The Omnivore's Hundred

This is kind of fun. I found this on a blog today. It's funny how many of these items I've eaten just because of friends I've made in the last few year. It's nice that many of my friends have broadened my horizons.

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating. (Since I cannot cross it out, I'll just leave a note to the side.)
4) Optional extra: Post a comment at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding (If it is what I think it is, no.)
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp (I might have, not sure.)
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho (Don’t know what this is.)
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi (Don’t know what this is.)
15. Hot dog from a street cart (I live dangerously!)
16. Epoisses (Don’t know what this is.)
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns (Don’t know what this is.)
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese (Uh, no!)
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda (Don’t know what this is.)
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi (Don’t know what this is.)
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar (Not the cigar.)
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail (Does it count in soup?)
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects (I probably have accidentally.)
43. Phaal (Don’t know what this is.)
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu (Don’t know what this is.)
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel (I guess I’d try it, depending on how it is fixed.)
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi (Don’t know what this is.)
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine (Don’t know what this is.)
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores62. Sweetbreads (No way!)
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis (Definitely no!)
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe (Don’t know.)
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill (NO!)
76. Baijiu (Don’t know.)
77. Hostess Fruit Pie (Now THIS is risky!)
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky (I hope these are a Thai treat.)
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare (We called it rabbit.)
87. Goulash (properly spelled gulyas)
88. Flowers
89. Horse (Not sure.)
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish (Caught it myself.)
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Since Sunday's Race

Monday I walked for about 20 min. The first 10 min were great, but coming home my legs felt SO heavy!

Last night I had a massage. I thought about walking, but decided a massage would be more beneficial. I wish he had dug a little harder at the knots in my shoulders and at my IT band, but otherwise it felt great!

Today, my walking buddy Deb and I met at Antrim Park. I love the small lake and the ducks. Very relaxing!

Our plan was to just walk easy - no racewalking allowed. We did three laps at 1.2 miles per lap in about an hour. (Stop watches were not allowed either.) My legs were feeling very heavy and antsy earlier today, so I knew I needed to get out. The easy walk was exactly what I needed.

Right now I plan to do 4 miles with our walking club Saturday morning. It will be at our regular pace, but I think I'll be ready. I'm hoping to pick up our Detroit training next week.

New Albany Half Marathon Report

It was quite a bit hotter than I had expected today. Let me rephrase that -- I was more affected by the temperatures than I expected today. The temps were in the 80s, but I think because it is so late in the year it bothered me more. We never walked as fast as I had planned -- 14:30 per mile. Anyway, my finish time was 3:22 (by my watch), but I'm glad we listened to our bodies and slowed down.

The one problem with this event is, there are elite walkers who are way out front and fast, and there are casual "once a year" walkers who do not understand the "rules" of being in a race. Those of us whose walking speed is in between were stuck.

Here are some things that happened:
First off, there were pace markers for participants to line up at their pace. Great idea! Unfortunately, many walkers thought they did not apply to them. I was passing 6-year-old children! One woman had a toddler in a backpack. I could not even count the number of people carrying cups of Starbucks' coffee. These people were walking at about an 18-min mile pace and lined up in the 12-min mile section. Our first mile was horrible trying to get around everyone.

Second, when we got to the first water stop, everyone in front of us stopped! Not just a couple of people -- EVERYONE! I think most of those walkers went to the first guy who had a cup in his hand and waited in line. Then they stood there to drink it. We were yelling "Keep moving, keep moving," but it didn't do any good. Luckily, they either learned, or we passed all of the "stoppers" at that water stop. It was the only water stop where it happened.

The other problem is that there was no food at the end of the race. I was able to get plenty of bottled water, which was good, but all that was left food-wise was bags of pretzels and bagel chips. The bagels were gone and I don't know if there was ever anything other than bagels. The sad part is, there were plenty of people who finished after I did!

So, overall the race was disappointing. I didn't do as well as I had wanted, I got stuck behind inexperienced walkers, and there was no food. Luckily I had plenty of money with me and the entry fee was only $30.

If I do this event again next year I will definitely carry my own hydration (I hate Heed, which was on the course), and I will have some fruit and bagels in the car.

New Albany Walking Classic Last Minute Information

EXPO:
I just got back from the Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts to drop off magazines and stuff for the race Expo tomorrow. Here are the directions to get there.
http://www.mccoycenterforthearts.com/directions-parking

The McCoy building is near the corner of Dublin Granville and W. Main St./Johnstown Rd. The address is 100 West Granville Street, which isn't much help since you can't see building numbers.

I drove up and down Dublin Granville and could not find it. The building is difficult to locate because there isn't a sign for it on Dublin Granville. Here is a hint, turn in at the driveway for the elementary school near that intersection, and the McCoy building is in the same parking lot.

Packet Pick-up Information: Packet pick up will be available only at the race Expo at the Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts. Dates and times are as follows:
-Friday, September 19 from 5:00 PM until 8:00 PM
-Saturday, September 20 from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM

BTW: We will need to pick up our race chips RACE morning between 7 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.
Both races start at 9 a.m. on Sunday.

I don't see driving instructions and parking instructions for race day on the web site. Maybe they will give some info to us at the Expo.

Race Day:
OK, according to the race map, it looks like the starting line is right in front of the Starbucks on Market Street.

Walking with Weight

I needed to fit in just 30 min of walking yesterday, so decided to walk to the post office. There's a grocery store right next to the PO so I decided to pick up a small bag of dog food while out.

Once I got to the pet aisle I realized I made a mistake. This store has a limited selection of everything, and specializes in closeouts and discontinued items. The smallest bag of dog food was 20 lbs! Geez! My dogs were hungry and I was not going to walk home, get my car and drive back. I decided to carry that huge bag home.

Those of you who follow my blog know that I sometimes make not-so-intelligent decisions when it comes to walking. (Remember the several feet tall snow drift I sank into?) This was one of those decisions.

As I held the dog food while in line to buy it, a little voice said, "This is a bad idea." But I did not listen.

As I crossed the parking lot to get to the major intersection where I cross, I KNEW it was a bad idea. What was I thinking? That bag was heavy!

I started out with the bag on my left shoulder. Then I switched to the right shoulder. Left was better, so I switched back. Luckily I didn't have to stop for the light to change. I kept moving the bag and scrunching the dog food so the weight would fit around my shoulder better.

Well, I made it home and I didn't feel too bad afterward. It took about 5 minutes longer to walk home than ususal. But I'm pretty confident I won't be doing that again!

Taper Means Taper

The week before a race, we are feeling pretty good. We're excited because we have more free time, our legs are feeling fantastic, we are energetic!

Despite all of this happy attitude and feeling fantastic, do NOT train harder than our training schedule tells us to. (Yes, that was inspired by the person who asked me to do speed workouts this week.)

Rest is important. That is why we walk no more than 30 min at a time this week. That is why most of our days are "easy" walking

So, if you are doing either of the New Albany Walking Classic events, taper!

