Saturday, November 24, 2007

Gift Giving Guide Online

The Winter issue of WALK! Magazine will be going to the printer very soon. The problem is, it contains the annual the Gift Giving Guide and I'm not sure most people will receive the issue in time to actually be able to use this guide. (We have a couple of surprises on it this year.)

To help make your list making (and maybe even your gift buying) easier, we will post the Gift Guide on the WALK! Magazine website long before the Winter issue mails. Right now I'm expecting it to be up before the end of the week.

Happy shopping!

Friday, November 23, 2007

New Family Tradition - NOT!

Yesterday, after the turkey was in the oven and the house was straightened waiting for guests, I said, "Let's start a new Thanksgiving tradition and go for a walk at a great park!" My husband looked at me as if I were nuts and not too subtly indicated he would not be going. My son laughed aloud and asked if I was serious. My daughter said OK, then realized she was the only one who agreed. "I only said yes because I thought everyone was going," she said, and quickly declined. I even called my sister, who was coming over later for dinner. She said if I had called 2 hours earlier it she might have said yes. (Right...)

I had my heart set on walking at that great park with the pond - the park I no longer feel safe walking at by myself. I was pretty disappointed, but later decided I should just go ahead and walk in the neighborhood by myself if I really wanted to walk. Dinner was schedule for 3 p.m., and it was just about 1:00, so I knew I had plenty of time to walk quickly and shower before guests arrived.

I pulled on shoes, grabbed my MP3 player and walked out the door just as my sister pulled into the driveway. At first I thought I might be able to con her into going with me, but then I saw the high heels she was wearing.

Oh, well - maybe next year. In the meantime, I'll work a little harder to get out walking today.

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Happy Thanksgiving!

It was sort of a weird Thanksgiving for our family this year. I'm used to lots of family and friends, lots of noise, too much food, not enough time, not enough chairs, a lot of stress, but tons of fun. Though this year has been quite a bit smaller and much quieter, it has also been a lot less stressful.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but a quiet, unstressed holiday was not it. Regardless, I'm thankful for the people I was able to share the day with, and I'm thankful for the remaining family we will share Saturday with instead of today.

This is a somewhat tongue-in-cheek, superficial, a little bit serious list of what I'm thankful for this year:
1) The turkey turned out great and was even done a little bit early!
2) The stuffing and gravy tasted OK. (Both were usually my Mom's job, and I've never had to make them before.)
3) I didn't have to eat Waldorf Salad, which I have disliked my whole life. Regardless, it felt wrong having Thanksgiving without it.
4) My family is currently healthy, and several of them have had great success. It's been exciting being able to celebrate their successes.
5) New nieces and nephews - Who would have known that adding a couple adorable kids to this family could be so fun!
6) I'm able to walk as far as I think I'm able to walk. No IT band problems, no sore knees, no sore ankles - I'm feeling great.
7) WALK! Magazine is currently growing faster than I can keep up with. I've hired help for processing orders. Though it is stressful, it is a good stress.
8) We have really enthusiastic subscribers! I get great e-mails and notes all of the time. I wouldn't be able to continue doing this without your positive comments.
9) The WALK! Magazine Walking Team was so much fun. When I envisioned this group, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. You all are great! As a side note, the events I entered this year have been a blast! Thanks to everyone who walked with me this year.
10) I have a somewhat new outlook on life. I am really appreciating mornings more than I ever have. Even cold and rainy mornings look great from my office window. I'm not always out walking when I should be, but I have a new appreciation for what can be accomplished very early in the day.

This isn't turning out the way I had intended when I started it. Though this year started out pretty rough for us, many good things have happened to balance it out, and I'm extremely grateful. I'm especially grateful for the friendships that have helped us get to this point.

To all of you friends, subscribers, Walking Team members and everyone else who reads this silly blog, I hope you all have had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Monday, November 19, 2007

Morning Walk

One of the reasons I got out walking this morning was the great column Dave McGovern wrote for the Winter issue of WALK! Magazine. He has friends with health ailments that greatly curtail their abilities to walk ... yet they keep going. One even built a cart to carry his oxygen tank while he walks! After reading about that athlete, what excuse can I EVER come up with that would be even remotely plausible.

I'll be out walking again tomorrow.

