Ramping Up

I got on the scale this morning in a moment of post-weekend insanity. I immediately hopped into my walking clothes and high-tailed it to the gym. Walked only 2 miles (and did 100 situps) but it felt good. Will get back to weights tomorrow.

Marathon, Storm and other excuses

Like other writers on this blog the last few days have not been the best for my exercise program.  I finally got out and walked 2 miles yesterday (Sun. 11/15)  simple neighborhood route.   I will probably be using this route for a while since the bike path has a lot of standing water from the storm.  What storm, why the Nov. northeaster that battered the OBX and stopped all walking for several days.  Photos of the aftermath are on Picasa, some pretty dramatic stuff.  The last 2 weeks have been very busy.  I was in Raleigh for 2 days then home then off to a football game that took most of the day.  The previous weekend was taken up with the OBX Marathon.  I worked barricades on Fri. Sat, Sun and Monday with the last 3 days being very physical.  I got a lot of exercise and was quite sore for a while.  Then came the storm and progress stopped.  I dropped 5 lbs during the marathon but gained 4 back during the storm.  Still down 10 pounds for this effort.

Will walk today, bright sunshine. neighborhood route and probably listen to some live Springsteen.  Bootleg recordings of his recent NYC shows.

Bad Week Two?

It was a wild and wonderful week, but not for exercise or weight management! Left for Phoenix and GreenBuild Monday. Was on a panel as part of a class in "Green Leases" on Tuesday - less than 15 minutes of fame, but fun anyway. Attended a few good sessions on Wednesday before taking the 'red eye' home for a 7:00 am Thursday arrival. A great trip, but no time for exercise. Had regained 3 of my 7 lost lbs by the time I got home...

Needed to be back for a super-fun Sasaki board meeting Thursday pm and stockholder meeting all day Friday. Much stress.

On the brighter side, we drove out to Skidmore Saturday morning and spent the day with Eddie and girlfriend Ramsay. Spent much of the afternoon in their studios checking out Eddie's jewelry and Ramsay's drawings and paintings, along with lots of other student and faculty work. After dinner with Eddie and friends and a nap, we went to The Putnam Den for Gung Ho's 12:30 am set. We admired their enthusiastic fans and really enjoyed the music too. They sounded fantastic (as did their new demo CD)!

FINALLY had a 40-minute walk around the Saratoga Springs State Park this morning. Gorgeous day. Toe still swollen but it only hurt a bit. I think I'll be cured in another week.

Will have a more sane week this week - will spend some time at the gym!

Bad Week Too

I got to the gym Monday morning and managed a spin on the recumbent bike and some sit ups. Toe still bothering me quite a bit - I did manage to wear shoes for the first time (instead of Merrills) Thursday evening and most of the day Friday. Will do some short walk today, Sunday.

Will be a challening week this week, since I am leaving for Greenbuild in Phoenix tomorrow evening, taking the red eye back Wednesday evening, board meeting Thursday and all day stockholder meeting Friday. I will take my sneaks with me and see what I can squeeze in.

Thanks to the hormonal challenges of being a pre-menopausal person I was on percoset and/or in serious pain for the past two days. Better today.

But I'm down 6.5 lbs total as of this morning.

Bad week

Too much stuff going on this week. 
Managed to walk on Tues in Raliegh.  A mile from my hotel to the convention center and a mile back
Thurs. I walked 3 down to Pamlico Jack's (formerly Penguin Isle) to pick up Carole's car left there after a birthday party.
Today is plenty of exercise moving barricades for the OBX Marathon so I am not to worried.  Sunday is all day working at the Marathon (6:30 am til 4) so no walk then.
Monday will be more exercise taking barricades down then Tues is a Duke class all day.  Maybe walk early.

The scale will not like me on Sunday.
OK just eat less.
No weather
No Music

4 mile Saturday

Four miles on a gorgeous Sat. 
Walked the same route as last time.  Down the bike path to the southern end of the Village at Nags Head then back to the west side and through the village to its northern end the cut across to Nags Head Cove then home.

Weather was 70's light SW breeze, blue skies and wonderful
Music Guy Clark  and Ramblin' Jack Elliott at Newport Folk Festival 2009

No walk today (Sunday) let my body recover.  Did 2 miles every day this week.  May try 6 miles soon.  Next weekend is the OBX Marathon  = Half Marathon.  I am not walking but I have a fairly intense volunteer schedule as Barricade Bob.
Ciap

Commitment?

I'm not sure what I can commit to right now - other than an increased amount of exercise this coming week. My left longest toe is still swollen and painful, 3 weeks after injuring my foot. I need to stay off of it for a while longer.

That said, I think I can at least do the recumbent bike, and maybe lift some weights as well. So I am going to go to the gym at least three times this week.

However, I am very proud to report that I have lost 4.5 pounds this week! It is a testament to (1) how much weight I had gained over the past few weeks of stressful and sedentary life and (2) a job well done on my part, including passing over much (not all) Halloween candy and only having had 2 glasses of wine...

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My 2 miles worth

short 1.5 maybe miles Mon  It was spitting rain, cold and windy so I cut my neighborhood loop short and didn't go across to the ocean. Music was not memorable but Robin Williams later that night was.

Tues and Wed. 2 miles All on the Beach Rd.
Weather Tues. was gray and windy
Weather Wed cleared up the afternoon and was sunny and very pleasant.
Music Tues was a new Rickie Lee Jones album.  imagine Rickie Lee Jones singng ballad standards.  Some very nice cuts.  The album opens with On the Street Where You Live
Music Wed. Olabelle - harmony oriented alt. country.   strong gospel flavor  neat stuff.

I need to get on my schedule for making entries.  and maybe set up a template.
What do you think Elizatbeth?
Ciao

I'm Back?

