Thursday, June 26, 2008

Shirt Delays

We've all been waiting forever for this last shipment of shirts to be printed. I needed to change screen printers and chose the company I'm using because of a recommendation.

Shortly after I dropped the shirts off for printing, my sales rep changed employment. It took a while to get things back on track - Where was the sample? When was the proof coming? How many colors was the logo? Finally, when was the job scheduled to be completed?

Well, initially they were to be done Friday, then Monday, then Tuesday... Today they arrived, but they aren't quite right. Well, our regular white shirts are fine, it's the long-sleeved shirts that aren't right.

Anyway, the point is the shirts arrived today. I will do my best to get the orders out Friday and Saturday.

Thank you for your patience!

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Rain Delay

I was pretty excited to get out walking today because it was just so beautiful. I got home, changed my clothes, was ready to walk out the door and it started pouring down rain! I might have walked anyway, but there was plenty of thunder and lightening.

Finally at about 9:30 I went out and did a quick 30 minutes in the neighborhood. I love this time of year! I love the fact I can postone walking to 9:30 at night, it's still light out and the temps are great!

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Strength Training

Last night I started what I'm calling my "knee rehab". I'm tired of my knee swelling, and my last diagnosis was a tracking problem. A trainer recently provided some advice on exercies that can strengthen my knees.

I started with two sets of 10 leg lifts from all four possible directions on each leg. Next I worked on balance and my ankles by standing on one leg for a set period of time, then doing it again with my eyes close. (I cannot stand on my left leg with my eyes closed!)Then switching.

As I was exercising, I decided to do more than just my legs. So I added crunches (two sets of 20), and pushups. Here is where I KNOW I have no upper body strength. I could barely do 5 pushups! And that was on my knees!

I'm going to give myself a chance to rest today, and I'll do the same workout tomorrow. I didn't exhaust my abs, so I may add crunches.

It will take some time, but if I keep it up my knees should get stronger and the tracking problem resolved.
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Last night's walk: One mile to the library, two laps around the park (1.2 miles each), and back home.

Tonight's walk: 32 min in the neighborhood for about 2 miles.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Welcome to Road Runner

Columbus now has a new Road Runner store. Last night they hosted a pizza party and injury prevention clinic for the members of the Buckeye Striders. About ten of us went and had a great time.

I arrived a little early and was able to discuss my knee issues before the others showed up. Derek was great showing me some new exercises to try! (After my walk tonight, I actually did them.)

We learned a lot about injury prevention and products that can help if we do have injuries. We all took turns walking across a pad which made an infrared image of our feet, which showed the arch. Then we walked on a treadmill, and they took video of our stride. It was VERY informative!

From that they recommended shoes for us to try. Though I tried on three great pairs, I just wasn't ready to buy last night. However, I can't wait to get a new pair of shoes for half marathon distance.

The guys were great and we had a good time. It was a very nice and informative way to be introduced to a new store and their staff!

Sunday, June 22, 2008

USATF Junior Racewalk Championships Results


For more information about the other events held today, go to http://www.deltatiming.com/2008_usatf_juniors.aspx.


Event 110 Men 10000 Meter Race Walk
================================================================
World: W 38:46.4h 5/20/2000 Viktor Burayev, RUS
American: A 42:50.20 6/21/2002 Ben Shorey, Wisconsin-Park
Meet: M 42:50.20 6/21/2002 Ben Shorey, Wisconsin-Park
WJC Q: % 44:05.00
Name Year Team Finals
================================================================
Finals
1 Matthew Forgues Maine Racewalkers 49:01.41
2 Tyler Sorensen Pleasanton Heat 49:06.17
3 Roberto Vergara South Tx Walk 50:04.94
4 Ricardo Vergara South Tx Walk 50:32.47
5 Evan Crowdus Kentucky Racers 52:49.17
6 Grant Bacon Cedarville 53:45.31
7 Jake Gunderkline Miami Valley TC 54:35.15
8 Zachary Adams Unattached 55:06.41
9 John Randall Miami Valley TC 55:32.99
-- Alejandro Chavez South Tx Walk DNF


