two wet girls, walking

Well we did it. We went walking in the storm. It was fun. Just around the 'hood, to the university and back Broadway. The curb gutters are really collecting water because of the rain. Our feet were wet, and where our raincoats didn't cover our pants.

After lunch, Adonis was being a brat and wouldn't "go"  in the yard. So we took him out in the rain. I think he was jealous. Just wanted to get wait.

On the hurricane front, watching the news footage of the storm in Atlantic City, I saw many areas flooded that we walked thru just two weeks ago. The ocean it seems, is very angry.

walking in frankenstorm, pt. 1

There's a little storm outside. Schools are closed, including mine, and New Jersey has evacuated the coast line. Looks like "Sandy"will come ashore in Atlantic City early this evening.

I have to tell you I have a bit of a laissez faire attitude toward these things. The weather people get themselves stirred into what I call a "weather wet-dream" and it builds and builds as the week goes on. More times than not the storm doesn't hit, or it's less than expected, or whatever. Rarely is it as advertised. Maybe it's the "boy who cried wolf" syndrome that I react to.

This time it looks like the perfect storm (Nor'easter, hurricane, full moon, and warm front) might be just that. I have nothing prepared. It is what it is. Hopefully the power won't stay off for a week like the last time. It took me a year to refill my freezer. I don't want to throw it away again.

Since I'm off I decided to go for a walk. At that point it was drizzling. I posted on facebook, off to walk in the storm. Lydia saw it. Her work is closed. She's on her way over to walk too. According to the map, we better walk fast!

canal path, easton

I picked up Zahra and we stopped at Walmart for Sharon's meds. On the way to Easton she told me that they go to the square for the farmers market and she loved to walk. On to plan B!

I parked at the canal towpath, and we hiked down toward 25th street. At the bridge, we turned around and came back. Not sure how far we waked. I was more than a mile. She'd like to go along to Hawk Mountian.

Then we headed to Lafayette, and took a mini tour of the campus and the Tiffany windows.

The Eid celebration was okay, and it didn't look like they had enough food to feed all the people, so we packed up and went to Spice India. I think they made hers mild and mine extra spicy. Oops.

She was hoping that classes would be cancelled tomorrow because of the storm and they are!

hurricanes, halloween and pumpkin cookies

The weather people have been in a tizzy for a week about Hurricane Sandy hitting the mid-Atlantic. It looks like she'll arrive tonight and tomorrow.

What have I done to prepare? Nothing. I went for a walk instead. Alone. A fat girl has her priorities.

I walked to Bottom Dollar. Apparently during last year's storm, with the back injury, I forgot to process pumpkin and put it in the freezer. How could that have happened? I had to buy canned pumpkin—the first time ever.

Why cookies? Why now? I have five international host students, from two schools, and I needed to make them a trick or treat. I thought pumpkin cookies were seasonal and not-holiday specific. Four are Chinese and one is from Yeman. Tonight I'm picking up Zahra and taking her to the Eid celebration at the Lafayettel. I thought I'd deliver the others today, just in case the storm does hit.

The walk to the store was fairly short. It's only about a mile one way, and maybe a mile and a half back. The route is a triangle. But it was good to get out.

I'll walk more when we get to campus. I want to show Zahra some of Easton and the Lafayette campus.

Not the normal five or six miles we get on a weekend, but not bad for a pre-Frankenstorm.

a sea of pink

Today was the Making Strides breast cancer walk. There was a lot of people.

Is anyone familiar with Connestoga Street?  We came down the hill to the historic district and out Old York Road, down Union Blvd., and back Connestoga. When we reached the little bridge, about halfway down, We could see people still coming down the hill! A mile plus solid of people.

Kathy had a death in the family, and Bonnie had a conflict, so Sharon went along and did the first section of the walk. Pooped, and unwilling to walk up both the Center City and New Street hills, she bagged and went back to the start line. Lydia and I finished the route. It was better—we could walk slightly faster, but not extremely fast because of all the people.

