tuesday night and time for my midweek 3 mile training session. it is really flipping cold outside (low 20's) and pitch black as there seems to be no moon in sight. got a late start getting out for the walk/jog so by the time i actually went it was already 9:45 pm so really settled into the darkness. the session itself was nice, due to the cold, the stars were really bright, and the layers actually kept me quite warm though i think i may need a bike short for extra thigh warmth if the race is anywhere near this cold. at any rate, the session was strong, muscles complied with all that was asked of them, was a little low on fuel so i decided to try out the new energy stuff i got on advice of the c'ville running store guy. it's called "stinger" and it is this gu-like substance but it is a little less.....gu-ey (gooey?) as it is a little softer or thinner or something, but it is made of honey and pretty much just tasted like eating a rather large packet of honey (one of those things you either like or think "ewwww", i personally am a pooh-bear sized proponent of honey, so i was on board) i am a fan, perhaps my new fave.
so here is where we get to the hahaha (the brr was the 20 degree stuff), walking back from the track, and as i have mentioned in past posts, there are no street lights or sidewalks in my neighborhood. got to the cool down spot (300 yards from home) when a car was coming from behind me. now, as a good little safety scout, i was on the side of the road facing oncoming traffic to be able to get out of the way as needed of drivers who don't see little old me on the road. and though i was wearing light colored clothes, i was probably a little tough to see. in front of me, walking toward me on the same side of the road (NOT a good safety scout!) was a 50-ish man obviously out for the same goal as me, a brisk night exercise session. Apparently the factors aligned just right so that between the late hour & cold weather he assumed he was alone, and with having to drop his eyes to not get blinded by the oncoming headlights he didn't see me at all. as we were passing i said "hey, how are you?" or something of the sort and apparently scared the poor man half to death (unintentionally, i really thought he saw me too, but i have really good night vision and wasn't looking into headlights). he jumped about 5 feet sideways and replied "oh whoa my wanna holy huuuuummm" or something along those lines. poor guy, i think he got more cardio than he was planning on!
oh, also one "tada" moment. getting ready for work this morning i was looking for some pants to wear and went into the closet to see what was there and clean. in the back was a pair of brown dress pants that i haven't thought much about so they have been just sitting there on a hanger. on a whim i tried them on and they fit great. turns out the reason that i haven't given them much thought is because they are a size smaller than i have been wearing for about 3 years. in fact, i think it was probably 2002 or so since last i wore the pants. they are my new official work pants!!!
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Good week of training and some company for the mileage!
dad and i did lots of fun training on our thanksgiving get-together! we went out the first day he and mom got here and hit the track for a 3 mile walk that turned into a 3 mile jog/walk/holy crap run like the wind for the last part of the 2nd mile! it went something like this...
sun had set, kinda dark and about 4-5 oz of steak in my belly. bundled dad up a little as he isn't used to fall training especially fall with no sunshine! we headed out to the track that is 1/2 mile from the house and started with a nice fast paced walk. the first mile averaged out to about 14:45 so we decided to kick it up a little. the second mile involved walking all but the last 100 yards of the first lap which we decided to jog. the second lap we jogged for the last 200 yards (the half way point) and walked the rest, the third was the same. the last lap we walked (i was a little twinge-y on the outside of my right ankle, something i have been playing with for a few weeks) until just before the last 100 yards, then dad started to jog and i decided to give it my best. as i started jogging next to him, he pushed a little faster and pulled ahead a little. suddenly, we were both running and i just kicked in the turbo boosters and shot to the end of the track with a dad slightly behind (i had a combo of youth and a job that requires standing and therefor leg strength on my side!) whole walk/run was 3 miles in 43:45! averaging under 15 minutes!!
the next night, wednesday, we ate a pretty big and heavy dinner in charlottesville and i wasn't feeling like training. we finished up dinner by about 6, but by the time we got home it was closer to 8 and it was well after dark. it had been an unseasonably warm day however and was still quite lovely out and there was a pretty nearly full moon to light the way, so we decided, full belly or no, to go out and get in 3 miles again. this time, with respect to our digestion and a little stiff from the showing off the night before, i was only really wanting to walk, so there was very little actual jogging happening on this session.
thursday was supposed to be 3 miles, but since it was thanksgiving, the plans got a little off. we had meant to do the 1 mile hike at the natural bridge, but by the time we finished with dinner, it was getting pretty late and they wont let you go in after dark. since we couldn't hike, we decided to at least take the stairs down to see the natural bridge. the stairs, and i use this term somewhat loosely as they were really just unevenly cut pieces of stone stuck into the ground, led down to the bridge where we were to watch a really cool light show extravaganza. after walking the 150 or so stairs we walked out to and underneath the bridge and really got to experience it's size and majesty. it is a really cool thing! after the show (which was really cool except it was FREEZING!!!!) we went over to take the bus back to the top where the parking lot was. the first busload was already full and as cold as we were we decided to take the stairs back up rather than wait (not mom's favorite idea of the week). all in all, not quite 3 miles, but probably around 2 and some really good stair endurance.
saturday was the endurance walk. the team was meeting at 7 am, but we decided that it was too early for us so we headed out at 8 and got to c'ville around 8:45. i took dad on the 7 1/2 mile loop i took 2 weeks ago figuring we could finish up any additional we wanted to do (i was scheduled for 9 total this week) at the UVA track by the parking lot where my car was. after about 6 miles i made a judgment call that it was better to do 7 1/2 miles and be able to socialize than shoot for the 9 and need to spend the rest of the day on my tush at home, so we limited the walk to the original path. the walk was awesome, we went through campus as i usually do, but it was during the UVA/Virginia Tech football game which is a huge rivalry so there was LOTS of fun tailgating going on (many drunken frat boys!). due to the sudden plunge in temp, dad got to play around with thermals and layers (though he only brought running shorts and it was 26 degrees out so he borrowed my nylon running pants which were about 3 inches too short! very funny!) although it was cold, we had a great time, with potty breaks and all averaged 18 minutes a mile even with the substantial hills that this route provides. after finishing, we stretched and headed to smoothie king for some nutrients while waiting for mom to come to town. unfortunately, the combo of icy cold smoothie with wet though wicking under layers of clothing led to a somewhat deep chill and we headed out of smoothie king looking for someplace to change into dry clothes and get warm. in the interim, i turned the heat up to high in the car and drove to the school for a changing room. the school was closed (forgot about the holiday) and the heat in the car felt really good, so that, combined with the early wake up time and the overall fatigue from the walk led us to pull the car into the Giant grocery parking lot and take a nice 20 minute power nap while the heater blew full blast. ah yeah! good times!
all in all, a successful week of training and lots of fun having someone to train with!
sun had set, kinda dark and about 4-5 oz of steak in my belly. bundled dad up a little as he isn't used to fall training especially fall with no sunshine! we headed out to the track that is 1/2 mile from the house and started with a nice fast paced walk. the first mile averaged out to about 14:45 so we decided to kick it up a little. the second mile involved walking all but the last 100 yards of the first lap which we decided to jog. the second lap we jogged for the last 200 yards (the half way point) and walked the rest, the third was the same. the last lap we walked (i was a little twinge-y on the outside of my right ankle, something i have been playing with for a few weeks) until just before the last 100 yards, then dad started to jog and i decided to give it my best. as i started jogging next to him, he pushed a little faster and pulled ahead a little. suddenly, we were both running and i just kicked in the turbo boosters and shot to the end of the track with a dad slightly behind (i had a combo of youth and a job that requires standing and therefor leg strength on my side!) whole walk/run was 3 miles in 43:45! averaging under 15 minutes!!
the next night, wednesday, we ate a pretty big and heavy dinner in charlottesville and i wasn't feeling like training. we finished up dinner by about 6, but by the time we got home it was closer to 8 and it was well after dark. it had been an unseasonably warm day however and was still quite lovely out and there was a pretty nearly full moon to light the way, so we decided, full belly or no, to go out and get in 3 miles again. this time, with respect to our digestion and a little stiff from the showing off the night before, i was only really wanting to walk, so there was very little actual jogging happening on this session.
thursday was supposed to be 3 miles, but since it was thanksgiving, the plans got a little off. we had meant to do the 1 mile hike at the natural bridge, but by the time we finished with dinner, it was getting pretty late and they wont let you go in after dark. since we couldn't hike, we decided to at least take the stairs down to see the natural bridge. the stairs, and i use this term somewhat loosely as they were really just unevenly cut pieces of stone stuck into the ground, led down to the bridge where we were to watch a really cool light show extravaganza. after walking the 150 or so stairs we walked out to and underneath the bridge and really got to experience it's size and majesty. it is a really cool thing! after the show (which was really cool except it was FREEZING!!!!) we went over to take the bus back to the top where the parking lot was. the first busload was already full and as cold as we were we decided to take the stairs back up rather than wait (not mom's favorite idea of the week). all in all, not quite 3 miles, but probably around 2 and some really good stair endurance.
saturday was the endurance walk. the team was meeting at 7 am, but we decided that it was too early for us so we headed out at 8 and got to c'ville around 8:45. i took dad on the 7 1/2 mile loop i took 2 weeks ago figuring we could finish up any additional we wanted to do (i was scheduled for 9 total this week) at the UVA track by the parking lot where my car was. after about 6 miles i made a judgment call that it was better to do 7 1/2 miles and be able to socialize than shoot for the 9 and need to spend the rest of the day on my tush at home, so we limited the walk to the original path. the walk was awesome, we went through campus as i usually do, but it was during the UVA/Virginia Tech football game which is a huge rivalry so there was LOTS of fun tailgating going on (many drunken frat boys!). due to the sudden plunge in temp, dad got to play around with thermals and layers (though he only brought running shorts and it was 26 degrees out so he borrowed my nylon running pants which were about 3 inches too short! very funny!) although it was cold, we had a great time, with potty breaks and all averaged 18 minutes a mile even with the substantial hills that this route provides. after finishing, we stretched and headed to smoothie king for some nutrients while waiting for mom to come to town. unfortunately, the combo of icy cold smoothie with wet though wicking under layers of clothing led to a somewhat deep chill and we headed out of smoothie king looking for someplace to change into dry clothes and get warm. in the interim, i turned the heat up to high in the car and drove to the school for a changing room. the school was closed (forgot about the holiday) and the heat in the car felt really good, so that, combined with the early wake up time and the overall fatigue from the walk led us to pull the car into the Giant grocery parking lot and take a nice 20 minute power nap while the heater blew full blast. ah yeah! good times!
all in all, a successful week of training and lots of fun having someone to train with!