What a strange morning it was! By the time Deb pulled into my driveway about 6:30 to give me a ride to our group walk, it was pouring something fierce and the thunder and lightening was pretty intense. I got soaked just getting to her car!

Lucky for me Deb has this subconscious control over the weather. We waited a few minutes for the rain to let up a little and by the time we arrived at the park, the rain had stopped. We were able to start our 8 miles just 5 min late.

Others in our group joined us at 8 and we ended up with about 9 people! After our walk we had a great breakfast at Bob Evans. (If you put lipstick on a flying pig it is still a flying pig!)

It's days like this one that I am really glad I'm a member of such a fun walking club and that I have so many nice people to train with. I'm confident we are all going to be ready for the New Albany Walking Classic Half Marathon next weekend!

I Beat the Rain

I had good intentions all week. Unfortunately, I'd get too bogged down in stuff, postpone walking and then just never do it. (Again, this is why it is usually recommended that we walk earlier in the day, right Cindi?)

Again, good intentions today, but I wanted to get some big stuff done before I went out. About an hour ago I heard thunder. Just what I need, to end a beautiful day by having to walk in a miserable rain! (It was beautiful all day.)

I quickly changed clothes and walked for 45 min. With about 8 min left to walk, it started to sprinkle, but I got back home before it rained any harder. Perfect timing.

I've been feeling sluggish the last day or two and I am starting to feel better already. Once some things calm down, like in a week or so, I won't have much of an excuse not to walk.
___________________________

I don't have a problem walking in my neighborhood whenever I feel like going out -- even 10 p.m. or later. In the dark, I tend to stay close to the single family residences right by my house and avoid the apartments and duplexes down the street. I am so bored with walking up and down the same cul de sacs, I decided to break it up by going by the apartments. Let's just say, the apartment dwellers are a little bit scary in the dark. Between the big dogs that don't behave on leashes to the super loud stereos blasting as they drive by with all of their windows down... I learned my lesson. If I'm going to wait until dark to walk, I need to be on the boring cul de sacs where my quiet retired neighbors live.

Speed Workouts Again -- Finally

Deb and I were able to start back with our speed workouts today! It felt great and we both missed it.

We did 6 X 1/2 mile. We weren't as fast as we were when we left off a couple of weeks ago, but it felt good.

We averaged 7:01-7:08 for the first 5 laps. The last 1/2 mile was just under 7 min. (Deb cheated for one lap. She stopped a little early to get a drink. I told you I would mention you!)

The temps were great, there was a breeze for most of it, it was a great day for walking fast!

Is This Weird?

Because WALK! Magazine comes out quarterly instead of more often, we sometimes have difficulty being as timely as I would like. (Many magazines have a similar problem because it takes a while to produce each issue.)

I'm explaining this because we have a weird timing situation happening for the Fall issue. We did not have an issue come out between the Olympic Trials and the Olympic Games. For that reason, we are including both a report on the Olympic Trials AND the Olympic Games.

I'm not quite sure if there is a different solution. I think both events are important. Until we can publish more than just 4 issues a year, I think we will face something like this again.

Thanks for understanding!

10 Miles Today!

I'm not sure if we are really in the "taper" yet, getting ready for the New Albany Walking Classic half marathon, but we never have to walk as far as 10 miles again!Woo hoo!

We were lucky with weather today! It rained last night and early this morning, but it stopped before we started walking at 7:30. I think it is the luck of Deb. Anytime she chooses when we will walk, it is always the best weather of the day.

We were at a park with a lot of construction, which was annoying. Because of the rain, there were several large puddles. The loops are only 1.23 miles (according to Laura's Garmin), so it made today's mileage a little tougher mentally. Because Ameriaflora was hosted here years ago, the landscaping is great and the park is beautiful.

I have to admit, I didn't get all of my mileage in this week. I think for that reason I'm a little more stiff than I should be normally. I really should not be stiff when we step down our mileage on Saturday. Regardless, I feel great and I'm feeling confident about the upcoming half marathon!

The Truth About Obesity

If you think you know the truth about obesity, check out the Showtime show Penn & Teller: BS Obesity. In their humorous and sarcastic way, they give a lot of information about obesity myths! Very interesting!

Because I watched the edited version, there was a LOT of bleeping. There is a lot of good information about BMI and the diet industry. I had no idea BMI was developed so long ago. (I personally do not like BMI, there are plenty of people I know who are rated as obese, and I wouldn't even consider them heavy.)

The show features a couple of authors who have written about obesity myths that I'll check out.

If I got Showtime, I'd probably watch Penn & Teller: BS more often. Alas, I'm doomed to just watch the episodes I can find for free online. Luckily for me, this one was a topic I'm interested in.

Walking Update

OK, I walked on Tuesday for 44:29 min (I rounded up to 45 min). I could have sworn I posted something about it. It was so hot and humid, I was LOVING AC that night!

I've been getting pretty bored walking in the neighborhood, even putting it off until as late as possible. So, today I decided to return a library book and took an easy paced walk. Because the library is just a little more than a mile from our house, you would think it would take just about 30-40 min to walk it. It never fails, it always takes me longer than I expect.

Anyway, I walked for over an hour today.

I feel good!

Working a Water Stop

The Buckeye Striders and friends had a great time working a water stop at the Spirit of the Marathon Half Marathon today. We had just 9 people, though 11 volunteers are recommended. At first we were doing great keeping up with the number of runners. In the middle, when the crowd was at its largest, we were struggling a little to keep up. I don't know how people who work water stops at large races do it.

We could tell when the elite athletes had all passed our stop because we heard our first thank you!

The runners were friendly and appreciative. The 12 or so walkers in the race were even more happy to see us.

It was really nice to see the race from the other side of the table. I have a much better idea why some water stop volunteers get tired of waiting for walkers. Since we were between miles 4 and 5, there was not a huge gap between the leaders and the last people. It was a lot of fun!

12 Miles Today!

A small group of Buckeye Striders met at Sharon Woods for our 12-mile day. The New Albany Walking Club was there, too. (Hmmm, trying to take over our turf?) There's a half marathon in Columbus tomorrow, and both of these walking clubs are working water stops.

It was foggy, muggy and humid (redundant?) this morning when we started about 7:35. I was worried it would get unbearable as time went on. Lucky for us, in our last loop the sun came out and there was a great breeze! It was nice!

We started out too fast for a long slow day -- our first mile was 14:30. I was worried we were pushing too hard and would have trouble finishing strong if we kept at that pace. We slowed down for a couple miles, and eventually sped back up.

I'm not sure we were mentally ready for today's mileage. Early in our third loop, someone who shall remain nameless suggested we turn around where we were and walk just 10 miles today. I was strong and we kept going, and the others kept going, too. They didn't realize that if they had pushed just a little bit harder, I would have folded.

The cool thing is, when we finished everyone was glad that we walked the complete distance. (OK, truth in advertising here. We walked three 3.8 mile loops. It was really only 11.4 miles. But because we felt 12 miles was too long of a training distance for just a half marathon, we decided three loops would be enough.)