The highlight for me was see in my friend Gail, who has been doing the 3-Day for about a decade. We trained together when I did it.

I think I probably did in excess of four miles today. Walking from the parking garage to the site and back, and then walking Adonis on his 1/2 mile route.


Now, it's off to a Mexican joint for dinner!

south whitehall township

Almost every Friday my friend Betsy and I walk her neighborhood in South Whitehall township. We have three basic routes, plus the Target route and the Wegman's route. All circle thru the developments, around the Temples, and Springhouse middle school.

Not much to report, unless we take the dogs.

However, today is trick or treat night in out area, and several yards were decked out for Halloween. (All but the last photo is from the same house.) So we can call this the spooky walk!

 Speaking or trick or treat Stop by. For the wee one I have goodies—candy and little toys. For the adults I know I have wine. But if you're pregnant and 14 please don't come. If you're old enough for that, you are too old to trick or treat.

 (If there's a rock and roll heaven, it must have one heck of a band!)

 (it's hard to see Captain Hook's skeleton at the front door.)

Update: 10/27. In today's Morning Call there was a story about people decorating for Halloween. The house with the cematary, rock band and red devils was on the list. It was cool during the day, I wanna see it at night.

looks like it's happening

Back in mid-September I was contacted by Prevention magazine about the Walk Your Butt Off test panel. I had to send a current photo in workout clothes.

I was fairly certain they'd see a fat girl, and cross me off the list. Clearly I was wrong. Another email came today.

"Would you let me know the city and state where you’re located? We’re gearing up to finalize this story, and our art department will most likely be in touch within the next week or so to set up a photo shoot. Most likely, the photo shoot will be in Emmaus. Are you able to get to Emmaus easily?"

Shoot. Looks I need to lose 10 pounds before next week.  And exercise a lot.

pt 2 – half-marathon day

We got up at 6 and headed for the boardwalk by 6:45. The sun was rising over the Atlantic. I could get used to morning like that, very easily.

We headed to the beach for our first start picture. I so wanted to step in the water. But I didn't want to walk 13 miles with wet shoes. There was nearly an hour before the race started. On the walk over we met Pat from Maryland who was run/walking. We stayed with her the first mile or so.

The walkers were supposed to start at 7:50 or 8:00 depending on what you read. Instead they started everyone at 8. So the walkers went to the back of the 10K people. We didn't, we went back some, left some runners go and then merged in. After leaving the boardwalk we met Ann, who more or less stayed with us the whole route. Her and Bonnie finished together.

We thought it would be flat, but it wasn't. They closed off the AC Expressway and we went up and down long curved ramps. And we walked thru our first tunnel. Then we walked thru some neighborhoods, casino service roads, and past the light house before ultimately reaching the boardwalk.

By that time the three of us were in last place, I was a few steps behind Bonnie and Ann and had a team of sexy guys of bikes with me. One said "You are the hottest girl in last place." I called him a liar and thank him for the compliment anyway.

On the boardwalk were tourists, bikers, pedi-cabs and all kinds of stuff. No clear aisle mapped out for the race. It was race-walking and dodge ball at the same time. I thought I had picked up a stone but was going to tough it out.

When we past the finish line for the last 4 miles (2 out, 2 back), I los Bonnie and Ann. Then I dodged a bike and pulled a glute muscle. The stone in my shoe hurt. I got slower and slower. They got further and further ahead. When I walk alone I slow down. I felt like quiting.

I stopped to deal with the stone. Put my shoe on and it hurt more. Stopped again. This time it was better but not much. Decided not to try any more. It was what it was.

Bonnie and Ann passed me coming back.  They were going to make four hours.

When I passed the final mile time sign it said 3:45:xx. No way I was going to do the last mile in 14 minutes.

"Compete, don't complete" was screaming in my head. I completed in 4:06:xx. See previous post. I was last. Lydia said she saw other half marathoners coming back after me, but they must have been running with someone. I had the sweep team on my tail the whole time.

