A new high for me on this trip. For those wondering about my shoes, here they are. I wore through my first pair just before I got to Minneapolis, so Mom brought these with her when she flew out (I left a couple of extra pairs with my parents before I started the trip). I also have an older backup pair I've been wearing occasionally.
Day 76
Yesterday: 30 miles!
June 10th, 2010
THEY LOOK LIKE GOOD SHOES. I HOPE YOU GET A LOT OF MILES OUT OF THEM. WOW 30 MILES IN ONE DAY.
they look comfy… well as comfy as a hiking boot can look
Do you occasionally stroll about in flip flops? I would imagine your feet might appreciate the open air every now and again. I know they are not meant to walk miles in, but an occasional stroll would be nice. I practically live in them :)
I was thinking flip flops would be nice every now and then too!
yes flip flops and stay clear of those pop tops….
I guess nice trails made for easy walking. Congratulations! By the way, have you ever heard of “Running the Sahara?” http://www.runningthesahara.com/ These 3 guys run 4300 miles across the Sahara desert. It’s a great documentary, really interesting. (Of course they had a whole team of people behind them, literally, who followed in trucks and set up their camps each night). Walk on Matt! I’m cheering you on in Austn, Texas!!!
Why not tennis shoes?
Matt, I know this is kind of a stupid question, but do your feet hurt very bad after you’ve walked so far?
Brother…30 Miles..fist pump to you. I mean it looked a little gray and possibly cool yesterday (armchair weatherman based on your photo’s only) so if any day to log miles that would do. I was only kidding when I refered to you as the energizer bunny…..but for 30 miles..you have to keep going and going…and going.
Thanks for shoe shot. I too was wondering. Congradulations on the achievement.
Good job Matt! I’ve started walking again, training my muscles for Yosemite in 3 weeks, and 3 miles about kills me. 30! Wow!
You rock!!! I am having so much fun traveling the midwest with you( even though I live in WI). I wish you would have come up a little further than LaCrosse- maybe Hudson area-I would have met you and given you some snacks as well. What a wonderful trip you are taking. Man! I am so envious. However, your walk and experience, among other factors, have led me to sign up for my very first Full Marathon this fall in Ashland WI. I have run smaller races, and have run a half, but never a full- and I figure, you walk that much in a day, I can do it too( but, I must finish in under 6 hours, my goal, 4.5).
Keep on truckn’!!!
From one of your videos, it’s clear that you walk at a fast clip, but thirty miles in one day is a lot, to say the least. How many hours did you walk?
More importantly, what are you eating/drinking/doing to be able to walk this much, and could you somehow bottle it for the rest of us?
Hmmm, perhaps you came to Earth in a spaceship, were adopted by a kind couple, and get your power from our yellow sun?
Those actually look very comfy – I think you’ve sold me on a pair! I am sure you did not set off on this journey with the intention of becoming an inspiration to others but it seems that you have! To me too! Inspired by jelousy? Inspired by your sense of adventure? Whatever it is – I’m digging it and plan on taking advantage of it!
Hope today is a good walking day too!
Matt fact: The Man from New York walked the equivalent of going up and down the empire state building (vertically) 63.4 times. Now thats a fact- Matt
that is 63 complete times each way
No one else said it…and I can’t help myself….”These boots were made for walkin’, and that’s just what they’ll do…”
ha…sing it laurenis
“Matt fact.” That’s funny Jeff, and you may have inadvertently spawned a new trend here.
Your fact puts things in a very new, very vivid perspective.
Matt, be expecting the shoe company to come calling to you for an endorsement.
I was gonna do the calories burned .. but I do not know his statistics…but the other thing I figured was Mt Everest, linear vertical is just under 30,000 feet. So altitude not included he would have climed everest 5 times top to bottom..and made it back up to base camp 1.
not 5 times complete…up and down twice and back up to the peak. Yea the shoe company and the president should both contact Matt. he is doing something the earlier pioneers did from the standpoint that he started east and ventured west…to see what is out there. And ohh the beautiful country he found.
You should contact them to give you some sponsorship! You gave them a little free advertising : )
Great mileage and thanks for the shoe shot! I did a couple of 28 mile days but was real whiny afterwords. Do you get whiny? ; )
My feet took a beating but I carried a pack and a cat except when I met up with someone with a bike with a flat tire and let the cat have a ride while i pushed. I also needed shoes one size larger to allow room for swelling and going down hills, lessons learned.
I’ve never been through those states. Thanks for the tour.
Serious congrats on your big day! Since you brought up what kind of shoes you’re wearing, this seems like a good time to bring up something I’ve learned recently about shoes, and the human foot…
It’s counter-intuitive, and definitely NOT what the ‘conventional wisdom’ says, but it turns out the BEST shoe to wear while walking or running is….NO SHOE AT ALL!
Well, okay, let’s refine that (given your hi-mileage, pavement scenario): the most MINIMAL shoe of all.
The human foot is a wonder of design and functionality. Only in the last couple of hundred years or so (and certainly in the last 50 years), we’ve convinced ourselves that we are somehow “broken” or deficient and that the ONLY way our bodies can safely function is wearing hi-tech (and usually highly expensive) gear.
I was skeptical at first, too…but after reading this article: http://nymag.com/health/features/46213/ and trying out a pair of the ‘minimal shoes’ mentioned in the article–I’m a solid, true believer.
I’ve taken 10 mile walks on sidewalks and streets (ie, hard concrete) in absolute, total comfort. (After the initial 3 or 4 day ‘adjustment’ period where you–literally–relearn how to walk.)
Even more persuasive is the book “Born to Run”, by Christopher McDougall… It’s a really fun read–on top of the fascinating discussion of what the latest research is demonstrating about our anatomy and what it’s capable of.
Continued good luck on your Journey, Sir!
I went barefoot for a couple years during undergrad several years back and people thought I was nuts. I’m glad the rest of the world is catching up. :)
I was gonna say something about that too. I’ve been using two pairs of Vibram Five Fingers for the last year for walking. If I was to do a walk like yours I would definitely go for minimalist footwear too.
If Timberland hasn’t contacted you yet, someone needs to contact them on your behalf!!!
Grats on the 30!!
Congratulations on the record!!
I would think that athletic walking shoes or cross trainer types would be better for what you are doing.
Are those as heavy as they look?
Timberland w/ Gortex … Good Choice
Congrats. 30 miles is alot of some really serious hoof’in
[…] across the nation, he planned to pound out 15 miles a day but has since set a personal record of 30 miles in a day. When sundown nears, he pitches his tent on the property or farms of friendly locals, families or […]