Wednesday Training

I rested on both Monday and Tuesday. Then I walked 2 miles on Wednesday. There was a garage sale I wanted to go to, and Hubby had the car. It is a hazard of a one car lifestyle...you can't always do what you want to when you want to. But I loaded Kutey into the stroller, and Kiddo and I walked to the garage sale a mile away. Then we walked back (with a bag of clothes for Kutey). Kiddo can walk that far without trouble, though I sometimes have to distract him a bit. We play I spy, we count fire hydrants and houses between them, we listen to birds and try to find them, etc. As long as he doesn't focus on the fact that all we are doing is walking, he is fine. Take after me a bit, huh.

Week 8 plan

Monday: rest

Tuesday: 3 miles

Wednesday: 15 minutes of cross training (you'd think I could get that in!)

Thursday: 5 miles (the long walk this week)

Friday: 30 minutes of cross training

Saturday: 4 miles

Sunday: 3 miles

This is apparently a "recovery" week, whatever that means, so the weekend walks are short. Though really, I never thought I would be calling 4 miles "short."

Sunday Training

I did the suggested 6 miles. I walked on an indoor track (with 2 of my 3 sisters). We kept a good pace (right around 4 mph). It was rainy and COLD outside, hence the walking inside, on a nice track, in climate controlled conditions. No shin pain, no knee pain, a little hip discomfort, but it went away. I had a little soreness behind my knee, but I am not sure what that was from!

Saturday Training

I did the suggested 7 miles with one of my sisters. We did a variety of terrain and paths--hills, flats, sidewalk, grass, gravel path, etc. My shins didn't hurt (I think I was walking a bit slower than normal), but my feet were tired by the end. My knee stayed happy the whole time, though, too, which was good news!

Fundraising report

The garage sale is over. The jewelry sold only sort of. But I did still manage to bring in $132! With the $90 I brought in from pre-selling items, I am up to $222! Not terrible. And I have 3 more garage sales lined up to sell jewelry at, so hopefully I can pull in at least a little more from it. I have TONS of it left, I just have to find the right venue......

Thursday training

I got the suggested 5 miles in, though I broke it up quite a bit!

I walked:
to the garage sale at my friends house: 1 mile
home from the garage sale the long way: 2 miles
to the garage sale again (I worked the open shift and the close shift): 1 mile
home from the garage sale: 1 mile

Between the two walks to the garage sale, the temperature went up at least 30 degrees (I kid you not!) It went from cool and blustery to hot and blustery. It was in the low 80s in the afternoon. I got a taste for what we are in for in August...

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday

Wow! The days fly by!

Monday was a welcome day of rest.

Tuesday I managed to get 1 mile in. I walked to the home of a friend where my MOMS club is having a garage sale. I got a ride home, since it was dark by then, and I had acquired a bunch of items by then....

Wednesday I did nothing in the training vein. I worked at the garage sale and managed to get some semblance of school done with the kids, but that is it.

The jewelery I made is not selling as well as I had hoped, still, I will make something on it. I might equal what I made by selling stuff before the sale! I'll give a total once i have one, but don't expect big numbers....

Week 7 training

Monday: Rest day

Tuesday: 3 miles

Wednesday: cross-training

Thursday: 5 miles

Friday: cross-training

Saturday: 7 miles (EEK! for some reason that number freaks me out!)

Sunday: 6 miles

I also have a major fundraiser this week. My MOMS club is having a garage sale and I am selling jewelry at it. I hope it sells well!

Sunday training

It is in the low 40's and raining. But I walked a little over 5 miles. And was done by about 11 am. It'll warm up a bit, but not much, so it wasn't worth waiting for that. And it is supposed to rain off and on most of the day, so no point in trying to avoid that. I put on the lovely rain gear I have (it is old, but still repels the water, so it will do), and I headed out in the neighborhood, doing the regular 5 mile loop. Now that I have walked the neighborhood enough, I know when I have hit 1 mile, 2 miles, 3 miles, 4 miles etc., when I am no my set route. I also diverge from it much less than I used to.