Well, I'm back on line. I'm not walking yet because I hurt my foot a few weeks ago - my toe is still swollen and very uncomfortable. But I am back to watching what I eat and doing what I can to be healthier. No alcohol today for the first day in ... OK, I can't remember the last day I didn't have a glass of wine or two.

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Starting back up

This blog started as a shared space for 3 siblings who were training for an Avon Breast Cancer walk.  It did fine for a while then fell apart when one sibling (me - Bob) got sick, dropped out and my sisters drifted away from it.

I am not getting back in to walking and my sister Elizabeth is doing the same thing.  I am restarting the blog as a training log and reinforcement tool.  I think my sister will join me. 

Goals:  I don't have  an event in mind right now. I just completed my 2nd 4 mile walk since I started back again.  Not sure what I will do next.  I guess I will try a 6 miler in about a week.  I would like to get to a point where the 4 mile walks are the standard daily trip.  Do 4 miles 2 or 3 times a week, one longer walk and a couple of days of cross training (need to work on how to cross train).

I would like to find an event or group of events to start training for.  It is much easier to be motivated whenthere is a clear goal.  Ultimately I would like to complete the Avon - marathon - half marathon double. 

So any way Walking for Liz is back. and I am going to start posting again as I walk.  Thanks for stopping by

4 mile Friday

Gorgeous day on Friday so I ramped up and did 4 fun filled miles.  I have been walking 2 miles a day prettty consistently since my last 4 mile effort.  This one felt a lot better than the last one which left me pretty sore.

Who - Bob
Route - Over to Beach Rd.  S. to the end of the Village at Nags Head back west across bypass and back through the village streets to the northern end then cut across to Cobia Dr. in Nags Head Cove and down Cobia to home
Length - 4 miles
Time - about 1:20 not bad.  Started around 2pm
Music - A great concert with Guy Clark, John Hiatt, Lyle Lovett and Townes Van Zandt trading songs.
Weather - Sunny, upper 70s w/a light northeast wind.  The last good day before it starts to get gray and rainy for a while
Notes -

Back in the harness

Thought I would fire up the blog again to track my progress restarting my walking regime.

Sat. Sept. 25
Walked 4 miles for the first time since Feb. and my leg issues.
Home to beach road then north to Nags Head Pier and return.
Weather was windy and overcast.
Music - Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark together as part of 4 Texans in Dublin also Robert Earl Keen Live at the Ryman to keep the Texas songwriter theme going.

Felt good but I felt it. Sunday off to rest then back on the streets.

Walking in Rhythm

Well, my walks have begun to follow a clear rhythm: Mondays at the gym I feel strong and do a quick 6 mile 'power walk' (OK, 'power' might be a stretch...); Wednesdays at the gym I feel tired and drag myself through another 6 miles. Saturday is my day for long walks (14 miles this past Saturday), and it's all about exploring new places, taking lots of little breaks for water, stretching, gorp and Pria bars. Last Saturday Sally and I explored the bay side of Wellfleet, saw lots of interesting homes, had some lovely views of the water and found a cool dirt road through the woodsy marsh. Walking with Sally makes the time go by very quickly, which I realize on Sundays when I walk alone. This past Sunday in Wellfleet I did the usual 6-mile loop plus 1/2 mile out and back on the Rail Trail. Nice but felt a little long. Have had incredible luck with dry and mostly gorgeous weekend weather. That might change this weekend...we'll see...

Ciao

Still following the program...more or less

Last week I struggled a bit, fighting off an achy tired feeling. Monday's 6 was great, Wednesday was not - had to hold on to the treadmill the entire time. I was supposed to do 13 on Saturday, but did only about 7. It was a glorious 7 - walked with Sally along the Harborwalk in South Boston/Dorchester. Terrific walk I will try again. So I made up the rest on Sunday - 6 more on the Minuteman Trail.
This week I felt good - 6 Monday, 6 Wednesday at the gym as usual. Tomorrow I am doing 14, with 7 more on Sunday. Yikes! Luckily it is supposed to be sunny (though not warm, only in the 40s), and it is gorgeous here at the Cape.

Ciao

Following the Program

I've been pretty good about following the program though I needed some flexibility last week. Monday morning we had a foot of fresh snow so I didn't get up and out for my 6 miles that day. I did do 6 miles on Tuesday and Thursday, 12 on Saturday and 6 more on Sunday. (6 more this morning, too). I'm not sure why the program had me walking 31 miles two weeks ago and only 30 last week, but I am thankful! Walking tends to take over my weekends lately. I was able to remain somewhat active after the 12 on Saturday (though all I wanted to do was bathe and nap), and I am very proud to have stayed awake until 10 pm at Matt and Faye's Saturday evening. OK, I had to take off my shoes and lie down on their living room floor, but I was awake!

Ciao

Last Week's 16? DONE!

Who - Dorothy
Route - The same Rails to Trails trail I attempted last Saturday.
Length - 17.2 miles. I did it!
Time -Left home at about 10:00. The whole walk took a little over 5 hours. Then I needed at least 2 hours for stretching, a bath and a nap. This walking thing takes a LOT of time.
Music - I really used the music on this one. Little Richard was a highlight.
Weather - WARM! Sunny! Did I mention WARM? In the mid 60's! I took a jacket, but wore just a tee-shirt and sweatpants most of the way. AMAZING! and Wonderful.
Notes - Signs of progress? My knees are really bothering me today. So I got out the ankle weights and vowed to get serious about knee exercises. I also need to buy new walking shoes. The tread on these is about worn out. I walked 100 miles in February!