My reward? Yummy lemon water ice.

After the race we went for burgers, then hiked back to the hotel. That's when I found out the stone was not a stone, but a giant blister on the ball of my foot. Luckily I had a free first aid kit that I had gotten at a 5K in my backpack. It had a 3" square that promptly went on my foot.

Wacked up and signed out and called the valet for the car. Then we headed uptown to the Absecon lighthouse.

Absecon was built in 1857, 171 feet tall and has 228 steps. It has it's original first order Fresnel lens.

Bonnie decided 13 miles was enough for one day. Lydia and I decided to climb. Apparently they had a buy a step program for the restoration. Every step was numbered with a dedication. In some way that was exciting information. In other ways, not so much.

After getting our books stamped, we headed for the Expressway and headed home.

one weekend, three lighthouse, one half marathon and a rescue station

A relaxing weekends down by the shore. I know people always rag on the Jersey shore, but I like it. I just must not be there on the days when medical waste flows in.

Saturday we left Bonnie's about 7:30 and headed down the turnpike. But instead of the AC Expressway we got on 95 and went around Trenton. We stopped at a DINER with local, organic, natural food. Jersey Fresh and farm names were all over the menu.

The hunter's bacon was the best I ever ate. Thick, unsmoked, not processed with nitrates. I didn't order any, Bonnie and Lyd did, but they gave me a piece. I was amazed for the quality that the prices weren't that much more than a traditional diner.

We waddled out of the dinner,  drove thru the Pine Barron's toward the Barnigate light. 

The Half Marathon coincided with the Lighthouse Challenge weekend. For that, you try to do as many lighthouses as possible. If you do all of them you get put in for a prize drawing.

We arrive at the Barnigate light,  we signed in for the challenge, and received our passports. You can see on the back how many lights there are, including two in the Delaware bay.

Barnigate is 172 feet tall, 217 steps and built in 1859. They had the biggest expanse of beach, a visitor center, potties, and a picnic area. Yeah, it was a state park.

Down the street is the museum, with the original Fresnel lamp. In three short blocks we had two stamps in our passports! This building was the town's one-room school house and post office. It had a beautiful garden

Next stop was the Tuckerton. There at the Tuckertown Seaport was the Tucker's Island lighthouse. Much small, more house-like with only 40 stairs to climb. The original was eaten by the Atlantic during a storm in 1927.

The volunteers were decorating the lighthouse for the big haunted seaport Halloween festival next weekend. It was a little scary during the day!

We got back on the Garden State Parkway, passed Atlantic City and headed to our next stop the US Life Saving Station #30 in Ocean City. Constructed in 1885 it was decommissioned in the 1940s, and used as a private home.

When we arrived it was gutted. The docent said that the Coast Guard even sent over volunteers to help. They are just as excited to see it restored.  Though now it's in a neighborhood, at one time it was on the beach, and there is a large room to take the boats out from. Next year the exterior will be done, and if all goes well in 2013 the interior will be done. They are hoping to restore it to it's 1915 appearance.

About 3:00 we arrived at the hotel. Just in time to check in. In the lobby was an exhibit of Miss America dresses. We looked at them all. On the second floor was funky parade shoes. Clearly these were not designed to walk in.

We then walked the half mile to Bally's AKA the starting line. On the 6th floor was the expo, and sign in to get your number, shirt ect. Leaving, we got lost in the maze and spent a good 45 minutes trying to get out.

Our plan was to eat and then head to the Absecon Lighthouse. It was 1.5 miles away and they were open for night climbs. We headed out the Boardwalk and walked and walked and walked. Didn't see it. At the Revel hotel I asked a pedi-cab driver how much further. He said another 10-15 minute walk. And m'am you don't want to walk there. It's a bad neighborhood.

