Since the plan was to go to my sister's house for Easter Sunday, I felt like I needed to get a workout done Saturday.
I was very surprised to arrive at Stephen F. Austin State Park and find a sign stating all the campsites were sold out! I was only planning to stick around for 2 hours at the most, just to get in a good hill workout, and since I have a state parks pass, I can visit as often as I like without paying a day pass fee.
Here is a map of the trails for reference... I started out at the Cottonwood trail head near the amphitheater. Just a little way down the trail, the Opossum Loop breaks off to the right and there is a nice little down hill to a bridge over a creek bed then back up the other side of the creek. As you proceed around the loop, you come to the intersection of the Raccoon Bend Trail. If you turn right, it takes you toward the Brazos river which is still pretty high, and if you make a left turn, it leads you back to the Cottonwood trail, or if you follow Raccoon Bend just a little farther, you can follow the Opossum Loop back to the Cottonwood trail. None of these cover too much distance, so I chose a sort of figure 8 pattern for a decent 4 mile hill repeat workout. Each of these trails have a nice little up and down near where they intersect with Cottonwood, so I ran up and down all the hills and walked the flats for recovery... I ended the morning with a couple of miles of easy hiking to check out the Riverbend and Copperhead trails which were both under water my last trip to the park! Things had dried out nicely and the park staff had mowed some of the tall grass to make the trails more visible. It was fun to walk along a few downed trees and jump back and forth over them for fun... also walked along the edges of the little bridge over the creek (forward, backward and side to side) to work on my balance... that's when the mosquitoes attacked in full force!
Side note: Thanks for leaving me the Deep Woods Off, Mellody. Had I not sprayed myself down and rubbed that horrible stuff all over my face and ears, the mosquitoes would have just picked me up and carried me away. As it stood, they were trying to fly inside my ears to bite my eardrums because that's the only place I didn't spray the Off!!!
I am always encouraged when I see families with their children out exploring the trails at a state park, and Saturday was no exception! There were families headed out to the river with their fishing poles and families riding the trails on their bicycles! One little lady was training for a triathlon and her mother had recently completed her first half marathon!
Notes on nutrition... started this workout about 3 hours after I ate breakfast, and find that I don't need any electrolytes or nutrition on walks/runs up to about 2 hours. Anything longer than that and I use 1 or 2 Endurolytes an hour, and might take along a Larabar or a bite or two of cooked peeled sweet potato in a ziploc bag. For ultra distance racing or training longer than 2 hours, I have a liquid nutrition drink that is made from sweet potatoes and other stuff... and I make home made Pemmican bars too. I will post these recipes in a separate blog post.
Showing posts with label training walk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label training walk. Show all posts
Monday, April 9, 2012
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
My Rant.
a home schooled High School age girl and I work out on the 2 mile asphalt loop at Bear Creek Park in Houston almost every Monday morning. We have always left our water bottles sitting under one of the benches near the tennis courts and no one has ever disturbed them. We are also aware of the men in orange suits who do a very good job of cleaning up the trash that seems to be everywhere on Monday mornings.
Yesterday, April 25, we were extending our distance to 4 times around the loop, so we both had electrolyte supplement and some nutritional product with our water bottles, so that we could stop at each loop and hydrate properly. At the conclusion of the 4th loop of a very intense workout, we approached the bench where we left our water bottles and they were gone.
I asked a couple of other park patrons and they said the men in orange suits had been cleaning in the area. I jogged over to the van and asked their supervisor if they had put our personal belongings in the garbage. One of the bottles was stainless steel that I had paid about $30 for. He was not very interested in helping me, however, one of the orange suited men who was seated in one of the back seats of the van handed my stainless steel bottle to him and he returned it to me. Whan I inquired about the full bottle of Gatorade, my friend's plastic water bottle, and my Hammer Nutrition Products red and clear plastic bottle, they merely shrugged and suggested I could dig through the trash if I was inclined to do so. I was not aware that these men were allowed to keep anything they find at the park, and isn't it ironic that the bottle they chose to keep was the most expensive one.
This park is always fairly crowded with walkers, runners and cyclists, and I have never felt the need to lock my bottles in the car. I never expected that men who are doing forced community service would be the ones to force my hand in this matter. I intend to continue to use the facilities at the park, it is lovely. But from now on, my friend and I will be forced to return to the vehicle to hydrate.
Now for a personal observation. Before I started the Paleo diet, and until I became very settled in to the lifestyle, I would NEVER have approached this van, or said anything to anyone about my belongings being stolen. I would have just gone home PISSED OFF. Of course, I am still pissed, but at least I got my Kleen Kanteen back. I will just have to place another order from Hammer Nutrition and get another Hammer bottle.
As for the workout? It was amazing... first thing Monday morning, I went to the gym and did a full body weight routine at 6am. Yes, I said 6am. When I was done, I drove to the park to racewalk with my friend. She is amazing, and we had an awesome speedy racewalking workout! 8 miles, average pace 12:14! It breaks down like this: Mile 1 - 12:20; Mile 2 - 12:00; Mile 3 - 12:09; Mile 4 - 12:16; Mile 5 - 12:24; Mile 6 - 12:24; Mile 7 - 12:25; Mile 8 - 11:47. It's nice to still have something in the tank at the end of a long walk!
Yesterday, April 25, we were extending our distance to 4 times around the loop, so we both had electrolyte supplement and some nutritional product with our water bottles, so that we could stop at each loop and hydrate properly. At the conclusion of the 4th loop of a very intense workout, we approached the bench where we left our water bottles and they were gone.
I asked a couple of other park patrons and they said the men in orange suits had been cleaning in the area. I jogged over to the van and asked their supervisor if they had put our personal belongings in the garbage. One of the bottles was stainless steel that I had paid about $30 for. He was not very interested in helping me, however, one of the orange suited men who was seated in one of the back seats of the van handed my stainless steel bottle to him and he returned it to me. Whan I inquired about the full bottle of Gatorade, my friend's plastic water bottle, and my Hammer Nutrition Products red and clear plastic bottle, they merely shrugged and suggested I could dig through the trash if I was inclined to do so. I was not aware that these men were allowed to keep anything they find at the park, and isn't it ironic that the bottle they chose to keep was the most expensive one.
This park is always fairly crowded with walkers, runners and cyclists, and I have never felt the need to lock my bottles in the car. I never expected that men who are doing forced community service would be the ones to force my hand in this matter. I intend to continue to use the facilities at the park, it is lovely. But from now on, my friend and I will be forced to return to the vehicle to hydrate.
