Walking This Week

Lots top catch up on!

Saturday we did 8 miles on a multi-use trail along the Olentangy River. It was hot and we took it easy. I tried to sprint for the last 1/4 mile and did OK. The Parkersburg Half Marathon will be hot and I like to finish a race strong. Sprinting at the end should be good practice.

Monday I switched out my speed workout for hills. Parkersburg is hilly -- I think hills are a little more important than speed right now. And as many of you know, hills will help with speed, too.

Today I did 30 min. easy in a new pair of shoes. (I love easy days!) The interesting thing is, it is hard to walk in the new shoes without racewalking. Hmmmm. I'll post about the shoes tomorrow.

My training is going well, and I'm getting excited about the race!

My Favorite Piece of Fitness Equipment

I am not the most techno-savvy athlete. Though I use sport watches and a HR monitor, one of the many reasons I like walking is that it doesn't require a lot of gadgets. With a good pair of shoes and good socks I can walk out my front door.

Because of this, it is surprising to me that I am becoming obsessed with my new favorite piece of fitness equipment -- my iPod Touch.

Just like with my old MP3 players, I use my iPod to listen to audio books on my long-mileage days; however, it is the many other features and applications that make this such a valuable fitness tool. With my iPod and a good Wi-Fi connection, I have access to all kinds of great health, nutrition and fitness products and information -- much of it free.

Apps
Apps (applications for those of you who live in a cave) are great! Some of the options include calorie counters, exercise trackers, recipe apps, health magazines, exercise workout programs, progress trackers, calculators for calories burned and apps for specific gym chains so you can check out what classes and programs are available in any city.

Podcasts
These "mini-radio" programs also cover a variety of topics: nutrition, diet books, beginning running, marathon training, yoga, stretching and exercise in general. There are talk-show formats featuring well known fitness experts. There are even programs featuring music to use in training: some for mood, others to help set a pace using a set number of beats per minute. If you have ever tried to create your own music "mix" to maintain a pace, you know it is hard to do well.

Though at first I was hesitant to switch from a cheap, sturdy, who cares if it breaks MP3 player to an iPod, the access to all of the available fitness tools makes it invaluable! I wish I had given in years earlier.

NOTE: Over the next couple of weeks I will review some of my favorite apps and podcasts.

Hills in Heat

In preparation for Parkersburg,  I have replaced speed days for hill workouts. Parkersburg is very hilly, and the half marathon is August 20. It will be hot.

With that in mind, I followed through with my plan to do hills at Griggs Reservoir tonight even though the temps were in the 90s. My goal was to do four sets at an easy pace so I could get the workout in, but not be over-exerted in this heat.

Going up the first side of the  hill was not too bad because it isn't very big. Heading down the other side was really nice! There was plenty of shade so it was a couple of degrees cooler. I didn't even mind turning around and going back up, even though this side of the hill is steeper and much harder to climb.

The workout lasted about 55 minutes and my heart rate didn't go above 144, so I know I did not overdo it. And though my legs felt heavy when I started out because of the 10 miles on Sunday, after that first hill, I felt great.

Today, I'm glad I did hills in the heat. In August, I know I'll be even happier I followed through with today's hills.
_______

When I started, the temperature was 91 degrees and when I finished it had cooled to only 86. Woo hoo!

10 Miles -- Again

Because I do a lot of half marathons, I always get a thrill when I reach the 10-mile training days!

There are several reasons:

• Not just anyone can walk 10 miles.
• It takes training and dedication to work my way up to 10.
• It is one of the first true measures of how I will do in the half marathon. If I do well with 10, I know I'm on track. If I don't do well? I need to do something quick to make a change.

Today's 10 started a tiny bit too fast because I was with three other walkers. Laura and Catherine went ahead pretty early on. Nancy decided to make it a slow day for her and stayed at my pace. We did slow down a little after a couple of miles, but I didn't realize until about mile 7 that we probably slowed too much. But for long slow days, that is OK.

We were heading north on the bike trail between the Park of Roses and Antrim Park. Nancy and I decided to do a couple of laps around Antrim then head back to the Park of Roses. I think this is where Laura and Catherine went past us without our seeing them.

We turned back, realized we had not walked a full 10 miles, went south a little more than half a mile, then went back to the start.

10.38 miles in 2:30 -- a 14:30 pace average (what I was hoping for), but I think we were slower overall. We sprinted for the last quarter mile, and I think that made our overall average more respectable.

Speed Days and Easy Days

Tuesday's speed workout was 8 X 1/4 miles. (Though typically they are 400s on a track, I have mental issues with tracks.) Though not a fan of intervals, I know doing them is the only way I will get faster.

My goal this week was to start out slow, build gradually and shoot for breaking the 3-minute mark.

Started out way too slow at 3:20, got gradually faster and went up to 3:04 and back down. But in that last interval I was at 3:01! Didn't hit my goal -- this week, but it will not be long!

Today I did my scheduled 45-minutes easy and it felt great! I took an easy walk to the library, did one lap around the park, then walked home for a total of 3.2 miles. For me, these easy days are so much better after successfully completing some difficult intervals.

So, I'm getting faster, the easy days are easier and I'm happy!

When Motivation and Weather Conspire

Even though preparing for a race keeps me motivated over the long-haul, sometimes I still have those days when I just do not want to get in my training miles.

In my case, it is the speed workouts -- or interval training -- that cause the most problems. Though when I did full marathons, the long slow distance days were the hardest part.

Today was one of those days -- but in my defense I started out with good reasons.

There was a heat advisory and air advisory for today. Under these conditions, if I have a tough workout planned, I might tone it down -- planning a shorter distance or switch a speed workout with a lighter workout. If I'm feeling uninspired, I might not workout at all.

Imagine my surprise when we had thunder storms in the early afternoon and when I left work the temps were perfect and the air was clear! At that point, I had already made an early evening appointment and couldn't walk. By the time my appointment was over, and I got back home, it started raining again!

Luckily, half marathon training is a couple of months long and my schedule includes one extra day a week. Missing one is not the end of the world.

And now I have to figure out how I'm going to get psyched up to do this speed workout on Tuesday.

Who Knows How Long I Took to do 8 Miles

Sunday Deb and I were able to squeeze in our scheduled 8-miles -- one day late. It was very hot and humid -- the exact weather I'm expecting for the Parkersburg Half Marathon in August.

Because it was so hot and humid, we decided to take it easy and try to hover around a 14:30 to 14-min mile. From what I remember, we did pretty well. There is just one problem -- I inadvertently erased the chronograph on my watch before I wrote down my splits. Argh!

I hate when I do that!

Tonight it was still hot and humid so I waited until 7 to head out for my workout. I was scheduled to do 3 X 1 mile, but I was not in the mood to head to the park that is measured, so I went to Antrim. It is 1.2 miles around the lake. My plan was to walk for 16 min (longer than it takes me to do a mile), rest for 3 min., repeat until I've done about 3 miles.

It felt pretty good and, because I did not use a "measured mile," again I have no idea what my pace was.

Oh, well -- at least I got my miles in.

New Training Routine

Though I have completed more than 20 half marathons, I'm not good at training. Let me clarify -- I'm very good at getting in the weekly long-distance mileage, I'm horrible at getting in the mid-week speed workouts.

So this year, because I am only doing a couple of halves, I decided to follow an intermediate training schedule as closely as possible and see what it does for my speed.

So far this week, I finished 8 X 400s as fast as possible, one 45-min "easy" day and tonight I did 3 X 1 mile at half marathon pace. Tonight's workout was difficult because 1) I had never done 1-mile intervals before, 2) I wasn't quite sure what half marathon pace would feel like if I wasn't in a race. I'm assuming that by the time the race rolls around, I will know exactly what my race pace feels like.

