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.

A New Look

I've been frustrated with the look of this blog over the last year mostly because the old look was so stiff. I was unable to have more than two columns. I felt many of the items in the side column were so far down no one would ever see them.

Though this new design is not perfect, I do like the colors and it does give me just a little more flexibility. (It is hard to find the right shade of green to go with the logo.)

That said, don't be surprised if you see more changes in the next few weeks as I play with it and get a feel for what I like and don't like about this one. If you have suggestions, feel free to pass them along!

Resolutions

I know everyone is tired of reading about resolutions, but it's January and we all write about them in January.

I have a really hard time with resolutions. For years I refused to even think about them because I thought it was stupid, setting people up for failure.

Over the years, I discovered that if I don't set a definite goal with a plan to achieve it and a deadline, nothing happens. And when I don't come up with resolutions, my life doesn't necessarily progress in the direction I want it to go.

That is especially true with health and fitness resolutions. If you don't set a measurable goal with a plan, you won't achieve it.

With all of that in mind, here are some of my 2012 resolutions.

1. Train for and enter four half marathons.
2. Finish at least two of them faster than 2:57. (My PR is 2:57:11.) I know I can walk one faster than 2:55.
3. Build upper body strength. (As soon as the knots in my back allow it.)
4. Do a better job of tracking actual mileage walked. In addition, do a better job of replacing my walking shoes when I've put enough miles on them.
5. Lose that pesky last 5 lbs.
6. Get the WALK! Newsletter started.
7. Start a podcast.

Anyone else setting resolutions?

Starting 2012 right!

Me with Elaine, Deb, Laura and Cheryl before the race.

Today I entered the runcbus New Year's Day River Run. Doing a race on New Year's Day is a great way to start a new year!

If the weather cooperates, it can be a lot of fun -- if it doesn't, it can be miserable. Today's weather is best described as bipolar -- it was horrible and great at different times.

Nine Buckeye Striders entered the race and we gathered in a doorway before the race to get out of the wind. It sprinkled a little bit, but had stopped right before the race started.

The race is on a bike path that starts at the North Bank Park Pavilion in downtown Columbus and goes south along the Scioto River. Much of the race course is pretty narrow -- it is the width of a typical bike path. I thought the crowd thinned out quickly, but then again, I am a walker. I imagine runners felt bunched up for awhile.

The only point of the race that was way too narrow was in that first mile on the sidewalk of a bridge. There was enough room for only one person going each direction. Luckily the crowds had thinned quite a bit, and the runners heading back were the leaders, so they just trickled by us. If there were a lot of people hitting this point at the same time, it would feel VERY narrow.

The first mile was chilly, but as we walked, I warmed up pretty well. In the second mile, the sun came out. We had been walking hard and the sun made me so hot, I had to take off my gloves and unzip my jacket! Regardless, it was beautiful, so we were not complaining. As we passed the only water stop, they were folding up and had run out of water.

Unfortunately, the sun didn't last. It went behind some dark clouds, the wind picked up, and with about 1/4 mile to go, it started raining hard. The rain encouraged me to pick up my pace. I crossed the finish line with the clock reading 43:39.

At the end of the race, I was handed a card to fill out for entry in the drawing to get free entry in the Columbus Marathon, we received a plastic cup from New Balance and there was pizza and bread sticks. As I got to the pizza the rain started coming down harder, everyone was huddled under a small tent and the food was getting soaked.

While we waited for Jack to finish, the race staff encouraged the finishers to take the last few pieces of pizza (even though there were people on the course) and tried to close up as much as possible. A couple of us grabbed pizza for Jack and tried to fill out our entry cards while we tried to keep from getting more wet. (It is hard to write on wet cardboard.)

We all waited for Jack, made sure he had pizza (he asked if there were any cookies left, but we never saw cookies) and because we were cold and wet, we left right away. (Sorry, Jack!)

