Watch What You Eat

Over the weekend, I ended up eating something that did NOT agree with me. I was sick all day Sunday and totally drained with headaches all day Monday. (I think it was food poisoning. Entirely my fault.) I spent two whole days on the couch or in bed.

Though today I felt much better and was able to get back to my life, I didn't expect there to be lasting consequences. I was a little tired when I got home from work, but after getting dinner started I still went out for a short walk around the neighborhood. The sun was shining, but showers were on their way -- it was now or never. Less than halfway around our "big" block, I was exhausted! I barely made it back before the rains began.

I wasn't able to do my normal mileage Saturday morning and I was wiped out Sunday and Monday. But I did not expect to still be recovering Tuesday.

In a few days I'll be fine, but in the meantime I'll take it easy and act as if I am starting from scratch. I haven't been working out as hard as normal recently, so maybe this is a sign I need ramp it up a bit.

Apologies to WordPress

The other day, I finally decided to play with WordPress on my laptop instead of my old desktop computer. The reason I always use my very old desktop computer is because it has more memory, and in my old-school mind, a desktop seems to be safer and more permanent than a laptop.

Not expecting anything different to happen, I was stunned to have nearly everything work!

So, though I still do not think that WordPress is very easy, I am thrilled that on a computer that works well, WordPress works much better!

I'm short on time over the next couple of days, so I'm not able to complete the move. When I do, you will be the first to know!

And I am sorry I was so publicly critical of WordPress. Obviously, the majority of the problem was me.

Hating WordPress or I Need Help

Every time I go to the WordPress website, I see that it is easy to use and can be set up in minutes. Then why have I invested hours of my time and I am unable to make it work?

I am not stupid. Though I must admit I have limited patience for learning a new technology or software. That said, I think devoting several hours over several days means that maybe, just maybe, WordPress is not nearly as easy as advertised. (I believe it really did take only 5 minutes to set up this blog.)

Here are my issues:

1. There are hundreds of pages of information on how to set up the blog. There is way too much information for an "easy" process.
2. I set up the template, saved it to my website, but when I make changes and save, they do NOT show up on the live blog.
3. Somehow I seem to have created two separate blogs -- one on walk-magazine.com and the other on www.walk-magazine.com. How did that happen?
4. Once I thought I had it figured out, I tried to move this Blog to the WordPress blog. I keep getting an error message, but there does not seem to be a solution to the error. The problem could be that Yahoo is not a Google product, but I don't know. I found another website that had an "easy" way to move a Blogger blog, but this also included posting html code in a variety of places. I'm sorry, but if I have to use html to make it work, it is not "easy". (For the record, I do know a little bit about html, and have edited files, etc., but that doesn't mean I can do this.)
5. I decided to set up a free blog on WordPress first, then figure out how to move it to my Yahoo account later. Even that is not easy. I make changes, save the file and the changes do not show up. I'm find this entire process WAY too CONFUSING!

In the meantime, I have a million other things I would rather be doing: walking, writing, even cleaning my house. But this easy process is driving me nuts.

If anyone has a "easy" solution -- I mean easy for me, not easy for a programmer -- please let me know. Any suggestions will be appreciated!

Speed

I haven't done a speed workout in a couple of weeks. And I can tell. I feel slow and lethargic.

I did a 1-mile warm up, then 6 X 1/4 mile repeats with 2:00 breaks in between.

My times were 3:03, 3:02, 3:06, 2:51, 2:55 and 3:03. Not bad, but definitely a little bit slow for a speed work out. It didn't help that I was wearing long pants -- way too hot for today.

Yes, I hate speed. In the middle of each workout I try to figure out a way to quit early. Still, I'm glad I did it. and I'm pretty sure I'll be back for more.

Moving this Blog?

I'm thinking about moving this blog to my WALK! Magazine website. I've updated my web hosting information and right now I'm playing with the settings and checking out WordPress to see how it will work.

