| Week of March 25, 2001 |
Weight:
232.75
Total Loss: 97.75 |
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Toward mid afternoon, having finished the major of what I was going to do for the day, I called her and told her I was heading home - and that I might WALK it. Now I don't know the EXACT distance, but the chosen route is very direct. The route that I normally drive is about 13 miles.
So what prompted this insanity? I thought that, with the nice weather, it would be a perfect warm-up for a half-marathon (13.1 miles).The longest that I have walked in recent history is about 7.5 miles. Vicki had walked home from her work, about 9.5 miles, a few months ago. At that time, I contenplated the day when I would do the same.
So, at 3:35pm, I started off. The sun was out, but low in the sky. I was walking a brisk pace, and the sweat was beading on my brow (actually all over my face!). After the first hour, I called Vicki to check in and let her know my progress. The route was along a major artery, though one that I had not driven. There were many interesting shops and small eating establishments along the way.
Going strong, about 1.5 hours into the trek, I marched into a 7-11 and purchased a bottle of badly needed water. Replenished, I continued on, noticing a wall of very dark clouds rolling in from the west and north. I called in again, and mentioned that I might need to be "rescued" should the rain materialize.
I was not wearing my best walking shoes, but I was wearing a good, heavy pair of socks. They helped to keep my feet snug, and prevented slipping within the shoe. My feet were beginning to feel a little burning sensation. I stopped to tighten the laces to snuggle up the fit. Meanwhile I was nursing the 24 oz. bottle of water. It is rather awkward to walk with a decent stride while carrying a bottle, but I made it last for the better part of 45 minutes.
I mentally noted that this walk mirrored my entire weight loss journey. It was going to happen - it just required putting one foot in front of the other and chugging on at a steady pace. I looked to the sky, starting to half wish that the rain would fall. That would abort this crazy act, and give me the excuse to call for the ride. Although the sky got darker, the rain did not fall, and I continued on.
At the two hour mark, I was starting to enter familiar territory. I was still at least an hour out, but was starting to see the "end of the tunnel". I continued on, with my ankles starting to ache from walking on the sidewalks and driveways that are slanted excessively to promote rain runoff.
At about two and a half hours, my hips started to ache a little. Although my feet were burning slightly, I did not feel any blisters. My shoulders were aching. I was now about 2 miles from home. I knew I was going to make it. At the same time, though, I noticed that my pace was slowing a little, and it was more effort to get started after waiting for each @#$%^* red stoplight.
I tried to stretch my shoulders and back to relieve the ache. My feet and ankles were aching, but I pushed on. I walked into the house 2 hours and 57 minutes after I started the walk. I placed the SportBrain in it's modem cradle to upload the data from the walk while I went to take a shower and some aspirin (not necessarily in that order :O).
As can be seen, the trek was 177 minutes and the SportBrain measured it at 11.0 miles. I felt a sense of accomplishment, but was disappointed that it fell short of the half-marathon distance. I COULD have gone further, but was very glad that it was not necessary. Not today.
2001.03.27 THE LAST 100 DAYS ... Starting near the middle of April, I will begin the FINAL 100 days of my weight loss program. Confidence is oozing in all directions, despite the fact that the past 4 weeks have yielded only about a 4 lbs loss. But it is going to happen! I'm going to make goal around mid-late August. That's all there is to it!
After my LONG walk last weekend, we went out and found a new pair of shoes. I've got two pair of "good" shoes, but one has been causing me pain in the side of my foot. Although I probably paid ~$65 for them, I'd rather get something that I can wear & set the others aside for now. Anyway, on my walks yesterday and today, I experienced a slight pain in my knee after walking about 15 minutes. I've attributed it to stress from the long walk, since it happened while wearing different pairs of shoes. However, I know that new shoes, if fitted improperly, can also adjust your walking stride such that different stresses are placed on the knee. I'll just monitor it closely...
Seen on alt.support.diet ... one writer made the profound statement that one develops a whole different perspective when committing to a diet for the long haul. It is a quite different mindset from one who is dieting to lose a few pounds.
But think about it. The person who diets to lose a few pounds is not going to change their long term eating habits. They probably will not take up an exercise "program". They are doomed to failure!
Building a strong foundation for a weight loss program and the associated new way of life requires a little planning, a long term committment and a lot of desire. Read another way, it requires a mental adjustment.
Where the mind goes, the body will follow ...
Thank You for Visiting!!
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Author: VernTallman( VTallman@aol.com ) Home page: http://members.aol.com/vtallman/index.html