Falling Off The Face Of The Earth

Is anyone there?

I kind of fell off the face of the earth. 

Those are my workout pants hiding under my polar bear lounge pants.  Yes, I have been lounging more than working out.  It has been over a month since I hit the trail. 

Here is my official list of excuses.

1. I have been working a little later. 
2. I'm tired.
3. Daylight savings, it is getting dark earlier.
4. I was sick.
5. It is getting cold.
6. My chair is warm.
7. I am getting seasonal depression.
8. I have to get up at 4AM.
9. The new television shows are really good. 
10. I had to go see the new Twilight movie.
11. Fall makes me crave comfort foods.
12. I can't get in a holiday mood.
13. Trisha Yearwood is making Christmas cookies on the Food Network.
14. My street team fell off the wagon too.
15. I turned 43. 
16. I need a haircut.
17. It is the busy season at work.
18. I need new shoes.
19. I can't find clean socks.
20. My DVR is almost full and I have to clear it out.
21. My sports bra squishes my boobs down enough that my stomach sticks out and makes me look fatter.
22. My dog is lonely when I am gone.
23. My husband turned fifty-one.  
24. I am just lazy.

None of these reasons are good ones.  But when I am sitting in my nice warm chair with an episode of Glee or Dexter (I have eclectic taste!) it is hard to get up.  I know what I need to do.  I need to do it. 

I need inspiration!
I need motivation!
I need a kick in the butt.

Busy

It has been crazy busy.  And it is getting colder.  A couple of days ago it rained and I didn't walk out of fear that all the leaves on the bike trail would make it slippery and I would fall.

I LOVE EXCUSES!  I can justify almost any lack of exercise or unhealthy snack.  At least to myself.  Right now is great walking weather.   I can put on my jacket and plug in my music and go.  But it is way too easy to just sit in my chair and watch television.  If I don't go walking the minute I get home I can pretty much forget it. 

I am just really busy.  My job is gearing up for its busy season.  I have family in town for a wedding.  I just need to make it a focus and remember that doing a little every day will make the difference.  Gotta stay on the path. 

My favorite quote.

"If it is important to you, you will find a way.  If it isn't you will find an excuse."

No excuses!

Scenes from the Walk

It is fall.  The weather is getting cooler and the leaves are changing.  This is the bridge that starts my path down the bike trail. 

There are leaves covering the trail and crunch under my shoes in the most satisfying way.  I love the sound of walking in the leaves. 

Fall is about my favorite time of year.  It reminds me of starting school and the excitement of my birthday coming up.  I also met my husband in the fall and it reminds me of those early nights of dating.

When we met he was working the night shift.  He could talk on the phone at work, so we would talk for hours.  He would get off at midnight and pick me up at my dorm.  We'd go to an all night diner and eat and talk.  We spent a lot of time talking.  We still seem to have a lot to talk about. 

I'd get home about five in the morning and try to sleep.  Needless to say I did not pass my 8AM class that semester.

 

 

 

The leaves will continue to change and I am looking forward to chilly walks bundled up in a thick sweatshirt.  Hope you enjoy these fall days.

October Plan!

I am turning 43 on October 27th.  I would like to note that I am NOT one of those people who needs to celebrate their birthday for a whole month.  But since this is my year of change, I wanted to do something significant for my last month of being 42. 

Here's the plan.  I will walk at least 30 minutes every night.  No nights off in October.  I have joined Weight Watchers as well.  I was getting frustrated with the lack of dramatic weight loss with all my walking and knew I had to step it up. 

So now I am trying to think of something special to do on my birthday.  For the first time it won't be about the dinner out or the big dessert.  It will be about me getting healthier.  I will let you know. 

I will also post something every day.  I will take a photo on my walk or update you on my thoughts of the day.  I don't know what it will be but it will be.  Hope I don't drive off my twelve readers. 

Have a great night!  Time for Amazing Race, then Dexter returns.  Gotta sign off!

Setbacks

I have been having a bad week.  I feel like I've had some setbacks.  Work is gearing up for the holidays and I am in retail.  It will only get crazier over the next 90 days.   Almost every day this week I have been late coming home.  Then I am not walking like I should. 

I walked on Sunday.  I took Monday off, doing the stationary bike instead.  I walked a couple of miles on Tuesday.  Then I did the stationary bike again on Wednesday until the pedal fell off. 

