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November 19, 2002
I can't believe I did it!
I don't have time to write a full race report yet, but I promise that I will soon.
Bermuda was great -- we had some ups and downs but overall it was a fabulous weekend!
I finished the marathon --- as you can see in the picture --- and I did OK on time. I was hoping to finish about 6:35 or so but came in at 6:51:09. Considernig the humidity and the structure of the race (hard to pass people) and the blisters I had at the end of the day, I'm really pleased with my time. Next time (yes, I think there will be a next time) I bet I can do better. I finished 78th out of 230 people. I think that's OK for my first try.
I'm going to write a full report and post details and more pictures soon. Stay tuned!
November 14, 2002 - 3 more days!
I leave tomorrow
Wow. It's so close to race day I can't stand it. I packed my bag with all the race stuff so I have everything I absolutely NEED to have with me ready to go. I haven't packed any other stuff though, so I have a big night ahead of me, for sure.
I'm starting to really worry about how I'm going to perform. The weather looks a little bit shaky for the weekend -- humid and maybe a little bit rainy. That's worrisome because I've forgotten what it's like to walk in horrible hot weather. But really I'm just worried that I haven't done enough in recent weeks and that's really going to have a big impact on my pace and how I feel. Oh well, I'm sure I'll be able to finish. I really hope that I make it in under 7 hours. I used to feel like that would be easy to do but now I'm worried.
Our flight leaves Philadelphia tomorrow at 9:30. We're supposed to meet the team at 7am. Boy do I hate getting up early like that, but this will be worth it I think.
Oh! I forgot to mention that I got e-mail from a former president of the Walking Club of Bermuda . Check out their cool logo on their website. They'll have a booth at the expo so maybe I'll actually get to meet one of my readers.
Stay tuned for details and pictures from the trip. I have a disposable camera that I bought to take in the race with me. Hopefully I'll find a good place to secure it while I walk.
November 11th, 2002 - 6 days to go
I just can't believe that the marathon is on Sunday. It has seemed so far away for so long that I still can't quite wrap my brain around the idea that it's this week. It's like a dream or something.
Saturday was our last team practice out at Valley Forge. We did 8 miles and it went really well. I kept a good pace and felt great, although I'm a little alarmed that I felt stiff on Sunday. I'm going to blame that on the car washing & waxing I did after the walk and not on the walk.
We got our goodie bags at practice -- they weren't that exciting. Just a water bottle & singlet and a lot of stuff we'll need for the marathon - like a shoe tag with emergency info and plane tickets and stuff like that. The water bottle is quite nice though and I bet it'll fit in my bike holder.
We arrive in Bermuda around noon on Friday and have time to ourselves until the Team In Training pasta party on Saturday night. This should be interesting because it has all the TNT people from the whole country and from what I hear the parties tend to be really inspirational. One exciting thing is that a member of our local team is going to be a speaker at the pasta party. She's a survivor of cancer (not sure if she had leukemia as a child or what) and she's done a few marathons with TNT. I don't know her well because she's a bit of a speed demon, but I'm really looking forward to hearing what she has to say. Go Lisa!
There's also a race expo on Saturday. Sunday is the marathon and the victory party and our flight leaves Bermuda at 1:30 on Monday.
I have a lot of packing to do this week and I need to make sure that I don't forget anything critical like my sneakers or the blister blockers. Speaing of blister blockers, I'm having a pesky problem with my feet. Stop reading now if you don't feel like reading about gross feet.
I have a pretty big callous on the side of my right heel. I've had it forver and it's done nothing but grow since I started all this distance walking. I've left it mostly alone because I didn't want any new skin for the marathon. Wouldn't you know that on Friday it decided that it wanted to come off! It started peeling and getting these jaggedy sharp edges until I couldn't take it and I had to get rid of it. So I had to use my foot smoother and lotion and tiny little scissors to remove this disgusting dead skin. Blech! Anyway, it looks a million times better and it feels a million times better but I'm really worried about this tender skin for the marathon. Keep your fingers that the blister blocker and the smart wool do the trick and that I don't wind up a cripple.
November 8, 2002
I'm leaving in a week!
They should have never explained the concept of a taper to me. I'm taking advantage of it to the extreme. I haven't done any walking since the weekend. I'm pathetic. But at least I'll have a fabulous weekend ahead of me to make up for it all.
I'm starting to get nervous. I need to make a list of things that I need to pack in the carry-on for the race. We're getting our tickets and goodies along with a packing check-list tomorrow. Maybe I'll post it here.
November 4, 2002
Weekend Summary - 14 miles
The weather is still cold but at least it wasn't rainy over the weekend. I walked the loop and the covered bridge trail from Brian's apartment so that came to about 8.5 miles. We were FREEZING with the killer wind at the park. Thank god this is almost over and I won't have a full winter of training. I think i would have to give up if I had to face that.
Sunday we got up early and went to Tyler State Park and got in about 5.5 miles before we stopped for lunch and headed home to watch the Eagles game.
It felt good to be out walking again after a full week of doing nothing. The one catch is that I have a little bit of a cold so my muscles were a bit achey and not really into the whole walking thing. Still --- I got the miles in and that's what counts. I'm really loving the whole taper concept though, so I don't have to feel to bad when I slack off.
Tomorrow is election day and since I'm having such a hard time walking during the week now, I think I'm going to get up early, walk to the polling place and back home and then go to work. It's not all that far away but will probably give me a solid 2 miles before I even get to work. That's OK in my book.
I finally made an appointment for the massage (remember I got that gift certificate from Brian for my birthday?) I'm going on the 14th at 6:45. I have a feeling I'm going to be really nervous about the race and the normall stress I feel and that this will be a great way to start the weekend off right.
I really can't believe that it's only 2 weeks away.
November 1, 2002
Quick Update
Not much to report --- the weather has been pretty bad (cold and wet) and I've had a cold so I haven't done any walking this week. The weekend is going to be cold but at least it'll be sunny. I should get some good miles in over the next 2 days.
I got some late donations too --- that was a nice surprise! I think I have about $100 more dollars to send it to the Leukemia Society so that puts my total up around $4300. Check out the fundraising page for the real total if you're interested.
October 30, 2002 - 17 days to go
Freezing & Rainy
It's just awful here! It's been cold, rainy and miserable for the last couple of days. It even was sleeting yesterday. Yuck! I'm going to try to get on the treadmill tonight but I think it's going to be crowded and I'm not sure I'll be able to snag a spot. I'm way too impatient to wait --- but I would like to get at least a couple of miles in this week.
I found another article about the Bermuda race course. Check it out here at CoolRunning.com
October 27, 2002
It was a gorgeous day after the long walk -- just a perfect fall day. We decided to ride up to Hawk Mountain to see if we could catch any interesting migrating birds. The Eagles are playing on Monday night so we had all day to kill.