Here is what I think about this race:
1) The entry fee was very low at only $25.
2) This year we got a technical shirt, but the fabric is very thin -- not sure I will wear it.
3) The course was not bad. There were only two small hills.
4) The water stop ran out of water. More than 23 walkers finished after me.
5) They ran out of food for the last finishers. (It was raining, so they were trying to close up early.)
6) The posted results for the walkers are wrong. I definitely did not walk a 9:55 mile.
7) There was a walking division, and if the order of finishers is correct, I won my age group. (There were only 30+ walkers. It would be hard not to win your age group.) I sent an email asking if there are awards for walkers.
8) There were only 400 people entered in this race, but it could not handle many more.

I was irritated that there was no water on the course, and that they did not save food for the last finishers, but then again, we paid only $25 to register. Did my friends who entered a different 5K for $20 more enjoy the race more? Though the shirt is not better, the food was and I'm confident there was plenty of it at the end of the race.

On the other hand, this race does have a walker division and it looks as if there are age awards.

So, trying to balance the cost to the benefit, there were glitches, but were they worth the $20 difference in price for just a 5K? Probably not. (Edited 1-2-12.)

Regardless, I had a great race on New Year's Day with friends, and that is a great way to start a year.

Sunshine and Walking in Late December

Now that Christmas is over, things are less hectic and I'm hoping I'll be able to get back into my regular walking (and blogging) routine. I'll begin training for the Xenia Half Marathon next week, so that does give me an added incentive.

I woke up this morning to sunshine and mild temperatures. It was so pretty, I decided to drive to Antrim Park to get in some calorie-burning miles. (I ate a lot of junk yesterday.)

Antrim was every bit as beautiful as I hoped it would be! There were not many people, the lake was smooth with a few ducks swimming, no wind and the sun felt wonderful! In fact, instead of alternating directions, I walked each loop in the same direction to take advantage of as much sun as possible on my face.

I ended up walking three loops for 3.6 miles and a 14-min mile average.

I often suffer from seasonal depression. Gray, cold Ohio winters really do a number on my moods. Days like today help me to fight off depression for just a little bit longer. What a difference a little sunshine and exercise makes!

Do it Better

My husband and I have a good friend named Ed. Because both of our parents are gone, and Ed is close to the age my in-laws would be, we occasionally have fatherly conversations with him. This father of six, grandfather of 24 and great-grandfather to 24 has a lot of experience with these types of conversations.

The other night when we were talking to Ed, WALK! Magazine came up in conversation. After explaining how hard I had worked, etc., and how sad I was that I had to fold it, he turned to me and said, "Do it again."

I was stunned. Did he not hear what I had told him? Didn't he understand? I said, "I can't because..." and gave him a long list of reasons why I could not possibly restart WALK! Magazine. He repeated, "Do it again." I started to repeat my list and he stopped me.

"Do you have any idea how many times I have failed? I have failed A LOT! And after each failure I would figure out what I did wrong and do it better the next time." He talked about how he could have gone the easy route and worked for a big company like so many of his friends. Yes, they made lots of money, but they worked long hours and  never got to see their families. And basically, though he made less money than his friends, he made more than enough and he felt he had a happier life.

After his story of failure and success, he said, "You know what you did wrong. Do it better."

Many of you former subscribers to WALK! Magazine know me and know how hard the folding of the magazine was for me. It has been two years and I have tried very hard to let the idea go, but I can't. The truth is, I LOVED publishing the magazine! It was the best thing I have ever done, it was some of my best writing ever. I met some great people -- subscribers, athletes, race directors and average walkers like me. I received help from so many people who volunteered to write, who occasionally paid my hotel bill, who traveled with me to keep me company, stood in my booth for hours or just listened to my every idea or vent.

I also missed a lot of sleep as I worked 80 hours a week for 4 years, and I incurred a "little" bit of debt, but I still loved it.

So now, taking my friend Ed's advice, I hope to "Do it better."

Right now, I can't do another print publication. I don't know if I ever will. But, I can gather great information about walkers, health and fitness, nutrition and more. And I can write about people who are interesting, great places to walk, fitness products... And I can find new, maybe better, ways of connecting with other walkers.

I hope all of you will join me as I try to follow Ed's advice.
__________

Follow WALK! on Twitter @WALK_Magazine or on Facebook.

Sign up for the WALK! Newsletter mailing list here or here.

Inspiring People One Step at a Time

Have you ever wanted to stay in bed all day with the covers over your head?

It's easy to get overwhelmed with life's problems.

