Day 39?

Another walk in the park. One circuit in 1:20 and my Speed-O-Meter said I was doing 4.8 mph. That's 12.5 minute miles for 6+ miles and I will take that any time. I have 3 pair of shoes now that I'm rotating through, hoping to find the perfect ones for race day. I still have a blister on my left heel and it was weeping a little after today's effort. I will have to protect it better than I did today.

Weight 199.4 BFI 24 BP 113/65 Pulse 68

Comment Spam

Comment Spam. That is a pesky problem with blogs and so I have added protection by using Blogger's "word verification" for comments. If you comment, you will see a series of letters that only a human can see... and you will have to type them in to post the comment.

Later

Good news. I just got back from an 18.5 mile walk (at altitude) and we did it in 4:41. Almost 9 miles of the walk were on the Biz Johnson Trail and the uphill leg is 4.5 miles. So to be able to do a walk like this at 4,500 feet is a great boost to my ego. When I started, there was a slight uphill and I huffed and puffed, thinking that I was in for a very long and exhausting morning. But after that one moment of weakness...the walking grew easier and easier,until I was cruising as if I were at sea level.

Altitude

I'm up early and about to go walking on the Saturday long walk. This is going to be interesting as I'm at 5,000 feet and it's been awhile since I lived at this altitude. I can only hope that I fade gracefully and not "Bonk".

Day 43

Well, I wasn't able to leap tall building in a single bound and I wasn't faster than a speeding bullet, but my new shoes did work well - except for one little thing. I started off fine and I was up to 5.6 mph and then around mile 3, I felt that peculiar itching sensation on my right heel that signals a possible blister forming. I stopped and rubbed some Body Glide on it and relaced the shoes. But it wasn't going to go away that easy, so I decided to do a 5 mile walk instead of the anticipated 6.25. I ended up back at the car with a little under 12 minute miles for the entire 5 miles. (5.05 mph) So it wasn't a complete bust.

At home now, I don't see a blister...but the skin is tender on my heel. Now I have to come up with a plan to break in these shoes in less than a month.

Weight 198.8 BFI 23.7 BP 105/65 Pulse 59

Flexible

Now this is the shoe that Jill bought and I will deliver it in time for a long walk on Saturday. Notice that the colors are quite nice. Now why don't the women have the same opportunity to mislead the judges as the men do? Why don't they have orange shoes? Let's demand equality!

Flexible

Here's the new shoes. Gaudy aren't they? There is a method behind this extreme coloration. In judged racewalking, the color will (hopefully) lead the judges eye away from the knee and down to the feet. And it's the knee that the judges are supposed to be watching. I've had a judge actually crouch and run next to me as she watched my knee for a "Bent Knee" violation.

Tomorrow will be a good time to get them dirty and maybe cut the glare...

Oh, yes...they are very light and very flexible!

Google Map Pedometer

Google Map Pedometer
Now this is an interesting site! Ah...technology! Don't you love it?

Bidwell Musings

Some odd thoughts...

What's up with the guy who walks the cat? I've seen him a dozen times during the past few years. He wears a black silk robe style outfit and he has a black cat that follows him through the park. He walks quite slowly and the cat is always about five feet behind him.

Expensive parts? Quite often, as I walk, I will see shiny and expensive looking nuts, bolts and gears along the path. I always wonder how far the bicycle went before the owner noticed or crashed?

Dogs, dogs everywhere! And the resulting dog poop is everywhere as well. No one seems to notice the doggy bag stations that provide free bags to clean up their dogs mess.

I'm still saying, "Good morning!" to each person I see, but the responses are predictable...not many answer at all and they avoid eye contact. I guess I'm just a shameless extrovert!

The Congregators. You know the people that will stop their grocery carts right in the middle of the aisle while shopping? Well, they do the same sort of thing in the park. They stop directly in the middle of the road and...congregate. And when you get Congregators, Doggy People and the Exercise Mom's together in one place...what a zoo!

