The back’s back

Rats.  Today was supposed to be a 4 mile run.   I was all set.  Unfortunately my back issues reappeared.  No runny today.  A little walky.  No runny.  I’ve been feeling great since August so this is a bummer.  Oh well.    Back to the surgeon-dude for a little shot ‘o goodness.

Workout:

  • Type: Walk
  • Date: 12/23/2008
  • Time: 22:26:57
  • Total Time: 00:32:00.00
  • Calories: 209
  • Distance: 2.3 miles
  • Average Pace: 13:55.27/mile

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Craving Boston / Mother of God, it’s COLD!

At a conference in Boston.  I LOVE the energy in this city.  After a long day of (really good!) conference work, I was craving a roam!!   Holy moly, the wind was cold and biting!   After about 5 minutes I realized that if I was going to last, I had to stop at a store (Thanks, Filene’s!) to buy a hat and some mitts.    Picked up a cute, matching pair that matched my scarf too!   

Anyhooooooo - a power-walk about town, around Boston Common, with a self-potrait at the Cheers bar, and I’m back in my hotel to de-thaw.

If anyone has words to describe the cool factor in this city, I’m all ears.   :-)

Go Sox.

Workout:

  • Type: Walk
  • Date: 11/18/2008
  • Time: 19:28:47
  • Total Time: 1:30:00.00
  • Distance: 6 miles
  • Average Pace: 15:00/mile

1 Comment

Got into trouble…

You know you’re in trouble when you come around the corner and your uncle is standing on the sidewalk with his coat on… waiting for you.   Oops.  Aunt Lolly & I got caught up in our great power walk - and conversation! - and completely lost track of time.     They were supposed to be at a brunch at 11am……  but, oops, we got back at 10:58am.  

On one hand, I felt bad……..but on the other hand, the look on Uncle Doug’s face was pricelessly funny!    Don’t laugh out loud when UD is mad.   Hee hee.

xoxox

Workout:

  • Type: Walk
  • Date: 10/29/2008
  • Time: 08:54:48
  • Total Time: 1:30:00.00
  • Distance: 6.2 miles
  • Average Pace: 14:31.67/mile

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It’s not called “Frizbee Golf”

While we finished up the 18th hole at the MLT Frisbee Golf course we ran into a couple of ‘regulars’.   It was our first time playing so we were joking about calling us when they find the ($10!) frisbees we lost in the jungle.   They promptly corrected us about the name - It is “Disc Golf”…………

 Got it!   

(By the way, it’s a hoot!  Apparently there is a whole subculture of Disc Golfers with tournaments, ladies nights, championships, and websites with ratings.)  Hilarious!

Workout:

  • Type: Walk
  • Date: 06/20/2008
  • Time: 17:54:22
  • Total Time: 2:00:00.00
  • Distance: 4 miles
  • Average Pace: 30:00/mile

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Channeling my Inner Kid

Kid… as in, Baby Goat.

Yesterday, we decided to ‘hike in’ to a very cool spot with black sand, obscene amounts of turtles, killer snorkeling, and a ‘Queen’s Bath’ (a freshwater pool in a lava tube where you can swim in the tube from ’skylight’ to ’skylight’.)   It is only about 1 mile from the road, but because it’s not ‘tourist friendly’ (read: paved roads with bathrooms & an ice cream hut), it is often deserted!

However, isn’t it amazing how one teeny little turn can change plans all together?   The guide book said to ‘park’ on the side of the road at mile marker 88, just at the end of the guard rail.   (Should I tell you we’ve done this ‘adventure’ at least 3 times before……?)  Anyhoodles, we went ‘right’ instead of left on the lava trail.   This landed us smack dab in the middle of the lava fields, up and over the craggy, sharp rock.  (After all, lava is a form of glass.)   We COULD have turned around and gone back to the start….. but, nahhhhh!   The ocean is ‘right there’.  As long as we’re heading in that direction, we’re good!   A ‘hike’ that should have taken MAYYYBE 15 minutes, ended up taking us 40 minutes.   We had to navigate sharp, pointy rocks, slippery shale, hot sun beating down, AND a small dry forest that didn’t have a ‘trail’ to speak of.

We decided we were channeling our ‘Inner Kid’ because a) we were just out there for an adventure, following our noses, and seeing how much fun we could have with it… and b) the area has a herd of ‘wild goats’ which can navigate the uneven and wobbly terrain with ease.   We came across a family of these goats - who looked at us like we were whacked.  

We finally made it to the ocean with all our gear…….   however, the surf had picked up wildly so the only water we dipped in was the Queen’s Bath.  It was stokin’ hot so the cool water was welcomed!!

Aloha!

