Just as a little addendum to yesterday’s post, I had to go out yesterday and, when the bus drpped me back, I set the stopwatch and it took me 9½ minutes from the bus stop to home. I realise that won’t mean much to people who haven’t a clue where my bus stop is in relation to the house, but it means something to me. It is 0.3 miles away, according to Google, about 0.5km. Also according to Google, it projects a walking time of 7 minutes.
From the days when I started getting out and getting the bus, I’ve always allowed 20 minutes for the journey, so presumably at one stage it would have taken 15 minutes or so to make that walk.
Yesterday, I actually timed the walk at 9½ minutes. So, I think that makes me about 2/3 as fast as when I was healthy, give or take. They assume a speed of 3mph.
Mister Bump 
Reblogged this on Stroke Survivor and commented:
I know that Friday is my flashback day but, just this once, please indulge me because this is directly related to my stroke. It will benefit me to look back on this post, even if it is of limited value to anybody else.
I measure how fast I am walking every now and again, and yesterday was the day. I put my stopwatch on, to measure my walk home from the bus stop. Anal, I know, but I’d like to see how I’m doing. I compare myself to Google’s estimate, as you can see in the post below, from about eighteen months ago.
When I was in hospital, exactly four years ago, I could not walk, period. I needed people to help me get to the toilet, even. I managed to take a few steps while I was in there, and as I left hospital I could maybe walk about five yards. I managed to get them to send a manual wheelchair, for longer distances. I don’t wish to make a political point but it was a battle just to get the chair in the first place, even as a loan. Plus I didn’t even want this thing, it was a lot off faff to take anywhere, not least I wanted to be walking again. So I started from there when I came home. It took me a year before I could even make the distance I’m talking about here (a third of a mile, maybe half a km).
My numbers:
My holy grail? That I can be as fast as, or faster than, Google. I was a lot lighter and fitter, and would have been a fast walker before the stroke, but you never think to measure how quickly you walk, do you? So while one day I’d like to be as quick as I used to be, I’ll settle for keeping up with Google.
One thing I still don’t have is the stamina to walk a long distance, so going forward maybe I need to time myself not just walking a third of a mile, but maybe a mile at a time? But I’ll maybe wait until summertime to do that!
Still, at least these numbers are going in the right direction. This would have been totally anal a few years ago, but I can’t stress how important it is for me to have goals, how important it is to be able to measure progress. If I didn’t do things like this, I’d see no improvement at all.
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Great post P. Love the pic too – it looks lovely where you are 🙂 Delighted to hear you’re walking is getting better and you’ve put me to shame. I know I need to be out there doing more walking and I keep putting off ’til the better weather 😦
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I promised myself I would walk when the better weather arrived, but I never did. Not regularly, anyway. Just because I needed to get up to speed with work again, too, which was computer-based. But keep chipping away – it always seems a bugger but we do get better.
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Right, that’s it. You’ve motivated me. I’ve already been out to the local shops – with help so I’m going to do it maybe every other day to start 🙂
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….and going to the shops is good because you can buy yourself a treat when you get there 🙂. Seriously, though, I do that a bit, not always but probably more than I should. Yesterday it was cookies, though I only actually ate a couple. M&S do really nice ones, but the packets are small, which is good.
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Oh the shops — the goodies — I get that. However, I’d have to get a train or go in the car to our nearest M&S. I made a huge plant food (nuts, raisins, cranberries, coconut…….) chocolate bar (slab) the other day and we’re still eating it. A bit every day 🙂
Now I’ll have to do some walking. I’m off to the local shop to get some fresh bread — and Lurpak. See, that’s my treat – butter 🙂
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See, I think of the bread, and that’s the treat! I avoid white bread altogether but croissants are my treat, for breakfast once or twice a week. It’s probably just as well that M&S is so far away – for us both! I walk past there when I’ve done my weekly Age UK gig, so if I have time… Today, though, the cupboard is bare.
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