April 15, 2017

A long walk (enough procrastination)

Holy cow, what a gorgeous day! As predicted, we had some rain this morning, but it didn't last very long at all. I had made a promise to myself that I was going to get in a long walk today to prepare for the Indy Mini (it's pretty much a given that I'll be walking the whole thing--maybe a few jogs here and there, but I'm cool with walking it). So, I was lazy for a little while when it was raining, but at around 10:00, I decided I needed to go out and get it done--because it was going to take a really long time.

When running, I typically figure a 10:00/mile pace when I'm thinking of how long it will take me (these days, it's slower, but it's an easy, round number to estimate the time for running). When walking, however, I had no idea what my pace would be. I guessed about 18:00/mile, so I knew that walking my planned 8-10 miles was going to take two and a half to three hours!

I downloaded some podcasts, and found a new one called The Hilarious World of Depression. It sounds terrible, right? Like, what's hilarious about depression? BUT, the last thing I want to listen to when going through depression is depressing stuff about depression. So, if someone can make light of it, I was all for giving it a try. And it had great reviews on iTunes.

(For the record, I think the new med that the psychiatrist prescribed may be working--my emotions have been very up and down, but I was expecting that. Today, however, I've had lots of "up" and very little "down". The doctor said I may start to feel better in just 2-3 days, or it could take several weeks--it would just depend on how my body reacted to it. Of course, my good mood could be caused from the nice weather, the fact that I exercised, and some other factors, too.)

Anyway, I dressed in capris and a t-shirt, because it was pretty warm outside. Then, I headed out for a long out-and-back. About half a mile in, I was thinking that a change of scenery would be nice. I decided to text Andrea and ask if she could give me a ride home if I walked all the way to her house. I had no idea how far away it was, but I guessed it was probably about 8-9 miles. She said sure, so I headed her way.

I shared my location with her on our phones (I love the "Find My Friends" app on the iPhone! It's awesome for safety purposes.) That way, she could see my progress and estimate when I would get there. My legs were actually kind of sore from running a couple of days ago (Ha! I guess that's what happens when you stop running for a while and then run again). I really liked the new podcast, and listening to the stories of comedians who dealt with depression was kind of refreshing! They managed to find humor in some tough situations.

The walk was pretty uneventful. I picked up any loose change that I found, which was about the most exciting thing, haha. At around mile five, my fingers were really starting to swell. I remember this happening whenever I've walked a long distance--since my arms are at my sides, instead of bent at the elbow, I think gravity makes the fluid move down to my hands...? That's just a theory, I actually have no idea why it happens.

As I got closer to Andrea's, I knew it wasn't going to be as far as I'd thought. I started thinking I could take a detour to add on a few miles, but my feet were already getting blistered. Again, since I haven't been running much, my feet aren't very tough right now. I've lost my "running calluses", so I'm susceptible to blisters. I decided I'd better just finish at Andrea's, and next week, I'll aim for 10 miles.

As I got close to Andrea's, a car passing by honked at me, and I saw that it was my friend Jessica! Usually, when people honk at me, I spend the rest of the day wondering who it was, but this time I recognized her car.

Mile seven turned over just as I was approaching Andrea's, so I was happy to get in that much at least. We went out in her backyard to chat for a little bit, and I realized I had completely forgotten to turn my Garmin off--so, the timer was still going even though I stopped walking, making my average pace inaccurate. But I'm glad I followed through and did a long walk!


Found a total of 13 cents--woo hoo! ;)
Nothing like procrastinating the training for Indy ;) I'm just glad it's a walker-friendly race!

Andrea is fostering this little dog named Crush, and I think he's ADORABLE. I wanted to get a good photo of his underbite, but I'll have to try again another time. He's the happiest dog I've ever seen! So cute.


(I can't remember if I wrote about One Last Treat, but it's a local organization that takes senior dogs out of shelters and places them with forever homes so that they don't have to spend their last years in a shelter. Very cool, right? They have a "Vet Friend 'Til the End" program, too, where they place the dogs with veterans.) Anyway, Andrea started fostering these dogs (she's perfect for it!). I wish I was looking for another dog, because I would take Crush in a heartbeat!

Andrea drove me home, and wow--my hips were feeling very sore. Walking is no joke; there were actually a few times during the walk where I thought it would feel easier to run. I'm really glad I did this walk, though--it felt hard doing just 7 miles, so I need to toughen up for 13.1 in a few weeks. Next week, I may try alternating running a couple of minutes and walking a couple of minutes, for the sake of time (and I think it may feel easier on my body).

When I got home, we opened up the windows in the house and the breeze felt amazing! It was about 82 degrees, the warmest day so far this year. I turned on some music, and Eli and I played cards--it felt like several perfect moments all came together today and totally made my day. We're supposed to have nice weather tomorrow, too :)

Happy Easter, everyone!

9 comments:

  1. Crush is too cute! What a good organization!

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  2. I have also just gotten back to running after a long break and it is so HARD! I feel like I am starting over from the beginning. Thanks for the inspiration to keep going.

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  3. I switched to walking instead of running while I was pregnant with my son, and my hands always swelled up too. I had to remember to take my rings off before going out or it'd get really uncomfortable. I thought it was a pregnancy thing, but maybe it's just a walking thing.

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  4. Happy Easter, My gift is waking up and seeing a new post from you! Your honesty on life, weight loss and exercise is refreshing. Thank you

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  5. I walked a half marathon once and was hurting more after than than any of the ones I ran :) I was so surprised!!

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  6. I cannot believe it was 82? That is crazy nice for April. And I totally agree with you...walking more than a mile is no joke. ;-)

    I hadn't exercised since Thanksgiving and in the last two weeks I have walked the 4-mile loop around our neighborhood about 5-6 times. After the first couple of times my knees and hips hurt! Which really equals=out of practice.

    The loop has 3 slight hills on it too so I know that contributed to my aches. I did it again yesterday and felt much better. Now to be more consistent and get that eating in check.... ;-(

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  7. The weather was so gorgeous in Michigan Saturday! I was able to get out and enjoy it too by walking my little dog! You are right-walking is no joke and sometimes can feel harder than running! I love walking for miles on the beach! I think the scenery distracts me!

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  8. That is so so sweet about the 'One Last Treat' program! What a great thing to do for senior dogs. There should be a program like that for senior cats too. I totally agree that senior pets deserve get to be in a home for their last years.

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  9. I have been lacking motivation for about a month and a half now. Thank you for this post. It really helped me mentally.

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I used to publish ALL comments (even the mean ones) but I recently chose not to publish those. I always welcome constructive comments/criticism, but there is no need for unnecessary rudeness/hate. But please--I love reading what you have to say! (This comment form is super finicky, so I apologize if you're unable to comment)

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