First let me recap my post-20 mile injuries: Virtually none! I have sore muscles on the front of both my ankles, and sore not-quite blisters but almost spots on the sides of both heels. I was afraid to take my socks off after the walk because I could tell that both my big toes felt a little bruised and I was worried that I'd have the dreaded black toenails, but no! Nothing but normal nails. So overall, I'm feeling good and reading for a day outside.
We took the short hike to the north lookout -- it's about a mile over a rocky trail and parked for the next couple of hours. Guess what? Patience paid off! We saw 2 bald eagles and 1 golden eagle plus a bunch of other much less exciting birds.
A great day!
October 26, 2002 - 21 days to go
The Long Walk - 20 miles
Kelly Drive
Weekly Total: 29.7
As you know from my last entry I was really dreading this walk because of the predicted bad weather. Sure enough, at 6am when my alarm went off it was pitch black outside and raining. I dragged myself out of bed, threw on my warm clothes (full tights, long sleeved coolmax shirt, a fleece plus a waterproof pullover jacket with hood) plus I packed a bag with extra clothes, sneakers, socks and snacks.
I grabbed some oat bran muffins and I was out the door by 6:30. On the way down to Kelly Drive I hear an update on KYW saying that parts of the drive are blocked due to the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta. Not at all what I want to hear at this time of the morning but sure enough there's a road block at Strawberry Mansion and they send me off on some twisty detour. Time: 6:59am. I'm late --- but at least everybody else probably will be too. The rain is tapering off. The detor drops us off right at the entrance to the Lloyd Hall parking lot where we're supposed to meet. Unfortunately, there are police barricades and a loud mean cop forcing me to turn left and drive around the Art Museum circle. Thank god there are hardly any cars because this has got to be the most confusing circle in the history of traffic circles. Eventually I wind my way around it and up to the road block and I find a spot to parallel park along Sedgely Avenue (?) about a block from the parking lot.
When I finally get to the lot where the TNT crowd meets it's about 7:20, it's not raining anymore, the sky is a little bit brighter and I'm in a better mood. Guess how many people are there (not including Char, our coach)? Three. Three people! I'm the fourth. What happened to all those wacky "the rain is your friend" people??? Anyway, we wait for a few minutes for others to arrive, we strech, re-evaluate our layers. (I shed the waterproof jacket --- I'm already hot from stretching and the rain has stopped.) Finally we decide to head out on the walk.
Shortly after beginning, we break into two groups of two. In the lead group is me and Lisa, a TNT veteran who had done the Mardi Gras marathon and a bunch of alumni challenge events. The other group is Jayne (mom of our patient hero, Mark) and Ellen. They train together all the time so they know one another's pace pretty well. The plan is to do the Kelly Drive loop of 8.4 miles twice then do a quick out and back of 1.5 miles to get the full 20 in. We figure this should take about 5 hours to do. Almost immediately, within the first 2 miles, we left Jayne & Ellen behind.
We're off to a good start and the people setting up for the boat race are an interesting diversion for the first couple of miles. The first loop went really fast because Lisa & I had never walked together before and we had lots to talk about. The conditions were similar to those at the distance run only cooler and a bit less humid. I had a raspberry cream Power Gel (my new fave) at about mile 6, we stopped at the bathroom and for Lisa to shed her waterproof layers at the parking lot at mile 8.4 and the first loop was done is seemingly no time at all.
The second loop started out tricky. This side of the river was really, really crowded by now and it was a real challenge to keep a decent pace while dodging rowers, giant boats, guys carrying armloads of oars without paying attention to who was near them and a bunch of slowpoke spectators. Plus there was a super-annoying race official driving a little golf cart around and people were constantly in her way. She must not have had a horn so she kept saying 'beep beep' 'beep beep' in the most annoying way possible. She was like my walk nemesis. Everytime I seemed to have lost here she'd appear again, beeping in my ear. Anyway, I had another Power Gel (a green apple w/caffiene) at about mile 11 and then we ran into kind of an amusing sight at the Falls Bridge.
A couple of race people (not the beep beep lady, I'm sad to report) had managed to get their cart stuck in the iron work along the side of the bridge. What dorks! They kept trying to back up or move to get the think unstuck but they weren't having much luck and they seemed quite distressed that they wouldn't be able to deliver the coffee that they were in charge of. I really wish it was the beep beep lady who had been stuck. This scene provided a good chance for Lisa and I to stretch a bit before proceeding around to the quiet side of the river.
By now, Lisa had confessed that she hadn't done much training since the Philadelphia Distance Run because she'd been pretty busy with work and stuff and this walk was starting to get to her a little bit. I found myself wanting to walk a little faster than her but stuck with her for most of the 2nd loop. At one point, probably around mile 14 or so, we saw Jayne, Ellen and Char coming towards us in the early part of their 2nd loop. It was a bit of a boost for me to see how far ahead of them we were.
Around 15 miles I had a vanilla Power Gel and pulled away from Lisa. I was still feeling really good at this point. A little bit tired but mostly great. The hot spots on my feet were hot, for sure, but not painful. I'd been careful to cover up the blister area on my left foot with blister blocker on Friday night and it was feeling great. I didn't put any on my right foot but that still seemed ok at this point.
I continued along by myself until I got to the road closing gate at the end of Kelly Drive right by the Art Museum. At this point, my digi-walker said I'd gone 16.7 miles. I decided to turn around here and do my extra 1.5 out and back before continuting on to the parking lot -- If I saw Char and the snacks and a place to sit down I'm sure I would have been tempted to stop. I turned around and maybe a half a mile into my out-and-back I got the worst pain in my right heel. It was my hot spot area and I can only assume that I had a blister that popped right about here. I was limping and very tempted to stop and do some repair work but I forced myself to keep walking until I reached a little viewing area set up for the race with folding charis. It was about a 1/4 mile away from me when it started hurting. The good news is that the problem resolved itself and I didn't need to stop. Once I was no longer distracted by the sore foot I realized that I was starving. I started to daydream about a soft pretzel and that kept me going for the rest of the walk. I may have to smuggle some of those to Bermuda with me!
I did my out and back passing a very determined Lisa a couple of times, and continued past the Art Museum and back to the parking lot. I finished the walk (20.33 miles according to the digi-walker) in 4:54:23. That's pretty good I think!
According to the predictor, I should finish my marathon in 6:36. That time will make me very happy.
I went to the snackbar at Lloyd Hall bought 2 soft pretzels and 2 bottles of water (one for me and one for Lisa) and then collapsed by the TNT van. I felt great! My feet felt OK by this point and my muscles were fine. The worst part of all was that my upper shoulders were kind of tense but they've been like that for days anyway so I don't think it was really walking related.
