The journey becomes less abstract when the distance has to be carried in your legs.

Distance on a map is a number, and numbers are easy to agree to. Walk the same stretch and it turns into hills, weather, and the hour it takes out of your day. The body keeps a different set of accounts from the plan, and its version is usually the honest one. Anything measured only in the abstract will tend to feel lighter than it is.

Pick one distance this week that you normally cover by car or train, and cover it on foot instead. Notice what you learn about the route that no timetable told you.