Shoulder Safety

February 28, 2013

     While my friends and my parents--my two most avid cheerleaders--have all been extremely supportive and encouraging of my weight loss work, in the last year almost all of them have expressed concern at some point about the fact that I'm walking on a busy, four-lane highway.  I do understand their anxiety, and I'm not blind to the possible dangers.  One day last September a flat-bed semi blew one of its re-treads all over the north bound lanes while I watched from the south bound side of the highway.  Fifteen minutes earlier, I had been walking on that very spot.  Thinking about those possibilities, and other physical exercise issues, I decided to say something about shoulder walking safety.  I guess this is my disclaimer.
     First, and most importantly, I have no credentials, not in medicine or in physical training.  I'm not making any recommendations about anything because I don't know anything.  Any practices I talk about have grown out of my own ignorance and what seems right for me and shouldn't be construed as a suggestion or advice.  Second, the purpose of this blog is not to promote walking on the shoulders of highways.  Frankly, my family and friends are probably right in thinking that it's not the best idea.  I appreciate their concerns, but I do take a lot of safety precautions.  I never walk in inclement weather or when visibility is low, and I wear brightly colored clothing.  I always walk toward the traffic--although, in the interest of full disclosure, I will admit that, when I first started walking and hadn't developed enough stamina to do the full loop, I would retrace my steps back to the start which meant walking with my back to the traffic.  I was never comfortable in that situation, and I think that discomfort motivated me to keep pushing on to make the full loop as quickly as I could.
     I know that walking facing the traffic doesn't mean that I will be able to leap away from an out of control car, but I always watch to see if the oncoming drivers are paying attention to me.  On my route I walk close to the far edge of the Highway 30 shoulder which is wide and well-maintained.  The rumble strip at the edge of the highway pavement alerts drivers when they begin to drift which is fortunate because it probably won't surprise anyone how frequently I see drivers holding their cells at the top of their steering wheels as they attempt to text and drive, and, not surprisingly, drift around their lane of traffic.  Actually, it can be entertaining to watch what the drivers are doing.  There's a lot of eating, drinking, singing, laughing, arguing, and kissing going on in cars speeding down the highway.  Who would have thought the interiors of our moving automobiles were such a hotbed of activity?
     Assuming drivers are going to do what they're suppose to do is dangerous, so, even when the signal lights which mark each end of my loop are in my favor, I wait until the traffic has come to a stop before I step off the curb to cross those four lanes of highway.  At first I experienced some real fear about those two times I cross the road on my daily shoulder stroll.  There's a pulse-fluttering moment of vulnerability when stepping over that white line onto the pavement where pedestrians don't really belong.  Early on, after checking that I couldn't see any cars for nearly a mile, heart in throat, I scampered fearfully across the lanes as though some phantom semi would suddenly materialize and mow me down.  As I've grown physically stronger, however, I've developed a certain confidence that keeps my overactive imagination and fearful negativity in check.  Crossing the highway more easily now, I'm also more willing to take on new challenges like performing in public, sharing my creative compositions, and even, terror of terrors, going on blind dates! Yikes!
     I do listen to music as I walk--more about my playlist in a later blog--but, when I walk on my two-way, subdivision street, I always remove one ear bud, so I can hear the traffic coming up behind me.  Although the majority of my neighbors sweetly wave at me or even call out encouragement when I'm walking in our neighborhood, that small street is, ironically, where I've felt the most uncomfortable; not everyone slows down or gives me a wide berth.
     As for dealing with the actual physical exertion of doing the walk, I don't have too many guidelines.  I don't carry water with me.  My five-mile trip takes an average of 75 to 80 minutes--I'm not setting any land speed records.  That amount of time seems short enough to go without a water bottle even in the early morning hours of July and August.  I do chew gum to keep my mouth moist.  I drink water regularly each day, but not immediately before I walk.  I can't be stuck halfway through my routine and need to use the bathroom.  I always use sun block and wear sunglasses, not just for the glare, but in case grit from the highway flies in my face.  I invested in a good pair of walking shoes and some wool socks which I have to replace soon.  It makes me grin to think that I've literally worn out a pair of athletic shoes--me!
     The concerns of family and friends not withstanding, I'm being pretty careful, and my walk is the highlight of my day.  Okay, end of disclaimer.  More posts to come.