Reading While Walking
Not ready for readwalking in an outdoor setting
If you’ve ever seen someone reading while walking (“readwalking”), you might’ve made any number of reasonable assumptions:
- They’re reading a really good book
- They’re probably lacking a little in safety consciousness
- They spend a lot of time walking every day and have realized that reading while walking maximizes their reading time
- They spend a lot of time taking care of day-to-day life and realized that reading while walking (the dog) maximizes their reading time
Most of the folks who’ve approached me about my readwalking habit have assumed there’s a direct correlation between the awesomeness of a book and my readwalking: “Wow, that must be a fantabulous book!” Numerous times in my youth, I’d smile and reply, “No, this book is actually pretty awful. I hope the next one’s better!” Then I’d bury my nose in my book and continue on my merry way.
In other words, in my youth, there was very little correlation between the awesomeness of a book and the fact I was readwalking.
Now that I’m an octogenarian, you’re less apt to see me reading a book I’d deem “awful.” There’s definitely a clearer correlation between me liking a book and readwalking, but it’s not a causal one. Instead, it’s a reflection of the fact I spend about fourteen hours a day engaged in working, driving or caring for my (delightful) little one. If you see me readwalking these days, you can assume the book I’m reading is captivating because I wouldn’t waste scarce reading time on anything else.
With time, a reader becomes skilled in the art of checking for traffic, obstacles and other external bars to readwalking, performing these split-second checks without even being conscious of them. A skilled readwalker might occasionally experience readwalking hiccups, such as eating a mouthful of leaves or realizing they’re on the opposite side of a busy street from where they performed their last check.
Such incidents become rarer with practice, which is why an unskilled readwalker should practice the art only in small bursts on empty walkways.
These days, if you see me wandering the streets in half-darkness, leash (hopefully still affixed to a dog) in one hand and book in the other, you’d probably be right to assume the book in my hand is a good one. Still, you shouldn’t necessarily rush down to your local bookseller to buy that book.
As is true of a book’s cover, you can’t necessarily judge a book by its readwalker!
I have to day I’m not fond of read walkers on the tube as they walk too slowly and hold people up but I’ll allow you in the park with your dog
knowing how clumsy I’m am I’d fall over if I tried!
Oh, goodness! It shouldn’t surprise me to hear folks do that, but it does! I try not to readwalk in close quarters for exactly that reason.
This is a very, very rare instance where my clumsiness doesn’t interfere. Actually, it’s possible that this is why I’m so quick to catch myself when I stumble anymore . . . with or without book in hand!
I’ve become an audiobook addict . . . it’s the only way I can readwalk and not walk into things (not that I don’t always succeed).
I take my dogs for a walk impossibly early in the morning, so I check my email as I go, and let’s just say that I’ve introduced myself to many a branch at 4 in the morning.
Ba.D. is a total audiobook addict! His 60- to 90-minute drives would be much, much more painful but for all the Star Wars audiobooks he’s been listening to for the last year or so.
I mean . . . not Star Wars . . . other stuff. 0:)
I like the way you describe those branch encounters. It sounds very amicable and almost intentional when you put it like that. Heh.
“I like the way you describe those branch encounters. It sounds very amicable and almost intentional when you put it like that.” Heehee. Yes!
Hilarious. Gives me a new meaning to ‘facebook’!
If this were Facebook, that would have gotten a “Like” from me.
From me, too!
I don’t think I saw any read walkers for years, unless they are young girls (8-13 years old).
I used to do that though even in the college.
I wasn’t doing it much in the couple of years before I had my son. That might have been due in part to the fact I had a car and a walking buddy in my ex.
After I had Li’l D, the only moments I could get enough quiet to focus on reading were while walking. This is not coincidentally why some neighbors got a piece of my mind when they snapped at “Library Girl,” not understanding how very tired I was and how very much of a mistake it was to disturb my limited reading time!
Since the early weeks of my son’s life, I’ve gotten a lot more sane and found a little more time to read. Fortunately!
Oh, I love this!! I’ve been readwalking all of my life, but now restrict my readwalking to inside of my house due to my clumsiness! Just promise me you’ll never readdrive!
*giggle* One of the guys at my mom’s old church actually told Rache and me, “I fear the day you girls learn to drive.” I know I’ve only read a couple of pages while in the driver’s seat, and then while the car was at a full standstill and I was waiting on someone.
It’s a good thing I waited until I was 25 to get my driver’s license! I might not have had enough sense to refrain if I’d gotten it in my teen years.
Ha!
This is not, by the way, a statement that all or even most teens would have been at risk of this! This is purely a statement about me as a teen. Because, like I was ever so fond of telling my mom, I was SO wise and I totally didn’t have anything to learn from anyone else. (Oy vey.)
Readwalking might be dangerous, but I must say it is respectable. However, I have been caught textwalking and that is dangerous and not respectable! While I feel compelled to follow up with phone media while walking, I am not proud of it! You can never “not be” proud of reading–wherever/whenever.
Btw, I won’t rush to buy it, but what are you reading?
I must confess to having done a little textwalking myself, usually in cases where I’m running late. I try to keep it to a minimum!
The book I was looking at for my “noob” example was the only not-work book I had at the office, An Introduction to Shabbat by Ruth Perelson. The book I was actually reading as of this morning was Michelle Cooper’s The FitzOsbornes in Exile. I’ve finished it now, which is a bummer since it’s probably going to be another few years until the next book is out! *shakes fist at universe*
It was actually reading that book en route for coffee that got me thinking about readwalking.
They should market a helmet with a light attached just for these people!
I’d benefit from that! If a book is compelling enough, I’ll occasionally stretch out a walk till there’s very little natural light left in the sky. A special helmet (preferably of the invisible variety) would be a nice light supplement for the evenings where I’ve wandered a little too far from home to read the whole way back by natural light.
The more I type, the more all of this sounds like A Problem. Heh.
i do that too, but not in public. if i walked more around my neighborhood i’d probably start. i treadmill-ipad =)
“Treadmill-ipad” made me chuckle; right now, Ba.D.’s life is “[everything]-ipad”–I only wish I were kidding! The good news about that is it makes me feel a little better about my laptop time. 0:)
The plan when he got the iPad was that I’d be able to use it for Hulu and such. Possibly a little reading. Then he got it and it was twue wuv. Heh.
