A note about commuting in Sydney

Walking. It’s a lot of walking.

My usual morning routine at home was a 30 – 45 min run, then stretch/shower/get dressed, then a 20 – 30 min bike ride to work. So I ‘m not exactly a slacker in the commute department.

Here, I get my 30 min run in, stretch/shower/get dressed, then either hop on the bus (which literally stops at our building’s front door) or walk up the hill to the Edgecliff train station. No matter which form of public transit I take, my commute now involves ~20 mins. of walking each way.

And lemme tell ya, walking does not use the same muscles as running (or biking).

The first week, my shins were *so* tight I was using a hammer to massage them. (No, I was not breaking my shins so I would get a wheelchair, I was using the round end of the hammer head like one of those Mr. Happy massagers.) My shins got better with lots of ankle rotations and Ben leaning into the muscles with his elbows. And more walking.

Now, I’m used to it. My feet don’t get quite so tired, my shins have (mostly) stopped whining, and ye olde plantar fasciitis is back under control. Good to know there is still some adaptability left in here somewhere.

So yeah, I was totally surprised by how different it feels to walk (purposefully) lots more every day. In MTV, I’d walk to work (4ish miles) only once a week or less. Shorter, more frequent walks seem to be wayyy better exercise, and definitely showed me some muscle groups that weren’t getting their due.

Moral of the story: bring awesome walking shoes to Sydney. You’ll get way more out of the neighborhoods that way, and a much more comfortable commute.