More Walking in My Future!

I'm back--I hope! No, I'm definitely back! I was thinking about starting a new blog about my current fitness and weight loss efforts, but then I remembered this blog, with such a long history! I don't know that I'll ever run again, but I'm definitely on another fitness journey now. I've bookmarked two walkable fun runs in my area, one in September, and another next January. 

In addition to getting more exercise, I restarted WeightWatchers in January, and it's been really helpful! I'm doing their Virtual Workshops via Zoom, and really appreciate that flexibility. I also like WW Connect, WeightWatcher's version on Facebook.I've done WeightWatchers a number of times over the (many) years, but sometimes the time is finally right, ya know?

Walk Breaks at Work

I've been taking more walk breaks at work, trying to increase my fitness while still getting my work time and tasks in! 😃

Fortunately, I work in a building that's long, and marked by numbered signs on the outside. Also, my building is surrounded by a parking lot. So, my big goal right now is to get all the way around the building. Right now, I can make it almost all the way down one side of the building. It's progress.

Before I started the Duke Diet and Fitness Center, I was getting about 2,000 daily steps in, give or take. Pretty pitiful, right? Now my daily steps are between 3000-4000 steps, almost daily. A big improvement, but I still have a long way to go. One step at a time, right?

Fewer Stops, Slower Pace

Last evening, I stopped by the gym again to walk around the indoor track. I did two laps, and was going to try not to stop at all. I had to make a pitstop in the ladies locker room, though. So, two laps, one stop. Slower pace, though. I'm feeling it today, disappointing since I didn't do that much. Progress is slow, but it's still progress.

Walked Last Night

Last evening, I walked at my new gym! I used the indoor track and did two laps. It wasn't pretty. I had to stop twice. Grand total was 0.22 miles in 5:21 (not including stops). My next goals are to make it one lap around without stopping, then two laps around without stopping. Beyond that, I'll work on 4 laps without stopping.

Benefits of Walking

During one of my recent visits to Duke Orthopaedics about my knee, I learned that I have a bit of list

of walking benefits on the Arthritis Foundation website, and it's a good list. I'm still a long way from being able to walk for 30 minutes at a time, but it's a goal.It's a nice day, weather wise, so I plan to get out for a walk later.

Mall Walking

From the Northgate Mall website

I ran across an article about mall walking that was several years old, and it made me wonder if there are mall walking groups in my area. I did an internet search and learned that Northgate Mall, a mall not far from my work, has a mall walkers club. I wonder if the group is active, and if so, when the majority of the walkers walk. Of course, it's nice that the mall is open and available for a number of hours daily, but it can be nice to have walking company (especially when going by the food court!), and not just fellow shoppers!

Would anyone be willing to join me for some mall walking before work?

More Walking

I've been doing more walking lately, thanks to my newish Fitbit. It's quite motivating to try to increase my steps! (Some days and weeks are better than others, of course.) I've been able to work my distance up to a mile at times, so time will tell if I can keep working up to a 5K (3.1 miles).  I sure hope so! Life is busy, but I've gotta keep on walking!



Clipart from Clipartheaven.com 

One Milestone Down, Many More to Go

I just finished walking my first continuous mile in AGES, and I'm pretty darn excited about it! I'm  a little tired, but nothing bad, and I'm not in pain, the main thing! Yay! I may be able to get ready for that 5K in June after all!




Clipart from Clipartheaven.com

More Exercise in My Future

Today's my second at-least-30-min exercise day in a row! :-) As I mentioned in an earlier post, I went in for a physical recently, and my new doctor told me to do at least 15 minutes of walking per day. It's been hit or miss with life being so busy. I finally started tracking my blood sugars this morning (another doctor's order, delayed by a few days), and realized I should step up that exercise! Yikes!

I need to remember not to stress about the numbers (no help at all), but let the numbers bring out my inner geek. Stay tuned!



Clipart from Clipartheaven.com

Fitting in the Exercise

Well, I haven't been to the gym this week as planned, but I have taken a couple of walk breaks at work, tracking the distance and time with the MapMyRun app on my iPhone. Even though it's been crazy hot the past couple of days, taking a few minutes to walk has made a difference. I'm down 2.2 pounds this week, to boot!

First Lake Lynn Walk

Lake Lynn

I got a late start to my workout  yesterday, but I still wanted to be a little adventurous, so I decided to start my workout at Lake Lynn, a lake in north Raleigh. I was glad I went, because it's very pretty, and turned out to be a very nice change of scenery! Since the community center there was closed, and I needed to use the facilities somewhere, I didn't stay as long as I wanted on the Lake Lynn trails, but I would love to go back!

Here are my pictures from the 1.26 mile walk around part of Lake Lynn. I hope to return to make it all the way around the lake sometime!

Another Treadmill Delay

I decided to head to the gym to walk on the treadmill this morning, but when I got there, I decided to walk outside instead! (Glad I had my Garmin Forerunner with me to help make it happen.) There's a paved trail that goes around my gym and meanders through part of RTP, so I walked around there for 1.5 miles in 31:16 minutes.

After the walk, I finally went inside the gym (first time this week!), and got a short bike ride and some (upper body) weights in for a well-rounded workout. I'm feeling a little tired from the workout, so I think (and hope) I'll sleep well tonight.

When I arrived at the gym this morning, it had a new name. Read all about the change here.

Meanwhile, I've dropped a couple of pounds in the past week, so there's progress again on the diet front. Yay!