Because I messed up the 1-mile splits the last time we were at this park, I did just complete laps this time. OK, our laps were: 56:27; 57:33; 57:55. We averaged a 14:51 mile the first loop, which was what I was aiming for. I had hoped to pick up the pace a little on the next two, but we just couldn't do it.

Regardless, it was a great morning, a great workout and I know we'll be ready for the New Albany Walking Classic!

45 Minutes on Friday

Even though I had a high school football game to get to Friday night, I was able to fit a 45-min walk in. (I was pretty proud of myself.) As soon as I got home I changed my clothes and head out the door.

I am getting a little bored walking in the neighborhood, but it is quick and easy. I was a motivated walker, so location wasn't as important.

47-Min Walk tonight

I needed to get 45 min of walking in tonight. When I got home about 5:30 I quickly downloaded a new audio book on my MP3 player and went out the door. (OK, my daughter pushed me out the door! She was watching What Not to Wear, and I made the mistake of watching about 30 sec of it. It is SO addicting!)

It felt so good to be out walking, I decided to go 47:18! Yep! I'm unstoppable! (Sarcasm intended.)

Be Careful -- Please

This is disturbing.

Today a friend and I went to the park by the river for lunch. I noticed a bunch of flyers posted all over and walked over to read one.

Apparently, on a nearby street, a woman was flagged down by a pedestrian. He abducted her in her car, taking her to the park. I believe it might have been at gun point. He attempted to rape her in the car.

I missed the remaining details, but I do believe she is alive and was not raped -- thank goodness! That poor woman!

The ironic thing is, right before I even saw the poster I told my friend that a couple women I know felt unsafe walking alone in this park. (I never had.) Their fears were based on the fact that pedestrians walk on roads, and cars drive slowly through the park. They thought it would be easy to be abducted in some of the more isolated spots. Though this woman was not abducted from this park, it's stil pretty scary that she was taken there.

Anyway, again I want to point out how important it is to be aware of our surroundings. Pay attention to where you walk and what the people around you are doing. It is best not to wear headphones when walking, but if you do, keep an ear uncovered so you can hear anyone sneaking up behind you.

Also, be careful in your car! This woman was in her car when she was grabbed! My Dad always told me to check the backseat before I got in (I still do) and to drive with the doors locked. (I'll start doing that again tomorrow!)

The sad thing is, when we are in some of these great parks, we are pretty vulnerable, especially because we feel safe.

Hiking Anyone?

Part of my "job" as editor of WALK! Magazine is to try walking shoes. Normally, this goes two ways: 1) I go to a running store, try lots of shoes, buy the pair that is perfect for the type of walking I do, then write about them (and get my readers to do the same), 2) shoe manufacturers send me what they think are "walking" shoes, and I con my friends into trying pairs with me.

For the fall issue, I posted on HARO (Help a Reporter Out) that I was looking for shoes to review. A couple hiking shoe companies volunteered to send sample shoes. I wasn't sure if I should go that route, but what they heck. Hiking is walking, and we have lots of readers who hike. (Me included.) I am happy to say that my reviewers have liked every single pair of hiking shoes tried! How cool is that!

Tonight, I was out walking in the pair I'm reviewing, and I really like them! I hope you like that we've added hiking shoes to our fall shoes review section.

8 Miles Today

Did my 8 miles a little differently today. Normally I walk with my friend Deb or with my walking club. Today, for convenience sake, I didn't.

I left from my house, walked the 1 mile to the park by the library, did 5 loops at the park (1.2 miles each), then the 1 mile home.

After the second loop, I tried to come up with excuses to quit early. That is the danger in walking such short loops. When I walk longer loops, there is less of a temptation to cheat.

There are a couple of things that kept me walking today: 1) the fear of having to admit to Deb that I couldn't walk without her; 2) the fact that I post about my training here and in the Walking Team Discussion Group; 3) and wanting to be ready for the New Albany Walking Classic half marathon. Notice how being prepared for the race was the last item on the list? Peer presssure is actually much more important to me!

Still I was able to get my walk in early before it got hot. It was a beautiful morning, and I'm thrilled I finished my scheduled walk!

1st mile - 19:28 (Includes traffic lights)
1st loop - 18:05
2nd loop - 18:05
3rd loop - 18:10
4th loop - 18:03
5th loop - 17:56
last mile - 18:43 (Includes traffic lights)

Paul Newberry with AP Disses Racewalking!

Hey Paul Newberry with AP, you didn't really say this, did you?

On the other hand, synchronized swimming should look no more out of place at the Olympics than rhythmic gymnastics, where competitors prance around the mat using clubs, hoops, balls, ribbon and rope. Or race walking, which is sort of like letting those who can’t swim very well compete in the dog paddle.

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/swimming/news?slug=ap-swm-allgelledup&prov=ap&type=lgns

Unfortunately, I am too tired right now to properly berate you for this asinine comment. I'm hoping that some racewalkers I know will do better.

Just let me ask you this: Have you ever tried racewalking? Do you know there are rules as to how you take each step, unlike running, which you can do any way you want? Are you aware that the 50K is the longest track and field event? Longer than the marathon?

OK people, let's locate this jerk's e-mail address and inundate him with complaints!!!!

Olympic Racewalkers Finally get Some Respect

Here is a great story about Olympic racewalking in Beijing that appeared on NPR!

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93773028

Apparently, the original course for the 50K and 20K racewalks was granite. The walkers complained, including American Philip Dunn. From the story:

Race walkers say they don't get much respect for their sport to begin with, but this affront was too much.

"They would never do this to marathoners," says American race walker Philip Dunn.

The cool thing is that officials listened, and a 4-millimeter thick, 4-meter wide gray synthetic surface in a 2 KM loop was put down on the granite.

I'm truly impressed that something was done to correct the problem! Good luck racewalkers!

30 Minutes Tonight

I waited until almost 10 to get my 30 min in tonight. Because I was supposed to do just 45 min easy, I worked on form only tonight. I almost tripped a couple of times because the sidewalks are a little uneven. The good thing is the temps dropped dramatically, so it was great!

3 x 1 mile Sprints a Little Early

Though we were scheduled to do 45 min today, Deb and I moved our 3 X 1 mile sprints to today from Thursday. August temps have been unusually mild this year, but today was a little toasty. Still we did great!

We warmed up by walking for about 10 min, then did some heel and toe walking drills. After each mile we took a 2-min break.

Our times were:
1) 14:37
2) 14:11
3) 14:08

During the first mile, my shins were very tight, but after the 2-min rest, I felt much better.

Regardless, it was another great workout!

Great Column

I've been working on Dave McGovern's Fall 08 column all day. Normally it takes about 10 min to edit Dave and another 10 to lay out his column. Today I've been at this for hours. But I know all of the extra time I'm putting into it will be worth it.

Any of you who have been to one of Dave's clinics have probably learned a variety of drills to assist with building great racewalking muscles. This issue's column focuses on some of his most popular drills. And lucky for us, he took some fantastic photographs to go with it! (Even if you have never been to one of his clinics, you will benefit from these drills.)