The main reason for this move is I'm planning to start a podcast. I can't even think about doing a podcast until I figure out where it will be hosted. WordPress can host the podcast files.

If you have any ideas/comments about WordPress, or podcasts please let me know!

Get Ready for (Half) Marathon Season!

The winter was mild and spring seems to have arrived early. This is great news for all of us who have been training for spring races!

As the season kicks off, I'd like to remind you long-distance walkers of a few training basics.

1. Add distance gradually.
   As soon we get that first sunny day everyone wants to go out and do a bunch of miles. When you do that, you'll end up either sore or hurt. The rule of thumb is to increase your weekly mileage by only 10%. If you are currently walking 10 miles per week, that means adding only 1 more mile.
2. Carry water.
   At the very least, carry water on your long-distance days where you will be out for more than an hour. As the temperatures go up, you may want to carry water for shorter distances. And, if you're affected by heat, you probably should carry water during all of your walks.
3. Practice what you will eat and drink.
   If you plan to use sport drinks or consume energy gels or bars during a race, practice using these products during your long training days. You need to know if they actually work for you, how much will be a positive for you, and if your system will even tolerate them. I have a friend who wanted to use the Clif Shot Bloks I love and decided to try them during one of her long-distance training walks. Within a couple of minutes of eating her first block, she felt great! About 10 minutes later, she was in severe intestinal distress. Certain flavors of Gatorade and GU do the same thing to me. Thank goodness she tried these products before a race! (Right now this friend is experimenting with mini cookies. She is better able to tolerate cookies and granola bars than "energy" products.)
4. Replace your shoes when needed.
   Depending on the type of shoe you wear, they can last from 300–600 miles. For many people that can be as short as three months! If you don't replace your shoes often enough, you just won't feel right—it might result in lower back pain, sore feet or even shin splints. Also, be sure to buy your shoes early enough that you have a few long-distance training days in them before a long race. You'll want to be sure there is no weird rubbing and that they are the correct weight. (I found out at mile 10 of the Country Music Half Marathon that my new shoes were way too light for a half marathon. My feet were KILLING me!) If the shoes are not right, many running stores have a 30- or 60-day return policy.
5. Follow your training schedule to the best of your ability.
   It is hard to get in every single training mile. Sometimes your body is just too tired or sick to do the miles. But if you do your best to get in all of the miles most weeks, an occasional missed day won't hurt you. Just pick up where you left off and move forward.
   (You can find half-marathon training schedules prepared by Dave McGovern on the WALK! Magazine website at http://www.walk-magazine.com/dave3.html.)

What are your training tips?

Xenia Half Marathon

Race shirt and medal from the ORRRC Half Marathon.

The temps were in the low 50s and it was foggy when we started the ORRRC Half Marathon in Xenia, OH.

There were about 1100 people registered in the race, though it did not feel as if there were that many people at the starting line.

Me with Steve, Deb and Catherine.
(I know, I wore the wrong shirt!)

The first two miles were in town on neighborhood streets. As the crowd spread out, we moved onto bike trails. Though basically flat, there was a slight incline on the bike trail on the way out, and oddly, there was also an incline on the way back.

For the most part, there was plenty of room on the trail. Though there were pockets of groups, it was not hard to go at any pace we wanted without much need to weave around people. There were several runner/walkers who kept leap-frogging us, but eventually we were fast enough that they were behind us.

Even when the faster runners were returning, there was plenty of  room on both sides of the trail.

At one point the sun started to peek out. It was suddenly very hot and humid! Luckily, the clouds came back and the rest of the day was overcast and comfortable.

As you leave the bike trail, you walk up two or three blocks to cross the finish line at the YMCA.

At the finish we received a really nice medal! (Nicer than lots of other races I've done.) We then went in the YMCA where volunteers served chili, chicken and noodle soup, broccoli cheddar soup, tons of different types of cookies, apples, bananas and several beverage options. The chili was very tasty.

