Holy cow, what a gorgeous day! As predicted, we had some rain this morning, but it didn't last very long at all. I had made a promise to myself that I was going to get in a long walk today to prepare for the Indy Mini (it's pretty much a given that I'll be walking the whole thing--maybe a few jogs here and there, but I'm cool with walking it). So, I was lazy for a little while when it was raining, but at around 10:00, I decided I needed to go out and get it done--because it was going to take a really long time.
When running, I typically figure a 10:00/mile pace when I'm thinking of how long it will take me (these days, it's slower, but it's an easy, round number to estimate the time for running). When walking, however, I had no idea what my pace would be. I guessed about 18:00/mile, so I knew that walking my planned 8-10 miles was going to take two and a half to three hours!
I downloaded some podcasts, and found a new one called
The Hilarious World of Depression.
It sounds terrible, right? Like, what's hilarious about depression? BUT, the last thing I want to listen to when going through depression is depressing stuff about depression. So, if someone can make light of it, I was all for giving it a try. And it had great reviews on iTunes.
(For the record, I think the new med that the psychiatrist prescribed may be working--my emotions have been very up and down, but I was expecting that. Today, however, I've had lots of "up" and very little "down". The doctor said I may start to feel better in just 2-3 days, or it could take several weeks--it would just depend on how my body reacted to it. Of course, my good mood could be caused from the nice weather, the fact that I exercised, and some other factors, too.)
Anyway, I dressed in capris and a t-shirt, because it was pretty warm outside. Then, I headed out for a long out-and-back. About half a mile in, I was thinking that a change of scenery would be nice. I decided to text Andrea and ask if she could give me a ride home if I walked all the way to her house. I had no idea how far away it was, but I guessed it was probably about 8-9 miles. She said sure, so I headed her way.
I shared my location with her on our phones (I love the "Find My Friends" app on the iPhone! It's awesome for safety purposes.) That way, she could see my progress and estimate when I would get there. My legs were actually kind of sore from running a couple of days ago (Ha! I guess that's what happens when you stop running for a while and then run again). I really liked the new podcast, and listening to the stories of comedians who dealt with depression was kind of refreshing! They managed to find humor in some tough situations.
The walk was pretty uneventful. I picked up any loose change that I found, which was about the most exciting thing, haha. At around mile five, my fingers were really starting to swell. I remember this happening whenever I've walked a long distance--since my arms are at my sides, instead of bent at the elbow, I think gravity makes the fluid move down to my hands...? That's just a theory, I actually have no idea why it happens.
As I got closer to Andrea's, I knew it wasn't going to be as far as I'd thought. I started thinking I could take a detour to add on a few miles, but my feet were already getting blistered. Again, since I haven't been running much, my feet aren't very tough right now. I've lost my "running calluses", so I'm susceptible to blisters. I decided I'd better just finish at Andrea's, and next week, I'll aim for 10 miles.
As I got close to Andrea's, a car passing by honked at me, and I saw that it was my friend Jessica! Usually, when people honk at me, I spend the rest of the day wondering who it was, but this time I recognized her car.
Mile seven turned over just as I was approaching Andrea's, so I was happy to get in that much at least. We went out in her backyard to chat for a little bit, and I realized I had completely forgotten to turn my Garmin off--so, the timer was still going even though I stopped walking, making my average pace inaccurate. But I'm glad I followed through and did a long walk!
| Found a total of 13 cents--woo hoo! ;) |
Nothing like procrastinating the training for Indy ;) I'm just glad it's a walker-friendly race!
Andrea is fostering this little dog named Crush, and I think he's ADORABLE. I wanted to get a good photo of his underbite, but I'll have to try again another time. He's the happiest dog I've ever seen! So cute.
(I can't remember if I wrote about
One Last Treat, but it's a local organization that takes senior dogs out of shelters and places them with forever homes so that they don't have to spend their last years in a shelter. Very cool, right? They have a "Vet Friend 'Til the End" program, too, where they place the dogs with veterans.) Anyway, Andrea started fostering these dogs (she's perfect for it!). I wish I was looking for another dog, because I would take Crush in a heartbeat!
Andrea drove me home, and wow--my hips were feeling very sore. Walking is no joke; there were actually a few times during the walk where I thought it would feel
easierto run. I'm really glad I did this walk, though--it felt hard doing just 7 miles, so I need to toughen up for 13.1 in a few weeks. Next week, I may try alternating running a couple of minutes and walking a couple of minutes, for the sake of time (and I think it may feel easier on my body).
When I got home, we opened up the windows in the house and the breeze felt amazing! It was about 82 degrees, the warmest day so far this year. I turned on some music, and Eli and I played cards--it felt like several perfect moments all came together today and totally made my day. We're supposed to have nice weather tomorrow, too :)
Happy Easter, everyone!
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