Now for a personal observation. Before I started the Paleo diet, and until I became very settled in to the lifestyle, I would NEVER have approached this van, or said anything to anyone about my belongings being stolen. I would have just gone home PISSED OFF. Of course, I am still pissed, but at least I got my Kleen Kanteen back. I will just have to place another order from Hammer Nutrition and get another Hammer bottle.
As for the workout? It was amazing... first thing Monday morning, I went to the gym and did a full body weight routine at 6am. Yes, I said 6am. When I was done, I drove to the park to racewalk with my friend. She is amazing, and we had an awesome speedy racewalking workout! 8 miles, average pace 12:14! It breaks down like this: Mile 1 - 12:20; Mile 2 - 12:00; Mile 3 - 12:09; Mile 4 - 12:16; Mile 5 - 12:24; Mile 6 - 12:24; Mile 7 - 12:25; Mile 8 - 11:47. It's nice to still have something in the tank at the end of a long walk!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
The Long Walk ;)
So, I got a little of a late start for my long walk this morning. I really planned to go out at 8am, and didn't get started until 8:30. Not too bad, but as the day wore on and it began to get hot outside, the wind blew harder and harder. I looked at the historical weather for the area and gusts were reported to be between 28 and 35mph with sustained winds of 20mph. Almost as bad as the winds at Bataan, but with higher humidity.
I ended up walking 15.1 miles at an average 14:25 per mile pace. Not too shabby, but I didn't count time spent stopped (stopped the Garmin when I was not moving). I am finding that I need to take in more calories during my long walks since I have converted to Paleo. When I first started marathon walking, I was trying to stay at about 100-150 calories per hour. I am only walking most of the time, so that seemed like enough. After all, your digestive system can only process so much while your body is on the move. I had a serious bonk when I did a recent 20 mile training walk, so upped the calories per hour at Bataan for the marathon. I guess that slipped from my consciousness today, and I only brought enough Perpetuem, Hammer Gel and a Larabar so the total added up to 600 calories. That did not equal 200 calories per hour. Need more gels for sure, and a full flask of Perpetuem.
After I got home from the park where I walk, I was kind of dead to the world. I drank my Hammer Recoverite mixed with some Fage Total Greek Yogurt and a little pineapple juice. YUM!!! The only time I will drink calories is after a hard effort.
I ended up walking 15.1 miles at an average 14:25 per mile pace. Not too shabby, but I didn't count time spent stopped (stopped the Garmin when I was not moving). I am finding that I need to take in more calories during my long walks since I have converted to Paleo. When I first started marathon walking, I was trying to stay at about 100-150 calories per hour. I am only walking most of the time, so that seemed like enough. After all, your digestive system can only process so much while your body is on the move. I had a serious bonk when I did a recent 20 mile training walk, so upped the calories per hour at Bataan for the marathon. I guess that slipped from my consciousness today, and I only brought enough Perpetuem, Hammer Gel and a Larabar so the total added up to 600 calories. That did not equal 200 calories per hour. Need more gels for sure, and a full flask of Perpetuem.
After I got home from the park where I walk, I was kind of dead to the world. I drank my Hammer Recoverite mixed with some Fage Total Greek Yogurt and a little pineapple juice. YUM!!! The only time I will drink calories is after a hard effort.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Monday, Feb 22
YES!!! I was wondering if I would be able to walk the whole 10 miles I had planned for today. I stuck with the plan and set out to walk the whole 10 miles very slowly, keeping my HR below 70% of max for the whole walk. I was not concerned with speed except for mile #8. A lovely younger woman ran toward me on the path and as I greeted her, she appeared to give me a condescending glance as if to say: "Why are you greeting me, a runner, when you are a mere walker?".
Some day I will learn to just look the other way and stick with my plan, but today was not the day. Earlier today I had almost gotten into a car accident with some dolt who insisted on turning left from the lane that clearly had an arrow pointing straight ahead, so I was not going to let this runner girl think I was a simple fitness walker, no, not me. So, I kicked it into slow racewalking gear and did that mile in 13:27. Then I thought better and slowed back down to the stroll I was doing earlier.
Anyway, I wonder if "runner girl" has ever run a marathon, or 50k, or 50 miles, or 72.22 miles. If she has, well, more power to her. But to hazard a guess, I'll bet she runs a measly 3 or 4 miles a day to stay in shape, cause if she was an ULTRA runner, she probably would have greeted me just like any other person she saw on the path. So, I am thinking of getting one of those pink shirts that say "26.2 is for sissies" or one of those other shirts I saw that says "Harden the Fuck Up". My point is, I greet everyone I meet on the paths equally... whether they are a 3 mile a day walker, runner, or run 100's or Badwater. We all have our reasons to do what we do, and thank goodness we have our @$$e$ off the couch!
Anyhow... 10.14 miles; 14:49 average pace; 68% average HR.
Some day I will learn to just look the other way and stick with my plan, but today was not the day. Earlier today I had almost gotten into a car accident with some dolt who insisted on turning left from the lane that clearly had an arrow pointing straight ahead, so I was not going to let this runner girl think I was a simple fitness walker, no, not me. So, I kicked it into slow racewalking gear and did that mile in 13:27. Then I thought better and slowed back down to the stroll I was doing earlier.
Anyway, I wonder if "runner girl" has ever run a marathon, or 50k, or 50 miles, or 72.22 miles. If she has, well, more power to her. But to hazard a guess, I'll bet she runs a measly 3 or 4 miles a day to stay in shape, cause if she was an ULTRA runner, she probably would have greeted me just like any other person she saw on the path. So, I am thinking of getting one of those pink shirts that say "26.2 is for sissies" or one of those other shirts I saw that says "Harden the Fuck Up". My point is, I greet everyone I meet on the paths equally... whether they are a 3 mile a day walker, runner, or run 100's or Badwater. We all have our reasons to do what we do, and thank goodness we have our @$$e$ off the couch!
Anyhow... 10.14 miles; 14:49 average pace; 68% average HR.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
back to the training log again
Wednesday, September 23
This was kind of a strange day. I had to work for a little while in the morning. Then I picked up my Mom and we went shopping in west Houston. She needed a few things from the fabric store and we had a nice lunch at Jason's Deli.
After I got home, I got ready and went out for an 8 mile walk at the little league park. It was cool, in the low 60's and windy. It started to rain when I first started my walk, then it stopped after a couple of miles. The rain would have been ok with me...