Workout:

  • Type: Walk
  • Date: 06/10/2008
  • Time: 18:08:03
  • Total Time: 1:30:00.00
  • Distance: 4 miles
  • Average Pace: 22:28.31/mile

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A salt-lick on my porch

Lately I’ve been craving salt. What’s that about? I’m about ready to install a salt-lick on my porch. I’ve been satiating the urge with salty popcorn & rice cakes… What do you suppose I’m missing in my diet? Or, what are other (healthy) alternatives to scratch this itch????

Workout:

  • Type: Walk
  • Date: 05/19/2008
  • Time: 18:29:24
  • Total Time: 00:40:00.00
  • Distance: 2.8 miles
  • Average Pace: 14:17.14/mile

2 Comments

Lots of fresh air

Had a lovely walk around the National Conference Center grounds….. 1 loop = 1.3 miles. lots of good hills… sure needed it after sitting allllllllllllllllll day! :-)

Workout:

  • Type: Walk
  • Date: 05/13/2008
  • Time: 18:22:26
  • Total Time: 00:41:00.00
  • Distance: 2.6 miles
  • Average Pace: 15:47.37/mile

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When you get lemons….

…you make LEMONADE!!
The duvet and pillow felt reeeally good this morning. And yet - I talked myself into getting up to go for a swim. Donned the suit and drove all the way to the gym. That’s when I realized I’d forgotten my bag, my cap and my goggles. Hmmm…. a sure sign that I wasn’t supposed to swim today. I did not bring my iPod either - so I quickly ruled out doing something else that required running or riding or ‘ellipting’ in one spot. I’m heading to Alaska at noon so I didn’t have much time to work out… What to do? What to do? Perhaps this was an even bigger sign to take today off.
However - my drive home includes a reeeeally beeeeeg hill. And I remembered that I’ll be sitting for a very long time (3.5 hour flight + 2 hour drive)… The combination of which sparked some inspiration. I pulled over to the side of the road. Runners? Check. Semi-warm fleece jacket? Check. What else did I need?
Nada!
So I squeezed in a juicy hill power walk! The sun was peeking through the clouds and I could see my breath.
A sweet lemonade way to start the day! :-)

Workout:

  • Type: Walk
  • Date: 04/29/2008
  • Time: 07:38:32
  • Total Time: 00:31:00.00
  • Distance: 2.1 miles
  • Average Pace: 14:46.7/mile

1 Comment

Alllllllll uphill……..

Warm up for a quick swim…….  it seemed that everything was ‘uphill’ today….

Workout:

  • Type: Walk
  • Date: 04/10/2008
  • Time: 12:00:46
  • Total Time: 00:30:00.00
  • Distance: 2 miles
  • Average Pace: 15:00/mile

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When in Suffolk - striking a chord

I just returned from a coast-to-coast work trip that landed me in Suffolk, Virginia. I ended up power-walking for exercise as schedules (and time zones) had me off kilter. That said, I’m grateful! There was so much to see and learn. I was raised in Canada so I’m still learning the history of the US - and how it impacts so much of what we feel and do today.

One of the sights I took time to visit was ‘Riddick’s Folly’ - a beautiful home built in 1837. It has been turned into a museum - a labor of love - for one man named Lee, his wife, and their community. They have spent their energy and money finding original furniture and decor from the Riddick family - supplementing it with other period and regional pieces from the era. Oh my gosh, it was fantastic!

And - it wasn’t the furniture or the artwork that struck a cord… it was the history.

As Lee lovingly showed me around, he shared what the house had seen. He shared the letters that have been found from the Riddick sons who went off to fight in the Civil War, and the stories of the family left behind.

One letter particularly struck a chord… it was a letter written to his wife by one of the Riddick boys on the day before he died in battle. As he was reciting the story, my tour guide Lee was so moved he choked up. In his letter describing brothers fighting brothers, families fighting families, Young Riddick wrote, ‘our country is bleeding’.

I am so grateful for my tour guide Lee - and his passion for keeping this house alive for us to share. I am grateful that Lee is willing to keep telling the stories. I do not consider myself political - I’m a Canadian so I can’t even vote in this country. And, my wish is that we keep telling these stories so that we all can learn from them. No matter where we live. My wish is that one day we’ll learn enough from the past - that we will stop repeating it.

So - If you ever make it to Suffolk, call on Lee. As I mentioned, this post is no political statement… It’s just a random thought, no, a gut-feeling that Lee’s ties to the past are perhaps something we need to build a strong future. www.riddicksfolly.org

Workout:

  • Type: Walk
  • Date: 03/23/2008
  • Time: 15:20:37
  • Total Time: 2:00:00.00
  • Distance: 7.8 miles
  • Average Pace: 15:23.08/mile

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