bringing up the rear

There will probably be very few pictures from now on. I lost my camera, again. Maybe I should take my iPod.  Photo on right is a "file" photo.

Since Lydia didn't come to the Alburtis 5K today, it was my turn to bring up the rear. I came in last of our group at 51:02.

I am not getting any better. And it frustrates the hell out of me. In 2010 I came in at 51:20 which was a personal best at that time. In 2011 I finished in 48:38. Pretty much my best time ever, especially with all the hills. In 2012 I came in at 49:58. Last year I signed up, but didn't go. I don't remember why.

Clearly my times are getting worse. Why? I have no idea. It certainly wasn't the weather. It was a beautiful day. It wasn't the course. I've walked it at least three times before. I know where all the hills are and I power walked down each of them. I know I'm slow going up them. I know when I walk alone my times are always worse. I tend to daydream and listen to the woodpeckers.

Three things I know for sure. 1) I am frugal. I'm doing less races to save money.  2) I am healthy. I go slowly up hills but my heart doesn't feel like I'm going to explode. Though today it felt like I was walking on the side of my shoe. 3) I am easily distracted. This is the big one that impacts my time. My head goes on these little journeys and I slow down. I did not stop today for wildlife or art or architecture. But it does happen.

When I first started doing 5Ks I walked alone and my times sucked. Then Bonnie started coming and I did better. I had someone to talk to, and least until the last 1/2 mile, later the last mile, still later the last half. Now, she's off at the start and I see her at the finish. She always beat me, but now she cleans my clock. Bonnie was on fire today. She finished in less then 48 minutes. And "wasn't pushing" herself. I was giving it everything I had. She was cheering me on at the end and I told her to "shut up". I was already pissed about my time, I did not want a cheerleader.

I totally "get" why Lydia doesn't want to do a half alone. We are very much alike.

Megan was about a minute ahead of me. I don't know her time. I could at least see her.

I am so frustrated right now with exercise. I think my frustrations started to boil this week. First golf. then shitty results at the race. Then a friend bought a fit bit and is scoring 10-15K a day WITHOUT going for a formal walk.

What the hell am I doing wrong? And more importantly how the hell do I fix it? It's hard enough to fit in the exercise I do, do. I just want to crawl in a corner and cry sometimes. Instead, I'll go grade.

lock ridge park

Today, Bonnie, Megan, the wee one, and I headed to Alburtis and Lock Ridge Park.  We chose it because we thought it was all was paved. It's mostly paved.

Lydia was sick—she's got Bonnie's 5-pack-a-day cough—so she didn't come. Rumor has it that she spent the day reading. Jealous.

When we arrived we parked and a dog started barking at us. We said out loud "would leave their dog in the car on a day like today?"  I said, maybe they went to the latrine. Five minutes is fine. Then a girl came over and said "he's mine". Turned out they were doing a photo shoot of shelter animals, and he doesn't play well with others so he had to stay in the car.

She was no more than 20 feet away, so he was okay. (Now. He was a pit/bull mix. Abused. Megan noticed the scar on his back. It was ugly. The rescue-girl said that was 100% better. I can't imagine what condition he was in when he arrived."

A loop—with several paths— at Lock Ridge is about a mile and a half, so we walked around twice. But we didn't take the same paths so we were a little closer to 2.5 miles in an hour. The one by the railroad was flooded and we couldn't tell how deep it was. Probably fairly deep. It extended into well onto the grass. So we didn't complete it. We turned around an came back.

There was one much longer path, but that one was not paved. Megan didn't want to jostle the baby around on stones.

I usually only come to this park for the 5K in August. To get to the park we drove to the start point, then followed the 5K route. A lot out-of-the-way but it worked. During a 5K there is no time to look at anything or take pictures. Today, I looked at everything and took pictures. I found two staircases and took them both. The others continued on. That's fine, I'm a big girl. But then I came to a fork in the road and yelled "Which way did you go?" They yelled "left" and I went left and caught up with them. The museum was not open until one, so neither were the bathrooms.

What is this place you might ask? From the Lehigh County website: "What looks like a stone castle was a coal burning iron furnace. The beauty of the furnace and surrounding structures belie their industrial roots."

When you live in the Lehigh Valley you can't escape iron. Or limestone. And by extension cement.

a very good day!

Today was the Alburtis 5K ad I finished in 48:38. AHEAD of Bonnie. Dang, it's god day.

Then we went to the diner for breakfast, then to her house and I weighed myself. I lost 2 pounds!. Now I''m only up 4 for the summer. Maybe it was the walking at Musikfest yesterday? I was there from noon to about 7 pm and barely sat down.

Last night I went to Alburtis to pick up our race packets.  I got lost. Glad it was last night and not today.

I picked up Bonnie this morning and we headed to Alburtis. We arrive 15 minutes before the race began and got a sweet parking spot and a package of Pez.

Bonnie hasn't done any exercise since the Memorial Day race. She wanted to try it today. Shortly after the 1 mile mark she pulled off the course and waited for me to come back, and then finished with me. Meanwhile she took some pixs in the park.

It's a hilly course—up hill in both directions. At the 1 mile mark I was at 15 something. Almost 4 miles an hour! At the 2 mile mark I was at 32 something. Not as good, but still not bad. When I re-entered the park, it was flat or downhill to Bonnie. I power walked the whole thing. It help make up for some of the time I lost going up hills.


When I saw the finish line and saw a 4 at the beginning of the time I got excited and booked it into the finish. I was like someone put dynamite in my butt and lit it. Much better than that 60 minutes the last 5k.

I always lose time the last mile. I really need to work on endurance and consistency.

 Next week we have the Merry-Go-Round 5k. The walk isn't timed. That's good because they'll be lots to take pixs of. Plus it will give Bonnie a chance to do the full 5k without the pressure of a clock.

They, whoever they are, says what comes in twos comes in threes. Wonder what number three will be?