Friday, September 25
Got over to the track for bleachers and drills. 1 mile walk to the track... So, there are 14 bleachers... I planned to do them all 3 times each. Forgot to re-start the timer after stretching and missed counting 8 1/2 of them, so I did those over. All total... 50.5 runs up the bleachers - 50.5 times walks down the bleachers. 6 x 100m sprints; 2 x 100m skipping; 2 x 100m side slides; 2 x 100m crossover drills; 2 x 100m racewalk sprints; 1 mile racewalk. Walked the curves between all the above; 200m jog back to the starting point to pick up the water bottle, then 1 mile walk home. That was SOME workout... a total of 6.2 miles in 1:40 with average pace of 16:08. That's fast enough to get me throuhg 100 miles with lots of climbing.
Saturday, September 26
Sorry, just copying and pasting this from my Running Ahead entry on facebook. Kara Goucher might like these Nike Lunar Trainers... but, I have tried them for short and long distance. I don't like them, and I am really glad they were an outlet store purchase. The right shoe eats my heel for breakfast. I had planned to walk 8 or 10 miles this morning and decided to stop at 5 miles before the blister on my right heel became unbearable. This really sucks because I had a good acceleration workout going. Oh well. I have to get to work on time today, so I'll get over it.
5.09 Mi; 1:08:07; 13:23mpm; Heart Rate: Average: 139 / Max: 184
Weather: 72° F, Humid
Then I had to go to work. I chose to wear dress slacks and sandals with heels (low heels) and the store was really busy. I ran back and forth, sold lots of furniture and mattresses and before I knew it, I had a headache. I went to warm up my lunch, thinking it was about 3pm and when I saw it was actually 5... I knew I was in trouble. LUNCH at FIVE??? I am supposed to be doing a 15 mile LSD walk Sunday. I finally made it home from work at 9:30 pm and didn't feel like eating a big meal. So, I ate 3 of the little blueberry pancakes and went to bed. I decided to set the alarm for 7am to see if I could get up to walk in the morning. Went shopping instead and planned to walk the 15 miles in the afternoon.
Sunday, September 27
So, now I know what happens when you try to do a LSD walk in the heat of the day when you have not fueled properly the day before. (I checked the weather and the heat index was 103 when I left the house to start the walk). I was feeling ok, so I started out too fast. I am still not too upset over the final numbers because it is almost equal to my 50k trail pr pace. I did the whole walk except for the first and last mile in the tall grass, gravel and dirt. There is not much elevation gain and loss (1250 feet over 15 miles).
I feel like someone beat me with a big stick so I am going to soak in a tub of ice (someone made me think of ice... Pam, maybe?). That should help. 15 Mi; 3:47:16.32; 15:10mpm
I am a little better after soaking in ice water. I probably will not walk tomorrow. I am going to ask Raymond to get my bike out for me in the morning and go for a recovery ride instead of a recovery walk.
This was kind of a strange day. I had to work for a little while in the morning. Then I picked up my Mom and we went shopping in west Houston. She needed a few things from the fabric store and we had a nice lunch at Jason's Deli.
After I got home, I got ready and went out for an 8 mile walk at the little league park. It was cool, in the low 60's and windy. It started to rain when I first started my walk, then it stopped after a couple of miles. The rain would have been ok with me...
Friday, September 25
Got over to the track for bleachers and drills. 1 mile walk to the track... So, there are 14 bleachers... I planned to do them all 3 times each. Forgot to re-start the timer after stretching and missed counting 8 1/2 of them, so I did those over. All total... 50.5 runs up the bleachers - 50.5 times walks down the bleachers. 6 x 100m sprints; 2 x 100m skipping; 2 x 100m side slides; 2 x 100m crossover drills; 2 x 100m racewalk sprints; 1 mile racewalk. Walked the curves between all the above; 200m jog back to the starting point to pick up the water bottle, then 1 mile walk home. That was SOME workout... a total of 6.2 miles in 1:40 with average pace of 16:08. That's fast enough to get me throuhg 100 miles with lots of climbing.
Saturday, September 26
Sorry, just copying and pasting this from my Running Ahead entry on facebook. Kara Goucher might like these Nike Lunar Trainers... but, I have tried them for short and long distance. I don't like them, and I am really glad they were an outlet store purchase. The right shoe eats my heel for breakfast. I had planned to walk 8 or 10 miles this morning and decided to stop at 5 miles before the blister on my right heel became unbearable. This really sucks because I had a good acceleration workout going. Oh well. I have to get to work on time today, so I'll get over it.
5.09 Mi; 1:08:07; 13:23mpm; Heart Rate: Average: 139 / Max: 184
Weather: 72° F, Humid
Then I had to go to work. I chose to wear dress slacks and sandals with heels (low heels) and the store was really busy. I ran back and forth, sold lots of furniture and mattresses and before I knew it, I had a headache. I went to warm up my lunch, thinking it was about 3pm and when I saw it was actually 5... I knew I was in trouble. LUNCH at FIVE??? I am supposed to be doing a 15 mile LSD walk Sunday. I finally made it home from work at 9:30 pm and didn't feel like eating a big meal. So, I ate 3 of the little blueberry pancakes and went to bed. I decided to set the alarm for 7am to see if I could get up to walk in the morning. Went shopping instead and planned to walk the 15 miles in the afternoon.
Sunday, September 27
So, now I know what happens when you try to do a LSD walk in the heat of the day when you have not fueled properly the day before. (I checked the weather and the heat index was 103 when I left the house to start the walk). I was feeling ok, so I started out too fast. I am still not too upset over the final numbers because it is almost equal to my 50k trail pr pace. I did the whole walk except for the first and last mile in the tall grass, gravel and dirt. There is not much elevation gain and loss (1250 feet over 15 miles).
I feel like someone beat me with a big stick so I am going to soak in a tub of ice (someone made me think of ice... Pam, maybe?). That should help. 15 Mi; 3:47:16.32; 15:10mpm
I am a little better after soaking in ice water. I probably will not walk tomorrow. I am going to ask Raymond to get my bike out for me in the morning and go for a recovery ride instead of a recovery walk.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Sunday, July 12
I went to bed at 8:30 pm last night instead of going out for my 18 mile walk. The alarm set for 4 am. The coffee pot was ready, I just had to turn it on when I got up. I did not have too much difficulty getting up, eating breakfast (3 small blueberry pancakes and a pre-cooked turkey sausage patty) and getting dressed to go out for the walk this morning. I walked out the door at 5:13. I wanted to be on the road by 5am, but this is about as good as it gets for me early in the morning, unless I'm traveling or racing. I have been known to get in the car at 3 am to drive 100 miles to a race.