So, when you get your Fall issue, be sure to think about how much extra work Dave caused me by going above and beyond the call of duty!

And hey, if you haven't yet subscribed to WALK, you still have time to sign up and get the Fall issue. Click here now:
http://store.walk-magazine.com/index.html.

Bad News for Kastor

Apparently Deena Kastor broke a bone in her foot during yesterday's Olympic marathon! I don't know how I missed it last night, except I was dozing during some of the coverage. I did wake in time to watch Torres and Phelps swim. (Amazing!)

The parts of the women's marathon I saw did not even mention Kastor, but I was watching after the first hour. If she was injured in the first 5K, it was old news by then.

From what I know about Kastor, she is an amazing athlete. (If you read Runner's World, you would think that with as much coverage as they traditionally give her.) I cannot imagine how disappointing this is for her.

10 Miles - Woo hoo!

It is really nice having a friend who is training for the same long-distance event. I needed to do 10 miles to train for the New Albany Walking Classic Half Marathon, and because of a local race this morning, I thought I'd have to walk alone. I've done long distance alone before, and I know I can do it, it just isn't as fun.

But last night Deb was able to change her schedule to walk with me starting at 7:30.

We met at Sharon Woods, one of our favorite parks. The trail is a 3.8 mile loop, which makes it very easy to keep track of distance. One cool thing is, they have installed new mile markers! It makes it easier for me to track splits.

We had a great time enjoying the beautiful morning and chatting. I was so glad she was with me. I've been feeling a little "draggy" this week from not getting enough miles in, and Deb helped me walk at a consistent pace.

I didn't realize that the mile markers were there right away, and we had that 0.2 mile to make up every lap, but here are our stats:
Total: 2:31 for 10 miles (That included using the last 0.2 as a cool down.)
First 2 miles in 30 min flat
Other miles in 14:52, 15:10, 14:46. The speed doesn't bother me because we were doing our long-slow day.

The other numbers just don't make sense. The 0.2 messed me up.

Regardless, we had great weather, the morning was beautiful, and the 10 miles was so much easier having Deb distract me.
_____________________

Note: I'm still trying to figure out which shoes to wear for long distance. The NB 903s are nice, but almost too light. The new Brooks I bought feel too heavy. I like the support, but there is no foot rolling going on. My feet almost slap the ground. Today I wore the pair of Brooks I bought for Big Sur, and they were OK, I'm not sure they will be right. Anyway, it is a good idea to try out shoes on long distances to be sure they will work for you.

The Other Side of This Morning's Walk

The temps were in the 60s, the sun was shining and there was a slight breeze when I head out this morning. Birds were singing, cicadas were buzzing, the high school marching band was practicing and everything felt right with the world. (Well, except the tug in my thigh.)

These are the days I live for. On mornings like this one I wish I had nothing better to do all day than to be outside enjoying the beautiful morning and walking. Well, there are other things I would love to do on mornings like this, like white water rafting, hiking in the woods, sleeping in a tent in the forest.... but I digress. I'm even sitting outside right now with my laptop writing this entry. I LOVE it!

Anyway, despite the tug in the muscle that kept my workout from being as good as I would have liked it to be, it was a great start to a really beautiful day.

OK, Cindi, back to work.

PS: I can actually tell what song the band is playing today! (Usually the sound doesn't carry that well.) It's the school fight song I played when I went there: "Go, fight for Centennial, stars ever brave and true..."

Tight Muscle

OK, I know better. You can't take two days off in a row during long-distance training and expect to have no ill affects.

I decided to walk this morning since scheduling my training in the evenings has been so unsuccessful this week. I got up around 7, and was out the door around 7:45.

The plan was to walk casually until I got to the big block at the end of the street, then start my racewalking training. As soon as I started to walk, I felt a tug in the front of my thigh muscle. I thought it would go away before I tried to racewalk, but it didn't. Even after reaching my starting point, I continued walking casually until the pain went away -- 20 min later. Again I attempted to racewalk, and it came right back. 10 more minutes of casually walking, and I was finally able to attempt racewalking form, but VERY slowly.

So out of a 45-min walk, I was able to racewalk about 15 min. Needless to say, my projected distance of about 3 miles was nowhere close to reality.

NOTE TO SELF: Do not get lazy and skip two workouts in a row ever again. It just is not worth it!

Open Letter to Oprah

Dear Oprah,

I would make a great guest for your show! I have all of the qualities you look for in a guest.

First: I am a formerly unfit person who has changed my life and my lifestyle. I walked a marathon for my 40th birthday and I haven't stopped. I could be an inspiration to other women who feel it is too late to get fit. I would be a great before and after!

Second: I have taken my passion and created a small business around it. In fact, I am now helping other people to set health and fitness goals and achieve them. It's a great magazine, and it is obvious from every issue that I believe in a fit lifestyle. This show's theme could be "Turning Your Dream into a Business."

Third: I'm a fellow magazine publisher. We magazine publishers need to stick together! The theme of this show could be "How to Successfully Publish Your Own Magazine."

Fourth: I'd really like to expand the magazine -- increase the number of issues, increase the size, do more PR, but that requires some investors. With your help, I'm confident I could find the perfect partner to assist with my expansion. I'm not asking for you to invest, but with your connections, I'm confident I could help change the world. Maybe the theme of this show could be "Helping out Small Businesses," or "Business Match Making."

Fifth: If you choose me to be on your show from a blog posting, it would make a great "How do We Select our Guests," show.

To help seal the deal, I would be happy to give all of your audience members a one-year subscription at no charge.

So, Oprah, thank you for taking the time to read this open letter. I'll be waiting for your phone call!

Cindi Leeman
Editor/Publisher
WALK Magazine

Weird Lunch

Periodically you just know the fast food restaurant has your order wrong before you even get to the window. Today was one of those days.

I had a bagel I packed and stopped to pick up a small salad and a Diet Coke from a drive thru. (I know it isn't good for me, but I love Diet Coke.)

After ordering I checked to see that the order screen said Diet Coke. And, when the woman at the window handed me my drink I asked, "Is this diet?" She said Yes.

I got to the park, picked a great table in the shade, took a big gulp of my drink -- ARGH! It was regular Coke. It isn't that I count calories, I just don't like the taste of regular Coke. I know -- it's weird, but regular pop tastes too sweet to me.

I opened my bag to start on the salad and discovered there were no croutons. Hmm. The fork and napkins were also missing! (I tried to eat the salad with my fingers, but it didn't work very well.) I wonder if it was the first week for that employee.

Anyway, I ended up eating the bagel without a drink and saving the salad for when I got back to my office. And luckily there was a Diet Coke waiting for me in the fridge.

Friendly People

The people at the trail around the lake were especially friendly today! There were also a lot of them -- a sure sign that it is marathon training season.

In the middle of one loop one walker (who passed me) said she loved my shirt! (Of course I'm wearing one of my "Why run slow ehn you can walk really fast," shirts.)