So it’s me and the print books, crusin’ around with my dog! The good thing about that is it’s a connection to younger me, which is kinda nice despite the fact I was heinous back then!
I don’t like reading on screens that much. Good ol’ print ooks for me!
i catch myself doing that all the time too! then i remember how a girl in the same grade as me in middle school fell down the stairs and broke her leg because she was reading and walking at the same time…she still does it as a senior in high school. It can be quite a timesave though lol
Yikes! (Talk about being committed, though!) My siblings were the only folks around me who did the readwalking thing, and we never had anything more than an occasional bump or bruise to show for it. I might have reconsidered if we’d seen broken anything as a result!
It is a huge timesave. During finals weeks in law school, I remember cruising back and forth between the main library and law library with my nose in books. Those extra minutes each way helped me get hours of extra studying in!
I’m a readwalker–but only in my house and around my yard! I’m too much of klutz to attempt to venture farther than that. My house is dangerous enough as it is–steep stairs to fall down, toys to trip over, tree roots and rocks to stumble upon… I’ll never quit, though. It’s definitely about maximizing time for me. I also read when I eat, when I brush my teeth, as I cook, as I blow dry my hair… If reading is possible in any given situation, I do it!
That’s how it is around here, as well! It sounds like I’m not quite as dedicated as you, but if a book’s really good, I’ll read it through every possible task. (I was going to phrase that another way, but it ended up coming out not quite as intended. *cough*)
Hi Deborah -
Hahaha…love the humor tossed in there and love the post. I have tried to read while strutting on a treadmill. I cannot keep my eyes focused on the lines of the magazine. I’m not sure if I’m just dorky or lacking in coordination, but lots of other people are doing it and doing it well I assume.
I see the same people at the gym reading while doing the elliptical, stationary bike, and treadmill. Another observation of mine is that most are female and moms. More amazing is that some are so talented that they can take a phone call and if you notice, although their reading slows down, they still flip a page while talking and moving. They really are reading too.
I can’t focus on a simple yahoo news article online when the guy is cutting the grass next store. Moms are amazing!!!
I smell your new blog coming soon with action video links provided. “Bikini moms reading in motion: How do they do it?”
hahaha 
Reading, moving and talking on the phone is definitely too much for me to manage! Even the thought makes me boggle.
Everything about your comment makes me smile and/or giggle. Thanks for that
Seriously Deborah. I am so coordinated with sports…it’s all natural for me. But on the other hand, I’m the dork who walks into closed sliding glass doors, sees the huge puddle in front of but becomes distracted, stepping in to it anyway…and the idiot who flips a loaded slice of peanut butter bread onto the counter top! Try getting that off without shredding the bread lol. Cya
I can’t do this. I think I might be too stupid. I become too distracted by where I’m walking and what I might be running into, that I lose focus on the book, which then bothers me. Guess I’ll have to find some other way to burn calories.
I don’t think it has anything to do with intellect! (If it did, in fact, I might never have gotten into this habit. Ahem.)
I do like what someone further below said: I do enjoy readwalking, but curling up with a novel is best! (The downside is that I then tend to drift to sleep, because it’s just so cozy . . .)
When texting first got really popular, there were news articles out about the increase in accidents because people were walking and texting! Apparently, society trips, falls, and bumps into things a lot more. I think your readwalking could fall under similar perils without your expertise in the practice. lol.
I definitely agree! I think I’d be a lot more reluctant to start now. When I actually did find myself on the opposite side of a busy street many years ago, I was 15 and just went, “Hmm, good thing those drivers were mindful of me!” I wouldn’t have quite that response now, if I made it to the other side!
Of course, this now makes me think of horrible cross-the-road jokes . . .
My luck, I’d become so engrossed in a scene that I would stop walking – no doubt while crossing a busy road.
There actually have been a couple of times I’ve been so stunned by something on the page that I stopped walking. That’s not happened while crossing the street yet, fortunately! (I do make a point to keep my eyes on the road during street crossings.)
I’m not sure which is more dangerous in an underground subway, a “readwalker” or “newspaper walker”. I’m thinking the newspaper walker because they have a larger item blocking their visibility…which makes it more likely they will smack right into you!
Great post!
Oh, goodness! I’ve never seen a newspaper walker, but that is a terrifying thought! I have a hard enough time managing the newspaper over the kitchen table, I shudder to think what it’d be like doing it on the go.
Thanks
What a fun post! And congrats on FP-ed. Hope you can keep walking while reading all of these comments. This will be the real test of your readwalking skill.
Kathys
Thanks! I don’t think I read any of these comments on the go, tho’ (a) this comment made me chuckle and (b) I did read a fair number while waiting for my son to be seen by the pediatrician!
I can Readwalk, but I haven’t gotten to the point where I can fully pay attention to the book. Must practice!
I like your thinking
Never say never!
Be careful with the door infrooooooooooooooooooont
This made me LOL when I read it on my phone. Thanks
I can see the future now. Words on a screen in front of your eyes with special goggles, yet they allow the view in front of you to backlight the words. The future of readwalking safely. ;P. (Hugs)Indigo
I would really, really love for someone to invent such a thing, preferably in the next couple of months! If they could have built-in pepper spray dispensable with 360-degree access, that’d make them an even better safety enhancer. (Pretty please?) *hugs*
That picture is a riot!
Thanks!
I’m with John, I go for audiobooks these days… and some of the Doctor Who ones have the added bonus of being read by lovely people like David Tennant or Russell Tovey, so I’m all for them.
Audiobooks are actually a great way for me to motivate myself to run the dog… I have a rule restricting my audiobook listening to when I’m out exercising. So if I ever want to listen to that new Doctor Who audio (read by Matt Smith, yeeeeeah!) I’d better get the leash out and get my Fivefingers on and get ready to pound some pavement.
My only real readwalking experience was in junior high (I was totally reading a book about how to hunt ghosts man, it was interesting stuff
), I readwalked my way all the way home from school (which was quite a long walk), and then realized I really remembered nothing of the journey and though I’d very deftly maneuvered my way through traffic, it probably wasn’t a good idea to do it again. 
And in other news, you got FPed! *Puts on shades David Caruso-style* YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAHHH!
That is an excellent motivational tool! I need to do something like that for my stretching, or I’m going to keep not doing it . . . leading to me battling plantar fasciitis for much longer than need be!
