I argued with myself yesterday; should I walk? Should I wait until tomorrow (today)? I won, and I walked today. Even though it was windy and cold, it was very enjoyable, because I was at the Lake with Kenny, and walking with him is always a trip!

     He LOVES to pose. He knows he's a geek, so it's okay. He's a terrific geek.  Anyway, we waked 3.2 miles around the Lake and stopped at Honey Dew for a pumpkin donut TO SHARE! They didn't have any, so he got me a cranberry/apple stick and a glazed donut for himself. So good! I should have gone around the lake twice. Instead, we made the sweets our dinner. Good thing we had a great and healthy lunch.

     I thought he'd laugh at the race-walking sprints, but he thought it was pretty cool.

     Lake Quannapowitt is the prettiest place to walk as far as I'm concerned. Even in winter, when the trees are covered with snow and ice, it's full of people walking and running.

     I may only have half a day of work tomorrow, so I'll walk again in my new walking pants, which I bought at Athleta, this afternoon. They're fabulous! Next, I'll get a pair of lined Polartec for those twenty degree days.  As you can see, I was prepared for today's weather. See me leaving Kenny in the dust? Ha ha...

     

Latah!

A Beautiful Columbus Day

So, yesterday, after a wasted few hours at the Topsfield Fair, Kenny and I decided to walk around Lake  Quannapowitt and when we got there, we noticed some people walking around with some GREAT lilac & yellow T's. All I could think was,  HOW DID I MISS THIS WALK?? It was the walk for  Down Syndrome and I missed it! The shirts were gorgeous and the crowd was still hanging around, eating their snacks. Never again, I thought. I'll live on-line if I have to.

So, today I went over to the lake to do my seven miles. WHAT?? Another road race?? Yes, indeed. The Harrington Pub road race. The gun went off just as I came around the corner. Oh, man! Lime green T-shirts!

When I got home I shared an apple cider donut with Kenny, and we took off for a bike ride into Salem - the ONLY way to travel to Salem during the month of October. The sights are a feast for the eyes. The only thing we didn't see was a pumpkin costume. Even the pets were dressed up. Actually, it wasn't so much the costumes as it was the make-up; the heavy eyeliner, fake lashes, white lipstick and face tattoos. We just sat in the sun and watched.

Looking forward to whatever next week brings.

Organized Walk Against Domestic Violence

     Team "Sisters," yay us! Annie came up on Saturday to walk with me for this very good cause and we had a great time.  hardly noticed the rain.(Yeah, right), but Kenny made sure we had umbrellas, so we didn't get too soaked. Except for our feet, which were pretty soggy.

     We stopped for a bagel on the way up to Newburyport.  Little did we know there would be tables full of bagels, donuts and coffee, water, and energy bars.

     The walk began under an arch of yellow and orange balloons with an eight cheerleader send-off, and continued along the bike path which had wonderful sculptures along the way. I would have taken pictures of them, but I was afraid to drop my iPhone, since I had to hold onto my umbrella! Once off the trail, we turned onto High St., where motorists leaned on their horns for us. It was great! Halfway through, some band members from the High School were playing for us - no umbrellas! They were awesome! It never felt like work. It only felt wet. When we got to the finish, there were the cheerleaders, cheering us in. That was SO great!

     It's raining even harder today, so I guess things could have been worse. One reason I didn't mind the rain so much was that I knew my daughter and her friends were out in it for a full marathon! Great job Sue and Carrie!

Here we are showing off our new North Face jackets!  We couldn't help ourselves, they called to us. Oh, and we had to have new walking shoes, too. They had a voice all their own! I didn't think to take a picture of those. Damn!

     Ahh... Coffee! Yes, Annie lives for it. She's wearing the cool shirt she got for walking the walk!



     Now, we're looking for a walk in Rhode Island. We'll meet, walk, eat and go home.

                                     NEXT!

Medal "First"

     Looks like my first medal will be at the "Jingle Bell Half," in Atkinson, NH.  Thanks for thinking of me, Meaghan! 

