Posts Tagged ‘park’
Out of Hibernation
I’ve been struggling with my weight over the last few years so, after turning 40 last year and a wakeup call from my doctor, I’ve decided to take charge. Knowing how beneficial barefoot running has proven to be, I thought I ought to give it a try myself. Of course, I’m no runner and I’m overweight, so I need to be sensible about the whole thing and start from the beginning: walking – power walking, that is.
Last week, I approached fellow barefooter Ryan Graham to get some pointers and he gave me some sound advice and info on how to get started. I got out for my first power walk last Wednesday and it really felt good! I’ve been getting out every second day since and I’m hoping to get out there on a daily basis, starting next week.
Is the Newest Barefooter in Town a Media Writer?
Yesterday morning, I had an interesting and rewarding meeting with Canada’s Sun Media Corporation feature writer Thane Burnett. In the past 10 years or so, I have been interviewed by numerous reporters but I must admit interviewing with Thane was by far one of the most refreshing experiences of this kind in recent months.
When Thane contacted me to propose the article, he explained he wanted to do a cross-media piece focused on the urban barefooting experience here in the city; which would potentially include writing and video reporting for the different Sun Media publications which includes the Sun family of newspapers, Canoe.com and perhaps Sun TV. Needless to say, both the focus of the story, as well as the potential wide reach, got my attention.
Encounter with a Barefoot Runner
As many of you know, I’m no runner (barefoot or otherwise). I’ve been actually struggling with my fitness level since I gained substantial weight after starting my career as a graphic designer in my late 20′s – my lifestyle became increasingly sedentary as I got a job that kept me sitting at my computer most of the day…
Despite my ever-going admiration for barefoot runners, I have never seem to be able to get into it. The excuses are numerable: ranging from lack of time to the fact that I’ve never been a runner in the past… The closest I get to it these days is my “power walks”; which consist in 3 to 4 laps around the park near by my house(about 4 to 4.5km on average) 3 times a week or so.
So it happens that this week I have minimized my power walking because I messed up an old sprained ankle last week by using my elliptical trainer, which I have now determined it’s not appropriate for my height, late last week. Last night, however, I decided to go for an easy walk to the park to start getting myself back on track. I started slowly as hard surfaces like concrete are still irritating to my right ankle and parts of my foot arch. Once warmed up, I managed to get to a relatively good pace and I decided I to try to complete 3 laps around the park perimeter. So far so good!
Taylor Creek Park
This is one of my favourite spots in Toronto for barefooting. I go along these biking/walking paths almost every day during the warm months and really enjoy the scenery and the amazing surfaces along the creek.
It really amazes me that a metropolis like Toronto can have so much green space available. We’re really blessed with the Don Valley and its park areas running from north to south right along the city.
Barefoot Moe
barefootcanada.ca/toronto