Monday, November 12, 2007
saturday morning training
saturday training, actually did all of my midweek mileage going in to it (first time in a few weeks) got up and ate breakfast of instant oatmeal and oj and headed out the door with haste as i was running a little late. got into the car and headed to c'ville which takes about 30 minutes in regular traffic. unfortunately, this was NOT regular traffic, this was pokey-the-driving-slugmobile traffic. so i was a little grumpy that i hadn't gotten up and out earlier, then i was grumpy that i had to be up so darn early on a saturday morning anyway. then i was grumpy that i had no clients scheduled for the day which meant i was up early with no plans for the rest of the day after the training. then i was grumpy because i had been trying for 2 days to get a particular friend on the phone and she never answers, oh yeah, that's right, no one has been answering their phones since yesterday, now i am grumpy and feeling sorry for myself because i am all alone in the world and i have to do everything for myself because there is no on around to pick up the slack and it's not fair, it's not fair, it's not fair (hold my breath 'til i turn blue and pass out, yes it was a temper tantrum, i'm aware thank you very much!). by the time i FINALLY got to the meeting spot for TNT group training, they had already headed out (not that it matters, i'm gonna have to walk by myself anyway, there are no other walkers, i'm the only one who can't run because i'm fat and why am i fooling myself into thinking this is a good idea? maybe i should just quit. i should just go home and watch tv, i don't want to walk now, no one would even notice either way, return to holding breath until blue again....).
so i started the car and got ready to leave. then i stopped. then i pulled the car back in to the parking spot. then i stopped. then i backed out again. then i drove the stupid car into the stupid spot and took the stupid keys out of the ignition (which was also stupid). i decided i was already there, i might as well walk. And even though i didn't have the map that my coach makes up for us for each session, i knew last time was 5 miles and this one was supposed to be 7, and i average about a 16 minute mile, so i would walk most of the 5 path and veer off for 16 minutes or so, double back and finish the 5 mile loop. so i headed out with my new water hip pack (probably the main reason i stayed, i was excited to try out the new hydration system) and began the walk. about 10 minutes in i was glad i decided to stay. about 45 minutes in i realized i LOVE charlottesville especially in the fall (i was unaware of it's beauty up close since i have spent the last 2 falls inside and inactive for the most part).
all in all, the walk was beautiful and uneventful. it's definitely getting easier to do the distances, my shins don't hurt at all any more. it's getting harder and harder to get my heart rate up to those really high numbers, the legs get wobbly before the lungs get too pant-y. my hamstring twinged a little at about mile marker 6 and by that night it was pretty mad, but a little icy hot took it out for the most part. but here's the part that makes this whole rant worthwhile...
when i finally got to the return loop to the parking lot where my car was parked, i looked up the hill and saw my car in the distance. i wasn't sure, but i thought i saw that my coach's car was still there too. i figured they weren't back from the 15 miles the full marathoners were doing and was pleasantly surprised to see that at least they weren't moving at double my speed (usually that happens, especially with the seasoned runners, we head out together and they are back at the end before me having done twice the distance in less time than me). as i made the final uphill (CUTE BUTTS!) my coach got out of her car and waved at me from across the parking lot. i couldn't believe she knew it was me. first off, she left before i got there and i hadn't emailed her to tell her if i was going to be there or not, so she had no reason to expect me. second, it was REALLY cold out, so i was bundled up in a jacket and a fleece hat, kind of incognito. when i got there, she apologized for heading out without me, and i told her that i was about 10 minutes late, no way would i have expected them to wait when they had no reason to know i was coming. Then i asked her how she knew i was there and out walking. she told me that Briana, one of the other participants, had recognized my car when they doubled back past the parking lot on their run. one of the other participants noticed it was me. my team knew i was there. wow. ok, now i get it, Go team...
really glad i stayed
so i started the car and got ready to leave. then i stopped. then i pulled the car back in to the parking spot. then i stopped. then i backed out again. then i drove the stupid car into the stupid spot and took the stupid keys out of the ignition (which was also stupid). i decided i was already there, i might as well walk. And even though i didn't have the map that my coach makes up for us for each session, i knew last time was 5 miles and this one was supposed to be 7, and i average about a 16 minute mile, so i would walk most of the 5 path and veer off for 16 minutes or so, double back and finish the 5 mile loop. so i headed out with my new water hip pack (probably the main reason i stayed, i was excited to try out the new hydration system) and began the walk. about 10 minutes in i was glad i decided to stay. about 45 minutes in i realized i LOVE charlottesville especially in the fall (i was unaware of it's beauty up close since i have spent the last 2 falls inside and inactive for the most part).
all in all, the walk was beautiful and uneventful. it's definitely getting easier to do the distances, my shins don't hurt at all any more. it's getting harder and harder to get my heart rate up to those really high numbers, the legs get wobbly before the lungs get too pant-y. my hamstring twinged a little at about mile marker 6 and by that night it was pretty mad, but a little icy hot took it out for the most part. but here's the part that makes this whole rant worthwhile...
when i finally got to the return loop to the parking lot where my car was parked, i looked up the hill and saw my car in the distance. i wasn't sure, but i thought i saw that my coach's car was still there too. i figured they weren't back from the 15 miles the full marathoners were doing and was pleasantly surprised to see that at least they weren't moving at double my speed (usually that happens, especially with the seasoned runners, we head out together and they are back at the end before me having done twice the distance in less time than me). as i made the final uphill (CUTE BUTTS!) my coach got out of her car and waved at me from across the parking lot. i couldn't believe she knew it was me. first off, she left before i got there and i hadn't emailed her to tell her if i was going to be there or not, so she had no reason to expect me. second, it was REALLY cold out, so i was bundled up in a jacket and a fleece hat, kind of incognito. when i got there, she apologized for heading out without me, and i told her that i was about 10 minutes late, no way would i have expected them to wait when they had no reason to know i was coming. Then i asked her how she knew i was there and out walking. she told me that Briana, one of the other participants, had recognized my car when they doubled back past the parking lot on their run. one of the other participants noticed it was me. my team knew i was there. wow. ok, now i get it, Go team...
really glad i stayed
Saturday, November 3, 2007
ok, back to the schedule
so i ended up taking 10 days off from training due to a lovely upper respiratory tract infection that left me with no energy and even less voice (kinda freaked out poor miranda when she wanted to chat with aunt jen the other day and got a croaky monster on the line!). finally decided i was ready to get back on the road on tuesday. went out with no intention to worry about time, only to get my legs moving again after so long. during the down time i was actually "itchy" to get back out, i think i have developed exercise restless leg syndrome. went out for an easy 3 miles and set the watch only to keep time to see how much of a back slide happens with 10 days out of commission. wouldn't you know, the first mile was 15:38, the second was 14:10 and the third was 14:13! the whole thing was under 45 minutes, finally back to the time i had been doing before i got sick last time! apparently, the down time did me good. went back out on thursday and had an equally good walk, did a little hill training, so the times were a little slower, but not bad and my heart rate was staying nicely in the 130's to 140's (and the cute butt chant is less frequent, guess the hills are getting a little easier if i don't need the encouragement)
today i did an open house with my friend Ed who is a chiropractor in town, i did chair massage for 3 hours and we set up a table of my now famous "cancer curing cookies" which have improved with the addition of some butterscotch chips. spent a lot of time getting to know some of the great people in my neighborhood and raised another $45 for TNT and have a few people who went home with promises of web donations. after 3 hours of chair massage, i was a little tired, but today was an endurance day and the weather was absolutely perfect for a walk, so i went home, changed into walking gear and headed out. the schedule for today was just 6 miles, but as i was going, it felt so good i decided to pass the turn around point and keep going. finally i found myself at the main gate of lake monticello which is over 3 and a half miles from my house. there i high fived the stop sign and turned around and headed home.
the walk back was great and i noticed that i had picked up a nice cadence to my walk that began to turn to a nice, easy jog. i decided to just go with it and ended up jogging for about 3/4 of a mile before i started to feel winded. for the rest of the way home, i traded off jogging until my heart rate got to 150ish and then walking it back down to the 130's. unfortunately, it was starting to get dark and as there are no sidewalks in my neighborhood, dusk isn't the safest time to be out on the road. i picked up speed to try to get off of the main roads and finally found myself back on the road that leads to my road, 3/4 of a mile from home. at this point, the final little hill of the route comes in and normally it isn't really that tough. today however, that hill was a mountain! i guess this was the point that my legs were done. i started getting a little wobbly and was having a little trouble getting my legs to point in a straight line. fortunately, there is very little traffic on this road, so i had the whole area to sort of stagger up the hill. when i got to the playground 1/2 mile from home, i went over to the water fountain for a drink and found that they have closed it for the fall/winter. i must have looked like a lunatic fumbling around where the handle is supposed to be but wasn't. can you believe it? they just took the handle off and replaced it with this metal plate. my brain was struggling to comprehend this (now, post hydration, i have figured it out!) and my legs were screaming for a break. so i stopped, took a deep breath and dug down deep to get a little reserve. then i got back on the road and headed in the direction of the house. finally, i rounded the corner to Loving terrace and sprinted my way to the front door. i got inside, ripped off my shoes and plopped down on the floor for a few minutes of rest before stretching.