Event 150 Women 10000 Meter Race Walk
================================================================
World: W 43:11.34 7/21/2005 Vera Sokolova, RUS
American: A 49:43.85 7/30/2005 Maria Michta, LIU-CW Post
Meet: M 50:24.54 6/25/2005 Maria Michta, LIU-CW Post
WJC Q: % 50:55.00
Name Year Team Finals
================================================================
Finals
1 Miranda Melville Wisconsin-Parkside 54:04.07
2 Hope Christie Wisconsin-Parkside 55:11.66
3 Jenna Monahan Walk USA 56:35.07
4 Catherine Davis S E Pa AC 56:55.01
5 Christie Bernier Maine Racewalkers 57:47.06
6 Chelsea Conway Mansfield 58:09.12
7 Melissa Moeller Indiana Racewalk 59:37.36
8 Allison Chin Miami Valley TC 1:00:12.10
9 Rebecca Glass Rochester 1:03:07.61
10 Nina Yang Unattached 1:04:02.14
-- Aadrian McCollum Unattached DQ >
-- Silvanna Francescutti Unattached DNS
-- Yangchen Dolma Unattached DNS
-- Jessica Reybal South Tx Walk DNS

My First Racewalk Championships (Yes, I was watching.)


The USATF Junior National T&F Championships were held today in Columbus, OH. On the campus of Ohio State, the events were held at the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.

I have never volunteered to help with a racewalk of this calibre before. It was very interesting. Of the four volunteers, two manned the water stop, and two of us were "runners." I was a runner. Basically, I walked around the track, and if any of the racewalk judges had a red card on any of the athletes, I would "run" it to the head judge so that it could be marked on the DQ board.

The junior men started their 10,000 m race at about 7:30 a.m. to the applause of about 10 people. I had no idea what I was doing, so I walked around the track at a brisk pace. After about five laps, the head judge said I didn't have to be that quick. So, I continued around the track at a slower pace, stopping to talk to some of the judges along the way so I could learn what they were doing and what they were looking for. I was given one red card to turn in.

At about 8:30 the junior women started their 10,000 m event. I thought I knew what I was doing, and let the athletes go around twice before I got started. The head judge let us know we had waited too long, and needed to get going. I turned in two red cards for the women, and one was DQ'd near the end of the race.

Though I've had a couple of racewalking lessons, I am by no means a racewalker. Still, I noticed there was a lot more variation in style among the women than the men. And a lot more women bounced as they wallked. (I think bouncing is bad.) Also, I was surprised at how many did not push their arms back very hard, or their arms went out to the side rather than straight back. Several had a pretty strong forward lean.

However, when I blocked all of that out, and just watched their legs, most of them were very smooth, and I had no idea if their knees were straight enough or both feet were off the ground... I couldn't see any infractions!

So, today I got up at about 5:30 to watch people racewalk for two hours, walked around the track at least 10 times, and got a great hat and too-big T-shirt for my efforts. It was fun!

Friday, June 20, 2008

Promax 70


I'm not a big fan a energy bars, meal replacement bars and drinks, etc. I would rather have an apple, a salad or even a small hamburger than some chemical-induced meal replacement bar that is no better than a 50 cent candy bar and will leave me hungry in a hour.

With that in mind, I will tell you that I kind of like the Promax 70 bars. <www.promaxnutrition.net/products/promax-70-calorie-bars/> They are labeled as a "high energy snack bar", and have only 70 calories each. (Hence the name.) They are about two bites and the perfect size for a small snack to hold you over til your next meal. I ate one at about 10 a.m. (I was starving), and I was good until 12:30 p.m.! I normally eat fruit at that time of day, but was in a meeting that prevented that type of snacking. One bar was just enough!

I like the fact these bars are not super sweet like lots of these types of products. The nutrition it provides seems reasonable. (I'm not a dietitian.)

The flavors are cookies n cream, double fudge brownie and nutty butter crisp. The nutty butter crisp was my favorite.

Here is what I DON'T like. The label says it is "all natural." I don't have the legal definition of all natural in front of me, but how can a product that contains hydrolyzed whey protein concentrate, l-glutamine, and calcium caseinate be natural?

There are many knowledgeable people who say that if you cannot understand the ingredient list, you shouldn't eat the food. If you are one of these people, don't buy this product.

However, if you like the convenience of an occasional energy bar, and want just a few bites of one, the Promax 70 is a good choice. I'm planning to keep a few in my gym bag for an emergency snack.
___________________________

The full-sized Promax bar is 2.64 oz., has 290 calories with 60 from fat.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

How Many Calories do you Need?

