walk my butt off?

Opportunity has knocked, and I've opened the door.

I received an email from Lyd yesterday. Prevention Magazine is looking for test subjects for a new program "Walk Your Butt Off".  It's apparently a sequel to "Run Your Butt Off". The magazine is published 15 minutes west of me.

She sent me the requirements: Fifteen to fifty pounds to lose, sedentary or stuck in a rut, healthy enough for exercise. (Though I think a 5k every weekend is more activity then they are looking for.) Are willing/able to stick to a moderate to vigorously intense exercise program and diet plan for 12-weeks. Are willing/able to track your workouts and diet for 12-weeks and consult with the program’s registered dietitian fill all the requirements.

The questions were pretty basic. Highest weight, lowest weight, fitness success, fitness failures, that type of standard question. My guess is they'll look at the pictures first. And then the words.

I need to have Lyd or Bonnie take a full-body picture. Cringe.

It's 12-weeks of dieting and walking. Right thru the holidays. If chosen my B2B Challenge numbers will skyrocket. And I can save $20 month on Weight Watchers.

Lyd doesn't think she'll qualify because of the WLS.

I don't think I'll be picked either. I don't think I'm fat enough. And I walk too much.

Wow. I can't believe I'm actually typed that.

walking and yoga

I received some junk mail today from the yoga studio on the south side.

Walking & Yoga Series with Laurel Attanasio

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the rain is over!

Join Laurel starting THIS Friday for her new Walking & Yoga Series.

Class begins with an energizing 45 minute walk on Bethlehem's NEW Greenway, located behind the Yoga Loft, after that come back to the studio for a 30 minute yoga class that will allow you to relax and lengthen your muscles as well as calm your mind.

We hope to see you on the mat Friday!

It's in the early morning.  It's expensive because of the yoga part. But I seriously considered doing it. It would force me to walk. (Get those numbers up for the challenge!) The program fits my schedule. It might help me relax, and it's only four weeks.

As a bonus, the yoga studio is on the third floor of Cantelmi's building. So I'm guaranteed to climb up those stairs twice each Friday. Another win-win.

If all else fails, it would get me away from the roomie for a couple hours.

But I've decided against it. Walking on the Greenway is free. I'd make a fool of myself doing the expensive yoga part. I need budget-yoga.

expensive medical week continues ...

Please let me be clear before you read this. I am not complaining. Whining a bit, but not complaining. My brother Dave has serious and expensive dental issues. My friend Angel has serious dental issues due to an accident. Mine are small potatoes compared to them.

Today was dentist day. If you want to have a really bad week, just have two medical appointments in the same week.

About a week ago I noticed two rough teeth. That's usually a sign of trouble. She warned me last time to save my pennies it was x-ray time. True to her word we had x-rays today.

A bit of a backstory. My dad had no teeth. Lost them when he was young. My brother Henry had no teeth. Don't ever remember him with teeth, don't know when he lost them. Crappy teeth run in the family.

When I was in high school I hated our neighborhood dentist. I had stopped going in 8th or 9th grade. I thought the man was incompetent. The straw that broke the camels back was when he talked on the phone while working on my teeth. He told me my teeth had soft dentin and I would be toothless at 40. I figured why bother going if I was going to lose them anyway.

In high school and after, the cavities formed. I ignored them. Until the fateful date when they developed in my front teeth. I went to the dentist because I was vain. A different dentist. An apparently competent one. I trusted him....as much as I can trust anyone with a medical degree. I don't know how I found him.

It was the mid-seventies and he had his work cut out for him. I spent a small fortune. He filled to some degree probably about a dozen teeth. But as soon as my mouth was healthy again I fell back into the old pattern of only going when I was in pain.

Then I got the gift of high blood pressure. Apparently oral health is linked to it somehow and I've been a good girl for the last two or three years. Too little, too late.

When I called the dentist office to make that first appointment, I had found out the my dentist was gone and a woman had taken his place. Surprise. I didn't get the letter because I was inactive.

For the first time in fifty some years I had a dentist that I mostly trusted and more importantly liked. She told me that first day that I could be running into problems. Most of my fillings were close to 40 years old and they could begin to fail.

They are failing.

Bottom line. The molar in the top back can be repaired. There's enough tooth.

The one in the front is failing and quickly. Since it was repaired at least twice, repairs aren't an option. It's gotta be capped (Cha-ching!). And quickly. Or I could wake up one day looking like a toothless hillbilly.