Last night I got home late and was just tired.  I made the mistake of sitting down in my chair and not walking.  Then tonight I got home.  I knew I was going out later so I am sitting here again.  I didn't want to get all sweaty before I go out.

But tomorrow I am back.  I have found that by not walking the last couple of days I am feeling more tense and emotional.  I can't seem to shake it.  I need to get that sweat out and push all the crap aside and let it go.  It will still be there when I come back home, but I feel stronger and ready to meet the charge.

I will walk. 

 

Going One Way

 

 

 

Normally when I am walking I leave the house and walk a while then turn around and walk home.  This is an easy way to control how far I am walking.   If I am getting achy or my feet are sore, I just turn around early. 

Yesterday I wanted to challenge myself and decided to see if I could walk from the next town over to my house.   This was a little scary.  It is seven miles, a mile farther than I've walked to date.  It was also one way.  There was no turning around if I got tired or achy.  There would only be a call for rescue. 

 

I posted on Facebook that I was doing it.   Got to have my accountability! 

 

My husband drove me to the town and dropped me off.  He wanted freak out the bikers on the trail by yelling at me as I got out and saying I could just walk home.  But we were afraid someone might call the cops so we chickened out.

 

A lady eating a protein bar smiled and said "Beautiful day!"

 

I told her I was walking to the next town. 

 

"Good for you!"

 

I plugged in my ear buds, started my Runkeeper and was off. 

 

I have driven this road thousands of times.  I have lived in my house sixteen years and taken this path to work almost every day.  It is different walking it.  This first several miles are wide open.  No trees, no shade at all.   The cars passed on the highway only fifteen feet away but I just heard my music.  The minutes really flew by.  Suddenly I was an hour in and the trees were in sight.  I watched for all the landmarks I knew and had to catalog them in a new way. 

 

The drive between these two towns is fifteen minutes.  Slowing down makes everything more visible and somehow more real. 

 

There was a small hill and when I came over it I saw the point.  It is a turn off to another town.  This was my turn around point from my six mile walk.  I knew I could make it. 

 

There were a lot of bikers on the road but no other walkers or runners.  I had it to myself for the afternoon.  Under the trees it felt familiar, all the walking I've been doing has had shade like this. 

 

Finally I passed the little landmarks I know.  The two little gravel roads, the other paved road and finally the first of the bridges.  I knew it was close now.  I heard the voice on my tracker tell me I was past six miles .  I had walked my farthest distance. 

 

It is hard to describe the elation I was feeling.  It spurred me on to make it home. 

 

I passed the final bridge and turned to the streets toward home.  I had been walking for over two hours.  My feet weren't sore, my legs didn't ache.  I turned the corner and my house was in sight.  The front door opened and my husband came out with the dog and put his arms over his head in celebration. 

 

The dog didn't recognize me and started barking until I got close. 

 

My husband hugged me and told me how proud he was.  I was sweaty and thirsty.  He had a lemonade waiting for me by my chair.

 

I did it.  Something that even a couple of weeks ago would have seemed crazy.  I am still discovering my potential.  What I didn't know during this trek was that I had people cheering me on.  On Facebook my friend Michelle was keeping our exercise group posted on my progress.  She watched me and updated my status.  My friends gave love and support. 

 

I will be 43 in about six weeks.  I want to do something big for that day.  I want to start my 43rd year as a year of change and transformation.  I want to see what I am capable of.  

One Month!

This is me on August 11th.  It has been one month since the 5K.  In that time I have walked almost every day.  I have only skipped three days.  One was my wedding anniversary.  One was a day hotter than the blazes.  And then there was MeatFest.  On the first two, I did some stationary bike.  On MeatFest, there was none of that. 

I don't know if I have posted about MeatFest.  It is a celebration held on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend each year and family members plan their whole weekend around it.  My husband smokes many pounds of meat.

 
Over the years we have developed a number of MeatFest traditions.  One is INSANE amounts of meat.  My husband smoked about 106 total pounds of meat.  Then there are other meat based foods and many side dishes.  It is crazy.  It is the most awesome of all holidays.

One big tradition of MeatFest is the pre-meal fighting.  It happens in almost all the households that celebrate it. 

Smoking meat is grumpy work for my beloved husband.  He wants it to be perfect and gets very sweaty and cranky.  While I try to follow the predetermined start time it never works as planned.  The family should just plan on it being at least an hour late. 

