Weekend of August 28
Part 1
I can't believe that this is the last weekend in August. Classes started at the university this week so we've been crazy busy. I have been looking forward to the quiet of the trail this weekend.
I got a good start this morning. I think it was only 78 degrees. The humidity was much lower as well. It had the makings of a really nice walk.
There were already a lot of runners on their way back while I was going out. They must have been out before 6:00 am when it was still pitch black. It takes a lot of dedication to get out so early.
I thought I would count bicycles today. I was going to figure out how many were on the trail and how many announced themselves. After about 20 I was having trouble keeping track so I let it go. I have difficulty keeping numbers straight unless I can write them down. On the trail it was completely beyond my skills.
It started out as a nice quiet walk. There weren't too many people out and they were all very pleasant. I saw an older couple. She looks like Jessica Tandy, but not as thin and he looks like Jerry Stiller with more hair. I've seen them before. She always looks very serious and driven. He looks like she makes him go with her. If I were to guess, I'd say he has a health problem and she is getting him out to walk to help him get better. I said "good morning" and she smiled at me. It is the first time. I thought it was a good sign.
Unfortunately, the groups from Katy Fit were out again. They are very disruptive to the quiet of the trial. The groups aren't that large, but they are very energetic and talk a lot. I guess it is too much energy for me to handle early in the morning - or any time really. I don't do well with "perky" people - even on the trail. They take up too much air.
All-in-all a pleasant walk. I wasn't dripping when I got back into the car. My ankle is a little swollen, but I don't think it is anything serious. I'll work on stretching it out.
Part 2
My ankle was still swollen when I woke up so I thought it was best not to stress it. I stayed home and I worked on the quilt I'm going to raffle off as a fund raiser for the walk.
Next week is Labor Day weekend. I wonder how many people will be out?
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
One Face in the Crowd
Weekend of August 21
I started out at 6:30. The sun was just coming up and the temperature was about 81 - much cooler than it has been. The humidity was also lower than it has been, probably about 80% (that's kind of low for Houston). It promised to be a somewhat easier walk with the cooler weather.
I checked the water hole for the ducks and the heron. Neither were there, I guess they have moved on to their next roost.
It looks like the parks people have been out doing maintenance. All the high grass has been mowed again. They cleared the sides of the path where the trees and brush has grown too close. It looks like they drove a large piece of machinery through. The small trees are broken off very roughly. Where they hit a branch that was too large to break, it looks like they took an ax and hacked it off. The cut was very rough. All in all, it looked really sad.
There were a lot of people on the trail today. Several groups from Katy Fit were running this morning. I saw four groups with from 12 - 40 people. Two were going one way and two were going the other. They were running two abreast and when they passed, it made it difficult for bicycles to pass between the group and other pedestrians.
There were also a lot of bicycles. Many of the riders were not letting the pedestrians know they were coming. Some of the runners and walkers took it on themselves to call "bike front" or "bike back" to let others know the bikes were coming. It was really different.
Today there were a lot of fathers and sons together. I saw some running, some walking and in one case of a grandfather and grandson, sitting and looking at the woods. This is the first time I've seen so many pairs.
Part 2
I didn't get out until 7:00 this morning. I was on the verge of a migraine all afternoon yesterday, so I decided to only walk 5 miles today. I didn't want to run the risk of being too far from the car if the headache came on full bore.
There were a lot of bikes again today. I saw three older men riding and thought their gear was interesting. They were all wearing gloves, but none of them had helmets. It seems like that is a strange injury-prevention priority. Hmmmmmm.
I saw a really attractive couple today. They were both very fit without looking like the spend all their time working out. The woman was muscular, but still looked like a girl and the man was muscular, but not bulky. They looked like they belonged together. Most of the couples I see when I'm out walking don't look so much like they belong together.
It was a good walk. It has been awhile since I walked two days in a row. I feel pretty good, but I'm a little concerned that my knees are going to be worse for the wear. My left knee bothered me yesterday and was a bit swollen. I hope it doesn't get any worse.
Next time.
