Walking with a Cold

Yesterday we walked 5 miles. It took us an hour and a half. We thought it would be nothing compared to the 11 miles the day before. But, I came down with a cold Saturday afternoon so we walked like a couple of old ladies. We did it, though. I was actually looking forward to the walk because I thought the exercise would open up my sinuses and make me feel better. It didn't. All the dust in the air and the horrible dairy smells seemed to make things worse. I spent the rest of Sunday resting. I hope my cold subsides today because I have to get up and walk another four miles tomorrow.

That was a tough one.

I walked 11 miles this morning. Yeah. I'm awesome. I know. Except it took 3 hours and 1 minute.

I didn't think it would be too big a deal. I did 10 miles the last two Saturdays. And last week's ten was in Atlanta. There were a ton of hills that caused me to use different muscles and the walks there were much more challenging cardiovascularly. But those hills are nothing compared to Arizona's heat. I was concerned that the hills in San Diego would pose a problem for us desert walkers, but I know now that we'll be fine. Because San Diego is not as hot as hell.

Jennifer couldn't meet until 6:30, but I wanted to get in some miles before the temperature was unbearable. I started walking at 5:30 so by the time I met up with Jennifer, I had already walked 4 miles. We walked for two more hours. Luckily, we took a new route that was a little closer to civilization so we were able to stop at a convenience store to fill up our water bottles...twice. Next time we'll bring cash to buy a snack or get packs so we can carry a snack. Three hours is too long a time to walk out in the sun without any kind of nourishment. By mile 8, I was really starting to slow down and get a little loopy. My legs and feet were fine. I was just hot. So hot. Why, oh why, is it so hot? When I got home at 8:30 am, the temperature was already 95 degrees. Sure that's better than walking in the middle of the afternoon when it's 113, but it's still pretty darn hot.

We decided that next time we sign up for something like this, we're going to make sure the training period is in the winter.

An Exclusive Club

This morning I did 5 miles in 78 minutes.

I feel like I'm part of an exclusive club because I see the same people on the fitness trail every day. There's a couple in their late 50's/early 60's who walk their big black dog. The man's holding the plastic bag and wears a fanny pack, and she's carrying hand weights. Then there's the older European gentleman who wears his Wimbledon whites while walking. There are two women a little older than me who must be training for something, too. I nearly ask them every time I see them, but I don't want them to think I'm weird. Then there's the cyclist who wears the black plastic shirt and blue bandana on his head. And the other cyclist who is always wearing a red shirt. He gave me a big smile today as if to say, "Hey, you're back. I missed you last week." Okay. Maybe I'm making too much of that one. But still, they're perfect strangers yet I feel like I know them. Perhaps I should start creating personalities for them in my mind. God knows I have plenty of time to think when I'm out there walking.

The Big 2-0-0

This morning, I walked 3 miles and celebrated my 200th mile!

The Rest of Week 11

I may have been away for a few days, but that doesn't mean I didn't stop training. It was a bit of a challenge, but I did it! We went to Atlanta for Brian's brother's wedding. We had a good time visiting family, but my walks were a bit more difficult as Georgia's topography is more varied than Phoenix's.

On Thursday, I walked around my in-laws' extremely hilly neighborhood for 3 miles. Then on Friday, Brian and I took a six-mile walk from Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield to the Hilton where my parents were staying for the weekend. They took us to breakfast and drove us back to our car. The highlight of that morning's trek was walking past my favorite Food Network star's house. Here I am before Alton Brown's house.

On Sunday, Brian and I walked 10 miles around Marietta. We started at Marietta Square and walked to Kennesaw Mountain and even did some hiking around there to get in some mileage. I love that park and want to hike around the mountain with the kids next time we go in the summer.

The wedding was beautiful, and even though it has nothing to do with me walking in the 3-Day, I'm going to post some photos. Because this blog is a whole lot of words and not enough pictures.

Here's the most beautiful flower girl I've ever seen.

And here's the very shy ring bearer (and his Dad).

