another weekend, another nor'easter

I had great plans to really pack on some miles this weekend, after kicking off 'Walking 2010'. The week has been so sunny and warm and bright.

Yesterday the rain came.

Today the Nor'easter came. Heavy downpours, high winds, the whole nine yards. At least I don't live at the shore. With the tidal flooding the beaches have to be gone. (Maybe Mother Nature will take some of those multi-million dollar beach house too. Stupid fools for building on the ocean front.)

I walked, at least a little everyday this week. It was crazy at all my jobs, so free minutes are fleeting. Thursday, I got to the College early and did the walking path in my heels, while talking to my sister on my cell. I really need to wear my pedometer again.

Hope the storm ends by Monday. I need to walk every day this week at least three miles. My 2nd stairclimb is Saturday in Wilkes Barre. I need to get in shape!

This time it's at the Wachovia Arena, so it will be more like when I climbed the stadium this summer at Fisher Field. There are 22 sets (or pairs) of stairs- 22 down, 22 up for a total of 44 — 1,224 total  individual steps, both up and down not counting the walk in-between the sets of stairs to the next set. Those in-betweens will be a nice rest point. This is for the American Lung Association and several members of my family have lung disease. Most of them self-inflicted by cigarettes. They take a finish line photo. Or at least that's what it says in the email update.

The email update also says spectators will have an area to sit and watch, and they'll be able to take pixs. So maybe I'll ask Bonnie to come along. They even gave us coupons for Red Robin. I think that's funny. A burger joint and exercise in one package!

Avon update:
Beth made reservations this week for the host hotel. So we'll be right in Times Square. That will be cool. I'm working to get our team established.

Achey feet update:
One of the reasons my feet hurt so much last weekend was an ingrown toenail. I got that taken care of Tuesday to the tune of $225.Wow what he pulled out was big. (And yes, I do support universal healthcare. If they don't give us that then there should be two-tier pricing one for us cash payers and one for the insured. I too realize that hell will freeze over before either happens.)

sharon's stepper

Sharon bought this stepper weeks ago. Henry assembled it. She tried to use and really couldn't make it move. "It's really hard" she exclaimed. I mumbled something about changing the resistance.

So today when I came back from walking she asked if I had a minute to change the resistance. So I went to her place. I got on the thing and couldn't make it move. She gets the book. There is no place to change the resistance. No dial, no nothing. Crap.

So I ignore the instructions and put it close to the wall. I finally made it work. Having something to hold on to other than those straps, helped greatly. I did it for 2 minutes...159 steps...thought I was going to die. I climb six flights at Acopian, the stadium at Fisher Field and walk up Frederick and Wyandotte streets with less effort.

I still think it's resistance. Maybe Henry screwed it together too tight or something. But I'm not mechanical, I can't help her.

It ain’t the LINC but I did it!

You'll remember (or maybe not since I think no one reads this) that a few weeks ago I decided to add to my exercise routine by climbing the stairs at of Fisher Stadium at Lafayette College at lunchtime.

Yesterday I did the whole thing. Nine concourses, about 100 steps in each direction, in about 20 minutes. Walking of course. I've got my moms knees and my father's heart, this fat girl doesn't run. I was pretty damn proud of myself until my niece asked how big the stadium was. Nothing like taking the wind out of my sails. Okay, so it not the LINC.

Now I'm going to add the visitor side. Or maybe do the visitor side one day, and the home side once and then start of working my way back. Maybe by the end of football season I can go across and back. We'll see.

Almost...

It's gorgeous today. Warm but not humid. The whole week has been great, but this is the first chance I really had to enjoy it. School has started on-ground, my online classes are a grizzly bear, and my hours a mess. It happens every fall.

My walking routine also changes. I keep long walks to the weekend, and shorter walks, sometimes really short during the week. On NCC days I park at the remotest lot and walk in to assure that I get to at least 10K steps.

Last year we walked at lunchtime, but a large project in the office keeps everyone in. I was determined to go out today. When I walked to Pfenning for a meeting thru the football stadium I decided I was going to to the stadium stairs. I tried it once before, and reached the 50 yard line before I was out of breathe and my chest was pounding. I haven't tried it since. However, my weekend walks have reached 14 miles, and my BP meds are adjusted, could I do it? Not quite.

So I put on my Simple shoes, left my office and told Allison if I wasn't back in 20 minutes to call for help. I was serious. With my sky high BP a stroke could be around the corner.

After the warm-up walk to the stadium, I did the home side starting at the scoreboard end, which I assume is the home end. It's about 100 stairs down, then another 100 back up. I did seven concourses. About 1400 stairs. It brought me to the visitors 20 yard line. Since about the 50 I had to stop once on each trip up. My knees were sore and I was tired. I finished the 20 and wanted to push on. I think I could have forced myself to do one more, I would have been breathing like daddy and my heart would have been pounding. I was nearing the 20 minutes and Allison would have come looking for me. So I was sensible for a change and stopped. Shocked, huh?

I'm going to do the steps at NCC, and keep doing ACE. Maybe I'll walk up to St. Luke's and do 8 floors. I'll be walking about 30 miles this long weekend. Maybe, just maybe, next week I can do the whole thing. A fat girl can dream.

I did it!

Today, I put on some socks, and strapped on my Simple shoes and finally tried the stairs at Fisher Stadium. To my surprise I got to and completed the 50 yard line! It was pushing it, I was breathing hard and my knees started to feel like jello.

It was funny. There was a real athlete running up them, being timed by his coach. Never could I do that. He ran up, then down, then did 5 push ups and repeated 5 times. Then he ran the track a couple of times and repeated. You would have taken me away in a stretcher!

I think I try to go one row further each time and after I can do them all, try to do them faster.

New crazy fitness idea to battle stress/BP

I just walked to the Pfenning Alumni Center (Lafayette College) thru the football stadium concourse and had a crazy idea.

I've been doing the six flights of stairs at Acopian Engineering building at lunch time for about two months now. I can now get to the top without breathing like my father. I'm still tired, but not totally out of breath and gasping for air.

So the new plan is to walk (and maybe run later) the home side steps of the football stadium at lunch time. (Dare I dream to do both sides?) I totally understand that at first I might only do two sections, maybe a bit more. But if I continue by the end of fall I should be able to do the whole home side, right? I certainly won't be able to do it when it HHH in August. I'd be so stinky and sweaty after lunch that I couldn't go back to work. That's counterproductive.

I have closed shoes here at the office and socks. Not quite sneakers (and last time I wore them to walk I got bloody icky blisters) to wear. The kind of look like bowling shoes. I got them from Simple shoes. They're recycled, of course. (Hmm, maybe my blisters were recycled?)

Am I nuts?

Hmm...maybe I'll be able to do one of those stair climbs in February after all. (As long as there is no fund raising. I am so over fund raising.)