There are a lot of good things about this race: well organized, nice shirt, nice medal, plenty of water stops, Gatorade on the course, police at every intersection, good volunteers, good food at the finish and plenty of it. The bike trail was very pretty. The mile markers were painted on the asphalt and were easy to see. And it is very affordable! When I registered, the race was only $25!

The only negative is that being out on the bike trail can be lonely. If you were to do this race alone, it would be mentally tough. Luckily, I did it with my friend Deb.
__________

I finished in 3:02:44 -- which was both my watch time and my chip time! We averaged about 14:02 per mile.
Mile1 - 13:44
Mile 2 - 13:49
Mile 3 & 4 - 28:14 (I missed the mile 3 marker)
Mile 5 - 13:55
Mile 6 - 14:04
Mile 7 - 13:45
Mile 8 - 14:03
Mile 9 - 14:11
Mile 10 - 13:58
Mile 11 - 13:46
Mile 12 - 14:02
Mile 13 - 13:47

Walking Etiquette

The weather was beautiful today, so the trail at Antrim Park was very crowded. It gets this way in the early spring and late in the fall.

Though it is great so many people are out getting some exercise, the parking is tight, and many people not used to being on these trails can make it less fun.

In honor of spring coming and the weather being great, the following are a couple of walking trail rules of etiquette.

1. Walk to the right side of the trail so that faster walkers, runners and bikes can easily get around you.
2. If you have dogs or small children with you, keep them close.
3. If you are with someone, don't block the trail -- don't walk more than two across.
4. Watch out for bikes. Look before crossing trails so you don't walk in front of them.
5. If you need to stop suddenly (tie your shoe?), step off the trail so that you are out of the way.
6. Watch where you spit.

OK, I know none my regular readers need these reminders, but every spring I feel the need to post something like this. Thanks for letting me vent.

A Scary Moment Walking Saturday

This beautiful old cabin is on the trail.

Saturday was a beautiful day for a 10-mile walk in a new park. There were several people who showed up at 7:30 to get in the extra mileage.

Those of us arriving early had never walked at this park before, and we were not sure where the trails went. There were plenty of intersections where we had to make a decision -- left or right. At those points, we turned left knowing that on our way back we would just have to turn right.

After a couple of miles, one of our members, I'll call Suzie, said she didn't want to go 10 miles and decided to go back. A couple of us were uncomfortable with that, but we are all adults after all. We couldn't make her go farther and no one else was ready to go back.

Eventually we turned around and met up with the members of our group that started at 8:00. Everyone was very concerned when we found out that they had not seen Suzie. We went to the parking lot to see if she had somehow passed by this group, made it to the parking lot and left already. Her car was still there. At this point, we were even more worried. (I should point out that Suzie can get confused, so thinking she might get lost was not an overreaction.)

We were deciding what to do when we saw a police officer in the parking lot. He asked several questions about family, who to contact, did she have cell phone... and it dawned on us that we really did not know much about Suzie except that we all enjoyed walking with her!

At this point we separated into smaller groups to take every possible turn to look for her. Eventually we came upon Suzie with a couple other members of our club -- not one of which was carrying a cell phone! So even after she was found, they couldn't tell the rest of us they found her. One of the people with me called the others to report that Suzie was safe.

There were all kinds of things that went wrong that morning. 1) At an unfamiliar park, we should have never let anyone walk alone. 2) We should all carry our phones. 3) We need to be sure to have each others' numbers programmed in our phones. 4) And it would be a good idea for some of us to know who to contact in the event of an emergency.

Walking at Franklin Park Conservatory

Look at how dark the sky is! (I was almost hit by a car while taking this photo.)

There are groups of butterflies like
this all over one side of the park.

The Buckeye Striders were scheduled for Franklin Park Conservatory today. Normally, I don't enjoy doing long mileage here. It's tough doing nine or 10 laps around the park. What I DO like is, even if only a couple of us are doing long mileage, we still get to see other members of the club for a few laps. (On many bike trails we walk straight out for several miles and turn around. On those days we only get to see the people we start with.)

