3 Miles in the Park

It was time for Saul to do his first long walk, so we took advantage of the beautiful morning and went to Oyster Creek Park. We entered the park at Highway 6, took the path to Dulles, circled back around to Lost Creek Park and back to the entrance. The quarter mile markers made it easy to keep track of our distance as we completed our "5K" in less than an hour.

10-25-10

The weather was beautiful this morning. Saul was too tired to join me, so I went out by myself. After warming up for ten minutes, I walked briskly for 25 minutes, then cooled down for the last 10 minutes. I threw a few one minute runs in the 20 minute segment and it felt really good.

Training for the Austin Hills

This morning Saul and I decided to work on my hill training for Austin, so we went to the parking garage at Town Square and walked up and down the ramps for 30 minutes. It wasn't too bad, but I could definitley feel new muscles being used, especially when walking downhill.

7.12 Miles

Kathy and I decided to do our Saturday long walk today instead of tomorrow. We went out to Greatwood and did a 3.56 mile circle, two times. The funny thing is that we thought it was only a 3 mile loop and could not figure out why it was taking so long. It wasn't until this afternoon, when I looked at the map again that I realized the mileage was longer. The route was very pleasant with lots of moss covered oak trees, golf links and nice sidewalks.

10-30-10

Originally we were going to go to Oyster Creek Park but decided to stay in the neighborhood. Saul and I warmed up for 10 minutes, cooled down for 10 at the end with a brisk 30 minute walk in between. Next week I'm going to find some hills to train on in preparation for Austin. All the veterans are telling me that the downhill walk/run is very different from the flat terrain of Houston.

45 5 x 2:00

This morning Saul and I walked for 45 minutes with 5 intervals on 2 minutes of intensity. Our warm up and cool down speed was much faster today. We will most likely do a longer walk on Thursday.

45 Minutes

This morning Saul and I walked for 45 minutes. Our pace is picking up a bit. We wore our Wal-Mart rain coats, but timed our walk so as to avoid the rain.

6.5 Miles

Quite a few runners and walkers met a Velocity this morning. It was pretty cool and looked like it would be overcast once the sun rose. Kathy didn't come out this morning, so I had planned on walking by myself. But Kim, one of the red walkers was nursing an injury, so she and I walked together, along with Nancy a member of the Purple (walking) group. We walked at a moderate pace and after a while my right knee started to hurt again. Since I hadn't had any pain from in a few weeks, I was surprised that it flared up. I iced it when I got home.

Tonight was the Fort Bend Fit Marathon celebration. One of our members opened their home to a crowd of over 200 people. We ate, drank and were merry as we watched a slide show ot marathon photos and a video of our finishes. It really brought back memories. Several presentations were made including a 2006 Boston Marathon jacket to Coach Terrie.

Coach Terrie speaking to the group

40 5x2:00

This morning we added a little intensity, warming up for 10 minutes and then doing 5 sessions of faster walking for 2 minutes each.

A number of Fort Bend Fit members are doing an unofficial "6 at 6" in the morning - 6 miles at 6:00am, starting from Velocity. I'm looking forward to the long walk of the week. Saul isn't quite ready for such a long walk, so he's not going to join me tomorrow.

45 Minutes Nice and Easy

This morning Saul joined me and we walked for 45 minutes at a slow and easy pace. It feels good to be back in the routine and I am enjoying my son's company.

It's Tuesday and Time to Resume Training

I was amazed to awake this morning feeling fresh and totally without pain. I was also excited that my son, Saul, was so inspired on Marathon Day that he decided to start walking with me during the week.

Since the training season for Fort Bend Fit officially came to an end on Marathon day, I was a bit up in the air about where to go from here. I decided to pick up with the schedule that was set for just after the 30K. So Saul and I walked outside for 30 minutes at a moderate pace.

I want to continue training for two reasons. One is to keep up the momentum of my training and maintenance of my weight loss and the other is because I have contracted Marathon fever. I thoroughly enjoyed my day at the Houston Marathon and don't want to wait until next year to do it again. Also, there were some negatives about Marathon day that bothered me and I want another experience that doesn't include the following:

By starting out at 4:00am, almost half of the race was spent on open roads and uneven sidewalks, all in the dark. We also had to deal with the traffic and lights at crossings such as Montrose and Allen Parkway and Montrose and Westheimer to name a few. And the water stations weren't open until after 7:00am. Because we left before the official start time, we didn't wear chips, so there was no official record of my race, other than the Finish Line photo which shows a clock time 3 hours less than it really was. And because we were not official, the walkers will not get a Finisher's Certificate or Finish Line CD.

So I have decided that I want to try it again, this time leaving at the official start time, wearing a chip, and being an official finisher. As luck would have it (as if I hadn't already known), The Austin Freescale Marathon is next month on February 19. The elevation is a lot higher than Houston, but the course is mostly downhill and the good news is that the course stays open for 8 hours! Saul has agreed to come up with me while Stan stays home to "hold down the fort". This way I won't have to worry about driving myself home - something I doubt I could do for 3 hours after walking 26.2 miles.

Austin Marathon Website

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The Aftermath Wasn't Too Bad

I was pretty achy when I woke up this morning and was looking forward to my 9:00am massage. After an hour and a half with Carolyn, I felt great. It was still hard to climb up and down the stairs but I managed. The day was spent doing mostly phone and internet related work, and of course reliving my experiences with many of my well-wishers.

What a Day!

Although I was exhausted, the high from yesterday's accomplishment kept me going. Stan drove me home after dropping off Kathy. When we got home, Saul was waiting for us with a big grin on his face. I walked in the door and there was a magnificent cake commemorating my completion of the Marathon, along with a dozen beautiful roses. My friends Marty and Nurith had also dropped off some lovely flowers for me, as well.

My Beautiful Cake

I managed to stay awake all day, and although I was doing the "penguin walk", we went to Carrabbas for dinner to complete my celebration. I went to bed at 7:30pm and slept the best sleep I'd had in a long time.