She's strongly suggesting that I have the other front tooth done at the same time. She might be able to replace the filling. But ultimately the repair has a good chance of failing. If we cap it latter, the two teeth won't match. How vain am I?

I choose matching. It's going to cost (gulp) $1800. It will be all done by Christmas. All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth takes on a whole new meaning.

i shrunk an inch .. or more!

And that's only the beginning of the bad news.

You guessed it. It was doctor day.

I actually was feeling positive today. My BP readings at home were consistent from 125-135/60-70s. My weight was about the same. I didn't kick the sugar habit but I cut back maybe 50%. It was a good morning, till I arrived.

My appointment by the numbers. They aren't pretty. Shield small children from them. I don't want to scar them for life.

• Height is now 5 foot 8.5 inches. My drivers license says 5 foot 10 inches.
• My weight is 233.8. Fairly consistent with what I get on Bonnie's scale.
• My BP was (gasp) 162/82 with a pulse of 52. Yeah, that's bad.
• The BMI for that height /weight is 30-34. Making me obese, class 1

So we talked about diet and exercise. She saw my log. All the 5ks. We concluded the same thing the nutritionist concluded last year—I eat fairly well, but too much. (And I still graze.) At least she didn't recommend Overeaters Anonymous. She suggested Weight Watchers. Forced portion control and you can eat everything. Wish Megan was here. She's a WW devotee. She would kick my butt.

She also asked if I was still doing Tai Chi to reduce my stress. I confessed no. The class on Saturday is seldom held, the one on Tuesday doesn't work with my schedule.  I need a stress reliever.

Bottom line. If losing weight and more exercise doesn't get my BP under control she'll give me more drugs. Or worse send me to the Nephrologist. No thanks to both. Goal is less drugs, no more.

My next appointment is in March. I'm off to WW online. Although I think the people version will be better.

---------------

In January my internet comes due and I'm going to switch to something else. My current local service is too slow for class. I waste a lot of time waiting for things to download. That gives me plenty of time to hit the fridge. So I set up a gmail account for all my walking and relate health issues since my three day one is long and will disappear with the ISP.  New addy is e2feet at gmail.com.

the lehigh valley hospital maze

I went to visit Bonnie yesterday at the hospital and got horribly lost. It took more than a half-hour to find her room.

Why? Because I wanted to walk the stairs to the seventh floor. Silly girl.

If I would have just turned right and took the elevator like the lady at the desk said, I would have been fine. But noooo, this fat girl has to use the steps.

(It's a hospital for Pete's sake. They should ENCOURAGE people to use the stairs.)

I turned right went to the elevators and looked for the stairway. None. Walked a little further and found some art, and finally steps. Went up them. To the third floor. That's how far they went. Came down, found another set. Went to the fourth floor and they stopped. I went thru that door and followed the fire evacuation chart to another set of stairs. Only went down. I went down and ended up near the kitchen and a storage room. Clearly not where I was supposed to be.

Wandered some more. Finally an orderly put me in an elevator. He laughed when I said I was looking for stairs. Then escorted me to the seventh floor in a staff elevator. We had to wait for the robot to get off first. When I arrived on seven I had to find Bonnie's room.

We had a nice visit. I climbed lots of steps, looked at art, and probably wandered an mile or two in the LVH maze. Aerobic workout, visiting hours style. Couldn't do it again if I tried.

men in skirts

Every year my town holds the Celtic Classic, a festival which celebrates all things Irish, Scottish, welsh and British. Large men in kilts toss telephone poles and boulders. Pipers pipe. Haggis is eaten and fun is had by everyone. Saturday starts off with an early morning 5k. Start time 8 am. Kilts are encouraged. I'm think 25% of the people were wearing them. 


This 5K starts on the south side and heads over the Fahy Bridge, thru the festival grounds and back. This year they added a 10K. The first 3 miles were the same, then they parted and did more.


The course this year was different. Mile 2 was hilly. If you know the typography of my area, you'll know exactly where I mean. We headed out First Street past the blast furnace and around ArtsQuest/PBS. We cam back Columbia and circled around the steelworkers memorial and up onto the Fahy Bridge. From the south side the Fahy is uphill, most of the way. We went down Lehigh and up the Main Street ramp to Main Street. Up Main Street to Market and the up Market. Market did me in. I was beat when I hit the top. But it was all downhill back to the steel company.  I finished in 53 minutes on the nose.