Hear, hear to getting FP’d! It’s funny because I was actually out readwalking (Bumped by Megan McCafferty) when two guys chatting on a porch interrupted me to say good morning. I had a nice exchange with them, then heard my phone beep. Then beep again. I went, “Wow, someone must really have liked a comment I left somewhere!” Not so, my friend. Not so!
I look forward to your feeling the goodness of this.
But more than that? To hugs!
Loool!! i really liked the last line.. I have never read another readwalker.. I don’t it sometimes just to do some sort of exercise and not waste my time sitting!
Hear that! When I was in Japan, if it was stormy outside I’d pace through my apartment with a book in hand to meet my need to move . . . without simply pacing back and forth purposelessly.
you don’t look like an octogenarian. I tried read-walking a couple of times but can’t just walk straight or read straight :/
Definitely not an octogenarian, tho’ I’d love to be one someday! That was just meant as a silly contrast to the fact I kept mentioning my days of youth in the prior paragraph. At 32, those days of youth aren’t so far past!
Awesome. I did too much readwalking in college, so now I have an aversion to it. Perhaps later in life?
Fun post — perfect picture!
This reminds me of talking to my doctor! She’ll come in to find my reading, shudder and say, “You will not find me doing that for fun!” Apparently reading becomes a little less leisurely on the other side of med school :p
I learned to readwalk by reading an archie comic book while following my parents around the grocery store. Its a great skill to have, as you well know!
ARCHIE! It’s been so long since I read those comics! The reference makes me recall so many visits to my childhood best friend’s house. I don’t think I ever read that in the grocery store, though; I was too busy bugging my mom for treats. *cough*
As a fellow reader I totally got this. I agree with an earlier comment that e-reading is somehow more respectable than e-texting. (Although I guess it depends what you’re reading.) What’s your take on doing this with an e-reader though? I’m still not sure about them as I wrote in a recent post: http://middleofthefreakinroad.com/2011/04/21/ereaders-ebooks-comparison-kindle-nook-ipad/
I could see doing it with an e-reader, although I only made it through one dog-walking session reading Pride & Prejudice on my phone. After so many years of connecting the experience to the printed page, it feels a little awkward to me. That’s not to say I won’t ever give it a try again, but . . . it will probably be a little while!
I have always been a reader and a walker but never thought to mix the two until I started working with someone who was a skilled readwalker. Every day we would both take off our heels and slip on our walking shoes to go for a walk during our lunch break and while I picked up my MP3 she would pick up her book. She saw me with a book everyday and one day asked why I didn’t just read while I walked. My reply to her was ‘I can’t.’ The look she gave me after I said that made me start and now I am just as skilled as she is I am sure. I dodge puddles, cars, branches, and people all while face deep in the book of the moment, regardless of how great the story is.
Great post!!
The look she gave me after I said that made me start
This made me laugh! I’m not sure what her face looked like, exactly, but I picture my S.O.’s face when I say something he finds ridiculous.
Thanks both for reading and sharing your path to readwalking!
I think I’m a readwalking noob… I even live in the wide open spaces of country life, but it never fails that I would walk into a tree or pothold in the ground.
It’s not bad to be a noob! Everyone starts somewhere, and I’m pretty certain my early days of readwalking weren’t especially graceful.
It’s all about peripheral vision, noobs. That and practice. ; )
*giggle* Love ya, Jane!
Oh my goodness I have to comment again – congrats on being Freshly Pressed! I feel so proud that I had commented before knowing this
Very funny post, well done.
I’m glad you commented before, and love that you’re commenting again now! I have to admit I was a bit crazy after I realized I was FP’d this morning. The good news about that is that my son, who’s a little sick right now, giggled at my celebratory shenanigans. Heh. Thank you for reading my blog, before today and today!
I can’t do two things like read and walk…at the same time! Super funny post. Congrats on Freshly Pressed.
Thanks
I’m definitely not as good at multi-tasking as many of my friends. Reading and walking is one arena where practice has helped, but I start feeling harried when I’m required to do two things at a time and one of them isn’t reading.
Being a mom has helped improve that, but only a little!
I still do a little read walking! Mostly here at work while I’m on my break or coming back from a break. Fun entry Deb!
Thanks, B! I think I’ve even seen you do a little readwalking, although I can’t exactly place when. Maybe in your old apartment? <3
Congrats on being Freshly Pressed. I enjoyed your post. I’m not a readwalker myself, it makes me just too oblivious to the outside world. I’m bound to get run over. I do walk with audiobooks often though – around the block with the dog, doing chores in the house. I just wish my MP3 player would plug in to my car stereo.
http://bit.ly/lFxdF6
Hi Carol! I have one of these for my car and if you have an audio input it works GREAT!
I have also used the ones that are corded to a cassette and where you feed it through a radio adapter and had a lot of issues with them not working the way they should.
You don’t look eighty to me.
Crystal
I’m glad to hear that.
Congrats on being FP!! AWESOME!!!
Thanks! I’m trying not to feel apprehensive about it, actually. I went into this day going, “Man, the last few days have been great!” then spent several minutes rejoicing being FP . . . before going, “Wait, if everything balances out, that means I’m SOL at some point!” Trying to be a little more optimistic
I think I practiced this only when I “had to” in college…going over notes before a test. I never had an accident…but then that might have been the perfect excuse to buy more time.
Perfect excuse indeed!
I did do a lot of this during law school, but it wasn’t nearly as enjoyable as the other sort. I know, I know–how could law school reading not be fun?!
I have been thinking about readwalking a lot lately. I read while on the bus, and sometimes I get to my stop only to be at an important part of the book. I just don’t want to put it down. I have considered readwalking, but I was wondering if it’s a weird thing to do. You have inspired me! I am doing it!
I have successfully played Price is Right on my iPad while walking, so readwalking should be a piece of cake… a walk in the park, if you will.
<3 Milieu
Thanks for this comment, which I’d happily have readwalked! I’m looking forward to glancing over at your blog later in the evening, after the little one’s awakened from his nap, tired himself out again and gone back to bed.
hahaha…I am also a readwalker and have highly developed peripheral vision as a result! Sometimes there are books you literally cannot put down!
That highly developed peripheral vision ends up coming in handy for a lot of not-readwalking activities, doesn’t it?!
I readwalk too but not very well as I always seem to bump into things :/ Its on a list of things I really shouldn’t do!