My splits were 13:04, 12:55 and 12:50. I'm so excited that I got faster for each split. The other cool thing is, I have done half marathons in that pace range.

I missed one "easy" day this week due to rain and I'll miss another easy day tomorrow because I have tickets to a concert. But I think I can make that up -- it's still early.

8 X 400 -- Kinda

It was raining when I got off work yesterday, so I didn't go to the high school to do my 8 X 400s. In fact, I was expecting to not do them at all. But it was fairly early when the rain stopped and I decided to act like an adult and follow my training plan.

I haven't measured out 400 m in my neighborhood, but I know it took me a little more than 3 min for each lap last Monday. So, I went to the cul de sac across the street from my house, picked a starting point and walked as hard as I could for 3 min. I made a mark in the mud near the curb, then walked easy for two more minutes as a rest. As it turns out, that got me back to my front yard where I could grab a swig of water and do it all over again.

Most of the eight laps were progressively faster and I zoomed past that first mud mark. Unfortunately, I had two laps where I just could not pick up the speed, but that's OK.

To tell the truth, I preferred doing intervals in my neighborhood as opposed to on a track. There is something about walking around a track that can be mentally tough for me. OK, it is just plain boring. Of course walking around the cul de sac was boring too, but for some reason I was able to keep going.

Regardless, though I'm not a fan of intervals, I will try to keep them up this entire training season.

Kill the Hill

Saturday, the Buckeye Striders took a road trip to Chillicothe to walk with our good friend Pat and her new walking friends. The park we started in near the Adena Mansion was beautiful!

As we went along, we enjoyed walking through the town seeing the local neighborhoods. The people out in their yards were so friendly and all greeted us. It was very fun. But I should have been a little worried when the nice lady in her front yard asked, "Are you going to 'kill the hill?'"

Not sure what she said I just agreed and said "yeah" as we walked by. If I had really been paying attention, I would have been worried.

Shortly after, we turned a corner and caught sight of "the hill". Oh my goodness it was big!

We all tried to attack it in a smart way. All of us slowed -- some of us slowed a LOT! The walkers from Chillicothe were not nearly as fazed as the rest of us. And it wasn't until we were halfway up that we heard the stories about the very challenging race called Kill the Hill.

I found the hill so challenging, I started walking backward. (It sounds silly, but it does help because you are working your muscles just a little differently.) And at the top it did take a little while for us to recover.

The funny thing was, after the grueling hill, the locals got a little turned around. They weren't quite sure what the best way to get back to our cars was and we ended up with a couple of short backtracks and walking for nearly 20 min longer than we had expected.

The good news is, many of us had 6 miles scheduled for Saturday and we walked 5 -- with the hill I think we were even. Unfortunately, several were not acclimated and had not expected the extra mile. They were having a little difficulty.

But once we got to iHop and were able to relax and eat, we were fine!

Thanks to the Chillicothe members of the Buckeye Striders for hosting a fun walk and breakfast meeting! I'm sure we'll be back -- though I think we can skip the hill next time.

First Day of Half Marathon Training

Today was my first day training for the Parkersburg Half Marathon slated for mid-August.

Though I have trained for and completed a LOT of half marathons, I usually adjust the training schedule to fit my personality. I don't really like doing speed workouts, so I usually replace them with something less challenging. Because one of my goals is to get faster, I plan to include speed workouts in future schedules.

The scheduled workout was 8 X 400 with 2 min rest between each. I recently learned that the local high school track is frequently open for public use, and since lane 1 is 400 meters, I thought it would be worth trying to do these workouts on the track.

I walked to the high school for my warm up, but my shins did not really get warmed up enough. My first lap my shins burned. Though speed was the main purpose, I did try to remember to use proper racewalking form and to push my arms back.

I completed eight laps ranging from 3:02 (the last lap) to 3:09. Not too bad for my first time. The only problem is, doing these types of laps is extremely boring! And this school's track is in such bad shape, it has not hosted a home track meet in two years. (I think that is why the track is open to the public.)

Though it was boring, I know these types of training days are important to be able to build speed. Maybe on future days I can talk some of my Buckeye Strider friends into joining me.

3 Miles in 95 Degrees

It was pretty hot when I stopped at a park to do 3 miles on my way home tonight. But because of my lack of exercise this week, I knew I needed to get outside and move. And we all know how it goes -- if we don't exercise early, we get distracted and don't do it at all.

The only good thing about exercising in the heat is, I don't have to worry about my speed -- I know I won't be fast so there is no stress when I'm not fast.

So I took it easy and kept my pace at a 15-minute mile. (It was not hard to walk that slow.)

It felt good to move the muscles -- I worked a lot of the stiffness out. And in an odd way, it even felt good to sweat!

Photos -- Warrior Dash

I don't know why I didn't take photos of the cargo-net wall, the planks or the mud pit, but I didn't. So, here are the couple of pictures I have. Unfortunately, my husband insisted he get washed off before we went to get our bags, which had the camera. Oh, well. (I have a good before photo I'll add tomorrow. It's on a different computer.)

The crew after the race. Cathy and Angel finished earlier than us and cleaned up a little. Many of these clothes did not make it home -- they were tossed.

I really thought the helmet would look cuter than this.
The rhinestones on my sunglasses don't help the look at all.

How she could crawl through mud and still be clean, I don't know.

After a race like this, you need a turkey leg.

This is just one of the many piles of shoes collected to give to charity. The volunteer we talked to said they get cleaned and are given to people around the world who need shoes. Hmmm. Not sure I would be thankful to receive any of these pairs.

I Survived the Warrior Dash -- Woo Hoo

(Edited June 7 to add finish times and fix typos.)

Yesterday I completed Ohio's first Warrior Dash and I am a Warrior! (I will not remember all of the obstacles or the order of them, so just bear with me.)

Nestled in the hills (mountains?) of Logan, Ohio, the course was extremely challenging, but I think the obstacles supplied by Mother Nature were worse than anything the Red Frog Company thought up.

The participants start the race in heats of 500 every half hour beginning around 8 a.m. and ending at 7 p.m. We started at 3 p.m., and it was sunny, very hot and very humid. As you cross under the official starting gate, flames shoot from the top of it. It was surprising that being under the gate we could feel the heat from the flames!

The start was a bottleneck as everyone tried to run, but the course immediately funneled to a trail just a few feet wide. Walking and jogging a little bit, we soon hit the first obstacle -- a huge hill, and the trail was covered with several inches of mud. I'm not a strong runner and I knew it was silly to even try to run up hill like my team all did. I think I started walking first, but my husband and our friend Curtis were soon right there with me. (OK, they were way ahead of me, but I caught up since we were all walking.) This hill was grueling -- my heart was pounding, I was gasping for air, it was hot and humid with no air in the trees -- I pretty much was ready to quit. To me, this hill was as horrible as the worst hill in the Big Sur Marathon -- with the addition of several inches of mud.

At some point it flattened out a little, there was a somewhat dry trail, so we (from here on "we" will mean Lenny, Curtis and me) jogged to a bend in the trail, and then just a little farther to the first obstacle. We ran through a bunch of tires hanging from ropes. Easy, it slowed us down, we caught our breath.

More up and down hills and lots of mud.

We came to walls and barbed wired. The walls were about 4 feet high, so they took a little effort to climb over. Between the walls were strings of barbed wire we had to crawl under. Being short, I took a little longer getting over the walls, but I had the advantage going under the wire.

