Did a half marathon in January, 2006 (the PF Changs). Ready for some more challenging things! I have a friend who walked the 3 Day Walk last year and will be doing it again this year. It sounds very ?? Am I really as crazy as I sound ?? Oh well, it is for a great cause and I will have to keep up my training for sure.
THE WALK
Connie and I met Thursday evening at the hotel to prepare for the walk. We tracked down the park that the group would be camping in, and the home base for the next few days. We are wimps so we stayed at the hotel and commuted to the walk!
I will update this some more later - It was a great experience and I did a lot better (ie I survived) than I thought I would!
WEEK 1 (5/13-5/20)
Walked on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday around the neighborhood (about 1 hour and close to 4 miles each day)
I have joined the East Valley Runners so I can do a longer walk on Saturdays with them. They are runners training for marathons and have some good routes. We will meet at 5 am to start. The canal walk in Gilbert is very nice - have even seen peacocks. Some days it will be at South Mountain.
Somehow missed them on Saturday! I showed up at 5AM and no one else was there. Waited a while. Ended up joining a kick-off for the 3 day walk. Did get 6 miles in.
WEEK 2 (5/21-5/27).
Have been able to make it up most mornings - 4:30 to 5 AM comes really early. Will be doing a walk along the canal this holiday weekend.
Got my first donation! Was really fun to get the email about it. My buddy Glenda has pulled thru for me!
WEEK 3 (5/28-6/3)
This was Memorial weekend. Went down to Tucson to visit Dad, and got some walks in along the (dry) river there. Swam some laps also.
Am not very good at maintaining this log online! Am keeping notes elsewhere, but of course don't have it with me right now. will get them on here soon!
WEEK 4 (6/4-6/10)
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A generally unproductive week - had so many late nites, running around studying, picking up my kayak for the weekend, and shopping for a camping/kayaking trip from Fri, the 9 thru Sunday. Made it out on Monday and Wednesday am for my walk. Did some walking over the weekend. We were at a lake up by Prescott AZ. It was not a swimming lake, but was out kayaking for about 4 hours. I did a lot of floating, climbing rocks, and just plain having fun.
WEEK 5 (6/11-6/17)
Able to make it out about 2 mornings this week. Have my short walk (about 3 miles) and the longer one (about 4+ miles) that I try to do, depending on how early I am able to get out.
Did a longer walk on Saturday. About 8 miles. Still need to do long ones on Sunday, so that I can get used to doing this day after day. But I ended up studying. Slept in, and then spent the rest of the day at the school.
WEEK 6 (6/18-6/25)
Had my final for class this week and needed to finish up all my classwork. So my training was rather shot until Wednesday. 2 weeks until the next! I will say, school will continue to complicate my training schedule until I get on a consistant schedule.
Tripped over one of the tiles at work and messed up my 'trick knee'. We have the tiles that are not smooth, but have 'strata texture' (not sure how to say it). Went walking with a friend after work on Thursday. Yes, the high was 108 for the day, and yet, it was about 107 at 5pm. We did about 5+ miles, then went for a healthy dinner. My knee has been swollen and not happy since then. Walked a few miles yesterday - dropped my truck off to be worked on then walked back to pick it up. Will be walking tomorrow (Monday) am, and then trying some Pilates. Using a heating pad today. Can't push it too fast.
My fundraising is going well, thanks to some buddies from my high school in Bangkok. Thank you, Rick and Glenda! Also, Debra Lewis. Have ordered some of the pink bracelets and some other things for fundraising. Have some ideas for jewelry to sell, and some other useful items. Working hard on them - my next class starts on July 10, so need to have most of it finished by then. As I have been learning the hard way, plan and follow thru Grasshopper!
WEEK 7 (6/26-7/2)
Have been getting out in the am to walk (much cooler then) and working out at a friend's women-only gym after work. It has been fun and very tiring. Long days for sure! Connie and I got in about 9 miles on Saturday. We meet at a Denny's in Scottsdale, walk and then have breakfast. As long as they keep the water coming---- May end up getting some support there! The waitstaff is impressed (or figures we are crazy).
WEEK 8 (7/3-7/9)
Walked another 9+ miles on the 4th. We have found a good area - some variety, restrooms and Breakfast after the walk! Will be soaking my feet in the pool that have put in the back yard - an inflatable 10' by 3'. Put it up on Sunday. Taking Pilates on Wednesdays as cross-training. Still helping out at the gym - getting a lot of bouncing on the rebounder in! click here for info on rebounders! (I lerve my rebounder - can do a variety of exercises and get lots of health benefits from them)
Sunday I walked to my big (coed) health club, swam, stopped at a store and walked home. Got in about 10 miles. I think I will loose one of my toenails!! It is hanging on but---
WEEK 9 (7/10-7/16)
Got my morning walk in on Mon, Tues and Wed. Had Pilates on Wed and was at the womens gym each night. My class started on Thursday, and gotta admit could not get up early on Friday! It is getting hot here, so have to start earlier all the time.
