After we moved to Watertown last year, I found myself frequently choosing the same running routes: either along the DCR Charles River paths or loops of Fresh Pond in Cambridge. However, I’ve been doing my best to avoid those places these days - with so many people out walking and running, there isn’t a lot of space right now to keep your distance. What to do? 

I found a website, CityStrides, where you can connect an activity tracker and figure out which streets you have walked or run along in a city or town - way better than just a heatmap! It also tells you the percentage that you’ve completed in each place, so I set out to run all of the streets in Watertown. This new goal has helped motivate me to get outside with my mask and GPS watch to explore new areas while making it a little easier to stay physically distant from other people. 

What have I learned so far? 

1. Most streets near me have sidewalks, but some side streets do not.
2. My town has way more hills than I realized.
3. Dead ends are cruel & unusual punishment. Connectivity is key! 

This is the 10th "Keep Walking" newsletter, filled with positive news and walking inspiration in an email every Wednesday. You can read previous newsletters here. If this email was forwarded to you, you can opt-in here to receive it in the future.

Stay healthy and safe.

What we've been reading & watching:

• The Boston Globe's Edward Fitzpatrick shares what he's learned about running from his wife's run streak and his son's newfound daily runs.
• The New York Times recently covered options to prevent glasses from fogging while wearing a mask - useful whether you're running or not!
• Olympian Molly Huddle wrote a reflection about running in Runner's World: "Thank you, running, for letting me move through space, cover ground, get away from a screen, and tire me out enough to be okay staying in the house the rest of the day." 
• Over the course of 24 hours, Beau Miles ran around his mile-long block once every hour (plus a few more at the beginning) to complete a marathon in a day. But he also did a bunch of other stuff along the way: cooked dinner, made a table, fixed things, picked up trash, played Scrabble, got a bit of sleep, and made a short film about his epic day. 
• Molly Seidel is a professional runner who came in 2nd at the Olympic Trials. This weekend, she participated in Citius Magazine's Slow Mile Challenge on the streets in her Boston neighborhood. Thanks to her sister's help, she posted the humorous feat as a video on Instagram Stories.