I just found out about this cool calorie "calculator" from Bonnie Stein's newsletter. It's at http://nutrition.about.com/od/changeyourdiet/a/calguide.htm?nl=1.

With this great little tool, you can find the number of calories you need to maintain your weight, the number of calories you should consume to lose a specific amount of weight, the number of calories burned at rest and at various fitness levels.

It's a great tool for anyone interested in maintaining or losing weight.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Walking in Favorite Park, Again

Though we were supposed to do speed workouts today, we didn't because of my swollen knees. I'm giving myself a couple more days of my own personal rehab, and if it doesn't work I'll see the doctor.

The weather was beautiful! Temps in the low 70s, high 60s, the sun was shining, the breeze felt great. It was the perfect day for a walk! We walked three 1.2 mile loops around the small lake in about 54 min. (Neither of us could work the chronograph on our watches so it's an estimate. My other sports watches are more user friendly.)

I'm trying harder to walk every day, even if it is just around the block. So far this week, I'm doing pretty well! (Yesterday I walked to the grocery store and with the kids in the neighborhood after dinner.)

I need to keep up my base mileage/fitness until we begin training for the New Albany Walking Classic Half Marathon later this month.

Monday, June 16, 2008

More Bikes?

Have you noticed an increase in the number of bikes on multi-use trails? I was walking around a small lake today, and about 1/5 of the trail connects with another trail that is about 10 miles long. The long trail is pretty popular with bikers.

On the weekends there are always tons of families, tons of dog walkers and a LOT of bikers zooming in and out of the crowds. During the week in the early evenings there are usually fewer bikes.

Today there were a ton of bikes! In fact, walking that part of the trail was almost treacherous. I stayed far to the side, but very few of the bikes even indicated they were coming up behind me.

I'm not sure why the traffic has increased. Could it be commuters trying to save gas? The trail connects downtown to other parts of the city.

Has anyone else seen a sudden increase in bike traffic in your area?

Good Walk Today

One of my favorite parks isn't very safe right now. A couple women have been grabbed and a guy was caught walking around with his pants down.

Today was relatively cool - in the 70s - and sunny, so I assumed the park would be crowded -- crowded means safe in my eyes. It was crowded enough that I felt safe without it being too crowded.

I had planned to do two 1.2 mile laps at a moderate speed. The first lap was easy at 18:51 and I picked up the pace a tiny bit for 18:21. I felt so good, I did a third lap in 17:58. That's a 15-min mile -- not fast, but it fit the goal of an easy walk.

I missed walking over the weekend because my knees have been bothering me. I tried out a knee support today and it seemed to help. I'll be icing in a little bit.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

New Look Again

OK, I didn't like the look of last week's layout change. Too green! This one is much cleaner and readable. I think I'll keep it a while.

Inspired by Speedo Man

About 7 years ago some friends and I started eating the occasional lunch at a local park near a river. There are tons of picnic tables and it is a popular lunch spot, especially in the Spring.

During one of those early lunches we noticed a tall, slender, white-haired gentleman jogging. What made the gentleman memorable was that he wore just a red, white and blue Speedo and running shoes. He ran one way down the park out of view then turned around and came back. Needless to say, from that day forward we dubbed him the "Speedo man."

Over the years, regardless of the time of year, the Speedo man would appear like clockwork. In the Spring and Fall when the temps are cooler, he wears long pants and jackets, but once it gets warm it is just the Speedo. A couple of years ago he traded in his patriotic attire for a solid green Speedo, and this week he was wearing a yellow one.

When I first saw him 7 years ago, I estimated he was in his 70s. He doesn't appear to have aged a day in that time, and his weight looks the same. This week he did seem to shuffle his feet a little more, and he walked part of the way, but the temps were unusually high that day. I'm assuming he was just being cautious.

Not once have I talked to this man and I have no idea what his name is. I don't know where he starts or how far he runs. Yet, I find him inspiring. There he is -- jogging every day and still looking fit.

Many of us are good at finding excuses to skip a workout: it's too hot, it's too cold, I don't have time, I can't find anyone to walk with... I have to believe Speedo man doesn't do that.