All in all, i think today i finally found the wall. i have yet to push quite this hard up to now, though i have definitely been close. but best of all i noticed something on my walk today....i feel less cumbersome. that's the best way to describe it, like my body doesn't get in it's own way. it's a pretty darn good feeling. and holy cow, i made it to the main gate and back! in total, it was 7.25 miles in 1:55! so that means that 14.5 miles would take under 4 hours, and we only have to do 13.1, so YEAH!!! now, if i can figure out how to double the distance without falling down on my face......
today i did an open house with my friend Ed who is a chiropractor in town, i did chair massage for 3 hours and we set up a table of my now famous "cancer curing cookies" which have improved with the addition of some butterscotch chips. spent a lot of time getting to know some of the great people in my neighborhood and raised another $45 for TNT and have a few people who went home with promises of web donations. after 3 hours of chair massage, i was a little tired, but today was an endurance day and the weather was absolutely perfect for a walk, so i went home, changed into walking gear and headed out. the schedule for today was just 6 miles, but as i was going, it felt so good i decided to pass the turn around point and keep going. finally i found myself at the main gate of lake monticello which is over 3 and a half miles from my house. there i high fived the stop sign and turned around and headed home.
the walk back was great and i noticed that i had picked up a nice cadence to my walk that began to turn to a nice, easy jog. i decided to just go with it and ended up jogging for about 3/4 of a mile before i started to feel winded. for the rest of the way home, i traded off jogging until my heart rate got to 150ish and then walking it back down to the 130's. unfortunately, it was starting to get dark and as there are no sidewalks in my neighborhood, dusk isn't the safest time to be out on the road. i picked up speed to try to get off of the main roads and finally found myself back on the road that leads to my road, 3/4 of a mile from home. at this point, the final little hill of the route comes in and normally it isn't really that tough. today however, that hill was a mountain! i guess this was the point that my legs were done. i started getting a little wobbly and was having a little trouble getting my legs to point in a straight line. fortunately, there is very little traffic on this road, so i had the whole area to sort of stagger up the hill. when i got to the playground 1/2 mile from home, i went over to the water fountain for a drink and found that they have closed it for the fall/winter. i must have looked like a lunatic fumbling around where the handle is supposed to be but wasn't. can you believe it? they just took the handle off and replaced it with this metal plate. my brain was struggling to comprehend this (now, post hydration, i have figured it out!) and my legs were screaming for a break. so i stopped, took a deep breath and dug down deep to get a little reserve. then i got back on the road and headed in the direction of the house. finally, i rounded the corner to Loving terrace and sprinted my way to the front door. i got inside, ripped off my shoes and plopped down on the floor for a few minutes of rest before stretching.
All in all, i think today i finally found the wall. i have yet to push quite this hard up to now, though i have definitely been close. but best of all i noticed something on my walk today....i feel less cumbersome. that's the best way to describe it, like my body doesn't get in it's own way. it's a pretty darn good feeling. and holy cow, i made it to the main gate and back! in total, it was 7.25 miles in 1:55! so that means that 14.5 miles would take under 4 hours, and we only have to do 13.1, so YEAH!!! now, if i can figure out how to double the distance without falling down on my face......
Sunday, October 21, 2007
cookies
not so much a training post as a fundraising one...
bake sales are fun, making cookies is time consuming but enjoyable (and there are lots of beaters to lick) watching little kids eat your creations while their parents feel good about donating to a good cause is even better. However, one word of advice, frosting and direct sunlight do not go together....my cupcakes got a little on the saggy side about 35 minutes into the sale, and by the end, the frosting was kinda squishy (though the cookies were warm and soft like fresh from the oven!) the cupcakes left over got scraped and re-frosted to sell tomorrow at work. So far, I have raised about $65, so we'll see what the total is after work. I'm doing another sale on the 3rd of November when my friend Dr. Lauterbach, who owns the office where I had the sale today, is having an open house, and the gourmet pet place next door is having their one year anniversary extravaganza which they have been massively advertising and I am going to ride their tails like a flea.
here's what my sign said....
"These cookies cure cancer! (and the cupcakes aren't bad either)"
catchy, huh?
bake sales are fun, making cookies is time consuming but enjoyable (and there are lots of beaters to lick) watching little kids eat your creations while their parents feel good about donating to a good cause is even better. However, one word of advice, frosting and direct sunlight do not go together....my cupcakes got a little on the saggy side about 35 minutes into the sale, and by the end, the frosting was kinda squishy (though the cookies were warm and soft like fresh from the oven!) the cupcakes left over got scraped and re-frosted to sell tomorrow at work. So far, I have raised about $65, so we'll see what the total is after work. I'm doing another sale on the 3rd of November when my friend Dr. Lauterbach, who owns the office where I had the sale today, is having an open house, and the gourmet pet place next door is having their one year anniversary extravaganza which they have been massively advertising and I am going to ride their tails like a flea.
here's what my sign said....
"These cookies cure cancer! (and the cupcakes aren't bad either)"
catchy, huh?
Monday, October 15, 2007
six miles and counting
yeah! on saturday morning i went six miles! of course, at 5 to 5 1/2 i was feeling a little wobbly and tired, but once i saw the finish line it was all downhill. well, actually it was uphill, but i was walking with my coach and we dug in and gave it a little extra steam and started the chant....."CUTE BUTTS! CUTE BUTTS!" i told her that she was now quoted bi-coastally and that I would work on getting it both to Tampa and eventually to Arizona so she can improve her brand identity.
one side note, raisin bran is NOT a before endurance walk food. although the tummy stayed satiated, the intestines picked up speed around mile 3. and normally i walk alone and can release any building gas that shows up once peristalsis kicks in (usually midway on the course) but since my coach was there the whole time, i had to seem lady-like and keep my gaseous nature a secret. a shout out and blanket apology to the Shell station restroom on Old Ivy road. RIP, you never knew what hit you......
one side note, raisin bran is NOT a before endurance walk food. although the tummy stayed satiated, the intestines picked up speed around mile 3. and normally i walk alone and can release any building gas that shows up once peristalsis kicks in (usually midway on the course) but since my coach was there the whole time, i had to seem lady-like and keep my gaseous nature a secret. a shout out and blanket apology to the Shell station restroom on Old Ivy road. RIP, you never knew what hit you......
Thursday, October 11, 2007
long time, no blog....
ok, let's play catch up. went out wednesday the 3rd for a 3.5 mile walk, then did 2 miles on thursday. the thursday one was actually pretty eventful, I was on the track and I decided after the 1/2 mile warm up on the walk to the track that I wanted to work on speed. so when I got to the track, which is broken up into 100, 200, 300, and 400 yard sections, I decided to try jogging from 0 to 100. well, about 2 paces into it I was not feeling it, but instead of stopping and walking, I decided to try something new. I felt like I was spending so much energy trying to get the next foot in front of the last that I wasn't really moving very well, so instead I focused on "pushing" the ground out from underneath me with each step. I actually was picturing when Shelby takes a poo in the yard and then does the kick kick thing, that was my model for moving my legs (which, had I been able to breathe would probably have really made me laugh!). All of a sudden I took off like a flash! I was really trucking! when I got to the 100 yard line, I slowed to a quick walk which I took around the rest of the track until I got back to the start line and I kicked it in to a run again. I repeated this all 4 laps around the track to make a mile, in total running 1/4 of the mile!!! and the coolest part was that my time for that mile was 13:56, I actually broke 14 minutes!!!
Sunday was my next outing as I was in California so my schedule was a little thrown off. Frank, Lisa, Miranda and I went up to Mt. Tam and did the "plank walk" which sounds easy but wasn't (actually in hindsight it sounds pirate-y) but was REALLY fun! we went 1.5 miles up to the top of the peak of Mt. Tam to the ranger's station. At the top part, it was really rocky and rough, but we all made it to the top. The next day, Lisa and I went out for a 3 mile walk around her neighborhood and those El Cerrito hills made for some cute butts!
When I got home on tuesday night it was WAY too late to walk so I put myself to bed. Yesterday I got in 3 miles and tonight was 2.5. Tomorrow is a rest day and then on to bigger and better numbers on saturday (6 miles I think). Will update when I see what the legs feel like after the distance day!
happy training to all and to all a good night!
Sunday was my next outing as I was in California so my schedule was a little thrown off. Frank, Lisa, Miranda and I went up to Mt. Tam and did the "plank walk" which sounds easy but wasn't (actually in hindsight it sounds pirate-y) but was REALLY fun! we went 1.5 miles up to the top of the peak of Mt. Tam to the ranger's station. At the top part, it was really rocky and rough, but we all made it to the top. The next day, Lisa and I went out for a 3 mile walk around her neighborhood and those El Cerrito hills made for some cute butts!
When I got home on tuesday night it was WAY too late to walk so I put myself to bed. Yesterday I got in 3 miles and tonight was 2.5. Tomorrow is a rest day and then on to bigger and better numbers on saturday (6 miles I think). Will update when I see what the legs feel like after the distance day!
happy training to all and to all a good night!
