The Last Day

Let’s see, the goal was to get past the last days mileage and continue on at a good speed. So I did a long and fairly fast walk. Fast enough for me. And using the distances I charted the other day really helps me to pick and choose where I walk. The “walk around the park till you drop” routine was so boring! Now my only challenge is remembering all those turns and detours so that I can calculate it all at the end. So as best I can calculate, it was a 13.66 mile walk and I did it in 182 minutes. That gives me 13.32 minute/miles. If I could do a marathon at that rate, I would be crossing the finish line about 5 hours and 49 minutes after the start. (That’s a 2:54:00 ½ marathon time and I have done better than that.)

The best part is the fact that today is my last day as a 65 year old and I can still walk pretty darn fast!

BP 113/54  Pulse 69  and the weight is 192.6 pounds

How Far?

The walk went well, especially since I now know how far Point B is from Point A. I started off at a nice moderate pace and then decided to see how far I could go at that pace. I did the first mile at a 12:48 pace and the first milestone (1.64 miles) in 20.5 minutes. (12.5) I did the 5K distance in 38.5 minutes and then it was all downhill to my first lap. (12.93 minute/mile) Going around for the second time I felt good so I decided to keep up the pace and see how far I could go without falling below 4.5 mph. At the 10.41 mile marker I decided to give it a rest and slow it down for the remaining few miles. At that point I was maintaining a 12.97 minute/mile average…not bad for 10 and a half miles. Even with a slower pace, I finished 11.66 miles in 2:33:30, a 13.11 minute/mile average. I’m OK with that!

I should mention the socks…I bought some Adidas socks at Mervyn’s. They are short and the wicking kind and they have been great. I need to buy some more…

BP 114/60 Pulse 63 and weight is 197.4

Measuring Up

We’re back from a successful trip to Chico. I was able to get in a good, though slow, walk. And I was able to measure most of the park for future reference. And one of the things that I discovered was that while I have been counting one trip around the park as 6.25 miles; the wheel calculated that distance to be 6.38 miles. A small thing I suppose, but I will take every little bit of advantage I can. Some of my other estimates were off in the other direction so I suppose I may not have gained much.

My best calc’s for the day tell me that I went 8 miles altogether and I did it at a slow 15 minute/mile pace because I had to stop every once in awhile and write down the distances and do the math.

BP 104/52 Pulse 69 and weight is 196.8

Out and About

Darn...I missed a day of training yesterday when my hamstring muscles acted up. Yes, it's my fault as I'm not very good at going through the warm-up routines. I'm far too impatient and always want to get out and get going. And so it was this morning. My legs felt fine so I got out of the car and started out at a fairly fast pace. The first mile is always a pain as my body goes from an inactive state to a 12 minute/mile pace. Ouch!

Of course I persist and this morning I did one hour of training. I am not sure how far I went. Maybe 4.9 miles? For now I will call it 4.8 and that means I was training at a 12.5 minute/mile pace. Someday I will get around to measuring how far it actually was.

Style

Saturday has arrived I’m prepared for a longer than normal walk. I hope to get in close to 16+ miles today. Part of the walking time will be spent in measuring distances in the park, as I want to have an idea of how far I’m walking without using my GPS unit and wondering how accurate it is. Then I will finish up by trying out some of the distances at a racewalking speed.

I should point out that I’m not a very good racewalker. My style is definitely my own and I would certainly be disqualified within a few miles if I tried to race in a judged race. I even spent a weekend with Dave McGovern while trying to learn the basics of racewalking, some years ago. And while it was fun and informational, I can only hope that he has destroyed the video tapes of my walking style.  

5+

Short but sweet; that was the story today as I did a 5+ mile walk in 66 minutes, giving me a 12.57 minute/mile average.

Now I my plan is to use Saturday (tomorrow) as a measuring day. I will take the measuring wheel and try to get an accurate measurement for all of the possible routes around the park. I’m tired of trying to calculate this stuff in my head and I can’t trust the GPS unit because of the trees that block a view of the satellites.

