Tomorrow a 5k - day 30 of 90

I went out for a 5k this morning in preparation for tomorrow's official race. I purposefully walked at a moderate pace because tomorrow I really want to go for my fastest recorded time.

Anyone who has paid the slightest attention to my posts that mention my speed, realize along with me that this is more a joke than anything else. It is an attempt to best myself-which will be spectacularly easy for 98% of everyone else who entered. That may be a slight exaggeration as 5k's can sometime get slow pokes -like me-so I won't be the only walker. Not that I was the only walker in the longer races either. I have never come in last, but I will absolutely never come in first...unless I am the only one entered.

And actually that is really what I am talking about - besting my own time. That is what every runner attempts to do. Even those elite runners who DO come in first, they are still trying to best their own best time. And tomorrow, that will be me. 60 to go.

Just plain busy - Day 29 of 90

I had a busy day today, and have to admit I may be changing my mind - again. Not that that is a surprise or even that there is anything wrong with it. Remember I said I hadn't spent any time on the elliptical machine - or rather that I hadn't spent much time on it? This morning I decided I would use it because I can see the advantages of adding a little strength training to my walking.

What I contemplated and found rather humorous is that this is the day BEYOND what I would normally have called the day I've managed to establish a habit - and what I found funny was that today I can begin to see where it is getting to BE a habit. Not that it is, but that it could be. And I don't think about it as much; this idea of whether or not I'll go out for a walk today is already decided - I am going out, because I am going out every day for 90 days. Now in addition to that, I am more mindful of those other "shoulds"; I should eat more fruits or I should exercise and strengthen my muscles.

I have heard it said that we shouldn't "should" ourselves to death, but I wonder today if that is correct. Why is it that I can't suggest to do those things I know would benefit me? St. Paul asks why is it that he does the things he oughtn't to do and doesn't do the things he ought to (Romans 7:15-20) - and how am I to improve either my mind, or my health if I don't pay attention to those "shoulds?" I know full well, that left to my own devices I'd not do any of those things I ought, rather I would choose the easy way. So, I submit this for my own consideration: why do I do those things I oughtn't and why don't I do those things I ought?

How much better I feel physically and spiritually if I have done those things that are beneficial and uplifting. (And of course the occasional bon-bon thrown in.) 61 to go

Two more days and counting - Days 27 & 28 of 90

The day before yesterday was a bit frustrating because my pedometer didn't record my steps. I got home - before going out for the walk and the little counter gave me a swirling circle...which it does just before erasing all the day's data. I KNOW I still walked and it still counts in the grand scheme of things as well as my overall commitment to walk 10,000 steps per day, but not having it COUNT makes me ...sad, mad, well frustrated. I had gone to the trouble of adding extra walking to my day during the course of my normal activities - and I recommend that to everyone trying to get a little more exercise. Park further away from the front door - whether of work or at the store; take a walk instead of the car when the trip is less than 5 minutes drive; this can account for a lot more 'natural' exercise and you don't even have to pay for the fuel in the car. For instance yesterday I walked to the Library and dropped off a couple of books.

I went out at the end of the day yesterday (as I indicated in my last post), and today we went out first thing in the morning together. It turns out that we did under the 5k I had hoped, but we did get back in time to have coffee and breakfast together before we each had to go about our day. One thing I had better do, sooner rather than later, is find out when packet pick-up is Saturday. Don't want to be late for our 'big' race.
62 to go.

Still out there - Days 25 & 26 of 90

I bet you thought I forgot - or wasn't walking. You'd be wrong if you did. I have been out there each day. Sunday we both went out for a short walk before heading off to church. We were hardly awake - and I've written about what I call sleep walking before - that's when I get out and begin my walk before I'm awake enough to think "what the HECK am I doing awake at this hour." It wasn't quite that early but we were both very glad to come home and have breakfast.

Yesterday I was determined to go out after work. I have not been doing that because I have found there are too many opportunities to wimp out - or just for one reason or another miss out. BUT, I KNOW there are going to be times when I can not get a walk in before heading out to my day so yesterday I planned on going at the end of the day. I did go too. Which is a good sign. It ended up being a cooler evening than the day promised and I enjoyed the lower levels of both heat and humidity. I wore a white top and my reflective sneakers but no lights or other special gear to make me show up to passing motorists. I finished the walk at what amounted to dusk - so before I was in any great danger of being invisible.