When I feel like that, all I have to do is read about someone inspiring, such as Karen Stewart, and I realize I am a wimp and need to put my petty little stresses into perspective.

You see, Karen has recurring relapsing MS. There are times when her brain and hands don't communicate all that well. She may want to pick up a pencil, she may even tell her hand to pick up that pencil, but it doesn't always work. There are days when she just cannot pick up even a pencil.

In a story that I found about Karen online, it says she has spent plenty of time in wheelchairs, with walkers and with canes and then one day decided to "embrace" her disease and make it her "friend." She was going to find a way to use her illness to make herself stronger.

She started walking a little bit at a time until she finally was inspired to walk a marathon. After finishing her first marathon, she was motivated to keep going, and going and going... Here is a quote from the news story about her that I loved: "Not everybody is motivated to do marathons, but everybody can do something. ... you never know if today my story will inspire someone else to get off their duff and do something."

Karen recently finished her 47th marathon in Savannah, GA! She hopes to complete her 50th in February 2012! (Shoot -- I've done only two full marathons.)

I find Karen to be extremely motivating! Here is a woman who has been stuck in a wheelchair and she was still able to walk 47 marathons! Wow! If she can deal with a horrible disease like MS, what can't she do? If she can do all of this, what excuse do I have not to try harder to meet my personal goals.

This is all of the information I was able to get from this interview by WSAV-TV (http://www2.wsav.com/news/2011/nov/03/one-step-time-ar-2651781/). There are so many questions I have that this story didn't answer.

I have never met Karen, but I hope I will. My goal is to interview her and write a more complete story about her with first-hand information instead of the work of other journalists.

The Flying Feather was Fun!

On Thanksgiving, I did the Flying Feather -- a 4-mile race here in central Ohio. My sister had signed up for it first, and because this was her first running race in well over 10 years, I decided to enter it, too. As it turned out, three other Buckeye Striders and one of our adult "kids" and her boyfriend were also entered.

The temps were in the mid-30s -- much more chilly and windy out in Dublin than it was at home! Before the race started, we stood next to a building to reduce the wind to help stay warm.

My little sister Cathy and Me.
She is a runner, but I still like her.
(I'm wearing the hat that was
in the race packet.)

We separated at the starting line based on how fast we thought we would be. Barbara and I went back to the 13-min mile area. These types of events attract people and families who don't enter a lot of races, and don't know they should be near the back. We almost went back farther, but decided 13 was close enough and would reduce the number of people we would have to pass.

There were huge speakers all along the starting corrals and the music was loud and great!

Immediately, Barbara and I were passing people left and right. The first mile was on a wide road, so everyone was spread out and it was easy to maneuver. I finally looked at my watch, saw that 18 minutes had gone by and realized I missed the first mile marker! (The mile markers were huge yellow flags that could be seen from more than half a mile away. I don't know how we missed it.)

The race progressed into Glacier Ridge Metro Park where the wide road turned into a narrow path. It was a little more difficult to pass people and we got stuck a few times with nowhere to go. In the park, there were trees near most of the path, so the wind was blocked pretty well. There is a section of this park we call the plains, and though it is usually pretty windy here, it wasn't this time! Both Barbara and I started to get a little bit over-heated. At the second mile marker, our time was 28:28. I knew we were way too slow.

Buckeye Striders Sharon, Barbara, Me and
Steve before the Flying Feather. (It was cold.)

We picked up the pace as the crowd thinned a little and we moved back onto wider streets to head to the finish line. We did the third mile in 13:26. This felt like a much better pace for me. The closer we got to the finish I tried to pick up the pace a tiny bit. About half a mile away, I asked Barbara if she could go a little faster and she accused me of trying to kill her -- again. (The first time was during the Air Force Half Marathon a couple of years ago.) Still, she picked up the pace a little!

As we turned onto the final stretch, there were two slow runners right in front of us and I refused to let them beat me. I went into my real race mode and passed them a few yards before the finish line! Our final mile was 13:16! (Barbara was 4 seconds behind me.)

At the end we were given a finisher's medal, bottled water, Nutri Grain bars and a bottle of Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais-Villages 2009. There were holiday cookies for those under the age of 21.