I still struggle through the first 2 miles. Part of it is I am walking fast, I know that. But my shins hurt so much those first 2 miles! I stop and stretch them regularly (while trying to not arouse any suspicion as I often resort to using mailbox posts as my stabilizer. I'm not stealing your mail, honest! The grass is just too wet for me to step onto it and drag my toe in it, or I would be using the stop sign!) I guess it is good that it only lasts for 2 miles, but I would prefer it if I didn't have the pain at all! More shin strengthening? I guess that is what I will have to try.

Saturday's training

I seem to be uninspired to do the cross-training days. I'll get there, I hope, but Friday I did nothing.

Today, though, I hit the suggested 6 miles. The first two miles are still a chore. And I sped through the last half mile (literally, I am sure I looked ridiculous, but I was walking really fast, so I didn't care. I was bored and wanted it DONE!). I have to figure out this shin thing! It makes me not want to walk, even though I know that after 2 miles it will get better.

Thursday's training

I did it. I walked 5.2 miles.

And here are some aggravations of the walk:

1. If you are walking a dog and using a retractable leash, it is only courteous to shorten the leash from the full 20 feet when approaching another person. I nearly tripped over a rat terrier because its owners refused to rein it in. I happily move off the sidewalk for children and families, but dogs that can be reined in? Nope.

2. If you have an in ground pool, and you are draining the spring thaw water out of it, it really shouldn't go into the storm sewer. Put it on your lawn. Especially since we have had very little rain this spring! Besides, I am pretty sure there is a city ordinance that this violates.

3. Don't fertilize the sidewalk. It isn't going to grow. Those little fertilizer pebbles just get stuck in every one's shoes and tracked into their houses. I don't like the chemicals on the floor where my children play. Thanks, but no thanks.

4. Don't water the concrete. It isn't that hard to adjust your sprinklers so that they are watering grass, not sidewalk. And it is much nicer to walk without having to dodge the water.

Maybe I am just crabby today. It is my Mom's birthday. She would have been 61.

A case of the lazies

I have the lazies. I haven't been training this week. I should be, but I'm not. I'll try again tomorrow.

Week 6 plan

Monday: Day of rest

Tuesday: 3 miles

Wednesday: Cross-training (Pilates?)

Thursday: 5 miles

Friday: Cross-training (biking? If we get the family bikes ready!)

Saturday: 6 miles

Sunday: 5 miles

The weather looks to be decent most of the week, and I have very little on my calendar (though I could have said the same thing last week...)

Saturday's training

It was supposed to be 6 miles, but I did about 5.5 miles. I might go out and try to pick up the extra half mile, we'll see how the rest of the day unfolds. I thought the path around the lake I was walking was 2 miles, but it was shy of 2 miles, so I didn't quite get the distance I needed.

The change of scenery was quite nice, however. I got to see lots of birds and geese. I dodged goose droppings along the whole of the path, though, which was a bit less than fun. Still, it was nice to be off the neighborhood streets for a walk.

I still battle my shins for the first 1 to 2 miles. I get relief when I stop and stretch, and after 2 miles they are fine. Lately my right knee has been causing me a bit of trouble. It has been a bother since I was in middle school and got hit with a soccer ball. In recent years, however, it has been much better. I rarely notice it hurting. And it really doesn't hurt, per se. I think it moves too much sideways. I don't know how to fix that. Is it my shoes? My arch supports? Do I need a brace? Guess I'll be doing a bit of research...

Friday's training

We went to the zoo, because we had company from out of town, and I am certain that I walked the 4 miles I was supposed to walk on Thursday. The place was PACKED. We parked in the boonies and walked in, did every trail in the place, and I ended up doing part of one of the longer ones more than once, because I told my party to go on ahead, but they didn't, so i walked quickly to catch up, didn't find them, and ended up doubling back. Sigh. I just figured it was all part of my training :).