My main concern with getting out so early in the morning are spider webs. There is a type of spider that lives in the oak trees. Every evening, they descend from the trees and build new webs. No one gets out that early in the morning in my neighborhood, so I am constantly dodging spider webs. If there is anything I really loathe, it is the thought of a spider crawling on me.
I usually start my long walk with a large loop outside of town, but since it was dark, I walked up and down all the streets in my neighborhood first until about 6 miles, then headed out of town for a 4 mile loop. I stopped at my house for a quick restroom break, then back out the door. I did a good job of pacing between 13:30 and 14:30 and in that range, the HR also stayed where it was supposed to. I always like to put in a quick mile at the end of a LSD walk if I am feeling up to it, so mile 17 was the fastest one. It helped a lot that a crazy Butthole Surfer song came up on the play list. It was fun walking to the beat. I haven't gotten so obsessive with the music play list that I plan it for the distance. I have a huge library of music, and I let it play in alphabetical order of song titles. The list includes everything from Johnny Cash to The Kinks, to Opeth, Korn and Metallica. Anyway, I finished up the walk, stretched and headed right to the shower.
Once finished showering and getting dressed, I headed over to my Mom's house. She was having company. Aunt Cathy, cousins Lynn and her daughter Gracie, Dana, and Jonathan and his girlfriend Megan. My niece Charlotte, her dh Jeff and ds Joshua, and nephew Tim, his dw Channing and dd Kailei, and my dd Emily and ds Jonathan also came along. We had a really nice visit! Jonathan has been living in Katy for a while now, and Lynn, Gracie and Dana are moving to either Spring or Tomball. It will be so nice to have family in the area so that we can get together once in a while. As usual, Mom had a huge spread... homemade black bean salsa, cold cut tray, pasta salad, veggie tray, and best of all; homemade peach and blackberry cobblers with Blue Bell ice cream.
What a great way to spend a Sunday. Walking 18 miles... and not feeling any guilt about the cobbler I ate.
My main concern with getting out so early in the morning are spider webs. There is a type of spider that lives in the oak trees. Every evening, they descend from the trees and build new webs. No one gets out that early in the morning in my neighborhood, so I am constantly dodging spider webs. If there is anything I really loathe, it is the thought of a spider crawling on me.
I usually start my long walk with a large loop outside of town, but since it was dark, I walked up and down all the streets in my neighborhood first until about 6 miles, then headed out of town for a 4 mile loop. I stopped at my house for a quick restroom break, then back out the door. I did a good job of pacing between 13:30 and 14:30 and in that range, the HR also stayed where it was supposed to. I always like to put in a quick mile at the end of a LSD walk if I am feeling up to it, so mile 17 was the fastest one. It helped a lot that a crazy Butthole Surfer song came up on the play list. It was fun walking to the beat. I haven't gotten so obsessive with the music play list that I plan it for the distance. I have a huge library of music, and I let it play in alphabetical order of song titles. The list includes everything from Johnny Cash to The Kinks, to Opeth, Korn and Metallica. Anyway, I finished up the walk, stretched and headed right to the shower.
Once finished showering and getting dressed, I headed over to my Mom's house. She was having company. Aunt Cathy, cousins Lynn and her daughter Gracie, Dana, and Jonathan and his girlfriend Megan. My niece Charlotte, her dh Jeff and ds Joshua, and nephew Tim, his dw Channing and dd Kailei, and my dd Emily and ds Jonathan also came along. We had a really nice visit! Jonathan has been living in Katy for a while now, and Lynn, Gracie and Dana are moving to either Spring or Tomball. It will be so nice to have family in the area so that we can get together once in a while. As usual, Mom had a huge spread... homemade black bean salsa, cold cut tray, pasta salad, veggie tray, and best of all; homemade peach and blackberry cobblers with Blue Bell ice cream.
What a great way to spend a Sunday. Walking 18 miles... and not feeling any guilt about the cobbler I ate.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
more workouts... the purpose of the blog.
July 8, 2009
I am really on a roll! Just finished the strength training here at home. Upper/lower body and core followed by a full stretching routine including some yoga poses. I know it's kind of late, but oh well I did it!
July 9, 2009
I guess 13 seconds a mile faster than marathon pace counts as a tempo walk in this heat. 7 miles average pace 12:57; average HR 78%; max HR 86% by the end of the 7 miles, then I walked an additional mile to cool down. Nice and slow and easy. Now to towel off and stretch before a shower. I am, yet again, drenched in sweat! I always like to complain about how hot it was when I started my walk... 96 when I started and 90 when I finished. High humidity as usual. I think we reached a high temperature of 102 with heat index of 108 this afternoon. I could fry an egg on the hood of my black car.
The after workout refuel snack for the evening was yogurt with slightly thawed frozen mixed berries and some fat free cool whip! What a treat!
I am really on a roll! Just finished the strength training here at home. Upper/lower body and core followed by a full stretching routine including some yoga poses. I know it's kind of late, but oh well I did it!
July 9, 2009
I guess 13 seconds a mile faster than marathon pace counts as a tempo walk in this heat. 7 miles average pace 12:57; average HR 78%; max HR 86% by the end of the 7 miles, then I walked an additional mile to cool down. Nice and slow and easy. Now to towel off and stretch before a shower. I am, yet again, drenched in sweat! I always like to complain about how hot it was when I started my walk... 96 when I started and 90 when I finished. High humidity as usual. I think we reached a high temperature of 102 with heat index of 108 this afternoon. I could fry an egg on the hood of my black car.
The after workout refuel snack for the evening was yogurt with slightly thawed frozen mixed berries and some fat free cool whip! What a treat!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Tuesday, July 7
I just got in from my interval workout. It went pretty well even with all the ducking and dodging I had to do on the track. I'll bet there were 50 people out there and 99% of them had no idea what to do when they saw me. I had to ask folks to let me have lane one over and over and etc.
The plan was to do 8 repeats of: 400meter x 2 minute recovery. My HR was not coming down enough in 2 minutes so I adjusted to 8 repeats of 400meter x 400 meter recovery, preceded by 1 mile warm-up, stretching and flexibility drills and followed by 1.25 miles cool down and more stretching. All the speed intervals were under 3 minutes with an average pace of 11:30. The recovery portions were very slow with an average pace of 14:37 for recovery.