Because it was still chilly, and my sister was freezing, (she had been waiting around for me for 15 minutes)  we left quickly and walked the half-mile to the high school where we had parked.

A Thanksgiving race is a great way to start a holiday devoted to food! This one is well organized and the course is not difficult. With the registration we received a technical shirt, a fleece hat, toss-away gloves, a finisher's medal and a tasty bottle of wine. The shirt is a little bit ugly even though it is a technical shirt. (The earlier races gave cuter shirts.) But I'll wear the hat and the wine was good! So, overall, it was a positive experience and I'll probably do the race again.
___________________________

Hints for this race:
1) The shirts are in men's sizes only. The size small shirt will be big on a small woman.
2) Sometimes they run out of size small shirts early. It is a good idea to pick up your packet on one of the first days, just to be sure. My sister was able to exchange her large for a small on race day, so there were plenty this year.
3) Parking can be tight, so plan to arrive early. I like to get to this race 45 minutes to an hour before the start.
4) It is OK to line up a little closer to the starting line than you would in a typical race (if you normally line up at your real pace). There will be many people strolling in blue jeans and walking with small children lined up too close to the starting line, and you will have to pass them. Do not expect to PR in this race.
5) In previous years, the volunteers were more careful about making sure each person received just one bottle of wine. We saw several people walking away with more than one bottle (one with a whole box!) and there were still plenty of people behind me. Get your wine as soon as possible after crossing the finish line to be sure you get a bottle. After all, if you don't get the wine, you might was well do any other Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving!

As the Days Get Shorter -- Be Safe!

Though I tend to talk about safety nearly every year after the time change, it probably cannot be repeated too often.

In the Northern Hemisphere, each day gets shorter until about December 21. And the end of Daylight Saving Time in late October or early November means it is darker in the evening all of the sudden. (Yuck!)

You could try walking in the morning, if you don't already. It's just a temporary fix though since it gets progressively darker in the mornings, too. If you have the right employer (or work at home, or are retired...), you could walk over your lunch hour. However, depending on how hard you walk, that might require access to a locker room or showers.

If you are like me, the only time of day available to seriously walk is the evening. (It is hard enough already for me to wake up in the morning -- I cannot get up any earlier!) And that means we need to be extra careful.

First, be careful where you walk. If I am alone, I will not venture into the city parks at night. There are too many dark secluded spots. Lucky for me, my neighborhood is safe and I'm comfortable walking there alone at any time.

Wear light-colored clothing if possible. My winter coat is dark purple, and all of my long pants are black, but I try to wear a white hat when I can. Regardless, in the dark, the purple might as well be black.

Reflective vests can be cute!

Wear some type of reflective clothing. Many athletic shoes have reflective spots, but that is not enough. If your jacket or pants do not have a reflective feature, be sure to wear a vest or some other safety garment. The other day, I saw reflective cuffs to wear around the biceps, reflective hats and even suspender-like straps to wear over a jacket instead of a complete vest. I wear a vest over my dark jacket.

Wear a light. I wear a headlamp. Most people in our neighborhood have lights in front of their houses, so the sidewalks are somewhat lit, but a headlamp does help me see uneven spots. But the real reason I wear a light is so that vehicles will see me when I cross the street. If you do not have access to sidewalks, a flashing red or yellow light on your back will also make you much more visible to vehicles! Don't forget to walk facing traffic if possible! (Find headlamps here: http://www.consumersearch.com/headlamps and headlamps and reflective gear here: http://walking.about.com/od/lights/Lights_and_Reflective_Gear.htm.)

One of my headlamps
clips to my hat.

Keep your ears open. I always have an MP3 player with me, but especially at night I use just one ear bud. With the volume at a reasonable level, this allows me to hear other pedestrians or vehicles.

Tell someone where you are going and when you will be back. If you live with other people, this is not a problem. Living alone makes it a little more difficult. If you know your neighbors well enough, let one of them know what your plans are, then check back in when you return home. Otherwise, I have been known to call friends to let them know where I'm walking, and call again when I'm home. Anyone who supports your healthy lifestyle should be willing to do this for you!

Carry a cell phone. I know, I hate carrying the extra weight, too. Still, it is a minor inconvenience to be a little bit safer.

