Unfortunately, Monday morning’s “Welcome to the New Week” delivered some lightning strikes of low back pain as I emerged from bed. Sunday night’s goal was to walk over 20k– perhaps as far as the other side of Mobile Bay. Veteran host Kenneth Jones, who last year hosted a woman running across America, agreed to transport me back and forth to any given marker I was to reach on Hwy 90. The rude reverberations from the vertebrae changed those plans.

While the back was feeling very weak, and this type of pain (shooting, not aching) has happened before, intuitively I knew that ultimately walking at least a handful of miles would actually do me well. I did some very helpful stretches over the course of a couple of hours and deemed myself ready enough to return to the road. My back was feeling a bit fragile, but I was simply going to not push beyond any reasonable level, and ideally make it through downtown to the waters of Mobile Bay.

Following Kenneth’s advice, I walked through historic Government Street’s live oaks and antebellum mansions into downtown.
Downtown Mobile was a place I wished I could spend more time. Pretty place. Good vibe. Some of the architecture reminds one of NOLA’s French Quarter.
I reached the waterfront an hour before dusk. Peaceful fisherman were everywhere, and very active pelicans were cruising the waters just beyond them. Large naval ships were being finished on the other side of the water.

Despite awakening with the pains, the day’s 10k walk truly helped me. I think some stress I’ve recently experienced was directly related to the pain, and walking not only got my muscles moving, it got my mind moving forward in the right direction as well, ready to power myself beyond the internal challenges facing me amid the miles…

Onward!

Forward!

Walking through downtown Mobile en route to the Waterfront