St. Patrick's Day Parade Run, St. Louis, MO

In January I decided to travel to St. Louis and do the St. Patrick's Day Run with my friend Ellen. When I lived there we always ran this race as the "opener" for the season. It is lots of fun and very casual--lots of great costumes and people lined up to watch the parade. As usual, my training hit some rough spots. While in Boise over Christmas Keith and I fell off the snowmobile onto the frozen lake. I landed on my tailbone, which was very painful. It was a VERY cold winter in Michigan this year. We had a large amount of snow in mid-January and it was still on the ground when we left for St. Louis on March 13. My training was at the mall and on the treadmill. I again entered the non-competitve division (there was no walking division). Just before we got to St. Louis, Ellen hurt her knee and was in lots of pain (I must jinx walking partners). On Friday we went to WalMart and got a knee wrap/brace for her to wear. I tried talking her out of going, but she was determined to go the 5 miles. It was VERY cold the morning of the race and I was not prepared. I listened to the weather forecast and brought clothes for warm (50 degree) weather. Well, it was in the low 30s and I was very cold--no hat or gloves and only a thin sweatshirt, short sleeved shirts and capri running pants. The start was very festive and we took off just fine at the back of the pack with the walkers. Ellen was going slowly but steadily. She kept urging me to go on ahead. After the 1 mile mark, I did. I walked quickly for another mile and then did a slow jog alternated with a fast walk. I finished in 72 minutes (I had hoped for a 1 hour time, but the first 2 miles slowed me down). The race was very casual--no one checking your time--you just had to check the clock. Ellen finished about 10 minutes after me. We had a bit of trouble finding each other, but all worked out. When we finished the race it started to SNOW!! Here are some pictures taken back at Ellen's house. We are already planning to do this again next year!!

SNOW!!!

The road to Detroit

I decided to do the Detroit (half) Marathon way back in the spring. Since I live about 35 miles from the city, I figured it would be an easy shot. I trained. Then things kept happening. I July I broke my big (or great according to Dr. Christmon) toe on my right foot. I was sore, swollen and discolored, but I could still walk with a slight limp. I managed to ride my bike for 35 plus miles in Holland, MI. I visited my Mom for her birthday in PA and had a great time with family and friends. In early Sept. we went to the Outer Banks of NC for a wonderfully relaxing vacation. I continued to walk and train (and took Keith with me whenever I could). Right after we got back home, my left foot had an encounter with the leg of our sofa on the porch. The sofa won and I had another broken toe (middle one) on the same foot. It was VERY painful. I didn't bother with the dr., just taped it myself and limped around for a bit. My training was stalled for several weeks, but Oct. 29 was approaching quickly. The pain finally stopped enough so I could get in some long walks. My walking "partner" from Kalamazoo wasn't sure if she could still stay here, so she went ahead and booked a hotel room in Dearborn. I didn't want to drive in to Detroit by myself (I don't know the city well enough to chance it), so I hooked up with Kim and Cathy who were planning to run the half marathon. Then, 2 weeks before the race, Margie slipped on wet leaves and BROKE her ankle! She was devastated, I was devastated. No walking partner again!! But, bless her heart, she came for the Expo and to get her shirt. I stayed at a great B and B in the historical district (Never knew there was any such thing) in Detroit. It is full of old tree-lined streets with elegant homes. The Fords, Fishers, and Edisons lived in the neighborhood. The day before the race was COLD, WINDY and RAINY. Not the best conditions for a marathon. But Sun. morning dawned with clear skies and only a slight wind. The sun shone during the entire race. There were 1600 people running or walking. Start time was 7:15 a.m.--thankfully day light savings time ended that morning or we have been walking in the dark. I was entered in the non-competitive walking category which meant I could run/jog whenever I wanted to. So I jogged down the Ambassador Bridge into Canada, and down into the tunnel to get back to the USA, and down the "tunnel" into Ford Field where the race ended. I had no problems during the entire course, and only made one very short pit stop just before the tunnel in Windsor. I wanted to finish in under 3.5 hours and I did. My official time was 3:28:59, 14th in my age group. The best part was that I didn't have any real aches and pains and NO blisters. The next day my thighs hurt, but that was from the downhill running. By Wed. all stiff muscles were healed. Now to think about the next race.....