I really expected the 20 miles to take a lot more out of me. I felt much worse after my 17 mile walk. I'm convinced that I can do the real marathon now and feel good doing it. What a relief! Lisa finished no more than 10 minutes behind me and soon after Char, Jayne, Ellen and another walker Laura, arrived on the scene. They still had 3 more miles to go so that made me feel really great that we were that far ahead of them. They were still pumped up though and refilled their water and headed out to finish their walk.
In other news, this long walk put me over the edge on the 2000 Run Race Odyssey program, so I'll get my 500 mile medal. Yay!
October 25, 2002 - 22 days to go
Rain, Rain Go Away
I'm having a real dilemma today. Our big giant 20 mile long group walk is tomorrow. I have been really looking forward to this for ages and I want to do it with the group very much. But here's the situation:
Tomorrow it's going to be raining all morning and into the mid-afternoon. Blustery rain and temps in the mid 40s. I don't want to do 20 miles in that kind of weather! Especially since Sunday is going to be sunny and nice.
Plus, the walk starts at 7am. 7am on Saturday it'll be mostly dark --- but on Saturday night we change the clocks. So in addition to being dry on Sunday morning it'll also be sunnier at 7am.
I'm trying to get the whole group to switch to Sunday but they don't seem to be going for it. I haven't had even a nibble on switching. I've gotten a few "rain is your friend" and "rain is really fun" messages but I'm not buying it. It just seems downright foolish to do it on Saturday.....and yet I don't want to be anit-social and blow off the group.
I'm doing 20 miles this weekend, no doubt about that, but with who and when remains to be seen. Stay tuned.
October 24, 2002 - 23 days to go
Valley Forge
I only managed 2 miles before the cold & rain & darkness did me in. I'm going to have to start walking in the morning --- there is just no other solution.
October 22, 2002
Valley Forge (where else)
Brian & I did the loop and got in about 5.7 miles. It was a nice night but a bit on the chilly side. We walked pretty fast to keep warm. Unfortunately, we had a good deal of the walk in the dark. I am such a spaz walking in the dark! It's so hard to stay in a straight line. I know that sounds ridiculous but it's true.
I'm really worried about daylight savings time ending --- I barely have the time to tackle the walks now and I'm slacking off like crazy. I don't know what I'll do where there is NO daylight to use for walking.
The 20 mile walk is on Saturday. The weather looks to be chilly and kind of rainy. That completely sucks. I like the cool weather but the rain freaks me out as you well know if you read this journal often. I'm so nervous about this walk --- I can't imagine what a basket case I'm going to be before the marathon. Of course, by then I'll have successfully completed the 20 miles and maybe that will give me the confidence boost I need to push on.
Still no purple singlet...
| Jingle Bell Run in Manayunk - Dec 8th, 2002 |
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| Click on the picture to learn more about the event! |
October 21, 2002
Jingle Bell Run - Sign Up
It's official! Brian, Aggie and I are all signed up for the Jingle Bell Run in Manayunk! It's a 5K that raises money for the Arthritis Foundation. Aggie is going to run it but Brian and I are going to walk -- maybe I'll throw some brief spurts of jogging into it but probably not. It's on December 8th and that's not so long after the marathon. I doubt I'll want to be too speedy that day. I've heard that this is a really fun, casual event with little kids as well as adults entered in the "race". Plus they give you jingle bells to wear as you run and they give cute t-shirts. This is a fundraiser so if anybody wants to donate money you can reach the donation page with just a click.
October 20, 2002
Valley Forge. Again. - 11 miles
Weekly total: 29.45
Brian decided that he wanted to walk with me today so by the time we both got ready and stretched an onto the trail it was around 11:30. We're such slugs.
Anyway, we had a good walk -- loop, plus covered bridge, plus bike trail to total 11 miles before we had to cut the walk short to watch the Eagles game. I felt really good the whole time and felt like I could have easily continued.
I tried raspberry cream power gel and I expected it to be really gross but I think it's my favorite flavor so far. Brian reluctantly tried a vanilla one and he actually liked it. Well, that might be overstated, but he didn't hate it.
October 19, 2002
Valley Forge Loop - 7.5 miles
I watched the weather report on Friday night and saw that while Saturday wasn't going to be the greatest day in the world it was going to be rainy until mid-afternoon. So I sept in a bit, ate a big giant bowl of oatmeal, did some good stretching and got to Valley Forge around 11. It was gray and blustery and quite miserable but it wasn't raining. At least not until I got out of the car.
It was drizzling --- spitting really hardly anything coming down -- and I decided that I'd at least do the normal loop and make an assessment along the way about how far I should really walk. It was windy and totally freezing for the first mile to mile and a half of the walk. Completely miserable but my legs felt good. The rain was there but not to bad as I continued along so I decided to take the covered bridge route and at this point (about 3 miles into things) I was still planning on walking the 14 miles. All is well for the next 2 miles or so until I come out near Washington's HQ. This part of the loop is mostly uphill so I hate it all the time but today it's uphill and RAINY. Super Rainy. And cold. And gray. Nasty. I decided here not to eat my power gel and to cut the walk short when I got back to the car. I continued for the last 2 miles in wind and rain and misery (legs still peppy though) and got wetter and wetter until I made it back to the car. Total milage was 7.5 I can live with that total since I do plan to walk on Sunday.
I got home, took a nice warm shower, ate some lunch and guess what? It stopped raining. It didn't get sunny, but the rain stopped. Figures.
October 17, 2002 - Only a month to go!
Valley Forge Loop - 5 miles
I walked the loop with the shortcut tonight --- the best I could manage with the darkness and the rain creeping in on me. I HATE walking in the rain. I'm going to have a total fit if it rains on me in Bermuda.
My singlet still hasn't shown up. I'm hoping it arrives on Friday, but if not I'll call Kim at TNT and ask for another one. I really want to wear it on a long walk and I'm running out of time to test the thing out. Plus, I'm going to be freezing if I try to wear it outside I think. The weather has really gotten colder and I don't think a sleeveless singlet is going to cut it in late October.
I ordered the shorts from Iron Girl too (the style is named Helen -- how could I resist?) but I'm sure they won't get here in time for my long walk this weekend.
Anyway, today was kind of a cool day since it's exactly a month until race day. All morning I was trying to picture where I'd be during the race at that particular hour. I hope I can finish in a decent time. Just think: this time next month I'll really be a marathoner. A slow marathoner, but I think it still counts.
October 15, 2002 - 33 days to go (wow!)
6.2 miles - VF Loop
Brian & I did the loop tonight with no problem. It was kind of chilly but that was a refreshing change. I wore the capri tights and they're ok but they make me feel like a big geek. I think I'm going to have to get full length ones. I'm still not sure what I'm going to wear in the real marathon. I have to remember to order longer shorts. I saw some cute ones at Iron Girl and they are the Helen model so maybe they'll be the perfect shorts. I think when I'm done this entry I'll go see what I can get there.
