Taxified Tuesday

Due to a tax prep-related sleep deficit, I didn't walk this morning. I think I will walk the tax return to the post office, seeing that it is exactly 1.5 miles from my front door and my son has got the car at school until this evening (great planning, huh?). I deserve to be flogged for waiting this long to get the returns started. I will take it out on myself when I walk. Shame, shame, shame.

Tomorrow, after an adequate amount of self-abasement, I hope to return to this blog with sufficient sleep, a smile on my face, and a spring in my step! Wow, that was corny.

Monday Morning

What a beautiful day to be outside! It was a little cold but absolutely gorgeous outside. The walking was still a workout but I enjoyed it. I actually saw a few flowers this morning which is a long overdue sight around here. We actually woke up to snow yesterday morning.

I added to my dufus look this morning, not by design but necessity. I couldn't find my cream-colored gloves so I wore black ones. It was too cold for shorter sleeve shirt and the only long sleeve T I have is an old XXL one that my husband got from the Y for free when we joined. It was so cold that I walked the first mile with a paper cup of hot tea in my black-gloved hand. (don't laugh, I still kept my pace where it should be and walked via the extra hilly route).

I still can't imagine running for 6 hours straight, but now at least I'm starting to think that maybe, just maybe, running for 30 minutes might possibly be something I can probably attain. Sort of. Maybe. Kind of. Hopefully.

189 days to go! It feels good to be committed to this.

Running - Dufus Style

I looked in the mirror this morning before going out to walk. Oh my! I really need to get some sweats. I'm looking like a serious newbie dufus. I've been walking in a pair of lightweight cords with an old 3/4 length sleeve tee on, an Old Navy velour vest with my cell phone in the pouch (making my belly look bigger and misshapen)and some $1-a-pair knit gloves. Nothing wrong with the outfit per se, just a little ridiculous looking for running. I had to laugh. I spent a small fortune on my shoes, but the grand total for the rest of the outfit probably came in just under what I got the laces for. Not that it matters. I just know I looked like a dufus. All I need now are some big 70's-style aviator sunglasses to complete the look.

If you're ever in town, stop and say hello. Just look for the ancient, overweight dufus huffing and puffing while plodding ever-so-slowly over the terrain. For now anyway. Just wait!

'Hill'ford!

Now that I have walked several different courses around Milford, unable to find even one that doesn't have me running uphill BOTH ways, I am going to start a petition to have the town renamed.

This morning's walk was beautiful. A little nippy but nice. The wind was incredibly strong but it felt good.

I didn't quite get out by 'marathon time' because everyone's schedules were a little mixed up today. I did manage to get all of my time and mileage in. I would have liked to go a little faster but that will come with time.

My 6-yr-old did tell me I smelled sweaty, thank you very much. At least it means I'm getting a workout! I have to really get my heart rate up to break a sweat.

Oops

I know it's my second post for the day, but I was just looking back at an old post for a story I linked to and realized the link only led to a picture, not a story. The story is quite good so I wanted to provide the link here today. It's not real long and pretty inspiring for those of us who are a long ways from being 'elite' athletes. Here it is!

Training at Marathon Time

I was having trouble getting any consistency in time of day for my pretraining walk/runs. I decided the only way to do this was to get it out of the way early in the day. I decided that what I need to do is be out the door every morning by 'marathon time', or 7:15 a.m. ---the time of day when the marathon begins. That's what I did this morning and it was wonderful! At that time I've already been up for an hour, made lunches, Jim & Dave have both left, and Jeff is here for Carrie until he has to leave just after I get back. Perfect timing. This morning it was beautiful out. The sound of the birds back in town was just beautiful and I enjoyed the warm sun - nice for a change in these parts. I've felt more like Nanook of the North lately.

Jim and I mapped out a few more routes this weekend so I woudn't get bored with the same few miles over and over. I wanted to map a few plans that I felt comfortable with when I'm by myself....which, in reality, will be most of the time.

I must admit, I actually enjoyed my time this morning. That's a huge milestone for me. The next big milestone for me is being able to run a whole mile. (Hey.....I never claimed to be anything but pathetic when it comes to running). The milestone I'm waiting for the most, though, is a mental one. I can't wait to look at the map of the marathon and say....."Oh Yeah, Baby! I Can DO That!!!!!" I'm not there yet but I'm taking it one day at a time and I'm committed.

Ahhh! What a difference!

Since I tend to be ridiculously frugal when it comes to frivolous purchases, my dearest husband insisted that I spend some serious money and buy decent running shoes. I went into Running Fit, fully expecting to be a little bit of a cheapskate. When I walked in, I told the guy I needed help, I had never run before and I want to get a pair of running shoes. Him and another girl watched my steps for a few minutes then went in the back and pulled out about six pairs of shoes. I tried every one of them on. Usually when I do something like this, without even looking at prices, I generally find that the one thing I like best ends up being least expensive. Ha! Not this time. These blasted shoes were twice what I wanted to spend. I remembered my dearest's words. I remembered that my mom & sisters both have foot troubles. I remembered that I'm 49 and have never owned a pair of shoes worth more than $30. I realized that I've never spent a dime on anything sports-wise for myself. Then..........................I did it. I plunked down that debit card and bought them.

I just took them for a test drive. Oh my. Wow! They were amazingly comfortable. Now, more than ever, I'm really committed. I'm cheaper than I am lazy. I'm not spending that much on running shoes and not using them.

So, I've got a bib#, some shoes that are way out of my league, a supportive husband, and I'm on schedule to run that marathon in October. Wahoo!