We talked about it and decided to head his advice. When we got back to the hotel, I looked at the map. I think we were 3-4 blocks away. Sunday, we discovered we were about 2 blocks. I guess the skycrapers block it.

the results

Hopefully tomorrow I'll have time to type up a real post.

omg

It's here. We're leaving at the butt crack of dawn on Saturday. Race begins at 7:50 am.

Hoping to finish in 4.5 hours. Have 6.

dirty girl team tee-shirts

I design the logo and the team liked it. One of my students has a t-shirt printing business, so I hired him to print them. I'll tell him to keep the screen.

I picked chocolate brown because we'll get muddy at the dirty girl! Also, we'll stand out in a sea of pink.

I'm wearing mine next week at the Making Stride walk.

me and, me and, me and mr. pole, mr. pole ...

(The title is a take on Me and Mrs. Jones by Billy Paul.)

Today the female members of my family had a date with Mr. Pole. Some bagged out at the last minute including the birthday girl.

We warmed up with sexy walking. Then we learned one routine using a chair, and finally played with Mr. Pole.

The chair routine was easy. I was just starting to break a sweat when we took a long break. I would have like to have done more. Maybe she should have showed us all the various moves and then let us follow and do what we could.  I kept walking around the studio to keep warmed up but we then went to the pole.

When we moved to the pole, I think we learned four moves on the pole. I couldn't do any of them. I spent lots of time on my butt on the floor. The picture is of me trying to look sexy falling. Lydia is in white and my niece is in the halter top.

I can see how it might be a good workout, but we didn't work out enough to make that determination.

bernheim forest

Friday I drove to Kentucky for the weekend. It's my sister's 75th birthday.  Last year at this time she was gravely ill—a party was in order.

Lucky for me it's fall break at I had off from the community college. However, I still have my online class and a 16 page catalog to do. And the exhibit opens Wednesday!

My sister calls every Friday and I told her I was in a design conference in NYC. Of course I was driving south. Saturday morning when I called her I told her we were going walking in the forest. Just not which one. Lydia played along and made believe she was coming in the front door. She really was coming from the hotel bathroom.

So fun. She was surprised several times.

The walk in the forest was Bernheim Forest. A beautiful place with tons of hiking trails. We met Bob and Carol from the Derby City Walkers, a Volkssport group. Bob and Carol are also volunteers at the forest, so they knew a lot about the flora and fauna.

We all walked the first 5K. Part paved, part gravel, part dirt trail in the forest. Flat and small hills. It turns out that Bob and Carol also mapped out the trail at Bernheim!

We were at the last section of the 5K and there was steps to a memorial. They headed back to the visitor center. Bob, Lyd and I finished the 5K and then Bob and I did the second 5K.

We bid goodbye to Bob and Carol and went up the street to Jim Beam's Distillery. We did the self-tour and saved ourselves $8. The best part was the tasting. The look on Lyd's face when she tasted it was priceless.

Our final stop before the party was the Louisville Slugger factory/museum. I wore my Iron Pigs Diamond Diva shirt for the occasion.

The poor guy who was trying to do repair work on the bat. He was getting nothing done!

Today we are going to my niece's studio Polesque dance inspired fitness. We'll try pole , Vegas stelittos fitness, and burlesque strut. Then finish the morning with mimosa's and croissants. Totally negating any calories we burned!

camper scamper 5K

This 5k was billed as a trail run, but it was closer to being cross country. It was hard, but fun, and an hour away— Horsham. But I really wanted to do a real cross country 5k. It started maybe two years ago with an episode of the Biggest Loser. They were in Australia and running thru the woods and thru water. I was hooked.

About a month ago Lydia and I did a 5K at the Seed Farm. It was rustic and hard. Close to a cross country, but not really.

Today's was true cross country—grass, wetlands, forest, fields, meadows, rocks, roots, bridges... After parking we were greeted by this sign. At several places. (The logs of the cabin were vinyl siding!)

They clearly forgot to mention the killer black walnuts. Almost lost my ankle a couple of times.

Bonnie decided Thursday she'd walk. Clearly while she was on the DL she practiced silly faces. Or else she had something stronger than hot chocolate for breakfast!

