On the trail again

Well, after several weeks of being off the wagon, Liz and I restarted our walking career this past weekend with 4 miles on Saturday and maybe about three-ish on Sunday. . . and then we blew all that good work away in one girl's night which included desert, and drinks (gasp!) and make-up wearing (even bigger gasp!).  We even got carded, and that, ladies and gentlemen, is a good thing (as Martha would say).

We are working on modifying the training schedule to really pump it up as the Catalina marathon is 8 weeks from this Saturday.

NOBODY PANIC.

Nice to be back on the trail though.

Catching Up - Weeks 8 and 9 in Review . . . Jessica

I know, I know . . . I have been horribly bad about updating the blog.  While I am keeping up with walking, I feel like I am barely keeping up with the rest of my life.  I seriously think I may have a mild case of depression over the whole about to be homeless situation, and I am really stressed out about an upcoming wedding I am in (it's on the 21st and I haven't bought a dress yet).  Life never slows down it seems, but I do need to be better about posting here on the blog.

So week 8 - wow, um, we've been doing this for two months?  That is INSANE.  I am crazy proud of us.  And I am seeing total differences in my body and my stamina.

Week 9 - note of caution: don't try to do four miles with two babies in a double stroller.  We are lucky we got in just under two miles Sunday in the time it would usually take us to do at least 5.  We had to stop to feed James, so Maddie got to hang out on the playground with Liz.  She is quite the little daredevil and will go down the big slide by herself!  I will say, thought, that I am really proud of myself for walking on Saturday, we did over four miles on Halloween in between a four hour training I had to go to in the morning, and pumpkin carving and costume prep for our fun Halloween adventure that evening.  I was exhausted from staying up half the night before sewing a Mike Wazowski costume for James.  I am proud of myself for even remaining upright through the walk!  So glad I did it though because I am sure it pepped me up enough to manage to put the rest of Halloween together!

I am very sorry for falling behind on posts, I will attempt to be better from here on out.

Week 8...Liz

Ok, first things first - I am relieved to say that no unconscious men were found laying anywhere on/around our walking path this week... so yay for that!  Now let's see...the last entry had Jess and I walking on a nearby trail and enjoying some nice scenery and a soft walking path.  I didn't think anything of our walk as it was done without any difficulty.  What I didn't realize at the time is how much my body (and most importantly my legs) had become used to the routine of our walks.  So much so that even the small change from pavement to trails made a huge impact!  Over the two to three days following our trail walk my legs felt stiff and heavy and though they did not hurt, it was certainly uncomfortable to feel my muscles contract & release with every step that I took...(um, could I please just stop for a second and acknowledge the fact that I'm writing about my muscles?...that's right, I have muscles!!!  Insert high pitched squeak here...!)  Anyway, this made Wednesday's walk challenging and by the time I felt really warmed up the walk was already over!


Due to various reasons & scheduling conflicts, Jess and I did not walk together on Thursday and Saturday.  Thursday was no problem, I got out there and just did it...but by Saturday I was physically exhausted from a long week and a long Friday night trip to Disneyland.  By Saturday afternoon, I had my self convinced that walking on Saturday was just not meant to be...and boy did I have excuses!  I too many things to do, I was too tired and darn it, I deserved a day off from walking...right?!  So by now you see where this is going...and yes, I admit that I ended up sitting on my couch, turning on the TV on and veggin' for a while.  I tried to relax, really I did...but I just couldn't ignore that nagging guilty feeling that kept telling me the truth of the matter was that I was just being lazy.  It nagged and nagged until I realized I wouldn't be able to relax until I got my bottom up from the couch and walked the required distance.  Sigh.  Then I had an epiphany:  I must be truly dedidated as only true dedication made me get up from my couch.  So there you have it...my moment of weakness.


Anyway, overall, the week was good and I'm still reveling on the fact that as of yesterday we have completed month 2!  So in summary, my thoughts as we wrap up the second month are that...

• I'm still excited about this
• I'm enjoying all the exercise
• I love my muscles...and boy oh boy, do I have some now!  
• Training has gone so fast!  Too fast!
• I'm starting to think beyond March 2010...this may possibly turn into a lifestyle change!

