Hills Again

This is starting to be old hat -- Wednesday is hills. But as long as my friends and I continue to sign up for half marathons that are hilly, we'll have to keep it up.

Though today was humid, it wasn't hot. I wore shoes that were halfway between the lightest shoes I have and the cushiest stiffest pair. I wore the cushy stiff pair last week as a way to recover from walking too far in the light pair, and it made my shins ache. To help with the normal shin pain I get trying to warm up, I walked for a while before Deb arrived and tried some new shin stretches. The pain wasn't bad.

Today's workout was pretty good! We did 4 reps on the hills with a half-mile warm up and half-mile cool down. We walked for about an hour total, but because it was hills I'm not quite sure of the distance.

I went to Map My Walk to check the mileage and I inadvertently created a new profile. Not sure how I screwed that up!

I'm hoping to get into a regular training schedule of speed, hills, LSD and tempo days.

Speedo Man Sighting!

Saw Speedo Man while walking yesterday evening about 5:30! He must be taking advantage of the cooler evening temps. I also noticed that he often stops to pick up trash when running.

Tonight when doing hills I think we saw him again wearing street clothes. It's hard to tell if it's him when he is fully dressed. Because I've never talked to him, if he isn't running or in a Speedo, I'm never sure if it is him.

I'm always happy to see him and know he is still hanging in there!

The Need for Speed

I've known for a while that the only way to be a faster walker is to practice walking faster. (Paraphrasing Dave McGovern.) I also know that if you do the exact same workouts every day, you will never get stronger. Knowing and doing are two different things.

Today I started doing speed workouts and plan to continue doing them once a week as part of my regular workouts.

Getting my shin muscles properly warmed up has been a problem lately, so I did a mile at a SLOW 15:45 pace with good racewalking form to try to warm up. The sprints were 1/4 mile and I did 6 reps with 2 or 3 min rests in between, depending on how my shins felt, with a half-mile cool down. My sprint times were: 3:18, 3:26, 3:22, 3:13, 3:15, 3:29 with 7:26 for the last half mile.

Despite the warm up, my shins were still tight during every sprint. During my slower times, I even felt pretty stiff as if it was an effort to get my legs to go that fast. I stretched pretty good when I finished and will stretch a few more times over the next day or so. (My shins really need it!)

OK, it is only wishful thinking, but if I were to walk an entire mile as fast as my fastest 1/4 mile sprint, we're talking a 13-min mile! I know the speed workouts will work, and I'm sure I'll be there someday soon.

7.6 Miles Saturday Morning

We started our 7.6-mile training walk at 6:45 Saturday morning in Sharon Woods. Why 7.6? Well, one training schedule said 7 miles, one said 8 miles and Sharon Woods is a 3.8-mile loop.

I like to know how fast I'm going and how far I've walked. (I tend to be a little bit of a statistics freak at times.) Because it was supposed to be a long slow day for us, our goal was to walk between 14:30 and 15 min per mile. I have a very hard time starting out at a good pace -- it takes me a while to warm up, but I can finish strong. Some of my walking buddies tend to start out too fast, and then slow down as we go. Somehow we try to compromise.

This week (again) we ran into other members of our walking club during our second lap, which caused us to slow, stop, make plans for breakfast and move on. Unfortunately, I don't know how to pause my chrono, so the third mile of our last lap is inaccurate.

About half-way through the last 0.8-mile section, Elaine and I tried to sprint. It felt great to push toward the end!
First lap
Mile 1 14:58
Mile 2 14:56
Mile 3 15:03
0.8 Mile 12:14 (too slow -- 15:17 for a full mile)
Second Lap
Mile 1 14:23
Mile 2 14:46
Mile 3 16:15*
0.8 Mile 11:30** (14:22 for a full mile)
Total 1:54***

*Came across two other members of the Buckeye Striders, and we slowed to say hi.
**Elaine and I tried to sprint for the last half mile or so.
***Not quite right because we stopped to drink water at the water fountain.