Ciao

Walked 31 Miles This Week

Route - Monday, Wednesday and today (Sunday) I was at the gym. Saturday Sally and I walked along the Charles River from the Hatch Shell west to BB&N, east along Memorial Drive, around past the Science Museum, along Charles Street to the Common, then through Back Bay to TeaLuxe for a cup of tea and a cookie.
Length - Monday 6; Wednesday 8; Saturday 11 along the Charles + ?; Sunday 6
Time -Left home at 5:30 am on Monday and Wednesday; 10:00 am on Saturday and 8:00 am on Sunday.
Music - Nothing notable except for watching old 80s videos this morning at the gym: Genesis, INXS, Fine Young Cannibals...
Weather - Much colder than I thought on Saturday. It was mostly sunny but quite windy along the water. Like an idiot, I didn't wear my hat.
Notes - All of the indoor walks were pretty good this week. The outdoor walk yesterday was flat but the cold and wind made it difficult for me. It was a long week with evening events 4 out of 5 days, and I think I was just plain tired. Luckily I had Sally to keep me going.

Ciao

Oh dear! My first abort.

Who - Dorothy
Route - A mile and a half to the west and then down and up a "rails to trails" trail - all paved (lots of bicycles) and quite flat - a good way to do 16 miles.
Length - Well, I actually only did 12 or 13 miles, then had to call Jeff to come get me.
Time -Left home at 9:00.
Music -
Weather - It was much colder than I had expected, and I was not dressed for it. My hands were very cold (at the end had trouble unbuckling my pack and opening the wrapping on a cheese stick), and I felt very draggy and tired. I think my core was hoarding all the energy.
Notes - This was the hardest (emotionally) walk I've done yet. I didn't feel good from the beginning - not enough energy - and it was a real struggle to walk as far as I did. NEXT time - I wear my long underwear no matter what I think the temp is going to be.

Ciao

Back blogging (but haven't stopped walking)

Who -Dorothy
Route - today, the now standard route down Broadway from 225th street to 120th street.
Length - 5.4 miles
Time -Left home at 7:00 am. Hebrew class now meets at 10am, and my walk takes 90 minutes. So I needed to be on a 7:20 train this morning. It felt a little like the old days. The 7:20 is a local; but the 7:17 express is the train I took for many years.
Music -
Weather - WICKED cold! and windy. I regretted not wearing long underwear under my jeans.
Notes - Bob, if you are reading this, I hope the computer is on your stomach and your foot is in the air! I am now in my new walking rhythm - Monday and Thursday I walk the 5.4 miles from the train station to Union; Wednesday mornings I do six hilly miles around here; and then Saturday I do my long walk. My program has me alternating a constantly increasing long (next Saturday 16 miles) with a "short" long (last Saturday 8 miles, but soon moving up to 12). I continue to feel overwhelmed with "what needs to get done", but it is all good. Love to both of you. D.

Ciao

Sunny Twelve with Sally

Route - Old County Road/Route 6/Lecount's Hollow/Cape Cod Rail Trail/Lecount's Hollow/Ocean View/Cahoon Hollow/Old County and home to Dow Drive...phew!
Length - 12 miles
Time -Left home at 10:20 am or so.
Weather - Lovely sunny and about 35 degrees
Notes - This was a great chance to catch up with Sally for more than 3 hours. She was a good sport to drive all the way from Sagamore to Wellfleet for a l-o-n-g workout. Luckily she is in great shape!

Ciao

Wednesday 8 in Wellfleet

Route - Dow Drive to Old County (north) to Cahoon Hollow Road (east) to Ocean View Drive (south) to Lecounts Hollow Road (west) to Cape Cod Bike Trail - out 1 mile and back - to Route 6 and back to Old Country Road.
Length - 8 miles
Time -Left home at about 1:15 pm.
Weather - Started sunny and about 40 degrees, clouded up during the walk. Snowed later.
Notes - Beautiful walk, great to walk next to the ocean. This is a good walk to build on for later - the bike trail is (kind of dull but) pretty flat and goes on for miles.

Ciao

Monday Eight with Melanie

Route - Out the Minuteman Bike Path to Fraser Street in Arlington and back
Length - 8.4 miles
Time -Left home at around 10:15 am.
Music - Chatter
Weather - Clear and sunny, about 30 degrees
Notes - A very nice walk, great catch up chat with Melanie. Lovely day!

Ciao

Saturday 11

Route - Same as last Saturday, except I walked home the same way: home to Mass Ave, straight down Mass Ave to Back Bay, around Back Bay (stopped at Starbucks) and back the same way
Length - 11 miles
Time -Left home at about 10:30 am.
Music - Nope
Weather - 32 degrees when I left, 40 when I returned. Quite a cold breeze during most of the walk.
Notes - Walk went OK. It is just so great to walk outside! I stopped at Starbucks for a latte - a mistake. It was tough to get going again, plus the drink upset my tummy. But I survived, came home and had a long chat with Dorothy and an equally long hot bath. Nice!

Ciao

5 - 5 - 15 this week

Who - Dorothy
Route - Monday and Thursday: from the Marble Hill train station at 225th street in the Bronx to Union at 120th street (a little over 5 miles - a good way to walk to school). Saturday Jeff drove me north to Ossining and dropped me at the aqueduct, where I walked home. Missed the path at one point and walked about an extra mile.
Length - 5 for the walk to school, and 15.5 on the aqueduct today.
Time -Left home at 8:00 am on school days; about 8:30 am this morning .
Music - Just the great Manhattan outdoors.
Weather - Warming up, but still around freezing. Today the path was frozen when I started but warmed up enough to be muddy and slippy about half way through. I walked the last part on the street.
Notes -

Ciao

Monday Wednesday 6/6 Catch Up

Route - Treadmill at BSC Watertown
Length - 6 miles each day
Time -Left home at 5:30 am.
Music - Susan Tedeschi and Stevie Ray Vaughan
Weather - very dark
Notes - Nothing notable, just a bit dull. Looking forward to more walks outside this weekend and next week, when we are on VACATION!