I started out at 6:30. The sun was just coming up and the temperature was about 81 - much cooler than it has been. The humidity was also lower than it has been, probably about 80% (that's kind of low for Houston). It promised to be a somewhat easier walk with the cooler weather.
I checked the water hole for the ducks and the heron. Neither were there, I guess they have moved on to their next roost.
It looks like the parks people have been out doing maintenance. All the high grass has been mowed again. They cleared the sides of the path where the trees and brush has grown too close. It looks like they drove a large piece of machinery through. The small trees are broken off very roughly. Where they hit a branch that was too large to break, it looks like they took an ax and hacked it off. The cut was very rough. All in all, it looked really sad.
There were a lot of people on the trail today. Several groups from Katy Fit were running this morning. I saw four groups with from 12 - 40 people. Two were going one way and two were going the other. They were running two abreast and when they passed, it made it difficult for bicycles to pass between the group and other pedestrians.
There were also a lot of bicycles. Many of the riders were not letting the pedestrians know they were coming. Some of the runners and walkers took it on themselves to call "bike front" or "bike back" to let others know the bikes were coming. It was really different.
Today there were a lot of fathers and sons together. I saw some running, some walking and in one case of a grandfather and grandson, sitting and looking at the woods. This is the first time I've seen so many pairs.
Part 2
I didn't get out until 7:00 this morning. I was on the verge of a migraine all afternoon yesterday, so I decided to only walk 5 miles today. I didn't want to run the risk of being too far from the car if the headache came on full bore.
There were a lot of bikes again today. I saw three older men riding and thought their gear was interesting. They were all wearing gloves, but none of them had helmets. It seems like that is a strange injury-prevention priority. Hmmmmmm.
I saw a really attractive couple today. They were both very fit without looking like the spend all their time working out. The woman was muscular, but still looked like a girl and the man was muscular, but not bulky. They looked like they belonged together. Most of the couples I see when I'm out walking don't look so much like they belong together.
It was a good walk. It has been awhile since I walked two days in a row. I feel pretty good, but I'm a little concerned that my knees are going to be worse for the wear. My left knee bothered me yesterday and was a bit swollen. I hope it doesn't get any worse.
Next time.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Once More With Feeling
Weekend of August 14
Part 1
Up early again this weekend, but I didn't get out to the trail until 6:50 - a bit later than I had planned. The humidity was a killer. As soon as I got out of the car I could see the condensation on my arms.
When I was doing my pre-walk stretch my right leg felt really tight. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to make the full 7 miles, but it turned out to be okay. I guess I was just a little stiff.
When I walked by the water hole, I looked for the ducks I saw last weekend. They weren't there, but as I was ready to walk on, the heron moved in the water. If it hadn't moved when it did I never would have seen it. They are magnificent birds and they blend so well into their surroundings it is really amazing.
The sun was cooperative and stayed behind the light cloud cover for most of the walk. There was a nice breeze and I was okay for most of the walk. Toward the end of the walk, the sun came out with a vengeance and the last half hour was brutal.
There were a lot of people on the trail today and more bicycles than I had ever seen. Amazingly, most of them very very mannerly and let the pedestrians know that they were around. There were only a few that behaved as if they were the only ones on the trail.
The crepe myrtle trees are in full bloom, but those were the only flowers in view. The grapes are completely done for the season. Those that are left are mostly gooey purple spots on the asphalt. I think it will be just green for the rest of the summer (which goes on until early October). I will miss the flowers. Something is still going strong because my nose was dripping the whole walk. I even took my allergy meds, so I know the pollen was heavy.
I did the full seven miles and although I was tired, I finished. I'm hoping to add some additional distance next time.
Part 2
Sunday arrived along with a horrible sinus headache. It was so bad, my face was swollen and I could barely hold my head up. Needless to say, I went back to sleep and spent most of the day resting.
There is always next week.
Part 1
Up early again this weekend, but I didn't get out to the trail until 6:50 - a bit later than I had planned. The humidity was a killer. As soon as I got out of the car I could see the condensation on my arms.
