walking

Year of the Knee — update 2

~ MaryG ~ 18 Comments

My husband is just about 8 weeks post-op from his second total knee replacement (and it has been a real bitch of a recovery), BUT I am pleased to report he walked the first mile of my walk with me yesterday without too much pain. That was the first time he’s walked a mile since last summer. He had walked a half-mile with me on Wednesday and it was OK, but he went faster and it felt better yesterday.

He’s still got swelling and using ice a lot, but now he can take Advil or Aleve which was not allowed for the first 6+ weeks. He still needs Oxy some, but not as much. Weed gummies for pain relief and sleep have helped. Yay cannabis.

I can feel a battle brewing between us over footwear. I’m a walker—usually 2-4 miles per day. Even though I never ever break into a run, I wear running shoes. I’ve been purchasing a new pair of ASICS-Gel Cumulus sneakers ever year for the past ten years, ever since my doctor told me I needed to replace my shoes more often.

This is my latest pair.

They are comfortable and in my opinion, COOL. Right? Both of my kids said they liked them, unprompted. Well, my husband hates shoes like this. He thinks they are dorky. He always wears black VANS, which in my opinion are too flat and not cushiony enough for walking with his new knees. I want him to get shoes like mine, but he thinks he’s too cool to wear dorky running shoes. I’m hoping the physical therapist comes out on my side.

Here we are in Yellowstone National Park in 2024 (pre knee replacements) in our usual footwear—me in ASICS, him in VANS. He thinks he looks way cooler than me, based on the shoes.

The indignity of falling

~ MaryG ~ 17 Comments

I was determined to close all three rings on my Apple Watch yesterday, so I went out for a walk in the rain. I wore a baseball hat and a large LL Bean raincoat with the hood up. My peripheral vision may have been slightly impaired.

I was listening to music from my phone in my pocket, when I briefly looked at my watch to see how far I’d walked. I must have stepped on a piece of loose asphalt and turned my ankle.

I went down. All the way down. I landed on my left side and caught myself with both wrists. I was briefly laying on my side in the wet street (a quiet cul de sac).

My watch started beeping and tapping my wrist telling me that I’d fallen and asking if it should call for help. That part was actually nice. Someone cared! But I didn’t think anything was broken, so I hit the little X to decline.

What the fuck ankle! You can’t handle stepping on a little bump?? (This ankle has let me down before.) How many times have I implored my mother and others “watch your step, don’t fall”? Falling is the worst. It’s sudden. It’s stupid. You weren’t watching. Dumb.

A few days ago I voluntarily got down on the ground to take this photo of a mushroom along the side of the rail trail where I typically walk, which has no loose asphalt.

Rail Trail A**holes

~ MaryG ~ 16 Comments

Name your top three pet peeves.

  1. Cyclists on the rail trail who don’t yield to pedestrians. They like to “thread the needle” through two pedestrians (or groups of pedestrians) walking in opposite directions, coming within inches of the walkers. Just wait until it’s safe to pass, jerk!
  2. E-bikes on the (very flat) rail trail moving at top speed. Technically e-bikes are considered “non-motorized” vehicles, so they’re allowed, but they can go very fast and seem dangerous. Typically, the people choosing to use all the power their e-bikes have to offer are quite fat and should really be pedaling (in my opinion).
  3. Anyone on the rail trail in MAGA gear. Honestly, just fuck off. This is Massachusetts.

How’s that? Angry enough for a Tuesday? Thanks WordPress. You finally let me answer the Daily Prompt and now I’m mad! 😡

Street scenes

~ MaryG ~ 2 Comments

What are your favorite physical activities or exercises?

This is similar to a recent prompt. Of the big three (walking, swimming, biking), walking is the easiest—no helmet or bathing suit required.

It’s really fun to walk around a new city, or a neighborhood you’ve never been to before in your own city. I had no problem closing my Apple Watch rings in Paris. (Yes, more Paris, sorry. I don’t travel that much, so this trip was a big deal.) Here are some street scenes from our walks around Paris.

Fruit vendor on Rue Cler
Le Marais – the 4th arrondissement – showing its pride 🌈
The Big Wheel on Place de la Concorde with Christmas Market in foreground
Street art in the Marais
View of Pont Alexandre III and the Grand Palais from Les Invalides
Rue Montorgueil at night
Louis XIV statue at Versailles: you can build yourself the grandest palace in Europe, but it won’t stop a seagull from sitting on your head!
The famous “Centaur” by the sculptor César (an ode to Picasso) with traffic cone embellishment 😂
First glimpse of the dome of Les Invalides from the Army Museum courtyard
The grand gate at the Palais de Justice on the Île de la Cité (the historic island in the River Seine)
On the bridge to the Île de la Cité (the Seine looking greenish that day)
On Rue Cler – the cutest little Paris street

Related post:

Street photographer

Walk, Don’t Run

~ MaryG ~ 5 Comments
Daily writing prompt
How often do you walk or run?
View all responses

I never run anymore, unless I really need to. Late for a plane, caught in the rain, small child fell into a pool, etc.

I try to close the green exercise ring on my Apple Watch every day and the easiest way to do it is to go for a 30+ minute walk. I usually go about two miles around the neighborhood and it takes 40 minutes or so.

My walks are weather-dependent. I don’t walk in rain. During Covid, I bought a full snow suit so I couldn’t use cold as an excuse not to walk.

Me in my winter walking “track suit” – purchased that first Covid winter