Wednesday, May 30, 2007

3.5 Miles Today

I'm working on getting into more of a regular walking schedule to prepare for the Walking Team training schedule. We start training for the Crim 10 miler next weekend. So today I got in 3.5 miles. I went to one of my favorite parks and did three loops around the small lake. Each loop is just under 1.2 miles.

It was a little bit hot and humid, and there was not much of a breeze, but that's OK. Because I'm not acclimated yet, I worked on form, not speed. It "felt" like I was racewalking. Not sure if anyone else would think that. My left shin was pretty sore and tight early on, so I know I need to work on it.

Still it felt great to be out!

Monday, May 28, 2007

Copyright Issues

Most of the people who send stories or articles to me write them themselves. Though I don't ask them to sign over copyright, I expect them to respect the copyright of others. I have never said this to anyone, but I guess because I've been in the publishing industry for so long, I figure I will be able to tell. Besides, what would be the benefit of faking a race review or a weightloss story?

Anyway, I had arranged for an article about sunscreen use. The story I got was a mish-mash of facts, but not really a story. I thought I could work with it. While looking up facts online, I found the entire story on a web site. OK, that's happened before, too. If the web site doesn't mind, I'm OK with it. I asked more questions and was told it is the author's web site.

However, I started looking at the "references" to the article. Hmmm. This is starting to look fishy.

I wish I had looked harder at this when I got it. But it was one of those things that I kept putting off. I kept waiting for that moment when I was in an "editing groove," and I would magically fix it. (Don't laugh. Many editors have that "groove" as I call it, when we can just read something and feel how it should be improved.) It never came until this morning. That is when I realized we might not have a sunscreen article in the summer issue.

Don't worry, if we don't run it, I have some great stuff to fill the hole. And if I can find some sunscreen info. in time, I'll use that.

Sunday, May 27, 2007

This is Different

You know how sometimes when you are out walking you feel like there is no way you can make it as far as you had intended to go?

Today the opposite happened. I thought I would take just a 30-min walk around the neighborhood, work on my pseudo-racewalking form, and head home. As I searched for my MP3 player, I found a cassette tape I've been looking for for a month and desperately needs to be returned to the library. OK, I thought, I'll just go to the library and come back instead. (Still working on my form.)

I felt fantastic today! The more I walked, the more I wanted to walk! It felt smooth, I could feel my shins getting a workout, there was no bouncing. I arrived at the library a little too quickly, so did the 1.2-mile lap around the park before heading back. This was a great way to start the day.

So a quick little 30-min neighborhood workout turned into 3+ mile! I wish all of my training walks went this way!
___________________

It's starting to get into the 80s in central Ohio. Because I end up being in air conditioning a lot, it can feel much hotter than it really is. I just want to remind people that it is important to walk in all types of weather to get acclimated. The more you walk on 80-degree days, the more you will get used to it. If we are working toward goals, such as entering the Crim Festival of Races in August, then we need be comfortable in the weather we will experience that day. It would be very disappointing to be in a key race and not be able to finish because we aren't used to hot weather.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Getting in a Few Miles

I'm getting a little bit lazy with my walking. I need to start working on speed, but since I know that is built into Dave's Walking Team Training programs, I'm not really doing it yet. I'll begin training for real the first week of June.

Instead, I take very circuitous walks to get in miles while pretending to run errands. I took a book back to the library today, even though it is not due for weeks, went to the post office to mail some packages and went further up the street to hit the bank. Adding the bank to the route gives me an additional mile for 3 total. I am getting a little bored by walking the same route and not challenging myself, but I feel the only way I can fit in walking is by killing two birds with one stone. (The PO trip was mandatory.)

Now I need to quit posting and get back to work.

Regular Walkers

There's the woman who walks back and forth in front of my house while talking on her cell phone. I can't tell if she walks when she gets a phone call, or whether she makes phone calls while she walks.

The gentleman who lives further down the street who seems to walk for hours just went by, too. No matter where I am within a couple miles of our neighborhood, I see him walking.

A fairly new guy walked by at 7:30 on the nose. He looks to be pretty young, maybe in his early 30s. He always walks by at the same time wearing gray shorts, a t-shirt and a baseball hat. He's pretty quick. Looks like he might follow the same route every day.