When I was doing my pre-walk stretch my right leg felt really tight. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to make the full 7 miles, but it turned out to be okay. I guess I was just a little stiff.
When I walked by the water hole, I looked for the ducks I saw last weekend. They weren't there, but as I was ready to walk on, the heron moved in the water. If it hadn't moved when it did I never would have seen it. They are magnificent birds and they blend so well into their surroundings it is really amazing.
The sun was cooperative and stayed behind the light cloud cover for most of the walk. There was a nice breeze and I was okay for most of the walk. Toward the end of the walk, the sun came out with a vengeance and the last half hour was brutal.
There were a lot of people on the trail today and more bicycles than I had ever seen. Amazingly, most of them very very mannerly and let the pedestrians know that they were around. There were only a few that behaved as if they were the only ones on the trail.
The crepe myrtle trees are in full bloom, but those were the only flowers in view. The grapes are completely done for the season. Those that are left are mostly gooey purple spots on the asphalt. I think it will be just green for the rest of the summer (which goes on until early October). I will miss the flowers. Something is still going strong because my nose was dripping the whole walk. I even took my allergy meds, so I know the pollen was heavy.
I did the full seven miles and although I was tired, I finished. I'm hoping to add some additional distance next time.
Part 2
Sunday arrived along with a horrible sinus headache. It was so bad, my face was swollen and I could barely hold my head up. Needless to say, I went back to sleep and spent most of the day resting.
There is always next week.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Two Months to Go
Weekend of August 7 & 8
I can't believe we only have two months until the walk. It seemed like it was so far away when I started training. I received an email from my walking buddy reminding me how close it is. I still have quite of bit of money to raise. If you are interested in donating, or donating more, please go to this page http://info.avonfoundation.org/site/TR/Walk/NewYork?px=5419561&pg=personal&fr_id=1970 and make a donation.
I didn't walk on Saturday because we had 3 consecutive days of heat advisories in a row. I woke up at 5:00, but I didn't feel great and didn't think it was a good idea to go out.
Today I was up early and cooled my heels until after 6:00 am so it wouldn't be too dark. That was just too creepy. I started walking just after 6:30.
If last week was the week of the dogs, this week it was the birds. As I walked past the water hole near the beginning of the trail, a blue heron landed on the trail about 5 feet in front of me. It wasn't full-grown, but was about 4' tall. It stood on the trail for just a moment before it flew off to my right. As I watched it fly away, my eye was caught by 5 ducks paddling on the water hole. They were also young, but not young enough to still be with their parents. My guess is that they weren't too far away, but it wasn't very light and I couldn't see across the water. As the ducks paddled away, I heard an owl hoot in a tree very close to the trail. Some time later a small, quick brown bird with a very orange beak landed on the trail about 16" ahead of me. I had never seen or heard any of these birds before. It was very cool.
I finished the first half of the walk 3 minutes faster than my usual time. I was walking very fast for me. By the time I finished, I had cut 5 minutes off my time, but I was winded. I'm thinking about adding some additional distance next week.
Keep your eyes open - sometime in the next couple of weeks, I will be raffling off a quilt that I designed yesterday. I think it is going to be very pretty and I'm hoping it will raise some good money for the walk. I'll be sending out emails, but I will be sure to post the photo on the blog as well.
I can't believe we only have two months until the walk. It seemed like it was so far away when I started training. I received an email from my walking buddy reminding me how close it is. I still have quite of bit of money to raise. If you are interested in donating, or donating more, please go to this page http://info.avonfoundation.org/site/TR/Walk/NewYork?px=5419561&pg=personal&fr_id=1970 and make a donation.
I didn't walk on Saturday because we had 3 consecutive days of heat advisories in a row. I woke up at 5:00, but I didn't feel great and didn't think it was a good idea to go out.
Today I was up early and cooled my heels until after 6:00 am so it wouldn't be too dark. That was just too creepy. I started walking just after 6:30.