Darkness, rain, snow and wind are not good reasons to let your healthy lifestyle slide. With a little bit of planning and common sense, you should be able to walk outside year-round!

Let me know if any of you have any additional suggestions.

Here Comes the Sun....

On the far side of Antrim lake. Though I saw a few people a couple of times, most of the two laps I was completely alone.

Today, I was lucky enough to be free for the day at about 3:45 p.m. Though chilly and windy, the sun was shining and I rushed to change my clothes so I could get in a couple of miles in the sun.

Not to be too repetitive, but I am very affected by weather and daylight, and the lack of sun in Ohio this time of year really messes with me. To be as proactive as possible, I get outside in the sun as much as possible. And if I get the chance to generate a few endorphins at the same time, all the better!

I was able to change my clothes and be on my way to one of my favorite parks before 4. I wore just two technical shirts with long pants, a windproof jacket and gloves and earmuffs. It was the perfect amount of layers!

On my first lap, I saw two men in olive green jackets who looked somewhat official. As I walked past them, I noticed the logo said something about being community security, which made me feel great! I did only two 1.2 mile loops before the sun started to get low. I was afraid it would be too dark too quickly to make it around one more time. Even with security, I wouldn't want to be on the other side of the lake in the dark.

I pushed steadily and I could feel my breathing, but I was not breathing too hard. In fact, it felt like a medium effort. That said, my heart rate topped out at only 143 BPM and my pace was 13:04 per mile for the first lap and 12:45 for the second!

Though I'm pretty happy about my speed, I'm even happier I had the opportunity to be outside in the sunshine generating endorphins! (If it never got dark any later than it did today, I'd be fine all winter.)

I hope those reading this post had a chance to be out in the sun today, too!

Fall Morning Walks

This time of year, I get really excited when I have the chance to get in my miles in the morning. I don't know what it is about crisp, sunny, fall mornings, but walking in them is great!

Saturday the Buckeye Striders met at Whetstone Park near the Park of Roses at 8 a.m. for our weekly one-hour walk. A beautiful morning walking with friends is a great way to start the weekend.

In fact, it felt so good, I went out for another walk Sunday morning in my neighborhood. Sunday was not nearly as pretty -- it was very cloudy and windy -- but that was OK. I really enjoy starting a morning outside if possible.

Though neither walk was overly eventful, they were both wonderful in a different way. I spend way too much time inside and having two mornings in a row where I can walk outside (and the weather cooperated), well, in Ohio, that is pretty wonderful!

Walking After the Time Change

The sun was already pretty low before
I even started my 3-mile walk.

One of the biggest problems with training outside after the Fall time change is that it starts to get dark so early. In fact, it will get darker every day until about December 21. The time change just gives the early darkness a sudden jump making it a hard immediately.

Monday evening on my way home, I stopped at a park along the river to get in a few miles while the sun was still up. I thought there would be plenty of time to get in a few miles before it got dark.

Because the painted mile markers are starting to fade, I sometimes miss them. On this day, I saw every one of them on my way out -- 1.5 miles -- but I missed  them on the way back. Regardless, after only 3 miles, the sun was already behind the trees and it was starting to get dark. It wasn't so dark I needed to stop, but it was getting close. I decided to stop.

I don't mind walking in the dark if I'm in my neighborhood and I feel safe -- I bought new batteries for my headlamp and found my reflective vest -- but who wants to walk in just their own neighborhood for a couple of months? (Not me.)

Until it is absolutely necessary for me to limit my walks to the neighborhood, I will keep trying to squeeze a few in local parks and with luck will be able to enjoy a few hours of sunshine.

Seen Today -- Seriously?

Turkey lights put up in a neighbor's yard the
day after Halloween!

Can you believe it? The day after Halloween and someone in our neighborhood had a Thanksgiving decoration out already! (The photo is difficult to see, but the white lights are in the shape of a turkey.)

Walking While Traveling

Edited to add photos 10/27/11.

Walking in Palm Springs.
Palm trees make me smile.

