What Fun!

I did get in a longer practice yesterday; 5.16 miles and all done in 68 minutes. Far too long, but at least I was out and doing it. There were a couple of racing events at the park that I didn’t know about; one, a bicycle race and the other seemed to be a 6 mile run? Usually I know about these before they happen, but not this time. Plus, there was concrete work being done at a new picnic site and that involved cars and trucks’ moving along what is normally a closed road. With all of the cycling activity in the park, I was glad to finish and get out of there.

Cyclists are always the rudest of athletes. OK, not all…but most. They seem to go out of their way to see how close they can come to hitting you without actually making contact. In my future life, I see myself walking in the park with my cane. I will be wearing glasses that hold a small rear-view mirror and when I see a cyclist just about to overtake me, I will begin to flail my cane all about. Dancing and gyrating. Maybe jabbing my cane into the spokes to hear the funny sound it makes? I want to make Bidwell Park the home of the “Mad Walker” and know that cyclists dread seeing me; never knowing when I will attack. They might even learn to ride far to the left of me and to announce their presence as some of the more civil cyclists do.

The Future?

I did get in a good walk yesterday, though not the fastest. I’m well on my way to giving up on the competitive race walking. Without someone to walk with once in awhile, it’s simply depressing. And I seem to get slower and slower because of it; which just compounds the problem.

When I was walking and training with the members of the Sierra Race Walkers, I had no trouble staying focused and becoming faster with each training session. But there’s no such thing here. The only competitive walking you see is at Costco where the race is on to see what snacks they’re giving away. Is that my future?

I just checked my blood pressure and it’s back into the 130’s. Darn it! I need to get it back to somewhere between 120 and 110. And it’s walking that will do that. Or cycling? I’m thinking of getting a decent seat on the bike and doing some cycling every other day. The only thing that keeps me away from the bike is fear. Automobiles and bicycles don’t mix and you can’t trust drivers to see you.

Civility

I suppose I better see what kind of weather we have in store for us. I’ve been outside, (to call the cat) in the dark, and couldn’t see any stars, so I guess we have a cloudy future. Here it is, “A 50 percent chance of rain after 11am. Cloudy, with a high near 61. South wind between 8 and 17 mph.”

If the forecast is correct, I can get in a good walk this morning before the rain starts. I did a 4 mile walk yesterday but without a timer, so I’m not sure of my performance. But it was good for me no matter how long it took.

And yesterday’s walk deserves some comments: The weather was OK but the timing was off. I started at a time when the “mommy brigade” was starting their walk through the park and they have this unfortunate habit of taking up the entire pathway with themselves and their strollers. They are unable to walk in pairs, or even in groups of 3 or 4. Anyone passing them or coming towards them has to detour out into the woods to get around them. Which I did.

And then there were the dog walkers and their bad habit of holding lengthy meetings in the middle of the pathway. Three dog walkers with 4 dogs each on retractable leashes makes a formidable barrier for the unencumbered walker; me. I was finally noticed and they reeled in a few dogs and allowed me to pass.

There were the usual nice folks out there and we exchanged greetings as we usually do; then, as I was returning, a cyclist passed me without warning. There wasn’t another person in sight but he chose to pass me with a foot or less of clearance. Jerk!

What’s with this lack of civility? Are people being raised without any sense of what’s right and wrong? Or just plain old good manners? I know…it’s always been this way, even in the “good old days” and these people won’t change. You see them everywhere; men with hats on while inside and eating. People spitting. Cutting in line ahead of you. Interrupting you. The final insult was my getting stuck behind a women wearing perfume while walking. What was she thinking? On and on it goes.

I should also mention one of my favorite sights in the park, just so you don’t think I’m a perpetual grouch. There is an older man that walks a short distance each day; maybe a mile. He is usually dressed in a Japanese style robe and wears Japanese sandals. He’s not Japanese and he appears to be about 60 years old. Balding, but with a short ponytail and always wearing sunglasses. He also walks with a pronounced limp, as if one knee were fused. He uses a cane.

And what I enjoy most is the fact that he is often accompanied by a black cat. The cat follows about ten feet behind him and at the same pace; stopping to sit whenever the man pauses. I wish I knew more of this story…

More Better

A good day in the park. I did the 5.16 miles in 66 minutes, giving me a 12.79 minute/mile average. And I lost some weight in the process.... going down to 205.8.

I hadn't used the park for about a month and so I was surprised to see how much spring growth has occured since my last circuit. It's lush! And the temperatures are just right; 58 degrees and rising to 70 by the time I finished.

BP 114/61 & Pulse 71...Now that's much better!

I will take the day off tomorrow; Easter, you know. Then resume the practice on Monday AM.

Ooops!

It’s time for me to get out into the park and get in some serious exercise. Yesterday I signed up for the Fleet Feet Masters 4 Mile race next month and just doing that should keep me motivated. It’s a small race with only those over the age of 40 eligible. The plan is to do the 2.5 mile stretch from One Mile to Manzanita and back. That will give me a 5 mile workout and so the 4 mile race should be a breeze? I will do that about 4 or 5 times a week. And with $17 invested, I may be willing to try exercising even more often than that.

OK. The morning training is over and a 13.17 minute/mile was the pace for the first 5.16 mile training distance. Not bad, but certainly not my best. Could it be my weight? 209. Bad dad! That’s 9 pounds over my usual? weight. What did I do the 4 Mile Masters in last year? 48:37 minutes and that made it a 12.09 minute/mile pace. Now that’s what I need to shoot for and I have just one month to get ready. And one month to lose about 9 pounds.