Back to Fitness Routine

For the last several months I have not been getting nearly enough exercise.  I just didn't have enough energy to do much.  I was diagnosed as anemic in January and have adjusted my stomach meds and am taking iron supplements to address that issue.  I finally feel like I can try to get back into some kind of routine to start working back to shape to walk in the 3-Day in October.  I am going back to tracking my steps with my fitbit and using myfitnesspal to track calories so that I can try to lose weight and get in better shape at the same time.  I started out today with half an hour on the treadmill and hope to work up to an hour within a week or two.

Back to Training

Between work and kids end of school year activities I have not had much time to do as much training as I want to get in.  I did take some time today to go out and stretch it a bit.  I probably should have worked up to it again but it was a nice day and I had time so I went out and did 13 miles today.  I am sure I will be feeling it tomorrow.  I got had intended to hit the road at 6:30 like I would if I was walking on event but I took a little longer to get organized and ended up leaving about 7:00.  The weather was perfect to start but got a little warm as I got close to the end of my walk.  70 is a very comfortable temp but 85 is getting a little warm.  I had a little cloud cover so the sun was not bad either.  I am going to try and get in a couple walks a week now until the 3-Day the weekend after Labor Day.

Another Decent Walk

Well I decided to start out my Easter Vacation with a training walk today. The weather was really nice for early April so I decided to add just a little to my last walk. I ended up walking 8.5 miles today. That's not bad progress for this early in the year. Waiting for the weather to get better so that I can get some consistent walking in. Regardless of the weather, I will be ready in September. This is my 6th year walking and I know what i need to do to finish all 60 miles of the 3-Day.

Unreal Weather for March Walking

Well I was off work today and was running errands earlier but I had to take advantage of the weather to get in another training walk. I had to go over to my Dad's house to take a look at his computer so I decided to walk over there. That gave me another 7.3 miles for this year. I just could not believe this weather though. I have never done a training walk in March and worried about getting too warm and keeping hydrated. It was actually over 80 today and might be again tomorrow. The weather has been unseasonably warm but I didn't get much walking done last week because I was commuting to Chicago for a Class. On Sunday we went to Appleton for my niece's birthday party so no walking then either. I hope to try and get in at least 10 miles a week for the next month and build from there.

First Training Walk for 2012

It was such an awesome March day I just had to get out and get in a training walk. We usually don't have many 60 degree days in March. Usually I would start with a 3.5 or 5 mile walk for the year but the temp was great and it was sunny so I ended up doing a litle over 7 miles today. Was a little sore afterwards but that was to be expected with that kind of start. I have been spending some time on the treadmill but walking there is nothing like walking outside. I find walking outside to be very relaxing and look forward to many more miles before September.

 

First Training Walk for 2012

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=5340988

Back to Walking

I have been very busy with activities with the kids and work and have not been out walking much lately. With the Twin Cities 3 Day coming up in just a couple weeks I need to put some more miles on soon. No activities with the kids tonight and the heat has subsided so I should be able to get a nice easy walk of 10 miles or so in today. I can't wait to get out this afternoon as I really do miss walking. It's very relaxing to get out there and walk for a couple hours. I will be leaving for the Twin Cities 3 Day two weeks from tomorrow.

My Route for today http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4691337

 

Little Training But Lots to Do

I have not been getting much training lately as I have been running my daughters to their practices and activities since school let out. The activities are fun but I will be glad in a couple weeks when the competitions are over and we can relax a bit more for the rest of the summer. I will finally be able to get back to my training also. I am not walking until November so I have plenty of time to train but I do miss my walking. I find it to be relaxing.

I also have plenty of other things to work on this summer. I am working on upgrading several websites and there are so many things I want to make better as I have learned so much since I first rolled out the sites.

No Blisters

I have had issues with blisters every year that I walk the 3-Day. Last year in San Diego was my worst and this spring with my new shoes I have been getting some in places I had not previously. I used to use Body Glide on my feet every time I walked but that was not working very well. I must not have been putting enough on because I was still getting blisters. Well I decided to change tactics this past Sunday when I went out and so far the new strategy has been successful. Two walks and no blisters. Even with the 11 Miles on Sunday I was blister free. This time I used a strategy that I had heard others use but had not tried. I spread a generous layer of Vaseline on my feet wherever I knew I got hot spots or blisters. When I felt that it was wearing off, about 6-7 miles, I stopped and re-applied and it worked great so far. It felt a little strange at first when I started out but that did not last. Going to keep doing this all year and see if I can make it through the 3-Day with no blisters this year.

Summer Training

Well I decided to go out and get a decent length walk in today as I have been kind of busy and have not been walking as much as I would like lately. I guess I missed the part in the weather forecast where it said it was going to be this hot. I thought maybe we would get to about 80 so it would be good training. Turned out it was almost 80 by the time I left at 9:30 and it was pushing 90 by the time I finished my 11.2 miles today. I had almost forgotten how much I hate walking in this kind of heat. It was 90+ each day of my first 3-Day in 2007 and I almost passed out a couple times on day 1. Today I had to really make sure I was drinking enough Gatorade and I bought a bottle of cold water at a gas station just to have cold water to dump over my head and hat to cool me down a little. I missed the cooling stations that they have during the 3-Day. I usually take advantage of those to cool down in Chicago. That was one thing I didn't have to worry about last year in San Diego. The weather in San Diego was perfect and I much prefer walking in 65-70 than 85-95. I am waiting for them to announce the days for next year. I suspect that I may have a conflict with my Family Reunion and Chicago so next year it may be back to sunny San Diego.

