Spotlight on Arlington Walker Adrienne Cleary
Arlington newcomer hits the road to "exercise and socialize"
Two years ago, Adrienne Celone was living across the Potomac River from Arlington in the Palisades neighborhood of northwest Washington, D.C., her home for nearly two decades. Then on June 25, 2005, Adrienne married Stephen Cleary, a longtime Arlington resident, and moved to the County's Virginia Square neighborhood.
Ever since then, Adrienne has been getting to know the many streetscapes, running paths, and nature trails of Arlington County. But the avid walker hasn't gotten to meet as many fellow walkers as she'd like. That's why she's interested in forming a walking group in the Ballston/Virginia Square area.
Driven by the desire to "exercise and socialize," Adrienne started reaching out by posting flyers in her building and contacting local businesses, like Pacers and Curves, in her quest to find like-minded walkers. Last month, Adrienne contacted WALKArlington, and the list of interested Ballston/Virginia Square walkers began to grow.
The trouble is, some walkers work in Ballston/Virginia Square and want to walk at lunchtime, while others live in the area and want to walk in the evening or on weekends.
Adrienne fits into the latter category. She works downtown near the White House at an investment firm and takes her own lunchtime walks in the nation's capital, supplemented by time on the treadmill at her office gym and the occasional bike ride. In her old neighborhood in Northwest D.C., Adrienne formed a walking group of four who used to walk, sometimes with dogs, on weekend mornings.
She left that walking group behind when she moved to Arlington and began walking with her husband Steve on weekends and weekday evenings. Although Steve's primary form of exercise is swimming, he finds walking with Adrienne to be an ideal way to reconnect with his wife at the end of the day.
The newlyweds take turns deciding which of Arlington's many walkable routes to follow and where to end up. Adrienne admits that her routes usually lead to Ballston Common Mall, while Steve prefers to walk the tree-lined residential streets to be found just blocks from the highrises of the Orange Line corridor. On the weekends in good weather, the couple may head to the walking trails in nearby Arlington parks, including Bluemont and Glen Carlyn.
Besides allowing Adrienne time to catch up with her husband, walking, according to Adrienne, is the "first step in any fitness program." A committed nutrition and fitness buff, Adrienne espouses the virtues of walking for physical health, but also recognizes its mental health benefits in terms of improved focus and relaxation.
With all that walking, Adrienne logs between 8,000-10,000 steps on her pedometer per day. She and Steve supplement that pedometer count with ballroom dancing at the nearby Dance Factory studio and walks to and from Metro stations in Arlington and D.C. as part of their workday commutes.
In fact, walking has led to Adrienne increasing exercise as a whole. She took swim lessons this summer, joined a gym, and got back on her stationary bike at home, all the while improving her diet and increasing her motivation to do more!
It's clear in talking with Adrienne and Steve that walking has always been an important part of their relationship. Steve even proposed to Adrienne during a walk through Constitution Gardens on the Mall back in 2004.
Walking has helped Adrienne deepen her relationship with her new husband while getting to know her new neighborhood, and now she's hoping that walking will help her get to meet more people in the Ballston/Virginia Square area. She's even willing to give up one evening walk with her husband per week for the "joy of walking with friends."
If you are interested in taking part in a Ballston/Virginia Square walking group, whether you live in the neighborhood and prefer evening or weekend walks, or work in the area and prefer lunch hour treks, send an e-mail with the subject line Walking Group to lhassel@arlingtonva.us. Include your name, e-mail address, and preferred walking schedule, and WALKArlington will be in touch!
In the meantime, if you see Adrienne and Steve out there pounding the Arlington pavement, be sure to say hello!
