I'm Official

I am now officially committed to walking in the New York Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. I've signed up and am now accepting donations - feel free to click on the link listed to the left and make yours.



This is taking me well outside my comfort zone. I would rather watch a bad movie (sometimes a good one) or sew a quilt than go outside. Spring is my least favorite season because the tree pollen is awful here and I'm very allergic. I'm also a total Ludite. I use technology, but only as much as necessary to get through the day. I don't text and I rarely surf the web, unless I need to find something. My daugher is embarrased by my new flatscreen becauase it is only 26". I've never read blogs, let only writing one. So I'm taking the plunge - doing something physical and something technological. We'll see how it works out.



I did my first "official" training walk last weekend. I walked five miles and cut 15 minutes off my previous time. It is still taking me about an hour and 15 minutes, but hopefully I'll be able to cut that down. I think starting a bit earlier in the day will help - there won't be so many people on the trail. At any rate, I'll want to start adding more mileage as I continue my training.



The day was beautiful - clear and very temperate. It was cool enough to need a sweatshirt, but not cold. The sky was so blue and the grass was very green - we've had a lot of rain lately. Some of the trees are already beginning to bloom. There were some flowering weeds and the promise of wildflowers.



There are a lot of people who walk their dogs in the park. There is a lot of green space where the puppies can run. I've enjoyed watching them. Their personalities are so different - the labs mind so well; the Jack Russels walk thier owners instead of the opposite; the boxer off the leash was very confused when he heard his mistress call him, but he saw me instead - he figured it out; the little white dog who thought he could take out the passing dog who was at least twice his size. There are a lot of squirrels and the dogs behave just like the dogs in "Up" - running after them as soon as they are in sight. I laughed out loud.



I have thought about taking an IPod with me while I walk. With my luck, I wouldn't hear a bicycle come up behind me and get nailed. Instead, I hum - a lot. Sometimes I hum a song, sometimes just a tune from inside my head. I can hum the same tune for the entire walk. Sometimes I'm aware of it, sometimes I'm not. It is kind of a weird OCD thing I've always done. I don't know if it is loud enough for anyone else to hear, but I enjoy it.



I'm going to take my camera with me next time. I'm hoping some of the wildflowers will be in bloom so I can get some nice pictures. If I'm able to get something good, I'll add it to my next post.