The total workout was 6.17 miles average HR 80%; max HR 93%.
Who said these clothes were quick drying and moisture wicking??? The sweat was running down my legs when I got home. I had to towel off before I could even stretch!
The plan was to do 8 repeats of: 400meter x 2 minute recovery. My HR was not coming down enough in 2 minutes so I adjusted to 8 repeats of 400meter x 400 meter recovery, preceded by 1 mile warm-up, stretching and flexibility drills and followed by 1.25 miles cool down and more stretching. All the speed intervals were under 3 minutes with an average pace of 11:30. The recovery portions were very slow with an average pace of 14:37 for recovery.
The total workout was 6.17 miles average HR 80%; max HR 93%.
Who said these clothes were quick drying and moisture wicking??? The sweat was running down my legs when I got home. I had to towel off before I could even stretch!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
May 30, 2009
12 miles for me today in the heat of the day again. I did better than last Monday when I had a slight dizzy spell. I started out at 11am today and finished right before 2pm. My total time includes a total of 13 minutes over the 4 times I stopped for fluid or food. I didn't feel like using the fuel belt of a hand held bottle, so I walked a 2.3 mile loop around my neighborhood, stopping at my house each round to drink/eat something. Average pace including stops was 14:54, average actual walking pace was 13:48.
This is more than fast enough to get me through 100 miles in less than 30 hours.
21 days to go.
This is more than fast enough to get me through 100 miles in less than 30 hours.
21 days to go.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Friday, May 22
I had a good walk this evening. I was planning on starting a little later, but I have to work tomorrow. So, I set out at a little before 8pm for 15 miles. It ended up being a very good, fast LSD. I even got in a little racewalking, and got to practice getting used to the tunnel vision caused by the headlamp. 15 miles 3:35:06, average pace 14:20, HR monitor cut in and out this walk, so I am going to change the battery tomorrow. I didn't seem to get hungry at all while walking after dark. I hope this isn't a problem at Mohican.
Funny thing... my friends and I are going to do the ET Midnight Marathon put on by Calico Racing in August. We have been having fun with the idea about spotting aliens because the marathon route is on the Extraterrestrial Highway that borders Area 51... I was doing the last 6 miles on the track and some of the back lights were on. The stars were out, and I was looking up at the sky, it was a nice night. There were some lights moving around really fast and erratic above the school building. I stopped in my tracks and watched them for a few minutes. Then I heard the birds screaching.. The lights must have been reflecting off the bottom of the birds that were flying around eating the bugs that were attracted to the lights. To tired eyes and from the other end of the track, they looked like UFO's.
Funny thing... my friends and I are going to do the ET Midnight Marathon put on by Calico Racing in August. We have been having fun with the idea about spotting aliens because the marathon route is on the Extraterrestrial Highway that borders Area 51... I was doing the last 6 miles on the track and some of the back lights were on. The stars were out, and I was looking up at the sky, it was a nice night. There were some lights moving around really fast and erratic above the school building. I stopped in my tracks and watched them for a few minutes. Then I heard the birds screaching.. The lights must have been reflecting off the bottom of the birds that were flying around eating the bugs that were attracted to the lights. To tired eyes and from the other end of the track, they looked like UFO's.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Wednesday, May 20
Now I have a funny to tell. I am eating a grilled chicken flat bread wrap with some baked beans for dinner. When I finish, I am going to change and go out for 8 miles. I still need to see if any kinds of food are going to make me sick at the ultra. I have seen I do well with pbj, cookies, Frito's, crackers, etc... but you will find pizza, quesadillas and assorted other goodies at some races. I want to make sure heavy duty stuff won't make me sick either. I'll let you all know how it goes.
Well, I guess nothin' makes me sick. Even Blue Cheese Dressing. Although I did get a little nauseous at about 4 miles, but it passed. So, 8 miles; 1:53:55; average pace 14:11; average HR 124 64%. Seems kind of low, especially right after eating dinner, but that is what the monitor said. Night walking with a headlamp in interesting at best.
Well, I guess nothin' makes me sick. Even Blue Cheese Dressing. Although I did get a little nauseous at about 4 miles, but it passed. So, 8 miles; 1:53:55; average pace 14:11; average HR 124 64%. Seems kind of low, especially right after eating dinner, but that is what the monitor said. Night walking with a headlamp in interesting at best.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Tuesday - May 19
I walked over to the little league park after I got home from work. It is a little over a mile from my house. Then I walked around the excavation site where the city is expanding the retention pond that is there to help control flash flooding. There were some city workers present, and when I walked over to where they were, I asked them if anyone was going to run my out of the area. They said I should just be very careful. When I told them I am training for a 100 mile trail race, they said I should have fun and walk wherever I wanted to. LOL
Anyhow, the total walk after arriving back home was 6.2 miles or 10k, however you wish to look at it. My average pace was 13:53, and my average HR was exactly 70%. Not too shabby for someone who just walked 50k on Saturday!
Anyhow, the total walk after arriving back home was 6.2 miles or 10k, however you wish to look at it. My average pace was 13:53, and my average HR was exactly 70%. Not too shabby for someone who just walked 50k on Saturday!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
I chose to take Sunday, Monday and Tuesday off from working out. So, it looks like the walking schedule is working out to look like this: 3 pretty hard weeks/1 pretty easy week.
I was able to get in 6 miles this evening on some pretty uneven terrain. The town I live in is working on a new drainage/retention pond at our little league park. So, I walked a mile to the park, 4 miles around the excavation site, then a mile home.
I was able to get in 6 miles this evening on some pretty uneven terrain. The town I live in is working on a new drainage/retention pond at our little league park. So, I walked a mile to the park, 4 miles around the excavation site, then a mile home.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Saturday, May 2, 2009
So, I walked a marathon last Sunday, 6 miles on Tuesday, and 8 miles on Thursday. In order to keep building mileage for Mohican, I scheduled a 20 mile hill walk for today, which would bring my 7 day mileage total to 60. I knew I could get it done, no matter how slowly. I got off to a late start, even though I had gathered my stuff for the walk the night before. I finally loaded up my car and left for the 15 minute drive to Bellville at around 8:30. The Garmin shows I started my walk at 9:01 am. It was 77 degrees with overcast skies and high humidity.