I was in this one alone. Bonnie signed up but she is in the hospital. They are trying to figure out what the heck is going on with her. The gluten intolerance is just the start of her digesting issues.


Lyd, Kathy and Sharon were in a walk in Nazareth with Lyds bari-buddies. I'm going to call shortly and see how they did.


------


B2B Challenge Update: I've done a minimum of 3 miles each day since it started except yesterday. I took little Bubba to see Thomas the Train. We spent a lot of time in the car.


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I just got a flier from the YW for The Race Against Racism on Nov. 5th starting at Moravian College. Given the starting point, there's bound to be some hills. You can find the race on Active.com or thru their FB page.

i really think i'm goal oriented

This challenge for my brothers church has gotten this lazy, fat butt out of bed and walking this morning. No excuses. I just did it, like when I was training for the 3-Day.

Day 1 of 84 completed.

bethlehem to bethlehem challenge

I received an email from my brother Dave today. His church is having a Bethlehem to Bethlehem walking challenge. It's part of their health ministry.

Remember when I was training for the 3-Days and I tracked my mileage? I went to Louisville—as the crow flies—and Chicago and I think I almost made it to the rockies one year. It's that type of thing. They want to travel 5092 miles in the 12 weeks until Christmas. Our Bethlehem to Bethlehem, Israel.

Dave forwarded me the booklet. Each week has a theme and spiritual component. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am not spiritual.

I'm in. I will make this card electronic and fill it in and send it in weekly. (I'm actually surprised that they didn't make a survey monkey for this. It would collect all the data except for the few unplugged congregants. Lots less work) Maybe it will motivate me to walk every day again. It will force me to track again, and it will force me to wear my pedometer again.

I emailed Bonnie and Lyd today to see if they wanted to do it. I'll ask Sharon. Maybe Dawn will join her since they live together now.

A family challenge, perhaps? We all know how the last one worked out.

----------

Update 9/22: Sharon is signed up and Lydia posted it both on her Bariatric Butterfly FB page and on the WLS forum. I've been getting about 3 miles a day in. I need to get five. That's 10,000 steps. No wonder I'm losing the little toning I had. Now if the rain would stop ...

crossing ben's bridge

Today was the City Of Hope Walk for Hope. It benefited women's cancer programs.

The walk began in Camden and crossed the Ben Franklin into Olde City Philly. The reason I wanted to do it was to cross the Ben. I admit it. I'm shallow.

We left Lyds at 7ish and headed to Camden. No traffic. We got there in 1.5 hours. So we arrived an hour early. But of course if we left later we would have been late.

The starting line was Campbell's field. A beautiful ballpark but not as nice as our Coca Cola Park. It might be my local bias showing but I don't think so.

We were early and they started late. To enter Campbell's stadium you have to go up a flight of stars. The walk started at the concourse at 10:10. A mass of people came down the stars and headed toward the bridge.

The bridge was 50% of the walk. We climbed three flights of stairs and were at least 10 feet above the traffic. The line of people stretched below us for a while. Bonnie and I were crossing over the ball park and people were still coming out.

The walk thru Philly took forever. We kept thinking the finish line was near. (It was billed as a 5K.) But it wasn't. We walked for about sixty-five minutes. Kathy's pedometer said we went 3.77 miles.

This walk was very organized at the ball park. It was a mess at the end.  They were supposed to have school buses to shuttle us back to Camden. We waited almost an hour and it never arrived. We took a cab back to Camden. Even going back to Philly we still didn't see a bus!

Traffic was horrible going back into Philly. I have no idea why. It was a parking lot. We abandoned our plans to go to a museum and got on 611/309 to come home.

(The pixs are from Lyds FB page. I borrowed Sharon's camera and don't have a card reader here.)

almost

My time today was 50:14. I almost crossed the 49 mark. I think I could have. When I came in for the home stretch, there were people crowded in the street in front of the finished line. I find generally that the runners/spectators are really inconsiderate of walkers. The runners are done. That's the race. They get prizes. Walkers, are..well...walkers. Something they have to put up with. So I went around them and saw a glimpse of a 9. I hurried. Could it be I finish in 49 something. But it was already 49:55. I'd never make it. But I tried.

This is the first time in a long time that the runners about equaled the walkers in numbers. I lined up behind the runners and left with the horn. 30seconds later they told the walkers to go. I was clearly in front. Everyone who passed me ran past me. Perhaps I was the first true walker to cross the finish line?