Four of us started nice and early at 7:30. Six others came and went. Deb and I lasted the longest, doing nine laps for 11.25 miles. It was fun seeing some club members I haven't been able to walk with recently.

Franklin Park Conservatory is well
known for its (indoor) annual live butterfly exhibit.

It started out chilly, with temps in the low 30s. The wind was pretty brisk on two sides of the park and our faces froze. After a while, the temps started to rise and I even took my gloves off for a couple of laps. It felt great! As the other Buckeye Striders left, it got colder and colder and colder. During that last lap I swear it was colder than when we started. My fingers were frozen! (I was so cold, that on the way home I had to stop to buy coffee.)

Deb and I were scheduled to do 12 miles today in preparation for the Xenia Half Marathon in just a couple of weeks. Yesterday, I had my mind set on doing only 10 miles. Luckily, Deb talked me into doing one more lap for 11.25. (This is why we are good training partners!)

We were pretty slow today. We started at around 14:30 per mile and ended closer to a 15-minute mile. That's OK, it was supposed to be a long "slow" distance day.
__________

I like the art throughout this park that makes it interesting even when the flowers are not in bloom.

You Know You are a Walker When ...

Stupid Blister

Today I went back to the Griggs Reservoir Frisbee Golf course to take a picture of the log that was cut to look like a toilet. I never noticed before that cars are not allowed down there, so I had to walk the one-quarter mile on the uneven, pot-holed asphalt -- in heels. Though I was worried about scuffing my shoes, I didn't think anything of it because I wear those heels all of the time.

When I got home early this evening, I rushed to put on walking clothes so I could get in a couple miles. (It was beautiful outside!) As soon as I put on my shoes, I knew something wasn't right. But I was in a hurry to get out before the sun started to set, so I ignored the weird rubbing on my right heel.

My plan was to walk to the library, do one lap around the park and return for a little over 3 miles round trip. About half a block from my house, my heel was rubbing enough that I stopped to play with my shoe to make it stop. It didn't stop.

After a mile, I stopped again to try to get the rubbing to stop and it didn't stop. I was not about to turn around, so I kept going and eventually, my heel stopped hurting. Yea!

My new blister.

After arriving home, I took off my shoes and discovered why my heel wasn't hurting. The blood from the broken blister stopped the sock and shoe from rubbing my heel.

It's a little early in the training season for this! I'm going to have to be a little more careful.

A Toilet on the Trail

Photos added 2-28-12.

A toilet on the trail.

Saturday, the Buckeye Striders did our 8 miles at Griggs Reservoir. It was cold and windy along the river, but not so bad in the area down by the "Frisbee" Golf Course. (I know Frisbee is a brand name and would not normally use it here, but the City of Columbus has signs saying this is a "Frisbee" course.)

In this area, there were a few trees that had been cut down. A creative person used a chain saw to cut some of the logs into shapes. Two logs were cut into a chair and footstool. Another log was cut into the shape of a ... toilet. Yes, a toilet!

The other carved "seat."

We laughed pretty hard, but I didn't have a camera or iPod with me. I went back to the park today to take a picture for this blog, but there were workers back there chipping limbs. I couldn't tell if the toilet was still there -- it was a little ways away and regular traffic was not permitted down that road. Darn!

I appreciated the comic relief in the middle of our chilly, long-distance day. If I have the opportunity to add photos, I will.

Faked out by the Sun

Last week, this section of the trail was covered
with snow, making the hills beyond the
curve treacherous.

This morning the sun was shining, the temps felt mild and there was no wind. It was beautiful! I could not believe it could be this beautiful in Ohio in February.

Because it was so beautiful, I assumed it was warm out. I left the house wearing one long-sleeved shirt, a wind-resistant jacket, winter-weight walking tights, light gloves and a hat. I almost didn't wear the hat but my hair was a mess, so I covered it up. (Thank goodness!)