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
3.5 miles, good time, happy feet
today was a fun walk, i needed to get in 5 miles between today and tomorrow, either 2 today and 3 tomorrow or vice versa. i headed out for a nice walk and actually really got my speed up to a comfortable but rapid pace. i was on one of the hill laden areas, so i am considering today a hill training day. my coach Sarah says that when you are going up a hill, especially the long, slow grades, you should think about what a cute butt it's going to give you, so that was my mantra for today. "cute butt, cute butt, cute butt" all the way up the hill, good thing there was no on nearby to hear me, might have been accused of harassment! i went around a loop today instead of heading out and back which is what i normally do, but i was planning on ending up at ed and denise's for dinner, so i built that into my route and ended up, sweaty and hungry at their table. what a great way to end the walk! the only bummer was that i actually felt that i could have gone more because i took it a little easy last week and feel renewed this week (plus, i started wearing better shoes to work so my feet aren't dying by walk time!) but since i had plans and didn't want to hold them up for dinner, i headed over without adding any additional distance. none the less, i ended up with 3.5 miles, so technically tomorrow only needs to be 1.5, but i'm pretty sure i will do at least 2 (maybe more if i feel this good tomorrow!)
happy trails and GO TEAM!
happy trails and GO TEAM!
Friday, September 28, 2007
beautiful fall weather
what a great evening for a walk. it was crisp and cool outside, the leaves are just beginning to think about turning, the kids were in the field playing soccer, and i got out for another step toward my goal. i decided to make that same 5 mile loop this time out with another few blocks for good measure, it was much easier this time than last, probably a mixture of good sleep, and easy & non-school day, and adequate nutrition before heading out, as well as just the overall build up of strength and stamina.
i also got my first contribution today! a client gave me $20.00 toward my total. that's my plan, get 200 people to donate $20. so, 1 down, 199 to go!
also learned an important lesson today that is especially applicable now that the mileage is getting longer....there is a fine line between proper hydration and an embarrassing incontinence issue. damn, the foliage isn't going to hide me much longer :)
i also got my first contribution today! a client gave me $20.00 toward my total. that's my plan, get 200 people to donate $20. so, 1 down, 199 to go!
also learned an important lesson today that is especially applicable now that the mileage is getting longer....there is a fine line between proper hydration and an embarrassing incontinence issue. damn, the foliage isn't going to hide me much longer :)
Monday, September 24, 2007
back in the saddle
last week was pretty hard on lots of different fronts and i started to question my abilities in various aspects of my life. since i wasn't able to prove to myself in tangible ways at most of the other parts of my life, i decided to prove myself on the road. for the first time since beginning training, i was out for 3 days in a row, although my saturday walk was not a huge distance. the 3rd day, sunday, was my distance day this week as i hadn't made it to my TNT training on saturday. though technically not there until this coming weekend, i decided i needed, purely for my own self satisfaction, to hit the 5 mile mark. i also decided to not worry about time and just go for the distance.
i headed out and my legs instantly began to protest, sending information to my brain about what a mean human being i was for asking them to perform 3 days in a row. they painted mental pictures of flames shooting up the fronts and twisty pretzels in the back. they flipped between screaming profanities, threatening to stop working, and trying to cajole the rest of me into turning around and going home. but i just stopped, stretched, and headed out for more. my pace was unremarkable, but since i was going for the distance i chose not to care (well, most of me did. there is still the competetive 5 year old who can do the math in about a half of a second.) On the way out, i stopped multiple times to stretch, and with each distance landmark i regrouped to decide if this was really a good idea. at 1 mile, the 2 mile round trip point, i considered giving in and going back, but i knew i wanted more than 2 miles today, even if 5 turned out to be too much. at 1.5, the furthest i have traveled this way, i was really worrying that the walk back would be too much and that i would not be able to make it, but again assured myself that i could stop and sit if i wanted to, but that this was about distance not time. also, i had my phone and i knew denise was home, so worst case scenario ended with her picking me up and giving me a ride home. i popped a cliff bar energy block in my mouth for a burst of energy (much tastier than Gu and you can kind of park it in the corner of your mouth for a slow steady supply of energy. plus, it makes your spit taste all fruit roll-up-y). at the 2 mile mark, i was actually finally feeling stronger and had figured out which stretch was helping with the legs, and since this was all new walking territory anyway, i decided to go for the 2.5 mark, the 5 mile turn around. the last half mile was mostly downhill. Literally. which felt great except the whole time i was thinking, "downhill now means uphill back, with another half of a mile of fatigue added in". but i pushed on. when i finally hit the 2.5 marker, i stopped for about a minute, stretched, and immediately turned around and headed back up the hill. I never looked up, i stared at the ground and chanted "just keep moving, just keep moving"...out loud.....i must have looked like a sociopath. but once i made it, i felt so much better. i was at the top of the biggest hill of the walk and knew that there wouldn't be another one that big to do today. I remembered when Grampy St.Clair used to push me on the walk up "Huffa-Puffa Mountain" when i was a kid, how much it hurt, how much i didn't want to be there, and i remembered that i was here today because i wanted to be, there was no on making me, i was doing it because i wanted to. so i invited Grampy to walk with me for a bit, and i thought of him for some time on the hard part of the walk.
the way back was much easier. my legs had finally chilled out either from realizing that i wasn't going to listen to them or from sufficient blood flow and cliff bar blocks. i only had to stop and stretch once, and i hit up the water fountain by the playground, but otherwise it was a steady pace home. i also realized that 2 months ago, the walk to the playground which is less than a half a mile, was exhausting, and now it looked like home. Actually, the 1 mile from home marker looks like home. i hit that point and i relax, as if i am thinking, "well, i know i can make it now"
that's pretty cool
oh, and for the 5 year old in me, and posterity sake, the whole thing took exactly an hour and a half, which is an average of an 18 minute mile. the first half took 51 minutes and the way back took 39 (20 minute miles going out, 15:36 coming back)
But who's counting ;)
i headed out and my legs instantly began to protest, sending information to my brain about what a mean human being i was for asking them to perform 3 days in a row. they painted mental pictures of flames shooting up the fronts and twisty pretzels in the back. they flipped between screaming profanities, threatening to stop working, and trying to cajole the rest of me into turning around and going home. but i just stopped, stretched, and headed out for more. my pace was unremarkable, but since i was going for the distance i chose not to care (well, most of me did. there is still the competetive 5 year old who can do the math in about a half of a second.) On the way out, i stopped multiple times to stretch, and with each distance landmark i regrouped to decide if this was really a good idea. at 1 mile, the 2 mile round trip point, i considered giving in and going back, but i knew i wanted more than 2 miles today, even if 5 turned out to be too much. at 1.5, the furthest i have traveled this way, i was really worrying that the walk back would be too much and that i would not be able to make it, but again assured myself that i could stop and sit if i wanted to, but that this was about distance not time. also, i had my phone and i knew denise was home, so worst case scenario ended with her picking me up and giving me a ride home. i popped a cliff bar energy block in my mouth for a burst of energy (much tastier than Gu and you can kind of park it in the corner of your mouth for a slow steady supply of energy. plus, it makes your spit taste all fruit roll-up-y). at the 2 mile mark, i was actually finally feeling stronger and had figured out which stretch was helping with the legs, and since this was all new walking territory anyway, i decided to go for the 2.5 mark, the 5 mile turn around. the last half mile was mostly downhill. Literally. which felt great except the whole time i was thinking, "downhill now means uphill back, with another half of a mile of fatigue added in". but i pushed on. when i finally hit the 2.5 marker, i stopped for about a minute, stretched, and immediately turned around and headed back up the hill. I never looked up, i stared at the ground and chanted "just keep moving, just keep moving"...out loud.....i must have looked like a sociopath. but once i made it, i felt so much better. i was at the top of the biggest hill of the walk and knew that there wouldn't be another one that big to do today. I remembered when Grampy St.Clair used to push me on the walk up "Huffa-Puffa Mountain" when i was a kid, how much it hurt, how much i didn't want to be there, and i remembered that i was here today because i wanted to be, there was no on making me, i was doing it because i wanted to. so i invited Grampy to walk with me for a bit, and i thought of him for some time on the hard part of the walk.
the way back was much easier. my legs had finally chilled out either from realizing that i wasn't going to listen to them or from sufficient blood flow and cliff bar blocks. i only had to stop and stretch once, and i hit up the water fountain by the playground, but otherwise it was a steady pace home. i also realized that 2 months ago, the walk to the playground which is less than a half a mile, was exhausting, and now it looked like home. Actually, the 1 mile from home marker looks like home. i hit that point and i relax, as if i am thinking, "well, i know i can make it now"
that's pretty cool
oh, and for the 5 year old in me, and posterity sake, the whole thing took exactly an hour and a half, which is an average of an 18 minute mile. the first half took 51 minutes and the way back took 39 (20 minute miles going out, 15:36 coming back)
But who's counting ;)
Friday, September 21, 2007
feeling a little :P
i went out for my walk tonight and managed 2.5 miles in 44 minutes. my time seems to have peaked and slowed down ever since i got sick and i can't seem to get it fast again. i'm not sure what's going on, i do know that work has gotten a LOT harder mentally and physically & i am often left feeling pretty drained. tonight was the first time i have really been concerned that this is more than i can do. i know that i am making progress, i really can see that, but i'm not sure i will be able to progress enough by race time. anyway, at least i am out there and working at it. i train tomorrow with the group, so i will talk to my coach about it. sorry for the bummer posting, but i figured it was better to be real than pretty....