And here are the bride and groom, Meg and Jason, with the kids.I was behind the camera all day, but I did manage to accidentally take a picture of my foot (and Abby's, too). I hit the button on the camera while it was on my lap. The more I look at this photo, the more I like it. It's kind of cool, don't you think?

After walking for eleven weeks, my feet are a little pale but still look okay.

Week 11 Begins

I walked 5 miles this morning in 1 hour, 16 minutes.

While I'm walking, I'm very energetic. Afterwards, thought, I eat breakfast and just want to go to sleep. Sometimes I do. Sometimes, I just fall asleep. This morning, I came home from walking, ate some breakfast, and went to get my haircut. My stylist isn't a talker so while she was cutting and combing and drying my hair, I was in a pretty relaxed state. Very close to sleeping. How embarrassing would it be to fall asleep while getting your hair cut? I wonder if anyone ever has.

So Tired

It's been a long week. After yesterday's ten mile walk, Elizabeth and I went shopping for four hours. She's going to be a flower girl next week so we needed to get some shoes for her (which took twenty minutes to find) and a dress for me to wear to the wedding (which we still have not yet found). I can't wait to take Matthew to the mall with me tomorrow. Wish me luck.

This morning, we walked another six miles. There's really nothing else to say. It was hot. It was sunny. It is now over. The entire week's mileage was 24 miles. 24 miles! Next week I'm supposed to follow the same 3-5-10-6 schedule. There will be obstacles that will test my dedication to this training program. We'll see how I do.

Big Day

Jennifer and I walked ten miles this morning. We started at 5:00 and walked five miles to Starbucks. We refueled with some muffins and fruit and walked five miles back. It wasn't too bad, really; the little break sure helped. Though we were getting a little loopy by mile 9 due to a combination of heat stroke and fatigue. And our conversation sure ran the gamut: time travel; Oxy Clean; evolution; WWJD; why's it so hot?; and more. I can't imagine what will happen to us when we walk for three whole days. I do know that I'm gonna come back a lot smarter.

Make Up Day

I walked four miles this morning to make up for yesterday.

I must spend the rest of the day gearing up for tomorrow. It's a biggie--my first ten miles in two years.

Well, that's a first.

It was raining at 5:00 this morning! I couldn't walk my five miles. At first I was disappointed, but it was really nice to get back into bed for another hour and a half. Especially on a rainy morning.

Then I tried to make up a mile this afternoon. I'm not an impulsive person, which is probably a good thing because every time I do make an impulsive decision, it's a bad one. Matthew and I went to the UPS store to mail something right before I had to pick up Elizabeth from school. Because that errand didn't take as long as I had anticipated and because there was a lot of cloud cover, I decided to take the car back home and walk to the school to pick up Elizabeth. Her school is .65 miles from home so I figured I'd at least get in 1.3 miles today. It was pretty muggy, but at least the sun wasn't out.

As soon as school was dismissed, the clouds parted and the sun shone down. It was a ridiculously hot walk. So humid. The three of us were all soaked by the time we got home. It was a bad, bad move. I made it up to the kids by inviting a friend over, giving them popsicles, and letting them run through the sprinkler.

No Excitement

Nothing exciting happened on my walk today. Did 3 miles in about 45 minutes. Blah. Blah. Blah.

Great Walk

Jennifer and I had a great 6 mile walk this morning. I won't go as far to say the weather was cool, but it wasn't stifling so it's a step in the right direction. While it was record-settingly warm for a few weeks, we are now being spoiled with cooler mornings. It won't last so I'm trying not to get too attached. But it was a very pleasant walk this morning. We're both a little sore tonight. With 8 miles yesterday and 6 miles today, we're really getting into the nitty gritty stuff here. And the mileage is only going to go up and up, week after week. I don't know if I was just getting used to so much walking or what, but I'm glad I'm sore. It's a good hurt.

So Much Excitement

I walked 8 miles this morning in 2 hours and 3 minutes. I really wanted to get it over with so I walked as fast as I could. I probably would have made it in 2 hours if I didn't have to stop three times to get rocks out of my shoes.

This morning's walk was very exciting. The first thing I want to mention is that it was chilly this morning. When I opened the front door at 5:15, I was actually cold. Not until about a half mile was I warm. I think that's why my pace was so fast. I was just trying not to freeze.