I guess I better get used to it for now. Summer is just starting.

 

Training and Stuff

Training for the 3-Day

Well the weather here in Wisconsin has been pretty hit and miss. We had some very awesome weather and things have kind of gotten cool again so I have not been walking as much. I did get a couple of good 10 Mile walks in the first two weekend of April but have been a little lax since then. I hope to get back to some longer walking this weekend but the weather may not cooperate and it may rain all weekend. We'll have to see what the temp is like. If it's not too cold I will do some training in the rain.

Podcasts

I don't listen to that many Podcasts with any regularity. I used to listen to Geeks and God every week and really looked forward to it but they stopped producing weekly Podcasts last fall as they are working on a new project. I was really surprised to see that there were a couple new podcasts when I checked out the site the other day. The original guys had a special podcast to publicize efforts to get more people so sponsor children through Compassion. They also were announcing that the Geeks and God Podcasts would be back on a Monthly basis with new hosts. The new hosts have all been active members of the Geeks and God Forums and I am really looking forward to checking out their podcasts as I have some spare time this week. Will let you know what I think.

 

Back to Training

I finished up work early enough today that I got to think about taking a Training Walk. Since I have had some supporters make donations I decided it was time I got back to my training. At 48 degrees it was not that bad for walking. I went out when the Sun was still out and it was a nice walk. The Sun was pretty much down by the time I finished so it was a little cooler but all in all it wasn't a bad walk. I put in 6.1 miles today and feel pretty good. You know you are really starting to train when you start feeling hot spots on familiar places on your foot. Time to break out the Body Glide. Hopefully this mild weather will stay and I can start getting out a couple of times during the week.

First 2010 Training Walk

Well I started training earlier this year than I did the last two years. It was so nice today I had to get out and get my first training walk in. We don't get many 40 degree days in February so I had to take advantage of it. It was 39 and Sunny at 3:00 in the afternoon so I got out my walking shoes, fanny pack, and pedometer and hit the road. I ended up doing just under 5 miles and felt really good. It was nice to get out and try out my new walking shoes too. The Keens that I have worn the last two years are getting a litlte worn out so I got new shoes for this year. I got a pair of New Balance MW1200's. These shoes are very light and breathe well so that may help me avoid getting blisters this year. The biggest issue I had with these new shoes is they breath well and that is a bit chilly this time of year.

Long Walk Today

I got out and did my longest training walk of the year so far. I walked just over 15.5 miles and still felt okay afterwards. I need to get a couple more long walks in before San Diego. The trouble is the weather is starting to get cooler and it's going to be nicer in San Diego than my training walks here

First Training Walk

I finally got out and started training for the San Diego 3 Day. It was a short 3.5 Mile walk but at least it got me out and got things stretched out. The weather is finally decent and I needed to get out since we are just under 200 days now. I will probably do another couple short walks before kicking it up to 5 miles for a short time.

Last Long Training Walk before Chicago

Well I am busy next weekend and the weekend after is the 3 Day so this was the last opportunity to get out and do a nice long walk.  I got up early Saturday and it the road at 6:30 intending to do 20 miles.  I ended up running out of time due to some family things that needed to get done and ended up with 19 instead.  I was pretty tired at the end but was still mobile.  I think that I am going to be much better prepared for this year and am really looking forward to Chicago.

Short Walk Today

Well my walk today was short because I was already tired from spending the day at Six Flags with the Family.  The sun and heat take their toll.  It was good training being there though since it forced me to spend time out in the Sun and heat.  After we got home from there I took a short 5 mile walk to get some more miles in.

Walking a different direction today

Spent this morning working on things around the house and decided that I needed a nice walk this afternoon to regain my sanity.  I decided to walk a path that I had driven lots of times before but I had never walked.  This is kind of fun since when you are walking you get a chance to pay more attention to detail than you do when you are driving.  I ended up walking 10 miles today and it was not too bad.  I want to walk more but time is a luxury I just don't have enough of right now.  The 3 Day is only 3 weeks away now but I am satisfied that I started walking early enough that I should be fine this year.

 

Catching Up

Things have been pretty crazy lately so I have not had time to walk as much as I would like to be at this point.  I have still trained a lot more than last year though and I am sure that I will be ready for 8/8.  I made it a point to finish work early today so I could get out and get some time walking.  I ended up doing just under 11 miles and it felt good.  I have gotten to the point that I really miss my walking.  A nice 5 mile walk is really relaxing.  The 10+ mile walks are not as relaxing but I still enjoy the time out.

 

Getting Closer

Well I haven't walked for the last week because I was on call and needed to stay close to the house.  I am glad that is over and I don't have to worry about that again until after the 3 Day is over.  I am getting back into the swing og things by walking a quick 5 miles this morning.  I plan to walk every day now at least some distance to make sure I am ready for 8/8/08 which is rapidly approaching.  Fundraising is going ok.  I am only $300 from my goal now so I think that will be ok too.  Thanks again for supporting me and checking out my progress.