Being late makes ME cranky.  So you have two cranky people trying to get 106 pounds of meat ready to go.  So we bicker.  But then before you know it we are sitting at the table loading up on protein and all is well.  Since I had to work on the day and then make my dessert and help pack up the meat, I didn't take a walk that day.  But I did sweat.  Smoking and fighting is sweaty work.

So that is the only day I didn't exercise. 

But in the last month I have walked 69.2 miles in 28:16:50 hours and burned 11,296 calories. Which just about covers what I ate at MeatFest. 

Now for more miles and more salads.

My Walking Playlist - Warm Up Songs

When I am walking I like to listen to music.  This is really the only time I do.  In the car I listen to the radio on the way to work because I know someone who is on the station.  On the way home I listen to audiobooks. 

I have a pretty eclectic mix of songs. A lot of them remind me of movies that they have been in. 

I need to have warm up songs.  I read about how especially being diabetic, if I want to walk for weight loss and general fitness, I have to walk slow for five minutes.  This will cause me to burn fat instead of sugar. (Don't ask me for the science.  I am just trusting the internet)  Since I tend to match the pace of the music, it has to be slow and easy.

My current favorite is called "Apron Strings" by Kate Bush.  It was featured in the movie "She's Having A Baby".  It plays over a montage.  Jake's wife has just been rushed for an emergency c-section, he doesn't know what is happening.  After a movie showing all the things that drove him crazy about his marriage, we see all the moments of joy as they threaten to slip away.

The song is haunting.  Through the whole movie you wonder why Elizabeth McGovern put up with Kevin Bacon and those three minutes redeem him completely. 

My other warm up is "Into The Mystic" by Van Morrison.  It is featured in a movie called "Immediate Family". 

 

 

Glenn Close and James Wood are the perfect yuppie couple who can't get pregnant.  Mary Stuart Masterson and Kevin Dillon have bad eighties hair and a unplanned pregnancy. 

 

They come together and the women are getting to know each other.  Lucy (Masterson) finds a CD of Van Morrison and asks Linda (Close) to play a certain song.  In that moment they bond over the song and let their guard down for a few minutes while the music plays.  The song takes me to that moment every time.  It is a really sweet movie.

 

 

The final song (I can hear my husband rolling his eyes) is "The Wind Beneath My Wings" by Bette Midler.  Sadly I know it very well. 

 

 

 



I was cruising the movie channels this weekend and caught it right as Barbara Hershey is having her baby.  I don't remember what I was watching before it, but it was equally schmaltzy and saccharine. 

"Now Beaches?" 

I think he actually moaned with physical discomfort. 

But it is a great warm up song.

Next time I will talk about the songs that get me pumped and moving along for my walk.

Life in Pictures

When we are young we want our picture taken.  It didn't matter if your hair wasn't perfect, you were wearing your pajamas or you were surrounded by your goofy siblings and cousins. 

Even in a bare midriff with shorts.  (I haven't worn a bare midriff since) 

Then one day you start the little tricks to avoid getting your picture taken.  Here I am standing behind my sister so you only see half of me.  I am so sneaky!

My most dastardly trick was becoming the photographer.  It was the perfect way to record the moments and avoid the awkwardness of trying to position myself in the back of the group. 

Today I walked five miles.  When I got home I asked my husband to take a picture of me.

So here I am.  I am fat.  I am really sweaty.  My hair was a nightmare.

But I walked five miles.

The Road

River Bridge

I have been walking the bike trail about half a mile from my house.  I like the trail because after a couple of weeks walking it I have worked out landmarks to know where I am on the trail and when the app on my phone will give me a five minute update. 

The River Bridge is the first bridge.  Once I am at the end of this bridge I have usually hit the ten minute mark and if I turn around I will put in a mile walk.  It is also my rejuvenation point for any walk.  I know when I see the bridge I will be home in ten minutes and if I already walked more than that, ten minutes won't be so bad.

On Monday it was so hot and humid I cut my planned three mile walk down to two.  I wanted to try and make three miles every day.  But by the one mile mark I was struggling.  My joints were aching and it was hard to get a good deep breath.  It was just killing me.  I finally saw the river bridge and almost called my husband for rescue.

But I made it home, collapsed just a little and sweated it out. 

