Memorial Day

We walked 8 miles this morning before it got too hot. We left around 6:30AM and it felt pretty good. I guess a lot of other people had the same idea of beating the heat. The trails were busy with bikers and walkers galore.

Hot, Hot, Hot.....

.....No, I'm not talking about myself and Bree. ;) It is already warm here and it makes training more of a chore.

The last two Sundays we've walked 11 miles. Last week we left around 8:30 and didn't get back until almost 1PM! Luckily, we both wore sunscreen. There were several parts of the trail though that had no shade and we were walking in direct sun. Not fun!

This week we decided to leave an hour earlier to beat the heat. That worked except that it was really humid Sunday morning. There was a little breeze so that made it more bearable. We walked the same distance and mileage. We're getting better about knowing what to wear, when to stretch, and how much to drink. Although, I need to drink more next week if it's still humid.

I know 4 hours seems like a really long time to be walking, but it goes by quickly. We know the trail really well now and I can kind of gage our pace. We're just shy of walking a 3 mph; which is about the right pace. You have to keep in mind we'll be walking behind, in front of, and with THOUSANDS of other walkers. We won't exactly be truckin' it people.

Fundraising is still going on...we both lack donations to meet the minimum. We still have all summer to fundraise. I know we'll make our minimum and hopefully surpass our goal.

Training

Wow! It's been a while since I've posted. I've still been walking, but they've been smaller walks. Bree and I have each had family in town or been out of town, so our Sunday walks are a little out of sync. Next week we should get back on track and get in a nice long walk.

Today was mother's day and Bree was out of town. So, I trained yesterday and today with my four legged training buddy. Coda once again was a great training partner. She kept up with me and didn't try to chase any squirrels. It was only in the 60s today and very cool after some early morning rain. The whole trail smelled like honeysuckle; which I love. We had a nice walk, although it was shorter than I would've liked. Oh well, life happens. I'm planning to get in a few miles each day this week. We have quite a few things going on after school this week so my gym schedule will be off. On those days I still plan to walk, walk, walk.

Soggy Sunday

Last night it rained all night and into the early morning. I was really hoping it would stop so we could get in our miles today. I still haven't invested in a poncho and didn't really want to hold an umbrella the whole time. Luckily by the time we were ready to leave, the rain had moved on. It was still damp, but nice and cool without being muggy.

We added on an additional loop today in order to up our mileage. We walked a total of 12 miles. It took us just a little over 3 hours; which I thought was a pretty good pace. We made our usual pit stop at Starbucks.

The added 2 miles was nothin'. We talked the miles away like usual. I'm very fortunate that Bree knows me so well and understands/accepts me for me. I'm not a morning person. So it takes a few minutes into our walk before I open my mouth. She never questions me or asks me what's wrong. She might be wondering how long it will be before I start communicating like a "normal" person, but she never says anything. I really appreciate her tolerance of that personality quirk. Love ya, Bree.

Milage Update

I know......it's only Monday. I got in 6 miles today; which puts me at 22 miles since Saturday. Who Hoo!!!!

I might need to replace my tennis shoes sooner than expected. :)

I'm a walkin' fool

This weekend was filled with walks. When I wasn't doing a "training walk", I was still walking. Yesterday morning, Bree and I got in another 10 mile walk. This time our pit stop was at Barnes and Noble. We browsed through the books for a few minutes and then got a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

Once I got home Jeff and I decided to head down to Dallas. We had lunch at a great vegan cafe and then went to the farmers' market. It's been awhile since we've been there and it was a nice way to spend an afternoon. We got some yummy fruits and veggies, met a nice rancher to buy meat from, bought some new flowers, and you guessed it WALKED all over the place.

This morning I went walking with Coda for a nice, leisurely 3 miles. She was a good girl as usual. Later in the day Jeff and I went walking for an additional 3 miles. We plan on walking tomorrow after work as well. He's really trying to walk with me as much as possible during the week.

Miles walked this weekend: 16

Soup and Salad Help Save the Tatas!

Today, Good Friday, we had a staff development day at school. A lot of people were bummed because it was initially a day off. Bree and I thought it would be a good idea to provide lunch for anyone who wished to donate. That way they could have a working lunch and avoid the long lines at restaurants. Well, our principal gave a nice little incentive to help us out with our fundraising. She "strongly suggested" that people donate and eat our lunch so they could leave early at 1PM. We were pretty excited about the unexpected plug and our RSVPs doubled.

Bree and I both made soup and salad. Our wonderful teammates made desserts and decorated our table area with a pink tata theme. Everyone was very appreciate of the lunch and seemed to enjoy our cooking. Many people donated more than the requested $5 and that was a GREAT surprise. A lot of the staff members have been super supportive and encouraging. Hopefully some of them will be able to come out when we walk to the cheering stations. It would be nice to see some friendly faces.