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Learning curve
according to my training schedule, i was up for a 2 mile walk tonight (no, i didn't go out after all last night, so tonight was a training day) and i am getting a little bored with the track, so i decided to map out a new route for tonight's outing. well, i went on google maps to map out the route and headed out the opposite direction that i usually go. i had planned what i thought was a relatively simple route until i actually got on it and there were roads in places that the map didn't think there were so i got a little lost. i feel a little silly getting lost in my own neighborhood, but in my defense, this place is a bit like a rat maze where only a few of the roads actually interact with other roads. there are LOTS of dead ends not to mention a golf course and a big lake in the middle of it all. at any rate, i got turned around and went the wrong direction at one point and didn't actually know where i was until i found one of the main beaches (remember that big lake thing i mentioned?) fortunately, there are potties at the beaches and i really had to pee! well, once i got my bearings and figured out where the beach was in relation to the house, i set out to go home.
about 5 more minutes after this, i made another realization. the cool socks that i bought from the running store (which i was a little hesitant about since they were $12 and i have never spent that much on a pair of socks before) had been in the laundry, so i just wore some plain old cotton socks. Can i tell you that i am going to the running store tomorrow to buy like 5 more pairs of good socks? they claim to reduce friction and prevent blistering, and i was a little skeptical until i went out tonight for the first time in the new shoes without them. about a mile and a half from home, my heels really started to burn and i realized that i am very sad without my good socks. i tried tying my shoes a little tighter to prevent slipping and got to hoofing the last distance of the walk. with a little over a mile left, i felt like someone was scraping my heels with a vegetable peeler each time i took a step and i realized i was going to have to pull out some deep resources to get through this walk. i started to focus on the scenery, to check out what the neighbors were doing with their landscaping, and i even came about 5 feet from a little doe that was munching on someone's lawn (might have actually missed that if not paying attention, she was pretty still. i actually thought she was a lawn ornament when i first saw her!). when i finally turned the corner on the road that leads to my road, i was so excited that i actually picked my pace up a little and started to jog. As soon as i made it to my street, i broke into a decent sprint and sprinted the final distance, all the while fantasizing about getting my shoes off!
so, in all, 3 lessons learned:
1) when you go somewhere new, don't just look at the map, print the map and take it with.
2) good socks are worth the expense
3) i can keep going even when it hurts like hell!
and though my time wasn't great (3.5 miles in an hour, so 17:06 minute mile average with blister stops) my muscles and heart and lungs weren't really complaining at all, though i may just not have been able to hear them over the din of the heels. i guess my other lesson is i will be investing in some moleskin!
about 5 more minutes after this, i made another realization. the cool socks that i bought from the running store (which i was a little hesitant about since they were $12 and i have never spent that much on a pair of socks before) had been in the laundry, so i just wore some plain old cotton socks. Can i tell you that i am going to the running store tomorrow to buy like 5 more pairs of good socks? they claim to reduce friction and prevent blistering, and i was a little skeptical until i went out tonight for the first time in the new shoes without them. about a mile and a half from home, my heels really started to burn and i realized that i am very sad without my good socks. i tried tying my shoes a little tighter to prevent slipping and got to hoofing the last distance of the walk. with a little over a mile left, i felt like someone was scraping my heels with a vegetable peeler each time i took a step and i realized i was going to have to pull out some deep resources to get through this walk. i started to focus on the scenery, to check out what the neighbors were doing with their landscaping, and i even came about 5 feet from a little doe that was munching on someone's lawn (might have actually missed that if not paying attention, she was pretty still. i actually thought she was a lawn ornament when i first saw her!). when i finally turned the corner on the road that leads to my road, i was so excited that i actually picked my pace up a little and started to jog. As soon as i made it to my street, i broke into a decent sprint and sprinted the final distance, all the while fantasizing about getting my shoes off!
so, in all, 3 lessons learned:
1) when you go somewhere new, don't just look at the map, print the map and take it with.
2) good socks are worth the expense
3) i can keep going even when it hurts like hell!
and though my time wasn't great (3.5 miles in an hour, so 17:06 minute mile average with blister stops) my muscles and heart and lungs weren't really complaining at all, though i may just not have been able to hear them over the din of the heels. i guess my other lesson is i will be investing in some moleskin!
Monday, September 17, 2007
uh oh, getting behind in my blogging!
so saturday was the 4 miler, i did the whole thing in just about an hour, so around a 15 minute mile average. the day was beautiful, i was a few hours short on sleep, so i think i didn't have quite as much oomph as i would have liked, but once i got going, i was a-ok. it was the 2nd training session i have done with TNT, last time i had the company of Brent, but today we were short on trainers so Sarah went ahead with the other 3 that showed up to run (small group here in the 'ville it seems). as i am the only walker of the group, i bid them farewell and watched them go up ahead (though they didn't get away as fast this week as last). about halfway through the course, my coach doubled back to find me and walked with me the rest of the route. I am definitely getting stronger, and am having less shin pain, especially due to the helpful hint that Lisa gave me to do ROM exercises whenever i think of it. also, i am taking the time to stretch mid-course now which seems to be helping.
at any rate, i got my training schedule in my email today and, as Sarah had assured me, I am right on schedule. tonight is supposed to be a rest night, but i am thinking about maybe just lacing up my shoes and heading out for a fall evening walk. what the hell has happened to me?!?!
at any rate, i got my training schedule in my email today and, as Sarah had assured me, I am right on schedule. tonight is supposed to be a rest night, but i am thinking about maybe just lacing up my shoes and heading out for a fall evening walk. what the hell has happened to me?!?!
Thursday, September 13, 2007
hello little hamstring....
tonight was a midweek walk, planned to go for about 30 minutes or so, probably around 2-3 miles. Got on the road late, it was already after 9 as I had a long day at work and a session with a client after.
What a beautiful night for a walk, the temp was cool, the first real inklings of fall are in the air and there is a crispness that wasn't there only a few nights ago. I decided to head out around the neighborhood to the landmark turn around points that I know well, so off i went past the playground and soccer field, down to the slice gate and out onto the main road of lake monticello. about 5 minutes into the walk, I was feeling really good, the cool air felt great on my face and my lungs were really enjoying the walk, so i decided to try a little jog. As i took the first few strides, i noticed that i could actually feel normal while jogging, so i focused on my breathing and decided to see how far i could take this thing. After about 3 minutes, i was feeling a little winded, so i decided to drop back to a quick walk. I walked for about 4 minutes and decided to try it again. Off i went again for another few minutes, jogging a good pace (though probably about the same as my normal walking pace), this time i decided not to time it but just to keep it for as long as it felt comfortable. Once i started to get winded again, i slowed down to walk and tried to keep up a brisk pace. I made it all the way to the 1.5 mile marker and had to make a decision of if i would keep going or turn back to head home. although i felt like i could have gone another good distance, i decided to turn back as i didn't want to overdo it with the endurance walk/jog on saturday. on the return trip, i was making even better time than on the way out. looking at the time, i was realizing i would probably make the best time yet.
As i rounded the turn on to bunker, about 3/4 of a mile from home, i felt a little twinge in the back of my knee. i took a few more steps and felt it again, this time a little louder. i decided to stop and stretch out my legs to see if i could get it to release, staying only for a few minutes in order to not lose too much time. I stood up and got back on my way only to have it twinge again and this time hold for a little longer so that there was the sensation of something grabbing the back inside of my knee. Realizing that this was just going to keep happening until i stopped or fixed it, i took the next few minutes to really stretch out the muscles. I am noticing that my flexibility is greatly improved in the time i have been walking, in fact i stood with my feet just beyond shoulder width with my toes pointed in to stretch my glutes and bent over into a forward hang and put the flat of my palm right on the ground! i haven't ever been able to do that without a good amount of stretching first.
so, after stretching the legs, i got back on the road, and made it the rest of the way home. although i didn't break any records for time tonight, i did the whole 2.5 miles in exactly 40 minutes, so even with the break, i am holding it around 15 minutes for a mile. plus, the shoes were comfy, no signs of shin splints tonight, the lungs are holding up well, and i even got some jogging in. all in all, i would say a successful outing :)
What a beautiful night for a walk, the temp was cool, the first real inklings of fall are in the air and there is a crispness that wasn't there only a few nights ago. I decided to head out around the neighborhood to the landmark turn around points that I know well, so off i went past the playground and soccer field, down to the slice gate and out onto the main road of lake monticello. about 5 minutes into the walk, I was feeling really good, the cool air felt great on my face and my lungs were really enjoying the walk, so i decided to try a little jog. As i took the first few strides, i noticed that i could actually feel normal while jogging, so i focused on my breathing and decided to see how far i could take this thing. After about 3 minutes, i was feeling a little winded, so i decided to drop back to a quick walk. I walked for about 4 minutes and decided to try it again. Off i went again for another few minutes, jogging a good pace (though probably about the same as my normal walking pace), this time i decided not to time it but just to keep it for as long as it felt comfortable. Once i started to get winded again, i slowed down to walk and tried to keep up a brisk pace. I made it all the way to the 1.5 mile marker and had to make a decision of if i would keep going or turn back to head home. although i felt like i could have gone another good distance, i decided to turn back as i didn't want to overdo it with the endurance walk/jog on saturday. on the return trip, i was making even better time than on the way out. looking at the time, i was realizing i would probably make the best time yet.