Hills Again

It was a little toasty when we started our hill workout yesterday evening. In fact, it was hot enough that a couple of us felt queasy, so we cut it short. Though we are trying to get acclimated for the August half marathon, a friend had a bad heat experience a couple years ago, so we try to be careful and listen to our bodies.

Besides the heat, I'm a little worried about my heels. They are feeling much better, but I need to walk 8 miles Saturday. (We are starting at 6:45 in the morning!) I'd love to wear my cushiest pair of shoes, but it is really tough to walk fast in that pair. They are a little stiff and the last time I walked in them, my shins were tired very quickly. I'll probably go with my favorite half-marathon shoes -- cushy, but not too stiff.

In the meantime, I took a low-stress walk this evening and my heels feel pretty good. I'll try to rest my feet tomorrow and hope for best Saturday.

Walking Division -- But No Prizes?

What is it with races that have walking divisions, yet no prizes? I don't need a prize, in fact I'm not fast enough to ever win a prize. However, if a race advertises that there is a walking division, and it states all walkers must walk, wouldn't you assume that there would be prizes for walkers?

From that race's web site:

Individuals are placed in the following categories: 11-14, 15-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70+, Walkers (MUST walk the entire course), Cruisers.

There were prizes awarded for every single category -- EXCEPT walkers. Otherwise, it was a great race!

Doesn't seem quite right, does it.

This is Dedication

I entered a 5K race this morning and afterward went to Sharon Woods park to walk an additional 4 miles. Yes, I'm training for a half marathon.

The race was a Westerville Rotary event that was nice. It was well organized and there was plenty of food and water at the end for us walkers.

Deb and I walked strong! We did the first mile in about 14:38 (a watch issue caused me to be a few seconds late starting the chrono), then 14:35, 14:10 and 44.40 for the last tenth. After the first mile we both agreed that we did not feel we were pushing hard for how fast we were. I tried to pick up the pace in the last half mile. I'm pretty happy with our time!

Two members of the Buckeye Striders won age-group awards against runners! Congratulations to Nancy and Elaine!

After the awards presentation, there were also "door" prizes, which was nice. My only complaint about this fun event is, if we registered as walkers and the rules said all walkers must walk, then shouldn't there at least be prizes for the top three male and female finishers? Everything else was great!

Sharon Woods
Deb was the instigator for going to Sharon Woods after the race to get in an additional 4 miles. We went with Elaine and it was a lot of fun. We planned to walk about a 15-min mile since this was supposed to be a long-slow day. The first two miles were 15:24 and 15:10. Then we saw a friend and stopped for a couple minutes to chat and I stopped my watch at the wrong marker. (Oops.)

The temps are much milder than for a typical 4th of July, making it a perfect day for walking!

Pedestrian Pulled Over by Cop

On my way to Antrim Park today, I was following a police car on the narrow hilly road. Suddenly the car turned on its flashing lights, stopped in the road, and rolled down the window to talk to a pedestrian.

I've never seen this before and could not figure out why the cop had stopped the athletic looking woman in running gear wearing headphones. After a short conversation, the woman crossed the road to walk facing traffic and took off one side of the headphones to have one ear free.

Though annoyed at first to be stopped and not be able to pass, once she crossed the road and I realized what had happened, I was happy the cop talked to her. I'm sure having a cop stop you with his lights flashing to discuss walking facing traffic would have to have an impact.

To this cop I just want to say thanks for caring enough to stop!

Walking Farther than Planned

Though not scheduled to walk today, I just felt like it. So after catching up on much-needed sleep, I went to Antrim Park with the intention of doing two laps around the lake. I'm entered in a 5K race tomorrow and didn't want to overdo it.

The temperature was 68 degrees according to my car, there was a great breeze and the sky was overcast. I hate to admit it, but it was almost chilly when the wind blew. (No Larry, I did NOT take a jacket.)

There was a nice crowd today! I assume that many others had the day off, just like me.