Where did summer go?

It is Labor Day already!! The summer sure did fly by and my walking has been very poor. I did walk a little bit with the broken toe--every Monday morning with ladies from church for about 4-5 miles. After the swelling went down on the toe, the skin peeled off--just like sunburn skin! It was weird.
I finally ventured into Independence Oaks Park to walk around the lake (4 miles total from my house). I am glad I had JoAnne with me because my foot turned and I fell! My ankle is just fine, but I landed on my shoulder and scraped my arm. I think I did something to my ribs because there was pain under my breast. But since there is nothing you can do for rib bruises, I just lived with it. There is still a little bit of pain once in awhile, but breathing is fine.
I went for my first REAL walk this morning--8 miles. The weather was perfect and the walk was great. I am a little sore now (5 hours later), but I think I am getting over the burn out. I only have 2 months until the Detroit Marathon (half)--Oct. 29.

Update

I haven't posted much lately. To be truthful, I am experiencing some burnout. I just don't have the desire to walk that much. But I was walking at least once a week for 4 miles or so and riding my bicycle once a week for about 10-15 miles. Then I started having pain in my left foot--plantar fasciitis has returned. This has been depressing since I am wearing orthotics and figured they would prevent this from reoccurring (had a bout with it about 15 years ago--the reason I stopped running). Finally the pain was getting so bad (burning even when I was just sitting still) that last Friday I made a dr. appointment . Saturday morning I was in the garage getting down a step ladder when the 12' metal ladder fell over and landed on my foot (toes to be exact). My big toe (or great toe as the dr. called it) turned all kinds of shades of blue, purple and red and swelled up. Since I already had a dr. appointment scheduled for Mon., I didn't do much except ice, Motrin, and elevation. Mon. I found out that the toe is indeed broken! There's not much that can be done for it except to tape it to the next toe. It is now Tues. and the discoloration has almost gone away, the swelling is down, but it still hurts. Needless to say, I can't do much walking right now. The dr. said I can still walk--slowly and short distances--but to take it easy. We are scheduled to do a bike ride in Holland, MI on Sat. It is not a race. I am going to ride 37 miles and Keith will go (hopefully) 100 miles. The dr. said it is ok, but I am going to do a trial ride on Wed. or Thurs. to make sure my shoes are comfortable. The ride should be fun. You go for a short distance (15 miles, I think) and stop for a pancake breakfast. There are lots of opportunies to stop and rest, have a cookie or fruit and some water. I am looking forward to it!

Mini Indy 500

The Half-marathon event and weekend was an awesome experience. There was a bit of confusion during the drive there when a wrong turn was taken in the drive to Marshall, MI. But Margie and I met up and got to the hotel with no further incident. Our hotel was in a perfect location--across the street from the Convention Center (where the Expo was held)--we didn't even have to go outside to get there: used the walkway; right next door to the Westin where the Pasta Dinner was held; and by going out the back way we were at the start of the race!! We went right to the Expo after checking-in and spent several hours looking and buying stuff. We circled the room many times (just in case we missed something). Most of the vendors were selling clothing and shoes, which we did not need. I did get some Gu for the race.
The Pasta dinner was VERY nice. It was a formal sit -down affair with great food. The speakers were interesting (and not too long). There were door prizes, but we didn't win anything. After the dinner we walked a few blocks to the mall for something to do. It was prom night so there were lots of kids in their formals. We even saw a group of 4 girls going on a carriage ride in their prom dresses (no dates, but they were having fun).
We went to bed early (9:30) so we could get up at 5:15.
Race day: The weather was perfect for walking/running--blue skies, temps. in the upper 40's- low 60's and a slight breeze (which helped later on when body temps. rose). We got to the start line way before the start time (7:33). We were in corral Y (based on our "estimated" finish time). While waiting, I had to use the bathroom AGAIN (nerves or what!!), so I went off to find one. There was a VERY long line of women (and only ONE stall). Someone told us of another bathroom down the hall, so off we went. Another long line (but shorter than the first one). This time we took over the Men's bathroom as well. It still took a long time. When I got back to the start, they had moved everyone up and I couldn't find Margie. I excused my way through the crowd and inched my way to where I thought she would be. I never did find her :(. So much for having a walking partner!! The race started on time. With 35,000 people registered, it took 26 minutes to get to the starting line after the gun went off. I am so glad they use the chips now (your time doesn't begin until you cross the start line). I am also very glad the runners were in the front--no one pushing their way through the walkers. It was a wonderful route with LOTS of crowd support and bands playing all along the way. Many waters stops and porta-potties available. At 5 miles I needed to use the bathroom again. I had to wait 6 minutes in line, but I was not able to keep walking without that stop. Just after the 6 mile point we entered the Indianpolis 500 Speedway and did a 2.5 mile lap around it. It was really fun to walk on the track, even the slanted part. I really pushed myself at this point. The finish line (13.1 miles) was soon in sight. I finished in 3:33.04, a pace of 16:16, which was a bit slower then NYC (but I jogged the downhills there, but no jogging here). I am pleased with the pace and results. I did end up with a small blister on my left foot, but it didn't slow me down.
I found Margie waiting for me after the finish line. She finished in 3:22!! I probably would have slowed her down if we had been together.
We walked around for a short time, then had lunch at Houlihan's and headed home. We had to make numerous stops to stretch our legs. We parted in Marshall and I got home around 9:30.
Not sure of what my next race will be. I am signed up to do the Detroit Half-marathon in October. I will be doing more bike riding this summer.