If last week was the week of the dogs, this week it was the birds. As I walked past the water hole near the beginning of the trail, a blue heron landed on the trail about 5 feet in front of me. It wasn't full-grown, but was about 4' tall. It stood on the trail for just a moment before it flew off to my right. As I watched it fly away, my eye was caught by 5 ducks paddling on the water hole. They were also young, but not young enough to still be with their parents. My guess is that they weren't too far away, but it wasn't very light and I couldn't see across the water. As the ducks paddled away, I heard an owl hoot in a tree very close to the trail. Some time later a small, quick brown bird with a very orange beak landed on the trail about 16" ahead of me. I had never seen or heard any of these birds before. It was very cool.
I finished the first half of the walk 3 minutes faster than my usual time. I was walking very fast for me. By the time I finished, I had cut 5 minutes off my time, but I was winded. I'm thinking about adding some additional distance next week.
Keep your eyes open - sometime in the next couple of weeks, I will be raffling off a quilt that I designed yesterday. I think it is going to be very pretty and I'm hoping it will raise some good money for the walk. I'll be sending out emails, but I will be sure to post the photo on the blog as well.
I'm Back
Sorry for the lapse in posts lately. The injured leg turned out to be a small blood clot in my left calf. It took nearly 2 weeks to have it diagnosed and another week and a half for my leg to stop hurting. After that, I had to get ready for my vacation, which took two weekends.
I went to NYC on my vacation. The first Saturday I was there, my daughter and I took part in a training walk with a group of women who will be walking in October. Two of them will be walking for their 6th time, my daughter will be on her 3rd and the other 3 of us are novices. We walked in Prospect Park. It was around 5 miles. After looking at some shoes, my daughter and I walked another 4 miles or so. The heat got to me and I had to stop, so we got lunch and then caught a subway home.
On the last Sunday I was there, we got up early and walked across the Brooklyn Bridge (my first time) and then down to Union Square. That was at least 7 miles - possibly more, but it was relaxed and unhurried.
At least I didn't slack off completely while I was away.
Weekend of July 31 - August 1
Part 1
I got up early and was out on the trail at 6:20 am. The waning moon was directly above me in the lightening sky with a very bright Venus showing to its left. It was only about 81 degrees, but with the high humidity, it wasn't very comfortable.
The bayou was very high. Apparently it rained a lot while I was out of town. The water was so high, the water from the areas further away from the bayou wasn't able to drain. The water hole near the beginning of the trail had its covering of algae broken (probably from the rain). The grass in the fields at the side of the trail had been cut, but it was very green.
As I walked below the tree canopy, I had to duck several times because the vines had grown so much they were hanging down to about 4' above the trail. In the areas where the canopy was very heavy, the smell of wild grapes was very strong. They were ripe and most had already fallen from the vines. I'm sure they made wonderful meals for the birds, but the ones that landed on the trail were very messy.
There weren't too many people and fewer bicycles than I have ever seen. I was done with my walk. I was by 7:45 and back home by 8:00. It was a good day.as good that I planned
I only planned to walk 5 miles. I have new shoes and don't want to over-do the first day. I used a lot of Body Glide on my feet to avoid having any issues on the first time out. It was good I didn't fo any further, because I rubbed a blister on my left heel and by the time I was done, my foot wasn't feeling too good. Apparently, not enough Body Glide.
Part 2
I got up at 5:00 am again and was very quick getting ready and hit the path by 6:10. It was considerably darker than on Saturday. The moon was still there, but Venus was to the right of the moon and not nearly as bright. The sky was nearly black. When I walked under the first area covered by the canopy, I was a little spooked. It was beautifully cool, but extremely dark. A bicycle came up behind me and the rider spoke very softly when he said "on your left" and it nearly gave me a heart attack. It certainly pumped me fill of Adrenalin and my heart-rate spiked. It made walking a little difficult.
The rabbits were very reticent about coming out to the trail. I guess they are getting older and more wary of people. I think I only saw 3 on the whole walk and they were far off the trail by the tree line.