Eventually we came to a water hole. There were logs across the water chained in place so you had to go over them. I anticipated walking through the water, but realized after a step of two I was going to have to swim. Ugh! It is not easy to swim in shoes.

When we got out of the water, my legs felt like lead! And the soggy shoes! The good thing is we got cooled off, we washed the mud off and there was a water stop which we desperately needed. Turns out, this was the halfway point.

As we went along, we climbed over wrecked cars separated by large sections of old tires, then more cars, then more tires.  Somewhere along here was the tunnel of doom which ripped up my knees pretty good. There were bungee-type cords strung through some trees we had to get through at the top of a hill.

The course looped near the starting line to a two-story cargo-net wall. While we were waiting for our heat to start we watched people climb over it and I was a little bit nervous about it. It looks a lot taller when you are standing next to it. I thought -- what will be worse, saying I didn't try or getting to the top and being scared to death. I made it over and Lenny even waited at the top for me to be sure I could get over. 

We jogged a few feet to some planks that went up and down. My knees were so shaky from successfully climbing the cargo net, I thought I would fall off. I ended up having to crawl for part of it. (Oh, well, I got over.) We came to a HUGE wall that required ropes to climb. I was exhausted and couldn't do it. (After the fact, Len said he could have gotten me over, but he was a few steps ahead of me during this part and didn't notice when I was lagging behind.)

There were more cargo nets hung horizontally, we waded through a deep creek, turned the corner and we were at the fire pits. After the creek my legs were heavy, but I ran, leaped over both fire pits, crawled though the mud under more barbed wire, ran the last few yards through several more inches (feet?) of mud and we finished to the cheers of the crowd!

The race was a lot of fun! Some of the obstacles were harder than I would have expected. For example, that final rope wall -- much higher than what I saw on the website and I just didn't have the strength at that point to do it. And there is a real knack to going across horizontal cargo nets -- I don't have the knack. The hills were really horrible -- and I do lots of races that have hills.

Red Frog did a great job with this race. Though many of the obstacles were different from what was advertised, the course had plenty of them. I like the fact we could watch people do the cargo-net wall and the planks while waiting for the start. They also set up the final leg so spectators can watch participants leap over fire and crawl through the mud. The cheers at the end kept me going.

There are a few things I would do differently: 1) work on upper body strength, 2) plan to do it earlier in the day before it was so hot and humid, 3) protect my knees (they are SO scraped up!), 4) zoom ahead of my husband when I had the opportunity, 5) start my annual hill workouts earlier and 6) wear a costume.

Finish times (Added June 7, 2011):
Angel was 47 in his age group with 29:15
Cathy was 36th in her age group with a time of 42:19
I was 61st in my age group with a finish of 58:53
Lenny was 99th in his age with 58:35
Curtis was 101 in the same age with 58:55

Preparing for Tomorrow's Warrior Dash

Well, the Warrior Dash I have kinda sorta been training for is tomorrow in Southern Ohio. Though I have no illusions that I am really ready, I am excited.

My cousin's son ran the event today. The photos she posted online made it look great. Though I have to admit -- the cargo net wall we have to climb over is a little higher than I had expected. (My hands are already starting to sweat.)

The things that have me worried include the fact that I still cannot run a full mile, even after training for over a month. (I know I could racewalk 10 miles tomorrow if I had to.) Also, I haven't done any upper body strengthening since we signed up. Oops!

So, I'm heading to this race with an overall fitness level that is way above average, with a good attitude, good friends and confidence I will have fun no matter what.
____________________

Things I am taking with me:
Shoes to throw away, flip flops to wear after.
A shirt to throw away, a good solid-colored sports bra so I can change my shirt in public.
A hat I don't like.
A gym bag large enough to hold my warrior helmet.
Trash bags, old towels and blankets to cover the seats in Curtis' car.

4 Miles Today

I went to Griggs Reservoir by myself after work today to get back into the routine of walking in the middle of the week. I'm planning to enter a half marathon in August and that means my training needs to start pretty soon (I also need to do hills).

The temps were in the mid-80s and it felt hot. When I get more acclimated, the mid-80s will not be bad at all, but right now, it made me feel very slow.

In fact, I was somewhat slow and I couldn't get my HR over 142. That's a sign I wasn't moving much. The first mile was 14:46, then I got a little faster at 14:16, 14:23 and 14:20. Not nearly as fast as I've been during our group walks on Saturday mornings.

So, four days in a row I've been walking or jogging. Feeling pretty good.

First Speedoman Sighting!

Today I again went to the park by the river for lunch hoping I would see Speedoman. After sitting there about 10 minutes I decided to walk half a mile -- I sit all day, and even though it wasn't an "exercise" walk, it was still moving. (There are quarter mile markers painted on the street.)

Even after walking the quarter mile to the end of the park and back, I still did not see Speedoman. Over the years, I have usually seen him somewhere around noon.

But, when I got back to my car and started driving, I was thrilled to pass Speedoman! Again, I got so excited I almost waved. The thing is, he doesn't know me. I'm just a weird stalking/blogger.

He is looking older. He wasn't running at all -- in fact he was walking VERY slowly. And because he only wears a Speedo, it was obvious he has put on weight.

So, though I am worried about him -- he doesn't look as spry -- I'm thrilled he is still out there! And he is still an inspiration to me. I love the fact that, though he is no longer running, he is still out there doing what he can do.

Oh, and this year's Speedo is purple. If I remember correctly, that is the same color as last year.

Back to my Old Self

Once it dawned on me that my dislike of running is why I haven't been exercising enough, I've felt better! Sometimes knowledge is power.

And I'm feeling like I am back to my old self again. Today I woke up excited about getting in three laps at Antrim Park.

Saturday, I walked for an hour with the Buckeye Striders. Yesterday I kind of ran with my husband and son for about 2.5 miles. Today I walked for another 3.6 miles. Woo hoo!

Today the walking was a little bit hard. Because of some freelance editing I needed to get done early, I didn't leave the house til nearly 10:30 -- it was already starting to get warm. I could also "feel" my legs from working my muscles differently during yesterday's run. Unfortunately, I had chosen to wear my Air Force Marathon shirt (one of my favorites) but wasn't thinking about how heavy the fabric is -- it lets in no breeze! Still my average pace was 14:06 per mile.

I felt much slower than that! So, I guess that is an indication that my fitness level and speed are both increasing. And exercising for three days straight is an indication that my mental attitude is improving, too.
_____________

My 17-year-old son went with me to the park today. I expected him to run off and see me at the end. Shortly after I started my second lap, he was finishing running his second. He decided to do my last two laps with me. It was pretty funny because he can't walk as fast as I can, but he can't jog as slowly as I walk either. He ended up jogging slightly ahead, then walking until he was behind, then jogging ahead. It was really nice having him make the effort to hang with me!

Darn! I should have taken a picture!

Running's Affect on Me

Not sure why I have been having so much trouble blogging lately. Though if I really think about it, it probably has something to do with the fact I've been doing a little running.

For me, running is not fun: it doesn't feel good, it is hard and I just don't like it. These feelings about running are probably why I don't do it enough and why I still cannot run a mile without stopping. I believe my training for next week's Warrior Dash has fallen flat because I simply don't enjoy running.

I'm also disappointed that running is not getting better any faster. Well, let me clarify -- it is a little bit easier. I no longer feel as if I'm going to have a heart attack and die within the first 10 seconds. And I am no longer gasping for air like a fish out of water. But I still can run no farther than about 2 minutes at a time. Then I need to take a huge walking break before I can run for less than 2 minutes.

The reason I'm not getting better faster is because I'm not training as I should. I'm just not running enough to get better. 