As i rounded the turn on to bunker, about 3/4 of a mile from home, i felt a little twinge in the back of my knee. i took a few more steps and felt it again, this time a little louder. i decided to stop and stretch out my legs to see if i could get it to release, staying only for a few minutes in order to not lose too much time. I stood up and got back on my way only to have it twinge again and this time hold for a little longer so that there was the sensation of something grabbing the back inside of my knee. Realizing that this was just going to keep happening until i stopped or fixed it, i took the next few minutes to really stretch out the muscles. I am noticing that my flexibility is greatly improved in the time i have been walking, in fact i stood with my feet just beyond shoulder width with my toes pointed in to stretch my glutes and bent over into a forward hang and put the flat of my palm right on the ground! i haven't ever been able to do that without a good amount of stretching first.
so, after stretching the legs, i got back on the road, and made it the rest of the way home. although i didn't break any records for time tonight, i did the whole 2.5 miles in exactly 40 minutes, so even with the break, i am holding it around 15 minutes for a mile. plus, the shoes were comfy, no signs of shin splints tonight, the lungs are holding up well, and i even got some jogging in. all in all, i would say a successful outing :)
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
cross training?
yesterday i went to the gym to get a midweek walk in and decided to break in the new shoes. i hopped up on the treadmill and started plunking in information, hit GO and started my walk. this was the first time on the treadmill since hurting my back several weeks ago and definitely since i had started with the longer distance walks. about 6-7 minutes into it, i decided that i was really glad that the race was going to be outside, because i was so BORED!!!! i have decided that i really don't like walking on the treadmill for several reasons....
1) you can't just change your pace as you need to. if you decide to jog a little (which i did by the way), you actually have to push buttons to move up the speed, and if you get tired, you have to push them back down.
2) if you lose the knot in your shoe, it is a LOT harder to stop and tie it.
3) walking in the A/C is chilly and makes me unhappy
4) the TVs are really distracting and i almost fell off the stupid treadmill when i saw Brittany Spears looking crazed on Access Hollywood
5) i miss the trees and the birds and the breeze, it's amazing how much energy you get from seeing the beauty of nature
6) i don't push myself as hard or i push too hard. if the pace is too slow, i slow myself down to the pace of the machine. if i then try to speed up once i realize i am doing this and tire out, i am afraid i will fall off and look ridiculous
7) they are noisy. i have enough noise in my life...
so after about 22 minutes, i quit. i slowed the silly machine down and got off and went over to a cross training machine that is somewhere between a recumbent bike and a stair stepper and did about 15 more minutes of cardio to get my heart up. then i stretched for a while and went home. once i actually got home, all i wanted to do was take a real walk. so i leashed up the dog and went once around the block for her health and my sanity. i guess, if the weather really looks nasty, i will work out at the gym as needed, but as much as possible, i think my future walks will be the old fashioned kind, on a path.
1) you can't just change your pace as you need to. if you decide to jog a little (which i did by the way), you actually have to push buttons to move up the speed, and if you get tired, you have to push them back down.
2) if you lose the knot in your shoe, it is a LOT harder to stop and tie it.
3) walking in the A/C is chilly and makes me unhappy
4) the TVs are really distracting and i almost fell off the stupid treadmill when i saw Brittany Spears looking crazed on Access Hollywood
5) i miss the trees and the birds and the breeze, it's amazing how much energy you get from seeing the beauty of nature
6) i don't push myself as hard or i push too hard. if the pace is too slow, i slow myself down to the pace of the machine. if i then try to speed up once i realize i am doing this and tire out, i am afraid i will fall off and look ridiculous
7) they are noisy. i have enough noise in my life...
so after about 22 minutes, i quit. i slowed the silly machine down and got off and went over to a cross training machine that is somewhere between a recumbent bike and a stair stepper and did about 15 more minutes of cardio to get my heart up. then i stretched for a while and went home. once i actually got home, all i wanted to do was take a real walk. so i leashed up the dog and went once around the block for her health and my sanity. i guess, if the weather really looks nasty, i will work out at the gym as needed, but as much as possible, i think my future walks will be the old fashioned kind, on a path.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
i did it, i did it, hot diggity, i did it!
yeeee-haw, i did my first TNT group training today. i walked when the rest of the group (6 or 7 other people) ran, so i was dead last, but i did it! it was my first hill training, and my shins were making some fanciful cries of displeasure, but by the half way mark, i was doing okay and found a good stride. Brent, the coordinator for my area, walked with me the whole time and we chatted about life and training and shin splints. he is doing his first TNT event in just under a month, he will be running a marathon, and even though he is a strong runner, he is feeling the pressure which made me feel a little better. my coach seems really cool, we didn't spend too much time together as she was up with the faster folks, but she seems really down to earth and i think she will have some good stuff to share with me. Plus, she brought refreshments for after the training, bagels and orange smiles and gatorade, and she found muppet racing designed dixie cups which i complimented her on. so she has a pretty good sense of humor and an eye for detail, i like that in a coach!
so, in all, 3 miles in 43 minutes (14.3 minute mile even with hills, hooo-rah!), really tight shins tonight, but up and mobile, and after finishing the whole training by 9:30-ish, i was back in my car headed to the office to do 3 massages including a 90 minute myofascial session. and i live to tell the tale!
i did however decide that now that i am committed to the process of learning to get fit and get my walk, and possibly future run, on, it was time to invest in good shoes. so i consulted with Barb, the personal trainer at the gym, and went down to the Charlottesville Running Co. to check out what they had. they did an analysis of my gait (with a treadmill and a video camera, it was cool!) and then checked out my arches and gave me some suggestions. turns out i have a neutral landing, am turned out a little with my left foot, likely from my injury 2 years ago, and have really low arches. they brought me out 3 different shoes and i tried them all on, but the 1st pair was the best. as soon as i put them on, i was in foot love. they have a nice low achilles support, so no nasty blisters, but they hug the heel really well which gives tons of stability to prevent wobbly ankle turn outs. they are kind of a weird seafoam/teal color which should prevent them from being stolen and/or matching with any normal piece of clothing, and i subsequently bought 2 pairs of wicking blister free sox in a clashing moss green color for accent. i think tomorrow on my recovery walk i will wear them with a plaid shirt and pin-striped running tights!
so, in all, 3 miles in 43 minutes (14.3 minute mile even with hills, hooo-rah!), really tight shins tonight, but up and mobile, and after finishing the whole training by 9:30-ish, i was back in my car headed to the office to do 3 massages including a 90 minute myofascial session. and i live to tell the tale!
i did however decide that now that i am committed to the process of learning to get fit and get my walk, and possibly future run, on, it was time to invest in good shoes. so i consulted with Barb, the personal trainer at the gym, and went down to the Charlottesville Running Co. to check out what they had. they did an analysis of my gait (with a treadmill and a video camera, it was cool!) and then checked out my arches and gave me some suggestions. turns out i have a neutral landing, am turned out a little with my left foot, likely from my injury 2 years ago, and have really low arches. they brought me out 3 different shoes and i tried them all on, but the 1st pair was the best. as soon as i put them on, i was in foot love. they have a nice low achilles support, so no nasty blisters, but they hug the heel really well which gives tons of stability to prevent wobbly ankle turn outs. they are kind of a weird seafoam/teal color which should prevent them from being stolen and/or matching with any normal piece of clothing, and i subsequently bought 2 pairs of wicking blister free sox in a clashing moss green color for accent. i think tomorrow on my recovery walk i will wear them with a plaid shirt and pin-striped running tights!
Thursday, September 6, 2007
oooh, kinda scared.....
talked to Brent from Team in Training today, got to hear all about exactly what they offer as well as the amount I need to raise to do the race in January. I will meet with them on saturday to get all of my start-up stuff (their kick off meeting was in August, so they are already underway for the winter season) and they are having a 3 mile run/walk. Not sure I will be fully ready for 3 miles at that point, lungs are still protesting basic life, and work keeps getting in the way of recovery rest. But I will meet with the coach and get some advice there and see what the morning brings me.
As a side note, having a little bit of "fat kid in gym class" fears sitting in my belly, i know this is a big step for the process, but personally it is a HUGE step for me to be willing to meet with people in my current fitness level. Brent asked me what size shirt I needed and I told him XXL would probably be best, though if i went with an XL, the logo would be more eye catching (though probably slightly pornographic). He said he would bring a few options as the shirts run on the big side and i said, "good, so do I, but hopefully not by january"
As a side note, having a little bit of "fat kid in gym class" fears sitting in my belly, i know this is a big step for the process, but personally it is a HUGE step for me to be willing to meet with people in my current fitness level. Brent asked me what size shirt I needed and I told him XXL would probably be best, though if i went with an XL, the logo would be more eye catching (though probably slightly pornographic). He said he would bring a few options as the shirts run on the big side and i said, "good, so do I, but hopefully not by january"
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
slight stumbling block
well, after almost 2 weeks on my training schedule, i woke up yesterday with a slightly runny nose and a bit of a cough. was feeling a little tired, but just figured it was a result of having 2 whole days off to myself and the crazy dance party that was saturday night. i thought about whether or not to exercise with the feeling that a cold might be coming on and ran the idea by my friend jon who is a crazy workout guy. we discussed the pros and cons of going and i decided that the fresh air and the increase in basal body temperature might bump off any cruddies growing in my body. well, i decided to go for the speed walk (3 minute warm up, 25 minute at a PRE of 7 and 3 minute cool down) but to only go at a PRE of about 5, which with the beginnings of a cold probably was closer to a 7 anyway since i was perceiving most all activities as difficult. at any rate, i suited up in my workout wear and leashed up the dog and headed to the track. the walk itself was good, mostly uneventful, and when i got back i decided to make some soup since i wasn't really in an eating mood (definite sign of sickness by the way!) although the soup looked good, it went uneaten as i had lost all desire to eat at this point.