Speaking of trees…the park sycamores are already shedding their leaves. Can fall be just around the corner or is this some symptom of heat damage?

BP 112/56 Pulse 57 and weight 199.6. (Yes, I had a bowl of ice cream last night…but I deserved it; really!)

10 miles

A good walk. It wasn't as fast as I wanted it to be, but upon checking my stats...I was faster than I was a week ago when doing the same distance. I started fast and then my GPS unit went haywire, telling me that I was only going 4.1 mph when I knew from experience that I was doing at least 4.7. The problems continued all of the way around so I just used experience and the clock function to tell me how fast I was going. The first landmark was reached in 21 minutes versus a normal 23. The time around the park was 81 minutes and that's a 12.96 minute/mile.
I continued on and went for a total of 10 miles at a 13.1 minute/mile average. I was hoping to have stayed in the 12 minute range...maybe next time.

BP 108/53 Pulse 80 (I was moving some boxes of books) and weight is 197.4

Unexpected

I just returned from a different kind of walk. I had taken the VW in to the dealer this morning and when he told me it might be 3 hours or more before they would finish with it, I decided to walk until they called me. So I set off and crossed through downtown Chico on my way to the park. I knew I wasn’t going to set any speed records today so I waited patiently at the signals and didn’t stress myself over the delays.

Once I reached the park I set a nice and easy pace, 4.1 mph, a 14.48 minute/mile average…including the stops for traffic. And I kept it up for 3 hours and 27 minutes.

BP 128/58 Pulse 53 and weight 196.6

My plan for the day hadn’t included a half marathon+ distance…but if it helps with the training, I’m all for it!

Crop Walk

It’s that time of year again and once more I will be walking in the local Crop Walk. But I’m trying something different this year; I’m soliciting for your help on-line. If you can give something; any amount will help…hunger is a problem that just won’t go away unless we work at it. And those of us with plenty have good reason to share…

Thanks!  Click here to go to my donation page.

Racing

I went into town early, hoping to get in a fast 5 mile walk. I had enough aches and pains from yesterday’s 15 mile jaunt that I needed something short to warm me up and remove the pains.

I arrived about 6:20 and there was no one else around. Bidwell is pretty quiet early on Sunday mornings. So off I went…and immediately began to argue with myself. 3 miles would be enough, I said. I replied that I had promised myself 5 miles and that was that! The bickering continued until I stepped in and said, “Enough! You’re doing 4 miles.” And so I did. I did quite well at…12.02 minutes per mile for a 48.08 minute overall time. That’s better than I did at the Fleet Feet Senior 4 Mile event.

And afterwards, the minor aches pains were all gone. Feeling good!

Long Walk Day

I have just returned from a long walk in the park, 15 miles worth. And it was most interesting; sometimes frustrating but always interesting. I started later than I should have, starting at 6:30 and then I was up to 4.8 mph in no time. Wrong! This was supposed to be my long and slow weekend walk and I quickly cooled it down to 4.4 mph. And to my surprise, I didn’t even break a sweat until I had gone about 2 miles.

I made it around the first time in 86 minutes, a very manageable 13.76 minutes per mile. A drink of water and I set out for the next lap. And on my way I spoke to Lin Jensen, the faster Chico racewalker. He asked if I were doing any races soon and I told him I was doing Portland and Westwood/Susanville in October. Of course I asked him what his plans were and he told me that he was too busy for any races this year; being wrapped up with his duties as a Buddhist prison chaplain at High Desert. Whoa! What a surprise…

The second time around was a little more problematic; more people and more congestion on the path. The bicycles were especially bad this morning; never giving any warning and cutting as close as possible. Most annoying! And then there were the dog walkers with 3 or more dogs in each hand. Try passing a group of dog walkers who have suddenly stopped to chat!