Sometimes I wonder whether I ought not ditch the habit in favor of listening to music. That resolve has never lasted more than a day or two, especially when the book is really good!
Ahh! A real life read-walker! I have naver managed to successfully complete this task and have often wondered… what sort of a book would make someone risk death by breaking neck whilst dodging fellow commuters and navigating the steep stairs of an underground station?
A Brief History of Montmaray might be worth it. Generally, though, I try to avoid readwalking in densely populated/highly obstacle-riddled places!
I have had people tell me “you can’t read and walk at the same time.” And yet, there I was doing just that. Great post.
Thanks! I’ve heard those words before, too. They never fail to make me smile.
Then again, I used to say, “I can’t cook.” I’ve since actually tried
My worst-ever readwalking story cured me of it…
I had surgery scheduled to remove all four wisdom teeth (under general anesthetic in a hospital). I walk in, reading, nervous, and notice the halls are painted with animals in pastel colors….This is my hospital? No….the emergency entrance of two major Toronto hospitals directly face one another and I’d readwalked into the wrong one!
Oy vey! I’d like to say I’ve never had a similar experience . . . but I’d be lying. *cough* Fortunately, it has been a number of years.
I am so relieved to know that I am not a weirdo, or, at least, I am not a lone weirdo! I began readwalking when I was seven or eight, to my mother’s great chagrin. At the time, she was supposed to be clocking me to see how quickly I could walk home from school (in case of an air raid during the Cuban missile crisis). Apparently my incipient multitasking skills were not yet perfected, as my time from school to home was dismally slow (at least, compared to the other children in the class!). I also readwalked into the bathtub for my bath, still partially clad, and subsequently dropped the book (accidentally, of course) into the tub. Unfortunately, the book belonged to the school library. However, my book yearnings were not cured,as I persisted in readwalking to avoid losing the thread of my precious book-of-the-moment. More than once, my mother had to call a neighbor down the street to ask her to come out of her house and nudge me on from a median where I commonly lingered if the plot thickened. However, I could not see the need to take a break from reading. The books were simply too engrossing. Thanks for sharing your story — it delighted me!
Thanks for sharing yours, which was a delight to me! I can assure you you’re not alone, as all four of my mom’s kids (and a handful of friends) livened walks up by reading.
Oh my, and I thought I was the only one readwalking! But maybe I’m a pretty bad case because when I readwalk, I sometimes do it even for a meaningless article in some random newspaper. Love your article! (Which I read sitting in front of my computer, but maybe iPad-walking will be the next big thing to come for us?).
Greetings from Switzerland
Thanks! In certain moods, I’ll read just about anything to keep my mind occupied with external “noise,” so I can relate. On the iPad-walking front? My S.O. does a fair deal of that around the house already. Trend-setter?
I’m a huge readwalker! My dad once asked me how I was able to readwalk without readwalking right into things. My kidself answered: “I can see around the book, too.”
This is now one of my parents’ “family stories”!
“I can see around the book, too.” I’ve tried explaining this to folks in the past, but I’ve never done so as succinctly as you did then! I suspect I’m going to have to quote this in the future.
I may also have to adopt the word “kidself.”
Have at it!
hey, these days almost everyone walks while texting or otherwise having their faces buried in their phone screens. so why not walk and read a book? great post!
Hear, hear! And thank you for both reading and commenting
I took a course on children’s literature and thus was born my habit of readwalking (or else I’d never get the books done on time). I’ve walked into a few people, but you just have to get the technique of holding-your-book-at-chin-level right so you can see what’s coming your way. Honestly though, if it’s a good book, I just can’t waste precious time walking and not reading when I could be walking and reading something awesome.
Your comment underscores the importance of finding just the right “zone”! I didn’t really think about that while writing, but there’s a very particular zone in which a book must be held to maximize the benefit of peripheral vision.
Honestly though, if it’s a good book, I just can’t waste precious time walking and not reading when I could be walking and reading something awesome.
This!
I cannot readwalk, I don’t know why?
I like to sit in a place, very calm and enjoy reading.
I had tried readwalking once, but could not concentrate, eventually sat down by the bench, lolzz
I have to do that sometimes, if the reading’s complicated!
Love it! Great post. Readwalking is now on my list of things to try. I’ve always wanted to try a mouthful of leaves, this could be my chance.
dara
Thanks! Since we’re talking about multitasking, this would be a great way to kill a few birds with one stone
I have been caught occasionally reading while walking though I’m sure it worries those around me.
I suppose Audiobooks are a good substitute but its just not the same as reading them yourself! Though of course I am rather fond of Doctor Who audiobooks as they are read by David Tennant and Matt Smith. 
Though of course I am rather fond of Doctor Who audiobooks as they are read by David Tennant and Matt Smith.
I daresay you are my friend Mack’s kind of people! I’m surprised she hasn’t commented on this yet
Haha oh excellent! I just love reading all the time
Great post!
I’d like to think I’m a multi-tasker and can juggle several things at one time. Unfortunately, that’s not one of them. I’d fall flat on my ass if I tried that, because I get way too engrossed in a good book.
There are different kinds of multi-tasking, though! I suck at most of them, but this is the one I do have by virtue of practicing often in younger days. (“When I was a kid . . . !”)
Haha. I’ve yet to find a book that had me ‘readwalking’. I don’t have much time for reading these days, but when I do get the chance to sit down with a good book, I like to be all tucked, cozy in bed with a snack by my side.
I definitely understand this perspective! I also enjoy curling up and reading that way, although I often end up getting so cozy I drift straight to sleep
“Now that I’m an octogenarian…”
That must be a pretty old profile picture if you are in your eighties!
I’m glad no one has said the opposite yet: “Gosh, I wouldn’t have pegged you at a day under 102!”
Its so true that people assume the books so good if your readwalking. I do it quite often and I find that I focus even more if i do it while moving! so odd!
I agree! Sometimes I get so restless sitting still that I end up setting my book aside altogether. Moving and reading at once allows me to tame that noise and better focus on the story.
I only do that when the book is really captivating…otherwise I am too afraid to get into an accident and I also feel pretty stupid… your observation is really funny. when I see people readwalking I always think that the book must be an exceptional read
Maybe I should overthink my assumption…
It’s possible it’s true for others! I can speak only for myself
I read walk all the time! In the past 9 years of my life, I’ve learned to multitask while reading so well that people in the street can’t even complain that I’m slow!