Tuesday I got home and it was hotter.  I thought about walking for a mile and just couldn't.  But I have resolved to live without making excuses, so I decided to use the stationary bike.  I pedaled for half an hour while I watched an episode of "Friends".  It wasn't so bad.

I have found that if I set mini goals within my exercise I can keep going.  The five minute reminders are perfect for me.  I just tell myself I can make it five more minutes.

Today I have the day off and decided to see how far I could go.  I started at 9:30AM walking down to the bike trail.  In my past walks I have to go over three bridges.  Beyond those three bridges is a section that crosses the road.  I have been close, but the road is just shy of a two mile walk.

Today I decided to see if I could make the road. 

It was cooler, the heat didn't really come out until about noon.  I had my music going and just started walking.   I passed the big bridge.  Another quarter of a mile or so was a little bridge.  Then after another bit was the third bridge.  I hit the thirty minute mark in my walk. 

I kept going.  Finally I came around a bend and at the 35 minute mark, I crossed the road. 

I smiled like the Cheshire cat.

 

It feels silly that crossing a road has such an impact.  But I did it.  I walked another five minutes across the road and turned at 40 minutes.  The walk back is on a slight decline.  I didn't know this, but my app showed me.  It is hardly noticeable. Just enough to make the walk home easier.

I hit my all time high, 4 miles with my house in sight.  My legs felt like jelly.  I had sweat running like a river down my butt crack.  My hair was completely soaked under my ball cap.

I am 42 years old, almost 43 and I'm just realizing what I'm capable of.  I haven't found the limit yet. 

Today I made it to the road. 

I can't wait for tomorrow.

Walking the Mall

It was raining yesterday.  My husband had to be at the local mall for work so I decided to embrace my inner old lady and be a mall walker.  I google the mall to see what the dimensions were, since my GPS tracking on my phone wouldn't work inside.  According to the mall website it was one mile for the entire perimeter of the mall.  That didn't seem too bad. 




So we got there.  I had some missions while in the mall.  I wanted to get a heart rate monitor/pedometer watch I could wear all the time.  I am curious about how much I walk other than my daily walk. 

So I started my first round.  I found a pedometer app on my phone and started going.  It didn't take long to walk the mall.  But when I got back to where I started it was only .78 of a mile. 

WHAT?

The mall lied!

Or I missed something.  I decided to to keep walking.  My pace was a little slower.  I was trying not to sweat too much.  But the mall was kind of hot.  I also couldn't get my speed up because shoppers are kind of rude.  They just stop. 

I would be walking a good pace and then some screaming kid is being dragged in front of me.  Although tempted, I do not kick the kids out of my way.  It would be rude.

After getting a mile and a half in, I decided to look for my monitor.  My mall has a Target attached and I love the Target.

I had a list of items, including new socks and a juicer.  Just a little juicer.  My husband has been making fresh lemonade for me when I get back from my walks.  Very tasty.

But first I wanted to find the monitor.  I went to electronics.  There were several young men there. 

"Do you have heart monitors?"

Two of the men turned to one man, the alpha obviously.

"What are you monitoring?"  he asked.

"For exercise."

He pointed me in a direction and I wandered for a few minutes trying to find them.  I passed a woman pushing merchandise to stock.  She smiled and asked if I was finding what I needed.

"I'm looking for heart monitors."

"Oh, they are by the pharmacy.   They have wrist ones and some with cuffs."  She turned to lead me.

"I want one for exercise."

"Oh."  She looked surprised.  "This way."

She led me to a wall of exercise electronics.

I picked out the one I wanted and she called for someone to come unlock it.  I got the Alpha boy from electronics.

He unlocked it for me and told me it would be waiting for me when I was done shopping. 

I started to walk away. 
"Hey."

I turned, wondering if I'd forgotten something. 

"Let me give you a tip.  When you legs start to ache, that isn't a sign you should stop.  It just means they need more oxygen.  Just slow down, take deep breaths and it will pass.  You'll be able to go longer.  That pain is called the wall.  You can break through it and go farther."

I thanked him.

"Cross country track."  He smiled in explanation.

I was a little surprised.  Here was a random stranger, young enough to be my kid giving me encouragement and advice. 

I tried today it today and it worked.  Thanks kid. 

Hot Day

My walks today and yesterday were shorter.  It was really hot and humid.  I just felt like I was dragging and I wasn't getting the satisfying thump of shoe to asphalt.  My feet felt heavier. 