A couple who live down the street walk together every single day about 5:30, regardless of the weather. They make two laps around the "big" block and seem to really enjoy talking while the walk. They are just a little bit older than I am, and I can tell they have both lost weight since they started walking over a year ago.

And I have the other neighbor who is very environmentally aware. If he isn't carpooling to work, he is walking when he goes out to dinner or to run errands.

I won't even begin to discuss the "dog" people. There are tons of them!

As I watch my neighborhood walkers - the regular walkers - I wonder about them. Why does that gentleman walk for hours? Who is the woman talking to on the phone? How long has that couple been married?

At the same time, I'm sure people wonder about me, too. "There's that woman who's always carrying a bag of books on tape. Doesn't she read?" "Boy, she sure seems to get a lot of mail." "Those are obnoxious yellow tennis shoes!" "She's always walking to the store. I wonder if her car is broken."

Though I only know these people by how and when they walk, it's nice. I feel as if I know these "regular walkers," and maybe they feel they know me a little, too.

Monday, May 21, 2007

Just to the PO

Post office, that is. It is beautiful, but I just don't have the time today. I have a lot I want to get done on the Summer issue and a key baseball game tomorrow. I'll definitely get some miles in on Wednesday and I might enter a Memorial Day race.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Sunday Morning

I woke up much later than I had planned this morning. Part of the problem was, I really got on a roll with what I was writing last night, and had to finish before I went to bed.

Anyway, I had originally planned to do a serious training walk long before anyone got up. Because I got up late, I decided to wait to drive my son to Sunday School first. The more I waited, the less enthusiastic I became. When I finally woke him, he said he didn't have Sunday School today! By then, most of my motivation to be fast was gone. Instead, I did a double-duty walk. I went to the library 1 mile away, returned some books, did a partial loop in the park, and came back home. I did walk faster than a casual walker, and I worked up a sweat, but it definitely was not a "training" walk. Shoot, I was carrying a cup of coffee with me!

Sometimes it is hard to keep up the motivation to do speed work or even walk hard this far ahead of an event. The training schedules for our Walking Team events don't start until June and our first event is in August. Still, some speed work would be good for me. Despite the loss of motivation, I was still out for over 30 min. and I feel pretty good.

Saturday, May 19, 2007

A Short Walk

Today could not decide what it wanted to be. Some of the day was cold, windy and chilly. The rest of the day was sunny and pleasant.

Around 8 this evening, it was sunny and pleasant. So my husband and I took a walk around the neighborhood. Because we are planning to do some landscaping it was also nice to see what we liked in our neighbors' yards.

Though we walk just a little faster than most people in the neighborhood, we weren't out there for the workout. It was just a nice evening for a walk.

Customer Satisfaction

Earlier this week, I went to Panera - twice. Though both times the food tasted great, I was very disappointed in the fat and calorie content of the steak salad I had during the first visit. (I know, "steak salad" should have been a clue. I checked the nutritional info after I ate it.)

As many of you know, I'm not shy about complaining to restaurants. I sent an e-mail to Panera through the online customer comment form. The next day I had a response from Alice at Panera. She agreed that the steak salad was high in fat and calories the way it is usually served, and explained that a lot of the fat came from the recommended salad dressing. She then gave me detailed information about all of their low-fat, low-calorie dressings. That was nice! From that info I found their salmon salad, which I tried a couple of days later.

I know I rant quite a bit about restaurants, (David, quit laughing), so I like to point it out when a restaurant does something good, too. Panera knows how to treat their customers and I like their fresh salads and their many choices. I will still check out the nutritional info before I order, but I can do that online.
____________________________________________

Sidebar about why I complain to restaurants.
I feel the best way for me to make an impact on any business is to either give them my money, or NOT give them my money. It's good that I boycott McDonald's, but I think it is more effective if I tell them why. How will McDonald's know that I object to the lack of nutritional value in their foods unless I tell them? Other people must be doing the same thing - why else would they have pushed those salads so hard a couple of years ago? (I bought the salads for a while thinking I was encouraging them. Well, they just aren't good, so I quit, and they know why.) The only way we can make a differnece is to let these places know what we will and will not buy.

