Misty mornings - Day 78 of 90

I may not have been walking every day of the last 78 but I've certainly been walking MOST days - in one form or another. It is still not a perfect habit, but it is a strong desire of my heart, and a noted physical absence if missed - so that is probably a good indication that walking is getting to be a habit!

While not all walks are momentous, mystical, or even memorable they are all actually pretty good. And even when they aren't good, I feel good having taken them. Today, it was such a pretty morning in a misty Scottish sort of way that I liked it a lot. I didn't find any loose change, but I saw the moon in the morning sky and that is always pretty; in a misty morning it is even more so. I saw my house - or almost saw it in the distance through a heavy fog (red fog warning on my phone's weather alert this morning), and then I saw something one doesn't usually see and it was a jeweled gift on a dew covered tree. I post a picture of it here for you to enjoy.

Then because I took several photos on my outward jouney, just enjoying the morning, I decided to jog back a little faster, and saw a tiny perfect maple leaf laying atop the sidewalk, not flattened down or leaching its tannins into the underlying cement, but pristine and red describing Fall in the Northeast in its own little way. I didn't take a photo of that little leaf, you'll just have to picture it in your mind's eye, as I must store it in my memory to recall later when all that is left of these fallen leaves are dark spots in the cement and barren trees in the landscape.

-later, 12 days to go

Shout out to my friend Carola - Day 50 of 90

Walking today I was thinking of all the stories we told when we were training for a marathon. The thing about training to walk a marathon is you have to log a lot of miles (and I do mean a LOT)! And when you spend that training time walking with a friend you get to tell some silly stories - or share some sad or important ones; no matter what kind of stories, you end up with a closer friend than you started with and you know each other better than maybe a lot of other people know you. You see if you walk 7 miles with someone or 13 or more, well, you are going to take a lot of hours. It is different than running - first off running takes less time - and secondly, I don't have the ability to talk much if I tried running. Yes, I know the test is to run at a pace where you can carry on a conversation, but for me, if I am carrying myself that's about all the breath I have left over - no gab-fests.

But, walking is different; you have breath and you can use it to get to know a friend - or develop a new friendship where once you were acquaintances. Walking is just plain good for your soul.

Today my exercise was a slow jog at a pace that still beats my overall best times walking even when I was in training - or even when I did that 10k as a walker...the entire time in front of the pace car and the ambulance...let's not talk about that. Suffice it to say, as a walker they didn't know what to expect from someone so far behind the pack - but also as a walker I was in great form and my pace that race was exceptional (for me) - but now, adding a bit of a jog to my routine certain days (like this morning) I have upped that time - and you know at the end of the day I still feel great and I can walk tall knowing I am a runner (have been since my first entry blank - that's the rule) and not a couch potato.

Now for some Bryers Mint Chocolate Chip. 40 to go

Walking home from a day at the office - Day 49 of 90

Today I had to leave my car off elsewhere so I planned on walking home at the end of the day. The day was longer than I anticipated, but all in a good way and it wasn't raining and it was still light out, so home I went.

Now don't be too impressed, as I told a co-worker it is only 3.5 miles - not like my old commute of 14 plus miles (or 37 for a couple of years-but I shudder to think about that). If there were sidewalks along the entire route I'd walk more often. I have walked it before over the years but not often, and not even occasionally - more like rarely.

It's the sidewalks that get me. (That and of course I'm naturally lazy or busy or both.) In some spots there isn't even a shoulder, just the verge-and in some spots that isn't even there-there isn't any "there" there - just the edge of the world where the water is below. Humph. Anyway, it isn't terribly busy and mostly drivers look out for pedestrians as I am not the only one walking along.

BUT, you know what I noticed for the first time? The mailboxes were not at the street on poles, but rather they were on the houses just like you see in cities (or small towns for that matter) the problem that occurred to me today was that the mail must be delivered on foot - and without sidewalks, and that sounds like an accident waiting to happen-of course that could just be me.

Tonight I took a photo of a sweet pea popping up in the middle of a tangle of grasses and in the soft light of evening; it was quite pretty.

41 to go

Walking to the Library and other places - Day 48 of 90

When you commit to walking every day - or getting some exercise of some sort every day you start looking for ways to keep it interesting, to keep moving and add natural opportunities for walking. At least that is what I do. I heard today of a very large (morbidly obese) man  (Stephen Furst - Confessions of a couch potato) who was diagnosed with diabetes and figured he couldn't do anything about it - he was just too heavy and it was just too overwhelming a task. But then he thought about it some, and decided he could probably get up from the couch and change the channel instead of using the remote, and after a while he found he could walk upstairs to fetch something instead of sending one of his kids, and after some more time he found he could walk outside, and then down the block and after a while he found these activities became easier and all told he lost more than 100 pounds...just by getting off the couch - well that is how it started - just moving. So, today I walked to the Library. It is under a five minute drive and with a little messenger bag over my shoulder I could trek down and back comfortably.