Walking to the start of the Sharon Woods trail, I was a little bit cold, but you are supposed to be a little cold. At least, the people who tell me I over-dress all of the time say I should be a little bit cold.

In the first one-quarter mile, I was very cold. My hands were freezing, my face was freezing and I was cold all over. I really just did not want to turn around and go back to the car, so I talked myself into believing I would warm up. Well, I didn't. (Even seeing a fawn the size of a Golden Retriever didn't distract me from being cold.)

The sun was so bright,
I wore sunglasses.

When I finished the first loop, I went back to my car to get my gaiter and switch to a warmer pair of gloves. I am so glad I did! After that, when the sun was on my back, I started to feel too hot, but as soon as I was in shade I got cold again. In the area of the park we call The Plains, there was a little wind and it was pretty cold.

I have to be honest. I have not been getting in enough mid-week mileage. So today's 10 miles was more difficult than it should have been. After 8, I was moving slower! I was moving slow enough that I didn't even do a complete 10 miles -- it was only 9.6. (Each loop is really only 3.8 miles. I didn't go the extra 0.4 after two laps.) Sometimes it takes a "bad" distance day to remind you how important it is to get in the mid-week miles.

It is hard to tell, but this
fawn is very small.

Despite it being a slightly rough long-distance day between the cold and not being ready for the miles, I feel fortunate to have had such a beautiful sunny day in February!
__________

Deer and turkey live in Sharon Woods. Today I saw an adult deer and a fawn about the size of a Golden Retriever! I heard the turkeys calling, but I didn't see any.

 

Sometimes You Just Have to Go Slow

The Sharon Woods trail approaching the first hill. The odd thing is,
from here the trail goes downhill first, right after the above turn.

Sunday morning there was a little bit of snow on the ground and the temperature was only 17 degrees (4 with the windchill) as I planned to get in my 8 miles. Again I felt the need to trick myself into doing the mileage alone, so I went back to Sharon Woods.

In less than 1/4 mile, I slipped two times and was not sure I should even be there. I turned around to head back to my car. While slinking back, I passed a couple other people heading out to run on the same slick trail I decided was too slick. If they can run in this, I can at least try walking a little farther than 1/4 mile!

I turned around again deciding that I would do one loop, and if it was too slick, I would not do the second loop.

In the first 2 miles, there are a couple of hills that had me nervous. I walked cautiously trying to be aware of any ice patches. I have to admit, going down the hills was harder than climbing them -- I felt more in control climbing.

After passing the hills, life got easier. The trail was less slick and there were even patches that were totally clear! I picked up my pace a tiny bit.

When I reached the end of the loop, I knew I was not going to do the hills again. I opted to turn around and walk 2 miles out and back on the flat section of the loop. It was perfect! I was even able to pick up my pace a tiny bit more.

Before leaving my house, when I saw the temps and the snow on the ground, I was not thrilled about walking. But I knew it was my only opportunity to get in this week's miles. And even though there were a couple of slick spots, I am glad I did it.
___________

What I wore: two long-sleeved technical shirts, windproof jacket, winter leggings with a looser fitting pair of walking pants over the leggings, gloves, hat and gaiter around my neck. I also used hand warmers in my gloves. If I could have worked up more speed, I would have been plenty warm enough. As it turned out, it took until the last 4 miles until I started to get a little too warm.

It took 2:03 to do 8 miles. The first couple were slower than 15:30, my fastest was 14:09. Racewalking was not really an option. Once I quit trying, I slipped a lot less.

Mantras Part II

A few years ago some friends and I were walking in Cincinnati's Flying Pig Half Marathon. Not only is it a remarkably hilly course, but we were not really trained well enough for the race.

As we crossed a bridge over the Ohio River, we could see the Bengals' practice field and I told them about my son's favorite player -- T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Because my friends are not sports fans, they had not heard the name Houshmandzadeh before, and one friend had a lot of fun saying it -- over and over and over... (It is a fun name to say.)