I'm currently in Palm Springs, CA for work. I was supposed to arrive on Sunday with the plan to spend the afternoon walking and and maybe hiking up the mountain a little. As it turned out, our plane had mechanical problems and we were not able to fly out until Monday morning. I had meetings scheduled for all day Monday, missed a couple of them and showed up in time to catch the last few.

Tuesday I also had meetings all day. I ended up with a short break at one point and was able to walk outside for about 50 min. Nearly an hour in the California sunshine in October was fantastic! Ohio can be pretty gray and dreary this time of year. The sunshine has done a lot for my mood.

Today I had a few hours free as my last meeting ended early. I walked down to the art museum, which was nice, but left before seeing everything just to be in the sun. One thing I noticed is, the temperatures change dramatically once the sun goes behind the mountain! I was a little toasty walking around in my blue jeans, but once the sun went behind a peak the temps dropped dramatically!

Andrew Wyeth painting at Palm
Springs Art Museum. I got
in trouble for taking this
photo.

If you lived here year-round, it would be necessary to plan training walks around the sun. Since I just did the Columbus Half Marathon this month, at least I didn't have to try to fit in training walks while here.

I'm heading to the Palm Springs airport at 5 a.m. and will end up spending about 3 hrs in the Dallas airport. I'm hoping that I'll be able to do a little walking there -- just as I did on our way out here.

OK, this posting is a little rambling and starting to get off topic, plus I forgot to bring my iPod cable down to the hotel lobby with me, so I'm not able to post photos. I'm heading off to bed and with luck, I'll be able to add some walking information and photos tomorrow.

Hints for the Columbus Half Marathon

The race shirts are available in
women's sizes -- and they fit!

After completing this year's Columbus Half Marathon, here are some tips for next year's event.

1. If you are planning to enter as a "competitive" walker, read the registration information carefully. For this year's race, walkers needed to go to a separate registration table to get a second bib to wear on the back. The bib said "Competitive Walker." At the same table we were given a big orange sticker to put on the front to indicate we were walkers. Things may change next year, so be sure to read carefully.
2. Reserve a parking space online. My friend Deb does this every year and it makes race morning much easier!
3. The last few years this race has provided shirts in women's sizes. I tend to wear a small and the small fits. Based on my experience, I think the sizing is accurate.
4. The best time to go to the expo is during the Buckeye game. Yeah, most of the locals will be watching the game.
5. This race gets bigger every year -- arrive early! I heard stories about people not being able to park, the port-a-john lines at the start were very long and we also heard some people had trouble getting to the right corral because of the crowds.
6. The weather for this race can be very cold or very hot. And even if it is chilly in the morning it will warm up as the sun comes out. Bring a shirt or sweatshirt to toss once it warms up.
7. And don't forget the people in the corrals ahead of you will also be tossing shirts. Watch your step for at least the first mile.
8. At the end of this year's race, it was difficult to find the tent in Celebration Village where we were to turn in our "Competitive Walker" bibs to be counted. You may have to really search.
9. This year's after-race food was pretty skim and all junk. With any luck, it will be different in future years. There was food for sale at the after-race party. Either bring money to buy something more substantial, or have something in your car to eat after the race.
10. Be sure to follow the Columbus Marathon on Facebook and Twitter. Sometimes the staff announces special events or opportunities to win prizes or entry fees. They often ask for opinions on issues.
11. Don't forget to register early for the least expensive registration fees.

This is a well organized and fun event! If you are ready for some of the issues associated with a large event, it will help you have a successful race.

Columbus Marathon Review

Sunday's Columbus Marathon Half was fantastic!

The temps were in the low 50s when we arrived at the starting line. Because I am always way too cold, I was wearing a throw-away sweat shirt and a trash bag over my long-sleeved technical shirt. Deb did convince me to wear shorts.

As soon as we got there, we noticed the lines for the Port-a-johns were horrible! I was really worried we wouldn't get through before the start of the race. We must have picked the right line because we both got through relatively quickly. (Whew!)

While waiting for the start of the race, the sound system was great! In Corral F -- right before the last corral -- we could hear the Danger Brothers playing, we heard the National Anthem and we heard the start! (Well, a cannon was shot off, so I would hope we would hear it regardless.) The coolest part was the fireworks going off!