Ciao

Scenic Seven

Who - Dorothy
Route - From Hennie's house down Hyde Hill Road, across Rt. 9 and up the hills on Old Goshen Rd, back across Rt. 9, and up a little more to the top of Hyde Hill Road - where you can see the towers of UMass Amherst in the distance - probably about 12 miles away. Gorgeous!
Length - 7.2 miles
Time -Left Hennie's at about 12:30 Saturday, back a little over 2 hours later.
Music - by Mother Nature.
Weather - Sunny and cold, but not frigid.
Notes - Gorgeous wintery, snowy woods, 18th century houses, and back roads still snow-covered. The hills were challenging, but it was great. I borrowed Hennie's Yaktrax - like tire chains for your shoes. They made me completely sure-footed on the snow and ice. AMAZING.

Ciao

Fan-frickin-tastic Four

Route - Dow Drive to Old County Road to Cahoon Hollow Road, east to ocean and back
Length - 4 miles
Time -Left home at about 11:30 am.
Music - The sound of melting snow trickling across the pavement, the sound of the wind in the trees, and the sound of my addidas on the street...
Weather - Lovely 49 degrees and actually sunny - gorgeous!

Ciao

Saturday Six (OUTSIDE!)

Route - Bike path west to Massachusetts Ave., then southeast on Mass Ave to Newbury Street, east on Newbury Street to my hairdresser. Went through Davis Square, Porter Square, Harvard Square, MIT area, over the Charles River and through Back Bay. This mostly flat route has some great window shopping opportunities. Thank you gpedometer!
Length - 6 miles
Time -Left home at 10:45 am and walked for 90 minutes (I hit all the "walk" signs).
Music - The sounds of the city, baby!
Weather - Not entirely sure, but I believe it was in the 20s when I left and it was certainly in the 30s when I arrived. Quite breezy at times. Started off cloudy and got sunnier.
Notes - What a pleasure to walk outside, and I loved walking through all the neighborhoods! This is a walk I would do again sometime, just for entertainment and transportation.

Ciao

Sleepy Six (Wednesday)

Route - the usual - BSC Watertown treadmill
Length - 6 miles
Time -Left home at about 5:45 - is the time you leave the house the time you leave to srape snow off your car, or the time you actually pull away from the curb?
Music - some Van Morrisson but nothing sounded really great
Weather - cold n snowy
Notes - I haven't been sleeping well, and Wednesday morning I was just plain ole tired. Had to hang on to the treadmill to keep myself stabilized. Legs felt like lead. When I got home after work I realized I left my new sneakers at the gym...and they are gone! (boo hoo) Luckily there are more where those came from, and I intend to get some more this weekend.

A Six of Three Extremes

Who -Dorothy
Route - The street signs said Hillside, Mount Hope, Scenic, Summit, Ravine. Six miles of Extreme hills.
Length - 6 miles
Time -Left home Extremely early - at 8:00 am, working up to that leaving in the dark stuff that Betsy does. But did the walk in under 3.5 minute miles. Surprised myself. I guess the cold kept me moving.
Music - Snow-covered woods; a few birds, deer, some commuter traffic.
Weather - Extreme: the thermometer said FIVE when I left; the water froze solid in my back pack drinking tube. Nuff said. Hills and long underwear kept me warm.
Notes -I am proud of myself.

Ciao

Snow, just go to the gym

Who - Bob
Route - didn't move an inch
Length - 8 miles maybe
Time -Left home at 11:30 rode for 45 min.
Music - Nothing special, a bit more female country. I am ready for a change of pace
Weather - It was snowing this morning and cold (32). It has cleared and warmed a little but the gym seemed like a good idea.
Notes - Rode the stationary bike on a random cardio mode for 45 minutes. Got my heart rate up above 120 (130=80%) and kept it there most of the ride. On Fri I have an appointment to work up an exercise routine for my core. We will see where that takes me.

Ciao

Walking towards prison!

Who - Dorothy
Route - just south on the (relative) flat and back again.
Length - 6 miles
Time -Left home at 2:30 - took just a little over 90 minutes. The ice was melting, which makes it easier.
Music - More traffic and ice melting.
Weather - Warm!!!!! No long underwear and even no hat and gloves.
Notes - Did this walk on Monday, since Tuesday was going to have snow (and we did). The excitement is that by this time next week I should be back at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility 2 days/week. I have managed to arrange for appropriate extra supervision for myself (reprobate that I am), and I just need to go to the prison for a "re-education" session (Mao lives!) probably next Tuesday. Then I am back! I am very excited. The current chaplaincy trainees (all inmates) have voted to have me join them for the rest of the class (till May), so that's what I will be doing on Fridays. I am very touched. Now that my days are filling up (classes start this week, also) it will become much harder for me to schedule my walks. (No more leisurely 10:30 am strolls.) But when I look at what Betsy is doing I am humbled, so no complaints here. Bets, you are my model. I hope I can keep up. Love, D.

Ciao

Marvellous Monday with Marvin

Route - treadmill
Length - 6 miles
Time -Left home at 6:00 am - was running about 15 minutes late!
Music - Marvellous Marvin Gaye
Weather - warm today - 30s when I left this morning - but too dark to walk outside
Notes - good walk - not too hard or long - new sneakers felt great!

Hey was that the half marathon I just passed? 14 the slow way

Who -Bob
Route - W on Old Cove to Danube the W to Barracuda turn around and go to Beach Rd. N. to 8th St. then S. to Jennettes Pier then back to Dowitcher and cross back W. to home. map
Length - 14 miles plus or minus At this point I am not quibbling about a tenth or two.
Time -Left home at 8:05 walked for 4:40
Music - A lot of alt country female, Lucinda Williams, Suzy Boggus, Mary Gauthier, Gretchen Peters and Patti Griffin w/ a few Allman Bros. cuts dropped in for hormonal balance.
Weather - A perfect day for a walk. Started in the 40's with blue skies and no wind. As the day progress a few clouds drifted in, the wind picked up to about 10 from the SW and the temps were in the mid 50's when I stopped.
Notes - Looking at the weather this was the day to do this if I was going to do it any time soon. Good walk physically but it took a lot of mental effort to stay on course. Just not much fun walking alone for almost 5 hours. A little chafed but that will heal in a day or so otherwise no ill effects for my longest walk ever. This beats my Half Marathon by 0/10ths. The time was not what I wanted (maybe 4:10) but I completed the full walk and I feel good.