BTW: McDonald's does offer grilled chicken on their salads. They also have better dressings, now. They are a little bit smaller (according to the info on their web site) than other comparly priced salads. Regardless, the last time I checked, they were still mostly iceberg.

Friday, May 18, 2007

Great Salad at Panera!

One of my biggest pet peeves is restaurant salads covered with crap, that have no nutritional value and/or are high in fat and calories. One example would be McDonald's. Do you remember their huge advertising campaign a few years ago promoting the then-new salads sold with a pedometer and bottled water? The salads were just iceberg lettuce with a grape tomato or two, cheese, a high-calorie dressing and breaded, deep-fried chicken.

Well, today I discovered Panera's new Grilled Salmon Salad! It features a nice combination of greens in a variety of deep colors, roasted red peppers, uncut green beans, red onions and more. It is topped by a nice-sized piece of salmon that was moist and tasty. The dressing is a lemon vinaigrette.

The salad weighs 13.5 oz. and has, get this, only 340 calories! Calories from fat - 120 with no trans fats. (A little higher than I would like.) Check out all of the nutritional info at the Panera web site www.panerabread.com.

The salad gets a couple of minor dings. 1) I'm not sure the salmon was really "grilled." It had black marks, but it had the texture of poached salmon. I really don't care. 2) The dressing was slightly bland until I got to the end and then there was just too much. There are several low-fat dressing options if you want to try something other than the lemon vinaigrette.

Pair it with a whole grain baguette or an apple (skip the chips, though they have great chips) and it's perfect for lunch.

Compare it to the Arby's Santa Fe Salad, one of my previous favorite fast-food choices, until I found out how many calories it had. With the regular dressing and fried chicken it is 796 calories! (602 calories with grilled chicken, but even when I requested grilled, I usually ended up with fried.)

I've had much more expensive salads that were not as good. Though I've seen higher quality salmon on a salad, this one costs less than $7, has great greens and a very reasonable calorie count!

It is really nice that someone is actually preparing an affordable salad that is not a nutritional nightmare. I will definitely be back for this one. I'll also check the Panera web site to find other salads to try.

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Training Schedules are Here!

Thanks to Dave McGovern, we now have half marathon, 10 mile and 10K training schedules for the WALK! Magazine Walking Team!

Dave went above and beyond the call of duty by preparing beginner, intermediate and advanced training schedules for all three distances. So, no matter what your walking ability, we have a training schedule for you!

Because we were not able to include the schedules in the Walking Team packages as they were mailed, I will post them in our Yahoo Discussion Group. That also gives the members of the team the ability to access any schedules they want.

I'm so excited! This is MUCH more than I had expected.

Monday, May 14, 2007

Little Bit Sore

I decided to walk up to the store to exchange some things this evening. I felt great all day yesterday and felt fine all day today. As soon as I tried to pick up some speed I could feel my legs - a little bit sore and kind of heavy. It's a good thing I had planned on a light walk today. There is no way I could have done anything more strenuous.

I'm sure I'll be ready to walk a little bit harder tomorrow.

On a different note, I was given a pair of Crocs for Mother's Day. I've wanted them for a while and I'm pretty excited. They are pretty comfortable for walking around the house and the yard, but I doubt if I would go very far in them. I wonder, how did those people in Charleston, SC walk a 10K in these things?

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Serious Ad Help Needed

As many of you know, WALK! Magazine has a small staff. I have been trying to increase the staff by adding an advertising sales person and have not been successful. Because we are still "growing," it is not a full-time staff position, which makes it difficult to fill. And, I know this is hard to hear, but we need advertisers to succeed and grow. (Catch-22?)

Job Description
- You can work from anywhere! (Well, anywhere except the WALK! Magazine offices, we don't have the room.)
- There are no set hours, so basically, you could have a full-time job and still be effective. We estimate 10 hours a week would get someone started. The number of hours will vary depending on your schedule and the response.
- This position is commission-based, however, we could negotiate.
- This is a contract position, so someone who already sells advertising for other publications would be perfect for this job!

It won't be easy to get started, but the growth potential is unlimited! We are confident that WALK! Magazine will be taking off very soon, and this position is key to our growth.