Time for the leg-pain update: It's really odd that my leg feels better when I'm walking than when I'm loafing around. I guess that's a good thing. Aggie helped me figure out that my pain is probably due to piriformis syndrome. If you click on the link and read the symptoms --- I have all of them. It hurts when standing up, hurts worse after sitting or driving for a long time, the leg that points slightly to the side when laying down. I did some of the stretches last night and I haven't felt any pain since then -- and I've been sitting here for a long time this morning so I hope that I'm cured. Keep your fingers crossed.
It's pouring rain today so I'm not sure how much walking I'll manage to do but tomorrow I plan on doing a full loop and maybe a little extra --- it depends on how early I get up.
October 14, 2002
No walking today either (stupid move since the weather was nice) but I did order some Pilates tapes from TV so I made a move in a healthy direction. I also heard from Kim at Team in Training and she said that I should get my purple singlet this week. How fun!
October 13, 2002
VF Loop - 6.25
Weekly total: 9.3
I have an incredibly low number of miles this weekend. Part of it was due to the blister at the start of the week but the rest of the problem stems from my strange injury. Remember back around the 4th of July when I had those sharp pains in my right thigh? Well....they're back! I don't know what it is exactly, but every so often I get some nasty shooting pain there. I hate it and it kept me from doing my long walk.
Brian & I walked the loop on Sunday and I had no real problem --- it hurt briefly around the 2.5 mile mark but that was fleeting. I probably could have continuted but the pain came and went all day Saturday and Sunday and I am really afraid of doing something that will make me worse off in the long run. I'm annoyed at this week of almost total rest and I'll need to pick it up this coming week but I want to give my leg some chance to get better. I wish I could come up with some kind of pattern to the pain but I can't. For now, I'm going to take Advil and go about my normal routine. That's what I did back in July and it went away after about a week. Here's hoping that's what will happen this time too.
In other news --- it was my birthday! Brian got me a gift certificate for a real massage so now I have to figure out when to schedule it. Before or after the marathon? Decisions, decisions!
October 9, 2002
3+ miles - near the office
Not a great effort but better than no effort. I considered skipping it completely due to rain and looming darkness. But I wanted to test the blister and all is well as far as that goes. I really wasn't enjoying walking in the rain so I followed that 5 minute rule -- that if you really don't want to do your workout after you're out there doing it for 5 minutes that it's OK to quit. I managed to get in 4 loops -- which is 2.5 miles and then I did one more before I was completely miserable and couldn't stand it anymore. So whatever 2.5 plus 5/8 of a mile equals is what I did. Now that I think about it that's about a 5K, right? That makes it sound better.
Also, since I was hating being there so much I thought I would try to run part of each of the laps. That worked for the first three of them but after that I just walked since somebody else had arrived on the trail and I didn't want to do my pathetic excuse for running in front of her.
I'm hoping to do better tomorrow but the weather looks to be worse so maybe I'll tackle the problem of the moldy camelbak instead of running. I don't think being a slacker will hurt TOO much. But next week, I swear, I'm going to be better.
One more thing: I got my offical registration notice from the marathon. All it said was where to pick up my goodie bag and free t-shirt and you know that's the most important part of this whole experience in my book!
October 8, 2002
Surprise!
I got my medal from the Philadelphia Distance Run in the mail yesterday. Yay! Better late than never, I guess!
The blister is getting better --- I can't see it since it's under the super-bandaid but it's definately less sensitive. I'm going to give it one more day to heal under there before I remove the cover and check it out. I'm planning on walking tomorrow night so keep your fingers crossed that it doesn't flare up during/after the walk.
October 7, 2002 - 41 days to go
Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! - The after effects of 17 miles
Weekly total: 29.28 (but one of those is suspect since it was at the mall!)
I have good news and bad news. The good news is that I am motivated again! I did 17 miles yesterday and now all the guilt I felt last week is gone. I really think that missing the long walk last weekend threw off my whole week. Physically I don't think it mattered but mentally I was a disaster until I pulled off the 17 yesterday. I'm so happy I did it.
Now the bad news --- I have a killer blister. Just one, on the side of my left heel. OUCH! I'm actually wearing slippers to work today. It didn't bother me much at all during the walk, which is good, but once I took my shoes off -- ouch! It's about an inch long and maybe a quarter of an inch wide and sore. It's already getting better though, at least it looked less hideous than it did yesterday when I put a special "blister blocker" bandaid on it this morning. This bandaid is supposed to stay on for a couple days and cushion, heal and protect it. Let's hope it gets the job done.
I'm glad I found out about this problem though because I've had no trouble with the feet up until this point. I'm glad I'll have a little time to experiment with socks/blister protection before the actual race.
What else did I learn? That having a radio really does help make the walk fly by even if some of the songs are both hilarious and unpleasant. For example: "It feels just like I'm walking on broken glass" really isn't quite the best thing to hear at mile 14 only it was because it made me crack up.
I also learned that Orange Burst GU is beyond disgusting. Power Gel is so much better than the other kinds, it's amazing. I used 3 gels during the walk and that was smart --- I wasn't starving and miserable at the end of the 17 as I was after the 15. I think that was partly the fuel and partly better (less hot & humid) weather.
I also learned that my Camelbak was moldy at about mile 10. YUCK! But the mold hadn't killed me by then so I kept drinking from it even though I was grossed out. I need to get to REI today to get a new bladder and proper cleaning supplies.
October 4, 2002
Valley Forge Loop 5.5 miles
The slug strikes again. I didn't get to work until late so I had to duck out a bit early in order to have any prayer of getting decent miles in tonight. I was in too much of a hurry when I got to VF and didn't stretch out properly so my shins were bothering me for the first couple of miles. I hate when this happens because it's my own fault.
I was hoping to buy a PowerAde at the machine at the 2 mile marker but for some reason it refused to take my money so I got lemonade insted. Probably not ideal but I didn't want plain water and it was hot and I wanted something cold. I guzzled a 20 oz. lemonade and then finished the walk. By the time I was done the loop it was already well past 6 and I didn't have time for much more so I just went home.
I really need an attitude adjustment this weekend. I know that this is all mental. Non-walking related stuff is really on my mind this week and it's bringing me down everywhere. I have to find some way to get over this hump.
In more positive news --- people at work have been donating change and money in my candy jar collection box. One nice person even said she'd bring me in all her loose pennies. Yay! I also got around to writing and printing some thank-you notes with updates about my progress fundraising and with the training. I hope to get them in the mail this weekend.
October 3, 2002
Return of the Slug!
I don't know what's the matter with me but I have absolutely no motivation at all this week. Last night I blew off my walk completely. I used the excuse that I had to work late and return stuff to the library but the real reason I didn't walk was because I just didn't want to. That worries me a bit.