About a mile into my walk, though, I had to take a little detour because there was a dog up ahead. Now normally, I'd just keep on walking and pass the dog with no fear, but since I've been reading The Survivors Club by Ben Sherwood, I was first convinced it was a coyote. Then I thought it might be a fox. In any case, I couldn't get the chapter devoted to the woman who had her face ripped off by a mountain lion out of my head. I just turned around and walked over to the other side of the canal. You know...because dogs or coyotes or foxes can't swim. I don't know. I guess I just figured the water between us would deter him if he wasn't all that hungry this morning.

Then at the halfway point, I could smell bacon from IHOP. I must convince Jennifer that we should take this route on a Sunday. Soon.

And finally, one of the perks to getting up so early and walking through your neighborhood on Saturdays is that you get to be the first to see garage sale merchandise. I saw a really nice umbrella and stand (the kind you put through a patio table) on my way back. As soon as I got home, I sent Brian to check it out and buy it. Now we have an umbrella. And he paid only $30 for it! Exciting indeed.

My Calves!

Oh, my calves are burning today! I think it was the hilly terrain of the Desert Botanical Garden yesterday. And pushing the stroller up the hills. I really should make an effort to incorporate hills into my training because the San Diego 3-Day course does have some hills. It's pretty flat around here, though, so I'm having a hard time figuring out how to add that to my training.

So Tired

Oh, I'm so tired. I got up early and did my 5 miles in 78 minutes. Then after I took Elizabeth to school, Jennifer and I took Kate and Matthew to the Desert Botanical Gardens. We walked around for about an hour and a half. In the 'extreme heat.' We were so hot and so sweaty. Then we couldn't find the exit because of their very poor signage. But, we did make it out and it was a fun morning despite the heat. We'll definitely go back again when the weather is cooler and if one of us scores another culture pass.

After the garden, we walked around an outdoor mall. I got some more exercise because Matthew fell asleep during the 15 minute drive so I was carrying an extra 40 pounds or so until he woke up. Or until I woke him up so we could eat lunch, rather. Then we found a fantastic frozen yogurt shop and the kids went crazy in a splash pad. A fun time was had by all, but between all the walking and the extreme heat (sorry, I had to say it again), we're all ready for bed.

Exploring New Territory

This morning I walked 4 miles in just over an hour. I was supposed to do three, but I tried out a new route, got a little lost, and figured I may as well just do an extra mile. Since we went to the mountains a few weekends ago, I've been down two miles in my training and that's been bugging me. So, I made up a mile. Maybe next week I'll do another extra mile and my conscience will be cleared.

It was nice to change up the route. I walked through what is considered an established neighborhood in these parts. That means it's older. It was probably developed in the 60's, and yes, I do realize that is not old, but that's old for around here. Maybe it was the 70's. I don't know. It was before they started stamping the years in the sidewalks. Anyway, it was a good walk. It was certainly more shady (in a good way--you know, lots of mature trees) than my neighborhood and it had character. Sure, some of the houses could use a little TLC, but most were proudly taken care of. And I saw some interesting people. Like the man who was getting into his car wearing at tuxedo at 6:30 am. And no, his car was not a limo.

The End of Week 8

Jennifer and I got another 3 miles in this morning. I was tired and she wasn't feeling well so we took our time. Besides, this was pretty much a recovery week. After building up to 7 miles, this 4-day training week was only 3-5-4-3. Next weekend, we have to do 8 miles on Saturday and 6 miles on Sunday. I'm praying for 70 degree weather with overcast skies. Right. The only way that will happen is if we move to Oregon this week.

Just More Walking

I walked four miles this morning in 63 minutes.

Jennifer and I were planning to go to the 3-Day Preview Expo this morning, but we decided not to. I was thinking that 'preview' meant it was a preview of the 3-Day. Jennifer (she's the smart one) pointed out that it's probably a preview of the main expo, which will be a bigger and better expo. Oh. Makes sense. I was wondering why an expo for such a grand event was being held in a middle school cafeteria.