Finally, before I go, I need to acknowledge my silent partner in all of this as he reads the blog too - my baby, my Danny.  All this training has required adjustments and some sacrifices and it really wouldn't be possible if Danny was not such a great, flexible kid.  He's been there on the hot days, on the cold and most recently walked the six mile distance with us with no complaints.  So thank you love,  I'm doing this as much for you as I'm doing it for me.

Week 7...Liz

Welcome back to another episode of "As the World Turns...Marathon Edition."  In this episode, our heroines find a random man sleeping/passed out on the sidewalk holding a pink stuffed bunny as they drive to their walking destination. Once again, they spring into action and call emergency services to report what they found.  What else will they find on their path to fitness?  Tune in next week for more exciting adventures on "As the World Turns..."

Hahaha...Ok, having a little fun there with this week's update, but it's all true!  Though by the latest incident of what I'm referring to as the "pink bunny" incident, I'm starting to wonder if we haven't crossed over to the Twilight Zone.  I mean, what are the chances?!  Two passed out men in two weeks?  This time around when I called emergency services the man was much more helpful and when he asked me for a description, I left out the pink bunny part because I was afraid he would not take me seriously.

Anyway, things are still crazy busy and I must admit to having a meltdown mid week partly because I felt so overwhelmed.  Listen, I'm used to being busy and generally I have energy to spare.  Friends have fondly compared me to the energizer bunny and such so that tells you something...but trying to fit in training is intense.  This week was specially challenging in many different ways, partly because I had to travel to Sacramento for work making my already busy schedule even busier.  Then there was the weather which can't make up its mind about what to be.  First there was the rain...which threw a wrench into our walking plans.  We managed to walk for a while which was great and we even enjoyed the soft misty feel of the light sprinkle of rain as we walked.  However, it had rained much harder before and the ground was wet and becoming slippery so when I slipped and almost fell, we decided to call it a day.  Then Mr. Sun decided to make an appearance in full force the next few days and with it brought low 90s temperatures!  Needless to say though, obstacles were overcome and we continued with our week.  On Saturday Jess and I had to adjust to walking individually because of conflicting schedules and surprisingly that went well.  I actually shaved quite a bit of our time and I think it was partly because I was rocking out with my iPod and there was no chatter so I focused on the walk.  When I mentioned this to Jess we decided to try walking together soon with our iPods and keep the conversation light so we can focus on our time.

Now, as I'd mentioned last week, we went on a trail on Sunday and walked.  I have to admit that I was quite nervous about it since the last time I tried walking on a non paved surface my recently fractured ankle did not like it.  However, I'm glad to report that the walk on the trail was a great success.  Sure, the terrain was uneven but it was easier somehow...Jess and I think it was because the ground is much softer so that even when we had to go up slight inclines it was easy which in turn meant we walked faster!  The walk was also great because of the beautiful setting, we enjoyed being out there...being one with nature!  Well, that is until a squirrel jumped out and scared the stuffing out Jess...oh and when we got caught in a spider web or two!  Or when something dropped on my head and I was sure it was a giant spider on my head but it turned out to be a leaf.  Yeah, those moments... not so fun...but we can now laugh at the silliness of it all.  :)  Ah... good times.

Week Seven . . . Jessica

Those of you keeping score may have noticed that I completely missed a week of blogging.  My life feels out of control busy at the moment, and there are the slight complications of having no full time income, having to move out of our house to goodness knows where, and a 17 month old who is popping 6 teeth out at once to add to all the fun.  

So, week six was just as Liz described, including passed-out-guy on the sidewalk.  Fun times to be had by all . . . and get this!  Today, our last day of week seven we had to report yet another passed-out-guy on the sidewalk - this one holding a pink stuffed bunny.  Seriously.  I could not make this stuff up if I tried.