Houshmandzadeh ended up taking on a life of its own. My friend started chanting it to help her keep pace. She started shouting it in celebration. She used it as a mantra to help her make it up the hills!

Did I mention we were in Cincinnati? And EVERYONE in the Flying Pig had heard of Houshmandzadeh, knew he was a football player and many had probably seen him around town. Well, everyone except my friend who was shouting his name.

Sometimes, there is a downside to mantras. 

Mantras

For a very long time, I thought I did not believe in mantras. I've read the articles and heard people talking about mantras, but it just seemed weird to me.

I should probably clarify. The articles I read talked about "planning" your mantra and making sure you know what you are going to say when you need that extra boost.

In my mind, that was contrived and, frankly, sounded hokey. I need to sit down sometime and think about what I will say to myself when I am at mile 10 of a half marathon? Or in the middle of a big hill in Parkersburg? I don't think so.

I didn't give it much thought until recently when I was doing my speed workout. (You all know I hate speed workouts.) In the third "lap" I was pumping my arms, rolling my feet and trying so hard to go even faster. In my mind I kept repeating "You can do it! You can do it! You can do it!" over and over and over for the entire 3-minute lap.

During my 2-minute rest it dawned on me: I have a mantra!

The more I thought about it, I remember using that same chant in the last quarter mile of the Air Force Half when I was trying to pass a woman who wouldn't let me pass. And I remember thinking it while climbing the Eden Park hill in the Flying Pig Half Marathon.

I didn't have to plan it in advance -- when I needed a mantra one came to me. And it worked!

Do you use mantras? If so, how did you come up with it?
__________________

Tomorrow I'll post about my friend Deb's mantra during the Flying Pig.

Saturday's 8 MiIes

Saturday's long slow distance was great! The temps were mild, the route was flat and I had the opportunity to walk with some good friends. (You can't ask for more from a long walk!)

Though we didn't walk hard, we are quite a bit faster than we were just a year ago. Because of where we started, the mile markers do not make it convenient to time every mile or even to be confident we walked exactly 8 miles. However, one member of our group was wearing GPS and according to her, we walked 8 miles in 1:54 for an average of 14:17 per mile.

Not bad for a long slow day.

Sunny Sunday Miles

When my son plays sports, it is harder for me to get my long slow training days in on Saturday mornings. And with the rain and snow we have had already this month, it has been even harder to get my mileage in on other days.

Lucky for me I woke up Sunday morning to sunny skies and clear, dry streets. (It snowed on Saturday.) Though I was excited to be able to walk on a chilly, sunny morning, I needed to get in 6 miles and wasn't overly thrilled about that. I knew that I was going to have to trick myself into finishing.

After some thought, I decided to go to Sharon Woods Park. It has a 3.8-mile loop which makes it difficult to stop in the middle. If I had gone to Antrim Park, and had to walk five 1.2-mile loops, I would have been tempted to stop early.

I ended up walking for an estimated 6.15 miles for 1:23. My slowest mile was 13:46 and my fastest was 13:18. Not a bad pace for not getting all of my training miles in. And if I'm walking a 13:18 mile without pushing, imagine how fast I will be if I do push!

Speed

I had a great speed workout tonight!

When I got home it wasn't dark yet, but it did look like it might rain again. I rushed outside in light walking pants, a light long-sleeved shirt and wind-resistant jacket. While walking my warm up lap, I realized the temps had dropped in the amount of time it took me to change and head outside. I went home to grab gloves and a hat -- I was cold!

Though the total workout was only 36 minutes, it was intense 3 min fast, 2 min of rest repeated six times. After the first few laps, I was sweating pretty hard. And I was able to finish before it started raining again!

Though it can be hard to maintain my training this time of year, I have been working hard to keep up with the speed workouts. I have to admit, following the Olympic 50K Racewalk Trials yesterday did make it a little easier to get out for a speed workout today.