There have been days when I have sat in my family room thinking, "Oh, no. I have to run today!" Then I would have an ongoing internal argument with myself until it is just too late to go or it has started raining or something else comes up to prevent me from going. In my own sick little world, I have celebrated when I have talked or tricked myself out of running. (And because I am not exercising, I'm gaining weight.)

Here is what I have learned from this running experiment. If someone does not like the exercise chosen, she won't do it. It is that simple.

I don't like running, hence I don't run. Even with a race looming over my head, I'm not training hard enough to have met my bare minimum goal of being able to run 1 mile before race day. I've had months to prepare for this, it was a goal that was attainable, but I have talked myself out of it. And because I'm not running, I'm not racewalking either.

OK, the Warrior Dash is strictly for the fun of it. But part of what makes a race fun is being physically capable of completing it, right? Would I plan to racewalk a marathon with this little preparation? No.

So, I will go out for a run shortly because it is nice out right now and I know it will get hot soon. I will even try to run a couple more times before next Sunday. I know I will have fun at the race because the people going are fun. And maybe I'll even do better than I think I will.

Still, I'm a little disappointed that I was unable to meet my minimum goal of running just one measly mile.

Seeking Speedoman

If you look, you can see the rain hitting the river.

The other day I talked a co-worker into having lunch with me in the park by the river. I didn't tell him in advance, but part of my motivation was to see if Speedoman was still around. For those of you who do not know, Speedoman is an older man (80s maybe) who runs at this park daily in just a Speedo and running shoes. At least, when the weather is nice that is what he wears. If he runs year round, which I assume he does, I'm sure he wears more when it is cold out.

Though it was beautiful in the morning when we made our plans, it started to get cloudy just as we left for lunch. Partway to the park, it started to sprinkle. There are plenty of picnic shelters, so I wasn't that worried. Just as we reached the park, it started to rain. I let Brian pick the shelter, so we decided to take the one closest to the river to have a good view -- plus I could park right up next to it.

One of the filthy tables.

We walked in and noticed immediately that there were a LOT of birds in the rafters. Of course, lots of birds mean, well, lots of bird droppings all over the tables. At this point, it had started raining pretty hard, so we found a fairly clean spot and decided to stay. Luckily I had extra paper towels to cover the table where I was eating. After a few minutes, Brian got up and stood in the middle of the shelter while I finished eating. I was about to ask him why when the answer became obvious -- big drops of water were landing all around me. Looking up I saw the roof was holier than Swiss cheese! I finished eating standing up, we ran for the car and drove around the park until it was time to head back to work.

Wouldn't you know, just as it was time to head back to work, the rain stopped and the sun came out. By the time we got near our office, the streets were totally dry!

Well, I didn't get to see Speedoman that day, but eating in the bird-infested shelter was an adventure -- one I don't plan to repeat. And if I come down with some weird illness in the next week or so, I'm sure it will be some type of bird flu.

Disappointing Myself

Sunday I was entered in a 3000 m racewalk here in Columbus. I was excited and nervous -- I'm not very confident in my racewalking form, and I was looking forward to seeing if I was legal in a less intimidating format.

I arrived at 9:30 (would have been there earlier, but I got turned around). As Jack and I sat around, waiting, we watched literally a million kids run the 100 dash. About 11:30, we decided to see how long it would take until our event.

The nice official said we had at least two more hours! Wow!

Though I wanted to do the event, I had not intended to sit around watching other people run for four hours.

Here is what I learned: when entering a track meet, it is a good idea to find out early about the timing of the events. There were about 50 heats of the 100 and more for the 200. That is a lot of races!!!

And though I would have gone ahead and done the race under different circumstances, I do feel bad about leaving. It's not that the race officials were disappointed that I left, I'm disappointed I didn't compete. In my defense, I really had not intended to spend the entire day waiting for a 20-min race.

Next time I'll know.

Teaching Little Girls the Wrong Things

Two things I learned about this week have appalled me for somewhat the same reason -- teaching little girls the wrong things about appearance, health and fitness.

Botox
Like many people across the country, I was shocked to learn about the mom giving her 8-year-old daughter Botox injections because of wrinkles in her forehead. After reading several different stories about this family, I learned the little girl "wants" the Botox and even searches her face for wrinkles, she wants to have breast enlargement surgery and a nose job, and she participates in beauty pageants. I also learned the little girl gets waxed, but my husband and I read conflicting stories on what parts of this girl's body are being waxed.

Those of us who were lucky enough NOT to be raised by this mother know that 8-year-old girls do not "want" any of this stuff. The only reason this little girl thinks she needs these types of improvements is because someone has already taught her that no matter what, her own personal beauty will not be good enough.

I have very strong feelings about the damage that beauty pageants inflict on little girls -- just watch one episode of Toddlers & Tiaras -- but I'll save that for another day. (Don't watch more than one episode, we don't want to encourage them.)

Butt
The other item I find appalling is butt-toning shoes for little girls. Seriously, should a little girl be worried about what she looks like from the back?

It doesn't even matter that these shoes do not work (they don't), what kind of message does this send? What kind of parent would buy these impractical shoes for a little girl?

The Truth
OK, any parents out there who are seriously worried about whether their children are fat, or unhealthy or whatever, here are some tips for you:

• Stop eating at fast food restaurants -- stop feeding your kids fast food meals.
• Provide healthy home-cooked meals for your children, and limit the junk food in your house.
• Encourage your children to get natural exercise by playing outside.
• Encourage your children to try new sports.
• Take your children to the park or on a walk.
• Be a good example. Eat healthy foods and get exercise yourself.

And if you encourage your kids by talking about eating healthy foods and being healthy, then they won't be obsessed with their looks and especially their weight.

We do have an obesity problem in this country. But making little girls feel that they are not good enough, that they are not pretty enough or that there is a quick fix is not the solution.
_________________

I have had a personal semi-boycott against a specific fast-food restaurant chain for years. It got really fired up when the company introduced salads to its menu, but the salads were worse than a high-calorie hamburger. My kids wanted to eat there, but I usually would say no and explained that the foods were not healthy. (The truth is, we did eat there on rare occasions, but they knew it was a big deal to be there.)

One day on my way home from work I was dying for a Diet Coke. This chain had a great price on a huge soft drink, so I bought one. (I have since given up Diet Coke.)

When I walked in the door with the cup from that chain, my daughter went ballistic! She recited back to me all of my complaints about fat and calories and nutrition.

I explained to her that it was just a drink and that I did not buy any food, but she pointed out that it didn't matter, I was still encouraging them. She was right!

Let me point out that I am not a nutrition nut. We do sometimes eat fast food and that includes French fries. (I love French fries!) But you can be healthy if you eat junk only in moderation.

Here's Your Sign

Early yesterday afternoon, I was sitting in front of my computer, working hard, when suddenly my 2009 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon poster fell off my wall and bounced off my head. (The Flying Pig posters are always on a heavier stock of paper than most race posters, so it did actually bounce off.)

For a variety of reasons -- ranging from sore shins to being very busy -- I have not been getting enough exercise the last few weeks. I know these aren't good reasons (except the shin pain) but sometimes our lives do prevent us from doing as well as we should.

Then every once in a while you get a sign -- a big old fat sign -- and well, how can you ignore a race poster bouncing off your head?

And that is one of the reasons I did more than 3 miles yesterday at Antrim Park.

Three More Miles Today

I took a short walk over lunch today to see how I would feel. My legs felt very heavy which had me a little worried, but I felt no pain so I planned to walk at Antrim Park this evening.