I did the first two laps at a moderate pace, just enjoying being there and moving. It felt so great that at the end, I just had to do another lap. Because I had not worked hard enough for the first two, I picked up the pace and really sprinted for the last 1/4 lap. Though I didn't want to overdo it the day before a race, I really felt the need to work harder.

Not positive how fast I was (my sport watches all need batteries). At first I thought I was about 48 min for the entire 3 laps, but that would put me at about a 14-min mile. That seems unlikely for the level of stress I felt.

I feel great! I stretched well after the walk and even did crunches on a bench before heading home. I think I'll be ready for tomorrow's race. I'm going to kick butt!

Walking Calorie Calculator

This is cool. If you want to determine the number of calories you burn walking, here is a calculator just for walking! It doesn't include speeds faster than a 12-min mile. (Sorry, Laura.) Still, I really like it!

By the way, it is from Wendy Bumgardner of www.walking.about.com.

http://walking.about.com/library/cal/uccalc1.htm

Registering for Wrong Race

I almost registered for the wrong July 4th race today!

The members of my walking club all agreed to do a race this Saturday instead of our regular weekly walk. I didn't pay much attention to the details except which running store to go to to register.

I entered the store, head to the registration table and filled out the form. The sales person said the shirts had not arrived, and I could pick it up at the race. Hmmm, Deb told me that she received her shirt at registration.

"Oh," he said, "which race are you registering for?" I had no idea! "Well, it's a 5K and the shirt is cute," I replied. Luckily, he didn't look down at me. He asked if the race was in Hilliard or Westerville, and at this point I was so embarrassed that I didn't know more about the race, I just could not remember where it was being held!

The key was the shirt -- because there were shirts for the Westerville race, I finally figured out that was the right race.

So, Saturday, July 4 at 8 a.m., I'll be entered in the Westerville Rotary 5K, and with any luck, the other members of the Buckeye Striders will be there, too.

Hills Today

We couldn't decide whether to start hill or speed workouts today. Though we haven't done speed in a while, we are training for the News and Sentinel Half Marathon, which will be hills in August in West Virginia. We opted for hills.

Since the Flying Pig, we have not trained as hard as we should have. Our plan was to maintain a level of fitness and just add distance when needed. Unfortunately, life got in the way and for a couple weeks I was barely walking at all.

Today's hills felt really good. Though we had no number of reps in mind, we ended up doing five -- which is where we left off in May. I'm pretty happy we were able to do so many reps! I'm not sore at all, but I think I'll be feeling it in the morning. I usually do after hills.

I'm excited!

Low-carb, High-protein Diets Explained

Those of you who have read my blog for a little while know that one sure fire way to get me fired up is to spout the benefits of losing weight with a low-carb diet. My argument has always been that you lose weight by burning more calories than you consume -- period.

Today I found a blog posting that explains it all so well! It's from the Health and Beauty Tips blog, and I hope this link will get you there.
http://4-health-beauty.blogspot.com/search?q=low-carb+diet+myth

In the posting, Tom Venuto explains that when in a controlled setting, with accurately measured calorie consumption, all diets work.

However, when people are on their own, it can be easier for them to maintain a high-protein diet over a high-carb diet. The more protein people eat, the less hungry they get. You need to read the entire explanation, the information is very good!

The point is to control calories, get exercise and pick a diet that you can stick with.

Calories Burned Web Site

While trying to figure out how many calories are in the foods I ate today, I found a great web site for determining the number of calories I burned -- The Fitness Website Activity Calorie Counter.

It uses the amount of time I exercised and my weight to determine the calories burned. I like the fact that it lists racewalking separate from walking, and includes six walking speeds from 2 miles per hour to 5 miles per hour. Though plenty of people I know are faster than a 12-min mile, I'm not, so I can use this chart.

I discovered that even a low-key walk this evening burned 170 calories. Nice to know.

Why Won't Wolfgang Puck's Give Nutrition Information?

Occasionally, I eat at Wolfgang Puck's Express for lunch. Though the ingredients are high quality and the food tastes good, the costs are on the high side and I can't find nutrition information on what I ate.

