Recent articles and photos on The Walker's View reflect my exploration of the world of racewalking.  At elite levels, racewalking is a sophisticated, specialized sport - quite different from casual walking for health.

In August, veteran coach Tom Eastler favored me with a lesson (link here).  I have been watching video (link here), reading books (link here), training daily, and picking up tips where I could.  It hasn't been easy to convert my leg muscles to the rules of this track & field sport.

Apparently, after my years of distance hiking, my legs don't fully straighten out.  Straightening my leg hyper-extends the knee causing both discomfort and injury.  Apparently some people can easily straighten their legs past 180 degrees, so their "slightly bent" knee is still straighter than my hyper-extended knee.

My wife and I dream about owning some land in Maine.  We went to one place on a hill to admire the view.  Trees had been felled all around.

I stood on a little bare spot, waiting for my wife Tricia and our two dogs, Rocky and Serena to join me.  As I looked at the view, I reflexively swatted the back of my head.  "Boy, that's a pesky horsefly!" I commented.

An instant later I bolted and  we all ran fast as we could, through and over the timber slash.  Just when we had created some separation and started walking, the bees continued to pursue us.  That's when Tricia got bitten on the forearm, and another got to my inner thigh through dungaree pants.

The style of no-style. No rules.

Just try to walk continuously for 45 minutes or more daily. Have fun - explore the world on foot.

Make walking a gift to yourself that you accept happily.

There are no requirements for style. Just do what comes naturally. Cover up if you're cold. Warm your hands under your arms or in your pockets if you like. Bring mittens another time.

Slow down if you must, and speed up if you want to. In other words, adapt to the landscape easily, casually, and without tension.

All the challenges you face, the discomforts... the obstacles... can be taken in stride when you listen to your body and the world around you.

Maintain the idea of continual movement, steady effort, or finding a rhythm. But there are no requirements for how far you must go.

If it pleases you to walk the same route at the same time at the same pace daily, then do so! If you like to walk with a friend, a dog, or in a group, then do so!

Keep in mind a couple ingredients of success when unexpected or disruptive events occur - commitment and habit.

Suppose your friend doesn't show, or your dog must go to the vet, or your appointment with walking may get broken. At this time the force of habit kicks in.

Your body misses the exercise because the habit has become natural as breathing.

My inspiration for wellness grew partly from the experience of distance hiking.

It came like a gift in the solitude of walking alone for weeks on end. The inspiration came not in words, but as a feeling.

The key to stretching my food supplies was to ease into the day's walk gradually. Walking before breakfast provided a good warm-up and got the blood flowing. As the body began radiating heat, muscles became more supple, elastic, and adaptable.