Seeing mom on the website then talking to Maggie and Bernstein got me a little emotional today for the first time in a long time. We are doing a good thing.

Ciao

Back Home for Four on the Beach

Who - Bob
Route - I went over to the Beach Rd. then crossed over to the beach at Enterprise St. and walked S. to Forest St I returned to Small St. (north of Enterprise) and crossed back home
Length - 4 miles
Time -Left home at 2:00. Walked for 1:20
Music - Started with the new Taylor Swift release "Fearless". I had heard it once and was not impressed. I liked it better the second time. Its filled with anthems of teen angst but they are very real anthems written in the first person. All the arrangements, tempos etc sound alike to me but thats OK
Weather - Little bit of SW wind but not to bad, 50's and scattered clouds.
Notes - We got home from Norfolk around 1. I had intended to walk the path but the beach looked so inviting I decided to try it. Tide was out and the sand was fairly firm. Nice walk.

Ciao

Warm Four

Who - Dorothy
Route - double loop to the top of Dobbs Ferry - hills, but not the steepest or the most.
Length - 4 miles
Time -Left home at 1:20pm.
Music - the dripping and trickling of ice melting.
Weather - Sunny, bright, breezy, and WARM - in the low 40's! No long underwear, no hat, no mittens! A really beautiful day.
Notes - Still trying to figure out the heart monitor. Got a couple of readings over 200 - so I don't think I have it right yet.

Ciao

Techie Twelve

Who -Dorothy
Route -North on Broadway and went till the sidewalk ended. Wandered around a little residential area till I finished the six miles out, then back. I am going to have to study the maps to figure out routes past this.
Length - Goal was 12 miles, but by the time I made some detours to avoid bad ice, it was 12.84 (bless gPedometer for letting me know that traversing our back yard added a few hundredths of a mile)!
Time -Left home about 10:30, and it took almost 4 hours. Lots of slow going because of ice.
Music - The roar of traffic.
Weather -COLD. Bright and sunny, but with some breeze and in the low 20's.
Notes -I used a heart rate monitor for the first time today. (Actually the first time in about 5 years. It's old.) Still can't really figure out how to use it, but I do know that my heart rate was over 60% of my maximum for 95% of the time. That's more aerobic than I expected. Which, I guess, is good news. And my knees ache - now that I'm home. I can't imagine that we will do more than twice this. Maybe it will look more doable in the May weather.

Ciao

Fairly Easy Eight

Route - Treadmill again (at BSC Davis Sq)
Length - 8 miles
Time -Left home at about 7:45 am - got to the gym a few minutes before it opened.
Music - True confession - mostly trashy TV - Today Show and the E! Channel - Branjolina mania
Weather - Icy, wind chill around 10 degrees...
Notes - Not bad walk today, just kind of boring. Got there as early as I could so I wouldn't make people wait for treadmill, though there were people waiting for about my last 40 minutes. Need to get ipod type thing thing weekend so I can do e-books.

Ciao

Seven No Big Deal - Yay!

Who - Elizabeth/Betsy
Route - On the treadmill at Boston Sports Club
Length - 7 miles
Time -Left home at 5:30 am
Music - A mix early on, then The Today Show
Weather - very icy outside
Notes - This is one day when my walk was relatively uneventful and enjoyable; 8 miles on Saturday!

Ice Alert!

Who -Dorothy
Route - Too much ice to walk outside - sidewalks are only clear on a patchy basis, and the slush of yesterday is now smoooooth ice. So - it's the treadclimber today. It's a cross between a treadmill and a stairmaster - more effort than a tread, but easier on the knees than stairs. I don't know how to correlate this with a walk - it's significantly more aerobic; I can't yet do more than an hour on it.
Length - 2.2 miles (this is better than the 2 miles I was able to do last week.)
Time -10:30 am
Music - I go for maximum distraction on this machine - Pop music on the iPod (lots of Beatles) and read The New Yorker from two weeks ago.
Weather - did I mention the ice?
Notes -off to my second meeting of a new class: Archeology and the Bible. Interesting!

Ciao

Wed. walk nothing special

Who - Bob
Route - over to the beach then south on the beach for about a mile back over to the bike path then south to the end of the Village and back home through the westside of the Village Nags Head
Length - 4 miles
Time -Left home at 9:50 walked for about 90 minutes
Music - Chess story early blues
Weather - Very windy, some drizzle early then a little clearing. The sun came out as I was getting home.
Notes - I had thought I might do all 4 on the beach but the sand was very soft. Slowed me up and bogged me down. Once I got on the path it was an easy walk.

Ciao

Lots of walks, but my first blog!

Who -Dorothy
Route - A relatively flat 7 miles south on roads and sidewalk.
Length - 7 miles
Time -Left home at 10:00 and got back in less than 2 hours! I have been doing 3.5 miles/hour on my longer walks (more than 4 miles), and since this one did not have much in the way of hills, I tried stepping up the pace a little. I was surprised that I could do it in just 5 minutes over 4 miles/hour.
Music - I don't do this. Too much to pay attention to.
Weather - About 20 degrees. That counts as wicked cold in my book. But a little sun and no precip. The snow is starting to look a little dirty. I guess that's why it's scheduled to snow tonight and tomorrow - another 5 inches or so.
Notes - I bought some "Smart Wool" socks at the LLBean Outlet. They are FABULOUS! They keep my feet really warm and dry and they are soft and cushiony. The ones on the website are really expensive. Try calling the Outlet store, I paid less than $4 a pair there. (Also bought long underwear there, which has been really good.)