I was driving away and walkers were still coming in.

After the race I was to meet Sharon at the Rose Garden at 9. She arrived before 7:30 and called me. I was parking the car. Pat waited in the car.We were headed to Jim Thorpe after the race. I gave Sharon my camera to take a picture of me with the roses wearing "lucky" 13. I left the camera with her. She took another crossing the finish line. Then we headed for the car. I thought the camera and my phone were in the cup holder. That's where I put them. We stopped at Lyd's, switched cars and headed for Jim Thorpe.

When we arrived at the Fluttertorium I went to pull out my camera. No camera. Shoot. I left it in my car. However, when I returned there was no camera in the car. I searched Sharon and her purse. No camera. It's gone. No pixs from today's race. Or of Kolam week. I hadn't downloaded them yet.

update 9/20: Camera found in backseat of the car. Yes, I looked there three times.

5k weekend

Tomorrow I'm doing a 5K alone for the first time in a long time. It feels odd. Bonnie is on-call on a nursing shift, so no 5Ks for her. I guess I forgot to ask Lyd.

It's both an easy and hard walk. Starting from the Rose Garden you head out Broad. LV flat. Then you go up Pennsylvania Avenue. A serious hill. Then back Union Boulevard. Again, LV flat. The race is called Isa's Run For the Cure and benefits Alex's Lemonade stand. How much you wanna bet they are giving us lemonade to drink?

Sharon wanted to do this race, but I was worried about the hill. So she's going to walk in from Dawn's and meet me at the finish. Ironically, there will be a nice hill. But it's shorter, about 1.5 miles, and not timed so it's better. Pat is also waiting at the park for me and were heading to pick up Lyd and go to a butterfly thing in Jim Thorpe.

Saunday, Kathy, Lyd, Bonnie and I are headed at the crack of dawn to Camden for the City of Hope's Walk for Hope. We get to cross the Ben Franklin into Philly on foot. So cool. Hmmmm, do I need money to pay the troll?

Right now, I'm heading to do my 3 mile walk with Betsy in South Whitehall.

The weather is great, I'm energized for a change, and am raring to go.

the kolam hike

It's Kolam week at my school. Kolam is an ancient Indian art practiced by Hindus. Bruce Wall, one of our professors had a Fulbright to study the art form and arranged this all-college public art project.

Wednesday was Kolam day. The idea was to surround the College with a giant Kolam. Every path, every building, every tree.

I arrived at school ready to Kolam. As I entered campus that area was done. I passed the early education (day care center) building and I saw Bruce coming out of the art building. Where are the students handing out chalk at? "At the far ends of campus". he replied. So I was off. I walked and walked and walked. I think I walked the entire campus.

I got to the area that wasn't done. Couldn't find anyone. Checked out the walking trail. No one. Went behind the gym. Past the new College-use only bus stop. No one. I was beginning to think this was a bring your own chalk event.

I decided to go to class. Then in the distance I saw a student drawing on the ground. I ran to catch up with her. "Where are the people with the chalk?" Over there, and she pointed to what used to be called the "smoking tree". (Campus is smoke free. They would smoke there. Then they took away the benches. Problem solved.)

The students handing out the chalk were on the other side of the early education building. Thirty, maybe 40 feet from where I started. Bruce was with them. I probably clocked close to a mile and a half.

So after a half hour of walking, I finally grabbed some chalk and drew.

i'm new to 5ks ....

I'm just a fat girl who likes to walk with people. That's why I started every two feet. The idea remains, but I took down the FB page because only "family" posted and it was kind of silly. I could talk to them one-on-one.

A week or two ago my niece Lydia, asked me to "friend" someone on FB. Michelle wanted to try 5ks. So I did. And she signed up for the one in Nazareth on the 24th.

Then I got a message from her. "Since you do so many of these, what is an approximate time for finishing?"

That's a really good question. 

For a newbee? 55-65 minutes. To get Lydia moving, I had her try a 1-mile fun walk.  Her first 5k with us and her friend Kathy, the Jingle Bell Run/Walk last December, was about 62 minutes. (I hate saying hour and two minutes. Sounds so long.) Kathy was about 64 minutes. Both have been doing them about a year now and are down to the low 50s. I come in now (after 3 years) at about 49-51 minutes. But I don't walk nearly as much as I used to. I could be closer to 45 minutes I bet.

