Friday, February 29, 2008

Thursday: 12,101 / 10,331; 5 miles

Today was better - a bit warmer and sunnier, and I walked out to the Ridge entrance and up over the ridge. Some ridiculously large houses, some nice empty road, and one place I very much liked for sale - lot 20, a Craftsman house. Up on top of the ridge, you can see the snow and mist on the foothills. Still walking tired, but better today. Feet still hurt too, but so far, only one tiny blister on my little toe. Perhaps 10K aerobic steps per day is too much too soon -- but I'm unwilling to back down at this point. Too tired to start the Callanetics program yet, but hope to add that on this weekend sometime.

Total steps: 12,101, aerobic: 10,331; 4.96 miles

Wednesday: 14,140 / 11,534; 5.8 miles

Cold, exhausted. Too tired to blog, so this is over a day late! The track is a soul-killer.

Total steps: 14,140, aerobic steps 11,534; 5.8 miles

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Second week: 82,108 / 72,160; 33.65 miles

This was a nice week to walk - weather was beautiful. However, it wasn't fun to walk tired every day. I hope that my energy picks up next week. I can't see how I can get any faster if I'm so tired.

Total steps this week: 82,108.
Total aerobic steps: 72,160.
Total mileage: 33.65.


Improvement over last week's totals:

82,108 - 53,280 = 28,828 more total steps.

72,160 - 43,785 = 28,375 more aerobic steps.

33.65 - 24.71 = 8.94 more miles.

I hit my goal of an average of 10K aerobic steps per day. This week I'm going to pay better attention to the time issue. It would be great to get to 5 miles per hour, instead of the approximately 4 miles per hour I'm doing now. And I don't want any more sub-10K days, unless I'm actually sick. This tired stuff has gotta go!

Tired Tuesday: 11,264 / 9762; 4.62 miles

Maybe I really did do that many total steps, but it sure seemed like I did more aerobic ones! Maybe I was just too tired to think well, but it again seemed not to be counting all of my steps around the track. I went around at least 8 times, if not 9. Oh, well.

Blah.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Monday: 11,746 / 10,423; 4.8 miles

Weather turned a bit cooler today, and I left late, so it was downright cold and dark by the time I got back. To the library, on up the road to the school, once around the track and home. Barely 10K, but that was *plenty* for today. Woke up sore, because I hadn't stretched. I did not make that mistake tonight!

Still waiting for all that extra energy to kick in.....

Total steps: 11,746, aerobic 10,423; 4.82 miles.

This week should be over 70K aerobic steps, though! Now if I can continue to shorten up my time.....

Monday, February 25, 2008

Sunday: 12,777 / 10,915; 5.2 miles

Gosh, how long can this beautiful weather hold? Walked to the school again, and 8 times around the track. I didn't think I would quite hit 10,000 aerobic steps, so walked down third street, across on the little trail, and back the hill up our street. Nice!

I've paged through a book that Pig recommended, called Real Fitness for Real Women: A Unique Workout Program for the Plus-Size Woman, by Rochelle Rice. Her first step to fitness is crafting and using affirmations, as the way to develop your will, determination, courage to follow through. As I walked, I crafted my affirmation today, and noticed that as I said it to myself, my stride changed. I walked taller, more confidently, more powerfully. I want that all the time!

I am a powerful, healthy, beautiful woman. Remember.



Total steps: 12,777, 10,915 aerobic steps in 95 minutes; 5.24 miles.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Saturday: 11,768 / 10,336; 4.8 miles

One more beautiful day! In fact, it was sorta hot walking in the sun. Down to the library again, and then up the road to the church driveway, and then the trail in the woods to the school. This time I walked part-way around the track, and went the rest of the way around the school, and then home. Barely made my 10K aerobic, but I *did* do it -- tired.

Total steps: 11,768; 10,336 aerobic in 89 minutes; 4.82 miles.