I'm really glad to be here with the two of you.
D.

Ciao

Joined the gym

Joined the Outer Banks Sports Club today. New gym in an recycled cineplex in northern Nags Head. I know one of the guys there (Stu Golliday). I was an original member in his original gym The Nautilus at the Old Sea Ranch.

Who - Bob
Route - Nowhere I sat on the stationary bike but didn't go anywhere.
Length - Not sure I rode for 45 minutes
Time -Left home at 2 got home a little after 3. Rode 45 minutes used the cardio program. 35 minutes at 130 bpm
Music - More Chess story. Starting to see the Delta influence. Early Muddy Waters Honeybee and some other stuff
Weather - Doesn't really matter in the gym. For the record it was gray, rainy and generally not a good day for a walk.
Notes - Finally did the gym thing. Road the bike today. Plan to get a program for my core and upper body later this week. Good day.

Ciao

Who - Elizabeth/Betsy
Route - BSC Treadmill
Length - 7 miles
Time -wicked early - left home at 5:25 am
Music - you just never know: country - Dolly, Patsy, Reba, Lyle
Weather - wicked cold
Notes - The new thick socks worked! No new blisters!

Ciao

A nice slow loop around the Cove

Who - Bob
Route - Home to Danube St. S. to the sound then up Hesperides and around the north side of the Cove. Back down to Danube then east to the Beach Rd. Path north to Soundside Rd. then back south to Dowitcher and across to Old Cove and home. http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2517862
Length - 3.5miles
Time -Left home at 1:40 Walked for one hour
Music - The Chess Story vol. 1 Lost of old R&B from Chicago. Just the beginning of the Chicago sound that Chess pioneered.
Weather - Cloudy, 41 when I left. Winds out of the north around 20 made walking up to Soundside cold.
Notes - No pain, no shin or calf issues. Stretched and rested 2 days after my long walk. I may expand this route about 2 more miles and make it a regular feature. If I continue south on the path to Town Hall and return it becomes 5.5 miles. Nice distance. Good walk tomorrow it will raim and I may join the gym.
Elizabeth, I fixed the notes problem I think. Hope skiing was good.

Ciao

A Dozen Done Slowly

Who - Bob
Route - To Beach Rd. south to one mile past Outer Banks Pier in Nags Head and return
Length - 12 miles
Time - Left home at 11am walked for 3 hours 45 min.
Music - Tried an audio book Jack Kerouac reading On the Road. This may be abridged since it only lasted about 2 and a half hours. Still just excellent. I closed with Jazz at Massey Hall A jazz classic featuring Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Charles Mingus, and Max Roach.
Weather - Clear. I walked into a 15 mph wind from the S. it helped on the return. Temp 47 when I left home.
Notes - Felt good, a little chafing I need to remember to powder before I walk. I will a little sore tomorrow but thats OK. No shin or calf problems. Easy pace and lots of stretching may have helped.

Ciao

Survived Seven

Who - Elizabeth/Betsy
Route - Treadmill at BSC Watertown
Length - 7 miles
Time - Left home at about 6:30 am.
Music - In the As - Alicia Keys, Al Green, Allman Brothers
Weather - Not bad; 25 and clear
Notes - The first 4 or 5 miles weren't bad but the last 2 were hell. I am blistered, sore from yesterday's session with my trainer, and I have tremendous cramps. (Sorry if TMI.) It did cross my mind that people who are dealing with breast cancer have to deal with MUCH worse. Still, I'm looking forward to a few days off (skiing - or not skiing - in Maine)!
Notes -

Ciao

Thurs.4 miles

Who - Bob
Route - S. on beach rd. to S. end of Village at Nags Head. Across to west side around to golf course cart path and back north to Nags Head Cove along the sound. Cross into Cove and back around Cobia home.
Length - 4 miles
Time - Left home at 2:10. Walking 1:15
Music - Live stuff taped from NPR. Buddy and Julie Miller (Emmy Lou Harris' back up band) kd lang, Nickel Creek for an hour
Weather - high 40's light SW. breeze. A very pleasant walk
Notes - Just a nice easy walk, no problems little sweat. This is a great course. I really enjoy the cart path. It runs along the sound and past several small ponds with wintering water fowl. This is photo territory some morning.

Ciao
@ Sandy, yes I agree that I need to join either the Y or the new Nags Head gym. Its too cold for bike riding right now (unless I am spinning in a gym). Maybe tommorrow.

Morning beach w/ snow

Who - Bob
Route - Drove to Small St. beach access across from my house. walked 1 mile north to Buchannon Cottage and return
Length - Scant 2 miles
Time - Left home at 7:10 Mostly a photo walk so over an hour
Music - No Ipod different focus
Weather - 26 F.with light N.breeze off the ocean. Yeah it was cold
Notes - No walk yesterday because of the snow. I did get out in the late afternoon. (See pics from Tues). Today I went over around dawn and walked with the camers. I have posted a shot with this post more when they get processed. If it warms up I may do some more tomorrow.