     Unfortunately, I injured my foot on a sixteen mile walk and couldn't finish my training for the Portland Marathon. Bummer! Oh, and I just received my Walkabout magazine with a picture of runners crossing that gorgeous bridge in Portland, ON THE COVER!  Wahh... I need to take a lesson from Sheryl Yvette, a.k.a. Bitchcakes, and suck it up. It could be worse! Anyway, I now have a new goal and am healthy again.

     There are many walking events all over New England, so I shouldn't have any trouble finding something to participate in throughout the winter months. The racewalking technique will keep me as warm as running used to, not to mention adding speed to my workouts.  Also, a lot of running events have a "walkers" start time, which is nice.

     My ultimate goal, of course, is to walk the Boston Marathon with my daughter, Lisa.  The entry qualifications are pretty steep and I'll have to do at least two marathons with a decent time in order to participate. A good thing about me is, I can usually do anything I set my mind to. Yay, me!

~ Onward

The Highlight of my week.

Yesterday I walked for ALS,  the Walk of Hope for The Angel Fund. The day was bright and sunny and the atmosphere was very festive, with blue and yellow polka-dot balloons, raffles, food, water, lots of music and a pre-walk Zumba class. That was SO fun!

To begin with, Kenny and I put the bikes on the car, parked at our usual place at Lake Quannapowitt and  rode the mile and a half to the start. Great warm-up. As I suspected, my registration hadn't gone through, so I had to register all over again.  I picked up my shirt and bracelet and did the Zumba class.  Kenny spied the donut and coffee table, so he didn't care how long I was gone!

The releasing of doves, synced with "IZ's" version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," signaled the start of the walk and it couldn't have been more moving. I got all choked up.

After the walk, the volunteers served a lunch of pizza, hot dogs, mac & cheese, salad and water. It was a great event, for a good cause.  I'll do it again next year. I'm so happy to be collecting T-shirts again!

Next!

12 miles & counting!

Yesterday I did my first 12-miler! Yay me! It's the longest distance I've ever done and I could have kept going. Amazing.
I walked to Salem Willows and back and of course, Kenny was with me the whole way. He had water and cereal bars and was the best support person evah!

There are so many beautiful places to walk around here. We have Lake Quannapowitt, the Charles River, my home town of Salem, MA(untold sights to be seen there), and many more spots I have yet to walk.

I was under the weather for two weeks and could barely get off the couch, never mind walk a mile, so my training took a nose dive.  I've not had enough long walks, but I'll be able to catch up to the point that I'll be able to finish the marathon, for sure.

I went on the Portland Marathon site the other night and watched the video. That video generates enough adrenaline to propel even the most undertrained across the finish! Ha ha.

Now I'm scouting around for a local 5k and 10k to fit into my training.  Can't hurt and it might even help.

Walk on!

     I did it! Ten miles! I met my son-in-law, Scott, at his house and we drove to Newburyport to walk ten miles back. It was hot and long, 94 degrees in the shade, but Scott had planted bottles of ice water at the five-mile mark, and boy, did they ever come in handy. I drank and splashed and felt like a bird in a bath! By the time we got back to North St, what was leftover felt like bath water.
     I'm not sure I'd have made it if it hadn't been for Scott. I still can't believe I walked that far. It's one thing to talk about it, but  to actually do it is something else. There were a few hills, too.  I never knew walking up hills could be that tough.  Thank you, Scott!
     Tonight I'll do some speed work, but am waiting for dusk, when it cools off a little bit. Of course, Kenny will be with me on his bike. I love that he does that.
     This Sunday will be a twelve-miler. Scott showed me how to plan it out, so that will be as much fun as finishing a long walk. I'm thinking a bike trail - no exhaust fumes. I'll try it and hope it isn't too boring. It's a great way to listen to books and get exercise. Not sure I'd do a bike trail by myself, but I'll be fine with the Ken-man!