I walk a lot, and apparently I live in a ‘walker’s paradise’ with a 97% walkable rating on Walk Score.
I went for a long, long walk one morning a couple of Saturdays ago.
I was gone for four inspiring hours and covered a little over thirteen miles.
I walked along the water from Vancouver’s West End to Jericho Beach

I recently attended a talk on creating walkable and bikeable communities with a group of passionate and intelligent folks.
I don’t really consider myself passionate or intelligent when it comes to these (new) healthy lifestyle communities.
I do have a simple theory that people who live within beautiful landscapes walk more.
Now, I don’t have science backing me on this but I’m willing to bet my tattered sneakers that beautiful environments equals more time walking or biking.

Here are a ‘few’ pictures from my walk… enjoy!

The Erickson was named for its architect; Arthur Erickson
It was the perfect morning for a walk, the sun was out and everyone was in a pleasant mood.
Lots of relaxing activities on the seawall, not unusual for a sunny Saturday afternoon

There was a special water display that morning in Yaletown, it’s one of the city’s Dedicated Fire Protection System .

The Stop – Charleson Park, False Creek

Kites on Vanier Park, volley on Kits Beach and the busy Burrard Inlet.

Kits pool and the city.

I didn’t have the heart to post these pictures when the weather was crappy.
It’s not as depressing now that we have comparable weather.

The Old Hastings Mill Store was built in 1865, and moved by barge to it’s present location in Point Grey in the ‘30s.
It’s now a museum. I’ve passed by so many times and keep promising myself I’d visit.

Sunny days are here!

I cheated and took the Burrard Bridge back downtown instead taking the seawall through False Creek.
Got home sooner to enjoy the rest of my Saturday.
Click here to play my walk, you know… just in case the pictures didn’t do it for you
Or you need proof that I did indeed walk thirteen miles.

I’m sore and tired from the past two days’ workout, apparently I’m more out of shape than I thought.
Here, let’s take a look at some fit and healthy looking people doing fit and healthy looking things.

I went for a run today!
I think I’d mentioned before that I hadn’t ran since October of 2009,
I checked my running stats and it looks like it’s been more than a year; that run in October was a fluke.
It was one of those acts of desperation that was never to be repeated.

Mon 7 Jun 10 – Evening Run

I started out this evening a little guarded, I felt strange, putting one foot in front of the other, trying to pick up the pace.
It was almost as if I was embarking on a strange ritual.

In the beginning all I could think of was how much I wanted to stop, turn around and go back home.
I felt extremely tired, out of shape and couldn’t think through my laboured breathing.
‘I can’t believe I use to do this nearly every day, and at some point deluded myself into thinking that I actually enjoyed it’
I thought to myself.
I managed to keep going, dragging and toiling through it, it felt like I’d been at it for hours, but it had been just a few minutes.
After a while, I must have gotten used to the torturous feeling because I decided it wasn’t that bad, that maybe I could do this after all.

There’s something about running that I’d missed… that feeling of being alone… with my thoughts.
I’m a loner, and running gives me that loneliness I crave without the weirdness of the feeling of wanting to be alone.
I didn’t have any music or podcasts, it was just me breathing.
By mid-run, I’d settled into a comfortable pace, I didn’t mind that I was moving or the exertion.
There was a melodic rhythm to my pace.
It felt nice, in a way exercises could only feel.
Two and the half miles in, I decided to turn back, the run back was much easier and relaxed.
I was settled, almost back into the swing of things, albeit very slowly.

Outfit Details – Jacket – Aritzia (Kit for Cloth), Striped Shirt – Banana Republic, Pants – Baia (The Bay), Shoes – Nine West

I think a lot when I’m running; I’d sort of forgotten about that, I decided not to let tomorrow into my thoughts.
I’m taking this one day at a time, I ran five miles today and that’s all that matters.
Maybe I’ll run another five miles tomorrow, maybe I’ll run seven miles, and maybe it’ll rain tomorrow.

Oh these old glasses…
These were the first prescription glasses I wore.
The prescriptions may have changed a few times but these frames were my very first.
I got them about eleven years ago, and as I recall they were quite expensive.
They were probably the most expensive thing I purchased with my own money then – and it made me miss my dad for a second.

I’m one of those people who found out I needed corrective lenses by accident; I always thought I had 20/20 vision.
I went in for a routine exam and was shocked to discover I couldn’t see that well after all.
Things seemed so much clearer after I got my glasses, and I mean that figuratively too.

Suddenly, buildings, signs, landscapes, people all seemed clearer, crisper –
the scary part was these things looked fine to me back when I didn’t know I had poor eyesight.
The guy didn’t look anything like the guy I thought I was in love with, it really blew my mind and things were never the same again.
I recently read a story about the child who gets glasses for the first time; sees a tree and goes“So that’s what they look like”

Outfit Details: Grey Dress – Old Navy (I’ve had it since 2006), Tights – Hue, Rain boots – Benetton, Necklace – My grandma, Eyeglasses – Donna Karan

In other unrelated news, I’m debating running a half-marathon in June.
I seem to go through this every year…
I went to Eat! Vancouver and EPIC Expo over the weekend.
Can I just say re: Eat! Vancouver that the new convention centre is probably not the right location for this type of event.

The folks from Run to End Poverty were at EPIC, which got me thinking that maybe, just maybe… I could run the Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon

Maybe if I took the next few weeks to train.
I’m giving myself until tomorrow to decide, it’ll be tough, training wouldn’t be easy; I haven’t ran (properly) since last October.
It’ll be a challenge, and maybe that’s just the challenge I need to start getting fit again.
We’ll see.

Did I mention that I’m back at yoga again?

No? Well, I am – I’m actively practising yoga yet again.

I checked out and signed up at a new studio a couple of weeks ago.

This studio is closer and offers a wider range of classes.

The facilities are rather plush; it has a sauna, café, boutique and a lounge with wifi.

I quite enjoy going, although I can’t say I’ve mastered the Chaturanga yet.

Ironically, it’s my mom who led me back to yoga.

For years I’ve been trying to get her to try it.

After her mastectomy she was taught a few poses, and encouraged to join a yoga class for breast cancer survivors.

She did the poses but didn’t join the class.

A few months ago she finally tried a class at the seniors’ centre.

She raved and raved about the class and how good she felt afterwards.

She hooked and hasn’t missed a class since.

Ahhh… this skirt! I call it my yoga skirt, it’s flattering and floaty.

The pattern mixing here is totally zen.

It’s one my most comfortable and fun skirts, I like that I can dress it up for work.

The patterns at the bottom look like Hindu symbols, which reminds me to do yoga.

I got it at a little shop on Commercial Drive – the kind that sells hippie bohemian fashions and burns incense.

The skirt is from the Canadian brand Groggy, and the pattern tights are from Hue, boots are Nine West.

The shirt is from Uniqlo and the wine vest is from Jacob.