One thing I wanted to talk about, was the fact that I wanted to blog about being a walker and that it is excellent exercise, and that is absolutely true. So now I am going to talk about something else - and that is I have done a little running. It isn't that I don't think walking is exercise or that running is somehow superior - neither of those are true. What the running is about is me trying to get it done faster. No, I am not bored and hoping to accomplish this is less time. What I mean is that I am trying to beat my time - and add aerobic capacity and muscle strength and this running is new territory for me. I've never been a runner - I have always been a walker and I will always be a walker but in addition to that maybe I can do a little running.

A few days ago I ran - and more than a mile. That was uncharted waters for me - I had officially trekked off the map. Then a couple of days after that I ran for two miles. I never even knew I could do that. But yet I did. Still breathing and my legs didn't collapse or anything. I had no idea. What is interesting is that I use different muscles and absolutely need to stretch afterward - this is different than walking. And from everything I understand good for your bones and lungs so I may continue doing some of that.

My race a few weeks ago was pretty speedy for me - but not as fast as when I had been training for the marathon (5 years ago) now, though I have run 2 miles and done it at a pace I've never managed before while walking. I've recorded my fastest mile ever (so says my Nike iPod - that I've been wearing for a little over 2 years) and I've been keeping all this exercise up for 48 days. I think I am well on my way to developing a habit of daily exercise.

42 to go.

Walking Tall - Day 43 of 90

Walking this morning was just for the miles - an easy pace and a little longer than yesterday. Yesterday I went out for speed and almost did my race pace from a couple of weeks ago. Today, on the other hand I just wanted to go for a walk, and I did. I wore a wind jacket with long sleeves because yesterday my hands were cold -but wearing sleeves makes me warm so it seemed to be an in-between-temperature.

I took a shadow picture accidentally and thought it was funny, so I will include it here for your amusement.

I had been taking some photos of the morning flowers, and I will add one below just so you can see one of them as well. The thing about photos is that they don't completely capture the beauty of something; the sun on the petals, or the dew on the grass - certainly not while walking and snapping pictures with a phone.

But just to show you what I was going for - here is the photo I took before my shadow.

Me and my shadow - 47 to go.

Last week - Days 32 - 41 of 90

If you had been following these posts you might have wondered if I was still walking, and the answer is yes.

Last week was fair week where I live and that meant daily hikes back and forth from the car to the booth 3 or 4 times per day. Guess how much walking that turns out to be? 2 - 6 miles per day! Top that off with lugging water and bins with stuff, and let me tell you it was a worthy week's work.

Now, on the other hand, yesterday...I didn't actually go out for my walk. I took a break from my 1/2 hour (at least) of workouts every day, and that means that I will just keep going an additional day to come up to my 90 days of training.

One of the things I know is that you don't give up if you miss one day or eat one extra something or what ever it is that means you have missed part of your plan - what matters really is that you keep going in the same direction.

Another thing I noticed this week (and especially yesterday) is that mornings are really best for me. It isn't that I'm a morning person - I am not, what it really is, is that I get it done, and I don't talk myself out of it. If this plan of walking every day is to take hold and become a habit I just have to do it every morning. Period.

So, I'll be out there tomorrow. 49 to go.

Race Day - Day 31 of 90

I have to tell you, that when I said 98% of the entrants would be able to beat my speed - I thought it was hyperbole. Imagine my surprise when the race started and there was NO ONE behind me! That was uncomfortable. The ONLY other walker was a lady at least 10 years my senior...and she was ahead of me.

The last time I entered this 5k, there were lots of walkers, and plenty of people who finished after me...well 13 or so (I looked it up), but I didn't feel as if the ambulance and pace car were egging me on - last time. Today, let's just say my vanity wouldn't let me finish last. I had already said I never finished last; it almost turned out that now was my chance. But my pride couldn't have taken that, not happily anyway.

I picked up my speed and jogged a few times to get in front of some folks - the first being the woman I couldn't catch up with initially. After a while there were others who couldn't keep up their pace and slowed down. In the end, I finished. Period. That is what I set out to do, and I had fun, the day was glorious, great temp, nice sunshine. And I did what I wanted to do, which was get to the finish line with a faster time.

Last time I entered this race I had been in training for a half marathon and actually did finish sooner than I did today, but my little Nike ipod doesn't know that; my Nike ipod was proud of me, and it has all the professional experience, so I'll take that as a good sign. AND I didn't finish last. 59 to go.