-------------------------

Side note: I'm starting to like these weekday morning walks. It's a shame I don't feel the same enthusiasm for them on the weekends. I wonder if it has something to do with the fact I feel as if I'm playing hooky on a weekday, and I feel as if I don't have time on the weekends. I wish my schedule allowed more morning walks. But then again, if the novelty wears off maybe I won't be as excited about them

It was chilly (50s?), and took a little while for me to build up any heat, but once I got going it was fine. I walked for just 38 minutes, but it still felt good. One thing that encouraged me to walk faster was a garbage truck! I walked as fast as I could to get away from that thing! Luckily it turned the corner.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Are My Feet Sore!

I could just kick myself for not wearing my pedometer today! After all of our work was done, my friend David and I decided to walk all the way down the street from Circus Circus to the Bellagio. That really is not a big deal when you are wearing walking shoes. In fact, I just did it the other morning. Well, since we planned to actually go in the casinos, I wore cute boot-like shoes with a heel.

The walk there was pretty easy. Let me rephrase that - it was easy for walking in Las Vegas. I swear this entire city is designed to prevent people from getting from one place to another. Regardless, we went to Treasure Island to find out the Pirate/Sirens show is cancelled until late December. We went to the Bellagio,which is beautiful, gambled a little, saw the fountains, then decided to cross the street to see some of the hotels on that side. Trying to get inside the Venetian was NOT easy!(We've never been down that way before.) You keep following signs, and eventually you realize you've been walking forever, and you still are not anywhere near where you thought you were trying to go.

When we first walked to that end of the city we had anticipated taking a cab back to the hotel. We ended up walking all the way back. After being in meetings for a couple of days, I loved being outside moving. However, it would have been much more enjoyable if I had on better shoes. From the Map My Walk web site, it looks as if it was about 3 miles each way. Add in the extra walking trying to figure out where we were, and I'm pretty sure we walked over 7 miles - with me in heels.

So, my flight home is at 6:35 a.m., I need to get to the airport by 4:30 and it's 11 p.m. now. I think I better head off to bed. It's just that with all of that walking, I'm not sure how much I'm going to be able to sleep right now.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Great Walk!

I just got back from a great walk! I tried to get up extra early to be able to walk for an entire hour, but I was too sleep deprived. I finally got up at 7, 10 a.m. Ohio time. By the time I was dressed and reached the street, it was about 7:20. I head up what looked like a main street. There is a lot of construction on this side of Las Vegas, but that did not stop the many joggers I saw! The sun is shining, temps are mild, the sky is a beautiful blue, and I was walking down the street with joggers and diesel trucks.

I approached a mall that had a really long staircase leading up to it. (This is Vegas, so of course there was an escalator next to the stairs.) There was a really fit jogger running up and down the stairs, and I thought it sounded like a great idea. I started running up the stairs, got to about 5 from the top and had to walk the rest, legs burning and lungs huffing. Meanwhile the jogger was on her third trip up and did not look tired! I humbly walked down the stairs, stopped at a coffee shop to buy water and head back to the hotel.

I feel so much better already after sleeping in and getting outside. I feel less tense and so much more healthy. I even turned down a fat laden chocolate chip muffin when I entered the hotel and opted for my healthy granola bars in my room. I'll locate some fruit later.

Monday, November 12, 2007

Las Vegas

Las Vegas is an interesting city, to put it mildly. It's not one of my favorite places to visit - mostly because it seems so adverse to a healthy lifestyle. Since my last visit, they have at least limited indoor smoking to just the casinos. This is a nice change and makes me feel a little less like the entire city is just a giant ashtray.

So it was great to be on the elevator to my room this afternoon when a gentleman in running clothes stepped on. How far did you go? I asked. His face lit up as he told me about his short run. The weather was perfect for it!

I'm jet-lagged and sleep-deprived today, so I won't be out walking. However, now I'm even more inspired to get up early and head outside for a walk. I hope the weather cooperates. (Later this week, I'm sure we'll get out and do some sightseeing, too. Just not tonight.)

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Traveling

I will be traveling in Las Vegas this week. Not for anything magazine related, but I do plan to squeeze in a walk or two while I'm there.

I had hoped to contact the local walking club there to see if I could find someone to walk with, but didn't get around to it in time.

