east allentown

Today we did the East Allentown triangle. It's a hair over 3 miles. Closer to the marathon we'll do it twice, once in each direction. That will add hills and other challenges.

We started at Planet Fitness and headed east on Hanover, with a quick photo stop in front of Scoobie's Gentleman's Club. 

Then we headed west on Union, and came down Irving and back Hanover. The new pedestrian safety island is nice, adds a little something to the 'hood. Will it help save lives? Not sure.

I must say that the sidewalks in Allentown—at least where we were walking—are much better than some of the ones we walk on regularly.

This route can be made four miles quite easily, and even six when it is closer to the half marathon. Which for Bonnie is in May. I'll have to plan loops, so those who do want to go the distance, don't have to.

I also took a pixs of a new restaurant. I thought it was a funny combo. But my friend assures me that in North Africa kabobs and pizza share space. I'd like to try the kabobs. No website. Foolish. One day I'll go anyway.

strngth and tone = torture

There's a reason this fat girl likes walking. It doesn't hurt. Usually.

Today I went to the Strength and Tone class. Totally different than the last one. Actually my colleagues say everyone has been different.

Today they dusted off the step platforms from the 90s. I was very afraid. I tried a step class once, and lets just leave it as it didn't end well. The only class I've ever taken—before this summer—that I paid for and didn't finish.

I think this might have been worse. You used the stepper to do crunches and things. What seemed like thousands of them. I cannot do one correctly so now my neck hurts.

My knees are also screaming, but I'm not sure why.

We were supposed to take heavy hand weights, but I took two pound ones. Maybe next time I'll go to three. I'm not interested in being Mighty Mouse. I just want to be able to do the Dirty Girl Run and finish all the obstacles. Build my strength so I can open a jar of pickles.

This is a free class, so I have to do one more before I decide if I'm sticking it out till the term is over.

Speaking of Dirty Girl, here's our T-shirt. Brown with pink letters. Won't stain as badly. I'm hoping to have them done in time for the Making Strides walk in October.

MM from http://oliviaunitycollege.wordpress.com/2011/02/21/mighty-mouse/

strength and tone

 sxc.hu

Yesterday was my first time at the lunchtime Strength and Tone class. My colleague assured me that torture lady from this summer was not the instructor.  She was. The regular instructor was out.

Now it wasn't as horrible as the torture class this summer, but it was a lot of up and down. Can't we do up, then do down, and call it a day? Old fat people with bad joints are not flexible. I guarantee it.

I really liked the up, and could do most of it. I can't do a squat but she told me the demi-pliés I was doing were find. Good thing. That all the further I can go! We used weights and resistance cords.

On the contrary,  I hated the down. I can't do a push up to save my soul. Or a crunch without torturing my neck. I lay on the mat a lot.

There is a niche market out there for exercise. Exercise for dummies. Instead of having this beautifully choreographed routine that no one can do, how about teaching the moves. Show all the ways that it can be done—easy, harder, hardest—and then walk around the room to make sure everyone can do it. Correct their form so that they don't hurt themselves. Then one by one make it more difficult so by the end of the 10 or 15 weeks you can do the whole thing—well. I guess that's what personal trainers do. But I can't afford that. Nor, do I think I have the desire to spend that much time in a stinky gym.

Will I go back next week. More than likely. Trying to tick with my three strikes and your out rule.

Friday, I might go to Bath to the Zumba Party in Pink breast cancer event. I fear it will be a mob scene and I won't enjoy it, but oh well, it's for a good cause. Why Bath? The ABE ones are scheduled while I am away for the Half Marathon.

no more pink sneaks?

I've been noticing for awhile that my pink sneakers are shot. Just look at the bottoms. From what I read you have about 600 miles in a pair. I'm well past that I'm sure. Sadly I just bought them in February or March.

So I said to the roomie, "wanna go for a ride in the car?" Amazingly she said yes. So off we went to my favorite sneaker store New Balance. A corporate sponsor of the 3-Day, all their shoes are made in Massachusetts. That's right. We still make a couple things in America and I'm buying them.