Every year, the city of Bellville has a celebration called Heritage Days. Folks dress up in period costumes; there is an open air market, tours of the old jail house, gunfighters in the streets and an honest to goodness longhorn cattle drive right through town and around the Austin County courthouse to start off the usual small town parade.
The parade was lining up along my hill walking loop. The walk was interesting because I was never alone. One of the American Legion veterans asked me just how long I was planning to walk because I had already passed him 3 times. I told him I would pass this spot 3 more times because I walk the loop in one direction then reverse directions in order to get to 20 miles. He said 20 MILES??? He didn’t have much more to say when I explained I was walking up and down these hills in training for a 100 mile race. At that point, I looked down the street and there came the herd of longhorn cattle. I was really glad to be getting the heck down the street in the opposite direction.
It was high noon by then and the temperature was getting higher. The clouds were starting to dissipate and the sun was coming out. I still had over 2 hours to go. I was following my hydration and nutrition plan, so I wasn’t having any ill effects from the heat; I was just tired from a full week. I was carrying some Fritos, a few GU energy gels, some homemade chocolate chip cookies, and some Clif Shot Blocks (margarita flavor with extra salt). Every 6.5 miles, I passed my mom’s house and ate some peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a bite of banana and a bite or two of chocolate. I also refilled my fuel belt.
Alright, I got to about 15 miles and the heat started getting to me. I used a little of my water to wet my head, and drank some extra electrolyte. I never got nauseated, so I guess I did the right thing. By the way, I was wearing a pair of not too tight compression shorts with some looser shorts that had pockets; a long sports bra and a long sleeve UA heat gear top. That helped to keep me cool, as it was a little breezy even though the temp and humidity was oppressive. At that point, I still had to pass by my mom’s house one more time in order to get the whole 20 miles done. It was difficult, but I have a goal and I won’t let a little heat interfere with getting there. Not this time. Once before I let the Texas heat defeat my plan to walk the Akron marathon. That would have been my first sub 6 hour walking marathon, had I done it. Sorry I digress. That was water under an old bridge. I continued on for the last loop and when I turned up my mom’s street for the finish, I was thinking it was about 85 degrees. And, I was right on the number.
I went in the house to drink my recovery drink, Carnation Instant Breakfast today, and pace back and forth until I could get down to the floor and stretch. I went to take a shower and I would love to show you my sunburned hands. UA UV… It works. I will now date myself for you… seeing my dark hands at the end of light arms made me think of the Dick Van Dyke show. If you don’t remember Dick Van Dyke, then you are younger than me.
My sister and my mom are very artistic and were part of a featured artist showing at a local antique show along with several other local artists. So, the rest of the afternoon was spent hanging around the antique shop, eating homemade crackers (my mom is an awesome cook), chocolate chip cookies and brownies, while meeting some interesting people. Here is one of the websites my sister’s rubber art stamps can be purchased through http://www.catherinehowell.etsy.com/.
That is all for now.
Every year, the city of Bellville has a celebration called Heritage Days. Folks dress up in period costumes; there is an open air market, tours of the old jail house, gunfighters in the streets and an honest to goodness longhorn cattle drive right through town and around the Austin County courthouse to start off the usual small town parade.
The parade was lining up along my hill walking loop. The walk was interesting because I was never alone. One of the American Legion veterans asked me just how long I was planning to walk because I had already passed him 3 times. I told him I would pass this spot 3 more times because I walk the loop in one direction then reverse directions in order to get to 20 miles. He said 20 MILES??? He didn’t have much more to say when I explained I was walking up and down these hills in training for a 100 mile race. At that point, I looked down the street and there came the herd of longhorn cattle. I was really glad to be getting the heck down the street in the opposite direction.
It was high noon by then and the temperature was getting higher. The clouds were starting to dissipate and the sun was coming out. I still had over 2 hours to go. I was following my hydration and nutrition plan, so I wasn’t having any ill effects from the heat; I was just tired from a full week. I was carrying some Fritos, a few GU energy gels, some homemade chocolate chip cookies, and some Clif Shot Blocks (margarita flavor with extra salt). Every 6.5 miles, I passed my mom’s house and ate some peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a bite of banana and a bite or two of chocolate. I also refilled my fuel belt.
Alright, I got to about 15 miles and the heat started getting to me. I used a little of my water to wet my head, and drank some extra electrolyte. I never got nauseated, so I guess I did the right thing. By the way, I was wearing a pair of not too tight compression shorts with some looser shorts that had pockets; a long sports bra and a long sleeve UA heat gear top. That helped to keep me cool, as it was a little breezy even though the temp and humidity was oppressive. At that point, I still had to pass by my mom’s house one more time in order to get the whole 20 miles done. It was difficult, but I have a goal and I won’t let a little heat interfere with getting there. Not this time. Once before I let the Texas heat defeat my plan to walk the Akron marathon. That would have been my first sub 6 hour walking marathon, had I done it. Sorry I digress. That was water under an old bridge. I continued on for the last loop and when I turned up my mom’s street for the finish, I was thinking it was about 85 degrees. And, I was right on the number.
I went in the house to drink my recovery drink, Carnation Instant Breakfast today, and pace back and forth until I could get down to the floor and stretch. I went to take a shower and I would love to show you my sunburned hands. UA UV… It works. I will now date myself for you… seeing my dark hands at the end of light arms made me think of the Dick Van Dyke show. If you don’t remember Dick Van Dyke, then you are younger than me.
My sister and my mom are very artistic and were part of a featured artist showing at a local antique show along with several other local artists. So, the rest of the afternoon was spent hanging around the antique shop, eating homemade crackers (my mom is an awesome cook), chocolate chip cookies and brownies, while meeting some interesting people. Here is one of the websites my sister’s rubber art stamps can be purchased through http://www.catherinehowell.etsy.com/.
That is all for now.
Friday, May 1, 2009
still walking
I walked another 8 miles yesterday after work with no problems, bringing my total miles walked in April to 134.5.
That is pretty high mileage for me. Something usually happens where I don't get in all my planned short walks. This month should be a little higher, then the taper for Mohican will start the first week in June. My mileage in June should be over 100 too...
That is pretty high mileage for me. Something usually happens where I don't get in all my planned short walks. This month should be a little higher, then the taper for Mohican will start the first week in June. My mileage in June should be over 100 too...
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009 - Testing the legs
I wasn't sure how a walk would go today. I wanted to see if my marathon on Sunday was truly a training walk. It must have been because I was able to walk a quick 6 miles in 1:21:32 this evening just two days after the marathon! Yeah!!