The park is a wonderful place and this morning it was being used by lots of people with lots of different interests…which made it quite difficult to navigate. One lady, a birdwatcher, suddenly decided to stop and look up into a tree. All well and good except for the fact that I was directly behind her.

The final score; 210 minutes divided by 15 miles = 14 minute miles. OK. The idea was to build up some mileage and not see how fast I could do it. I was successful. Tomorrow I will do a quick 4 or 5 miler and then take Monday off.

BP 107/54 Pulse 74 Weight 197

And afterwards, I decided to see if I could find Victory Tattoo and find out how much it would cost for the marathon tattoos I want. I didn’t find the place but I did find another coffee shop, Coco Caffe. I’m not bothering with that one again. I was obviously in the wrong age group and was royally snubbed. Age discrimination! As I left the shopping center I glanced over to the right and there was Victory Tattoo; I just hadn’t gone far enough. Oh well, next time.

Sleeping in

A good morning…after a late start, I got onto the trail about 6:38 and began my trips around the park. I had forgotten to bring any kind of timing device with me so I was stuck with using the clock in the car. That and my knowledge of how far it was from here to there; sort of. And I had new socks on; always a dangerous proposition when going for more than 5 or 6 miles.

The first time around was completed in a leisurely 83 minutes (13.28 minute/miles) and then I went for an additional 4 miles. All in all; 10.25 miles approximately and in 137 minutes exactly. (13.36 minute/miles) The socks worked fine and I had a nice workout.

Now is the time to begin a countdown to race day. 43 days? So I need to get in some distance walks and soon.

Vitals: BP 108/53 and pulse of 60. Good! Weight: 197 Also good!

Race is on

A little bit of competition always helps...Jill joined me for a quick walk around the park today and when we were in sight of the finish, we couldn't help but race. I don't know if I was being coddled or not, but we did end up neck and neck at the end. And with a good time of 81 minutes. According to Jill's GPS unit, we were doing 12:15 minutes/miles. GPS units? Bah! Humbug. I need to map this park with accurate readings for all possible routes and then I can just use a watch and go where I want.

Another day in the park

Not bad. I was able to get in a 7.25 mile walk and was able to keep up a good pace...no straining. I did it in 1 hour and 35 minutes which translates to a 13.1 minute mile average.

That pace would be a good one to maintain for the full marathon, but can I? I'm doing it without my partner so I will need to find a way to become motivated for the full time I'm on the course. If the Chico racewalker, Lin Jensen, is doing the race, I will try and stay close behind him. I don't want him to know I'm there...that would only make him walk faster! And if he doesn't do the Portland this year, I will have to content myself with picking off walkers, one at a time.

Good news. I met with my new doctor and he tells me that the shoulder pain I am experiencing is probably some calcification in the joint which impinges upon the nerve. The odd feeling in my arm that I assumed to be a circulation problems is simply the nerve reacting.

Vitals...BP 125/66 Pulse 58 and weight 195.7

Surprise!

Short and fast was the order of the day. I was in the park right at 6 AM; by the way, it’s almost dark at that hour. Since I had an appointment back in Orland at 8:30, I had to be quick. And I did a 5.25 round trip in 65 minutes, giving me a 12:38 minute/mile average.

But an odd thing happened in the park; just after I had turned at Manzanita and was coming back, a race walker appeared! He was heading towards me at a very fast pace; probably under 10 minute miles. He grinned and shouted, “Isn’t this fun?” Well, of course it is…especially if you are able to walk as fast as he could. But, if I were judging, I might have given him one warning for “Bent Knee”.

After waving and agreeing, I continued on towards the car. And after about 15 minutes, I saw him again; coming towards me, still going very fast and grinning. This time he shouted, “This is really great!” Of course I agreed. And judging? He might have had “Loss of Contact” and should have been given another warning.