As you've seen in many posters my sneakers are pink. A percentage of the sales go to Koman. I'm looking at the clothes and the clerk asks if I need assistance. I point down and say "Need these in a 10."

"Pink has been discontinued."

"What?"

She shows me gray. "They have plenty of pink". The thought behind the color change is that the pink gets dirty quickly. Personally I don't mind dirt, but I guess others did.

I was disappointed but I bought them. They also had a sneaker slide in the same gray, much less pink, but the insole has the Koman logo. Guess my shopping trip can go in the budget as philanthropy!

While I was browsing I found this shirt. Now if you've ever sat in one of my classes, this typeface —hobo—is on the never-use list. (Morris Fuller Benton, 1910.) It has been miss-used and abused so badly since the advent of personal computers. Clearly this is warped for effect.

I was also looking at pants. During the summer I've been wearing my regular shorts. I have yoga pants and knee length pants that I wear. However, neither of them are really practical for Zumba, or Stretch and Tone, or any type of group aerobic-like class. I need shorts. I want them tight, but not spandex. And I want pockets. I kept going back to these and leaving them. They were a bit pricey. Finally, when the clerk asked the inevitable "will there be anything else?" I said "yes". Then I asked her about how they fit. That's when she told me they have a built in panty! She said they are form fitting but not tight. They move with you, but won't stick to you. And they aren't baggy. I bought them. Both the t-shirt and the pants fit like a dream. The shorts are exactly what I wanted. You'll see them tomorrow. I'm wearing them for the Iron Pig 5K.

When we returned home I sat down at the computer to type this up. The roomie says, "if they discontinued your pink shoes, maybe you can find them on the internet." Some days she's so smart. I searched. I found. I bought. The girl who three years ago did the 3-Day in Birks, now has three pair of sneakers.

Now I just need to find out in NCC is still recycling the old ones. If worse comes to worse I can take them to the Nike store in Tannersville. They always have a bin.

got stuck in a meeting

And missed my Sculpt and Tone class at the college's gym. Hopefully next week. It's described as a full body workout. A fitness toning class that uses low weight and high repetitions to effectively sculpt and tone the body's major muscle groups.

My colleagues said today was lots of crunches. I can't do a crunch to save my soul.

torture class, week four

My colleague picked me up at 6:15, and as I got in her car, she said "I don't want to go to torture class". So we walked instead.

Zumba tonight. Maybe. Depends on how hot it is.

week three

No inspirational messages this week. But I am inspired. Only 2 more to go, and I might not go to the last one. It depends. I have to take Angel and Bug to Philly that day. We’ll see.

She changed the torture this week. We did a lot of work with the resistance bands that I actually didn’t mind. A lot more work on the floor which I did not mind.

For example do three push-ups then kick your legs out. Say what? I did three, and stayed in a plank for about a minute than sat on my mat. We also lay on our back, which for me was easier. I didn’t need to hold my bulk up.

I really hate the popcorn aspect of the class. Up, down, up down. I might get more out of it if we stayed upright on down for 10 minutes at a time.

I might achieve my goal of doing half by the end of this. If not I’ll get close.

When I got back to the office, I ended up moving boxes for an hour. Plus standing all day. Wednesday was a high impact day. Bet I burned three or four calories.

torture, week two

In this mornings email I found this inspirational message from our torturer, I mean instructor. It reminds me of the stuff Lyd posts on her Bari Page on FB. As a graphic designer I must note that it needs contrast. Just saying.

The workout was exactly like last week. I might have done a hair more of the standing work, but did little on the floor work. Although I did manage 3 half-assed push ups in each set. Then I held a plank and crashed to the ground.

Like last week, my knees hurt. This week because of the planks my wrists hurt. And my shoulders. Not enough to take the Aleve. I have to be in serious pain to kill my liver.