Then while stretching, a runner came up to me and said he liked my hat and asked where I got it. I looked at him and said "Which hat am I wearing?" I had no idea!

It was my USATF hat that I got for volunteering at the US Junior Nationals Racewalk. It is a very cool hat.

The weather was great, the sun was shining and there were tons of people out. It made walking that much more fun that people were friendly!

Oh, and I should have told that woman to buy my shirt!

2 hours for a 45-min walk?

How could I possibly have been gone for 2 hours when I walked for only 45 min!

I left the house about 6 p.m. and drove to the little lake I like. (I needed to feel I was going somewhere special, and I love this place.) I parked up by the softball field because my car is less likely to get broken into up there. It takes a couple of minutes to walk to the lake.

The first lap took 19:27. Wow! That long? My shins were killing me, and I was trying to get them to relax. I then spent about 2 min stretching, or at least trying to stretch my left shin.

The next two laps took a total of 36 min. (I forgot to stop the watch between laps.)

My shin felt tight the entire time I walked, so I focussed a little more on stretching afterward.

Then I walked and skipped and walked on my toes and my heels back to my car.

I drove back home and it was nearly 2 hours! How time flies when you are having a great time!

Twitter Update

OK, I'm doing Twitter. I have one public Twitter account with 4 followers and one private account with 4 followers. I used to have 5 in my public account, but someone recently stopped following me.

I will continue to use Twitter and post stuff, but I really do not think the WALK! readership is into this type of technology. Shoot, not many of them even follow this blog! (OK, Wendee does both.)

Imagine what would happen if I ended up going to a totally paperless magazine! Ha!

SAD

My moods are affected by the change of season and the amount of sunlight in a day. Yes, I'm one of those people who suffer from SAD - seasonal affective disorder.

Fall is always the hardest season for me. The days are noticeably shorter, and I know it will just get worse. In addition, there is a lot of change in the Fall. Summer ending and school starting are the two that affect me most.

Growing up, we moved a lot, so I always had issues with school. I had trouble making friends and often did not fit in. The beginning of the school year always brought that stress to a head because of new teachers, new classes, etc. Here I am in my forties, still affected by the negative feelings the new school year always caused me.

When I'm stressed, the negative feelings of Fall are intensified! Here it is mid-August, and I'm already feeling sad about shorter days and school starting. (Hmmm, could my stress levels be elevated this year?)

Luckily, walking year-round outside seems to help. If I can get out when the sun is out, it greatly enhances my mood. Getting up in the dark to walk makes it worse. (Like yesterday.) This year, I am even more aware of the shortening days, and it is hard for me.

The good news is, in the middle of winter when everyone else is depressed about the shorter days, I am all too aware the days have started to get longer. By the end of December and middle of January, I'm noticing the couple minutes more of light each day, and it boosts my mood!

So, until then, I'll try to walk when it's light out and attempt to keep my stress under control.

Where is Speedo Man?

Ever since I wrote about Speedo man earlier this year, I have not seen him. I'm beginning to get worried.

Every day that I lunch by the river, I watch for him. It used to be that looking for him was casual. I'd be minding my own business, eating lunch, then when he would shuffle by, I'd smile. Now, I sit on a picnic table anxiously hoping that he will come by. I'm actively looking down the street hoping to see him off in the distance. For weeks now, I've been very disappointed.

My friends have speculated that the heat might be bothering him more this year, so he could be running earlier in the day. I have to admit, I did wonder why he ran midday, when the sun can be so brutal. He also seemed to be affected by the heat the last time I saw him.

So for now, I'm going to assume he is running in the morning.

In the meantime, I'll be eating lunch at the park a couple days this week. If you are OK, Speedo Man, give me a sign!

Trails were PACKED Today!

The Buckeye Striders met to walk on the multi-use trail along the Olentangy River this morning. I knew this trail was popular, but I have NEVER seen so many people on this trail before. There were hundreds of people!

It made me feel as if I was part of something special. It was so fun to be walking (with good racewalking form) and wave to the marathon training groups heading the opposite direction, pass some of the casual walkers who were alone, and then be passed by the individual runners who peppered the trail. We saw several people we knew who were training with other groups including Joyce, Jeff and Stuart. How fun!

At one point, we passed a group of walkers and someone said - Those are Speed walkers! And we heard a couple comments about how fast we were and our form. It was great, even if they didn't realize we were "racewalking."

I felt a little sorry for the bikers. There was barely enough room for them to go around the groups of athletes heading in both directions.

The trail was beautiful, too. It was nice and cool when we started at 7:30, and most of the route was shady with nice light breezes.

What a great start to the weekend!
_______________________

We did nearly 8 miles (7.75?) getting ready for the New Albany Walking Classic Half Marathon in September. I felt strong for about 6 miles, then started to peter out.

Good luck to the Marathon in Training athletes preparing for the Columbus Marathon in October!

Embarrassing

OK, I've been a slug! How embarrassing right after attending such a great walking clinic.

I started out feeling sore, then I got busy. I know better.

I hope I'm OK to walk 8 miles tomorrow morning for our half-marathon training.

Trying it on my Own

Trying to racewalk on my own with sore muscles is tough! I'm feeling the good muscle pain that occurs when you have had a quality workout.

Our training schedule says that today we should do 45 min easy. I tried to used good racewalking form and walk easy at the same time. Not so easy.

After I warmed up, I tried to pick up the pace so I would at least "look" like I was racewalking, but my shins wouldn't allow it. They just would not move.

The good news is, I feel less stiff after today's walk. I'm sure I'll feel even better after tomorrow.

Things I Learned Today

- The Post Office is busier at 3 p.m. than at 9 a.m.
- Wearing a navy blue polo shirt to Staples can cause a person to be mistaken for an employee of the store.
- Just because the phone support person from the bank says all you have to do is get a number in person from a bank employee does not mean that you can still install Quickbooks for online banking access in a quick manner. (I have to wait a few more days for the bank to e-mail additional information to me.)
- After a weekend-long racewalking clinic, just walking around in Staples can be too much. (Though I probably should go for a short walk in the neighborhood.)
- Instead on eating too much with stress, at this point in my life I am back to not eating enough.

My Legs are Tired!

This morning I went to PO, bank and Staples. Halfway through Staples I could barely walk! My legs weigh about 500 lbs each!

I knew I would be sore today, Loretta even warned us. I just found it funny that I felt OK until I was walking around a store.

Last Day with Dave

I woke this morning with a headache. I did my normal morning before race stuff like eating peanut butter, drinking milk, no coffee... I took an Advil (didn't want to take much because of the heat, etc.). When we stepped out into the sun for our first workout, I started feeling queasy and the headache got worse. A couple people were sick from dinner last night, and I think I was feeling worse knowing they were sick. I did not know how I was going to do the heart rate drill without puking.