Still, I wasn't sure how my shins would feel -- my running on Saturday was so unsuccessful I was afraid to try. I allowed enough time that I could walk all three laps at Antrim just in case the shin pain was not gone. (I haven't run or really walked in days.)

The first lap was a little slow at 18:05. I felt good, so I picked up the pace a tiny bit to 17:22.

After those two laps, everything felt warmed up, so I decided to run. I felt fantastic! I felt so good, I was beginning to think I was going to make it halfway around the lake without stopping! Well, I was very, very wrong about that, but the point is, I felt good and I ran farther than ever before. This lap was run/walked in 14:37.

Walking and Running

I have been so busy lately that not only have I not been blogging, I haven't been exercising either. (Lots of negatives in that sentence.)

It dawned on me today that I am entered in a 3-mile race June 5, and I will need to run (yes, run) at least 1 mile nonstop before that date. Because it is an obstacle course, I don't think running farther than 1 mile will be necessary because we will be stopping to climb walls, crawl through mud and leap over fire. (http://warriordash.com/register2011_ohio.php)

At the same time, I'm thinking about entering a judged racewalk later this month. The track and field event includes 1500 and 5000 meter races. Running and proper racewalking form do not necessarily go together. (I know lots of racewalkers run, but probably not when they are working on form.)

Add in the fact that it did not rain today -- which lately is a big deal. With all of that in mind, I went to Antrim Park to get in a few laps. My plan was to do three laps -- two racewalking, one running.

I started the first lap slow because I was feeling a little bit stiff. As soon as I warmed up, I picked up the pace, though my heart rate was not going as high as I would like. The second lap, I picked up the pace more, but my heart rate still did not go as high as I would like. I finished in 17:05 and 16:32.

I started running the moment I began the third lap. Unfortunately for me, I planned poorly. The direction I picked to go included the only uphill on the entire loop! When you have no endurance for running, even a small hill like this can be very challenging. I did a run/walk, but I didn't time the intervals. I just ran as far as I could until I got tired, rested, then ran some more. The first few running intervals were pretty tough and short, but the more intervals I did, the longer they got! Near the end I felt my endurance was really improving. I completed that lap in 14:32 and my heart rate got up to 168!

And though running is still pretty difficult for me, and I know I will never be a real runner, it is getting easier.

So, today was an especially good day. The sun was shining, I was at a beautiful park, I finished over 3 miles and feel that I got some really good cardio exercise. And my endurance is improving.
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Pace per mile: First lap 14:14, second lap 13:46 and my final jogging lap was 12:06. You may remember I was walking faster than that more than a week ago.

I felt so good after this workout, I had fresh veggies and hummus for dinner.

Picking up Speed!

Yesterday, when walking with the Buckeye Striders, I again ended up out front with the faster people. I was a little worried about keeping up with Catherine this week because I just have not been walking enough. (Rain.)

The pace picked up as we walked, which is usual. Imagine my surprise, though, when Catherine reported that according to her GPS we were walking at an 11:58 per mile pace! I've done that on a treadmill before, but never outside.

I was breathing hard (though I could still talk) and my legs were moving as fast as they could go. I kept it up as long as I could, but when Catherine said she was going to go faster, I told her to go ahead without me. I know I did not keep up the pace for a mile, but I'm not sure how far I went. Shortly after Catherine took off, I had to slow a little.

From my estimate, when Catherine went on ahead we were 2 miles from the end. When I finished, I was just 2 minutes behind her! We walked 4.3 to 4.4 miles and I finished in under 59 minutes. That averages to somewhere around 13:20 to 13:35 per mile!

I wonder if I'm picking up speed because I'm not working on distance. I don't have any races scheduled right now, so my training walks have all been shorter.

Now matter what the reason, I'm happy with the result!

It's Officially Spring!

Today I tried to fit in a quick walk between a few important things I had to do.

This time of year, you never know what the weather will be like, especially in Ohio. (If you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes, it will change.) We have had snow this late in the year before, so I tend to be cautious when it comes to predicting spring. To tell the truth, the appearance of crocus or daffodils means nothing!

But today as I walked around the block, I noticed forsythia! I LOVE forsythia! The yellow of these flowers makes me smile. And what I really like is, it rarely snows after forsythia bloom.

Yep, this is a sure sign spring is here to stay! Woo hoo!

Bad Timing

It was supposed to rain this morning, so I opted not to walk with the Buckeye Striders at 8. I didn't set my alarm clock and when I rolled out of bed at 7:30, the sun was shining and it looked great! Hmmm, maybe I made the wrong decision.

As the morning progressed the skies got gray, the sun shined, the skies got gray, the sun shined ... Then there was a huge line of deep black clouds moving in. If I was going to get outside, I was going to have to get out quick.

Because the black clouds were moving fast, and partly because my friend Curtis has been running more than I have, I decided to try to run today. (I'm still training for the Warrior Dash.) I walked quickly to the "big block" and began running. I did a run/walk and was excited that I was able to run farther between walking breaks  than I did the last time I ran.

About three-quarters of the way around the block, the rain started so I tried to run harder. Just as I was about finished with my first lap, the hail started! Hail! I began to run home, but realized that by the time I got there the hail would stop and I would be less inclined to go back out.

It's spring and there are no leaves on the trees in my neighborhood. Still, I stood with my back up against a big tree and tried to use the trunk to block the wind. After just a few minutes the hail stopped and the rain slowed.

At this point I just wanted to finish my two laps as quickly as possible. I started running again, trying to pick up the pace and maybe run a little farther between walking breaks. It didn't work.

My legs were not tired -- in fact, based on how my legs felt, I could have easily run a mile non-stop today. The problem was my lungs! They burned, I gasped for air and just could not catch my breath. My heart pounded pretty hard, too. I hate this feeling! (The only other times I have felt this way have been at the end of long-distance races when I am racewalking as hard as possible, or when I am trying to keep up with some of the fastest Buckeye Striders.)

Just a couple of minutes after I made it back home, the rain stopped and the sun came out again. 

Here is what I learned today:

1. I am the last person who should pick when to workout outside. Many times I choose the worst weather of the day. (If my friend Deb is out, it is almost guaranteed to be the best weather of the day.)
2. I probably do not walk hard enough when I racewalk. I'm definitely not getting my heart rate up as high as  I do when running. 
3. I really need to practice running more if I'm going to be able to run 3 miles for the Warrior Dash.
4. Though I still do not enjoy running, I don't hate it anymore. Though it is hard, and I don't like the pounding, I really like going faster than when I racewalk. It's nice to finish just a little faster, too.
5. When I run, I can tell that I have regained 3 lbs. -- I can feel my stomach jiggle each time a foot hits the ground. That definitely does NOT happen when I racewalk. Maybe if I run more, I'll be disturbed enough by this I'll eat healthy more consistently again.

Changing my Mind for the Better

Earlier today I was feeling so lethargic, all I wanted to do was to go home, sit in a comfortable chair and eat potato chips. I even have potato chips at home.

But a weird thing happened. While driving in the sunshine, I gained some energy! The more I was in the sun, the more I wanted to be outside. Gradually potato chips were not sounding all that great -- I wanted to go for a walk.

By the time I arrived home and changed my clothes I was excited. My plan was to walk to the library, do one lap around the park and head home. Though this route is only 3.2 miles, because of the traffic lights it usually takes more than 55 minutes. Today I was able to do the 1 mile to the library in just over 16 minutes! I must have hit the lights right for a change.

The park was beautiful and there were tons of people there either playing sports, watching sports, or walking around the park -- just like me!

I was testing a new heart rate monitor and had not read the instructions all the way through so I didn't get the chronograph working quite right. Despite that, I'm pretty sure I did the entire route in just under 50 minutes. It felt great!