Yesterday it was a new group added to the mix...the Senior Strollers. The time of day for my walk was off by about 45 minutes and so I was surprised to see dozens of seniors strolling the paths. It took me about 20 minutes to get past the traffic jam.

Day 45

Not the best of days. I got a "low battery" message on my GPS unit and so I just walked as fast as I could around the park, once. Without a watch, it was tough to determine if I was faster or slower...but I know it was good for me and that's all I need.

Weight 198.6 BFI 23.8 BP 110/63 Pulse 66

Day 46

Since I had so many chores stacked up at home I decided to do a fast walk instead of a long walk. I was off and walking by 6:45 and the first mile went by at a 4.6 mph pace. So I switched to a pure racewalking stride and by the end of 2 1/2 miles, I was up to 5 mph. I kept up that pace till just a little before I made the circuit complete. Overall, 3.6 miles at 4.8 mph.

That's good aerobic exercise and it is always good to get in a few miles of racewalking, just so that I don't lose my touch. And to please my children, I didn't greet or make eye contact with anyone and possibly embarrass them. I was strictly incognito!

Weight 198.4 BFI 23.7 BP 113/66 Pulse 60

Day 49

As you can see by the number 49 above, we're getting closer to the day of the Marathon. October 9th is "the day" and one of the nice things about that day is the fact that we won't have to train for awhile afterwards. In fact, we can quit our training walks about a week before the event.

I talked to Jill today and she also did a fast 18 miles and she did it at altitude! Susanville is right around 4,500' and that gives her great endurance when she walks at sea level. Plus she was doing a very hilly route, with lots of ups and downs. That kind of course will generate black toe nails very quickly.

Yes, I will be glad to see the end of walks around and around the park...so boring!

2 hours after walking; Weight 197.5 BFI 23.5 BP 110/62 Pulse 72

Ouch!

I just finished up my long walk and it was...18.75 miles and I did it in 4:36 minutes. That's an average of 14.72 minutes per mile. Not bad. I was planning on going slower but once I got into the walk, the pace became automatic. My first 6 miles was at a 4.2 mph average and at the end of 13 miles, I was doing 4.1 mph. And overall I came in with a 4.0 mph average. Not a big swing in the numbers between the start and the finish and that is what's needed for a marathon; a steady pace that will eat away the miles without tearing you up.

The only pain I had was when I took my left sock off at home. A brand new pair of socks ruined! There were two holes in the sole of the sock and when I investigated, I found a small rock in my shoe. Luckily, it didn't bleed and I have a feeling the pain will soon be gone.

Oops! Day 50

Another 6.5 mile walk and at the same old speed/time. I did it in 80 minutes, which is just fine, but I was hoping for an improvement over the last time.

I did have a startling moment when I was passing some walkers with dogs. They had congregated in a spot where I had to veer to the left to get around them. As soon as I passed them I headed back to the right side of the path and found a bicycle passing me on the right at the same time…no warning of course.

I think I need a cane to walk with…I will use it to flail about wildly, hoping that will keep cyclists away. And if it doesn’t, I can use the hook portion of the cane to snare a rear wheel. Oops! So sorry.

45 minutes after my walk.

Weight 199 BFI 24 BP 113/65 Pulse 66

$$$

As I was walking on Tuesday, I had this thought; why not start a walking coaching job? I could charge people to motivate and train them to walk for health and fitness. Individual training would start at $30 an hour with the second hour at $20. Third hour = $10. Those are consecutive hours; so a 3 hour training session would net me $60. I like it!

Day 53

Another walking day is now history. I did the once around the park loop, or approximately a 1/4 of a marathon. This time my GPS unit told me that I was cruising and not getting up to speed. The best I could do was a 4.9 mph and eventually that drifted down to 4.7 mph. Surprise! I ended up back at the starting line with an elapsed time of 80 minutes; the same as yesterday’s time. So what’s going on? I guess I need to determine an arbitrary number for that distance and use my watch for timing. The trees seem to confuse the GPS unit.