Loretta suggested my electrolytes might be out of whack from the previous day because I drank only water all day. I brought just water to drink today, too, so I took a couple sips of Susan's Gatorade, and I felt better. Joyce then asked her husband to buy some Gatorade and he brought back a ton of it and ice and water... It was Fantastic! After half a bottle, I felt great!

24 min later I had no problem completing the 3 X 8 min walk with 2 min rest periods.

The rest of the day was spent in lecture. I was pretty tired and had a hard time keeping my eyes open until lunch. We had about 90 min for lunch, so I took a nap in my car. (I had planned a 30 min nap, but it turned into about 50 min!

I must have needed it, I felt better all afternoon.

The Workout
In today's workout, we all wore heart rate monitors. We walked for 8 min at a time, then at every 2-min interval we checked our heart rate. We did it three times and also reported our resting heart rate.

I had a hard time getting as fast as I wanted to go. My shins hurt, and I had a hard time getting my legs to move faster. In this drill, we were to maintain form and walk fast, but I just could not go faster. For that reason, I don't think my heart rate was as fast as it could go. (Dave agreed.)

My Thoughts on This Clinic
First, I think we had too many people. It took too long to go through video of each person walking. Some people missed the drills with Loretta, and they missed out. (It was awesome.)

This clinic was much more advanced than the beginner's clinic I took with Bonnie Stein a couple of years back. I think it was helpful that I had some basic racewalking knowledge before I got there. (I've never taken one of Bonnie's more advanced clinics.)

The coaching, the technique, the shoe advice, everything was great! The people helping Dave - Loretta, Susan and Mike - were fantastic! They all saw things a little differently and had great advice.

I would have liked to have a handout of the drills that Loretta taught us, but we were told they will be available via e-mail. That will be fine. I also like the fact we will receive other info. via e-mail.

Overall, I got my money's worth out of the clinic, I learned a lot. I'm sore, I feel a little overwhelmed and I hope I remember what I learned.

First Full Day of Dave

I am BEAT! The good news is, Dave says I'm doing a lot of stuff right. The bad news is, the one thing I'm not doing, pushing off with my back foot, I have no idea how to do.

What is frustrating is, my friend Deb and I trained to be in shape for this clinic. We were not going to be the people who couldn't walk a quarter mile. We did 6 miles last week in training and felt great!

Well, with new technique, using new muscles, a quarter mile wipes me out! The second lap around the track, and I'm exhausted! It doesn't matter how many times Dave says "Quick, quick," I can't make my legs go any faster.

In today's clinic his wife Loretta taught us some training drills, and man, those were hard! I'll need to do them at least twice a week to benefit.

I know I'm learning a lot of new stuff and new movements, I hope my half-marathon training doesn't screw me up.

A group of us are off to a bar with food for dinner. (We had trouble deciding, plus it is a Saturday night and places get crowded...) I need lots of carbs, and I see at least one Corona in my immediate future.

First Part of Clinic is OK

There are about 30 of us in this weekend's walking clinic. During the weekend, Dave tapes everyone so we can see before and after. Because there are so many, Dave asked for volunteers to arrive early tonight. (So there is more time tomorrow.)

I got there about 4 p.m. and was one of the last people taped. It's always weird seeing yourself on tape, let alone attempting to racewalk. I did better than I thought I would, and boy, am I glad I bought new shorts! Much better than the old pair, especially from the back.

I'm able to walk 6 miles easy without pain. Deb and I have been working hard on our speed. Yet, trying to racewalk wore me out! I walked for just a few minutes, but it was hot, and I was really pushing myself. My shins were killing me! I was a little surprised by that.

OK, I'm really tired. I better get to bed.

Dave McGovern Comes to Columbus

Dave McGovern, racewalking coach extraordinaire, will be in Columbus this weekend for a walking clinic! I've never been to one of Dave's clinics -- I have been to Jonathon Matthews and Bonnie Stein.

I'm very excited. I can't wait to be a real racewalker!

Teleseminar Sidelines Walk

I had a ton of mail to get out tonight, and got most of it to the PO. Great!

Then I called into a teleseminar about how to get on national TV. The seminar started out OK, but covered a lot of stuff I know about why PR is useful, etc. I was a PR major at OU for goodness sake! I just don't know how to get on TV.

So he goes through the benefits of PR, talks about a couple of mistakes people make (good info), gives advice for contacting producers (again good stuf) then he spends 15 min telling the callers why we should sign up for a big conference in NYC in October where you get to meet 100 professionals who book people on TV shows and national magazine editors looking for story ideas.

That's great. It sounds interesting. I've received about 30 e-mails about this opportunity. I really don't want to hear him tell me about it again. If only I had an extra $5,000 I don't need. (And that doesn't include airfare, food and hotel in NYC. I doubt if my daughter's friend who goes to NYU will let me stay on her dorm room floor.)

The point of this story is to tell you why I didn't walk tonight. I was on a teleseminar to learn how to get on Oprah, but ended up hanging up halfway through.

So, if any of you have any pull with Oprah, you would save me a lot of time and $5,000 if you would talk to her about getting me on her show.

I'm a Twitterer

Most of Twitter still seems vague to me. I'm not quite sure how to navigate, how to respond, how to get people to be followers and followees!

Unlike this blog and my website, the Twitter address doesn't seem to show when I'm on my page. From my best guess, I think this is the address: https://twitter.com/WALK_Magazine.

OK, I've been through my e-mail list and invited tons of people. If I didn't invite you and you want to participate, I'm not sure how you do that, but maybe you can figure out how to invite me.

I'm not sure what we will talk about all day, but we'll probably find something.

Hey Larry, I have an idea. Set up a Twitter account and you can have your support people post about your success during the Columbus Marathon this October!

45 min Easy

For my 45 min tonight, my daughter and I went to Antrim Park and walked twice around the lake. I parked in the upper parking lot to give us a little more opportunity to warm up, but because we walked somewhat casually, it probably wasn't necessary.

I don't get much time alone with my daughter now that she is in college. It was nice!

Today's Speed Workout

We did 8 X 400 at our 5K pace today. [8 laps of 400 meters (1/4 mile)with a 2-min rest between]
Lap 1 3:33
Lap 2 3:34
Lap 3 3:33
Lap 4 3:23
Lap 5 3:35
Lap 6 3:33
Lap 7 3:29
Lap 8 3:21

At our fastest, we were on pace for a 13:24 mile! Now if only we could go that fast for more than a 1/4 mile...

Too Many Shoes?

I think I may officially own too many pairs of shoes. Part of the problem is, I don't like to throw the worn pairs away. I keep thinking that if I have to paint or mow the lawn, I need to keep a trashed pair around. That's fine, but do I really need to keep EVERY pair?

Here is the problem. I was convinced I need a new heavier shoe for the half marathons I have scheduled this fall. I've been wearing my really light NB 902s for short fast days, but I like to wear something heavier for distances beyond 6-8 miles.

Earlier this week I went out to Road Runner and bought a pair of Nikes. Today I was trying to figure out if the last pair of ugly teal shoes I returned were the same ugly teal pair I tried on this week. I checked this blog and realized I just bought Nikes is April! Why did I not remember this pair? I like the shoes, and they would be good for a half marathon distance, they were just too light for Big Sur (21 miles).