You mention such a specific time period, I wonder what got you started readwalking! Mind sharing?
I read my phone and maps while walking….so I suppose I shouldn’t judge walking book readers.
You know, I hadn’t even thought about maps! That’s definitely something I’ve had to do, as recently as today . . . *looks shifty*
I read walk constantly. Have since I was a teenager. Makes commuting so much better.
It definitely helped make 20- and 30-minute walks less boring for me and my siblings!
I read walk and I think I have gotten the hang of it now. Every now and again just glance up to make sure nothing is infront of you and you’re good to go. Once you hit parks and open spaces the need to glance decreases and then read walking is easy.
You can miss people though. I had my head buried in a text once and got half way down the street before I realised my friend had said hello to me.
You can miss people though. I had my head buried in a text once and got half way down the street before I realised my friend had said hello to me.
Hee! This reminds me of bunches of times when folks would accost me at points where I wasn’t readwalking and take me to task for ignoring them.
Me: I ignored you? Huh? I don’t even remember that.
Them: Yeah, you were over at 13th and Hilyard. I called your name, like, 18 times!
Me: Dude, it’s only “ignoring” if I actually heard you. I was reading!
Them: . . .
The new way of readwalking is reading and texting on your phone. Yes I’m guilty of that. I love that “youtube video” where the lady is texting or reading and walks into a fountain. It can be dangerous haha.
I haven’t seen that video yet, but you can bet I’ll have seen it before I tuck in tonight!
I use 2 do that when studying
Likewise
Studying made up a lot of my readwalking while I was in law school.
I’m extremely guilty of readwalking. However, I’ve found that it doesn’t really work when you’re in a busy, muli-level high school during passing time. Sigh. I will find a way.
The imagery of this made me giggle. Thanks
I readwalk to work every day. I work on a college campus and you might expect to see a lot more people doing the RW thing, but strangely you dont. I have only seen one other RW’r on this campus, so strange. Every time I read walk someone will always interrupt my immersion in the story to ask me how I dont fall down, I really never knew it was such a big deal. I walk the same speed as I do when de-booked and I am able to use my peripheral vision to see the obstacles coming at my feet, the people around me, whether a crosswalk light is a-go for me, etc. I’m glad to know that there are others out there that are successful RW’rs too
Congratulations on getting to the Freshly Pressed page!
I used to be a good readwalker, although it was mainly with comics. I have yet to perfect the art of readdriving though…
There absolutely are! One of them, my sister, actually has the initials “RW.” This led to a bit of confusion on my first pass through of your comment.
She, too, works on a college campus. I wonder what her experience has been RW’ing on campus (as an RW, no less)?
Hey I tried doing that but it didnt really work. I couldnt concentrate on what was around me; and to prevent an accident I just decided to stop.
It’s definitely better to be safe than sorry, so props to you for choosing the “safe” route
Hey, I know you!
I feel I must take exception with your assertion that a skilled readwalker would end up munching on leaves. Surely that sort of thing is only experienced by the amateur?
Congrats on the FP – what a great post!
Thanks! In the tradition of Yoda, I’ll answer your question with the following:
There is much that’s in the realm of possible!
Hypothetically speaking
Hey!!!! Congratulations on the Fresh Press!!!!! Also, I wanted to send a GIANT e-hug to you for the donations!!!!! I couldn’t believe it when I checked our p.o. box and had two envelopes from Long Beach, CA – I was like, what the heck???? You’ll get an official “thank you” from us soon, but I wanted to go ahead and let you know how deeply touched we are!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!! Keep up the great work on the blog!
Aw! Thank you for this! If I’d waited about an hour longer to send out my check, you would’ve had one envelope with checks from at least two people at my office
I’m glad we could help, and wish–personally!–I could have been of even more help. Thank you so much for caring for these animals, truly come hell or high water! You are an inspiration.
I readwalk all the time, but not in public. I readwalk at home because, although I like reading, I feel lazy if I have been sitting for a long time.
I share that feeling! I only wish it would kick in a little sooner all those times I’m tooling around on the computer . . .
I can sit for hours (if I’m reading) and be perfectly still.
I’m a little envious. Perhaps that’s a skill I should work on developing! 0:)
I read-walk a lot! Once I was in Wal-mart. I had a book. I was reading. Some lady said, “I’ve never seen anyone who likes to read that much!”
This brought out the contracts side of me, d’oh! My first thought was, “Well, it’s actually possible she’s seen someone who likes to read as much as you, but didn’t recognize it because they were concealing their love!”
Do you recall when you started readwalking? I’d never really thought about that till reading some of the comments on this entry, so now I’m very curious if anyone can remember exactly when they began!
Ever since I began to read voraciously! (Which I’ve been doing ever since I can remember!)
“Well, it’s actually possible she’s seen someone who likes to read as much as you, but didn’t recognize it because they were concealing their love!”
True!
YES! My kindly son has napped long enough for me to respond to all the comments left here so far!
Thanks, everyone, for reading and sharing your thoughts! Three cheers for you
To get a real thrill, you should try ‘balance reading’ on a tube/train. So, you’re standing up, because all the seats are taken, and you’re not holding on to a pole, because that space is taken and you’re too short to reach the poles above you. Fun times
And congrats
I did something similar to this when I was in Japan! I’m sure I’m totally out of practice now, seeing as it’s been a half a decade.
Oh! I really wish I hadn’t typed that! Where is all the time going?
But I digress
I discovered readwalking last summer. It’s very enjoyable.
Except when you fall flat on your face?
I’m glad you’ve adopted the practice
I read walk all the time as well, except it’s on my kindle. But your read walking skills are probably much more refined as I tend to constantly step on squirrels and run into trees as I read walk.
I haven’t had that problem for some years, but it’s definitely a period I still remember clearly! (That being said, I might rarely experience issues on my early morning walks.)
My favorite blogging buddy got Freshly Pressed!!! I’m beaming with happiness for you!
Dude, how did I fail to reply to this? Earlier I was wondering, “What happened to that comment from Sprinkles? I don’t think I replied, but . . . didn’t I reply to all the comments before [x] o’clock?” I HAVE FAILED YOU. But I’m making up for it now. :p
Boy, readwalking, eh? I’ve never actually tried that myself. Most of the time when I’m walking, I’m listening to inspirational music and coming up with ideas for my own writing. Of course, I haven’t hit the local library lately, either. I might be tempted to find a good book and give readwalking a shot sometime, especially in the school’s hallways, even if it is only 5 minutes between classes.