I have my stuff to walk tonight, and I will, but I know I'm not going to get in a full 8 miles. I'm behind again for the week and I'm going to the shore again on the weekend. Could this all be left over guilt from skipping the long walk last weekend? Maybe. I don't know. Sunday I have to do 17 for sure and get back on track. The Eagles game isn't on until 4 so I should have nothing to keep me from doing the whole thing except sheer laziness. I can't let that happen after all this time.
October 1, 2002 - 47 days to go
Valley Forge - 5.78 miles
Blah! I totally didn't feel like doing this walk. The only thing that got me out there was my new sneakers --- I finally got myself to the running store and bought a new pair of Supernovas. These ones are gray and blue instead of white and green and I like them way better. I was glad they were different too because now I won't have any trouble telling which pair is which. I think these new gray ones are going to be my race day shoes --- now all I have to do is make sure I have everything else picked out soon.
The walk was OK - just around the loop with the shortcut at Wayne's Woods. The good thing was that I walked from Brian's apartment over to the park so I still got over 5 miles even while cheating. I'm getting really burned out on these mid-week walks.
I also tried out the Ultima replenisher drink that they are supposed to have at the race instead of Gatorade. I have heard lots of negative things about this stuff so I was dreading it. Bottom line: it's not great but it's not that foul either. It kind of tastes like powdered Strawberry Slim-Fast. I had trouble getting it to mix up so it wasn't gritty. I didn't really need it since this walk was so short but I might try it over the weekend to see how I feel drinking it. Still, I think it might just be easier to lug my own bottle of Gatorade to the race and carry it in the camelbak.
September Summary
Total miles in August: 122.9
Total miles walked: 371
# of walks greater or equal in length to a half-marathon: 4
September 28-29, 2002
Ocean City, NJ - 16+ miles
Weekly miles: 29.4
On a last minute whim Brian & I decided to go to Ocean City. This was a hard decision to make since I had a 17 mile walk with the group scheduled for Saturday morning, but when I saw the weather forecast and realized this was probably the last good weekend we'd get this year I decided to head down and to try to do the 17 on my own.
Saturday I went for an easy walk on the beach that was just a little shy of 3 miles. On Sunday morning we walked together and managed to put up 13.1. I figued that was 16 in under 24 hours and that was close enough for me to be satisfied. Still, I may go for 17 at once next weekend just to get that under my belt.
September 24 & 25th, 2002
Valley Forge - 13.3 miles
Two pretty dull walks. Tuesday I walked with Brian -- YAY! company! We did the loop but the darkness was creeping in so we had to take the short cut but since we walked over from his apartment I still got in about 5.8 miles.
Wednesday I overslept (gee, what a surprise) and therefore didn't get to the trail until just past 5. So I only had time to get in 7.5 miles before the darkness settled in. I was hoping to do more because it's going to be really rainy for the next two days and I probably wont' get much walking done. But I suppose a little extra rest before my 17miles on Saturday won't hurt.
September 22, 2002
Eagles vs. Cowboys
No walking today but the final score was Eagles 44 Cowboys 13. YAY!
September 21, 2002 - 57 days to go
Valley Forge Loop & Schuylkill River Bike Trail - 15 miles
This walk was a big pain because it was a buddy walk and I wasn't sure where the best place to do it would be. I am getting really sick of VF and this weekend it was going to be extra pesky there since they were doing some kind of a reenactment there. No way was I about to walk that loop three times in a row with a bunch of fake soldiers milling around bonfires pretending to be cold. (Brian kept telling me I wouldn't even notice them doing their reenactment but I wasn't buying that line.)
Unfortunately, I couldn't come up with anything better. Brian and I talked about exploring some other trails like the Perkiomen trail or the Delaware River Tow Path but we couldn't figure out exactly what they were like or where they were, plus he wasn't going to walk all 15 miles with me so I figured I should just bite the bullet and get used to walking long distances on my own. So...I went to VF after all.
I had been really tired all week and since this was a buddy walk I decided to sleep in instead of getting up at the crack of dawn to walk. This was both a good move and a bad one --- I needed the rest and felt much better when I got up but it was HOT and I was sorry for sleeping through the coolest part of the day.
I stopped at 7-11 on the way to the park and drank a bottle of Propel on the drive over and I had the camelbak filled with 3/4 Gatorade and 1/4 water. I got on the trail around 12:30 and it was really hot. Brian was right -- no reenactors in sight! I guzzled water at the first water fountain and spent the next half mile plotting how I could manage to walk in the shade and still get my miles in. I decided to take a detour off the normal path and walk on this stretch of woods trail that's about 1.2 miles and shady. It eventually connects back with the normal VF loop. This was a great move! I drank more at another water fountain before the shade and when I came out by Washington's HQ and found the invasion of reenactors in red-coats I'd already covered about 5 miles. What were the British doing there? I don't know, I didn't stop to ask.
AsI walked up the hill from HQ I tried a chocolate Clif Shot (liquid gooey carbohydrates) and decided that it wasn't all that yummy and found it harder to eat than the Power Gel because of the shape of the packet. Soon, I was at the beginning of the loop and instead of continuing around I decided to head for more shade over on the bike path. I got to the water fountain on the other side and stopped for a drink and was heckled by some old guy bike rider dudes because I couldn't figure out how to work it. I totally deserved the heckling but I was still bugged at the time. At this point I was at 7.33 miles and I decided to start walking on the paved trail towards Oaks and stick with it until the end of the shade or 2 miles out whichever was further. It was great walking in shade and on the flat ground. It wasn't crowded either so this was a good decision.
I was out of the shade after about a mile and a quarter but I kept going desipite the swarms of tiny grasshoppers that were hopping like crazy all over the blazing hot trail. Yuck! At least they weren't hopping on me. When I got back in the shade I ate a Green Apple Power Gel and that was much better than I expected. It had caffiene in it too so maybe that perked me up some too. When I got back to the picnic area at 11.3 miles I made a pit-stop in the restroom, stretched out and refilled the camelbak. It felt GREAT to stretch! My legs felt like new and I didn't realize how tight my shoudlers and back were until I bent over and wiggled a bit. I was renewed for the rest of the walk.
I still didn't head back to the loop though --- this time I followed the bike path in the other direction (still in shade) for a mile and then turned around and crossed the river back to the regular loop. At this point my legs felt like lead and I was totally sick of walking. I was coming up on three and half hours of walking and I'd had enough. I had bought some soft pretzels at 7-11 on the way to the park and I'm so glad I did because they were all I thought about for the last mile of the walk! Back on the trail I went up to the .5 marker near the first set of huts and then back to my car for a grand total of 14.96 miles. Good enough for me! Total time: 3:45. Not bad considering the long stop just past 11 miles and a couple of other times I was forced to stop and wait for traffic to pass like at the covered bridge and later getting back onto the loop.