And a side benefit -- when I got home, the craving for chips was entirely gone.

No Wonder Runners Don't Smile

Running is hard! I have no clue why anyone would voluntarily run.

I say this as a fairly fit person who racewalked nearly 4.5 miles yesterday at a good pace. I say this as a person who has racewalked two full marathons and about 25 half marathons -- six halves last year.

But I need to be able to run 3 miles in June. My family, friends and I have entered a race called the Warrior Dash. Because of the nature of this obstacle course race, I feel I should run it as opposed to racewalking it. (Seriously, I think racewalking to a climbing wall would look a little bit silly -- and I'm used to looking silly.) We have 8 weeks to get ready.

So, when I got up this morning, I put on my cushiest running shoes and went out the door. I walked the 2 min it takes to get to the "big block," hit my stopwatch and started jogging. The plan was to go as far as I could, walk for 1 min, then repeat.

When I was huffing and puffing and I thought my heart would burst, I hit my stopwatch and stopped running. -- 2 min and 51 sec. That was it? I ran for only 2 min and 51 sec? If I had been running as fast as my son, that would have been half a mile. Unfortunately, it wasn't even half a block!

After a minute of walking I wasn't ready to start up again, so I walked another minute. This time I ran for only 1:14 before I had to stop. Slap of reality here -- I had been overly ambitious. I was not going to be running for several minutes and resting for only one. I was going to have to start from scratch just like any other non-runner and run for 1 min and walk for more. (I think this officially makes me a Galloweenie*!)

I continued with something close to running 1 min, walking 2 min until I had gone around the block twice. I ran/jogged for a total of only 8 min and walked for 18 min.

What I like about running is that I cover more ground. Even jogging at this slow pace, I'm faster than when I racewalk outside. (On a treadmill, I was able to racewalk as fast as this jog.) Maybe I can eventually walk faster than I can jog. That would be great!

What I don't like about running is the pounding. I feel like a several ton elephant every time my foot hits the ground -- huge, heavy and not very graceful. Does that ever go away?
_____________________

*Galloway is a running guru who trains people to run/walk long-distance events. When you are near them during a marathon or half marathon they are extremely annoying! It never fails, a group of them will jog past you then suddenly stop running inches in front of you and walk very slowly. At that point you are moving must faster than they are, and you either run into them or have to go around. After a minute or so, they pass you again, get slightly ahead of you and stop -- again! This leap frogging will continue until someone gets far enough ahead of the other to stop it.

Dave McGovern calls them Galloweenies.

Get Faster by Walking with Fast People

Dave McGovern says something similar to: in order to walk faster, practice walking faster. A corollary to that is: walk with people who are faster than you are. I did exactly that today.

Catherine is one of the faster members of the Buckeye Striders. What makes me laugh is: 1) She doesn't realize how fast she is, 2) Her stride is so smooth and her attitude so casual, it seems effortless. I walked with Catherine today.

We started out at a faster pace than what I usually do. I didn't get to warm up and was feeling slightly stiff. Still, I let Catherine set the pace and I kept up with her. After about 5 min I made a comment about how I couldn't go any faster and if she wanted to go ahead, that was fine. She laughed and said she didn't normally start that fast and was thinking that my pace had really improved.

Though we decided to slow slightly, it didn't work. I'm sure she didn't realize that she immediately picked up the pace. I continued to keep up with her and though I was working hard, we were able to hold to conversation. (On long slow days, I don't like to go so fast, I can't have a conversation.)

When we walk on the Olentangy Trail, we start near the Park of Roses, walk straight out for 30 min, then turn around. Because of where we start, we weren't near a mile marker and walked for 11 min before we reached one. Now here is the exciting news to me -- we walked that measurable mile in 13:52! After we turned around, we walked that same measurable mile in 13:29! According to the Cool Running Pace Calculator, if we averaged 13:52 per mile, we walked 4:397 miles. (If I were editing a textbook, I'd round that up to 4.4 miles.)

Though I try to walk fast when alone, I think this shows how I can work harder and faster when I'm with someone who pushes me. (Or did she "pull" me.)

Thanks, Catherine!
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The weather was good! Temps in the mid-50s and partly cloudy.

The Slug is Gone!

It might have been the lack of rain today. It might have been the fact I could see the sun! It might also be that I have not exercised much recently, and my body knows it needs it.

Whatever the reason, I am thrilled to say I did three laps (about 1.2 miles each) at Antrim Park today!

The first two laps I was racewalking -- the last lap I did the dreaded run/walk. (I hate being behind people in a race who do the run/walk.) My first lap was in 17:28 for a pace of 14:33. Considering how long it has been since I have walked hard, I can't believe I was that fast. The second lap was in 17:10 for a 14:18 pace. Wow!

Believe it or not, my run/walk lap was 2 min faster! I'll explain about that later.

So, after doing 3.6 miles in 50 min, my legs were throbbing and I felt great! And the side benefit of healthy exercise in sunshine, I was craving a giant healthy salad. I did not have salad ingredients at home, but at least I was again craving healthy foods. That is half the battle afterall.

So I can safely say, the slug is gone! Woo hoo!
__________

Some friends and family members have signed up to run a 3-mile Warrior Dash in June. (Warrior Dash is an obstacle course race.) I'm starting to train to be able to run 3 miles by then. So today, I ran until I needed to stop, walked until I recovered, then ran some more. I'm pretty sure I ran 75% of the 1.2 mile loop. I can't wait until I can run a mile nonstop. And just to clarify, no I am not giving up racewalking.

Walkable San Francisco

Lombard Street.

From my experience last week, San Francisco is a very walkable city. Even if you are not interested in walking the entire city, the availability of trolleys, buses, BART and even tuk tuks give affordable transportation to interesting walkable sections.

I feel as if I walked a major portion of the city and I didn't walk half as much as my friend Deb did! But because of Deb's adventurousness and planning, I got to see major highlights by foot and trolley.

By taking a trolley up Embarcadero to a major cross street, we walked to Lombard Street -- the crookedest street in America. Though mentioned in a previous post, let me just say walking up Lombard is somewhat challenging and we wondered how the residents of this block deal with it (let alone how they deal with all of the tourists). I imagine their legs are very strong.

From Lombard Street, we walked through some very interesting neighborhoods, went to an open house (it was beautiful), and made our way to Coit Tower. Located on Telegraph Hill, it was built in 1933 at the bequest of Lillie Hitchcock Coit to beautify the city of San Francisco. Because it was built during the depression, it helped employ people, which I think adds to why the tower is cool. The view from the top is worth the $5 fee. We did not see a lot of green space in San Francisco -- very few parks of any size, no real lawns -- but the area around the tower is green and well landscaped. Definitely worth the visit.


From Coit Tower: the city, the bay and Alcatraz.



China Gate in the pouring rain.

On one evening, Deb and I walked to Chinatown. I had never been to a Chinatown before and was surprised at how quickly you feel as if you have stepped into a foreign country. Deb said the best time to visit was in the morning when the produce vendors are in the streets, but because of meetings and weather, I didn't get to do that. At night the street is lit up and pretty, but many of the shops are closed. The China Gate is great.

Though there is not much green space in the city, there are a few small parks. Each time we encountered one, we were surprised. Later I discovered we had a map that included walking routes which highlight each of these parks. I had planned to visit several, but on my one day off it was pouring rain and I just couldn't do it.

I wish I remembered
which park this was in.