next race

It has only been 6 weeks since my last race, but I am off to Indianapolis in the morning for my next half marathon. I am excited about it since I know I can go this distance without problems. I will be meeting up with Margie and we will walk together. It will be so enjoyable to have a walking partner for an event--we can keep each other going. It should be a fun time.

Me crossing the finish line: MORE Half Marathon

MORE Marathon

I did my first half marathon on March 26 in New York City! It was a very fun event for many reasons:
1. All women
2. I teamed with my daughter (she ran, I walked)
3. NYC is a fabulous place to visit
4. I had never been around the entire Central Park before.
When I was checking out this half marathon, I discovered that you could do it as a team. One person had to be over 40 (me!) but the other didn't. So I asked Kelly to join me and she agreed. She traveled to NYC with 2 of her 4 kids--Seb was on spring break, so he came, and Cory was still a nursing infant (7 mo. old), plus Keith went with me--someone had to watch the kids while we ran/walked! It was a mixed bag of weather--drizzle just before the start, then clouds, then 2 minutes of sleet half way through the race, followed by more clouds. I was going to run the uphills, but changed to running the downhills! There were lots of women and everyone was very friendly. The course was 2 laps around Central Park. I never saw Kelly after the start--she did not lap me. But the winner of the full marathon did pass me just before the finish. I was VERY happy with my time: 3:21:55. I finished just about in the middle of the pack which was so very much better than the marathon I did in October when I finished at the END of the pack!!
After the race we did some sightseeing which Seb really liked and then flew to Boise for a week. This picture is Kelly at the finish line.

Other 2005 races

I entered 2 other races in 2005. They were both 5K (3 miles) in distance. The first one was called The Christmas Stocking Run /Walk and was in early December in Flushing, MI. It was a VERY cold day (as was most of the winter here in Michigan). I was very surprised when I found out I finished second in my age group!! I won a Christmas ornament with the date on it. It was fun!
The second race was the New Year's Resolution Run/Walk, December 31 (2:00 p.m) in Flint, MI. The roads were a bit slick with slush and ice (I slipped once). I went with Dale and Kathy who both ran while I walked. No prize this time, but great hooded sweatshirts!
In 2005 I walked a total of 641.9 miles!! (starting April 1st--before that I didn't keep any records).
Onward to 2006!

The day after the marathon (2005)

I got a wonderful surprise from my best friend, Keith on Monday!! Who says you can't teach an "old" dog new tricks?!!! He's a keeper for sure.

Finishing the Marathon

This was originally posted in October. It shows me right after I crossed the finish line and got my medal.