Granted, I would need new shoes before the first half marathon rolls around anyway. The good news is, I have plenty of time to break them in and make sure they are right for me. And now I have another pair of long-distance shoes to trade off with.

BTW: After 6 miles, so far I like the Nike Vomero3.

Photo of old Nikes on left and new Nikes on right.

Early Saturday -- Great Walk!

The Buckeye Striders had a great turnout at 7:30 a.m. today for our weekly walk! We usually meet to walk at 8, but because several of us are training for the New Albany Half, we needed to get in 6 miles today (at a "not so easy" pace) and met early to get it in.

It was a little bit chilly when we first head out to Franklin Park, but it was comfortable by 7:30. What I like about this park is the loop is about 1.2 miles, so it is easy for anyone who arrives late to go the opposite direction and catch up with us pretty quickly.

Unfortunately, we didn't know there was major construction at the park, and the loop was cut short. Part of the path/road we walk on had huge pot holes and a small section was muddy. (We walked single file through the one dry spot.) So instead of measuring out 5 loops at 6 miles, we walked for 1:30 min. I think we were faster than a 15-min mile, but I'm not confident it was "not so easy." I'll say we walked 6 miles in my training log.

Still it was really nice! I don't see most of these people often enough, and I really like them. We went out to breakfast afterward, and it was a great start to a beautiful Saturday.

Tonight's Speed Workout

3 X 1 miles. I waited until nearly 9:20 to go out to walk. It wasn't an intentional delay, I ended up buying shoes, then eating dinner, checking e-mail... before I knew it, it was late! This is exactly why we are supposed to walk early.

Anyway, I thought the big block in our neighborhood was one mile around. In fact, I could have sworn the last time I walked it as my mile workout, it took 16 min to go around. OK, I'm faster, but I'm not that much faster! Today I walked one lap in 11:26, 11:09 and 11:04. I must have walked longer than one block the last time.

So, even though I need to measure a new route, I was fast!

New Shoes

I am trying out a new pair of "half marathon" shoes. As many of you may know, I tend to get too light of shoes for longer distances. This pair is a little bit heavy and very cushy. They feel great! I'll try them out and see if they work.

They are Nike Zoom Vomero3. Now, I don't think they would work for short fast distances, but I'm hoping they will be good for halves.

What's on Your MP3 Player?

I'm always curious about what people have on their MP3 players. I personally don't like listening to music when I'm walking -- I almost always have a good audio book on mine. (I know, I'm boring.)

So, what is on your MP3 player?
What are your favorite walking songs?
Do you listen to different artists depending on the speed you want to maintain?

Shoe Reviews Requested

Anyone want to review their shoes for the Fall issue of WALK! Magazine?

Due to popular demand, we have added a smaller shoe review section to our Fall issue. If anyone is interested in reviewing their shoes for this issue, please let me know!

30 Min Easy

Got in my easy 30 min tonight. I waited until nearly 9 to head out. It had really cooled off and the humidity had lessened.

Feels good!

This week's schedule for New Albany Walking Classic is:
Monday - 45 "tempo"
Tuesday - 30 min easy
Wednesday - 45 min easy
Thursday - 3 X 1 mile at half marathon pace
Friday - 30-45 min easy
Saturday - 6 miles not so easy

I Wish this City was Pedestrian Friendly

I Hate Road Construction

I hate the fact that the majority of places I want to go I need to drive. What makes this even more irritating is that in Central Ohio there are only a couple of months when road construction can be completed, so every single road I drive on is currently under construction. OK, that is an exaggeration -- only 75% of the roads are under construction.

For example -- at an office I work in, the actual street the building is on is fine. (It's pretty short, though.) But where main streets meet this road, you can't go in either direction. On one side, the road narrows to one lane and drivers must wait for flaggers to let several cars through at a time.

On the other side, the road narrows to one lane and oncoming traffic is completely blocked. Once you escape from the construction, you can't return. If you go up to the connecting street, there is even more construction!

These main roads lead to everything important: parks where I eat lunch and walk, the bank, restaurants, gas stations... In addition, everything of use is so far away, it is impossible to walk instead of drive.

Though I try to walk as often as possible, it is this time of year that makes me really wish I lived in a small, pedestrian-friendly town.

Tonight's Workout

Deb and I did our 45-min "tempo" walk tonight. Though hot and humid, it was actually cooler at 5 p.m. than it was earlier. There was a great breeze and the clouds helped keep it cooler. Before I got to our walking location, about 10 raindrops hit the windshield and there were dark clouds overhead. Lucky for us that was the extent of the rain.

The good news is, we walked more than 3 miles! The bad news is, I had a Chipotle burrito for lunch (yes, the entire thing!) so I barely made a dent in the calories I consumed today.

Twitter, Typos and Random Thoughts

Twitter
Do any of you use the social networking site Twitter? I've heard several people say it is great, but I just don't get it. Does anyone really want to know what I am doing and thinking throughout the day? I've looked at other people's entries and I think it is just another way to consume my time. (Like blogging for instance?)

A friend suggested it might be fun if I used it during a big race: "I'm at mile 10 and feeling strong!" OK, I can see that. I have friends I would check on during a race if they did it. But, do I think I would stop to text a message from my phone while I'm in an event? I'm not particularly fast but I am competitive. I don't stop for anything other than re-tying my shoes and Port-a-johns. Can I text and walk? I may have to try it just to see. Now if voice recognition were available...

Anyway, if you use Twitter, please let me know how and why. I'm very curious.

Typos
I hate typos. Even in blog entries and e-mails they drive me nuts! The funny thing is, before I used spell check (yes, I'm old enough to have been an editor before there was spell check), I rarely had typos.

When I find typos in this blog, I fix them -- especially after my editor buddies point them out. (Thanks, David!) But there is a glitch in this software I don't understand -- I've fixed typos that don't go away. Anyway, if (make that "when") you find typos, I'm not that bad of an editor -- really -- blame it on the glitch.

Random Thoughts
I have heard a little about del.icio.us, a social bookmarking website. Again, I'm not much into "social stuff" on the web, but I'm trying to learn. It's interesting, and could be useful, but I don't know why anyone would want to see my bookmarks. Regardless, I did a search and discovered that WALK! Magazine was bookmarked by three people! Woo hoo! I'm not sure why, but I'm psyched about it.

No one has bookmarked this blog yet, but I'm sure it will happen any day now.

OK, it is hot and muggy today. I am THRILLED I walked yesterday morning! Thank goodness I have friends who encourage me to get out when the weather is right. Now I can stay inside and blog, Twitter and check out del.icio.us bookmarks.

Change of Plans -- I Walked This Morning!!

What a day! I knew it would be hot, so I decided to walk with the Buckeye Striders this morning at 7:30. I just had a feeling that if I didn't, I wouldn't get my 6 miles in today.