at this time it was about 3 pm and i was starting to feel a little worse, the stuffies had gotten much stuffier and i was feeling pretty short of breath even just sitting still on the couch. Over the next 3-4 hours, I realized that I was quite feverish and was coughing pretty hard and my ribs were starting to get sore. I put myself to bed around 8:30 and tried to get some sleep as i had class to teach in the a.m. as each hour passed, i would wake up with bigger bouts of coughing and wheezing and was starting to expel some pretty ugly stuff. The worst part was that it felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest and all of muscles had become exhausted from coughing, so even to blow my nose was more effort than my obliques and intercostals could stand. By 6 am, i knew i wasn't going to work, so i called off and tried to go back to sleep, but my bed was really soaked with sweat and i was super stinky so i got up and took a cool shower. i then moved to the futon and tried to drink some fluids which was unpleasant.
at noon, i went to the doctor to get checked out and it turns out i have bronchial pneumonia. more unpleasant is the fact that it was caused by asthma that is probably brought about by exercise and being outdoors in the allergens. I told my doctor about the training and he recommended taking at least 5 days off to let my body heal and then moving back into training slowly. I am glad that the doctor figured out what was going on with me and that we are working out a plan to get my asthma under control so that I can safely continue to train, but I am a little frustrated with the setback. this is the second time that I have had a medical issue get in the way of progress and it is hard to not be able to perform the way that i want. i know that i have to respect my body and let it find it's own way, but i just want to be strong and healthy and it is a little frustrating to not be able to move forward the way that i would like. of course, i would also like to be able to run 13 miles tommorrow and that isn't a realistic goal either, so i guess i just need to have a bit of a reality check.
oh, one side note, it seems that the lower lobes of my lungs had seized and that was why it felt like there was an elephant sitting on me. fortunately, a few hits of an albuterol inhaler and some high dose prednisone and that let go some. i am already feeling the relief of the medication. plus, now that shelby and i are on the same meds, i can really relate to what she has been experiencing. poor pup :(
at this time it was about 3 pm and i was starting to feel a little worse, the stuffies had gotten much stuffier and i was feeling pretty short of breath even just sitting still on the couch. Over the next 3-4 hours, I realized that I was quite feverish and was coughing pretty hard and my ribs were starting to get sore. I put myself to bed around 8:30 and tried to get some sleep as i had class to teach in the a.m. as each hour passed, i would wake up with bigger bouts of coughing and wheezing and was starting to expel some pretty ugly stuff. The worst part was that it felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest and all of muscles had become exhausted from coughing, so even to blow my nose was more effort than my obliques and intercostals could stand. By 6 am, i knew i wasn't going to work, so i called off and tried to go back to sleep, but my bed was really soaked with sweat and i was super stinky so i got up and took a cool shower. i then moved to the futon and tried to drink some fluids which was unpleasant.
at noon, i went to the doctor to get checked out and it turns out i have bronchial pneumonia. more unpleasant is the fact that it was caused by asthma that is probably brought about by exercise and being outdoors in the allergens. I told my doctor about the training and he recommended taking at least 5 days off to let my body heal and then moving back into training slowly. I am glad that the doctor figured out what was going on with me and that we are working out a plan to get my asthma under control so that I can safely continue to train, but I am a little frustrated with the setback. this is the second time that I have had a medical issue get in the way of progress and it is hard to not be able to perform the way that i want. i know that i have to respect my body and let it find it's own way, but i just want to be strong and healthy and it is a little frustrating to not be able to move forward the way that i would like. of course, i would also like to be able to run 13 miles tommorrow and that isn't a realistic goal either, so i guess i just need to have a bit of a reality check.
oh, one side note, it seems that the lower lobes of my lungs had seized and that was why it felt like there was an elephant sitting on me. fortunately, a few hits of an albuterol inhaler and some high dose prednisone and that let go some. i am already feeling the relief of the medication. plus, now that shelby and i are on the same meds, i can really relate to what she has been experiencing. poor pup :(
Sunday, September 2, 2007
cat's outta the bag...
so finally everyone knows that i am planning to do the race in january. i was holding off to make sure that i could actually commit to the training before deciding, but since the last few weeks have gone even better than i expected and that i am actually enjoying myself, i am ready to commit to it.
update from friday, i actually felt really good when i woke up saturday morning except for a little tightness in the plantar fascia in my right foot from not stretching thoroughly enough the night before. since it was supposed to be an easy "recovery walk" day, i wasn't too concerned with when i would get my walk in and headed out in flip flops and jeans. well, i never made it home until late at night, but i definitely got a good bit of exercising in. 2 of my friends/former students were going to take their national boards for massage therapy on saturday and i went with them for moral support. both of them did very well (as expected) and passed the test. in celebration, we decided to go to Ikea for some retail therapy. since it has become a habit to wear my pedometer when i walk, i didn't really think too much of the fact that it was on my hip when we commenced shopping. after several hours in the store going aisle by aisle to make sure we didn't miss anything, i looked down at my pedometer to see that we had been walking about 2 miles. i felt pretty good about this, getting a good walk in but not stressing too much on time. after returning to charlottesville, we went out to dinner and cocktails on the pedestrian mall (more walking) and then ended up at a dance club (not really walking, but there were steps involved). after quite a bit of rigorous dancing, we finished up the night and i was excited to see what the total number of steps for the day was, but unfortunately my pedometer was not on my hip. at some point in the club i had over-boogied and managed to shake my pedometer right off. At last count, i was at 8650 steps for the day which translates to a little over 4 miles, and that was at least an hour before the end of the night. i'm thinking i probably made ti to the 10,000 if you include the walk back to the car on the other side of the mall. alas, we will never know for sure, but maybe my pedometer will find a new owner who gets inspired to take some steps!
update from friday, i actually felt really good when i woke up saturday morning except for a little tightness in the plantar fascia in my right foot from not stretching thoroughly enough the night before. since it was supposed to be an easy "recovery walk" day, i wasn't too concerned with when i would get my walk in and headed out in flip flops and jeans. well, i never made it home until late at night, but i definitely got a good bit of exercising in. 2 of my friends/former students were going to take their national boards for massage therapy on saturday and i went with them for moral support. both of them did very well (as expected) and passed the test. in celebration, we decided to go to Ikea for some retail therapy. since it has become a habit to wear my pedometer when i walk, i didn't really think too much of the fact that it was on my hip when we commenced shopping. after several hours in the store going aisle by aisle to make sure we didn't miss anything, i looked down at my pedometer to see that we had been walking about 2 miles. i felt pretty good about this, getting a good walk in but not stressing too much on time. after returning to charlottesville, we went out to dinner and cocktails on the pedestrian mall (more walking) and then ended up at a dance club (not really walking, but there were steps involved). after quite a bit of rigorous dancing, we finished up the night and i was excited to see what the total number of steps for the day was, but unfortunately my pedometer was not on my hip. at some point in the club i had over-boogied and managed to shake my pedometer right off. At last count, i was at 8650 steps for the day which translates to a little over 4 miles, and that was at least an hour before the end of the night. i'm thinking i probably made ti to the 10,000 if you include the walk back to the car on the other side of the mall. alas, we will never know for sure, but maybe my pedometer will find a new owner who gets inspired to take some steps!
Friday, August 31, 2007
3 miles!
tonight was my first endurance walk on my calendar. i mapped out the distance with my car's odometer earlier this week as i was trying to get ready for the big walk. although i have been looking forward to it all week, i was a little intimidated at the actual time to head out, so i thought i would take the pup along for company. welcome to shelby's first and last endurance walk....
although i wasn't going for speed but for distance, i wanted to gauge my progress by timing the walk and checking in on heart rate. during the 3 minute warm up, i started to rethink my decision to take the dog with me as she was very interested in pooping on any surface that wasn't moving and i was, much like the bah bah black sheep, already carrying 3 bags full. i considered taking her back as we hadn't gotten very far, but she has been pretty naughty lately, getting into trouble when i have been gone to work (she decided today to chew up a $20 that was in a pocket of some pants....i only found 3 of 4 pieces) and i think she is pretty mad at me for adding another thing into my already overly busy schedule, so i just decided to keep going so we could spend some time together. for the first half mile or so she was interested in walking in the grass rather than on the road and kept stopping to sniff, squat, or graze. she was still up for walking, in fact she wanted to be in the lead, but every 10 feet or so she would try to wring out a few more drops of pee. as we made it almost to the turn around point i started to notice that she was losing enthusiasm for the walk. as she is pretty old and chubby and does have a heart murmur, i decided that we would slow down the pace a bit to keep her safe and rather than get annoyed with her frequent pee breaks, i started to talk to her and tell her that we were almost home and what a good doggy she was.
nearly to the cool down landmark, i was about to break into a jog just to finish up with a good time. As i was about to let shelby's leash a little looser, a catastrophe was narrowly averted. Fortunately, I have really good eyesight. Even more fortunately, at this point of the walk shelby was basically no more than a giant lolling tongue with legs and lousy eyesight. Just as we cleared the cool down marker i noticed another member of the woodland creatures that call lake monticello home. unlike the bucks that occupied my lawn on my first big walk, this creature was less bambi and more flower. that's right, a skunk. i'm really not sure if she didn't see it, or if at that point she just didn't care, but i quickly pulled her leash in tighter, made a beeline for the other side of the street and quietly waited for the striped fuzzball to find a hiding spot. fortunately, it went into a storm drain, and we quickly made our exit. Had we had to find another route home we would have been completing about 5 miles tonight since the only other way home would have included almost a mile of doubling back and then taking a wide path around to the other side of the house.