This week was really busy as well, and walking times got moved around, but as Liz mentioned last week we are getting better about adjusting to the schedule changes.  We walked Tuesday night in the rain - we are so committed (it actually felt really nice and kept us cool), Wednesday Liz was traveling for work, Thursday there was football, so we walked Friday, Saturday (independently), and Sunday.  The exciting thing was Sunday we walked at the El Dorado Nature Center Trails and it was awesome!  I have yet to upload the pictures from my phone, but I did take a few and will post them eventually.  It was great getting some experience walking on trails as the Catalina Marathon will be about 80% on trails and 20% on pavement.  

Saturday, my family went to a birthday party and to a harvest festival.  We took lots of pictures.  It's amazing how looking at snapshots of oneself can completely destroy all the warm fuzzy feelings one gets over finally seeing muscles in one's calves.  But I will get over it . . . eventually.

week 6...Liz

The more we walk, the more I think a more appropriate name for our blog would have been "As the World Turns," you know after that daily soap opera.  It seems that every time we walk, we witness some type of dramatic event unfolding.  For example, in the time we've been walking we've seen...

• 2 3-car accidents on the corner of our park.
• 1 arrest
• Teen agers sneaking into skimpier clothing at the park
• What we suspect may be an illicit love affair (actually more than one... seems to be a hot spot...)
• A married man dropping off what we suspect was a "lady of the night" at the freeway entrance...
• An unconscious man right around the corner of a liquor store (I called emergency services & they came, sirens blaring...)

You'd think we live in the ghetto with all this activity right?  In reality, this is all happening in Cerritos, a really nice and generally safe neighborhood.  Makes you think about what may be happening in the not so nice areas huh?  What's more important though is that all of this makes you think.  We get so wrapped up in our own lives that we don't notice what's happening around us and walking gives us the opportunity to take it all in.  At least for me, it also helps me put it all in perspective.

Anyway, back to walking...this week was...interesting!  We started the week walking with 3 walking buddies under the age of 12, Alyssia, Ash & Danny.  It was a light hearted walk, full of Twilight talk, silly songs (the "gummy bear song" was a hit and it included a silly dance which you know I had to shake my "groove thang" to Jessica's amusement or horror, still not sure...hehehe) and lots and lots of laughter.  It was a nice start to the week and the rest went well, except for Friday where I could not get fully going and after a small facilities break lagged behind Jessica for the rest of the walk.  Sunday we had to great creative as our walk was cut short by Danny and his need to use the facilities which happened to be closed.  So we headed over to Target to use their facilities and then finished the rest of our walk around the neighborhood.


Our walking schedule has been modified to fit our various commitments through out the week..and for the next few weeks there are many.  I can only speak for me but I think I'm handling the variances to the schedule much better.  The key for me has really been mental preparation so as long as I can wrap my mind around it, I'm fine.  Now, as I finish this entry, the thought that we've been doing this now for a month and a half just struck me!  We're heading for the two month mark!!!...and Jess and I discussed trying out hills next, my ankle feels much better so I'm looking forward to trying those out and giving my muscles a good work out!  Speaking of muscles... can I just say how great it is to have my leg muscles back?!  To see the definition of them is such a kick!  (Pardon the pun...)  Love it!!  Until next time... :)

Catalina Fun Fact #3 . . . Jessica

The Island of Romance!!!

Feast your eyes and ears on this awesome youtube slideshow of the band The Four Preps and the their hit song 26 Miles (Santa Catalina).

This song hit #2 on the Billboard charts in 1958 and can currently be heard playing at Disney's California Adventure. I totally grew up on this song and am always sad when people look at me blankly when I quote or sing it.

But then, people look at me blankly rather often . . .

Week Five . . . Jessica

Well, Liz summed it all up with the term discombobulated. I felt that way all week! We didn't walk on Thursday and I literally felt all day like my skin didn't fit right . . . very, very antsy. Then for awhile it felt like I was just off a day, I kept thinking Friday was Thursday, and Sunday was Saturday, and everything just felt off. However, I think in a way it's good to know that we are in such a rut (*cough* *cough*, um, strict schedule) because it means that we have made a HABIT of walking! And that when we don't walk on our usual days our bodies and brains feel that something is missing!

This is a good thing, as Martha would say . . .

. . . Everyone just savor it for a moment . . .