We're going to finish this class but not take another, unless it's different. And really for beginners. We'll go back to walking the stadium stairs and maybe go into the gym for some weights or cardio. I actually kind-of like the weights. But not enough to buy some. Besides, I wouldn't use them if I did.

Yesterday on my way to the Wawa I saw a sign at the old American Legion. Zumba 6-7 pm on Weds. nights. Now when I did Zumba before I hated it. But this is four blocks from my house. I can walk, at least till summer is over. I have no excuse. Maybe I can get Lyd and Bonnie, after she heals from this latest surgery, to join me. Maybe I'll even go tonight. Seeing the people in my ’hood, I should not be the heaviest one there. This will clearly not be a class of Jillian's.

Monday I did my errands on foot. It was bright and sunny. I was five blocks form my house, a black cloud appeared, and a downpour occurred. I was a drown rat.

six degrees of torture

Today was the first day of Sun Rise Power Class at the College gym. We started work an hour late to go. So much for sun-rise!

It was torture, surrounded by torture and finished with torture. And muscular skinny people. Envision a room full of perky Jillian's.

I went thinking I could do half the stuff. I did maybe a third. It was hard and I am unfit. I couldn't even do a jumping jack. A jumping jack for Pete's sake. I did them all the time as a kid.

The first part of the workout was arms, with weights. I used 2 pounds. I could do the arms, or the feet, but putting the two together didn't work.

The next section popped back and forth between standing and on the mat. By the time I got down, or got up, they had often moved to something else. I am not agile. When I was in sync, I did three half pushups. I stayed on my knees, not my toes.

Now if I was still doing my Fat Butt exercises I could have maybe done more, but probably not. So you are in a plank, on your hands and toes, and you start kicking out to the left and the right without killing yourself or someone else. Then there was another called the grasshopper. Again you were on you toes and hands, and you rolled up and down somehow. I still haven't figured out how. At one point I just laid on the mat. I wanted to cry.  But I didn't.

My new goal, to be able to get to half by the end of the six weeks. Maybe practice getting up and down. That would increase my productivity.

I think the lame squats I did killed my knees. Dang they hurt. Maybe gym day will be Aleve day.

My favorite part of the workout was the walk to and from the gym and climbing all the stairs. But I need to get out of my comfort zone. And I paid the $20. So every Weds I will be tortured. I think I need to get some bike shorts to wear.

This is part of the motivational email Karen, the leader sent us. The graphic above was in that letter too.  Enjoy.

•When you exercise early in the morning, it "jump starts" your metabolism and keeps it elevated for hours, sometimes up to 24 hours!  That means you're burning more calories all day long just because you exercised in the morning!
•Exercise first thing in the morning is really the only way to assure that something else won't crowd exercise out of your schedule. When your days get hectic, exercise usually takes a back seat!
•For many people, that appointed time every morning becomes something they look forward to.   It's time they've set aside to do something good for themselves - to take care of their body.
•When you exercise in the morning you'll be ENERGIZED for the day!

fisher stadium

When we worked on campus I used to do the steps of Fisher Stadium on a regular basis. I had forgotten how shallow the stairs were. Today, I could only do five sections (about 500 stairs). It's part of the new summer workout program.

My car pool buddy and I decided that since the kids are gone we were going to try the gym before work. You know how I love a gym. So today we parked at the office and walked to Kirby gym. And it was closed. My heart did a happy dance. It seems like everything around here is closed the week between finals and graduation except our office.

So at first we were going to just walk, and then I said, lets do the stadium. And we did. When jelly legs made their appearance, we stopped and took the scenic route back to the office.

Next week we'll try for the gym again.

kicked treadmill today

Today was the weigh-in for the Walk Your Butt off program. I have no illusions that I'll be in the book. From conversations around the room I could tell that some people lost a lot of weight, and did super on their walking test. They'll be in the book. But that's okay.

I did okay. Average. But that's who I am. And that's okay too.