I'm not necessarily trying to lose weight, but I have been thinking about the quality of the food I've been eating lately. Starting today I'm keeping track of everything I eat for the week and estimating the calories consumed.

I'm also tracking the estimated calories burned per day.

At Wolfgang Puck's, the pocket sandwiches drown in dressing and are served with fresh made potato chips. Though I ate only one-half of the Mu Shu Chicken Pocket I ordered, I did eat all of the potato chips. I'd like to know how much damage I did.

So, in an open request to Wolfgang Puck's Express, please make available the nutrition information of the foods you serve at your restaurants!
____________

I did a semi-casual 45-min walk tonight. Not anything too strenuous, just a walk in the neighborhood.

Weightloss Scams Continue

I'm amazed at what people will fall for in a desperate attempt to lose weight or gain health or fitness benefits. One of the scams is to fake blogs that tout the benefits of so-called weight loss methods. A posting from a real blog goes into more detail on how this new technique is used.

http://fast-muscle-gain.com/495/acai-berry-fake-blog-scam/

Bike Trails Were Crowded Today!

We started our half-marathon training for the News and Sentinel Half Marathon in Parkersburg, WV August 22. At 7:45 this morning we walked 5 miles along the Olentangy River Multipurpose Trail. Though it was already warm when we started, the trail is very shady and kept fairly cool.

It's a beautiful section of the trail and very popular with lots of athletes including runners, bikers and walkers. Today the trail was packed! There were several hundred people in marathon training groups running in packs of 10 to about 50 heading in both directions. It was great seeing so many people out there today!

The trail was so packed though, bikers were having trouble navigating around the groups of runners and walkers. Some chose to try to ride in the middle between the people heading in both directions. I don't recommend that. Most waited behind the groups until there was room to pass. One woman tried to go around a group and almost rode straight into me and my walking buddies! Along that part of the trail there was a chain link fence along the edge and there was no where for us to go!

I actually stopped walking (to avoid her hitting me) and yelled "What were you thinking??" She stopped her bike and got off so we could walk around her.

Anyway, other than that one bike rider, it was a great seeing so many people on the trail and it was a great morning to begin marathon training.

When Putting PowerAde in the Freezer...

be sure the lid is on tight.

Tonight it was HOT when Deb and I went for our walk. According to the thermometer in my car, it was about 89 degrees and I could feel the humidity. There was little breeze and a bad air warning because of the heat and lack of air movement. We walked for just over 3 miles and did not walk very hard. We definitely are not acclimated yet and don't need to push it on days like this.

For the first time in a long time I forgot my water bottle and carrier, though I had a cup of water in my car. As soon as I got home I poured half a bottle of PowerAde over ice and stuck the half empty bottle in the freezer.

The PowerAde really helped and tasted great! I went back to get the rest of the bottle and discovered that not only had I laid the bottle on its side, but I didn't put the lid on tight! Red PowerAde poured all over my freezer!

Luckily it froze and did not spill on the floor.

Note to self: Carry water and put the lid on the PowerAde.

Weird Reaction to Breakfast

After a great walk with the Buckeye Striders yesterday morning, we went to a local restaurant for breakfast. I had some very tasty scrambled eggs with the meal. About an hour after eating, I started feeling sick -- headache, stomach ache and nausea. This lasted for most of the rest of the day.

Though today I feel fine, I could not eat any of the eggs the kids made for their dad for breakfast today. (Ugh!)

Eggs have bothered me on and off over the last year or two. It seems to be happening a little more frequently and a little more severely each time. Other than deviled, I can take or leave eggs. I very rarely crave them and usually eat them only when someone else has already cooked breakfast. (For the record, I love devliled eggs and mine are fantastic!)

The next time I visit the doctor I will bring it up. But from the limited research I've done over the internet it sounds as if I might be developing an intolerance to eggs. In the meantime, I think I'll skip the scrambled eggs for a while.