Marathon post from 10/2005

This is what I posted last year on my other blog:
Last March I was waiting in the doctor's office and picked up a copy of Prevention magazine to read. There was an article about walking a marathon that caught my eye. I was approaching 61 and felt FAT and not very fit. I walked irregularly about 2-3 times a week and rode my bike in the summer. But that didn't seem to be enough so I started investigating marathons. Prevention magazine was promoting the Marine Corp. one in Baltimore in October. I called my brother Jim who is a runner to see if he would like to do it with me--he said not at this time (which turned out to be a wise decision because he was in a car accident the end of April and broke his neck. He has since recovered after some surgeries). I read further about the MC Marathon and found out there was a cut off time. Since this would be my first ever marathon I did not want to be pressured into that so I checked the internet and found the Columbus Marathon (Ohio) with a more reasonable time limit (8 hours) and a walking division. I found more help, got a training schedule, joined a Yahoo group just for the Columbus Marathon and began training in April. Summer hot weather (temperatures in the 90s) made training difficult, but I kept at it. I did several organized bike rides with Keith and used biking as my cross training. That worked out well except for the times I fell (I am NOT coordinated) and scraped up my hands and knees. I was in Boise, Idaho for 3 weeks helping with grandkids and a new baby, but I still got in most of my training walks (had to do a 20 mile walk while there!!). Grandson, Sebastian, took me to kindergarten as his show and tell. The first thing he said about me was "she is training to do a marathon!" I don't know if the kids were impressed, but the teacher was!
Husband, Keith, drove with me to Columbus on October 15. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza hotel right near the start and finish of the race. We picked up my number and chip, bought some things at the Expo, and met with 4 wonderful ladies from the Yahoo group who were doing the marathon also. We all enjoyed the pasta dinner together and "adopted" Jim who was by himself and doing the walking marathon also. The race started at 7:00 a.m. (before the runners) in the DARK on Oct. 16. I was off to a terrific start, going out not too fast. Throughout most of my training I had problems with shin pain. I had none of that at the beginning of the race. One problem I had was bathroom stops--the LINES were quite long and used up a lot of time (8 minutes at the first one). I HAD to stop 3 times. The runners started passsing me around mile 5. The weather was perfect and the route through Columbus was interesting--passed the original Wendy's restaurant and some really beautiful old homes, and through Ohio State's campus near the end.
Around mile 17 my left shin started to hurt and then I was developing a blister on my right foot because my sock got bunched up. I tried to fix the sock but couldn't. I was a little stiff at this point. The pain continued and I thought of quitting for about 5 seconds--but decided NO WAY! So the last nine miles meant pain with every step. I slowed down quite a bit but at this point my only goal was to finish. Around mile 20 we lost the support of the police and had to finish the race on the sidewalks. I had my Forerunner GPS on and discovered that by using the sidewalks, I actually walked 26.7 miles instead of 26.2!! I met some wonderful walkers along the route and they were very encouraging and fun to talk to. The "stragglers" (including me) at the end were fun to talk to. We were all hurting somewhere, but we had the same goal--to finish. At last I made the final turn to the finish line. Keith was there with the camera snapping away, my internet friends were there to cheer me across the finish line--it was VERY EXCITING! A race person stuck a microphone in front of me and asked my name and where I was from. The one disappointing thing was that they had taken down the clock so I didn't know my official time yet. I got my medal and mylar blanket and headed for some water and food! Back at the hotel I took an Epsom salts soak and tried to take a nap, but couldn't. So we decided to head home instead of staying over another night as planned.
On the way home Sebastian called to tell me congratulations (they had been following my progess on the internet and knew my finishing time before I did:
7:54:27) and wanted to know if I got a medal. Elise said congratulations on my "Amerithon" (she's 3.5!!). It was fun talking to them.
Monday morning I slept in. My recovery has been fast. I credit the training schedule I used (thanks to Patty at http://www.thewalkingsite.com). It has been a week since my marathon and I have been out walking 3 times, short and slow. I think that my next adventure will be a half marathon in either Cleveland or Indianapolis in May.

Added a new blog

I have decided to create this new blog as a place where I can write about my walking (with some jogging) experiences. I will be moving all of the previous messages from http://blueowlblog.blogspot.com to this one.
I have been walking/training for races for just over a year and am thoroughly enjoying it. There have been aches, pains, and set-backs, but there have also been joys, triumphs and successes. Tomorrow is my birthday and I want to continue with this lifestyle for many more years to come!