First back-to-back, oh my aching feet!

Today was day 2 of long walks, popularly known as "back-to-back's".  Yesterday was an 11 mile walk and today was 9.  I honestly didn't feel that badly after yesterday's walk, but WOW is today a different story.  Both days, I was definitely at a slower pace, likely due to being sick all last week.  I am usually not the one in the back of the pack, but yesterday and today.....well, that was ME!  Yesterday, I felt a "hot spot" or pre-blister on my right foot.  So today I made sure it was bandaged and I also used Glide all over my feet.  Glide is kind of like vaseline and comes in a deoderant-like stick form.  You use it to reduce friction on spots that are rubbing.  I got through the walk, but the tops of my feet are still aching, 2 hours later.  I limped out of the car and into the house when I got home. 

And then, the thought strikes me.........we will be walking the route of yesterday and today COMBINED for 3 days straight in just a few months.  Yowza!!!  I am feeling a little freaked out about that now.  But when I signed on to Facebook an hour ago, one of my friends had posted this video. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0iGb0kQlOw


Talk about good timing!  I don't think I could make it on to the sink right now.  Maybe tomorrow.

11 mile Training Walk and present to self

Today's training walk was 11 miles and started at Alderwood Mall.  It is incredible how much time we are starting to devote to the walks.  It takes a long time to walk 11 miles, with pit stops.  About 4 hours in total.  After missing 2 weeks of long training walks, due to Jon's wedding and then not feeling well, I was lagging behind today.  2 weeks makes a BIG difference!  But some of the people who were continually in front of me, ended up behind me at the end or even dropping out.  We lost two to blisters today, so they dropped out around mile 7.

Terry and I went last night to REI to pick up a few more things for walking that we needed.  Terry still hadn't purchased a fanny pack, and we both needed some more good socks and new water bottles.  I am going to devote an entire blog to water bottles, but not today.  They are important!!

The best thing about our training walks, is our routine afterward.  We come home and immediately get in the hot tub.  Yes, we are spoiled!  The one of us gets in the shower, while the other starts breakfast.  We usually make a scramble with eggs and lots of vegis and the best homemade HOT salsa in the world.  Mmmm.  It's a delicious way to start the day and we are hungry!  My pedometer stated that today's calorie burn was 956.  I'll take it!

Greenlake Double Lap - Staying motivated!

This morning I was slooooow moving. I got up at 6 a.m. as usual and immediate hit the computer, as usual.  Email clients, upload photos of a new listing, create a photo gallery, etc.  But I haven't walked yet.  And I really need to walk.  This week, I seem to have become supremely bored with the neighborhood.  Been there.  Done that.

So I saddled up my side kick Bella (not really) and we loaded into the car and headed to Green Lake.  Always a nice walk, it's 3 miles (confirmed on my pedometer) around the lake, so 2 laps will give me a good Thursday walk.  It was a good call!  There are so many things to see.  Baby ducks!  So cute, but I left my phone in the car, so you don't get any photos of today's walk.  Just imagine~.  Lots of babies, one set of baby twins.  Dads walking babies.  Grandparents with children.  Older people strolling.  Men, mostly old, fishing.  And lots and lots of dogs.  It took Bella at least 1/2 a lap to calm down and MOVE.  SO many distractions!  But soon she was quite the little champ and plodding along with me.  They have a water fountain that has two fountains, one low for dogs and one high for humans.  Seattle is grand that way!

After 1 lap, we went to the car so I could give Bella a nice long drink.  As we walked into the parking lot, a little older lady was sitting on a park bench next to her walker.  She had all kings of dog biscuits laid out on the bench.  "Can your puppy have a treat?"  Of course!  What a fun thing to do when you have time on your hands.  Feed the dogs!

One more lap around the lake, enjoying the views and sounds and smells.  It was definitely a good call to change up my walk today.  And I even resisted driving by Dick's Drive in on the way home.  Now, that's the amazing part!

To listen or not to listen?

There is a lot of talk on our weekend training walks about music.  Not what type we listen to, but whether or not we listen when we train alone during the week.  I love my music.  I mean, I REALLY love my music.  If you asked me which you could take from me, my television or my IPOD, there would be no question at all.  Take the television! 

But when I train, it's different.  During the week, I walk with my dog Bella, who has become quite the good walker, I might add.  A month ago, she would hesitate and sniff and pee and investigate every few steps.  I have to keep up a certain pace, so she has quickly learned that we need to keep going!  I definitely give her breaks every half hour or so, and consuquently we are a much better team now!

Back to the music subject.  I do not listen to music when I walk.  I really do enjoy listening to the birds, hearing the stream and even the wind through the trees.  Of course, if I were training on a treadmill, I would do anything to break the boredom.  But walking outside is so much more relaxing and enjoyable.  I honestly feel more relaxed when I walk outside.  Somehow for me, adding music to a walk is more distracting from the pure pleasure of being....  breathe the air, hear the sounds of nature. 

MP3 Players and IPOD's are not allowing on the actual 3 day walk.  Cell phones can only be used when you are not walking.  So why confuse the issue and train with one now?

