Have you ever wondered...

...what it feels like to walk 17 miles? Now, for the first time, I know how it feels. And I imagine that how I feel now is how I'll feel when I'm 90 - my feet hurt, my muscles ache, and my joints creak with every move. But it was pretty cool! I have to say that I actually really enjoyed the walk, at least for the first 12 or 15 miles. Here's (roughly) the route I took:


(note that I shaved a bit of Lake Calhoun off, so I ended up with 17 miles, not 18 as the map indicates)


And surprisingly enough, I don't think I look that different between the "before" and "after" photos:



I think the best parts of the walk were:
1. Seeing a cardinal (I think I've seen at least one cardinal on every training walk I've taken so far - for those of you familiar with The Golden Compass, I think my "daemon" is a cardinal!)
2. Seeing a loon on Calhoun! (hee hee, that rhymes!)
3. Noticing the huge number of other people who were out there, similarly enjoying the chain of lakes.
4. Seeing the "Walk for Mental Health" at Harriett (if only I had known, I would have signed up and participated!)
5. The responsible bikers (and occasional roller-bladers!) who actually wore a helmet and wore it correctly (seriously, people, if you wear it hanging over the back of your head, or if you don't fasten the clasps, why bother?!?)

And the walk reinforced for me my stereotypes of the lakes:
Lake Calhoun This is the "pretty people" lake, where you go if you want to *be seen* exercising. Requirements for this lake include running shirtless (men) or in a sports bra (women).
Lake of the Isles This is the DINKs lake (i.e., double income no kids). Most people here are 20- and 30-somethings out for a nice weekend stroll, although you will also see a fair number of empty-nesters as well.
Cedar Lake This is the lake for hard-core trainers and elderly folk. Seriously, it seems like the only people who use this lake (perhaps because there's no good trail right around it) are those who live in the uber-expensive houses near by or those who are running/biking past it in order to get to the rest of the Grand Rounds.
Lake Harriett This is the "family" lake. Requirements include either a stroller or a dog -- bonus points if you have both! (Amazingly, I saw a guy riding his bike around Harriett - he had one kid in a bike seat on his handle bars, one kid in a bike seat over his rear wheel, two kids in a bike trailer behind him AND he had a dog on a leash!!)

So, in all, I'd say it was a pretty fun walk - even if I do feel 90 now. :)