It’s almost time for me to get back to the branch library, seeing as I’m down to my last unread book at the moment!
I’d be curious to hear how your experiment goes, should you choose to undertake it
I just ended a (blessedly brief) tenure at a corporate position stuck in the middle of interstate hell (i.e. nowhere to walk to at lunch save a farm and a gas station). I spent my lunch hours readwalking around the building, gaining odd stares & sometimes a touch of wrath from my non-readwalking coworkers. I worked there three months and read about ten novels solely on my read-walks. Thank you for this post; it’s filled me with joy
. Oh, and I readwalk to optimize my walking/reading time, since I don’t have much time for either and they’re my two favorite things to do. If I could ‘writewalk’ I would be an even happier girl.
Being stuck in the middle of nowhere with an hour for readwalking in the middle of the day sounds ideal! Then, that only holds up as long as the other details are fairly positive, which in this case? Not so much! Too bad it couldn’t be more awesome so that you could retain all that spare reading/walking time.
I so wish I could writewalk! After years of readwalking, it doesn’t seem like it should be so impossible, but it is.
Living in CA, I do not walk much, so readwalking has not become a habit. YET. IF there is ever an activity that shows the value of multi-tasking, this is it! Read on! And congrats on being FPed!
I live in Los Angeles, but in a quieter neighborhood with lots of trees and families. Readwalking works great here, if not quite as well as it did back in my hometown!
Thanks for reading, and for the kind words
At least Readwalking is safer than Readdriving. (unless you are walking while crossing a busy street). I like to read a lot, but I can’t do more than one thing at a time, so I must stay still or lay down while reading. Now, I can draw and listen to music at the same time (but not walking).
I’ve learned from my bad experience with readingwalking across heavy-ish traffic, so I’m very careful about that these days!
Are you able to read and listen to music at the same time? I’m curious, too, to learn more about your drawings . . . which I’ll do by following the link, of course.
Hello there! I had at last found another readwalker. I have been readwalking wince I was 7 or 8. I’ve always had adults tapping on my shoulder and ‘praised’ me for my good habit (I don’t really appreciate the ‘praise’ since I do not like it when people interrupt my reading) and sometimes they asked me if the book is good. My answer would be ‘yes’ but my mother would tell me that I consider almost any fiction as ‘good’. I can read while pushing the trolley at the supermarket while my mum fills it up at the age of 9 (however, there are occasional accidents). Readwalking is now no longer a problem to me and the main reason it is done is because I would get frightfully bored if I’ve not a book to read (or any other exciting thing for that matter).
(I don’t really appreciate the ‘praise’ since I do not like it when people interrupt my reading)
I love this! I generally enjoy chatting with people, but when I’m reading something like A Brief History of Montmaray while ordering a drink? It’s because I cherish each of those four minutes to read!
It isn’t that I do not enjoy stopping for a chat but it is just that when I’m reading, I’m in the book. I hate it if someone pulled me back into reality.
You’ve certainly got the company of many other readwalkers
I’ve never tried readbiking but I don’t suppose my parents would allow me. I used to readeat but the house rules states that ‘no other activity is allowed during meal times other than eating itself’ and that includes fidgeting, reading, etc…
It is interesting to note though that since I already am a clumsy person, there isn’t a significant increase of carelessness during the time I am readwalking or just plain walking.
I understand the feeling, but my reading walking habit only happens to my house, and even there I manage to hurt myself. :S This habit is definitely not safe for clumsy people…
I’d say it’s been a little different for me. I think this habit actually helped me become a little less clumsy, or at least a little better about catching myself when I’ve been clumsy. :p
Congratulations for being featured!
I haven’t seen a real readwalker yet. Those who read with real books in their hands. The most that I see are those with newspapers or brochures.
I love to read too. My mightiest attempt so far is reading in a crowded train. I almost missed my station and I don’t mind being bumped by the people. I was really so engrossed with the book.
Thanks!
I’ve come close to missing stops because I was engrossed in reading, but that wasn’t nearly so bad as when I’ve actually fallen asleep on the bus. *headdesk* Each of the times I did that many years past, I was in the middle of nowhere and stuck on the bus back for quite so time.
Love your post–happy to “meet” another readwalker. I readwalked in my youth (teenage years and younger), but it drove my mother crazy. She always thought it was dangerous though I did all the checks and never really had an accident. It all ended when I tried read-eating at the dinner table with grandma, a definite no-no for Granny Etiquette!
I wonder what my grandma would’ve had to say about it! Sometimes my mom tolerated our reading at the table, figuring it would help us get someplace better in the future. Other times, she exiled our books to our bedrooms (or, on occasion, straight back to the library). I think we were all pretty happy to test the boundaries in the hopes of maximizing our reading time.
Thanks to Granny Etiquette (love that name!), I’m not sure our grandma would have been quite so generous . . .
So true! There’s so much time in the day devoted to mundane things that could be spent reading! There was a period of my life when I did not have a car and I biked to work. And (dare I say it?) I readbiked. It was terribly dangerous. I do not recommend it. I am safely on foot now and still reading. -abi
I only readbiked once! I can’t remember what I was reading, but it was riveting enough that I had to take every minute of my bike ride to school to read it.
I got in some kind of minor mishap and that was the last time I readbiked. I think my sister said something similar about her reasons for giving up readbiking, though she continues to readwallk!
How about reading while driving? My boyfriend used to read the newspaper and drive with me in the passenger seat.
I’d be making like a mystery TV show and rolling from that moving car at the first significant slowing!
Look at you, rockstar! Congrats on makin’ the front page!
)
Thanks! Right after I post this comment, I’ll be crawling into bed with a smile on my face . . . and, of course, a book in hand, although I’ll likely only get 1-2 pages before I zonk out completely. G’night!
You know, I love reading, and I read everywhere, but I have never been able to read while walking. I can read while cooking, read while bathing, read while exercising on a stationary machine. Cannot walk and read at the same time. Somehow, it just does not compute in my brain.
I do sometimes wonder how I’d fare if I tried picking it up now. I don’t think it’d be such a tidy experience as it is now!