Today the bike trail where I walk was busier than I've ever seen it.  I was passed several times.  There were a few bikers and a couple of runners.  But I was mostly passed by herds of teenage boys. 

They ran in packs.  The first in a group of eight or so.  Then three more went around.  Finally a lone runner brought up the rear.  He gave me a smile and a nod.  They are training for cross country track. 

I want to tell them to keep it up.  I want to tell them to remember the goals they are setting and keep doing it all their lives. 


 

Boys that age feel immortal.  They wouldn't listen to some fat lady who is old enough to be their mom.  They laugh and enjoy the exhilaration of being young. 

But I kept walking.  It is why I do my walk as soon as I get home.  I get up at 4 AM every morning, so sleep wins over exercise at that time.  But once I get home I change my clothes and go right out.  I know that if I let myself relax into that recliner the excuses are too easy. 

I can't waste time.  I have wasted enough.  Every mile I walk gains me hours, days, weeks, maybe even years.  Tomorrow will be cooler.  It may rain.  I will walk a little farther.  I can do it.

Fat Bottomed Girls!

This song is on my walking play list. 

"Fat bottomed girls, you make the rockin' world go round." 

By the way, be careful Googling this song title!

Gotta love Queen. 

Today, my friend in Utah posted her walking stats on Facebook today and mentioned again that I inspired her.  This is new to me.  And very humbling.

I have never felt like an inspiration.  I try to be a good person and a kind person.  When I started my plan for this year it was all about proving to myself that I could do it.  In the last ten days I have done something every day which is now about five days longer than any other exercise routine I have committed to.

My friend told me about an app for my phone that I really like called "Runkeeper".  I like that it tracks my route and gives me updates every five minutes.  This has given me an easy way to track.  I have started walking as far as I can for a set number of minutes and am working up to an hour walk, slowly.   Plus my husband loves looking at the GPS feature and seeing where I've been.

I am getting faster.  After only ten days I am seeing a difference in how I feel.  Now my friend has become an inspiration for me.  I see her daily posts, read her blog and know that I need to post too.  I need to keep pushing myself the way she is pushing herself. 

We need to inspire each other!  We need to start an exercise revolution.  

So I am starting one. 

The Fat Bottomed Girls!  Let's make this rockin' world go round.  If you are on RunKeeper join my street team.  I want to see how many people we can get moving.  One day at a time.

Thanks Michelle for your inspiration!  Even a time zone away you are getting me off my fat bottom!

Fair Thoughts

Yesterday I went to the state fair.  It was the last day and since my husband had to work I figured I could enjoy the festivities (er, food) and get my walk in. 

So I grabbed my ticket  and set my pedometer.  I was anxious to see how much I would walk.  In the past I have been sure I walked miles and miles.  We walked in a slow and easy pace.  We wanted to get to the other side of the fairgrounds but we had a couple of hours to do it.  Our first stop was the deep fried cheese curds.

I know what you are thinking but this was a teeny, tiny, oh-so-very-small serving of cheese curds.  And I shared them with my husband.   Oh the cheesy, salty goodness.  Don't judge me!  I walked 11 miles in a week.  I have NEVER done that. 

We rested on the way and a lady walked by.  She stopped and complimented my red running shoes.

I smiled and said thank you.

I know now that I should not have engaged her.

"I like those shoes."  She repeated.

I smiled and nodded.

"I am allergic to elastic.  I had a pair of shoes and I wore them without socks.  I broke out in a horrible rash and I told my son what happened and he told me that I was allergic so now I can't wear anything with elastic in it because I break out and I can't even wear bras unless they are 100% cotton.  Do you know how hard it is to find all cotton bras?"

I was stunned.  She said it all in one breath.  I muttered something about how tough that had to be.

When she finally walked away I looked at my husband slightly stunned. 

This happens to me ALL the time.  I am just quietly minding my own business and then some stranger is sharing more than I really need to know.

We walked through the Varied Industries building and saw the Deloreon made out of cans.  It was cooler than my picture depicts.  I should have taken a side shot.

We rested again, sharing a Gizmo, which is an Italian sandwich.  It was pretty good. 

I like to see the butter cow.  Don't ask me why.  I don't know if it is the butter or the sculpting or just the cool building, but it is a must see for me.  My husband could care less.

Completely carved out of butter.  It is pretty cool.  This year they also had Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. 