So, if you know someone who would be interested in selling advertising for us, please let me know. Feel free to send a personal e-mail to me at admin@walk-magazine.com for more information.

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Painful Toes

This is weird. Around mile 4 of today's 10K, the three smallest toes on my right foot started aching. I'm not sure why, but with every step as I pushed off they hurt pretty bad. At first I thought that maybe my shoes were too tight and the toes were falling asleep, but it was pain, not numbness. My socks are the same brand of sock I always wear, so they are not at fault.

After the race, I examined my toes and they feel fine. So, could it be my new bright yellow shoes? I don't know. I'll have to walk a little more and see what happens.

Great Race!

The Hoover Dam 10K is simply a great race! This was my first year entering it, and I cannot believe I've missed out on this gem the last couple of years.

Put on by Run Wild Racing, it is well marked with plenty of water stops and lots of goodies afterward, like all of Doug's races. It even had an 8 a.m. starting time, which works better for me. The big difference from most races in our area was the course. It was beautiful! I've lived in Central Ohio for over 30 years and I had no idea these beautiful parks were near the dam. The course is on roads, but was very scenic. In the first half you walk along the reservoir, then cross the dam. Then you are on tree-lined streets with beautiful houses. Eventually you are back by the water and we watched kayakers while we tried to pick up speed.

Around mile 4 and 5 the course is "challenging," as Doug puts it. Actually, it is hilly. (Not Cincinnati hilly, but more Nashville hilly.) Then you cross the water again and you are back!

I finished around 1:32 and I was very pleased.

The only ding this event gets is, though chip timed, there is no mat at the start. Traffic is allowed on the street until our exact start. It is best to get as close to the front as you can so you are crossing the starting line as close to 8:00 as possible. For people like me, who will not win an award, it is no big deal. The fast walkers were up in the front.

What I would like to do, since this is such a great course, is figure out how we can get a lot more people to enter next year. I will probably pick it as a Walking Team event, but I have no idea whether that will make a difference. If any of you have ideas how we can get this great race to grow, please let me know! It is definitely worth entering!

Friday, May 11, 2007

What was I Thinking?

I'm entered in a 10K race in the morning. It's the Hoover Dam 10K, and is right here in central Ohio. There are a couple of reasons why I entered: a bunch of Buckeye Striders members are entered, Doug Grout is a very walker-friendly race director, if I don't enter this race I probably won't walk because I'm swamped!

I'm a little bit nervous because I have not walked much since the Country Music Half Marathon. Again, I've been swamped!

I know I will be fine - I walked 13.1 miles two weeks ago, and a measly 6.2 miles should be a piece of cake!

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Congrats Al!

Al Alberts, a WALK! Magazine subscriber, sent an e-mail to me with Indy Mini Marathon photographs from Brightroom. That is pretty cool in itself, but the best part is he is wearing a WALK! Magazine shirt.

Al finished the half marathon in 2:19:16, his best Mini Marathon finish! I have to believe it is because of the shirt (or maybe the tips he gets from reading WALK! Magazine).

Congratulations, Al! And thanks for sharing the photographs.

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Summer Issue

The summer issue of WALK! Magazine is shaping up. We have a great 8-page insert from the New Albany 10K Walk. Not only does it increase the number of pages in this issue, but it also includes good information about walking in general and the New Albany 10K Walk specifically.

In addition, we will have an interesting feature about Matt Hoover. I hope his name sounds familiar - he was the winner of The Biggest Loser 2. He married Suzy Preston, who was also on the show, and they both use walking as their main exercise. I'm looking forward to talking to him later this week.

We also are updating our list of walker friendly fall events!

And don't miss our regular columnists: Roger Burrows, Dave McGovern, Tim Seaman and Bonnie Stein. (Alphabetical order.)

It is looking like it will be another great issue! Don't miss it!