As participants approached the actual starting line, a live feed of all of us crossing the starting line was broadcast on a big screen across from the band stage. I raised my arms and waved, but I didn't see me in the crowd. Very cool!

The first mile of any race is rough. Too many walkers and runners who do not know how slow they are and too many runners go too far back. Add to this that lots of people in the front corrals tossed clothes, and we had to watch our step. Still, we hit mile marker one in 13:48.

Early on I tossed my sweatshirt.

As we went up Broad St., we passed the walking pacers who obviously lined up in the wrong spot. None of us walkers in the back could find pacers (other than 2:45) before the race.

In Bexley, the 3:00 pacer passed us and was at a slightly faster pace to make up for being behind early on. (He got stuck in a back corral and had trouble picking up his pace.) We could not maintain his acceleration pace at this point, we let him pass but we kept him in sight for the entire rest of the race. At this point Deb and I met a really nice woman named Debbie, who also wanted to finish in under 3 hours and couldn't keep up with the pacer either. She ended up staying with me till the end.

Somewhere before mile 8, Deb started to slow and said to go ahead. We had an agreement before the race, and it was OK with her that I went on ahead. I turned around periodically and did see her for a while.

In Olde Town there were tons of people on the porch of one house partying and cheering. It was neat that all of those neighbors got together to cheer us on!

Somewhere around Olde Town, we heard sirens and a firetruck and two squads were given the right of way and we were moved onto the sidewalk for a short stretch. We saw paramedics working on a man, but I just couldn't look. I never did hear what happened or how he did.

The rest of the race was very fun and uneventful. We saw great water stops, heard great music and there were plenty of great signs held by cheering crowds. One of my favorites held by a little boy said "Worst Parade Ever." (So cute!) There seemed to be much more crowd support this year than in previous years. We saw a couple different groups of people more than once, which was fun.

We turned onto High Street and the wind picked up. Lucky for us, it was at our back and almost helped us move faster. It did feel quite a bit colder than earlier in the race. Most of High Street is a slight uphill. Despite this, we kept up the pace and kept the 3-hour pacer in our sights!

At mile 12, I decided to see if I could go faster. I pushed hard and when I made that left-hand turn to the finish line, pushed even harder. Debbie tried to keep up with me and ended up jogging a few steps to pick up her pace. We did mile 13 in only 12:25! Really excited at that point, I crossed the finish line with a watch time of 2:57:19! More than 2 minutes under my goal of 3 hours!

With me after the race are Deb (middle) and Pat.

We got our medals and silver blankets (really needed), grabbed water and I ran into other Buckeye Striders who finished in about the same amount of time I did, but were just enough ahead of me in the corral that I never caught them.

The food line was efficient. We were each handed a bag with food in it. However, the food in the bag was not very exciting. I had a bag of cheese curls, a chocolate cookie, an orange, granola bar and some energy chews. We did get chocolate milk which is one of my favorite recovery foods! Though I appreciate that we got food at all, I didn't eat any of it -- I just drank the milk.

There was a security guard working hard to keep family and friends from blocking the exit out of the food area. The exit was huge, so I cannot believe that there were so many people standing there that we still could not get out. It was so much better than last year and the guard was doing his best.

It took quite a while to find where we were supposed to turn in our Competitive Walker bibs. When we finally found it, the process was easy. I can't wait to see how it is going to work. The results haven't been posted yet.

The after-race party in Celebration Village was very crowded. A band was playing and it could have been fun, but we were cold and it was difficult to get around, so we left fairly early.

Overall, the Columbus Marathon Half was a great event! Though there were a couple hiccups with pacers and after-race food, there is a lot to like about this race.

What I especially like is that the race director listens to the participants. He heard people complain about the food distribution last year with early finishers taking too much, and he tried something new. He heard that it was hard to get out of the food area, and he tried something new. He heard that the participants in the last corrals couldn't hear the music and he tried something new. Walkers asked for awards and he tried something new.

Even if everything that is tried doesn't work, you have to admire a race director who listens and is willing to make efforts to make a race better.

And I think that is why this race gets better every year.
___________

NOTE: Because I took pictures with my iPod, many of the low-light photos did not turn out. And, because I had a speed goal, I didn't stop to take photos mid-race like I usually do.