I have also been making some more jewelry to sell. Once you get going, it really isn't terribly difficult. The hardest part now is that I have a mess of beads, but very little organization to them. I just hope the stuff sells!

Thursday Training

Due to company from out of town (YAY!) Thursday's training got put off. I did nothing! Sigh...hopefully I'll get back on track soon. This week is just a bit of a mess.

Wednesday training

I took Monday AND Tuesday off (I shouldn't have, but life being what it is, I did). Today I walked almost 4 miles, but not continuously. We walked to a friend's house, then stopped at the park on our way home. While the kids played, I did laps around the play space--10 of them, at .15 mi a piece. Then we took the longer way home. One way to avoid shin pain, I guess.

I didn't walk yesterday because I was preparing for a jewelry making party. Some women from my MOMS club got together and made jewelry to sell on our upcoming garage sale to raise money for the 3-day! I am so blessed to know these generous women. Some very nice pieces were made. Now I just hope it all sells!

Week 5 plan

Monday: Rest! (Whew! 12 miles the last two days, my legs WANT to rest!)

Tuesday: 3 miles (I may have to trade this one with Wednesday as I have a fundraising event that night)

Wednesday: Easy cross-training (probably pilates)

Thursday: 4 miles

Friday: Cross-training (pilates)

Saturday: 6 miles (good. I've done that!)

Sunday: 4 miles

Sunday training

Four miles? well, you see, I *thought* it was about 2.5 miles to the library. I figured I would walk there and back and it would be a little over 4, but that would be fine. Hmmm. It is ~3 miles to the library. And the last mile there is up hill the whole way. And the wind was blowing directly at me. And I was carrying a backpack full of books to return that had to weigh at least 20 pounds (I had a lot of books checked out). Yep. I do think I officially nuts. So I walked there and back.

My shins were HORRIBLE for the first mile and a half, I stretched them 3 times in the course of about a quarter mile, they hurt so much. I almost called home to have someone come and get me, they were that bad. But then they got better. My knee was a little off, but not bad. I need to get better arch supports for my shoes, though. I think the ones I have are going to give me a blister if I am not careful.

I am thoroughly enjoying having my ipod for these walks all by myself, though. It makes them go by a bit quicker. Oh, and this one took about an hour and a half...just a little over. A little less than 6 miles in 90 minutes is a pretty good pace. I won't be able to keep that pace for 20 miles!

Saturday training

Today was supposed to be a 5 mile walk. Since that is what I did in week 2, one would think I might be able to do it again, and keep if close to the 5 miles. After all, I have already walked a 5-mile route by my house once, just follow the same route. Nope. In general, once I have walked it, I forget it. So I ended up walking 6.3 miles. Yep. I still stink at estimating!

The upside is it took me about an hour and a half, my shins only hurt for the first mile or so, AND I finally got a charger for my ipod, so I had music for the very first time on my walk! While I can't use it on the actual event, I can train with it. Never underestimate the power of good music. It seemed to take a lot less time to walk, and I kept a better pace, and just as the walk became drudgery, a new song would come on and spur me along a bit farther.

The bummer is my knee started to hurt a bit as I hit the last stretch of my walk (over five miles, probably close to 5.5). I think I am rolling my foot poorly. I tried to focus on stabilizing my knee planting my foot more appropriately. I'll have to figure that out before it gets worse...

Friday training

I did a very slow easy walk with the kids. I am counting it :) I actually did walk backwards for a piece of it, which uses very different muscles, so that has to count for something, right?

Thursday training

I finally got a walk in. It wasn't the 4 miles I was supposed to do, it was only 3, but better 3 than nothing, right? I felt like I was walking in someone else's heavy shoes that were too big. It was weird. I have never felt that uncoordinated walking! And my shins hurt. Sigh. Best to remember that the next time I don't feel like doing anything!

Monday and Tuesday

The weather has been foul. I haven't been feeling super, so nothing happened. I didn't walk. I didn't cross-train. I have done nothing. I am sure I will get out of the slump once the weather improves, but right now? Training is no fun what-so-ever.