I got back to the car, bought a cold water from the vending machine and scarfed down a pretzel while I stretched out again. I walked a bit more and did more stretches before I drove over to Brian's. I felt pretty good at this point but towards the end of the walk I know that I was going pretty slow and my legs didn't feel that great. I had another gel with me and I wonder if eating that would have helped or if it was more mental fatigue that had me lagging at the end. Who knows?
My legs felt a little stiff but nothing major into the evening and I was glad I didn't have any of that pain in the ball of my foot like I had after the distance run.
September 19, 2002 - 59 days to go
Little Park in Plymouth Meeting - 5 miles
Today is exciting for two reasons -- a new place to walk and the first episode of Survivor is on tonight! Since Survivor comes on at 8 I knew I wouldn't have time to go to VF and get my walk in before showtime so I took Aggie's suggestion and went to this little park at Joshua Road. It's like a fitness track that's 5/8 of a mile around and it's quite hilly. Sort of a mini-VF. It's great because it is so close to my office that I was walking 10 minutes after I shut down my PC. Gotta love that! Plus, there is a Wawa right across the street for post-walk refreshments.
Anyway, I did my 8 laps to get the 5 miles in just a bit over an hour. Not too fast, not too slow. I got a little worried that I was losing track of my laps but judging by when I finished I really did do 8. I'm happy that I got all 5 in because I skimped on last night's walk and I really wanted to be sure to get at least 4 days of activity in this week.
September 18, 2002
Valley Forge 6 miles +
Despite my best efforts I got on the trail a little bit late and I didn't have time to get in 9 miles before it got dark. I did do 6 in 1:23 and then hoped I'd be able to fit in a couple more miles after I got home but Big Brother was coming on and I wimped out.
However, I did decide to see how well I could run and I ran around the middle section of the apartment complex. That's probably around a quarter mile but I did it and it was easy. A motivated person would have kept going, but as I said, the TV beckoned.
I plan to do 5 tomorrow after work at a new path near my office. Hopefully I'll knock that out and I'll come out just a few miles shy for the week.
September 17, 2002 - 2 months to go!
Valley Forge - 5 miles
Nothing to report. 5 miles alone, pretty easy. Finished in about 71 minutes
| Philadelphia Curling Club |
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September 17, 2002 - 2 months to go!
It's funny, I really feel like it's getting close to the race but it's still 2 months away. That's like forever!
But I'm really posting to complain about a new silly problem.
After we got home from the Olympics last year, Aggie & I went to the Open House at the Philadelphia Curling Club and got a lesson about how to curl. It was awesome! Super-fun! Well, I just found out that the new open house is October 26 & 27th. What's the problem? That's the weekend of my 20 mile walk.
After last time my legs hurt for 2 days --- I don't think I'll be able to do it that weekend without screwing up the race! What will I do?!
Being addicted to bizarre, nerdy sports is really a pain!
| Philadelphia Distance Run |
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| My nifty t-shirt |
September 15, 2002 - 63 days to go
Philadelphia Distance Run - 13.1 miles
Well, this was my first official race and I was hoping to love it --- but I hated it. The farther away I get from it the less I hate it, but when the gun went off on Sunday morning, I just hated it. [I'm writing this on Tuesday the 17th.]
I felt like a party crasher since I was walking not running and I never really got over the feeling especially when we finally got over the finish line and found out that the weasels who ran the race ran out of medals! How mean is that? Super-mean!
I wasn't really expecting a medal and I did get a t-shirt and I did do the miles and that's all that really matters. I already mentioned that I felt like a party crasher as a walker so I can even understand not giving people like me the medal but I feel really mad that the people who ran and struggled to get over the line won't get one. The old man I saw plodding along deserved that medal! It was probably a lot harder for him than for those that finished ahead of him.
I finished the 13.1 with a chip time of 2:58:02 which is an average pace of 13:35 per mile and I'm very happy with that time. The clock time was 03:03:23. My place in the race was 6928 but I'm glad that I wasn't last! I think 85 people finished behind me and that's comforting. I also didn't finish last in my age group, which also made me feel better. I added a Race Time Predictor link to my Run/Walk Info Page and that tells you your pace and predicted time for other distances. According to my results on Sunday it says I'll complete Bermuda in 6:18:22. I'm hoping to finish in under 7 and much closer to 6:30 so if I could pull of 6:18 I'd be quite pleased!
Being in a big race was neat --- the crowd was cool and seeing how water stations worked was neat too. Even the lame-o expo was fun because Aggie and I got all these brochures for different marathons around the country and made grand plans to go to a few of them. Well, one of them anyway --- the inaugural Rock N Roll Arizona race.
Brian came down to see the finish and that was nice --- although Aggie pointed out that he was walking much faster than we were. (She walked the race with me from mile 3 on because she'd stepped in a hole and had a minor twist of her ankle that she didn't want to aggravate before starting her marathon training on Monday.) Having him come down to see the finish made it seem like more of an accomplishment than anything else that day. I'm not sure it really warranted a train trip downtown, but I was glad he was there anyway.
Overall it was a good learning experience but I know now that I'd never participate in the PDR again unless I'm running. I'm REALLY happy that the Bermuda marathon is all walkers because I'd be really discouraged if it was runner's event and I was going to relive the early part of this race on the big day. If I do a marathon after Bermuda I'll have to be sure it's super walker friendly with lots of walkers entered because the feeling of being left in the dust was just awful --- even though the people on the course were nice and supportive I couldn't shake the feeling of embarassment. Or the other possibility is that I'm going to have to learn how to run.
Let me think about the physical aspect of the race: I felt pretty good for most of the way. I "faded" around mile 5 according to Aggie but was was perked up by a Power Gel with caffeine. I'm not so sure how much the caffeine helped but I did feel better afterwards. My legs felt good until about mile 11.5 (around the Art Museum) and then they got a bit heavy but nothing terrible. I felt super stiff after getting out of the car, had some slight tenderness and pain in the ball of my left foot until late afternoon on Monday and some other general muscle stiffness on Monday. Good pain though, not scary pain.
Weekly Total: 25.5
This is really low. Should have been up around 35. But I missed Thursday and didn't make it up on Friday and then I didn't want to walk on Saturday before the race. So....next week I'll be better!
September 11, 2002 - 67 days to go
Valley Forge 8 Miles
It was a beautiful day today -- blue sky, pretty clouds, nice cool breeze. A perfect day for walking. It was a strange day though since I wasn't sure what I should be doing or feeling. Part of me wanted to avoid all the stuff on TV about last year but I felt like I couldn't ignore it. I heard some amazing stories on channel 6 about the people who survived from the top floors of Tower 2. They were right there on the floor the plane crashed into and they survived. Amazing. I don't know how they managed to get on TV to talk about it because just hearing what they went through upset me.
Anyway, I'm glad to be alive and I'm glad that I don't know anybody who was involved in the whole mess last year.
