virtual hike starts 6/3

[Bobbinyc]

I'm starting a virtual hike of the Florida Keys tomorrow, June 3.  That way, instead of just saying I took 10,000 steps, I can say "I made it to Key West!)  I thought I'd start with the shortest trail.

Join me and let's post our progress and encourage each other!

http://www.walking4fun.com/trails/florida-keys-overseas-heritage-trail/

[Joy_]

You are very welcome Bobbi. It's a fun trail though like you said, some of the scenery can be um, uninspiring. I've driven this route and the color of the water off the bridges is breathtaking!

[Joy_]

Hi Paperclip. I'm having problems with a muscle in my calf. The whole problem is related to my mechanics of walking. I'm waiting for orthotics to arrive and they are taking forever. PT is helping a lot and she's given me stretching exercises that really help. I definitely feel a difference since I started so maybe PT would help you. My husband had Plantsr Facitis, I'm sure that's spelled incorrectly, and he used a special type of sock at night. It helped him a lot. Good luck with your injuries!

[paperclip]

Thanks, Joy!  I'll definitely have to consider some of the items you mention.  I hope those orthotics arrive soon so you can start your mending! 

[Bobbinyc]

Paperclip...sorry to hear about your Plantar Fascia problem. the foot injury I referred to was a torn PF as well as a torn achilles tendon. It happened Nov. 2013 and I was only able to wear clogs (no back) until Feb 2015! Do not walk on it if it hurts. I was told that means you are irritating and inflaming it which prevents it from healing. I saw several orthopedic docs and had a lot of physical therapy. They didnt think surgery would work so I had to tough it out. A big part for me was injuring both tendons so badly. Yours should heal much faster but you haveto help it. I definitely recommend a doc who specializes in it. They may be able to give you a boot or sock to help it at night while you sleep. Also, there are very gentle exercises that you can do that stretch and strengthen it, but you need a physical therapist to help with that. I had to learn when to ice it, when to warm it, sometimes soaked it in epsom salts. I tried a lot of different inserts in my clogs that I now wear in sneakers. If I put on regular shoes thAt do not have the right balance of support and softness, my feet hurt, but I am usually very careful. I even took my special sneakers to a wedding! I only stopped limping and have begun walking since Feb. Got the fitbit to help me with a regimen to get my feet stronger. I also changed how i ate, after noticing that not being able to move around led to a 30 pound weight gain! I was told that my new eating plan was helping it heal faster. I hope this helps. Good luck with it.

[Bobbinyc]

Joy, I'm glad your calf is getting better. I was told that part of my foot injury was related to my leg muscles being too tight. In physical therapy I had to work on every thing - stretching and strengthening- through my entire leg. I started yoga and pilates and they help a lot too. it's great that you can walk so much. i can't wait until I can do more regularly.

[Mermaid3011]

Hi everyone! Just checking in! I had a good weekend with 10k steps on Sat and 8787 steps on Sunday. this brings me to 40 miles on the Camino trail which is 7 % 🙂 a long way to go!! Have a great week everyone!!!

[Bobbinyc]

Mermaid - great job!

[Chananigans]

Woohoo! Officially made it to the halfway point! Joy is 4.4 miles ahead of me, so I still have quite a ways to go. 

[Bobbinyc]

Great job, Chananigans!  Good for you.

[Chananigans]

Thanks Bobbi! Hoping I can get a bit more done today. 57% of the way there!

[paperclip]

Thanks so much for the tips, Bobbinyc!  Hope you're still on the road to mending as well!  I see you're still managing our trail - good for you!  All of you have great advice...thanks!

[Mermaid3011]

HALFWAY?! OMG You are a machine!! 

I got just about 9k steps yesterday which brought me to section no 4 of 37 on the Camino Trail. Right now I am walking from Pamplona in Spain to Puente la Reina. 9% in the landscape is getting drier and less green. A lot of yellow grass, beige stone, and less shade than in the beginning. 

Walk on everyone!!

[Bobbinyc]

Vanessa - how is your foot feeling?  You are very impressive with your steps in spite of it.

[Raviv]

Okay, just saw this and, since it's already the 19th, I signed up for the Tahoe Rim Trail.  I might join you guys on the next hike, though.

Really cool idea!

[paperclip]

Hey Bobbinyc!  Thanks for checking on me...unfortunately, my foot kills!  LOL  I really don't have an offical diagnosis (yes, I know I should see a professional - bad habit #33: procrastination).

In true answer to your question, my foot has good days and bad days.  I find it's at its worst when I walk on concrete or other hard surfaces.  The reason you see me chalking up the steps is because I've found a way around the pain. 

I've discovered that, when I walk in place on soft carpet, my foot is fine.  Here's my theory...

When I'm walking at work, with the dog, anything that is normal walking - my weight lands directly on my heel.  It kills!  But when I'm doing my exercise walks at home on soft surface (i.e. carpet) my weight lands on the ball of my foot and very little impact to my heel.  I walk for over 1/2 hour at a time at full speed and energy with little-to-no discomfort. 

I've determined I'll keep doing this until I reach a day/weight where my foot isn't in pain doing it outdoors on hard surfaces.  At first I was concerned that marching/jogging in place or in the house wasn't truly exercise but the sweat and fatigue I feel at the end of an exercise program, well, it certainly feels like exercise to me LOL

I hope all is well on your end.  I have no doubt we'll see each other on that trail someday!  🙂

[Joy_]

Hi everyone! Sounds like many of us are hobbling along, me included. Paper clip, sounds painful. I wonder what's doing with your heel to make you feel like that. Hope it gets better.

Today is the first day that I haven't walked in three months. My calves are very achy and my PT taped me up. I'm itching to walk and already planning to get out early tomorrow. Hopefully my aches ease up. One step at a time!

[LadyLinda]

@Bobbinycwow this is very funky!!! Thanks for sharing!! I need to try it one of these days!

[Joy_]

Hi everyone! Bobbi, your foot problem sounds very scary and very painful. I think I'm experiencing some of what you have gone through.

I walked down a large hill on Thursday and my calves were aching yesterday along with the Achilles on my other foot. My PT has been using that Graston method. I've watched her doing it on men and they say it doesn't hurt and they don't flinch. On me it kills. So yesterday, because I was in pain, she only massaged my legs and I did light stretches. She also taped me. I came home and put heat on the calf and cold on the Achilles. By evening I felt amazingly good but boy was I a crank.

So remember I said I didn't walk? That changed at around 7 at night. I decided to take a very slow walk. After walking my stats showed that I only stayed in the Fat Burning zone. Thank you Fitbit for providing data feedback like that. I walked slowly for an hour and came home to ice/heat again. It felt great.

I started thinking also about our next walk. Let's start looking at trails and suggest ones that you'd enjoy walking on. We should also decide if we want to all wait until everyone is done to start the new trail, or move on to the next trail before everyone is done. Any thoughts on this? Have a great weekend everyone!

[Joy_]

Hi Mermaid! Hope this weekend goes as well as last did for you! It is drizzly-rainy here. I'm so glad i got my walk in the morning. It felt as though I was walking by the sea.

[Mermaid3011]

Good morning everyone! I finally figured out how to add myself to the group on walking4fun! 🙂
I have your back guys! LOL