Today, it is earlier and guess what...I'm going out NOW. So, good bye. 64 to go.

It was beautiful out there today - Days 23 & 24 of 90

It was indeed very beautiful out there today, but you will just have to take my word for it, as I had no pocket for a camera (or phone) and so there is no photographic evidence of that fact. The funny thing was, that according to my first look at the predicted weather it should have been thunder-storming the entire time - but one look a the weather satellite and I saw no cloud-cover so I went anyway.

Now, I will readily admit it was very humid; I don't know the official levels but I can say that they had to be pretty high both because you could see the moisture in the air and it was hard to breath, as well as the fact that it rose to the level of precipitating out - meaning it was sprinkling or what the weather man (person) might call 100% humidity. An interesting comment I overheard when two joggers ran past; one of them was explaining to the other that his "theory is it's all about humidity." Of course they weren't around long enough for me to tell you what that theory was, or what humidity was all about, but there you have it.

The path is flat and relatively soft under foot, the Mohawk along side is beautiful in a wild unkempt sort of way even though there were some passes that I didn't think looked navigable due to the over grown vegetation.

There were turtle egg shells in bunches along the path although I saw no little turtles emerging, it was obvious they had been, and probably will continue for a short while as they hatch and make their individual ways back into the water.

There were also lots of people in just about every conceivable shape, size, & age traveling in all manner of conveyance - or on foot. Little ones on their bikes, or bigger onsies and twosies of cyclists passing with a call of "on your left" - the universal heads up meant to discourage collisions with unwary pedestrians ahead on the path. (Slower traffic stays to the right-at least in the US, and I have often wondered what is the protocol in countries where slower traffic stays on the left.) There were three young girls traveling by motorized scooter - to the scorn of one cyclist who asked me as he passed if one could get 'any more lazy than a motorized scooter.' I hollered to him as he was heading away that they at least had to "keep their balance." I soon discovered their parents walking at a brisk pace behind them and my guess is that if you wished to get a good walk in with three small children, you might relish the scooters that afforded you the opportunity to get enough time out there to be considered exercise.

Yesterday we went out for a 3 mile walk in preparation for next weeks 5k. I am really hoping to chop off a couple of minutes of my time. I'll just have to wait and see. (It was good having new sneakers all around and no sore feet!)

66 to go.

The walk was fine, and all I found was one slim dime - Day 22 of 90

That's what I said this morning, when asked how the walk was - fine. Then I thought to myself...and all I found was one thin dime. Funny that, though I had been thinking I hadn't seen anything yesterday (accept maybe now that I think about it there was a penny somewhere) and I figured as my pace increases I see less-or it could be that having been out everyday over the same ground there is less loose change floating around...

BUT, the thing is I am not actually out there to rake in the big bucks. (Good thing, that, since I'm not.) I AM out there just to BE out there; to get out every day, day by day and get some exercise. And that is actually what I am doing. Day by Day, I am going for a walk. I will never be a runner or win any first place honors (unless I happen to be the only one in my "class"), but I am doing it for my heart and my lungs and my bones and my overall health. That I AM doing. 68 to go.

Keeping on - Days 19-21 of 90

A couple of days ago I went out in the morning and thought of the book by Lawrence Block - A Walk Among the Tombstones. Not that I was actually walking among the tombstones, but I went as far as the little cemetery and saw the stones standing there; some shiny, some worn to the point of obscurity with the dew on the grass and the rain still being shaken from the trees' leaves from an earlier rain. It was pretty and peaceful. (His book isn't pretty or peaceful by the way-but the title was what made me think about the scene in front of me.)

The next day (yesterday) I didn't feel all that well and so my walk was short and I did some push-ups to mix it up. (Not while walking mind you but after the day was done.)

Today, I don't feel a whole lot better but went out anyway because that's the thing about a goal like this - it is for 90 days straight. I once read about a runner who had run everyday for something like years; rain or shine (don't know if they lived in a snow region) but I was impressed with that. The gist of this article was that they found the constancy of running every day kept them from getting sick - or becoming too sick to do anything - since they had to go out for their run - and then having accomplished that they obviously weren't THAT sick - and so in the end they didn't get sick. Fresh air and exercise I'm sure have something to do with that as well - but it could be as much a case of mind over matter.

Anyway, I am going along and we will see how my mind makes it through the duration.
69 to go.