On average I lost about 3 inches from each thing they measured, except the girls. They were closer to 5. My weight on their scale was 219. I started at 239. But I weighed in about 5-6 pounds heavier on their scale.  Fifteen more pounds and I can finally pass Sharon. Do I look any different. No. Do my clothes fit any different. Not really. Do I feel any different. No. Oh well. As Lydia would say "It's all good".

Textbook perfect blood pressure—120/80.  That's two great reading in a row. Hope it stays that way for the doctors visit! Maybe that beast has been tamed? Now what can I do to help the cluster headaches?

The treadmill test. The first time I was at 17:33 for a mile. This time I burned rubber at 14:22. Now several of you use treadmills all the time so this is small potatoes for you. But for me, it was the best part of the day. Please don't comment that you can do a mile in 10 minutes. Please. It will burst my very small bubble.

Next challenges:

• February-March the Iditawalk
• March Arena climb. Fundraising minimum too steep for the 54 floor stair climb now.
• April, the 10k. 6 miles fast. Hope I'm ready.

Then the big decision. Registration is $45 for the 50K. Do I do it or not? Have to decide by February 1

i didn't fall off the treadmill!

Again, I arrived at Rodale early. I allow time for school buses and traffic, and have none. The other person being tested was late. She had it all! Ironic, huh.

We go into the gym and they asked who used a treadmill before. The other woman said she did. I said no, I tried but could never get them to work.

So he explained that this model has a warm-up time. This one had a countdown before it started to move. I was a sissy and held on for most of the test. He told me he could see me getting more relaxed and used to it.

The test was pretty easy—warm up and then go as fast as you can for 1 minutes, cool down. I had a learning curve on the dang machine. For the last 1/4 mile, I mostly didn't hold on. I finished in 17.35. That's about what I do a 5K at.

It was funny because he said I kept grabbing back on the rails because of my posture. I should keep my shoulders behind my heels and walk upright. Like I do with regular walking. I didn't tell him I walk hunched over, looking at my feet.

This afternoon I'm going on the Friday walk with Betsy. Then Saturday, Lyd and I are doing the stairs at Lehigh. It was her idea. Not mine.

sitting, cross legged, in the middle of a parking lot

Sharon wanted to go to the gym this morning. I said yes. It's supposed to get more hot/humid as the week wears on, so I wanted to be sure to get some walking in. Without a mega walk to train for I've turned into a wimp. For the past two years I went out in every kind of weather. No matter what.

We got to Planet Fitness early. (The pix was from when she joined the gym. Even Sharon isn't silly enough to wear a winter coat in July!) She had to wait about 15 minutes for them to open. The parking lot was pretty shady at this point. I headed right out.

I headed up the hill, past Dave and Barbs, out Chew, up another hill to Hamilton, and then came down Irving. It didn't seem long enough. But the route was pretty shady. (Google Pedometer said less than 1.5! oops.)

When I returned to the car, most of the shade in the parking lot was gone. Then I started playing the wi-fi game. Find a place in the lot—with shade—that I could connect to wi-fi. So here I am, sitting on the curb next to Family Dollar. Totally pointing away from the gym. Hope Sharon see's me! I am kind of hard to miss. People are staring at me when they drive past. "Who's this loon on the curb with a laptop?"

Last night while watching This Old House, WHYY had an ad on for the Y12K.So I looked it up. No walking segment. Hey guys, if you want to raise money for public television, then include walkers damn it. There is a family fun walk. 3K. I'm not driving to Philly for a 3K. What is that, a mile and a half?

I am going to sign up for the City of Hope Walk of Hope in Camden. It's a 5K September 18. When will I have another opportunity to WALK across the Ben Franklin Bridge? Heck, some days it takes forever to drive across it! That's certainly worth the drive to Camden. And it benefits women's cancers. Good cause.

It's been more than 45 minutes since the gym opened. Wonder where Sharon is? Maybe she's wandering the parking lot looking for me. Guess I need to go find her. If I can get up from the curb.