Waiting for that extra energy I keep hearing about! I am still enjoying the walking for at least part of the way each day, though.

Friday - 12,742 / 10,990; 5.22 miles

Another beautiful day, with threatening clouds up against the foothills. Bob decided to walk with me, even though he'd already done about 13K steps! We walked from the neighborhood to the Library, and then back to the trail to the main road entrance, and on up the trail to the school. I walked once around the track, and then back home. Maybe because Bob was along, I walked pretty darn fast!

Total steps: 12,742, 10,990 aerobic, YEAH! in 92 minutes - 5.22 total miles.

Tired! And my butt hurts, in a good way.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Thursday - 10K+ aerobic steps! 4.6 miles

Another beautiful day. Went up to the school and around the track -- I thought about 8 or 9 times. Perhaps my count was off, but I ended up adding the little path out to the road, and then home, for my walk today.

Total steps: 11,275, 10,509 aerobic steps in 89 minutes; 4.62 miles.

I was walking as fast as I could, but I'm sure that my stride will improve once my back and butt aren't sore! I'd like to do this daily in 60 to 75 minutes.

Woooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It took about 9 days to get here -- here's hoping I can keep it up! First goal reached.

Wed. - another 10K+ day! 4.3 miles

Another pleasant day to walk. Went up to the school, and then to the Library, and thence home.

10,513 steps; 9225 aerobic, 4.31 miles in about 90 minutes.

Perhaps next time I go to the Library, I'll go there first, and then up the school. That way I can go around the track, and get up over 10K aerobic steps. My back is still hurting, and now I can feel effort, particularly up a hill, lower in my glutes. That seems like a good sign!

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

First week in review - 53,280 steps, 24.7 miles

I'll include the first "baseline" day with zero aerobic steps.

Total steps for the first week: 53,280

Aerobic steps: 43,785

Total mileage: 24.71


A considerable improvement over the baseline, which was less than 1000 steps per day, and about one-third of a mile daily!

Weight is unchanged.

Goal for the next 5 weeks, is ten thousand aerobic steps per day, seven days a week - 70,000 total. I figure that will take 5 miles per day, or 35 miles for the week. I hope to get the time to do that daily down to 75 minutes, which is 4 miles per hour. I haven't been keeping track of the time, but I think it's taking about an hour and a half per day now, for less than 10K aerobic steps. As my bod adjusts to the new routine, I hope this becomes easier.

Tuesday - 10,581 / 7518 steps, 4.3 miles

Another bright, beautiful cold day. I walked to the church and voted in the primary, then on out to the school and around the track 6 times, I think - three times widdershins, and three clockwise.

I had no idea I would get back to 10K+ total steps! Today, instead of my back, I could feel the effort in my glutes. I think that's progress. Did lotsa stretching and some crunches afterwards, too. :-)

So, 10,581 total steps, 7518 aerobic in 64 mins, 4.34 miles.

Back to the Library tomorrow. Maybe 10K+ *aerobic* steps? That's my goal until March 31st. :-)

Monday, February 18, 2008

Tired Monday - 5693 / 4173 steps, 2.33 miles

Dunno why I'm so tired today, since I got plenty of sleep (and not too much). Anyway, back is still sore, blisters are getting better, but dinner took longer to prepare than I had planned for. Thanks to Colin who finished the soup, I got in a short walk anyway. It was a gorgeous day, and it would have been a shame to miss a walk.

Walked to the school and back around sundown. 5693 / 4173 steps, 2.33 miles. I think my pace is getting a bit faster, but we'll see by comparison once there are a couple of weeks to compare. Coming up on a week of walks!

Sunday - 8029 steps, 5839 aerobic, 3.3 miles

It was a beautiful sunny day, and though I wanted to give my poor feet a rest, I just couldn't miss my walk! Walked to the school and four times around the track, and then home via the path. The option was there to walk out to the road on the path through the old clear-cut, but I was too tired.