I didn't get a picture of Snow White.  It was hard enough getting clear shots of everything else and Snow White was rotating.  It was never going to happen.

On the way across we talked about the things we wanted.  I love the state fair lemonade.  They make it fresh and shake it up.  They have flavored ones now, strawberry, raspberry and such.  I walked down and got two bringing one to my husband. 

We sipped them and people watched.  They were really good. 

Then I had a Sprite.

Then I had a Cresenti.  (This awesome Italian sandwich)

I tried to sneak the Cresenti, cause my husband knows how to make them, but I had the GPS feature on and he checked the map.   I was caught. 

I managed to walk a couple miles but it wasn't a good walk.  Plus I ate crap.

We got home late, well late for me, and I ate some fried food at home. 

I went to bed and soon had a headache and an upset stomach.  I took some Tylenol and antacids.  But sitting on the edge of my bed I just felt like all the crap I'd eaten.

Last year I didn't remember feeling like that.  I ate a lot more bad things.  I am sure I slipped in a funnel cake and some ice cream.  I know I ate cookies. 

Can a week of walking make that big of a difference?  I know that I don't want to feel that way again.  Ever.

Walking In The Woods

I have been making little goals for myself.  I need to push myself a little more each day and do a little more.  If I don't I will never make my big goal. 

I have discovered many things over the last week.  I was scared for the first couple of days.  I was walking funny, my ankles were incredibly sore and I didn't know if I could keep it up.  But after three days of steady walking I realized my ankles didn't ache.  I could go a little farther every day. 

I found out that I really need to fix my walking music shuffle so I don't play "Bad Medicine" over and over. 

But today when I was walking I discovered that I liked it.  It came to me as I walked down the bike path.  The song "Rolling In The Deep" by Adele came on and the wind was in my face and the sun was shining.   I heard a noise in the bushes and looked to see a doe running through the woods.  We both paused and looked at each other.

Not my deer.  She wouldn't pose.

She ran off her way and I continued on mine.  It felt like a sign.  I took a deep breath.  I picked up my pace and kept going. 

Yesterday

So yesterday was my anniversary.  I got home and usually go on my walk right away to get it done (over with).  But we were going to dinner and I didn't want to get all sweaty or have to take a shower.  We went to Outback and had a steak.   It is crazy that it is cheaper to eat steak out then buy it and cook it at home.

So we go home and I kept going back and forth in my mind.  Would I walk?  Should I take a night off?  What should I do? 

We walked in the door and I said "I think I'll take the night off."  My husband said it was OK.  And I started to.  But then I couldn't.

I walked by an exercise thing we have in the living room.  It is like an exercise bike without the bike, just the peddles.  So you can sit in your chair and peddle.  It has been sitting there long enough to have gathered some dust.   So I dragged it to my chair and I started peddling.  I peddled enough to work up a sweat.

So I didn't walk, but I did exercise. It made me feel better.

Also, I have to thank my friend Michelle.  She told me that it was better after four days of walking and it was.  My ankles and feet don't hurt now.  Thanks!

Today is the 5K Day!

I am up early for a Saturday ready for my 5K.  I am nervous.  I have been joking all week that I feel like I might die, but when it is only a couple of hours away, those fears become more pungent.

I have my ruby red slippers on.

That is not the camera, my legs are that white.

I know that Glinda won't magically appear so I can click my heels.  I have to walk the distance.

I am also wearing my Shawshank t-shirt.

Boob shot is free (that should get some blog hits!)

This is symbolic too.  Like Andy Dufresne I am going to work slowly to tunnel out of the prison that is my weight.  I have never felt like I couldn't do anything I wanted to, but I know I could feel better and be healthier.  I have never felt like people judge me because of my weight, but maybe I am just naive.  It is time for change.  It is time for action.

Today is the day.  I am doing this.  Watch for updates. 

Andy Dufresne: [in letter to Red] Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.

8:40 AM:
20 minutes to race.

It was a beautiful day to walk.  Some of my co-workers were there and encouraged me.  I was getting nervous about the walk.  What if I couldn't finish?  

They announced the start and asked those with strollers and slow walkers to stay in the back and runners in the front.  I stuck myself in the back. 

I started walking as fast as I could trying to keep a steady pace.  The group fanned out pretty quickly.  I was NEAR the back, but not the last.  A father and his daughter walked in front of me and he spent fifteen minutes talking about the difference between kilometers and miles. 

