"I tend to agree with you and bearpaw."

Me too. Ultimately, the pace, breathing, foot angle/placement etc etc of course need to be what you find work best for you, but IMO trying to walk thousands of miles on eggshells would drive me crazy, unless I got it (or something that adapted from it) completely into muscle memory and just automatic.

Related to the positive benefits you're looking for will be the shoes, inserts, even perhaps the socks you wear, and certainly whether (and even how) you use trekking poles and how heavy your pack is. I think your comment about miles per hour is right on --- if it really would limit you to a mile per hour (and I presume that on pavement?) then it's clearly a no-go for distance hiking unless you've got a huge amount of time & patience and better than average resupply options.

For me, the act of walking should be a(n unconscious) pleasure. Things like adjusting pace to the slope and terrain, some degree of rest step on fairly steep inclines, that sort of thing hopefully get to be automatic so the walker just enjoys the pleasure of walking.

All that said, I have a couple of foot issues I haven't resolved yet this year from walking the PCT last year, so what do I really know! shocked This topic strikes home with me just now as I'm really eager to get back to having that sense of freedom and pleasure from walking fairly fast, light, and long.
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Brian Lewis
http://postholer.com/brianle