----------

I found her sitting on the bench, in the sun, right by the gyms door. "I've only been here a couple of minutes".  "No, I didn't see you." Did you look. "No. Thought you weren't back yet."

another snow day ..

...with more on the way.

Saturday it snowed and today it was bitter cold and a bit icy. No walking outside for me.

Saturday I took Sharon to the gym. No pictures. It's was packed. All those new years resolutions about getting fit I guess.  She's taken to following me to the bikes, and then when  I'm done, she's done. Excuse me? Who's paying for this membership? Don't you want to get your money's worth? So I tricked her.

She zoomed over to the bikes and I headed for the elliptical. I did five minutes and was exhausted. Need to build up again. Can't remember the number. Maybe 7 or 8. Then I went to join her at the bike. "Where were you?" "Eliptical." "But I can't do that." I just smiled and said to myself, yeah I know. I set the bike to 10, and watched the heart rate. I got up to the fat burning range, and did that for 5 minutes. Then I hopped off. And headed over to the "thigh master".  Moments later Sharon arrived.

I do believe I have a shadow.

Everything I worked on was for the lower torso and legs. I'm okay with those most of the time. It's the upper body that I have trouble with. Thus the reason I'm as weak as a mouse.

By 10 the snow arrived so I got to shovel. That burned three or four more calories.

Sharon went out with Lyd today and bought a walking DVD. I'm doing it tonight.

Hopefully I'll get out tomorrow to walk outside. Another storm is due Tuesday and Wednesday.

twas the day before christmas

Doing better at walking this week. I guess it's true, I am goal oriented.

With next week off, and my pledge to turn off technology for a week, I should get mega exercise in. And reading. And knitting. And a movie or three. (Two actually. One each with my niece and nephew. Narnia and what?)

I went walking on Wednesday with Betsy for an hour and did my shopping first at Crest Plaza so I could avoid the dreaded Cold Stone Creamery. Only did the stairs and shopping walking Thursday. Today I went out walking with Sharon. Tried to push her to go a little faster. Tomorrow we're going to the gym and then the hike up to Big Rock Park and then Saturday or Sunday I'll ride the bike again at the gym when I take Sharon.

Guessing the gym will be empty tomorrow.

I did find some fresh motivation this morning at the Wawa. Strangest things you can get there.

I pulled in next to a mini van filled with crap. I noticed because the whole back was covered in bumper stickers. When I went in, there was a 500-600 pound man coming out carrying his big bag. The kind of "fat" person you see on The Biggest Loser. He nearly mowed me over. I felt skinny looking at him, but thought nothing else about it.

Then when I came out the white van was still there. Inside it was the 500 pound man. His seat was all the way back, his shirt had hiked up so his belly was sticking out and it was hanging over the steering wheel. He had a USAToday resting on the steering wheel and his gut. With a giant coffee cup in one hand and one of his breakfast sandwiches in the other.

I was embarrassed by myself. I could keep my eyes off the car. I was staring! I forced myself into my car and finally pulled away.

"There but for the grace of god go I" looped thru my head.

Thank you very fat man. You were a well needed kick in the butt.

good news, bad news

Well the good news is I got a flu shot. Went to the drive-bys sponsored by the Health Department and the Lehigh Valley Hospital. I also called the nutritionist.

The bad news. The flu shot usually results in me getting sick and the nutritionist never called back. Maybe I should take that as a sign.

The really bad news? I've been a big fat lazy lard butt all weekend.

Friday I usually walk with Betsy. We talked about it. It was cold and damp and drizzly. I had a lot of posts to tend to from my online classes. I was going to Diwali* with my international student that night. I was looking for an excuse to stay home. Betsy wasn't thrilled to go, so I had my out and we stayed home. Strike one.

Saturday I went to T'ai Chi and nobody was there. I posted a basic walk on the every two feet page, and no one responded. I went looking for dryers instead. Strike two.


