HomeFull Moons and Safety Glass
Full Moons and Safety Glass
Balancing money, time, self, and family
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Let Me Count the Ways
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3:24:12
Well…I did it. Yesterday I moved my hip flexers and feet for 3 hours, 24 minutes, and 12 seconds. That is, I finished the Sacramento Cowtown Half Marathon—my first walking half marathon (13.1 miles). And, I did it in less than three and a half hours, which was my goal.
Actually, my real goal was to get moving again. Since my first daughter was born over four years ago I have felt like a couch potato, a bump on a log, the lazy dog that the quick brown fox keeps jumping over. Damn that quick brown fox, I was so sick of him taunting me. Last March, I decided that the only way out of it was to set a physical goal. A goal that would apply a little public pressure and public shaming if I backed out. I committed myself to walking a half marathon and then I told everyone I knew that I had committed to it. That way, I couldn’t back out. Even when my dad and sister, with whom I had originally planned to walk, did back out. I stayed the course. Sort of. The three of us had originally planned to congregate in Colorado Springs over Labor Day (my dad is in Texas, I am in Sacramento, and my sister is in Denver). That didn’t work out for one reason or another, so I recalibrated and signed up for the Cowtown which was as close to the original goal date as I could find. I couldn’t back out, even when I realize that I wasn’t losing a single pound. Not a single, stupid pound. Now, don’t start with all that “muscle weighs more than fat” crap, I don’t want to hear it. Not a single pound. ARGH. I couldn’t back out, even after I realized how dang bor-ing it is to walk for more than two hours at a time. I know I should have had some kind of “walking buddy”, but my summer schedule was too erratic. I would have just frustrated a walking buddy. Thank god for audio books and iTunes. By June, I was so sick of the music on my iPod, I thought I would barf. Audio books got me through. I couldn't back out when, after four straight days of wearing heels last week at my annual conference screwed up my right foot. I was actually really nervous that I wouldn't make it, but the top of my foot didn't hurt at all during the race. Whew. Finally, I couldn’t back out, even when I realized that I had probably under-trained. Truth be told, the most mileage I had logged on a training walk was 10 miles. I didn’t even usually walk more than twice a week. But, I did notice about two months ago that six miles was starting to come pretty easily. And, I thought…well…if six is coming easy…how hard can 13.1 really be? Well…it wasn’t that hard. It wasn’t especially fun after about mile 11, but it wasn’t that hard, either. In the end, I met my goal and made some significant progress towards getting my athletic endurance back up so that I can enjoy the outdoor activities that I love: snow skiing, hiking, and cycling. It was also great having my husband, kids, and cranky wiener dog at the finish line. Even if the girls did continue to ask me all day if I had "won" the race. Walking got me moving again. For that I am grateful. But, I’m ready to hit the bike path on an actual bike. 6 comments from 6 users
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posted by
hmoeckli
on Oct 6, 2008 at 08:19 PM
posted by
kellimwheeler
on Oct 6, 2008 at 08:25 PM
Yay for you! That quick brown fox ain't got nothing on you now. Job well done my friend. And muscle does weigh more than fat -- you've gotta give a girl something to believe in. posted by
creatress
on Oct 7, 2008 at 08:12 AM
YAYYYY!!!! That's AMAZING! I'm so happy for you. Did you listen to a book when you did it? Or ditch the iPod? We did a 5K that day (the juvenile diabetes walk), so we were right next to each other! How did you feel after? The next day?
posted by
wifemotherdaughtersister
on Oct 7, 2008 at 01:33 PM
bravo! seriously, there's really nothing hard about walking because well really its just walking. except for the boring part of it. good job!
posted by
AmandaS
on Oct 7, 2008 at 04:46 PM
Thanks, ladies. Walking 13.1 is no joke, that is for sure. Even though I felt I had undertrained, I was still glad I had at least trained as much as I had. People think, "oh, I walk all the time" but the truth is, most people walk a mile at about a 20 minute pace. My pace was about 15:40. Doing anything for more than 3 hours is a chore Doing something something active is a commitment! I am proud of myself, even though the 72 year old women in front of me finished just ahead of me. :-)
posted by
mom2twinboys
on Oct 9, 2008 at 05:33 AM
Congrats on finishing the Cow Town 1/2 marathon! Walking that distance is quite a feat, especially considering you're on your feet longer than if you were running that distance. So what race is next....Apple Hill? Clarksburg? CIM marathon? Let me know if you're going to be at an of these races, and I'll look for you.
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You spent your Sunday exercising. Amazing. I spent it eating and on my butt.