I hate sitting at a desk all day, which is part of the reason I like my job. I get assignments that force me to get on my feet and check out everything happening in Suffolk.

I get to work towards my daily 10,000-step Fitbit goal while I’m hounding for stories and pictures, especially now in the heat of summer. I keep a pair of worn sneakers in my car for whenever I want to save the shine on my nicer shoes.

I got those sneakers dirty power-walking around the city last week for photos of the murals that have been put around town thanks to Keep Suffolk Beautiful, the Suffolk Art League and the downtown art studio OnePast7. The murals are nice, but I did start to regret my barely-breathable, business-casual shirt.

I made the mistake of leaving my sneakers at home when I met up with “Suffolk’s Got Sole” at Lake Meade Park on the evening of June 4. I ended up running 1.4 miles in my black Bostonians to stay in front of the Suffolk Public Library running group, then turn around every minute or so for a decent photo. I didn’t even think about the shoes at that point; I was just worried about my camera.

I’m thinking about running on the job because Fourth of July is fast approaching, and I’m bound to cover the annual parade at Eclipse community held by Ebenezer United Methodist Church and the C.E.&H. Ruritan Club. I was there last year for parade photos, and the turnout was spectacular.

There were five floats, eight classic cars, more than 30 golf carts and more than 40 kids’ bicycles all decorated in red, white and blue. They cruised through the neighborhood, some of them waving and others throwing out candy for the kids.

Then there was me, doing sprint-intervals alongside the pack of riders to get photos from a multitude of angles and of as many people’s faces as possible. I was sweating with no water bottle in reach. By the time I put the lens cover on my camera, I had nearly hit my Fitbit 10k for the day.

But I’m very excited to do it again this year. I’ll bring some extra water and my running shoes this time. It’s going to be a lively morning on the Fourth of July.