Just off the DL Bonnie cleaned my clock at 55:02. That's a hair less than 3 MPH. Not bad for the terrain.

I finished in 55:55, and Lydia in 63:04.

We stayed for the awards and we won none. But the lady in front of me came in 3rd place for the 60+ age group. But I won a Mary Kay basket in the bib-number raffle. Me and Mary Kay. Now that's funny.

After dropping off Bonnie, we came back to my house and Sharon and I took the dog for a walk.

Right now the back of my thighs, where they join my butt hurt.

Speaking of aching legs and butts. Some walking friends are participating in the Breast Cancer 3-Day in Philly!

zumba party in pink

Friday night I went to the Zumba Party in Pink in Bath. It was 1.5 hours of Zumba lead by five instructors including one man.

Ultimately there was 20-30 people including all the instructors. Almost everyone wore pink. including the man.

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it's listed on the website as a Zumbathon, and a party in pink. I think I was expecting more of a party atmosphere. You know, streamers, balloons, pink Gatorade. They did have one raffle prize. I don't even think they played the Party In Pink song—All Around The World by Paulina Rubio.

Overall it was just a really long class. Nothing I was familiar with, so I did maybe 1/3 of it. Very high impact. My knees still hurt. It was actually very similar to the first Zumba class I went to that I hated.

I have plans for the local events in October. The one on the 20th in Allentown sounds more like what I was expecting. But alas, that's half-marathon weekend. So I'll have to pass. There's also one the 28th, which I might be able to make. But it's at the Pig Pen bar. Really, exercise at a bar? But I bet there will be a pink cocktail.

walking clinic

 (banner, http://wowpowerwalking.com/wp/  
But y'all knows that this is my gym too. Just not in Toronto.)

I'm on a email list for walkers because of my involvement in Walk Your Butt Off. So I got this invitation in the mail today, and it looked like a great opportunity. (I had gotten an earlier email to reply if interested for this list. Of course I said yes.)

The only bad thing is I can't invite the others. It's only open to the people she emailed. Unless there are spaces left. That leaves me no alternative but to show them, or attempt to show them, what I learned.

Hi everyone,

Hope you're enjoying the beautiful fall weather--perfect for walking!

Since you expressed an interest in attending a Speed Walking Clinic, I want to give you first dibs on signing up. Here are the details...

For this clinic, you'll get the opportunity to be coached by one of my mentors Lee Scott from Toronto.

Lee is a certified personal trainer who's been coaching walkers for more than 10 years. She developed the WoW Power Walking® program and the Simple Secrets for a Great Walking Workout DVD-CD as a way to engage people in a challenging and sustainable lifelong activity. She has coached thousands of walkers for fitness and marathons. She has power walked more than 70 distance events including a 50k ultramarathon and 22 full marathons including winning the 2008 Cleveland Marathon walk division and achieving a personal best of 4:51:51 in 2011 at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon—that's about an 11-minute per mile pace (5.5 mph)!

Okay, I'm exhausted reading that paragraph. 5.5 miles an hour for a walker! I'll be doing a naked happy dance when  reach 4mph!

Joelle Junior, a certified group fitness instructor and former Prevention magazine colleague, will also be assisting. Joelle was instrumental in making the Prevention marathon walking program that I started a success. She's also walked several marathons and half marathons and has gotten progressively faster.

So you will have three of us coaching you to provide a lot of individual attention.

We will videotape you so you can see how you're walking and ways to improve.

We will work on proper technique and form.

We will do drills to help you get faster.

We will give you exercises to do after you leave that will help you to continue to improve.

And we'll have fun!

We are limiting the group to 20 people so we can give you more personal attention.

The clinic will be Sun Nov 4 from 1-5 pm.  ...

So I replied yes. The price isn't horrible.  And it really is the only time I'll get to work with Scott, so when opportunity knocks, I should answer.

I'm just thinking I should be 30 years younger....