The more you walk the better and faster you get. Especially if you do intervals. (1 minute quick, 3 minutes slow. Slowly it turns upside down that you're doing 1 minute slow, 3 minutes quick.)

But it's not really about time, is it? It's about starting and finishing even if you're the last one over the line. Don't compete, just complete. I was that person a long time. It wasn't until I started walking with Bonnie, who has a quicker pace because of all the gym time, that I sped up. She's also very competitive. It was good for me. Even if I do call her "Jillian".

I suggested to Michelle that she keep a  little notepad in the car so she can write down the time and date (and race name of course) so you can see your progression. I'm sure a phone has an app for that. Or you could write it on your bib if you save them.  Also write down challenging terrain or severe weather so if your times are way off you know why. I know when I see a gravel trail it will slow me down. (53 minutes!) The Parkway kills me.

I forgot to tell her to take pictures.  Drats.

I am not a trainer or exercise coach. Any advice I give is based on a mere three years experience. A little of that came from being a training walk leader for the 3-day and the Avon and a 12-week First Strides class. It could be totally off the mark. It could be right. If you're serious about starting an exercise program "talk with your doctor". I know nobody does. But I don't want anybody suing me for bad advice.

But the fact remains that Lydia is now moving, and I'd like to think that it's because I helped her. Sharon is also moving much better. When I started with her we stopped 3 times every walk.  So I have a tiny track record with family.

I'd love if there was a half-marathon just for walkers. Or a 10K or a 15K. I need challenges to keep me motivated.

I'd love for every two feet to be a viable walking group. I'd love to have a competitive 5K for walkers only. Or even better a noncompetitive 5k-10K-15K. You pick how far you want to challenge yourself.  It would be a clover leaf so that each circle finished and started at the same spot. That would be so cool.

5ks

On the road to Cape May we were talking about 5ks. Who was signed up for what and we all got mostly in sync.

Then Lydia posted on FB about a 5k in Nazareth. I couldn't make it because I was busy that day. But all her Bari Buddies started signing up and a group of walkers formed. Then I was asked about other races. So I made a list if anyone is interested. This list is by no means complete. I am a bad typist. So do your own research. I'm not responsible for typing things wrong.

If it has one * Lyd is signed up. If it has ^ Bonnie and I am signed up. I think.
 ________________________________

Fund Raising Walks. Not competitive. Good way to get started. Time yourself.
CureSearch Walk, October 8, Bethlehem Township
I checked, there is no minimum fund raising amount.
Light the Night LV at Northampton Community College October 15. I'm not sure if there is a fund raising minimum.

5Ks
^ Allentown Rotary 5k, Game Preserve (now "Nature Preserve"), Schnecksville, October 2
Women's 5k classic, Lehigh Parkway, Oct. 15
^* Tim Lambert BSA 5k Run/Walk Easton/Pburg  Oct. 29
^ Fitzy's 5K, Reading,  HILLY, streets, trails and even grass.
^* Turkey Trot. Historic Bethlehem November 26  -- hilly
^* Joan's Run, Lehigh Parkway November 27
^* Jingle Bell Run/Walk, Northampton CC  (fundraiser. No minimum that I know of.) Rolling hills and a lot of them

Pretzel City in Reading offers a lot of 5ks and sends a weekly newsletter. They go west to Harrisburg and south to Lancaster. Big area. Sign up for the newsletter here.  Filled with races and bad jokes.

Active covers the whole country. Walking, running, stairclimbs you name it. Just stick in a zip code, and an activity and let her rip. The search engine will give you lots.

fat girl climbing

This weekend, Bonnie, Lydia, Sharon and I went to Cape May. The trip was postponed from Hurricane Irene weekend. Originally we were going as part of a whale watching fund-raiser for Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (Philly branch). What is SSCS? Think Jacques Cousteau. Think Steve Irwin and PETA, but for ocean life. My friend/client Tracy organized it.

Our bed and breakfast had a no-cancellations policy at 14 days. Hurricanes don't give you that much lead time. I wasn't able to get a refund, but I was able to rebook.

The Doctors Inn in Cape May Courthouse is beautiful. Over the top Victorian. A little pricey for my budget but I didn't plan far enough ahead of time to get something more reasonable. Motel 6 this wasn't. And it came with breakfast. If you went away hungry it was your own damn fault. Oh, and it's 33 steps to our room. Sharon and Lydia counted them.