Today I was supposed to go to Planet Fitness with Sharon and walk with Lydia after my flu shot. Her day became unexpectedly complicated so she couldn't come. This morning when we were trying to plan our timing for the gym and the flu shot (they are about a mile apart) Sharon says: "I have an idea. You hate the gym. (Indeed I do.) Drop me at the gym and we'll start the wash at the laundromat in same shopping center as PF), I'll go to the gym go to your flu shot. OMG an "out" for the gym. I seized the opportunity. I should have went. I didn't. I told Sharon never to make an offer like that gain! No gym. No walk. I'm lazy. I have to volunteer at two. Strike three and I'm out.

I'm not going to kick myself. It happens. Next week we get back on the wagon

------

*Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights, to celebrate the new season at the end of the monsoon. It is particularly associated with Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity, and marks the beginning of the new year. The picture is from the altar.

sunday in the park

I posted a beginner walk today for every three feet. Several people and a dog came. It was quite exciting. Of course it was all family. Even the dog.

We were at Bicentennial park in East Allen Township. We did two loops that totaled about 1.5-1.75 miles. Lydia's pedometer read 2500 steps which would be 2.5 miles. It wasn't that far. Part of the course was one of the fitness walk things and we played on all the equipment. Lyd took pixs with her moms camera of us being silly.

I talked to Lyd about setting a 5K for a goal and she said yes, hesitantly. I think she can do it. If I can, and Sharon can, she can.

This morning, for the first time in months I went to Planet Fitness with Sharon. 15 minutes on the bike at 10 and I didn't break a sweat. Guess I need to figure out how to change the settings. Then we did the dreaded machines. ALmost had a fight with Sharon. She is using them wrong. I'm not 100% sure what she should be doing, but it certainly didn't look like the pictures! For Christmas I'll have to get her personal training sessions again. I think she's forgotten everything.

ditto

The heat wave continues. I didn't even post a walk on the every two feet page.

The temperature clock at the high school says 118. Okay, it's a little off, but it feels like 118. I should have taken a picture. Maybe if they haven't fixed it yet I will. I always forget there's a camera in the phone.

I took today off, sort-of. Bonnie is in North Carolina and I didn't want to listen to Sharon whine about how hot it was. So I played hokey and took Sharon to the gym instead.

Yesterday I walked with ML in the morning, then walked downtown to T'ai Chi and home. I had a 32 ounce container of water and I ran out before I got back. I should have refilled it at the church. I think I really like T'ai Chi. There is free T'ai Chi at the Yoga Loft on Tuesday and Thursday this week. I think I'm going, especially since there isn't any at the church this weekend because of the holiday. Right now it's still frustrating because I don't know the moves I can't really concentrate and meditate and remove move stress. But maybe one day.  I think the version at the Yoga Loft will be very different from the informal church group.

Friday I went out with ML in the morning, and then again with Betsy. We went in the morning instead of the afternoon because of the heat, but it was still pretty hot.

Tuesday to Thursday I did nothing except climb the stairs at work. We didn't walk at lunchtime or anything. Monday, I went out with ML in the morning.

So perhaps I'm using the heat as an excuse to be a lazy butt. So be it. But the weather patterns are so weird this year. Usually May and June I develop good habits so that when late July, August heat waves roll around, I'm committed. This is our second heat wave and it isn't July yet. I don't even want to think about August.

yoga, walking, gym, t'ai chi, oh my!

The reason I started walking was to lower my blood pressure naturally. I really don't like taking drugs. But that wasn't enough motivation, so I started doing charity walks. And the rest they say, is history.

So in this quest I have walked a lot. I have become the sodium police. I eat better, but not great. I haven't reduced my blood pressure significantly. I haven't lost weight worth mentioning. My stress is at aln all-time high.

I am in a rut.

So since western medicine and ideas haven't worked, I'm heading east. Yoga and T'ai Chi.