We did a lot of walking around Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39, both big tourist areas. There were plenty of street performers here (and in other parts of the city) and it almost felt as if our visit had a soundtrack! The crowds were big and the people-watching was fun. I like the human statues, though they also creep me out a little. We visited a museum of old pinball-type games (I can't remember the name) which was also near the submarine Pampanito, built entirely by women -- Rosie the Riveters. There is an Aquarium we didn't visit, but we did see the famous sea lions near the pier.

Warhol self portrait.

Though not intense walking inside, when the weather was really bad we separately visited the Museum of Modern Art and the Ferry Building. I spent about 3 hours in the museum and nearly dried out before heading back outside. There are four other interesting museums I didn't visit. The Ferry Building was on Embarcadero near our hotel, so was easy to get to. There is a farmers markets there on weekends and the shops inside were nice. Lots of organic restaurants, coffee shops and cooking shops. Later in the week I walked along the water from the Ferry Building toward the double decker bridge. It is very pretty this way with fewer tourists and several nice pieces of public art.

There are plenty of other activities we didn't try, such as renting bikes to cross the Golden Gate Bridge and a tour of Alcatraz. (I'm not sure how much walking is involved in visiting Alcatraz.) There are also plenty of nice stores within walking distance of each other if shopping is an interest. (Deb and I are not big shoppers.)

The double decker bridge.

Disclaimer: San Francisco is extremely hilly. There were plenty of times that we adjusted our walking route to avoid streets because of the hills. At other times, such as on our way to Coit Tower, there was no choice -- we had to climb some pretty steep streets. We just took our time, stopped when we needed to and tried to distract ourselves with sights we couldn't find in Ohio. Though it worked for us, I have to admit that at the end of the day, my legs could tell we walked a lot of hills. I should also point out that Deb and I walk a lot -- though if you are reading this blog about walking, you probably already know that. One final point -- there seem to be a lot of homeless people who can be aggressive with their panhandling. Once it started getting dark we felt much more comfortable riding trolleys.

That being said, I was very pleasantly surprised at how walkable the city was! For the most part we were comfortable walking just about anywhere we wanted to go during the day. And when we did get tired, or the rain was too intense, we hopped on a trolley. I hope I can go back someday when I have more free time and the weather is more cooperative.





At Starbucks Too Long

I think I have officially been at Starbucks WAY TOO LONG! My chai tea latte is ice cold. Not one person here now was here when I arrived. The staff rolled the city trash bins through the restaurant and out the front door to the street. People are starting to look at me weird. My iPod and laptop batteries are starting to die. (I moved twice already and still am not near a power source, and felt weird moving again.) I know that about 75% of the people who come here pull the door handle even though it says "push". Yes, I need to leave. But first a little bit of San Fran.

One of my original intentions coming here was to post photos from walking the city over the past couple of days. I don't have enough time to do that now, but I want to share this photo of Deb and me at the top of Lombard Street. Lombard is the crookedest street in America and the incline is pretty steep. We had to rest several times on our way up. 

At the top of Lombard Street in San Francisco.



What I want to point out in this photo is the tower on top of the hill way in the background. That is Coit Tower. (I know, I never heard of it before either. History lesson on a different date.) It looks pretty far away, right? Well, we walked from Lombard all the way to that tower. Not a direct route, either. From there we walked back to the main street of Embarcadero where we caught a trolley to our hotel.

By the way, all of that walking happened AFTER we finished the 12K race earlier that morning.

Now back to my hotel to have dinner.







12K Across the Golden Gate Bridge was Fun

Walking toward the Golden Gate Bridge about a mile into the race. The hill from down here up to the bridge was grueling!

Though it was cloudy when we left the hotel for the Emerald Across the Bay 12K Race Sunday, we were pleasantly surprised it wasn't raining. (It poured the night before, we got soaked and had been pretty cold when out sightseeing.)

We took a trolley to Aquatic Park to catch a shuttle to Sausalito where the race started. The race would return us to the same place where we caught the shuttles. We arrived earlier than needed because we aren't used to relying on shuttles. Luckily, there were lots of busses, and though the volunteers made sure the participants in the first wave got on first, it didn't take long for us to board and head across the bay. (A few participants who had done the race before said the crowds were much smaller this year.)

The drive to the start was beautiful.

The bus dropped us off, and as we approached the start, there were several groups of port-a-johns and a table with water. We could only progress so far toward the starting line until there was a “wave checkpoint.” Only those participants in the first wave, wearing yellow race bibs, were able to pass. After that wave started the race, then those in the second wave were able to pass. After the second wave started the race, we were able to head to the starting line. It was so well organized and made for a lot less congestion throughout the entire event.

While we were standing around, the sun came out, and I warmed up pretty well, especially since I was wearing a black trash bag.

At the start, local doctors led us in warm ups and stretches! It was fun! Some of the announcements were different. The heavy rains the night before washed out gravel in a few places, and there were branches down, so be careful.

The first half mile or so was downhill with wet roads and lots of huge nuts all over meaning we had to be careful where we stepped. Shortly after the start, the rain began. I can't remember whether it was sprinkles or what, but it was raining at at one point early on, a huge gust of wind blew Deb's hat right off her head!

The biggest hill of the race led up to the Golden Gate Bridge and started less than a mile into the race. The hill was so steep I needed to rest on the way up! This was about the time the rain started again.

We finally made it to the top and were able to get onto the bridge. Walking across the Golden Gate Bridge was very cool! We could see sunshine off in the distance and knew eventually the rain would stop. At the beginning of the bridge it was chilly – the wind gusts and blowing rain were horrible!!! It seemed as if we were on the bridge forever and since it is 1.7 miles long, well it was a good chunk of the race. Near the middle the rain eventually stopped and we could see sun off in the distance. (We were hopeful!) We did notice there were several suicide hotline phones on the bridge and luckily, neither of us felt the desire to jump or the need to use the phone.

After we left the bridge, we went below it to go past Fort Point, past a nature preserve and along the ocean (Crissy Field) and the Presidio. It was very pretty. As we progressed there were tons of walking paths along the shore and beautiful homes across the street from the water. If I lived here, I think I would walk along the water here all of the time.

At some point along this side of the bay there are photographers who take pictures with the bridge behind you. As we turned the corner, we were looking stupid and missed the photographers. So, we asked for a “do over,” and went back, came around the corner and smiled and tried to look like we were racewalking! The photographers were great and took a ton of shots of us!

From there it was a straight shot to Aquatic Park and the after-race party! At the finish line we were just directed to the party. As we approached, there were tables with finisher shirts and there were plenty of sizes left. The long-sleeved cotton shirts are cute, and I decided to take a small. (I'll try to remember not to put it in the dryer.) We received a bottle of water, then walked around the soggy park and received bags of Emerald nuts, Kettle chips (baked), and a few other samples. There was music playing and I heard there was beer available, though I didn't see any. There were not many people hanging around but I think when the weather is nice, people probably stay longer.

At the after race party. The sky
is VERY gray, getting ready to rain.

We had our picture taken near the ocean, got a picture or two of Alcatraz which we could see well from the shore, then it started raining. Actually, it started pouring!

We rushed off as fast as we could to catch a trolley and went back to the hotel.

According to my watch, our finish time was 1:55+. Considering more than two miles we were slower than 16 minutes per mile, I'm not really surprised. Actually I was more surprised that we walked two miles under 15 minutes! Our fastest was 14:10! Since it is still technically winter in Ohio, we had not done any hill training and it has been a little while since I've done any speed.

This is probably one of the best organized races I have ever completed! The waves were done well, they moved a lot of people very efficiently on the shuttles, there were plenty of port-a-johns at the beginning. We were told that there we not as many people as typical for this race, which could add to the fact they handled the crowds well. When we finished there were plenty of shirts in a variety of sizes, too – I have to wonder if that would be the case if there were more people.