For me, sweet nature and all that it brings, is the perfect reward to getting out there and training. 

Wedding Weekend in Portland and Walking Catch up!

Last Saturday, my youngest son Jon(athan) got married!  It was a crazy busy week!  My granddaughter Haedin arrived on Sunday.  Everything comes to a screeching halt when Haedin is here!  It is play time, which is serious business...and is also tiring!  Since she was here during the day while her Dad worked, there was no way to get in my usual walking.  So I am feeling a little sluggish and behind the eight ball. 

When we got home from Portland and all of the festivities on Sunday evening, I was plain exhausted.  I did go work out today and it was a butt-kicker!  But I also have been up UP since 4 a.m.  Ugh.  I will be tired again tonight!

Tath, our group leader is out of town for the next two weeks.  Someone else has scheduled a back-to-back walk for the weekend and I hate to admit it but I am not very excited about it.  It looks like I will also be holding an open house, which I am also not very excited about.  I guess I am just not excited!
It also doesn't help that the weather has been rainy and yucky.  So I need to gain some energy and get back out there.  The last walk I did was the 10.5 walk a week ago and if I don't get some walking in this week, the weekend walk will be HARD.

What DOES have me excited however, is the fact that I now have $2,000 toward my $3,000 goal!  Yippee!  I am very happy and grateful to all of my friends and family that have donated to my walk.  Thank you so much!

For now, I am working on getting motivated to walk tomorrow and Friday and then, yes, I will walk that 10 miles on Saturday.  Whether I will walk 8 miles on Sunday remains to be seen.  It is Father's Day and I am working, so it may not happen.  We will see!

10 Mile Training Walk and Expo

I'll admit it.  I didn't get a whole lot of mileage in this week with the soggy weather we are having.  Is this really June??  We did walk about 12 miles when we were in Roche Harbor last weekend, but since then, my walks this week were minimal.  "I'll walk when the rain stops" turned into not walking.  On Saturday, we met up with 50 other walkers at Shoreline Community College for a pre-expo 10 mile walk.  We kept up a good pace and we were closer to the front of the pack than the back.  We finished the 10 miles in 3 hours with 2 pit stops, which I thought was pretty good.  At about mile 8, I did feel a very small pepple in my right shoe.  I ignored it because we were so close to the finish line.  Boy, did I regret THAT!  The bottom of my right heel was so dang sore from that little pebble.

Tath, our training leader, has told us repeatedly to stop if you need to.  She hurt herself pretty badly on the walk one year because she ignored her body.  She had felt a tightness in her leg that she ignored because she was on a roll and didn't want to stop.  A few minutes later she felt a "ping" and was down on the ground in pain after pulling her hamstring muscle.  So basically, I didn't heed her advice and I was in pain for most of the day.  Stupid me.  I will try to be better about that next time.

After the walk, we went into the expo, which was pretty interesting.  they had pink tents set up, which thankfully, were a little larger than I had imagined.  We learned what things to pack and how to pack them.  Simple things like a camping headlamp for those post-darkness trips to the bathroom.  Handheld flashlights don't work as well because once you get into the porta potty, um, what do you do with the flashlight?  Also, tips like fashioning an S hook out of a coat hanger to hang your plastic bag with clothes while you shower, and packing each day's worth of clothes in a separate plastic bag.  It was interesting and there were lots of people there.  On one wall was a huge 3 day banner for Seattle.  We were encouraged to write on the banner and then it will be at the closing ceremonies.  I dedicated my walk to Jan, to Jess and to Mom.  All of them are my continual inspiration. 

Once we got home, we hopped in the hot tub (which never feels quite as fabulous as after a LONG walk) and had breakfast.  Next weekend is Jonathan's wedding, so there won't be time for a long training walk.  We are so excited about the wedding and can't believe it is finally here!

To date, I have $1820 of my $3,000 goal and that just from 2 emails!  What fabulous friends and family I have.  Thank you!

Crazy Times!

It has been a few days since my prior post, because life is getting crazy hectic.  My youngest son Jon is gettting married in Portland next week.  We are super excited about it and have trying to help in small ways from a distance.  Our granddaughter comes to town on Sunday, so that will take priority over everything.....even walking!  

Lat weekend, Memorial Day weekend, amidst all of the rain...continual deluges of rain, we went with good friends on their boat up to the San Juan Islands.  We did walk.  Every morning, rain or ...well, rain.  6 miles the first day and 5 the next.  It was super awesome to walk in such beautiful surroundings as Roche Harbor.  Jackie and Bruce and their dog Mandy joined us on our walks, some of them uphill hikes, and the time passed quickly. 

On Saturday, before the 3 day Expo, we have a 10.5 mile walk.  Afterward, we will see the official pink tents and learn more about the walk, fanny packs, blisters and all kinds of things to prepare us for the big day. 

At this point, I have $1770 toward my $3,000 goal.  After the wedding, we will be hitting the fundraising HARD!

Until then, I will post you when I am once again a mother-in-law.  Is it really a bad word???