When I was in university where the city isn’t as crowded as my hometown, I did it a lot. And as I read many funny comics, people would see me grinning and laughing on the street. But now, I feel pity to myself I lose that pretty cool skill since roads in Jakarta aren’t nice for pedestrian and I can’t read while on the car nor bus nor any transportation stuff.
Have folks ever commented on your laughing at your reading material? I’ve gotten remarks on it over the years, but I shrug them off–funny stuff is funny whether it comes in the form of stand up comedy, movies, conversation or reading material!
Good one…
Thanks!
Thanks for the blog and yes, I have to admit I occasionally read-walk when a truly good book catches my attention to the point that my nose is stuck in a book.
Which books had you so captivated you couldn’t put ‘em down? I’m always looking for good books to add to my TBR list!
Sometimes we become addicted of reading. But now things are changed a lot. Smartphones, smart devices and digital libraries make us hate books.
I hope we’ll never come to hate printed books. I definitely see the merits of the electronic variant, but I hope they won’t overtake the printed book so much as supplement it.
Are you an octogenarian????? Botox?
Very funny post by the way, I really enjoyed it and congrats on the FP.
I love to read and have never readwalked. I must try it. If I stop blogging, you’ll know I got hit by the 8.55 bus and am now reading from hospital.
xx
This made me laugh, although I certainly hope there was no being hit by a bus involved in anything subsequent to your posting this comment!
Definitely not an octogenarian! My repeated references to “in my youth” just made me chuckle, because they made it sound like those days were ever so far removed . . .
I’m a big reader myself, but I haven’t gotten to the point where I will readwalk. This is most definitely something i’ve yet to try out and conquer! Must be a handy skill to have when you’re desperate to finish the last pages of a fantastic book, whilst also fulfilling all of your other responsibilities! Great post, inspiring. Rebecca.
It’s an extremely handy skill to have, especially when you’re finishing something like the Montmaray books!
Thank you, for commenting here and elsewhere. I appreciate it!
I readwalk. It’s very relaxing and forces me to walk slightly slower than otherwise, therefore negating the sweaty monster syndrome. I haven’t walked into a post/tree for nearly 3 years now. To put a positive spin on even that event… From the outside there is nothing funnier than watching someone else walk into a tree, so you’re probably making a lot of city folk (who would normally be angry) very happy. Readwalk away I say.
Speaking of “positive spins,” everything in this comment made me smile. Thank you
hey there! Congratulations for beings FP’d! awesomeness!!
Thanks! It’s a fabulous feeling, and I’m excited to follow up on the blogs of folks who commented here! It’s probably going to take me a few days, but that just means something to look forward to.
I’v never tried this. It could be interesting.
Jessie.
If you do give it a shot, I’d be interested in hearing about your experiences!
“you can’t necessarily judge a book by its readwalker!”
I had never seen a readwalker, but that sounds fun, maybe I’ll practice it ^_^!
hope they aren’t fixing the sewer pips next door!
uff I forgot to write a big LOL after the quotation
LOL
I thought I was the only one!
Since passing my driving test I’ve sort of forgotten readwalking but recently had to walk somewhere and refreshed myself on unexpected branch encounters.
(Don’t worry, I don’t try to readdrive since I passed my test!)
Definitely not the only one!
But when you say you don’t try to readdrive since your test, does that mean you tried before?!
I used to readwalk quite a bit while in college and especially in vet school. Not so much anymore. Congratulations on getting Freshly Pressed…. Great post!!
Thank you! I continue to feel delighted, and look forward to getting a chance to peruse everyone’s blogs. I’ve got another 39 minutes tonight
When readwalking, remember to look out for lamp posts. And buses. And other people. Especially if you’re in school corridor
Hopefully the buses don’t appear in the school corridors too often! Although I’ve got to admit, I have nightmares about being forced to handle equipment larger than a standard auto, which always ends in similar scenarios!
I used to readwalk much more when I was younger, and tried it again for the first time in many years recently. It wasn’t so much dodging people I found difficult, as it was keeping myself from thinking I was about to walk into something. Too long out of practice meant I got very jumpy and had to keep checking I wasn’t walking into anything, and the walk took twice as long as it normally would have done!
I’d have been better just walking home and squeezing some reading in when I got there!
Congrats on being Freshly Pressed!
Thanks, Claire! I’m lucky my time in Japan–really, really rural Japan–afforded me many opportunities to keep current on my readwalking skills! (Well worth the teasing, that!)
Hello from another readwalker. Unfortunately Melbourne is full of hurrying people and readwalkers infuriate them if walking slowly. I agree with Claire about this as well : It wasn’t so much dodging people I found difficult, as it was keeping myself from thinking I was about to walk into something.Then I tend to reread my sentence and that gets annoying!
A couple of times, I’ve found myself reading some of my “heavier” books and going over the same sentence a few times in a row. When that happens, I tend to set the book aside and hum a few songs to myself. (I used to sing songs outright rather than just hum them, but folks tended to be more accepting of that when I was 9
)
There are more people reading and walking today than ever before. I’ve been reading and walking since I was 15, but just yesterday I walked smack into a fellow readwalker. Proves that readwalking experts make mistakes too!
Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed!
Thanks on the congrats! Proves that readwalking experts make mistakes too! Agreed! I’d suggest that the difference between a noob and an expert is the frequency of the accident occurrence. If an expert has one incident per 1000 minutes of readwalking, (a) that’s likely 1/100 as often as a readwalking noob & (b) that doesn’t invalidate “expert” status; it’s just a reminder there’s a little more for improvement still!
I really dont like to read i dont think any books are that interesting. and when i read i tend to fall asleep. but maybe if i read while i walk it wont b so boring because it will keep me moving haha! but i would be afriad i would run into something.
I love reading, and I still tend to fall asleep while reading! Walking and reading helps ensure I get to do both things and enjoy each a little longer.
Me too! I always walk and read at home too
It helps liven things up, eh?!
during walking, sitting, laying… it doesn’t matter where or how. we should read everywhere and in every position.
i like the word “readwalker”! but i hope it will never be readdriver. Could you imagine this two meeting in the same place, at the same time?! they would probably never read again…
Agreed that reading is best done everywhere
Oh, I hope a meeting of those two never, ever occurs! I think you’re likely right that reading would be the third wheel not welcome ’round again.
Count my fingers as crossed against something like this ever happening. (Toes, too!)
I think I would just get woozy if I eve tried to readwalk.