Sunday, May 06, 2007

Things I Learned at Indy

Here are the things I learned at Indy:

1) Take a hand cart! I was halfway to Indy when I realized mine was in the foyer at home. (Nice people helped me unload and load.)
2) Many women think Dave McGovern is a god. If I had a dollar for every time someone told me he is handsome, well, I'd be about $10 richer.
3) No matter what size shirts I have in stock, they won't fit the people standing in front of me.
4) If I leave my booth for even a minute, a crowd will form. (OK, I already knew this.)
5) Indy has great art in the city! One of the art pieces was an animated full-size walk signal - a man on one corner, a woman on the other. When it was time to walk, the person started walking in place. When the light was red they both stood there, shifting their feet waiting. Very cool! (I forget the artist's name.)
6) Bonnie Stein's students will go anywhere for good race.
7) Be wary of I-70. I was able to exit 70 to get to my hotel by the outer belt. But between the outer belt and downtown you can't get back on!
8) When there are a lot of people, I need to make eye contact with the ones in the middle of the crowd. Because most walkers assume everything is for runners, they don't get as close to the booths. I meet their eyes, hold up a magazine, and they reach between the people. It was perfect.
9) Walkers tend to travel in groups. I'm surprised I never noticed this before. If I get the attention of one walker, three or more others will come over, too. If one is buying a shirt, others will, too.
10) I don't have a 10. I just felt funny leaving it at 9.

Regardless, Indy was great! I hope I get to go back next year!

Indy was Fantastic!

The Indy Mini Marathon Expo was great! The hours were a little bit shorter, my booth space was primo and the participants were very friendly! Shorter hours is better for two reasons: 1) there is less dead time when no one is coming through and 2) I don't have to stand as long so my feet feel better. I usually go to expos alone, so I don't have the opportunity to take a break.

For the 4 hours on Thursday and 11 hours on Friday traffic was steady and often very heavy. I was hopping the entire time! A big thanks to Judy Jackson, a reader from Flint, MI, who volunteered to give me a break on Friday. I hate to leave when there are potential subscribers around and I desperately needed a break.

I handed out 1,200 back issues of the magazine! That is a new record! The last time we were in Indy, we gave away only 900 magazines.

This is the first expo I brought "gifts" for subscribers. I really enjoy it when readers come by to say Hi and tell me they like the magazine! Anyway, I took a case of Propel with me, and subscribers received a bottle as a gift. It was gone by early afternoon Friday. (I'm sorry I ran out so early!) It's great when subscribers say how much they enjoy the magazine while others are deciding if they want it! I made several sales because of this. Thanks! You guys are the best! (I wonder if Runner's World has such loyal readers?)

My misprinted cotton T-shirts sold like crazy! I think I just have XL and XXL left. (I don't want to rehash the whole story, but the underline on the back of the shirt shifted at the printer. Most people didn't care, I just couldn't sell them at a profit.) Anyway, I don't plan to carry cotton anymore. We have a new online store that will print them as they are purchased. That way, I don't have to guess what sizes people will buy, and I don't have to maintain an inventory. I'm not good at that and lots of people had to wait too long for their shirts. The technical shirts will still be sold through our regular online store and at expos. Confusing, I know, but it's the only way I can offer both fabrics. And now we can offer new designs at very little cost!

A friend of mine said he thought WALK! Magazine was starting to really take off. I think he is right! The response I had at this expo was so positive - the best of any place we have visited! I feel very inspired and encouraged. Thanks everybody! Walkers are the best!

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

New Shirts and Stuff


We have just opened a second online store to offer a wider variety of walking products! Long-sleeved shirts, which many of you have asked for, are now available. We have many different styles and colors of cotton T-shirts, sweatshirts and tanks. Right now we also have mugs, and I expect to have more items available soon! Check it out at: http://www.cafepress.com/walk_magazine.

(By the way, technical shirts, Walking Team sign-ups and subscriptions are still available at the other online store: http://store.walk-magazine.com/index.html.)

Please be patient with the site. I'm still figuring out how to use the software to set it up and it is still under construction.

On the Way to Indy

I'm leaving for the Indy Mini Marathon tomorrow morning and I'm excited. I think I have a better idea how to "do" an expo now. I have a Jeff Salvage DVD to show (and I even have the remote this time!), I have fewer brands of shirts to make the selection and display less complicated, I have Walking Team stuff to give out, and I have a small gift for subscribers who stop by to say "hi".

So if you are at the Indy Mini Expo, look for us!