Ciao

Blistery Six

Who - Elizabeth/Betsy
Route - stayed in place on the treadmill at BSC Watertown
Length - 6 miles
Time - Left home at 5:30 am .
Music - ARETHA - to continue yesterday's celebration
Weather - 15 degrees and very dark
Notes - Pretty good walk except that about half way through my blister returned. Need to pack the gym bag with blister stuff (duct tape etc.)
Notes -

Ciao

A little bit of everything

Who -Bob
Route - Over to the beach, S. on the beach to Epstein (1.5 miles) on path to S. end of Village, across highway and back north through the Village and Old Nags Head Cove. map exept map shows path not beach
Length - 4 miles
Time - Left home at 10:05 walked for 90 minutes
Music - Assorted femaie country including:
Gretchen Wilson -When I Think About Cheatin -great tune video recorded at the Ryman
Suger Land - Steve Earle (Listen to clip) (Lyrics) Hell just watch the video below!
and lots of Dixie Chicks, Reba etc.
Weather - Clear, light SW wind, 38 - 40. Not bad.
Notes -Soft sand on the beach. really foggy when I started then I went back to the house to replace a dead camera battery. Took some photos - See slide show - It all takes time. Nice walk, 4 miles, no problems. Felt good.

Ciao

Slushy Six

Ed and I walked outside today here in Wellfleet. It rained and snowed yesterday, so the streets are a bit wet/slushy/sandy/icy, but basically OK. It was about 30 degrees and overcast. We went out to Old County, took Cahoon Hollow to Ocean View, and Ocean View to LeCount's Hollow, LeCount's to Route 6, Route 6 to Old County and back to 50 Dow Drive. About 6-1/4 miles. Since I've been on the treadmill I haven't done many hills, so this was a bit tiring.
Notes -

Ciao

Training Plan

Here is the training plan I am working on. It is similar to what I did training for the half marathon, jumping up 2 miles each week. I am trying to work into it. As I said I need to find a better form of cross training and I need to be flexible due to weather and my body.
Any and all thoughts appreciated.

Saturday Six

It was 9 degrees and clear yesterday when I walked over to the health club in Davis Square and walked six miles on the treadmill. I was lucky to get the last available machine, since I arrived rather late (around 10am). I felt a little guilty about spending 1-1/2 hours on it, since the place was jammed. I listened to classical music and particularly enjoyed Vivaldi's Spring. Felt good and relaxed, walked at a reasonable pace though by the end I had a big blister on the bottom of my left foot. Limped home...

Notes -

Ciao

Sat. not for sissies

Who - Bob
Route - Villa Dunes Drive.
Length - 2 miles
Time - Left home at 3:00 walked for about 40 minutes
Music - Assorted Country
Weather - Clear, cold (low 30's, yeah I know but its all relative) and not windy
Notes - Wanted to come back out and walk the hilly route again. Did fine till the last half mile when my left shin and right calf started to tense up.
I am following one of the Avon programs. I will post the schedule in another post. Not sure that I am overtraining but I am going to back off a little. I also need to find a place and form for cross training. Maybe this week.
Oh, didn't walk on Fri. Rule 7 states: Bob doesn't walk if the temp is below freezing. The corollary to this rule is Wind Chill below freezing makes a walk optional, generally wind dependent.

Ciao

Monday Wednesday Catch Up

Both Monday and Wednesday I went to the gym before work - on the treadmill by about 6:15 and did 5 miles each day. Both days it was cold - high teens/low 20s, and Monday it was snowing lightly. I realized last weekend that I should only walk 3 days/week - I was getting over tired. And this week the walking was a bit easier.

Mon, Wed. Thurs catch up

Who -Bob
Mon. 2 miles from Bypass to back of the Villas on Villa Dunes trail. Bad shin splints in my left shin. Not sure why.
Tues. no walk rest shins
Wed. 4 miles on the beach from my house to Nags Head Pier. Cold -40 w/ NE wind at 15. but beautiful clear blue sky. Good wide beach a little soft but doable. This was good exercise.
Thurs.
Route - Usual Old Nag Head Cove loop. To sound, Up Hesperides out Danube to the beach then home.
Length - 2 miles
Time - Left home at 3pm 35 minutes
Music - Lots of music on all the walks. Dion's 2007 blues album was good plus assorted recent country hits. didn't care for Allison Krauss and Robert Plant to ethereal
Weather - Today like yesterday cold, clear and windy
Notes -
Kind of a wimpy week so far. Not sure about the shins on Monday. Could be the hills on Villa Dunes, that was the reason for the route, could be stress from Sat.'s 10 miles. No problems on Wed or Thurs. Not sure what Friday will bring should be very cold. Maybe its the day the join the gym.
Ciao

Slow Walk Past Our Old House

Who - Elizabeth/Betsy
Route - Minuteman trail to Alewife, up Route 2 ramp to Cross Street, Belmont and return
Length - 5.6 miles
Time - Left home at 11:20 am - this took 1 hour 40 minutes!!!!.
Music - No music today - hat. And scarf.
Weather - 21 degrees and sunny
Notes - The cold was OK (silk long johns) but I felt for most of the walk. Pleasant, but a struggle. The people who live in our old house have a yappy dog; otherwise everything seemed the same as when we lived there 18 months ago.

Ciao

The Sat. Stroll, all 10 miles of it!

Who -Bob
Route - N. to Nags Head Pier, South to Jennettes Pier and home. Map.
Length - 10.01 miles
Time - 3:05 Left home at 7:55
Music - Mark Knopfler and Emmy Lou Harris going out then some Gretchen Peters but that was too slow. Last 4 miles to Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint together at the New Orleans Jazz Fest in 2006 and some Beausoleil from the same festival
Weather - Crystal blue sky. 41 when I left. 50 when I got home. Light S. wind >10
Notes - Felt pretty good, My left shin wanted to tighten up for the first 3 miles but then it loosen up and was fine. Felt my calves for the last 2 miles or so but otherwise a very comfortable outing. Not many people on the path or on the road. Kind of quiet. I was thinking how much fun it was to have people cheering you on at the OBX Half Marathon. Surprising how much that helps.
Think I may do another 10 before I step up to the half M. see how the weather looks next weekend. Maybe do the S. Nags Head shuffle for 9.3 or so.
Ciao

Friday walk

Who - Elizabeth/Betsy
Route - To Watertown BSC, then on to work
Length - 4 miles on the treadmill
Time - Left home at about 6:20 am.
Music - Gospel
Weather - high teens - brrr!
Notes - Layoffs Thursday have me feeling sad. Just taking it step by step.

