How Long Would it Take a Reasonably Healthy Early-70s (Me) to Walk a Mile?

officerripley

officerripley

Well-known Member
Location
Porlock, Calif
Hoping any of our frequent walkers here on SF can answer this question. When I look online, it always throws up a bunch of confusing charts, etc. I use neither a cane, walking stick, or walker luckily and it would be on nice level residential sidewalks all the way, if that makes a difference. (The walk back from the store or library I'm assuming would have to go a little slower since I'd be loaded down with stuff.) Thanks for any info.
 

I’ll be 71 soon and until this year I could walk 2-3 miles in an hour or a little more if there was much elevation gain. Now I wouldn’t walk quite as fast or be at all concerned with speed. Now I just try to walk smoothly at a rate that feels good and take steep hills with the same goal but necessarily slower.
 
You asked? I searched.

Walking speed tends to decrease as age increases12. For most adults, the average walking speed is around 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) per hour1. According to research, walking speed decreases at the rate of 1.2 minutes slower in every kilometer as you age2. The table below shows average walking speeds by different age groups and sex1:
  • 20-29 years: Men: 3.4 mph, Women: 3.0 mph
  • 30-39 years: Men: 3.4 mph, Women: 3.0 mph
  • 40-49 years: Men: 3.3 mph, Women: 2.9 mph
  • 50-59 years: Men: 3.2 mph, Women: 2.8 mph
  • 60-69 years: Men: 3.0 mph, Women: 2.6 mph
By my calculation, a 70 ish man can walk at 3 miles per hour which means he could possibly walk a mile in about 20 minutes, half an hour if the terrain is not ideal.

A woman would take a little longer - say 23 minutes - so the difference is not all that much.
 

My afternoon walk is about 30 minutes and 1.5 to 2 miles. It’s all on the flat. If I went to the store, I’d be wearing my backpack, shopping judiciously and speed wouldn’t be affected. I can get the rest tomorrow. Honestly, other than looking at the steps for the day, I never thought about how far.
 
Looks like you got a lot of information to go on. Walks are very comforting for me. I go to a park where there is a sign of how many times around is so many miles. Then I start walking at a leisurely pace because I like to enjoy the park and pond. About 30 minutes for one time.
 
fancicoffee13 said:
Looks like you got a lot of information to go on. Walks are very comforting for me. I go to a park where there is a sign of how many times around is so many miles. Then I start walking at a leisurely pace because I like to enjoy the park and pond. About 30 minutes for one time.
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Yes very helpful, thanks all! 🙂 So for a shorty (4’11” and most of that’s torso) like me, looks like a mile would probably take me about 25 or 30 min. maybe?
 
againstthegrain said:
What's the point of knowing how long it takes anyone else?
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Because that would give me an idea of how long it would take me. There's a house for sale that Huzz has actually (gasp) agreed to go look at and the house is a little less than a mile away from shopping and the library and now that I don't drive any more, how long it'd take me to walk there is a consideration. (I'm about 4 miles away from shopping and about 5 miles away from the library now. And if he dies or goes permanently into skilled nursing before I do and I'm still living where we are now, I'm not within walking distance of anything really.)
 
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officerripley said:
Hoping any of our frequent walkers here on SF can answer this question. When I look online, it always throws up a bunch of confusing charts, etc. I use neither a cane, walking stick, or walker luckily and it would be on nice level residential sidewalks all the way, if that makes a difference. (The walk back from the store or library I'm assuming would have to go a little slower since I'd be loaded down with stuff.) Thanks for any info.
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Seventy years old here, and I agree with @PeppermintPatty that it's around twenty minutes per mile at a steady pace. I think back in the day when I was jogging every day, it was a ten minute mile for me. It's been a long time since I measured my walks with the app on my phone or a pedometer. You will definitely walk slower if carrying any items in a bag or backpack, especially if you are a bit tired from the walk there. I really like to walk and hike when I can, good for mind and body.
 
officerripley said:
Yes very helpful, thanks all! 🙂 So for a shorty (4’11” and most of that’s torso) like me, looks like a mile would probably take me about 25 or 30 min. maybe?
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Yes, you're wise to consider your height and stride, makes a big difference in my opinion. I'm around 5'4 inches, and my steps are long. It's important, especially at our age, to listen to your body and not overdo. A mile in thirty minutes is just fine, that's two miles an hour, nothing to sneeze at. ;) Glad your active, and asking advice here is always beneficial. (y)
 
SeaBreeze said:
Glad your active
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Well, I'd like to be active if I could move some place where there was something worth walking to within reasonable walking distance. We'll see; this--if I really can get him to go look at it--will be the 3rd open house we've gone to and he hated the other 2. (He actually hates every house in the world that's not the one we're living in now, sigh.)
 
Me at 71.....on flat ground I walk a mile in 15 minutes and that doesn't actually give me a cardio-respiratory workout.
From my backdoor, through the village, out to the highway and back is two miles and I finish that fairly pleasant walk past the farm fields in half an hour. So I can comfortably walk at a four miles per hour pace.
 
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A 5 mile walk with some local friends usually takes us between one hour and one and a half hours, depending on how much talking we are doing while walking. I think when you are walking with other people, it's easier. I have taken a break from it recently but, now the weather has brightened up, I feel like walking again :)
 
I am puffing and blowing reading what all you lovely people are doing, walking miles and miles, you all sound like Olympic athletes to me.
I don't think in miles anymore, more like short shuffles between places where I can park my backside, but the park, when the weather is fine isn't too far away. 😊
 
It varies for me. I use marked trails so I know the distance. I have gone as fast as 5 miles in an hour or as slow as 3.5. Depends on which trail and the weather. I do stop and take pictures of wildlife. I slow way down when it gets over 85F. Currently it is 45-65F and I keep a faster pace. I am late 60’s in age.
 

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