We went to a park I have managed to miss every time our group has walked there -- Tuttle Park. This park is along the Olentangy River, south of other places we walk, and though you need to cut in a few neighborhoods along the way, most of them connect. What is really great about this park is shade (YES!), the trail seems wider than other sections, very little traffic noise and the wetlands are beautiful! I imagine if you are here at the wrong time of day, the mosquitoes would be horrible. It was a very nice morning walk.

Afterward, my friend Deb dropped me off at my son's baseball game about 9:30 and the game started at 10. Perfect timing!

The sun was hot, there was no breeze and very little cloud cover. What could have ended with one game if we had won, turned into a double header! Luckily, we handily won the second game and the Cubs are the NCS Pony League 2008 Champions. Needless to say, I am toasted! (What a terrible day to have forgotten sun screen.)

Now I get to top off this great day of walking and winning baseball by sitting in a laundromat. (My dryer is still not fixed.) I might go wild and even follow that up with a trip to the grocery store. Woo hoo! Life goes on.

Baseball and Good Intentions

Because someone decided to smash the windshield of one of our cars while it was parked in front of our house, we have been playing "musical cars" until it could be fixed. That led to my needing to get to my son's baseball game but not having a vehicle to drive. I needed to get in some walking tonight anyway (per our New Albany training program) so I wasn't worried.

I put on a pair of shorts and walking shoes and enthusiastically head off toward the baseball diamond. About 5 min from home, my daughter called to say she was off work and would I like a ride. I declined thinking traffic was way too bad -- I was confident I would get to the game before her.

About 20 min later I realized I was still more than 20 min from the diamond and the game would start in 10 min. ARGH!

I gave in. I called my daughter again and asked where she was -- 5 min from my location! She stopped to pick me up and we drove to the game. We arrived just in time to see my son at bat!

Our son's team won by one run, and he will be playing for the championship Saturday -- about the time the Buckeye Striders are scheduled to walk!

I'm too tired to come up with a cute conclusion to this. Let's just say, as much as I enjoy baseball, I'm glad the season is nearly over. It is starting to interfere with my training schedule and my son's games do take priority most of the time. But if you are near the NCS baseball championship game Saturday morning -- come over and say Hi. I'll be the loudest mom cheering for the Cubs.

30 min Easy...

... Just as the training schedule said. I walked from my house to around the "big block" in our neighborhood, back home and then one more lap. It was actually about 16:25 per lap, but that was OK. The CD of the book I was listening to ended about 5 min from the finish.

I didn't get out until about 9:30 tonight. It was cooling off, but still a little humid. Regardless it felt great!

Training for New Albany Half

Deb and I continued our speed workouts today. We walked 4 X 1/2 @ 10K pace, but when I got home, I noticed we were really supposed to do 8 X 400 at 5K pace. Oh, well.

Neither of us slept well last night, and it was hot. By the end of the last lap I was feeling too hot and a little queasy. Deb wasn't feeling as well as she normally does after our sprints, either.

The good news is there was a water fountain nearby (I carried water), so we hydrated and cooled off before we went home.

I stopped to buy a bottle of low fat chocolate milk on the way home and felt much better.

Electronic Subscription Link Fixed

If you have ever made edits to a website or blog, you have probably encountered something like this. You create a link to another site or page, you test it, it works great, then days later someone tells you the link doesn't work. ARGH!

The link from our web page discussing the electronic version of the magazine <http://www.walk-magazine.com/Spring07.html> to our online store <store.walk-magazine.com/elve2ye.html> now works.

Thanks for pointing this out to me!

Speed Work Outs

I finished my speed work out about 10 tonight. Sometimes I prefer to walk at night -- it starts to cool down, it's usually a little less humid, the air smells different, there's less distraction, my neighbors don't look at me like I'm strange...

Walking at night also reminds me of my training for my first marathon 8 years ago. Though I got all of my mileage in, I wasn't very good at walking early and sometimes walked at night due to necessity. (Tonight it was by choice.) Tonight I felt a little nostaligic.

My friend Deb loves to walk early in the morning. She has even started getting me to like getting up early to walk. (Who knew?)

Though I'm really enjoying mornings, tonight was a really nice switch!

Racewalkers Don't Get Respect Deserved at Olympic Trials

Check this out: http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/trackandfield/columns/story?columnist=caple_jim&id=3474900.

It's the first story I've found about yesterday's racewalking event. At least the walkers got sympathy if not respect.

Last Speed Workout

I completely forgot to report about our speed workout this past week. We did eight 1/4 mile sprints. For some reason, I'm having diffculty deleting some of the saved workouts from my sport watch, so the memory keeps getting full. Consequently, I can't save complete current workouts. Following are the first five sprints:
3:29
3:30
3:29
3:24
3:23

Though in the 80s, it wasn't overly hot and we felt pretty good. We had not done sprints in a couple of weeks and it felt good.

Electronic Edition Now Available

WALK! Magazine is now offering subscriptions to an electronic edition of the magazine! Check out a sample: www.walk-magazine.com/Spring07.html.

What are the advantages to receiving your subscription electronically?
1) You will receive your copy faster! No more waiting for the Postal Service to deliver each issue via snail mail.
2) You will save trees.
3) International subscribers do not have to pay more to cover the extra postage.

As each issue is available, subscribers will receive an e-mail containing a password to access the magazine. You will have the choice to view the issue online or to print it yourself. Each issue will be available to subscribers for no less than 6 months.

Subscribe to the electronic edition, at our online store: store.walk-magazine.com/elve2ye.html.

Current subscribers can convert their subscription by sending an e-mail to me.

I hope you like this new option!

New Shirts are Here

The new shirts are FINALLY here!

I've had a few issues with vendors, but at least I finally got the shirts I wanted printed the way I wanted. Well, it was worth the wait - I'm very happy with the way the blue logo turned out on the sand-colored shirts. Of course, the back has my favorite quote: Why run slow when you can WALK really fast!

I'm in the process of filling back orders for all shirts, and the order information for these will be on our online store soon.

Shirt Delays

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

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

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

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

Thank you for your patience!

Rain Delay

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

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

Strength Training

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

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

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

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

It will take some time, but if I keep it up my knees should get stronger and the tracking problem resolved.
_________________________

Last night's walk: One mile to the library, two laps around the park (1.2 miles each), and back home.

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

Welcome to Road Runner

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

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

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

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

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

USATF Junior Racewalk Championships Results

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


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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Promax 70

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How Many Calories do you Need?

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

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

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

Walking in Favorite Park, Again

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

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

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

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

More Bikes?

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

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

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

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

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

Good Walk Today

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

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

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

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

New Look Again

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

Inspired by Speedo Man

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Congratulations New Albany Walking Classic

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

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

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

No Longer a Slug

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

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

I'm feeling energetic and enthusiastic again!

New Layout

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

Exercise with Video Games?

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

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

I hope I get the opportunity to try one again.

Rain Delays - Alternate Plans

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

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

From there I walked back home!

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

Race Walking in the News

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

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

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

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

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