Walk was 8 miles --- out to the 4.0 mile marker and back. Nice night, no problem. I took the Sharkies candy with me (gummy sharks with electrolytes) but I think I might hate them. Not quite chewy enough -- not quite tasty enough. Maybe another flavor will be better.
September 10, 2002 - 68 days to go
Valley Forge 4.4 miles
UGH! That was the worst 4.4 miles EVER! I don't know what was wrong with me but my legs felt like lead the whole time. I was looking forward to the walk because I'd had a pesky day at work and was looking to relax on the walk. I drove over to VF and was on the trail just past 6 so I'd have plenty of time before dark...I even planned on walking the whole loop not just the 4 miles on the schedule.
But once I started -- nothing my lead legs. I stopped a couple times to stretch and I still felt lousy. The only reason I went 4.4 is that there is no 2.0 mile mark on the loop so I accidentally went longer than 2 miles out. I have to admit the return trip was much better than the first 2 miles but it was still lousy.
I am sure it's due to poor fuel. I had a soft pretzel for breakfast, a fruit & yogurt parfait for lunch, assorted candy and no dinner before the walk. Bad move, clearly. Tomorrow, for the 8 mile walk, I'll be sure to be well fed and well hydrated!
September 7, 2002 - 71 days to go
Valley Forge - 13 miles
Weekly Total: 30 miles
Well, I'm happy to say that the miles went by easily today -- much easier than the first time I did this distance. We had 14 miles on the schedule today but my walking partner was new to training at this sort of distance and was starting to wear out towards the end. I think the longest she'd gone before this was 7 or 8 miles so this was a big jump for her.
After doing the loop twice and continuing to the Arch we still need to push for about another half or 3/4 of a mile. Her water was nearly gone so I didn't have the heart to tell her that we should continue. She was a good sport though and would probably have continued but I think we did at least 13 miles but I'm not sure exactly what the number was since I had forgotten to reset my Digi-Walker until about a mile or so into the walk.
I felt great the whole time. The weather was perfect and drinking the Gatorade I brought with me really helped. I tried some Power Gel too --- and it was sort of gross (not quite solid not quite liquid) but it seems to have really packed a punch. I think I'm going to give it another try.
Over all though, no blisters, no muscle soreness, no nothing. A great walk!
September 5, 2002
Jenkintown walk 3 miles or so
Good news! I found the Digi-Walker! It was buried in the bottom of my duffel bag. What a relief!
I had 4 miles on the schedule tonight but wasn't in the mood for the track or the treadmill so I parked over at Barnes & Noble in Jenkintown and walked around that neighborhood. It was starting to get dark and I wasn't sure where the road was going to lead me so I turned around at just over 1.5 miles bringing me in at just over 3 miles. Good enough --- I'm lucky I got out there at all!
I have a couple of updates on the Book Shelf if you're interested.
September 4, 2002 - 74 days to go
Valley Forge 8 miles+
Eight miles on the schedule tonight and no room for slacking since I've had kind of an off week. I got to work early, ate at my desk and managed to get to VF and on the trail by 5:10. Pretty good for me!
I did the loop all the way around and then about a mile past where I started thinking that would give me 8 miles. On the way back I realized that I goofed and I was only going to come up with 7. I was ready to give up since the gnats were swarming all over me but I ran into Brian who was hoping to meet me on the trail. Whew! I walked with him a little bit so I got up and over 8 miles for sure. He's the best helper ever!
In other more troublesome news --- I LOST THE DIGI-WALKER!
At least I haven't been able to find it since we got home from Shenandoah. I know I had it at the last visitor's station where we got changed but I have a bad feeling that I might have left it there by mistake. Cross your fingers that I find it soon!
August Summary
Miles walked this month: 121.76
Total miles walked: 261.1
August 31 - September 2, 2002 - 76 days to go
Shenandoah National Park
Brian & I drove down to Shenandoah NP this weekend hoping for some good hikes and some awesome scenic vistas. What we got instead was lots and lots of mist and fog, some dangerous driving, a strange hotel room, and not a single scenic vista. However --- we did see a bear and some unusual electric orange fungus so the trip wasn't a total loss.
Overall I walked/hiked 7 miles or so on Saturday and Sunday and about 6 on Monday. Nothing too taxing and not quite what I had in mind but at least I wasn't a total slug.
I really need to get back on track though!
August 27, 2002 - 82 days to go
Valley Forge Loop + a little extra
We got on the trail just before 7, earlier than usual but still too late to get home before it got really dark. Still, with quite a bit of rain the forecast I wanted to get my mid-week long walk out of the way.
We went the extended loop -- no shortcut at Wayne's Woods and then down to the covered bridge and along the river trail to Route 23 and then back on the paved trail to the Visitor's Center. The whole thing was just about 8 miles. Which is good since I only needed to do 7. It got really dark, and really creepy and we kept getting startled by the deer who would let out these nasty snorts when we got near them. I hate walking in the dark!
I noticed that at about mile 7 or so that sore spot on the inside of my left leg near the ankle started to hurt again. That's what bothered me towards the end of the long walk on Sunday. I'm going to have to be careful with this and ice it maybe.
August 25, 2002 - 84 days to go
Kelly Drive -- 14.5 miles!
Whew! That was a long walk. I can't imagine how I'm going to keep on going for 12 miles longer than today. It's not the physical thing because I felt quite good after the walk today, it's the mental thing. It took just over 3 and a half hours to cover that distance and I shudder to think of being on the road for 3 more on top of that. I'm going to have to come up with some good mental tricks to keep my focus.
The walk was fine --- the weather cooperated and it was breezy and not too humid. I guess it was in the low 80s. I filled the Camelback with Gatorade and a little water and stopped at about mile 10 to refill with plain water. During the walk, starting at about mile 5, I snacked on a carrot cake flavored Clif Bar and some tootsie rolls and Nicole, who I walked with, bought me the most delicious soft pretzel at the end of the walk. Next time I'm going to try Vanilla power gel that one of the coaches gave me --- I hear it tastes just like icing. Yum.
Anyway, I had plenty of energy, no blisters and since we stopped and streched a little at each of the water fountains along the way, I didn't have much muscle discomfort. I can feel some soreness/stiffness in the front of my ankle, but I've had that before and don't expect it to last.
Miles this week: 28.56 (a little light -- should have been 30)
August 24, 2002 - 85 days to go
Rainy, where to walk?
I had planned to walk at Valley Forge today with Brian but thunderstoms were a threat so I decided to hit the treadmill instead. Unfortunately, everybody else came up with that idea too so there was a big line and I didn't have time to wait. I went to the middle school track and had it all to myself -- what a pleasure! I did the 4 miles on the schedule but no more since it was starting to rain and we had a party to go to. Average speed was about 14 minutes a mile. Not bad at all since I wasn't trying to be fast.