Las Vegas seems to be more of a "nightlife" type of place, so I don't think it will be crowded on the streets in the morning.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Winter Issue Will be Exciting

I'm finishing up the Winter issue of WALK! Magazine, and I have to admit, I'm pretty excited. I can't go into a lot of detail because of few things are still up in the air, but things are shaping up nicely.

In this issue:
- an informative article from registered dietitian Sherri Stager about why low carb diets are bad for athletes,
- a feature about Debbie Sokolov, a cancer survivor who used walking to help recover from surgery,
- cold weather training,
- Tim Seaman helps us prepare to watch Olympic racewalking next summer,
- our annual gift giving guide,
- and several surprises!

Anyway, I need to get back to work. I just wanted to take a break to share my excitement.

Sunday, November 04, 2007

Guest Editorial

Do you have thoughts about walking you would love to share with the readers of WALK! Magazine? Now you can submit your ideas as a Guest Editorial! It would run in place of the Letter from the Editor and we will even include your picture!

If you are interested in writing an editorial for WALK! Magazine, submit your idea and the issue you'd like it to run in to me at admin@walk-magazine.com.

Preliminary 2008 Submission Deadlines

I really love having readers of WALK! Magazine submit articles! I have had more comments on Marlene Welch's A View From the Rear than on just about anything else we have published. (It really was a great story.)

For those of you who are interested in submitting articles for a specific issue, following are the submission deadlines for our 2008 schedule. Hey, if you don't care what issue it appears in, we are happy to accept your stories at any time.

Preliminary 2008 Schedule:
Spring Deadline - January 4
Summer Deadline - April 4
Fall Deadline - July 2
Winter Deadline - September 26

The Spring issue will again be the Shoe Review issue.

OK everyone - get writing!

Saturday, November 03, 2007

Walking with a Doc

This morning I joined Dr. David Sabgir and his crew for the weekly Walk with a Doc program in Highbanks Metro Park on the north side of Columbus. (Dr. Sabgir was featured in an early issue of WALK! and has contributed some great articles to the magazine since.)

The group meets at 8 a.m. in a shelter way in the back of the park. Sponsors provide coffee, fruit, bottled water and bagels. The participants are friendly and look forward to walking with each other each week.

It was a beautiful morning! Frost covered the grass, wild flowers and weeds. The sun was low and made everything covered with frost sparkle. As the frost melted, the fall leaves glistened and the colors were fantastic!

Though it was just 32 degrees when the group met, it wasn't really cold. I'm sure the fact there was no wind helped it feel less cold. (I was comfortable in just a couple light layers without gloves or a hat.) I walked with a very interesting gentleman whose name I'm not sure about. He was very easy to talk to, and together we took one of the slightly longer routes, so I'm sure we went more than a mile.

I'm not much of a morning person. OK, let me rephrase that - I'm NOT a morning person. But after yesterday's morning walk and today's even earlier, more beautiful morning walk, I just may be converted.
_______________________________________________

Note on this morning's drive to Highbanks Park. I struggled to wake up this morning, took a shower, had my coffee and granola bar, and hopped in the car with an audio book in the CD player. As I drove up 23 North, I was not really half asleep, but it was about 7:30 in the morning, it was still dark and I was probably not totally alert. I was all the way to Delaware when it dawned on me that I had driven too far! I wondered if the sign had changed or maybe it was missing. I turned around, tried to pay more attention, and ended up at the park at about 8:02. The sign was there, bigger than life, right where it should have been. I must have just zoned out for a minute. Regardless, I hate being late, but I had really tried to get there early. Next time, I'll have to consume a little more caffeine before getting in the car.

Early Friday Walk

Yesterday I had the chance to take a morning walk before buckling down to work on the magazine for the day. It was a cool morning and still a little dark as I head out the door. I don't normally get the chance to walk in the morning during the week, and it felt great. It's quite a bit different from the afternoon and evening walks I normally take.

As I walked I saw plenty of people scraping their windshields. I'm surprised at the number of people in my neighborhood who do not leave their houses before 8. The traffic was different, the sounds of the neighborhood were different, and seeing the kids walking to school was different. I almost laughed aloud at one little boy who ran past me who was obviously going to be late.

Though I started work later than I had wanted, I felt great the rest of the day. I think I could get used to this.