Above or Below the Neck?

Ang and I were going to walk at the lake this morning, but this stomach thing I've got going on didn't allow for it. I did get in a walking video. I'm done with day 7 of Leslie Sansone's 10 day challenge. I've actually been able to keep up with it despite the ickies. Normally, the rule is (as per Running Magazine) at the neck. Sick above the neck (cold, allergies), you are good to exercise. It is not recommended for illnesses below the neck (chest cold, flu, stomach trouble). But I had started my ten days and wanted to follow it through! Three more to go. And hopefully I'll get back to the Lake with Ang this coming weekend!

Walking in the Rain!

My friend, Ang, and I went for a loop at Lake Murray on Saturday. Three miles (plus a little) in and then back out. Makes for a bout 6.25 miles. We were about 1.5 miles from our cars when it started to rain! There was no choice but to just keep walking...so we picked up the pace again and luckily, it didn't rain for long. It still sprinkled some, but not too bad. It was a great way to get the weekend going!

With fewer daylight hours in the winter and the recent rains, I'm relying more and more on my walking tapes. I decided to give up my gym membership in the fall. I wish I had a treadmill or an eliptical at home, they give such great workouts. But I really do prefer working out at home. It is definitely never crowded at home. I'm not giving up the gym forever, but it's nice to take a break and challenge myself to find other ways of getting exercise.

A few of Leslie's workouts have high impact, boosted walking segments. Translation: jogging in place! "Four Fast Miles" has a ten day challenge with it. If you are trying to break through a plateau or rev up your weight loss, she challenges you to do the workout for ten days straight. I wanted to boost my mileage for this month anyway, since I wasn't able to exercise much when I was sick for so long. So I started today! I'll do a few strength training workouts, too. I got up early to get it out of the way this morning Day 1 down, nine more to go!

Walking the Walk

I was talking with a friend from church last night who has joined up with a group to walk in the 3 day! She's with a team of 15 ladies from our church. It sounds like they are all new to it, except for one woman who walked it a few years back. How exciting! The choir director had told me that usually a few women a year from the 8:30 service choir walk, but I go to the 10:30 service, so I didn't actually meet anyone at church who was going to the 2008 walk.

Oh, and this is too funny. She said that they are going to be staying at hotels nearby, no camping for them! I have to agree. I am just not a camper, so it is a little overwhelming to deal with the camping experience and the 3 day experience. The tents were small. You have to zip yourself in and out every time you want to get in and out while not waking up your tent mate and walking partner. Just getting out of the pup tent in the middle of the night with swollen feet and stiff leg muscles was a challenge. But then you have to find your way to the stinky port-a-potties and figure out where to put the flashlight so that you can find the toilet paper. And find your tent again in the middle of the night. And it was very damp as we were literally camping on the water, it was just a few feet away. Ughh. I chose the 3 day experience over camping! I'll probably just go home each night but I'm totally up for staying in a hotel nearby too!

Bummer Ankle

The walk was an awesome experience. We had a great time and enjoyed it so much. Unfortunately I hurt my ankle in the process. The doctor called it Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome - like Carpal Tunnel - but in the ankle. So I had to rest and haven't been able to exercise much lately. Now I'm doing a series of physical therapy appointments to learn exercises to strengthen the ankle. Given some more time it should be fine.

However, this means no more extreme walking for me. Thankfully it also means no more camping in little tiny tents! So I will be co-pit crew captain with Rae for Team Jil this year! I'm already putting together my list of must-have songs to make a cd to blast at the cheering stations.

Go Team Jil!

Laura

A New Year to Walk!

I've been suffering from a lingering cold but I really wanted to start the new year with a walk. I went to Lake Murray and got in about 5 miles. The first mile, I felt some pain in my left arch. I tried to determine whether it was just pain or pain that would lead to an injury. I'd like to get some more walking in this weekend, and don't want to be sidelined by a limp. It seems like it was just pain that would work itself out and after about a mile, it did. It felt good to walk again, though I can't say I beat any time records! It was great to see so many families and groups of people out walking, riding bikes and jogging. A good way to start the new year out right!

Looking forward to another year of walking!

My family got completely jazzed cheering me on. Rachel was the best impromptu pit team captain and cheered us on at every cheer station. She got us special snacks and drinks. Brought us lunch to give us a change of pace. Even got up and went and traced the route on Sunday to figure out where we'd be through out the day. Mom is pretty interested in walking next year. Karyn is considering it, too. Dad wants to know why we didn't get matching shirts (crew and walkers)! Everyone was already talking about next year and I hadn't even finished day 3!

The walk was an AMAZING experience. The comaraderie between all of the walkers was incredible. The people cheering us on were unbelievably kind. The tireless Komen volunteers and pit crews (other walkers friends and family) were the best. Some people came out three, four, five times a day. But by the end of the third day, I was considering taking a year off!

I do plan to walk again in 2009 (though I will NOT camp--that's for another blog!). I've taken it easy the past several weeks. Partly to rest up but partly to just catch up with things and get ready for the holidays. But I've started my walking videos again and plan to get serious about walking again in January. My family was supportive the whole way, but experiencing has made them passionate to join in even more fully next year. Laura and Rae will captain the pit crew! And hopefully Mom and maybe Karyn will walk with me. It isn't official but I do believe that we'll be walking under "Team Jil." Wearing green shirts (with pink lettering) of course!

Done!

We did it! Jenn and I had a tough but wonderful time doing the 3 day. Thank you to everyone for their support and encouragement through this entire process.

Big thanks for our families for coming out to the cheer stations!!!

Laura