August 22, 2002 - 87 days to go
Skipped workout
I don't have an excuse for missing my 3 or 4 miles tonight. I got home around 7 and I wanted to watch Big Brother at 8 (I know, I'm a loser) and there just wan't enough time to eat dinner and walk. I did set up the VCR in my bedroom so I won't have TV as an excuse anymore. Maybe I can walk a little on Friday either at lunch or after work to make up for it.
I hate when I miss my miles --- not because I miss the walking, I don't at all --- but because I'm afraid it's going to somehow mess up the real training. I guess being a little light this week won't be bad since I suffered after last weekend and on Sunday I have a 13 mile walk --- that'll be a real challenge, I think, since I haven't done a real long straight walk in several weeks. I hope it's not too hot.
August 21, 2002 - 88 days to go
Valley Forge Loop
A completely uneventful walk around the loop. Just over 6 miles for the night. It was breezy and cool and my pesky blister didn't hurt. I'm worried about that for the 13 miles this weekend --- I'll need to pick up blister blocker before then, I think.
We saw the fox again and this time we named him Fred. I'm not crazy about that name but Brian picked it and now changing it would just be wrong.
| Hamilton Princess |
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August 21, 2002 - 88 days to go
The Fairmont Hamilton Princess
Ok, so I'm not actually at the Hamilton Princess right now --- but I will be in November! It says:
"Imagine waking up to a view of clear blue skies and aquamarine waters dotted with colorful sailboats and sleek yachts. That is what's waiting for you at The Fairmont Hamilton Princess."
I've also read that this is where all the Hollywood stars hang out --- so you know, it's just my kind of place!
I totally can't wait! This is the first bit of news that I've heard about the trip. Click on the picture and visit the website --- the hotel looks fabulous. I hope that they can secure the bargain TNT rate for us for the extra days we'd like to stay --- because it's way out of my range otherwise. It seems that the rate they've quoted us is about half the regular price and since TNT is paying for me -- Brain pays half of half price. That's not too bad.
August 20, 2002 - 89 days to go
Valley Forge Loop
I'm not sore anymore but I'm not really anxious to overdo the walking today and I'm taking advantage of the fact that the schedule calls for an easy day today. I got in just under 4 miles today (3.96) at VF and got back before dark, and that was important since Brian didn't come with me tonight.
Big News!! Karen decided to sign up with Team In Training! She's going to be doing the Disney marathon in January. I'm kind of jealous that she's going to get that Mickey medal before me but I'll get one someday, so that's OK. Now I think Brian and I might head down there for the weekend to see her and Aggie do their thing.
August 18, 2002
Pennypack Park
Brian and I had a date today to walk 12 miles since I didn't think I'd cover that much distance during the Urban Challenge. But I did --- and boy are my legs feeling it! I can't believe how stiff and sore I am! It didn't seem like we did that much actual running --- and certainly none of it was fast --- but obviously I used my muscles in different ways because I never feel like this after a walk. Not even after all those hiking miles up at Ricketts Glenn.
Anyway, we found a shady place to walk since it's still really, really hot, and we compromised on a walk somewhere between 5 and 6 miles. We set a turn around time and as it turns out we went about 5.76 miles. It's good because I think it really helped my legs feel better.
| Our Urban Challenge Reward! |
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August 17, 2002 - Urban Challenge Philadelphia
Think on the Run!
Aggie and I competed in the Urban Challenge today and it was fantastic! It was really hard and kind of frustrating but still a fabulous experience. We can't wait until next year to do it again!
The race began at 8:30 with a Trivia challenge. We did great thanks to our knowledge of things like the actor who played Mr. French and the identity of Blackie Parrish on General Hosptial. They let us loose in center city around 9:00 (about 25 minutes ahead of the trivia losers) with a list of 12 cryptic checkpoints that we had to locate and photograph in a 5 hour period. We could only use our own foot power or public transit to get to the checkpoints.
Over the next four and half hours we ran (ok, walked & sort of jogged) around the city from Penn's Landing out to Boat House Row and everywhere in between. We saw giant sparkplugs & bingo pieces, got confused looking for banks and Korean court officals. We even lost our clues! Still, 12.5 miles on foot later we still made it back to Head Quarters in time to get our medals. Whew!
For full details on the race (including all the checkpoint clues) go to my Urban Challenge 2002 page.
August 15, 2002
Manayunk Recon for Urban Challenge
I skipped my official training today to meet with Aggie about the Urban Challenge. We drove toManayunk to check out where the train/bus stations were and to make a vague plan for Saturday. We also went over our resources and hopefully we prepared enough. This race is going to be so hard!!
August 13, 2002 - 96 days to go
Valley Forge Loop
We are big dorks -- we didn't even leave for the walk until after 7:30 and then we were suprised when it got dark before we got home. From now on I can't leave any later than 7 if I'm doing the full loop (bet I break that rule tonight!)
Anyway, we took the shortcut at Wayne's Woods so I figure that we covered about 5.5 miles. My schedule said 3 miles and I wonder when it's going to start to be important to really stick to the plan and not exceed it all the time the way I have been doing. I guess when the milage gets to be difficult and I can feel the changes in my muscles I should really ease up more on the easy days.
 August 9-11, 2002
Ricketts Glen State Park
Miles for the week: 32.1
Brian & I went up to Ricketts Glen (near Wilkes-Barre) to hike the falls trail. We read about it in a Hiking PA book that said it was one of the best places to hike in Pennsylvania and that you could see 24 waterfalls on a single trail -- some as tall as 94 feet! Anyway, we drove up Friday night and got in two full days of hiking. Whew! We're totally beat.
We did about 7 miles (at least half uphill) on Saturday following the falls trail and on Sunday we retraced our steps and then went on an experimental hike to see a scenic vista that wasn't there. The Old Bulldozer Road trail that we walked was almost as lame as that Struble trail. All told our hike on Sunday was about 10 miles long. It wasn't exactly powerwalking but I think 17 miles on my feet in 2 days counts as a decent weekend of training. August 8, 2002 - 101 days to go
Valley Forge Loop
6.1 miles. Completely uneventful. We didn't even walk fast because I have a little bit of a sore ankle from Wednesday and didn't want to make it worse before the hiking this weekend.
August 7, 2002 - 101 days to go
Elkins Park Middle School
I walked 3.3 miles but it nearly killed me! The track was a complete mob scene! There were two teams of kids at soccer practice in the middle of the track so there were dozens of clueless parents and extra toddlers running around. There was even a wobbly kid on training wheels trying to use the track. Then there was the group of 3 thousand year old ladies walking slower than snails. They were driving me nuts I can't imagine how much they were bugging the runners.
The good news is that Aggie gave me a watch with a chronograph so I got to time my miles. Mile 1: 13:49. Mile 2: 13.22, Mile 3: 13:34. That's an average of 4.4 mph. I've gotta say, I'm quite happy with that time! I was over 14min on my quickest timed mile at VF but there are so many hills there I'm really not surprised it's slower. |