So, the next time you are tempted to skip your scheduled walk because it is too hot, think about that 70-year-old man running in the park every single day around lunch time. Then put on your shoes and head out the door -- the Speedo is optional.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Congratulations New Albany Walking Classic

Last night I presented the New Albany Walking Classic with the Best Event for Walkers Award! Congratulations to Race Director Phil Heit and everyone involved in helping make this event great!

By virtue of being selected the Best Event for Walkers, the New Albany Walking Classic was also selected as a WALK! Magazine Walking Team event. We currently have about 12 members signed up for one of the two events. For more information about the team, check out our web site at: http://www.walk-magazine.com/Team.html.

Registration is now open for the 2008 event. Don't forget that this year's race includes a walking only half marathon in addition to the traditional 10K. Get more information at: http://www.newalbanywalkingclassic.com/

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

No Longer a Slug

Over the past couple of weeks, I've not wanted to walk. I'm not sure why, other than I've been busy. The thing is, I've been busier than this and still fit it in. Luckily, I've made arrangements to walk with friends, so I haven't been a total slug. I just haven't walked anywhere by myself.

I am happy to say those feelings have finally gone away! Today, I just could not wait to get outside and walk! Because of other commitments, I wasn't able to walk until 8 p.m., but it was perfect. The sun was shining, the temps were very mild -- it was beautiful!

I'm feeling energetic and enthusiastic again!

Monday, June 09, 2008

New Layout

I'm experimenting with a new layout for this blog. I'm limited in how I can adjust the layout, or maybe my skills are limited. Anyway, I like this a little better than the old look, but it is just a little too green for me -- I'll probably make more changes in the next few days.

Sunday, June 08, 2008

Exercise with Video Games?


I've heard a lot about Wii Fit, but hadn't seen one until today. (I was offered a chance to try one, but I still haven't received it.)

Today at the Columbus Arts Festival there was a huge display of Wii Fit machines to try. Wearing socks with the Wii emblem, I stood on the Wii and tried downhill skiing. Apparently, this was a balancing exercise, and I failed. There are a lot of different games that offer exercise opportunities, but I tried just the skiing.
Regardless it was fun.

I hope I get the opportunity to try one again.

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Rain Delays - Alternate Plans

Today was supposed to be our speed day, but a potential City Championship baseball game and severe thunderstorms caused us to cancel our workout. (The thunderstorms also cancelled the baseball game.)

The storms stopped as I dropped my car off at the garage to be checked out. (Funny noise.) The garage manager kindly offered me a ride home, but I said no and ended up walking a couple of miles to run errands before I went back home. From the garage I crossed the street to the dry cleaner, crossed the street again to get a cold beverage at the gas station, then walked the long way to the Post Office. After gathering my mail, I crossed the parking lot to go the bank. Unfortunately, the bank was already closed, so I used the ATM. (I have several Canadian checks that I'd like to deposit, but I have to deposit them in person. Darn!)

From there I walked back home!

Though it wasn't a speed day as originally planned, I'm glad the rain stopped long enough that I was able to get in a couple of productive miles!

Race Walking in the News

Vince Peters, USATF Racewalk Committee National Chair, included several links to race walking in the news in his last e-mailed newsletter. Thanks, Vince!

Chasing Glory: <http://www.chasingglory08.com/weektwopub.html>
On July 6, 2008, America’s fastest women race walkers will compete in the 2008 United States Olympic Team Trials in Eugene, Oregon, to select the U.S. women’s team for the Beijing Olympic Games. As part of an unprecedented promotional buildup to the race, RaceWalk Planet is proud to present “chasingGlory,” a seven-week series of web videos and text-based commentary offering exclusive athlete/coach interviews and insight.

"chasingGlory" is a production of Race Walk Planet Television. Videos produced by Chris Rael. Text by Shirley Reynolds and Dana Lee. New material will be posted weekly, from May 19 through July 6, 2008

"Walking Toward an Olympic Dream":
Check out this feature on Susan Randall on a Dayton, Ohio TV station WDTN Channel 2 <http://www.wdtn.com/>. I searched for "race walk" in the "Search this site" section to locate it.

Minnesota Race Walkers Also in the News:
"Taking a Few Giant Steps With Race Walkers" from Minnesota's WCCO. <http://wcco.com/local/race.walkers.como.2.727373.html> It's a nice feature about the Twin Cities Race Walkers.