The Day Before a Big Race

In honor of my walking the Columbus Marathon Half tomorrow, this blog post will feature hints for what to do the day before a big race.

1. Get plenty of rest. If you are like me, you will not sleep well the night before the race. Because of that, I went to bed early last night and I feel pretty good!
2. Try not to be on your feet too much. After picking up your bib at the expo, find a place to sit down.
3. Don't eat anything unusual today. It is so tempting when you are traveling to try foods you've never had before. Save that for after the race.
4. Check the most up-to-date weather for tomorrow. By today, the forecast should be fairly accurate.
5. Plan what you will wear and make sure it is ready. Is your favorite shirt clean? Do you have your socks selected? Will you take a "throwaway" shirt? If it is raining, will you take a garbage bag? (Remember, don't wear anything new and untested.)
6. Put your race number on your shirt or racing belt. If you have a timing chip, put it on your shoe.
7. Plan what you will eat in the morning. I eat a peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread before every race. I will make the sandwich tonight.
8. Do you carry gels or an MP3 player? Pack your Spibelt with your necessities.
9. Finally, go to bed at a reasonable time.

Races in my home town feel different from races that require travel. I like being in a hotel right across the street from the start line. I also like having planned what I'm going to wear a couple of days in advance.

At the same time, I sleep better in my own bed and I like being able to change my mind regarding clothes if necessary. (I took the totally wrong clothes to the Big Sur Marathon and I froze!)

Regardless, there is always a lot of excitement before a big race and the morning will go much smoother if you plan early.

Good luck to everyone doing a fall race!

(If I left anything out, please let me know!)

Taper Week

I'm not sure if this is an egret, heron or crane,
but I saw it today.

I was scheduled to walk just 30 min. at an easy pace today. Because it was beautiful this evening I went to Griggs Reservoir to walk along the river. I love days like this!

Race Pace

My plan for Saturday's 8-mile training walk was to try to maintain a 14-min mile for the first 5 miles, then increase my speed to race pace for the last 3 miles. I also used the walk to try out a new heart rate monitor.

The first 2 miles were over 14 min. each -- darn! We were able to pick up the pace for the next 3 miles moving between 13:40 and 13:50. So the first few miles evened out.

We tried to pick up the pace to go as much below the 13:45 pace as possible. That 6th mile we only managed 13:50, but we also slowed down for Deb to use the water fountain. (I'm OK with that. I want her to drink water.) Unfortunately, after that mile I hit the wrong button stopping the chronograph. Argh! According to Nancy's GPS we went from a 13:30 pace to a 12:26 pace per mile -- I'm just not sure what the specific pace was for each mile. I need to be able to average faster than 13:45 per mile, so if I go slower for the first 2 miles, obviously I will need to go faster for the last few miles.

I'm VERY excited! After I warmed up, moving faster than 13:30 was not that bad. Now I just have to figure out how to warm up quicker.

Testing a HR Monitor

Today I was testing a heart rate monitor by Sportline. The watch part is very cute and I was excited to give it a good workout with either long distance or speed intervals. (This is the one I planned to test Sunday.)

The buttons on watches all work differently. It's one of the reasons I'm hesitant to switch between sport watches.

So today, I inadvertently stopped the chrono after my 5-minute warm up. I have no idea how long I walked for my first interval before I noticed the time didn't change. Somehow I did the same thing right before my last interval.

When I'm used to the buttons, I'll do a full review. For right now, I like it. The watch is cute, the chest strap is comfortable and a good design, the stop watch will do up to 50 laps...

That's probably enough teaser for now.

My Workout
Despite the user error, I had a good workout. I ended up doing 8 intervals of 3 minutes fast alternating with 2 minutes of rest. When I finished the first interval, I marked my finish spot with a stick so I could compare how I did on other laps, and was pretty close just about every time.

My stride did not feel smooth today and it was an effort to move fast. In fact, though I was not breathing overly hard, I just could not get my legs to move any faster. I knew I was not working my hardest because my heart rate did not even get above 144. (During a recent race I paced myself  using 150 bpm.)

Regardless, it was a good workout. I'm planning to keep up the speed workouts even after the Columbus half in less than 2 weeks.