8029 total steps, 5839 aerobic, 3.29 miles. Not bad for a rest day! Unfortunately, when I took the moleskin off my little-toe blister after my shower, the skin came with it. So now instead of a blister I could hardly feel, I have raw skin. :(

The blisters above my heels are much better, though. No pain left there. Stretched for about 30 minutes after getting back. That helped my back a LOT.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Saturday -- I did it! 10,000+ steps, 4.3 miles

Worst walk so far, though -- the combo of shorter pants and hiking boots let grit into my boots, leading to painful blisters on both heels. :( Feet are feeling a bit tender too, although I took boots off at the school AND at the library. Blurg. Hopefully the feet will recover enough so that I can walk again tomorrow!

Walked up to the Sawyer Woods School, to the BD Library, and home. 10,582 steps, 8614 aerobic, 4.34 miles.

I took a headshot today after my walk, right before getting into the shower. I want so see if my face changes (for the better, obviously!) as I continue to get into better shape.


Friday, February 15, 2008

Friday - 7036 aerobic steps, 3.6 miles

Even though it was raining, off I set as soon as the Alsace chat was over. I wanted more distance than yesterday, so walked up to the church and out their driveway, and up the Lake Sawyer road past Alice Lake. Gosh, soggy shoes and roadsides made me wish that I had worn my hiking boots. And shorter pants -- the hems of these are still damp. By the time I arrived home, so was I, even though the sun came out. It was about 45 F, so not too cold.

Total steps: 9385; aerobic 7036, 3.85 miles. My walk about an hour and a half, including buying a used book at the library, about 3.6 miles. Once I got home, I realized I had forgotten to go to the post office and mail the package to Pat. Trip-meter says that the library is 1.2 miles away, and the Post Office is exactly 2 miles.

Thursday: 6537 aerobic steps, 3.2 miles

Today I walked to the Black Diamond Library and back, which took about 50 minutes. I'll have to check this with the car's trip-meter, but the pedometer says it was 3.16 miles.

So: aerobic steps, 6537, 3.16 miles, total steps: 7710.

Progress! Not much, but some is all I can ask of myself right now.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Wednesday: 5068 aerobic steps; 2.4 miles

Surprisingly, I have over 700 steps before my walk, maybe because I walked during my diabetes study phone interview. The Roomba was vacuuming, the dogs were barking -- walking seemed the only way to get through it. :-)

Walked to the church and out the church driveway, and back home along the road, which is about 2 miles in approx. 40 mins, almost 5100 steps. It is about 45F, partly sunny. I didn't wear gloves, and my hands are still warm. Butt and thighs are tired, yay! Maybe I'll even do some situps later -- my back is a bit sore today.

It is about 6 weeks until we leave for Scotland; I'm hoping this will make the trip a lot more fun!

End of day - 3.07 miles, 7492 total steps, 5068 aerobic.

New gadget; new beginning

Today I got my shiny new Omron Pocket Pedometer, model HJ-112, about $19.95 from Amazon.com. It has all kinds of features, and Bob likes his, so off we go! I sincerely hope.

So this will be where I keep track of my progress. My goal is 10K steps per day, at least five times a week. So a minimum of 50K steps per week. If I can get to that in a week, I'll be ecstatic. Anything over that is pure bonus.

Today I set up the little bugger, measured my stride, etc.

Today, 12 Feb 2008, I weigh 229, according to Bob's new scale.

My stride is 26 inches, or 2 feet, 2 inches. Yeah, I have short legs.

Doing nothing out of the ordinary today, I have 807 steps. You can see why I need to do something different!

My secret wish is to either join a gym eventually, or get the big machine I want - a Bowflex. Bowflex would be better, but that sucker is huge. I'll have to do a lot of cleaning and organizing to make a place for one! New, they are $2500 or so! I would like to USE one, and see if I really like them as much as I think I would. Anyway, enough for today.