April 28 is National Walk@Lunch Day. I could have sworn it was today.
I had the lunch shift down at the rickshaw plant and I knew right off I was in trouble. All along downtown Raleigh’s Fayetteville Street, along key side streets, and on up to the state government complex all I could see was a sea of white — white walking shoes, that is.
Today’s post is late, thanks to the April issue of Outside magazine.
Years ago, Outside was an adventure magazine. Columnists such as Tim Cahill and Mark Jenkins wrote about personal experiences ranging from platypus hunting (Cahill) to losing a climbing buddy (Jenkins). Each issue took you to the far ends of the planet, places those of us who fancied ourselves as adventurous knew we would likely only visit through the pages of Outside. Over the past few years, though, Outside has drifted from its roots, becoming more of a “lifestyle” magazine. “Lifestyle” meaning the magazine’s focus shifted from gutty adventure to glitzy gear and pricey destinations.
As I was looking over the registration for the Mountains-to-Sea Trail 12-Mile Challenge, I noticed this line wedged between “Camping Options” and “Be Aware”:
“Montrail will provide shoes for you to wear test!”
I’ve heard of getting a T-shirt, a water bottle or a hat at a race. But a loaner pair of shoes? Used shoes: Isn’t that a bowling thing?
Sunday, I was running the bike and bridle trail at Umstead when I came upon a sizable obstacle: a phalanx of hikers bearing backpacks spanned the width of the trail, spilling over onto the shoulders. The trail is quiet generous, a converted fire road that should be capable of handling boatloads of trail users without conflict. Provided those trail users are cognizant of other trails. Which brings us to today’s topic:
Tuesday morning I was at a Brains & Bodies workshop conducted by Advocates for Health in Action, a consortium of local public and private sector groups “shaping a community where healthful eating and physical activity are the way of life.” Brains & Bodies is a program of the Wake County PTA designed to encourage healthy habits in our schools. Healthy habits such as PTA fundraisers that eschew cookie dough sales in favor of fun runs. That kind of thing.