Monday, April 27, 2009
April 26, 2009 - Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon
I will start out by saying this was the BEST large scale marathon I have done to date. The aid stations were full of volunteers and well stocked with all manner of things. They had enough GU for an army and an army of people to hand it out. I HIGHLY recommend this marathon. Yes, the climate can be tough in Oklahoma City, and the course is kind of hilly, but if you are well prepared for the conditions, you will have a great time!
Now, I will start at the beginning. Of course I didn’t get enough sleep the night before I left for Oklahoma City. I finally went to bed Friday night at about 11 pm after putting my things in the car. I set the alarm for 2:45 am, because I intended to leave by 3am. I live about 450 miles from Oklahoma City. It was part of my plan to leave so early because I was going to take the early start for the marathon (4:30am) on Sunday and since I am not a morning person, getting up early Saturday would force me to be in bed early Saturday night. I was on the road by 3:10 am. I reached Bryan/College Station at around 4:30 am and there was a terrible storm in the area. Cars were in the ditch, and several were stopped, I assume they were waiting for the storm to subside a little. I continued on because I didn’t want to lose any time. I slowed down, of course, and good thing, because water was pooling in places along the road. I made it safely through the storm, thank goodness. The lightening show was impressive.
The expo was not as large as I expected, but well laid out. First, we were directed to the back of the room to pick up the packet and pre-scan the timing chip, then around the other side of the room to pick up the t-shirt and goodie bag. After I collected my things, I went for a look around to see if there was anything I could not live without. The only purchase was a buy 1 - get 1 half price special on Thorlo socks. I listened to a couple minutes of Joan Benoit Samuelson’s pre-race comments, and then went on to the hotel to eat lunch and finish getting my gear ready for the race. I still had to mix my electrolyte drink, and put my food and gels in the right pockets. That all done, I was leaving to go back downtown and Laura Leigh arrived at the hotel. I was glad to see her! We left for the pasta dinner together after she brought her things in to the hotel.
Before dinner, we had a little walk around town and through the memorial. When Laura Leigh explained the significance of the Memorial to me, I was really moved by its simplicity.
As we arrived at the pasta dinner, my cell phone started ringing, and I saw Jean-Maria before I could get my phone out and answer it. Patty, Jean-Maria, Laura Leigh and I had dinner together (pasta, no protein, a nice light sauce, salad, breadstick, and huge chocolate chip cookie ;-) and got to know each other. Good thing Jean-Maria had her camera because I forgot mine as usual. We found someone to take the group photo, and then it was time to go back to our hotels. We were fortunate enough to find the porta potties near the start. It is a great honor to be the first to use one of those things… and these were the deluxe models. There was plenty of paper, and they even had hand sanitizer dispensers.
Once we arrived back at the hotel, there were a few things left to do, and it was difficult to get into bed. Once in bed, I fell asleep immediately, just like I planned. I never even got up to use the restroom. The alarm went off at 3 am, and I was ready to get up. I didn’t expect much hoopla at the early start, but the race director was there to welcome us, getting us pumped up for the race. They played God Bless America and The National Anthem, and it was time to start. After a few pre-race instructions, we were off. They had plenty of protection for the early starters in the form of motorcycle police and course marshals on bicycles. There were even a couple of the water stops open for us. I didn’t expect that at all. The volunteers all along the course were the most enthusiastic I have ever seen at a race. Some were even begging us to take their water, like some must be better than others. One station was set up to look like the Big Top, with large stuffed tigers and such in cages. I have never been cheered on by so many volunteers, every time I thanked someone for volunteering; they thanked me for participating in the race. If I said: “YOU’RE AWESOME,” they said: “NO, YOU’RE AWESOME!” What a race. There were children along the course giving high fives to runners and walkers; I don’t remember one part of the course where there were not spectators present. There were even spectators where the course went along the lake path. There were Indian drummers as we exited the lake path and headed back toward the city. The wind was awfully strong all day, but that didn’t deter the spectators. The closer I got to the finish line, the more spectators were present. I started hearing the cheers of the finish line crowd about a mile away. The announcer was very enthusiastic, he was reading our names and calling them out to the crowd as we finished. 6:49:59; my slowest marathon to date, but this was a training walk.
The post race food was great; they had all sorts of Keebler cookies and Carl’s Junior cheeseburgers. I was feeling pretty crummy; the right knee was hurting pretty badly after the post race stretch. I pretty much limped back to the car for the ride to the hotel. Once there, I iced my knee for about 20 minutes and took 3 Ibuprophen (which I don’t normally do). The knee was still a little tender when we went to dinner to celebrate another marathon completed. We went to a local landmark called Cattleman’s and I had a sirloin (something else I don’t normally do). The steak was really good, so were the buttered baked potato and the huge buttered yeast roll. Did I say butter??? When we got back to the hotel, Laura Leigh had to leave so I was on my own. I thought about going to see Patty and Jean-Maria at their hotel; but we were under a tornado warning. I didn’t want to be stranded at another hotel and not get any sleep, so I just stayed put. Once I went to sleep at about 9pm, I didn’t get up until about 8am the next morning. I loaded up the car and started driving south.
The funniest thing happened. I called Jean-Maria to see how she and Patty were doing, and found out they were only about 5 miles ahead of me and stopping for breakfast. I didn’t tell them I was going to stop, I just found the place they said they stopped and walked in. I wish you all could have seen the look on Patty’s face when I walked in. It was priceless. The rest of the drive home was uneventful, except for more thunderstorms.
Today, I feel better. My knee doesn’t hurt anymore, and I am not over tired. I will be back out there training for Mohican tomorrow.
Now, I will start at the beginning. Of course I didn’t get enough sleep the night before I left for Oklahoma City. I finally went to bed Friday night at about 11 pm after putting my things in the car. I set the alarm for 2:45 am, because I intended to leave by 3am. I live about 450 miles from Oklahoma City. It was part of my plan to leave so early because I was going to take the early start for the marathon (4:30am) on Sunday and since I am not a morning person, getting up early Saturday would force me to be in bed early Saturday night. I was on the road by 3:10 am. I reached Bryan/College Station at around 4:30 am and there was a terrible storm in the area. Cars were in the ditch, and several were stopped, I assume they were waiting for the storm to subside a little. I continued on because I didn’t want to lose any time. I slowed down, of course, and good thing, because water was pooling in places along the road. I made it safely through the storm, thank goodness. The lightening show was impressive.