I guess first we have to start with the back story. In the late  80s, early 90s, I lost significant weight. I walked, took Jazzercise classes that I was lucky I didn't kill myself, water aerobics at the YMCA (Loved them. But it requires a Y membership and wearing a swimsuit in public!) and something called callanetics at the old YWCA on Market Street. It always struck me as the next level of yoga. It was gentle and required a lot of stretching. When I started at LC, I signed up for a beginners yoga class at lunchtime. If that was beginners, I'm a monkey's uncle. I took a walking workshop, and some clumsy attempts at aerobics. I was never, and I don't think I ever will be a gym rat.

Almost two years ago my friend Karen died of breast cancer. She worked with a group called Living Beyond Breast Cancer. They host a fund raising yoga class on the steps of the art museum, and I signed up. Went. It was fun. Came home excited. Looked at local price sheets and said too expensive. This year, I did it again. (See blog entry May 16). Again, I was energized. Again I started doing research.

This time I found that the neighborhood place, the Yoga Loft, has a free beginners workshop on the first Friday of the month. We went last night. It was good. They broke things down in bits. I could do much of it. She also gave us alterations if you couldn't perform something. The followup is a 101 course Saturday and Sunday. But this weekends was canceled because nobody signed up. So I guess I have to wait for July. Then I'll have to figure out how to pay for a set of classes. Maybe after that I can just use a video. My friend Angel has several. Her and the wee one do yoga together.

This morning I walked with Mary Liz, and she told me about free T'ai Chi at the church on Market Street. I had seen T'ai Chi in parks and things in the past. It looked relaxing. It's free. Why not? So after Sharon and I got back from the gym I went. I think it could be realizing once I learned what to do. Much was very complicated. I was lost frequently. But I'd like to go back. If I plan my time right I could walk over, do T'ai Chi, and walk back. Kill two birds with one stone. The Martial Arts place down the street also offers it. I'll stop by one day and see how expensive it is. The Yoga Loft is running a free workshop June 29th. I think I'll go. And maybe find a dummies video, too.

We'll see I think both yoga and T'ai Chi, like walking, must be done regularly to be effective. Both stress breathing properly and good posture and alignment. All difficult for me. Will I follow thru?

the traditional 8-hour day

I discovered this week that the traditional 8-hour day is no longer for  me. It wrecks havoc on my schedule, and I felt like I was running backwards to get thru it. I don't think it's an excuse for not exercising, but rather learning to adapt to new things.

My typical academic year schedule is crazy. I teach at a community college, work at a different college, and teach online. My schedule is different every day. The community college has ended till fall, and I agreed to work for three weeks, Monday to Thursday, 7:30-3 to supervise a HS student that's job shadowing. Then from June to August work three days a week, with another intern. Still less than a 40-hour week, but not what I'm used it.

Usually I walk first thing in the morning, and in the summer, again after upper because it's light out. It takes, on a good morning with limited traffic, a half hour to get to the college, so I leave at 6:50 am. That eliminates the morning walk—my walking buddy Mary Liz won't go before 6:30. I guess a could go alone, but there might be safety issues.

Typically, Allison and I walk at lunch time while I'm at the college, but that kind of fell by the wayside also this week because of the HS student and the big move. Maybe next week we'll do better.

We spent the better part of the week packing and moving boxes. I am all black and blue from running into cartons.

Needless to say my training is all messed up until Friday. I walked Friday morning with Mary Liz, in the afternoon with Betsy and to CVS with Sharon in the evening. Sharon and I walked Saturday morning, and Sunday we went to the gym. And if it continues to clear up, maybe Bonnie and I will get a walk in today.

I do know my life in the new building, Feather House, will include a lot of stairs.  My office is on the third floor. My Creative Director is on the second floor, and the copiers on the first floor. The moving people will be doing most of the work, but  I still have several cartons to carry up to my office. (Okay, that might be too strong of a word. Remember in Harry Potter he lived in the cupboard under the stairs. I will be in the cupboard above the stairs. Kind of a turid off the third floor.) We are also now off campus by about 3 blocks, so every errand to campus will involve a little walk. And crossing the dreaded Cattell street.

So things will work out. Our lunchtime walk will include lots more hills. They don't call it College Hill for nothing.