It’s quite uplifting to see another race walker, hard at work and doing it well. I only know of 3 others in this area and this guy looked to be the youngest of us all. He couldn’t have been over 45.

Weight 197.4

Success

Now that’s more like it! Since I wanted to make Saturday my long walk day, I started out with the intention of doing at least 10 miles and I ended up doing 10.5 miles, plus or minus; or up the path to Manzanita and back again, twice. It’s not the most accurate but it will do for now. And I did the first 5.25 miles in 1 hour and 5 minutes, a good 12.38 minute/mile average. Then it was time for a 30 second break, long enough to swallow some water and then I returned to the task. This time I ended up getting to my first milestone almost a minute faster than the previous time. I was moving too fast! I slowed it down and came back to the car with a time of 1 hour and 8 minutes. That adds up to a 12.66 mile minute/average and I was really happy about that number. Especially since I was able to do it without any signs of fatigue or any pain. During a marathon, I wouldn’t expect to walk at that pace; a more realistic number will be 13.25 minute/miles. That would give me a 5 hour and 50 minute time, plus or minus.

And I do love the park early on a Saturday morning. Everyone you see is there because they are dedicated to fitness. Lots of smiles and a few grimaces. But the atmosphere is all about the purpose of our meeting there at a time of morning when most are still in bed.

There is a runner I have mentioned before; always wears a man’s long-sleeve dress shirt and an odd hat. I see her run by and know that the next time I see her she will be on her bicycle. I’m pretty sure she is training for triathlons…and wouldn’t be surprised to spot her swimming up Chico Creek.

And the Chico Running Club meets near Manzanita for their Saturday morning run. I tried to remain inconspicuous as I passed by, as I haven’t paid my dues for this year!

Vital signs…weight is 194 BP is 117/63 Pulse 64

And looking in the mirror, I see that I’m losing muscle mass. That is to be expected as you age, but at the same time I’m developing a runners body once more. The muscles have a different purpose now. I don’t have a “six-pack”, a “4-pack” is a better description

Oh! The Pain!

Yes, it was painful as I had to work through both shin and gluteus muscle pains this morning. But the pain didn’t last long as I did a fast 5.25 miles. I did it in 64 minutes and that’s a 12:19 minute mile average. The pain was gone after the end of the first mile.

My first thought this morning was to avoid the training day and give my body a rest after experiencing some pain yesterday. I’m glad I didn’t listen to that slacker!

Weight 196.2 BP 115/64 Pulse 69

A Pain!

Today was a day for some endurance training; longer distance and slower speeds. The final results were; not accurate but close, 1:59 minutes and 8.83 miles. That gives me statistics like this; 13.48 minutes per mile, or 4.45 miles per hour.

I was keeping a faster pace (4.5 mph) until about 7.5 miles and then I started getting a pain in the gluteus muscles and that slowed me down some. So it seems that I need to work on my endurance training even more than usual.

Sights in the park: I was passed by a leaf brushing, dirt and diesel spewing sweeper about 7:30. Isn’t there a better time to do that? I know, I know…if it wasn’t me that was being offended, then it would be someone else. And the swimming hole at One-Mile was drained while sweepers cleaned that in preparation for the weekend crowds. Also saw a few trees that had lost limbs.

I forgot to mention that the last time I walked through the pool area on a Monday morning, the scene was disgusting! Litter was everywhere. The same kind of trash could be seen at the swimming hole near Manzanita.

Vitals…BP 11/63 Pulse 61 and weight is 195.2

Once Again

I’m back at it…I lost a few training days because of baby-sitting chores but it doesn’t seem to have hurt my performance at all. I decided to go for speed this morning and did the 6.25 miles around Bidwell Park in 79 minutes. That’s 12.64 minute/miles (4.75 mph) and certainly good for the heart.

Vital signs: BP=122/62 Pulse=62 and weight is 195. All good and within a healthy range. I’m hoping to be at 190 pounds for the Portland Marathon. I think it’s do-able.