Despite the rain, it was a good race and I would recommend it for anyone wanting a chance to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge.

Good Message at the Right Time

Sometimes when I walk alone, I get discouraged. When I'm out and I'm not able to walk as hard as I want, or I feel more tired than expected.

Yesterday, was one of those days. Luckily I had walked straight out more than 3 miles so there was no way I could cut my walk short. (Sometimes you do have to trick yourself to get in all of your miles.) On the return trip, I was getting tired and was feeling a little down. I wished I had someone with me to distract me more than Christopher Moore could. (I was listening to his book "Fool.")

At my lowest point, I was walking under I-270 when I noticed a message penned on the wall of the underpass. I read it, walked past, then turned around and took a picture. 

The author was absolutely right! And the truth is, it was exactly what I needed! I immediately picked up my pace and walked stronger, thinking about how that workout was going to impact the race in San Francisco next week.

In addition, I thought about this for quite a while after I passed those words. And it wasn't just about that day's walk -- this relates to my whole life. Yes, I do control my own fate -- and what am I going to do about it.

So, I will take this tagger's words to heart and with any luck I will think about them often.

Being in the Wrong Place



One of the bridges crossing Alum Creek.

It was about 7:29 this morning when I realized I was in the wrong place. I was at Alum Creek Park Trail in Westerville and my friends were all somewhere else -- waiting for me. None of them ever has their cell phones on, so I couldn't reach anyone to let them know I was in the wrong place. (We do joke about this. I even tried calling. No one answered.)

For a moment, I thought about heading home or going to a park closer to home. Then I decided I was already at the start of a beautiful walking trail, why not go ahead and walk.

This is not the type of trail I would normally walk alone. It has a lot of secluded sections and often there are not many people on it. Not an ideal place for a woman walking alone -- even if it is a Saturday morning. I didn't have any underlying feelings of fear, so I went ahead. The temps were in the high 20s when I started, so I wore gloves, but limited myself to just one long-sleeved shirt under my wind-resistant jacket. I was chilly, but I knew I would be OK.

This trail is beautiful. It follows Alum Creek with bridges crossing over it in several locations. There are tons of trees, a pond with geese, and other than crossing under Schrock Rd. and 270, you feel as if you are somewhere farther outside of the city on much of the trail. And if you pay attention, you'll notice extras such as the plaques on some of the trees identifying the type, artwork posted on utility poles, some small flower beds or benches made from huge pieces of rock (granite?).



Look for the art.

My plan was to head out for 45 min. then turn around to guarantee I walked at least 6 miles. Because my pace has been getting progressively faster, I had no doubt I would walk faster than a 15-minute mile.

Mentally, I had trouble today. I kept checking my watch to see how long I had been out. That makes for a rough walk. I picked up the pace and tried to keep my heart rate higher -- near 150 -- for most of the walk. That was pretty easy on the way out. Heading back I got slower and my heart rate was closer to about 144 for most of the way. Still, I felt I had a good balance of working hard, yet maintaining endurance to finish.

Though I felt bad about missing my friends, for the most part I enjoyed my walk alone. The course was beautiful and as the sun rose and the temperatures got a little warmer, my mood really lifted. (I live in Ohio and we have a lot of gray days this time of year. A sunny morning is a real treat!) 

On the way home, that 70's Dr. John song ran through my mind:

I been in the right place

But it must have been the wrong time

I'd of said the right thing

But I must have used the wrong line...

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Note to my Buckeye Strider friends: This error was entirely my fault! And I really do think it is funny that none of you turn on your phones.

How Much Seaweed?

Trader Joe's roasted seaweed.

I admit it, I'm becoming a little obsessed about seaweed. I bought several different kinds and I keep trying to find more information about how to use it to effectively to reduce fat absorption.

Last night, it finally dawned on me how obsessed I had become. While out I spent a lot of time talking about it to our friends who came out simply to enjoy an adult beverage. (I'm pretty sure they did not want to hear about seaweed.)

Despite this obsession, I still could not find out how much seaweed it is necessary to consume to make a difference. Though the package of roasted nori I found said a serving is half a package -- about 5 grams -- I wasn't sure what that meant for fat absorption or even when to eat the seaweed for the best results. Even then, how would I know for sure it was even working?

So today, after reading the exact same information from Newcastle University on several different websites, I was frustrated. I know the seaweed will absorb up to 75% of the fat consumed and has been determined to be as effective as the drug Alli -- but how much to eat and when? (You all know that I would never take a weight loss drug like Alli -- for so many reasons, but the final is the horrible side effects.)

Finally, I found something close to what I was looking for -- according to an Active.com article, eating only 1.5 grams will make an impact. Still, I'm not sure how much of an impact. How much fat will it absorb? And better yet, how will I know if it is working?

Because Trader Joe's roasted nori sheets are so light, 5 grams is a lot of seaweed! I'm not confident I can eat that much at a time. In fact, because I'm not really fond of the fish flavor (though I am getting a little used to it), I found if I stuff several pieces in my mouth at one time, it's a lot less difficult than eating several individual sheets.

So, though I don't have definite answers to all of my questions yet, I think I will continue eating a little nori before some of my bigger meals. From everything I've read, it won't hurt me, and if the professed benefits are true, then all the better!
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BTW: I am working hard to eat healthier. I've been increasing the number of fruits and vegetables I eat and reducing the amount of red meat and unhealthy fats. I'm hoping adding a little seaweed will help me achieve my health and fitness (and weight loss) goals just a little bit quicker.

Walking in Sunshine, Oh Yeah

It was beautiful in Ohio today! The sun was bright and the temps were in the mid-40s with almost no breeze. I couldn't wait to get home to walk.

My original plan was to head to Antrim Park and do 4 laps around the lake. I was a little worried that by the time I drove there I wouldn't have time to walk as far as I wanted since it starts to get dark a little after 6. I don't feel safe near Antrim in the dark.

At the last minute I decided to walk to the library instead. That way I wouldn't be wasting time driving to a starting location and if it started to get dark on my way home, I would feel fairly safe on the busy street that leads to my neighborhood.

Temps were in the mid-40s when I left the house. I was chilly and my hands were cold, but I refused to go back home to add layers or gloves. I wanted to work hard enough I would get overheated.

On the way to the library, I decided to do two laps of the park for a total of 4.4 miles walked. Halfway through the first lap, I decided the sun was setting too fast and I would do just one lap. Being the decisive person I am, I changed my mind again -- as I finished that lap I decided to do the second one.

As the sun got lower, so did the temperatures. My hands were pretty cold even though my core was warm and I was sweating under the jacket.

I picked up the pace and my heart rate was well over 150. Though it was a much harder effort than I have been walking lately, it didn't feel like I was working too hard. It felt very comfortable.

Luckily, I didn't have to wait too long at any of the traffic lights, so I felt I was able to keep a good pace.

So, I walked the 4.4 miles in 1:05, 2 minutes faster than I walked the same route Sunday! Even with stopping a little for lights, my average pace was 14:46. My fastest loop was at a 13:24 minute mile! Not bad at all.

Though I am glad I was walking at a pretty good pace, and my IT bands felt great, the highlight of the day was walking in the sun. It has been so gray in Ohio, I really needed it! Because I was out, I will be much better able to deal with whatever grayness the day has to offer tomorrow.
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Mile 1 - 17:01 (Traffic lights.)
Mile 2.2 - 16:11 (13:29 per mile pace.)
Mile 3.2 - 16:05 (13:24 per mile pace.)
Mile 4 - 16:22 (Traffic lights.)