Did a short walk on Saturday - was at the women's gym until 1, and then drove down to Tucson to visit my father. It is usually cooler down there. Drove thru some mini storms - thunder, lighting, rain - for a few miles. They are quite fun - very localized, cover a small area and generally have moved on by the time you realize they are there. Swam some laps after arrived - really relaxing. Sunday morning I walked about 3 hours along the river bed (it is not a practicing river - only after really heavy rains). Started at 5:30 am, so was back by 8:30. Hit the pool before I came back to Phoenix.
It is rather interesting that the rest of country is experiencing record heat. We have been getting up to 113-116, but that is natural this time of year - we don't even have heat advisory's most of the time. Not that I am out there running when it is that hot! I think it is much hotter when you add humidity. Since it is monsoon season here, we have higher than normal, but not even close to even MN! It IS a dry(er) heat!
WEEK 10 (7/17-7/23)
Was able to get a lot of training in this week - both walking and at the gym. Pilates, the rebounder, machines, and some yoga.
Got my morning walks in on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Got a 12 mile walk in on Saturday, and about 9 or 10 on Sunday. Hot very early now - have to start by 5 at the latest for the longer ones due to the heat (during the week, I have to start early to get to work on time!)
WEEK 11 (7/24-7/30)
Was able to get a walk in on Monday and on Tuesday morning. Went to the gym on Monday, then got ready for the reunion in TX. Have to say did not get a lot of training in while in TX (surprise!). Did get a walk in on Saturday - about 2 hours along the riverwalk and in the city of San Antonio. Swam laps on Friday. Otherwise, dancing was the chief exercise.
WEEK 12 (7/31-8/6)
This week back in Phx was not a good one for my training! Seemed to run around so much that I didn't get home until after 10 pm every night (due to studying mainly - this class is kicking my butt so don't have much 'free time' or guilt free time to do other things.) Met Connie for our Sunday walk - about 9 miles I think. Didn't think it was a great idea to push it after several days off.
WEEK 13 (8/7-8/13)
Got in my morning walks on Monday and Thursday. Was all ready to walk on Wednesday until I realized that there was a monsoon storm going on outside (I am not really real aware of my surroundings at 4:30 am - the lightning and the thunder clued me in).
Will be doing my long Saturday walk in the evening - head down to the Pita Jungle for dinner. I had kept falling asleep in a chair - sitting up - during the week. It was as if I had to get in bed as soon as I walked in the door, not sit down. Anyway, didn't get up in time. We had a storm in the night, and it was really cool and nice outside, until about 8 or 9 am. That is when the humidity kicks in.
Meeting Connie on Sunday. She has a GPS so is able to keep track of how far we have walked (on my own, I just keep track of the time - I do 1 mile in about 15-17 minutes, and have a route set up to walk in the morning).
WEEK 14 (8/14-8/20)
My brother was in Tucson, visiting my father. He was down from MN. I went down on Saturday afternoon so that we could spend some time together. We did a short walk and spend time talking. Didn't get much training in, but had been able to walk about 3 mornings during the week. Also got some Pilates classes in.
WEEK 15 (8/21-8/27)
Had spend Saturday morning reviewing for my final - financial management. There is a reason that I am not a financial planner.
Did our long walk on Sunday. Since I am writing this a little later, do not remember how far we walked.
WEEK 16 (8/21-8/27)
Had spend Saturday morning reviewing for my final - financial management. There is a reason that I am not a financial planner.
WEEK 17 (8/27-9/3)
Took my final on Wednesday - lets just say that I was in there for 5 hours! Had to work late on Thursday, but did manage to get up and walk before work. Did manage to get some other morning walks in. Was supposed to go up to Sedona that weekend, but ended up canceling. Did some short walks, but honestly ended up sleeping most of the weekend.
WEEK 18 (9/4-9/10)
Labor Day weekend. Walked on Saturday, did yard work, and then went down to Tucson on Sunday. Had a long walk along the river (dry so really a river bed) down in Tucson on Monday morning. Do about 3 hours round trip for my walk there. No idea how far it really is.
My next class started - Federal Taxation. Will not be an easy class. Am glad I did taxes for 2 years with HRB, but there is a different emphasis.
WEEK 19 (9/11-9/17)
Managed to walk 2 mornings this week - was really really hard to get up. We did our 16 mile walk on Saturday. Took a little different path - it is getting light later in the morning (and is much cooler and nicer to walk). Walked about 5 miles on Sunday.
WEEK 20 (9/18-9/24)
Have caught up with myself! This was a very busy week - work has been crazy lately and have had something to do each night after work. Between helping at the women's gym, trying to get my studying in, went to a concert on Wednesday, had class on Thurs and tried to sleep on Friday nite. Worked on Saturday (again ended up sleeping for the afternoon, and woke up about 6pm)
This Sunday we walked 18 miles - which is the maximum training distance. My shoes are now 'broken in'. Just have to to the next pair. Not doing great at the fund raising - that is not my forte. There will be a few 5 and 10K walks coming up that will walk. One on next Sunday at the phx zoo, and after that the Susan B Koman. Then only a few weeks to the 60-mile!