needless to say, we made it home safe and relatively stink free, i don't smell great, but at least not skunky, and shelby came in to get a few laps of water and crash out on the tile in the kitchen. although it was nice to spend time with her, i think she will only be coming with me on the recovery walks on the day after the endurance walks from now on, i don't want to put too much on her old lady heart and there is the additional factor of possible woodland creature attacks. thank goodness that didn't happen 'til the end or who knows how this story would have changed
oh, and by the way, the whole adventure took 52:58 minutes, of which 45:27 was the actual 3 miles, so even with a dog in tow i am keeping around that 15 minute mile average :)
although i wasn't going for speed but for distance, i wanted to gauge my progress by timing the walk and checking in on heart rate. during the 3 minute warm up, i started to rethink my decision to take the dog with me as she was very interested in pooping on any surface that wasn't moving and i was, much like the bah bah black sheep, already carrying 3 bags full. i considered taking her back as we hadn't gotten very far, but she has been pretty naughty lately, getting into trouble when i have been gone to work (she decided today to chew up a $20 that was in a pocket of some pants....i only found 3 of 4 pieces) and i think she is pretty mad at me for adding another thing into my already overly busy schedule, so i just decided to keep going so we could spend some time together. for the first half mile or so she was interested in walking in the grass rather than on the road and kept stopping to sniff, squat, or graze. she was still up for walking, in fact she wanted to be in the lead, but every 10 feet or so she would try to wring out a few more drops of pee. as we made it almost to the turn around point i started to notice that she was losing enthusiasm for the walk. as she is pretty old and chubby and does have a heart murmur, i decided that we would slow down the pace a bit to keep her safe and rather than get annoyed with her frequent pee breaks, i started to talk to her and tell her that we were almost home and what a good doggy she was.
nearly to the cool down landmark, i was about to break into a jog just to finish up with a good time. As i was about to let shelby's leash a little looser, a catastrophe was narrowly averted. Fortunately, I have really good eyesight. Even more fortunately, at this point of the walk shelby was basically no more than a giant lolling tongue with legs and lousy eyesight. Just as we cleared the cool down marker i noticed another member of the woodland creatures that call lake monticello home. unlike the bucks that occupied my lawn on my first big walk, this creature was less bambi and more flower. that's right, a skunk. i'm really not sure if she didn't see it, or if at that point she just didn't care, but i quickly pulled her leash in tighter, made a beeline for the other side of the street and quietly waited for the striped fuzzball to find a hiding spot. fortunately, it went into a storm drain, and we quickly made our exit. Had we had to find another route home we would have been completing about 5 miles tonight since the only other way home would have included almost a mile of doubling back and then taking a wide path around to the other side of the house.
needless to say, we made it home safe and relatively stink free, i don't smell great, but at least not skunky, and shelby came in to get a few laps of water and crash out on the tile in the kitchen. although it was nice to spend time with her, i think she will only be coming with me on the recovery walks on the day after the endurance walks from now on, i don't want to put too much on her old lady heart and there is the additional factor of possible woodland creature attacks. thank goodness that didn't happen 'til the end or who knows how this story would have changed
oh, and by the way, the whole adventure took 52:58 minutes, of which 45:27 was the actual 3 miles, so even with a dog in tow i am keeping around that 15 minute mile average :)
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
I don't wanna!
today was the first day that i really didn't want to do my walk. after a particularly tough day at work both mentally and physically, all i wanted to do was sit down and relax. the futon was a-calling, it was about 1000 degrees outside and i was really considering taking a night off. but, alas, i have an online calendar to keep me going and you guys for motivation. so i put on my leggings and t-shirt, laced up the new balances, strapped on the pedometer and headed out the door with a small mental tantrum brewing. i unfortunately didn't have me heart rate monitor/watch thingy because i left it on my bed this morning when i was getting dressed and i accidentally put something down on top of it which apparently was directly on the heart rate checker button. needless to say, the battery is dead and the bed has a resting heart rate of 44. so, without a watch or a heart rate checker, i went out to do my walk figuring i would just do the 1/2 mile to the track and 4 laps and 1/2 mile back and checked the clock on the way out to see what time it was. well, according to the pedometer, i went 2.23 miles in 32 minutes (for you mathletes, that is a 14.22 minute mile!!!) and i lived to talk about it. tantrum averted, though the legs felt full of sand through 3/4 of the walk, made it home to stretch, eat, and perhaps allow myself a little of that futon time.
there is that saying about bravery not being the absence of fear but of feeling the fear and acting anyway, i think exercise endurance is not the absence of wanting to sit on the couch eat chips and watch lifetime movies, but going for a walk, coming home and postponing sitting on the couch and watching lifetime movies (at least for 35 minutes!)
there is that saying about bravery not being the absence of fear but of feeling the fear and acting anyway, i think exercise endurance is not the absence of wanting to sit on the couch eat chips and watch lifetime movies, but going for a walk, coming home and postponing sitting on the couch and watching lifetime movies (at least for 35 minutes!)
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Still progressing
yesterday's walk was the best one so far. First, I had some company as my friend Denise came with me. She's puny, but she can really truck, and it seems that good conversation and my naturally competitive nature made for really good speed. We managed just over 2 miles in 32 minutes, which averaged out to a 15 minute mile....my goal for the week was to hit that mark, so I guess I will have to invite her for more of these outings! Today is a rest day and I am noticing that my day-after soreness is markedly reduced in the past few weeks which is really nice. I also started taking a calcium supplement to keep up with the demands of the muscle which seems to be helping. I have one more of these mid-distance walks this week and friday is the first endurance walk of my calendar. Although it is only 3 miles, it is a good sized advance over what I have been doing, so hopefully it will go well. I talked to the personal trainer at the gym tonight and she has offered to give me few sessions with her, so hopefully I can get some cross training to boost overall strength, especially core stuff because I know I need a little more ab strength to keep propelling me forward to give my poor glutes a bit of a break!
Saturday, August 25, 2007
new time record!
Well, I am continuing to follow the calendar from Prevention.com and today was a timed day rather than a distance day. The goal was to do a 3 minute warm up followed by a 25 minute brisk walk and then a 2 minute cool down. For this part of the program, PRE scale (perceived rate of exertion) is used in place of distance or heart rate. The calendar recommended a PRE scale of 4-5 for the warm up, 7 for the brisk walk and 3 for the cool down.
Herein lies the problem with this for me....I am an overthinker. First off, I wore the heart rate monitor and the pedometer because I want all aspects of fitness to be available to me at all times (and I paid good money for them dangit, I'm using my technology!) Second, the PRE scale is highly subjective and it is explained as "4-5 - an easy stroll, 7- like you are late for an appointment, 3- easy stroll. *based on a scale of 1-10, 1 being sitting on the couch, 10 being an all out sprint". So the issue is this, I can't tell if I am actually at a 7 because I keep thinking I could do more, but I'm not sure if I am being a wuss or if I am too hard on myself. I think I need athletic psychological counseling to provide me some support. That's right, I said it, I need an athletic supporter!
At any rate, after all was said and done, I managed 1.93 miles in 30 minutes including warm up and cool down which is 3.87 mph which averages a 15.5 minute mile! yeah me!
well, I'm pretty sweaty and my friends are en route for dinner and the drive-in, guess I should go shower....
Herein lies the problem with this for me....I am an overthinker. First off, I wore the heart rate monitor and the pedometer because I want all aspects of fitness to be available to me at all times (and I paid good money for them dangit, I'm using my technology!) Second, the PRE scale is highly subjective and it is explained as "4-5 - an easy stroll, 7- like you are late for an appointment, 3- easy stroll. *based on a scale of 1-10, 1 being sitting on the couch, 10 being an all out sprint". So the issue is this, I can't tell if I am actually at a 7 because I keep thinking I could do more, but I'm not sure if I am being a wuss or if I am too hard on myself. I think I need athletic psychological counseling to provide me some support. That's right, I said it, I need an athletic supporter!
At any rate, after all was said and done, I managed 1.93 miles in 30 minutes including warm up and cool down which is 3.87 mph which averages a 15.5 minute mile! yeah me!
well, I'm pretty sweaty and my friends are en route for dinner and the drive-in, guess I should go shower....
Thursday, August 23, 2007
well, not feeling too bad after getting back to mobility. There is a little tug in my hamstrings today, and my back is a little sore, but all in all feeling okay. Per the Prevention training calendar, I should be doing only a moderate walk tonight, and since I have just finished a rigorous 90 minute massage session with a human brick, I think that's all I will attempt. I'm off to do that now, happy road travels to all!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
back home
2 miles in 40 minutes, approximately a 20 minute mile including warm up. not a great time, but it's a starting point. have discovered that my neighborhood is sorely lacking in street lights and that the 25 mile per hour speed limit seems to be ignored after sundown, so will stick to the track after dark from now on. Also made an interesting discovery, the old saying about "they are more scared of you than you are of them" doesn't apply to deer in my yard. there is nothing better than surprising 2 fully grown, well antlered bucks eating the kudzu off your lawn in the pitch blackness to get the already accelerated heart a-pumping. CLEAR......flatline.......................
if everyone else is doing it...where's the bridge to jump off?
so, everyone else in the family is keeping track of their progress with running and I thought I would be more inspired if I blogged too, so here it goes. After being out of commission for a week and 2 days from what I can only think was a nasty muscle strain/partial tear, I am back in the saddle with walking. Although I would like to eventually run, I think that it is healthiest at this point for me to just walk until I build up some endurance and strength. So here it is at 10:30 on Wednesday and I am headed out for a walk with the pooch to get back into mobility. Up until my injury, I had been going 2 miles 3-4X per week, but with a week hiatus, I think I will work back up slowly. Off to go see how I do, will report back when I return.
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