Then I passed a big red one taped to the trail.   I had made it ONE MILE!  It was the farthest I'd walked in, honestly I don't know how long.  High school?

The trail was set up to walk halfway and then turn around walk back.  This had been a question when I'd signed up.  I didn't want to walk 3.1 miles and then have to walk back.

About twenty minutes in I started seeing the lead runners making their way back.  I gave them a wave and a smile, but they were more focused than I was and didn't wave back.

I just kept going.  There was a water station but I'd brought my own so I didn't stop.  The father/daughter team stopped and I moved ahead.  I just focused on steps, moving forward. 

I started to worry because I didn't see the halfway point.  I started asking the runners coming the other way. 

"Halfway point coming up?"

Nod.  How would he know. 

"Do I get to turn around soon?"

Thumbs up.  Did you even hear me?

"Is that blue t-shirt up there the turn around?"

Finally!

I made it halfway!!!!

The halfway lady took my picture.  She even got the halfway line in there as proof.

Now I had walked as far as I still needed to walk.  I was alone.  I just focused on each step, the feel of the asphalt beneath my feet, breathing in and out.  I had sweat rolling down my back.  I wished that I'd worn sunglasses and a hat.  I wished I'd left my purse in my car. 

I passed the ones behind me who praised my progress. 

I got to the water station and filled up my bottle.  I walked behind a group of tweens.  They were meandering.  I started to go around them while they debated on whether to run or not.

"Don't let the old lady pass you!"  I announced, coming around. 

They laughed and started to speed up.  There was another water station and they were entranced by the offer of Gatorade.  I kept walking.

After the passing a big red one taped to the trail telling me it was almost over, I called my husband. 

"I'm almost there."

"Great," he said, "you don't even sound out of breath."

I played some Elvis on my phone for a few songs until I made my way around a bend and saw the finish line.  It was there.  I had done it.

For the last fifteen feet I ran.  And strangers cheered.

I finished in one hour and four minutes.  I was hot.  I was sweaty.  My feet and ankles are killing me. But I did it. 

I Got A New Pair of Shoes

I got new shoes.  They are red and black.  Red shoes worked for Dorothy.  Of course I don't have a magic wand to make my training any easier.  Who am I kidding?   If good old Glinda floated in on her bubble I would go for a perfect body that can only be maintained by pizza and Oreos.  But alas, no witches, good or bad, are swooping in to grant me any favors. 

These are specifically running shoes.  I have bought some running shoes before, but other than an occasional panicked run to the bathroom they didn't wear out from over use. 

It is only four days until the 5K.  I am telling everyone about my plan so I can be held responsible for my goal, same as having it on the Internet for all to see.

Soon I will be walking.  I have to remember some sunscreen, find some shorts and maybe a hat in my closet.  I just want to finish.  Hope the shoes help me down that path.  It's no Yellow Brick Road, but it is the beginning of a journey to make my wishes come true.  Then I will keep walking until I am running.

Glinda knew it wasn't enough to just want it.    You've got to work for it.

My Plan For The Year To Come

I have spent a lot of this year in a recliner.  I even got a new one not too long ago.

But recliner time is not good for the body.  With my surgery being six months ago now, I have decided that it is time to get in better shape.  While round is a perfectly nice shape for some things, it is not the healthiest shape for humans.

So on August 11th I am participating in a 5K for charity.  Anyone that knows me even a little bit knows that I am built for comfort not for speed.   My current goal is to finish, hopefully not last and not to die doing it.

After that occasion, which I will live blog from the trail, I will start training for my next goal.  I will in August or September of 2013 run a 10K.  That's right, I will run it.  It will take a year of training and hard work, but I need to do this. 

There is so much I still want to do in my life. 

• I want to dance at my son's wedding.  (As soon as he meets that special person. Get going kid!)
• I want to hold and spoil my future grandchildren. (Hint, hint, Son!)
• I want to visit every state in the USA. (I have a good start, but a way to go)
• I want to tour the prison they filmed "Shawshank Redemption".
• I want to publish a novel.
• I want to see Europe. 
• I want to grow old with my husband. 

So I will start my quest toward a longer life.  I will run there.  I know that I am going to get discouraged and my natural tendency is to be lazy.  But I am going to do it.  This blog showed me that I can commit to a project and see it through.  I will still blog about movies, but I'm going to blog about this too.

Here it goes!  Wish me luck.