I feel like that might be the case for me if I tried picking it up now. When I try doing other, non-reading things while walking, I find I do them much, much more poorly than I readwalk o.O
I miss “readwalking.” Now that I’m commuting to work I rarely get the chance to walk and read anything beside my BBM and text messages. I used to walk and read all the time, waiting for an “aha” that would stop me in my tracks. Only one such incident, by the way – Borges’ “Circular Ruins” actually made me stop walking.
Thanks for the post and sending me back in memory to my 3-5 kilometer walks to work and university.
I’m actually a little envious that you recall which book stopped you in your tracks! I recall having stopped dead in my tracks at least a dozen times, but I can’t remember a single book that made me have that reaction. D’oh!
I’m glad I could help recall what sounds like a positive part of your university experience. I’m glad, too, you stopped by and shared it!
I must admit , I’ve been guilty of this very thing, some books are just too good to put down
))
I’m pleased to report that the book I’m reading didn’t start that way . . . but is getting there! *cheer* Now I’ve got to make sure I’ve got something lined up at the library for when I finish this. Best get on that
Hi Carol! I have one of these for my car and if you have an audio input it works GREAT!
I have also used the ones that are corded to a cassette and where you feed it through a radio adapter and had a lot of issues with them not working the way they should.
Hi,, I could be one of them,, But, it’s funny. Your ‘skilled readwalker’ term make me laugh.. thanks.
I’m glad I could inspire a laugh! Thanks for saying so
I don’t drive so car/bus/cab time is very good for reading too!
How not enjoy a good readwalking in the afternoon?
I used to do a ton of that when I was in law school and Japan! Sadly, most of the reading I did on the buses in law school was not school reading. 0:)
I have never readwalked but I often write txt messages while walking. I once saw someone walking with a laptop on their palm and typing at the same time!
Oh, goodness! With my clumsiness factor, that’d be a toasted laptop! That’s definitely more multi-tasking than my brain can handle.
I’m pretty sure I saw a guy read-driving one time. Probably a little more dangerous than readwalking.
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! When you say that, I imagine an attorney en route to argue in court. I want to tell that attorney, “You’re much more effective when you’re alive to argue!”
It was a pretty crappy car, so he probably wasn’t a lawyer of any sort. Or maybe he was, but is really bad at it, because he obviously isn’t very bright if he’s reading and driving.
Yes, totally crazy. We lived in Arizona and he did that on the way to Mexico.
That hurts just to read. You’re made of stern stuff.
Wow, I don’t think I’ve done readwalking. I guess I’m the type who likes to find a good spot. I am easily distracted, but I must say being a readwalker is some skill to have!
I’m very, very happy to have honed the skill years ago. I don’t think I’d be quite so successful if I started out with no skill now!
My ex that I was talking about is a pretty amazing guy. He will be 45 May 29th so he is 10 years older than me. He drove a Ford Ranger and he was an army Ranger or The US miliatry before I met him. Luckily his term has run out so he would never have to serve now. He enjoyed taking college classes, writing and poetry an is a very very hard worker.
in The US military I meant to say. The fact that he is half hispanic and still wanted to serve this country that does not freely allow Mexicans in does not evade me. He was just very down to earth and keenly intelligent.
I’m just glad you’re not a read-driver! Those people are dangerous but I’ve seen it.
I haven’t seen (or encountered its side effects) yet, facts which I hope remain true for a long time . . . preferably because readdrivers realize moving while driving a ginormous, dangerous machine is possibly not the best idea!
Nice to know that I’m not the only readwalker. I just have to be careful of readwalking in the Metro, because things could end very badly that way.
Definitely not the only readwalker! In my case, I was lucky to know of at least three others via my siblings. We were the only ones I’d encountered doing it, but I was sure we weren’t alone. I think it’s safe to say that has been confirmed.
Awesome post. I’d kill myself if I tried readwalking…but definatly appreciate those who can do it!
Thanks!
I’d definitely advise against readwalking, in that case, because I can’t read blog entries that don’t ever get written! I mean, what? I’m not selfish! 0:)
Wait…you’re the closet monster? Does that mean you are going to get me?? Will I have to move out and go to a place with no closets??? Am I going to die???? Or am I just going to be severely injured?????
You might be eclipsed.
I admire you for your readwalking capabibilities. Consider yourself lucky! haha
Thanks! I definitely do.
Nice to know that I’m not the only readwalker. I just have to be careful of readwalking in the Metro, because things could end very badly that way.
You’re far from alone! I’ll cross my fingers nothing bad happens while you’re doing it Metro-style
I actually knocked myself out by walking into a collapsed trellis post in the garden while readwalking once. Now I’m more careful.
Heh, that would be excellent incentive toward greater care!
I cannot read while walking or even listen to a book. For me either lying down in bed or sitting on a chair is best. Maybe it has something to do with moving book and not able to focus at all.
http://iandbooks.wordpress.com/
http://iandbooks.wordpress.com/2011/04/15/where-do-you-like-to-read-fixed-place-or-anywhere/
Those positions are most commonly associated with me falling asleep, sadly! I’m trying to train myself for longer bursts of wakefulness reading in a seated position
Hahhh…. love it. I would rather be walking behind a “readwalker” instead of a “textwalker” or “cellphonewalker”. Atleast I would feel that the book has some content of value. I’ve never “readwalked” because I’m just a bit clumsy…. but it’s always fascinated me to see them
.
I stumbled onto your blog while looking at the “posts about books” section on the Freshly Pressed page. Wowza. What fun that I stumbled on it today, when this post was up there. You know why? Because I’M A READWALKER. A genuine, real-life, obsessive one. I’ve been doing this for about four years, ever since I discovered that I have pretty darn good peripheral vision.
Thank you, Deborah, for making me feel that I’m not alone in this convoluted (and immensely entertaining and enjoyable) habit. I’m subscribing, by the way, because anyone who readwalks is someone who I need to get to know better.
At slightlyignorant aren’t you lucky to have such a healthy habit. Take it from some one who knows there are quite worse habits to have that seem hard to break.
You’re absolutely right, and – in truth – I’m incredibly thankful and even proud of my ability to readwalk. I’d rather be addicted to reading while I walk than many other things, having seen myself the difficulties that one of my best friends has gone through lately.
Great! I’ve never done that but I listen to audiobooks while doing the house chores. It goes faster that way.
The book or the chore?