Saturday morning we stuff ourselves and headed out on the Parkway On The Way to Cape May. (Click the link, you'll hear the song!)

First stop the Cape May Light House. 199 Steps, plus as Lydia points out, 5 to get in the building. A tight spiral staircase with several small landings. And of course we had to come down, so that's another 204. Then we went and played in the surf.

(My camera's battery was nearly dead at the Lighthouse. I forgot to recharge it. Normally I have a second battery. But this camera I didn't buy and extra one. Dummy.)

But we did some nice resistance walking in the sand and saw a sandshark wash in. After we took some pixs of it, one of the fishermen threw it back in.

Then we headed to the other side of the peninsula to check out the World War II Look-Out Tower (aka Fire Tower #23). 105 steps. These steps, for the most part were easy. Normal steps except at the top. Why? because the GIs had to climb up to the top using ladders!

Next stop whale watch.  No climbing or walking, but we saw lots of dolphins and a hump back whale!

We ate an early dinner and then headed to the Washington Street Mall and walked some more. I bought Fralinger's Salt Water Taffy and Fudge. I ate taffy but not fudge, yet. We took a ghost trolley tour and came back to the B&B and climbed up those 33 steps.

Sunday we got a late start. While everyone slept in, I worked in my on line class, then went for a walk around the neighborhood. They weren't up when I got back. I thought I'd give them till 9. But they got up on their own shortly before.

After another huge breakfast, we headed to Wildwood to go bike riding on the boardwalk. In North Wildwood we stopped at the Hereford Inlet light. Lyd counted the steps but I don't remember...55, I think. It's truly a house with a light. The Coast Guard still uses this one, with a mechanical light, and had the light tower locked. We couldn't go up there. One of the former light keepers son, Jack, was there talking to people as a volunteer. His dad kept the light till 1955.

As we drove thru Cape May on Saturday, Bonnie saw these surrey bikes and was fascinated with them. Sharon doesn't ride, so unless they had big trikes she'd be alone waiting for us. When we got to the bike shoppe they had 4-person surreys. That's what we got. Never again. I was a horrible front seat passenger, a worse back seat driver, and not a swell front seat driver. I was terrified the whole time we'd hit someone. Maybe early in the morning would be better? I think it was harder work then pedaling a real bike.

Out last stop was in Margate at Lucy the Elephant. I've seen her several times, but had never gone in. The others never even saw Lucy, we had a coupon, so we decided to wait and go in. It had tiny little spiral stairs in it's legs. The toughest stairs I think of the weekend. There has to be a size limit to get in there. I was afraid I'd get suck. Lyd counted the steps again, but I don't remember what it was. I'm guessing about 50.

All in all a good weekend.

g.i. jane 5k

Today was Ashly's 5K for Freedom in Lehigh Parkway. We did this race last year so we knew to expect lot of pomp and circumstance. They didn't let us down.

Ashly was Army. Last year there was a Marine Corp color guard. This year I think it was Army. She was killed in the line of duty at 21. They had military vehicles and people at the event. A current G.I. Jane took the picture of us.  Both the Gold and Blue Star Mothers groups were there. Veterans groups were there. People missing limbs were there. And politicans were runners. Yep it was that kind of a race.

It opened with the color guard and the Pledge. Then moved, of course, into the Star Spangled Banner and lots of speeches. Then someone sang a country song I had never heard before. Even hardened people like me could help but get choked up. I tried to find it online, but my knowledge of country music is limited and I only heard it once. Maybe Lyd will remember.

Finally the race started. Bonnie was in front, then me, then Lyd. Bonnie got ahead on the hills and I caught up. Suddenly there was Lyd. She wanted to be in the front a few minutes so she RAN ahead. Let's not talking about cheating. Lydia ran.

We stayed together till Lyd slowed down to take pics of Bogart's Bridge. Bonnie and were going to power walk across it. She flew. It was too uneven for me. Then it seemed every one was stopping at the end of the bridge to take stones out of their shoes, adjust their baby carriages, whatever. Bonnie was gone. A full minute ahead of me. Every time I got almost caught up she sprinted ahead.

Around 2 miles she started hurting. She's just off the DL. I think she was pushing too hard. For maybe a half-mile we were together or I was ahead. Then she got her second wind and tore past me. At one point she was a full minute ahead again.