The expo was not as large as I expected, but well laid out. First, we were directed to the back of the room to pick up the packet and pre-scan the timing chip, then around the other side of the room to pick up the t-shirt and goodie bag. After I collected my things, I went for a look around to see if there was anything I could not live without. The only purchase was a buy 1 - get 1 half price special on Thorlo socks. I listened to a couple minutes of Joan Benoit Samuelson’s pre-race comments, and then went on to the hotel to eat lunch and finish getting my gear ready for the race. I still had to mix my electrolyte drink, and put my food and gels in the right pockets. That all done, I was leaving to go back downtown and Laura Leigh arrived at the hotel. I was glad to see her! We left for the pasta dinner together after she brought her things in to the hotel.
Before dinner, we had a little walk around town and through the memorial. When Laura Leigh explained the significance of the Memorial to me, I was really moved by its simplicity.
As we arrived at the pasta dinner, my cell phone started ringing, and I saw Jean-Maria before I could get my phone out and answer it. Patty, Jean-Maria, Laura Leigh and I had dinner together (pasta, no protein, a nice light sauce, salad, breadstick, and huge chocolate chip cookie ;-) and got to know each other. Good thing Jean-Maria had her camera because I forgot mine as usual. We found someone to take the group photo, and then it was time to go back to our hotels. We were fortunate enough to find the porta potties near the start. It is a great honor to be the first to use one of those things… and these were the deluxe models. There was plenty of paper, and they even had hand sanitizer dispensers.
Once we arrived back at the hotel, there were a few things left to do, and it was difficult to get into bed. Once in bed, I fell asleep immediately, just like I planned. I never even got up to use the restroom. The alarm went off at 3 am, and I was ready to get up. I didn’t expect much hoopla at the early start, but the race director was there to welcome us, getting us pumped up for the race. They played God Bless America and The National Anthem, and it was time to start. After a few pre-race instructions, we were off. They had plenty of protection for the early starters in the form of motorcycle police and course marshals on bicycles. There were even a couple of the water stops open for us. I didn’t expect that at all. The volunteers all along the course were the most enthusiastic I have ever seen at a race. Some were even begging us to take their water, like some must be better than others. One station was set up to look like the Big Top, with large stuffed tigers and such in cages. I have never been cheered on by so many volunteers, every time I thanked someone for volunteering; they thanked me for participating in the race. If I said: “YOU’RE AWESOME,” they said: “NO, YOU’RE AWESOME!” What a race. There were children along the course giving high fives to runners and walkers; I don’t remember one part of the course where there were not spectators present. There were even spectators where the course went along the lake path. There were Indian drummers as we exited the lake path and headed back toward the city. The wind was awfully strong all day, but that didn’t deter the spectators. The closer I got to the finish line, the more spectators were present. I started hearing the cheers of the finish line crowd about a mile away. The announcer was very enthusiastic, he was reading our names and calling them out to the crowd as we finished. 6:49:59; my slowest marathon to date, but this was a training walk.
The post race food was great; they had all sorts of Keebler cookies and Carl’s Junior cheeseburgers. I was feeling pretty crummy; the right knee was hurting pretty badly after the post race stretch. I pretty much limped back to the car for the ride to the hotel. Once there, I iced my knee for about 20 minutes and took 3 Ibuprophen (which I don’t normally do). The knee was still a little tender when we went to dinner to celebrate another marathon completed. We went to a local landmark called Cattleman’s and I had a sirloin (something else I don’t normally do). The steak was really good, so were the buttered baked potato and the huge buttered yeast roll. Did I say butter??? When we got back to the hotel, Laura Leigh had to leave so I was on my own. I thought about going to see Patty and Jean-Maria at their hotel; but we were under a tornado warning. I didn’t want to be stranded at another hotel and not get any sleep, so I just stayed put. Once I went to sleep at about 9pm, I didn’t get up until about 8am the next morning. I loaded up the car and started driving south.
The funniest thing happened. I called Jean-Maria to see how she and Patty were doing, and found out they were only about 5 miles ahead of me and stopping for breakfast. I didn’t tell them I was going to stop, I just found the place they said they stopped and walked in. I wish you all could have seen the look on Patty’s face when I walked in. It was priceless. The rest of the drive home was uneventful, except for more thunderstorms.
Today, I feel better. My knee doesn’t hurt anymore, and I am not over tired. I will be back out there training for Mohican tomorrow.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
April 19, 2009
Yesterday was miserable in my neighborhood, and I truly had intended to do back to back long distance walks this weekend, but there was no way I was getting out in that weather. We had about 8 inches of rain, and by the time it stopped, I was way beyond going for a walk.
I was planning to go out this morning, even went so far as to fill my fuel belt and everything. Instead, I piddled around the house and left to go grocery shopping at about 11 am. I made my stop at Lukes Locker... I just love the salespeople there. They always want to show me the latest racing flats they got in and we chit chat about races we are planning to do. Some are triathletes... When I told them I could never imagine riding a bicycle 100 miles, they looked at me said... Well, you are planning to do it on your feet for goodness sakes. I bought some gels and a couple of larger pouches for my fuel belt... They are having some new asics shorts sent over for me from one of their other stores. They are kind of like the race ready shorts... lots of mesh pockets across the rear. I think I will need something like that for Mohican.
Got home, put away the groceries then changed clothes and went and walked 12 miles, most of it at the high school track. Kind of a crappy walk, but I got it done in 2:47:19. I wish I was leaving for Oklahoma tomorrow instead of Saturday.
I was planning to go out this morning, even went so far as to fill my fuel belt and everything. Instead, I piddled around the house and left to go grocery shopping at about 11 am. I made my stop at Lukes Locker... I just love the salespeople there. They always want to show me the latest racing flats they got in and we chit chat about races we are planning to do. Some are triathletes... When I told them I could never imagine riding a bicycle 100 miles, they looked at me said... Well, you are planning to do it on your feet for goodness sakes. I bought some gels and a couple of larger pouches for my fuel belt... They are having some new asics shorts sent over for me from one of their other stores. They are kind of like the race ready shorts... lots of mesh pockets across the rear. I think I will need something like that for Mohican.
Got home, put away the groceries then changed clothes and went and walked 12 miles, most of it at the high school track. Kind of a crappy walk, but I got it done in 2:47:19. I wish I was leaving for Oklahoma tomorrow instead of Saturday.
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