These Shoes Are Made For Walking

by | April 10, 2012

These Shoes Are Made For Walking

Jeff Summers

April 10, 2012

When I bought my FitBit Ultra in early February I had no idea what kinds of chaos it would introduce into my life. I had naïvely assumed it would be a simple pedometer that would help me track how active or more to the point how inactive I actually was during my day. My goal was to use this information to help motivate me to exercise a little more.

I was not foolish enough to believe that a light would suddenly come on and I would find myself becoming some kind of gym rat that would spend every waking hour working out. If the FitBit would just remind me to not sit in front of the computer for countless hours it would be doing its job.

Instead, I find that I have become a slave of my pedometer. Every single step I take is accounted for and setting a goal of 10,000 steps a day is not a guideline as much as it has become a mandate. I have become obsessed with taking nightly walks in order to reach my goal.

Now here we are just two months later and I find that I have walked 764,181 steps, climbed 1,262 flights of stairs, and covered 372.04 miles in my journey to become healthier. To put this into perspective, since February 11, 2012 I have walked from Phoenix Arizona to Disneyland! No wonder I am tired.

Putting this kind of mileage on my feet and my shoes has taken its toll. What was once a nice pair of athletic shoes have become tattered with loose tread and tears along the side. It’s funny, I don’t remember escaping from prison and wading through the swamps and bayous to be free but from the looks of my shoes that is exactly what it appears I have done.

Obviously if I am going to continue at this pace I am either going to have to invest in a new set of shoes or call a cab because there is no way I am walking back from Disneyland to Phoenix wearing these sneakers.

I have long been a loyal Nike customer. I don’t remember the last time I bought another brand of shoe in the past two plus decades. While I have had a couple pair that I have been less than thrilled with, for the most part I have been pleased with the comfort and durability of this brand.

I went out online and began looking at new shoes. After a few hours of research I decided on a pair of Nike LunarGlide shoes. I don’t really have an ambition to go to the surface of the moon to walk but it is great to know that if I do make that trip I will be able to glide along the rocks and dust. I only hope my FitBit Ultra will be able to sync with the International Space Station so I get credit for the steps.

After ordering my shoes I will patiently wait for their delivery, currently scheduled for next week, so I can continue my nightly walks without fear of my toes hanging out the side of my shoes. Given the miles I am putting on these I may have to order a second pair just so that I have a spare. I’d hate to be stuck outside Quartzsite Arizona with a blown out sneaker walking back from Disneyland.

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Posted by Jeff Summers

Author, technologist, and baseball aficionado specializing in information technology and developing new and creative ways to interact with the world around us. My goal is to extend the boundaries of what is possible and find ways to make the world a better place while having fun.

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