She came in at 52:55, me at 53:25, Lyd at 55:21, and Sharon at 57:30. But Sharon didn't finish. She got lost. Or confused. Or something. She's walked the 5K course before, I don't know what her problem was.

In our goodie bags there was penny candy. I gathered Sharon's, Lyds and mine together and put it in a bowl for Halloween. The roomie scored the Slim Jims. Sharon took the granola bars.

After the race they had fruit, chips, pretzels, hot dogs and hoagies. The chips were by Utz. Regular chips, made in central Pennsylvania and they only have 3% salt! The low salt ones from Frito Lay I've been buying Pat are 4%. Unlike Frito Lay, Utz has been low salt for 85 years, plus they beat Lays in calories, fat and other nutrition facts. They are my new favorites. Local (okay, Pennsylvania preferred) and low salt. And they taste good too!

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There was only football on tv tonight so I watched the local news. Bonnie and Lyd were on the 5K segment, twice. Once in the big pan shot about 3/4 of the way thru, and again as a closeup near the end.

september challenge

You know me. I like a good challenge. I've been able to give up maybe 80% of my soda habit but that lingering 20% — and my love of sugar in general‚ is keeping me fat.

In the last week or so my sugar addiction imploded. I was super stressed. Online class ended, and started, and I was preparing for classes to start. Plus worrying about my beach trip being canceled because of a hurricane. I was chugging soda like it was water. I was eating candy like it was a food group. I felt like poop.

Something had to change. And it did today. I hope.

For the month of September I'm going to attempt to not drink soda, eat candy, ice cream, pastry and cake and try to kick this habit once and for all. Will I be reading packages like a diabetic? No. Will I be dumping all the forms of sweetener in my house? No. (That's my collection on the left.) I just want to tame the beast.

Day one. 

Went okay. No breakfast soda. We went out to lunch and they put mints on the check tray. I didn't eat them. I haven't hit the machine a school for licorice. Day one is easy. Day 27, is a different story.

Full disclosure. I'm going to the shore next weekend. A trip to the shore involves fudge and salt water taffy. I will have some. Not a whole pound. I will also ride bicycles, walk boardwalks, climb lighthouses and other physical activity.

Now what do I drink instead of soda? Water is the natural choice. But I have to admit that water gets old, at least for me. Even adding lemons doesn't help. I like bubbly water but don't want to pay the price. I admit it when it comes to some things I'm cheap.

One day at Bed, Bath and Beyond I saw a Soda Stream machine. It also makes bubbly water. But it's $125. I should just buy the bubble water. But that's a lot of plastic.

My colleague suggested becoming a tea connoisseur. The whole process of brewing would be relaxing and break the stress. Some are full of antioxidents and other good things. But of course it has caffeine. Don't want to go on that road.

My sister Elin was the tea drinker. She had quite a collection. My niece Bonnie is also a tea girl. Me, not so much.

Now I love ice tea. (I really don't care for hot drinks—and Chai is gross—except hot chocolate. Yeah, I know, sugar, chocolate and whipped cream.) Angel suggest becoming a connoisseur of iced tea. Is their really that much variety out there for iced? Right now I just make solar or fridge tea.

Last Thanksgiving (or was it more than that) Dave and Barb were telling us about a fancy tea store, Teavana, in the Lehigh Valley Mall. And showed us the hot tea brewing device they bought. I'm remembering that their worked kind of like French Press, where you floated the tea in it, and then plunged all the leaves to the bottom. But I could have made that up. My memory is about the size of a gnat.

I bet Bonnie would go with me to look at teas.No pots. Too expensive. Will stick with a pan of water. Not even a kettle.

In a Korig you can make tea, even iced tea, I had it at Musikfest. But all those little plastic cups... It's expensive too.

Like normal, I'm getting ahead of myself. Putting the cart before the horse mama used to say.

One day at a time, fat girl. One day at a time.

coca cola park

I go to Iron Pigs games 3 or 4 times a year. I'm not the biggest baseball fan, but it's a great park with wonderful pulled pork, local beer, and silly pig mascots with giraffe necks. What more could you want?

Last night I was there for a game. We got pummeled.
I always wondered how far I walked when looping the ball park. It's the kind of things walkers think about. Then I saw this sign. One loop, 1/3 mile. 3 loops. 1 mile. Cool! Why had I never seen it before. There was several of them on the food court side of the park.

I didn't get to the park till 6:45 because I had class till 6. By then, it was getting packed with people. So I didn't try it. But next time I will.