop right out of is socket! I get a weird, heavy feeling in the toe, accompanied by a 'knot' of pain in the front/top of the foot or the occasional weakness in the inner side of my right knee. To look at it, the toe doesn't seem swollen or sticking out at a weird angle, nor is it discoloured. When I'm walking, I get the feeling that I shouldn't lift my foot too high [or the toe, you know, drop out] and also the overwhelming urge to scrunch up my toes or grab my foot to keep everything in place. If I DO scrunch my toes, I have to be very, very careful because the dislocation feels like it's going to happen again.

The real weird part is, I can walk around and manage fine if I'm just puttering about the office or house, but the other morning I couldn't complete my usual 30min walk to work and today just walking by the end of the day is making me pause and gasp every few steps, wincing at the pain and what *might* happen. But I've no numbness anywhere and after rest the foot is fine for a while.

I've finally going to the doctor in the morning, I'm just wondering if what's wrong with me will get dismissed as a mere sprain or something trivial [considering I can walk on the foot after resting for a bit and the toe itself isn't, you know, black and swollen], when honestly it feels so much worse. I know what a sprain is like and this is so removed from that. But if it was a break - since February? - I'd certainly know about it before now.

Does anybody have any experience with random dislocation and might know what it is/causes? Or what treatment is ahead of me tomorrow with the doc?

Gussy up my feet for summer.

PhoBWanKenobi — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:52:34 -0800

Are there any sandals as comfortable as Chacos but . . . well, cute? I live in Central Florida and I walk an average of 2 miles a day. Thanks to the climate here, my feet develop blisters really, really easily--most strappy sandals are a disaster, as are most flip-flops (because I get blisters between my toes, to boot). Last summer, my sister gave me a pair of her old Chacos and they were a god-send; I've yet to get a single blister in them, ever.

But they've started to get pretty smelly, and I've been lusting over the strappy leather kind of Roman-looking sandals I've been seeing a lot of this season. But, man, just looking at them makes my feet hurt.

I have a few other restrictions on shoe selection: I strongly prefer leather sandals with ankle straps and I am totally, completely incapable of walking in heels of just about any height. The Dansko Sissy linked on today's cankle question are cute, but I'm even skeptical about my ability to walk in heels that are that high. And because I'm a starving, soon-to-be-unemployed graduate student, I'd like to spend under a hundred dollars on them. In fact, the cheaper the better though, since I'll live in a comfortable pair of sandals, if they really fit the bill I'll be willing to pay a bit more than I normally would.

So how about it, hivemind? Do cute, truly comfortable leather walking sandals exist?

Step by step

MsMolly — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 19:57:42 -0800

Can anyone suggest some good multi-day hiking routes? If I had anywhere from a week to a month off of work and wanted to be able to hike all day, stay somewhere at night, then get up and keep going the next morning, where are some of the best places to go? I'd probably lean more toward routes that would have places for me to sleep and buy food from time to time like the Camino, instead of places where I needed to pack along everything I'd need to survive, but I'm open to all suggestions.

Places that would be good to hike alone and are cheap to travel to from the middle of the US are great too, but no suggestion will go unconsidered. I like the idea through-hiking more than staying in one place and doing day hikes for the sense of accomplishment inherent in being able to point to a map and say I walked from *here* to *here*.

I'm planning on walking across the country - any interesting advice, personal stories, positive feedback anyone would like to share?

horseshoecrab — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 14:12:43 -0800

I'm planning on walking across the country - any interesting advice, personal stories, positive feedback anyone would like to share? This is a personal serendipity quest. I'm not walking in the name of any particular charity or cause - but for my own enlightenment and experience. I started a photo blog to follow my progress.