Umstead Walk

Yesterday I started with some of my Raleigh Galloway friends at the Old Reedy Creek Rd. entrance to Umstead State Park. I've never been to that area of the park before, so I had a very enjoyable walk. (The only downside was the lack of bathrooms at the start!) Once I got past the gravel road leading up to the gate, the trail was packed dirt. The flowering trees are starting to blossom, and there was a good bit of foot and bike traffic, but it wasn't overly crowded. I hear that the airport overlook is off of this trail, but I didn't make it quite far enough down. Check out this webpage about this end of Umstead and the airport overlook.

I ended up going 3.26 miles in 1:09:01 with no toe pain.

Mile 1) 21:28
Mile 2) 21:09
Mile 3) 21:00 (the Garmin called this mile 20:60!)

Afterward, I met up with the rest of the group (they ran longer) at Panera for lunch. After lunch, George and I grabbed our bathing suits and went to the Gold's Gym at North Hills, where they have a saltwater swimming pool AND a saltwater hot tub! Ahhhh!

Icing My Ankle

I've been icing my ankle throughout the morning--under my desk at work (thanks to my efforts in yesterday's Tobacco Road Half Marathon)! I did finish, although it wasn't my prettiest race. A race report will be coming sometime in the next few days.

Meanwhile, I'll be giving my ankle a little more TLC!


Clipart from Clipartheaven.com

Walk on American Tobacco Trail

I had a nice walk this morning on the American Tobacco Trail (White Oak Entrance). I started with Meri, Bert, Jon, Susan, and Linda, but did my own pace. It was a chilly, but beautiful morning out! I didn't feel any pain in my right toe bridge (yippee!), but the achilles tendonitis (I think) in my right ankle DID bother me. I return to the podiatrist on Monday for a followup on the orthotics, so I'll ask him about the tendonitis. (Meanwhile, I'm icing as a type!) Today's walk: 3.54 miles in 1:12:00.

Good Crosstraining Day!

This morning I went to the gym before work, and did 35 minutes (6.25 miles) on the recumbent bike, and followed that with some upper body strength training and much needed stretching. On a work break, I I walked 1.5 miles. After work, George and I met at the gym and took 60-minute water aerobics class together.  I am worn out and ready for bed!

Working on Speed

Yesterday morning's running clinic with Luis was cancelled due to weather, so I ended up doing my scheduled 4-mile walk as usual, though in the afternoon instead of the morning. I drove to the gym, planning to walk on the treadmill since it was still chilly and icky, but as I was getting out of the car, I noticed my light jacket in the back seat. Since I had my Garmin with me too, I decided to walk what I could outside, then head indoors later if I needed to finish up 4 miles.

My Hal-Higdon-Plan assignment today was 4 brisk miles, so I headed out on a paved path near the gym, and decided to see how far I could go at a zippy pace. I'd taken this path before, but had never gotten to "the end." Well, I made it to "the end," which (not a bit surprise) took me back to my gym! I ended up walking 2.63 miles from and back to my car, where I decided I'd head inside to use the facilities, then the treadmill. I did the 2.63 miles in 52:33, a 19:57-ish pace. I was happy to see that sub-20 pace on the asphalt! Inside, I walked 1.75 miles on the treadmill in 31:07, a 17:46 pace, a much better pace--but treadmill-assisted. My right toes hurt by the end, but I iced them afterward and that helped a bit.

My current goal is to hit a 4:00 (or below) half marathon, an 18:00 pace or below. I'm not sure if I'll hit that at the Tobacco Road Half Marathon in March, but it's definitely a doable goal before the end of this year. And who know's, maybe I'll be running by spring!

Yesterday's Long Walk

Yesterday's "long walk" was a 5 miler on the American Tobacco Trail from the White Oak Entrance. It was cold, cold, cold, but it felt good once I got going. The nippy temperatures were a good motivation to keep the pace as zippy as possible! The toes in my right foot felt pretty good until around Mile 3, when the pain came on again. Still, I finished 5.01 miles in 1:41:01, a 20:10 average pace by the end. (I was shooting for 20:00 or less for the average pace per mile, so I was a little over the mark, but still feel pretty good about it.)
Mile Splits:
1) 20:13
2) 19:36
3) 19:52
4) 20:25
5) 20:41

Driving to a Race--What's Your Limit?

I've been looking at walker-friendly half marathons within driving range of where I live (to save on costs since I'm saving for graduate school), and the New River Half Marathon looks delightful! The only catch is that it's three hours away!  I don't really want to spend the night, but I think I'd enjoy doing this course! What do you think? And what is the longest distance or time you'd drive to participate in a race on that day?

Check out this video of the course:

(Almost) No Tech, Just Me

Today's a holiday from work for me, thanks to Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, but I got up early anyway, planning to go to the gym. George left for work and I puttered around a bit. Finally, I decided to put my Garmin on, but leave the iPod and my camera at home, and just take a walk outdoors for a few minutes before leaving for the gym. A few minutes turned into 30, then 3 miles! My goal of getting some (cold) fresh air turned into trying to come in under a 20:00 min/mi average walking pace. Leaving the music and camera at home allowed me to concentrate on my form a little more.  By the time I got back home, I'd walked 3.04 miles in 1:00:02, for a 19:46 min/mile average pace. I was pleased with the results, even though my right toes were hurting again. I need to do this sort of workout more often! I love taking pictures when I'm out on a walk, but I need to make sure I'm ready for my next race, too!

Mile splits (glad I had my Garmin!):
1) 20:13
2) 19:23
3) 19:43 (right toes hurting here)