People were out with their dogs, as usual. There was one small white dog whose owner was jogging and the dog wanted nothing to do with it. Another small boxer mix was carrying a loop of his leash in his mouth and dancing forward and back trying to get his owners to walk faster. The last interesting one I saw was a chocolate lab running well in front of his very tired and sweaty owner. I suggested that the dog had a bit more energy than he had. The man readily agreed.
At the half-way point on my 2nd leg (about mile 2) a woman walked up behind me. I had seen her several times before. I walked with her to the end of my leg (2.5 miles) and we had a nice chat. She is retired and walks a minimum of 5 miles each day. She checks the sunrise so she knows not to get out early. It was nice to have someone to walk with, even for a short time. I'm sure I slowed her down, but she sped me up.
I went to NYC on my vacation. The first Saturday I was there, my daughter and I took part in a training walk with a group of women who will be walking in October. Two of them will be walking for their 6th time, my daughter will be on her 3rd and the other 3 of us are novices. We walked in Prospect Park. It was around 5 miles. After looking at some shoes, my daughter and I walked another 4 miles or so. The heat got to me and I had to stop, so we got lunch and then caught a subway home.
On the last Sunday I was there, we got up early and walked across the Brooklyn Bridge (my first time) and then down to Union Square. That was at least 7 miles - possibly more, but it was relaxed and unhurried.
At least I didn't slack off completely while I was away.
Weekend of July 31 - August 1
Part 1
I got up early and was out on the trail at 6:20 am. The waning moon was directly above me in the lightening sky with a very bright Venus showing to its left. It was only about 81 degrees, but with the high humidity, it wasn't very comfortable.
The bayou was very high. Apparently it rained a lot while I was out of town. The water was so high, the water from the areas further away from the bayou wasn't able to drain. The water hole near the beginning of the trail had its covering of algae broken (probably from the rain). The grass in the fields at the side of the trail had been cut, but it was very green.
As I walked below the tree canopy, I had to duck several times because the vines had grown so much they were hanging down to about 4' above the trail. In the areas where the canopy was very heavy, the smell of wild grapes was very strong. They were ripe and most had already fallen from the vines. I'm sure they made wonderful meals for the birds, but the ones that landed on the trail were very messy.
There weren't too many people and fewer bicycles than I have ever seen. I was done with my walk. I was by 7:45 and back home by 8:00. It was a good day.as good that I planned
I only planned to walk 5 miles. I have new shoes and don't want to over-do the first day. I used a lot of Body Glide on my feet to avoid having any issues on the first time out. It was good I didn't fo any further, because I rubbed a blister on my left heel and by the time I was done, my foot wasn't feeling too good. Apparently, not enough Body Glide.
Part 2
I got up at 5:00 am again and was very quick getting ready and hit the path by 6:10. It was considerably darker than on Saturday. The moon was still there, but Venus was to the right of the moon and not nearly as bright. The sky was nearly black. When I walked under the first area covered by the canopy, I was a little spooked. It was beautifully cool, but extremely dark. A bicycle came up behind me and the rider spoke very softly when he said "on your left" and it nearly gave me a heart attack. It certainly pumped me fill of Adrenalin and my heart-rate spiked. It made walking a little difficult.
The rabbits were very reticent about coming out to the trail. I guess they are getting older and more wary of people. I think I only saw 3 on the whole walk and they were far off the trail by the tree line.
People were out with their dogs, as usual. There was one small white dog whose owner was jogging and the dog wanted nothing to do with it. Another small boxer mix was carrying a loop of his leash in his mouth and dancing forward and back trying to get his owners to walk faster. The last interesting one I saw was a chocolate lab running well in front of his very tired and sweaty owner. I suggested that the dog had a bit more energy than he had. The man readily agreed.
At the half-way point on my 2nd leg (about mile 2) a woman walked up behind me. I had seen her several times before. I walked with her to the end of my leg (2.5 miles) and we had a nice chat. She is retired and walks a minimum of 5 miles each day. She checks the sunrise so she knows not to get out early. It was nice to have someone to walk with, even for a short time. I'm sure I slowed her down, but she sped me up.
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