Four to Forest St.

Who - Bob
Route - E. to Beach Rd., S. to Forest St. and return
Length - 4 miles
Time - 1:15 Left home at 2:45.
Music - No music. Had planned Jack Johnson but plans change.
Weather - 40's SW wind 10-15. Not to bad but my hands got cold towards the end.
Notes - As I got to the path I met a neighbor who was breaking in a new pair of hiking boots. He decided to walk with me to Forest and cut off at the OB Mall on the return. Pleasant to have some one to talk to. We talked about lots of general stuff, local politics, walking, exercise and his real estate deals. May call him again in a while and see if he wants to do it again. I think 4 miles is about his limit.

Sat. we go for 10 wish me well.

Ciao

Slow too (two)

Who - Bob
Route - Around the neighborhood then over to the beach and back
Length - 2 miles
Time - Left home at 4:00 pm 40 minutes
Music - Missippi John Hurt live from the Philly Folk Festival in 1972 (I was there) John Sebastian plays blues harp on one cut. You don't hear this stuff everyday!
Weather - Scattered clouds and blue sky - Sun going donw
Notes - After my blow out I decided to take it easy today. Just 2 miles and not real fast. Felt OK. back for 4 tomorrow then 10 one day this weekend.

Ciao

Double Blow Out

Tried to do 4 miles today while the wind was blowing a gale (literally -35-40 mph gusts over 60). Got to Town Hall, about 1 mile and my shins started to hurt so I called Carole to pick me up. I may have set to tough a pace or perhaps my posture with the wind was a factor not sure. Anyway will try again tomorrow.

Snow Sleet and Freezing Rain

Who - Elizabeth/Betsy
Route - home to BSC Watertown, BSC to work
Length - 4 miles on the treadmill - again
Time - Left home at a little after 6 am
Music - Bonnie Raitt - 'nuff said!
Weather - Snow, sleet and freezing rain, temps in the low 30s. Could be worse. Could be cold!
Notes - Proposal due today - good stress relief!

One Way Walk

Who - Bob
Route - Left car at Autotech a N end of Nags Head. S. on Wrightsville to Hollowell then over the beach road. S. to Dowitcher and cut back W. to home
Length - 4 miles
Time - 1:05 Left home at 9:50.
Music - John Lee Hooker the Buddy Guy and Junior Wells. Great Blues to walk to
Weather - 55 sunny light SW wind
Notes - I dropped the Honda off to get service then walked back home. Killed 2 birds. Good walk. Thinking about fundraising and getting some other projects organzed.

Ciao

AOK

Who - Elizabeth/Betsy
Route - To Boston Sports Club Watertown and on to work
Length - 4 miles on the treadmill
Time - Left home at about 6:30 am, spent a good amount of time scraping the ice off the car.. .
Music - "Rooster" by Alice in Chains and "Blue Sky" by The Allman Brothers were this morning's favorites
Weather - 20s and icy on the roads
Notes - I went a little more slowly today (still basically a 15-minute mile) since I learned yesterday that pumping my arms is what has been making my upper back stiff and sore. I tried to keep my upper body relaxed but found I couldn't go as fast. Will have to keep working on this. Hmm.

A Beach walk

Who -Bob
Route -Over to the beach N. to the Nags Head Pier and back.
Length - 4miles
Time - Left home at 7:40 ?. About an hour and 10 minutes.
Music - Vince Gill and John Hiatt going out. Great live John Lee Hooker blues coming home
Weather - 40 sunny early but it clouded over. No wind
Notes -
Good walk, no camera today. The sand was not too soft but still not firm. The tide was dropping to near low so lots of firm beach to walk on. Not many people. Mostly a grind to get there and back as quickly as possible.
Ciao

Rockin the Treadmill

Who - Elizabeth/Betsy
Route - from home to the gym at Davis Square and back
Length - 6 miles on the treadmill
Time - Left home at around 8:30 am, back by 10:30 am .
Music - Inspired today by Janis Joplin, Piece of My Heart and Audioslave, Cochise
Weather - warm in the gym, wind chill of 18 degrees outside

Looking forward to yoga tomorrow...

I had every intention of spinning yesterday (Friday), possibly even spinning AND walking. Ed and I went to a 5pm spin class at the Watertown Boston Sports Club. The techno/new age music was a bit of a turn off, so I just jumped off the bike and onto the treadmill. Did a little more than 3 miles in 47 minutes and enjoyed one of my guilty pleasures...HGTV...the best! Outside weather still kind of cool (wind chill in the teens) so I will be walking on the treadmill again today. - Elizabeth/Betsy

8 miles to 8th St (and back)

Who - Bob
Route - To orthe Beach Rd. then N. to 8th St. (Nags Head KDH border) Map
Length - 8 miles
Time - Left home at 11:15. Walked for 2:15.
Music - Guy Clark and Patty Griffen, very laid back with great stories
Weather - overcast with sprinkles. SW wind at 10. Temp 47
Notes - Started off to do 6 miles but decided as I left the house to try 8. The first and last miles are the hardest. Nice walk good, pace. Felt very good. 1 bottle water 1 bottle Gatoade and a Kashi nut bar for energy. Started to feel it in my calves the last mile but not to bad.

Yeah, feels good this is the farthest I have walked since KW or possibly even the Nov. 07 half marathon. Goog to now I can do it.

Ciao

New Year's Day 2009

This morning the wind chill factor was below zero, so I walked at the Boston Sports Club in Davis Square. Did 4.1 miles in 60 minutes. Was inspired by The Weather Girls, "It's Raining Men." I feel that any time I beat a 15-minute mile I am doing OK. More walking tomorrow.