OK, here it is…6.5 miles all the way around the park, including the loop outside the park onto Mangrove and back into the park. So my time/speed for today and yesterday are 12.31 minute miles and 4.87 mph.

Other than that confusion over distance, everything went well…until I got home and took my shoes off. I saw blood all over the toe area of my right sock. I never felt a thing, but I apparently developed a tiny blister on one toe and it bled. I still can’t quite see where the injury is, it’s that small! But this points out how important little things like “good” socks are. That was a new pair of Nike socks, but there is a flaw in the material that was rubbing.

Weight 200.8 BFI 24.1 BP108/62 Pulse 61

Day 54

A good day at the park. I did the usual 6 point something mile course…or once around the park and I did it in 1:20. I started off slow for some reason. I wasn’t experiencing any pain but I couldn’t seem to get my feet moving at the pace I wanted. After about a mile and a half, I found the pace and went from 4.9 mph to 5.1. And I kept it there till about the 6 mile point and that’s where I slowed to 5.0. So that’s an average of 11.88 minutes per mile for me and I am happy with that.

I did make one mistake though, and that was forgetting to bring my tape recorder with me. My mind was in operating in high gear and I had no place to record my thoughts. Darn!

Weight: 200 even, BFI 24.0 BP 106/63 Pulse 63

Day 55

Good morning. It’s Sunday and I can tell you that yesterday was good as well. It began with a long walk, starting at 6:30 and ending 4 hours and 40 minutes later. We covered 17.3 miles during that time and at a reasonably slow pace. The proof of that strategy will be apparent on Monday when I do a faster, shorter walk. In fact, I am now looking forward to next week’s long walk. 18 miles? Sure, why not? These longer walks are also great for the “mental game”, as we prepare for the marathon.

And, after our walk, we went to the Fleet Feet store and ordered some new shoes for the race. These are New Balance Race Walking shoes and a new design; much better looking than the old model, although still a little flashier than I am accustomed to. We should get those shoes in about a week.

The rest of the day was good as well, as we had grandchildren and children filling the house, making their mother (and me) quite happy. We also had some pool time of course, which helped the tired muscles to recuperate. In fact, I don’t feel any specific pains at all this morning, and that is a good thing.

Day 57

I did get in a 6 mile walk yesterday, and a pretty fast one as well. I maintained a 12.5 minute/mile for the entire walk. That’s more like my performance in the early part of 2001. Now I will do another 6 or 7 miles this morning and see if my speed goes up or if it goes down. And I better check my weight again, as I have been eating ice cream with some regularity. 201.2 pounds. Shame on me! But…a blood pressure of 114/66 and a pulse of 50; those are the vital statistics that make my ice cream sins somewhat negligible.

Day 58

My plans for the day are to get in a good walk at Bidwell. I hope to do at least 7 miles. (early-of course!) And the same for tomorrow. Saturday will be the long walk day and Jill will be down from the mountains to do it with me. She doesn’t get as many opportunities for long walks so this will be a test for her. I’m hoping to do a 4 ½ hour walk, an increase of 30 minutes over last Saturday's walk.

Day - 61 Revisited

A good walk this morning and a fast one. It always surprises me that after a hard slog like last Saturday, I suddenly have the capacity for speed. I started off at 5.9 mph and finished the 1st mile with a 5.6 mph average; the second mile at 5.5 mph. Overall, I went a 5.06 miles in one hour. That's a shade under 12 minute miles...

Of course that simply proves that the long slow walks are good for you...but they are sooo booorring!