(savoring, savoring)

Ok! On to other things. I totally lied about the schedule last week, alright, maybe not lied per se, but was mistaken in my posting. We did not bump up to six miles on Saturday, but instead bumped up one of the weekday walking days to four miles! Isn't that awesome!?! And we felt danged good after we walked it. Our weekend walk was still five miles, and we walked from Liz's apartment, to the park, around ye old track twice and back to the apartment! It was so crisp and fall-like outside and I really appreciated having a goal and not just going around the track 2.5 times.

On a sour note: I have a confession. I am out of vitamins and have not gotten anymore! So, apparently I didn't make that into a healthy habit quite yet.

On the other hand, I am on week two of drinking coke zero at home - and only having real coke on special occasions such as being out at a movie with Liz or at the fair. So yay for me and my coke zero habit!

I believe that this week we are going to focus on shaving a minute or two off our miles, so wish us luck!

Week 5...Liz

Discombobulated - adjective
1.  discombobulated, disconcerted, having self-possession upset; thrown into confusion.

Yep, I'm not kidding, discombobulated is an actual word in the dictionary and the perfect adjective to describe week 5. I guess it all started last Monday when I took some time to update Bob (my blackberry if you're just joining) with the latest updates to my schedule as a result of Danny's football schedule. I noticed that his first game was that Thursday and it conflicted with both walking and back to school night. Ok, no problem, rescheduled walking Thursday for Friday night. Then I noticed his second game was on Saturday morning and it conflicted with walking again. Talked to Jess about it and since she wanted to attend the LA county fair anyway, we rescheduled our Saturday walk for Sunday. Ok, that wasn't so bad right? Then I looked at the rest of the schedule and AHHHHHHHHH!!!! Our carefully planned schedule had just gone up in smoke!!!


I managed to take a deep breath and talk my self down from my panicked state and finished my scheduling and rescheduling and managed to continue the week with our new schedule. The week was busy but it went fine for the most part... except for the fact that I felt...discombobulated. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off and it wasn't until Sunday's therapy session (as Jess and I affectionately call our walking sessions) that Jess and figured out what it was. Mentally, we adjusted to the change in schedule just fine, but the same could not be said physically. Walking at specific times and days has become a habit for our bodies and well, we think our bodies missed the routine of it all. For example, the first rescheduled walking day was Thursday and I remember feeling restless at the end of the day and not sleeping as well that night though at the time I didn't make that connection. The on Saturday...well there are no words to describe my state of restlessness; I just didn't know what to do with my self. As it is, I'm self described energetic...Saturday, I was bouncing off the walls with no where to go! Now looking back, I realize how much not walking on Saturday morning affected the day. Now with awareness in hand I can prepare mentally & physically for the changes in routine to come and figure out some type of physical outlet to channel all that excess energy. I already feel more prepared for the week to come!


Before I sign off for the week I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of our supporters, both who follow the blog publicly (listed on the blog) and those that do not (because you don't have Google accounts.) I didn't realize how many people are reading our blog! I've gotten so much nice feedback and encouragement from all of you. Your support is a huge part of why I'm still going strong and starting week 6. Thank you all!

Week 4 - A month!

Week four, and therefore our first month of walking is in the history books! No way! I am so thrilled to reach this milestone! Today I actually had someone at church (you know who you are cause you read this blog even if you don't follow it publicly, and yes, I mean you Chuck), tell me that I look like I'm loosing a lot of weight! SCORE!

I got my new glasses this week so I found walking this week even easier than the last two weeks as I wasn't having to constantly readjust my broken frames . . . when they would slip to the side the whole world would go off-kilter and I'd feel a bit out to sea. So now that I can see well, and not worry about my glasses falling of my face, I feel a lot more comfortable!

Reflecting on the last month I will admit that it is hard for me to leave my babies when I go out walking sometimes, and hard to be prepared with things like making sure James is provided with enough pumped bottles . . . but it is becoming easier. Overall, I am incredibly proud of myself and Liz. I am already excited about the changes I see and feel in my body and in my endurance. I am totally excited to continue in our adventure, and I love referring to Liz and myself as athletes!

So - Happy One Month of Walking to my best athlete pal - Liz!