Day 61

I bought a new electronic scale yesterday, one that uses electronics to determine the percentage of body fat. The scale reports that I weigh 201 this morning and my Body Fat Index is *24.1…that’s in the middle of the range for my age and I see that I can use some improvement in that number. My blood pressure this morning is 119/67 with a pulse of 49. Those are good numbers, and two days ago the numbers were 117/71 with a pulse of 47. That tells me I’m right on target as far as cardio-vascular health goes. I just need to reduce the Body Fat Index number and more walking will do that.

Speaking of walking...I will do a short and fast walk today, just 6 miles, and I will do it early.

* Many years ago, my Body Fat Index was in the single digits...oh how I have slipped!

Day 63 Revisited

Whew! It was tough, but I made it. 4 hours of walking and I did 15.6 miles. I was doing a good 4.0 mph for close to 14 miles and then the power left me and I ended up with a 3.9 mph average. Stupid me...once I saw that my average was slipping, I tried to go faster, forgetting the reason for this walk was to learn how to use time as my standard...not speed.

Now I'm home and have enjoyed a cooling swim with Karlee and Kyle...who seem to think that grandpa is some large toy. My swim may have been cool, but it was more of workout as we wrestled and played. I may sleep well tonight.

Day 63

I have an appointment with the park this morning; where I will spend about 4 hours walking slowly and with purpose. All part of the marathon training. I did a 7 mile walk yesterday, first getting in 3 miles with Laurae at a slower pace (3.3) and then 4 miles at a 4.2 mph pace. The slow pace will be the hard part as it’s not natural for me. I want to move! And finding the right pace is difficult…I want to be able to do the marathon at a steady 14 minute mile pace and that would give me a 6 hour time for the distance. (In 2001, I did it with a 14.41 pace) But that is too fast for the long training walks, where a 15 minute mile is more appropriate. (Or even slower)

The weather is not cooperating with my training plans and the forecast is for a high of 103°+. If I start early; 6:30, then I should finish up before the heat becomes a big factor. I keep hoping that these hot training days will translate into improved endurance during the marathon, when temperatures will be considerably cooler.

Marathon Training:

Marathon Training: Why You Need a Long Slow Distance Day Each Week
Good advice and I need to get in a 14 mile walk this week. It's the slow part that always defeats me. I want to walk faster and it's tough to walk sooo sllloooww! 65 days to go...

walker's calculator

PreventDisease.com - walker's calculator
This is the place to go for a calorie calculator and some good tips for walking.

Day 67

OK, I did it...an 8 mile walk and it went very well. I did the first 5 miles at a 4.7 mph pace. That's a 12.8 minute mile and that's pretty good. I slowed down and relaxed for the next 3 miles and finished with a 4.4 mph average (13.6 minute/mile) It really helped by getting to the park at 7:30, while it was still cool. Let's see how many calories I burned...993! Great, and that means free ice cream for me...guilt free.

Walking Today

I will head into town this morning and go for a long walk, not a real long walk, but a longer one than yesterday. I think an 8 mile walk would be a good goal. So I need to do that early, before the temperature and humidity get out of control!

I am in pretty good shape after the long walk last Saturday; no injuries and my feet are in good shape for now. I know that the new socks helped with that. Isn't that odd? That something so simple as new socks can make such a big difference.

All in all, I am in pretty good health. My stomach is much flatter and I am down to 199-200 pounds. I wouldn’t mind getting down to 190. In fact, I enjoy seeing a thinner face looking out of the mirror at me every morning. It’s hard to believe that I was up to 240 pounds a few years ago. But I was eating in restaurants at least 50% of the time and just doing that will really put the pounds on. I know this weight loss is good for my knees and I suppose the same could be said for my feet; less is always better!

When I left the Navy I weighed 175, but I doubt that I can re-visit that territory. That's ancient history!

Day 68

An easy day. We went into town and did the usual 3+ miles at an easy pace. Tomorrow will be a different matter, as I need to get in about 8 miles at a fairly fast pace. I'm already planning on a long walk on Saturday, starting early of course. I need to do about 4 hours worth or close to 16 miles.