costochondritis and walking.

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Monday I went to work. walked a bit at lunchtime. It was a beautiful day.

Came home and started feeling odd. Indigestion maybe? But I ate dinner and turned on the computer and went to class. By 10PM I felt like there was a man standing on my breast bone. And he wasn't invited. I shut off the computer and moved to the couch to watch The Blacklist.   Laying down was worse. Was I having a heart attack? I didn't know. Took my blood pressure. Perfect. Decided it was indigestion and found some generic pepcid that expired in 2012. I took it and went to bed.  By that time my whole left side hurt and my breast felt like bricks.

Tuesday I woke up. I was happy. I woke up. Not a heart attack but it was still there. I couldn't sneeze. Coughing was traumatic. As long as I didn't make any sudden moves I could function. We needed chicken to add to our leftover "rice surprise" (damn it was good) so I took the scenic route to Aharts. Walking up to Sioux street I was both fine and miserable. Walking up Fiot and 8th was even worse. I kept taking my pulse. Perfect. It felt like cracked ribs. The pain is sudden and sharp. The "little man" was really being a PIA and I lost all sense of concentration.

Driving to work I missed the school zone sign flashing. It was 4:00! I got a ticket. $169!!!

Since I was miserable, I decided to listen to the voice in my head and go to the doc in the box. Maybe it's Pneumonia. Maybe a heart attack. The horror visions were dancing in my head. And I have a half marathon Sunday. I decided to go after work. The stress of not knowing was killing me. I could hear Bonnie yelling, "stop being so cheap and go to the doctor". So I did. It's Costochondritis. A virus in the chest wall near the breast bone. There isn't a blasted thing you can do for it but take Aleve. 3 OTC=1 Rx. (I wasn't taking any pain meds because I didn't want to mask the symptoms.) The doc-in-the-box was $148. This is why I don't go to the doctor. It's just a money vacuum. On the up side my heart and lungs are healthy.


Did I mention there's a half-marathon on Sunday? One that I haven't really trained for? Not a good time to get sick. Have another one tomorrow.


Wednesday I walked at work a bit. But the Aleve was making me sick. Thursday I did very little. I drove Lydia to Lehighton and that took my walking time. My online class and my on ground class take up the day. Plus cooking dinner mid-afternoon.


Today I drove Miss Lydia to her home visits. Last week I went walking with Betsy. this week she wasn't available so I walked myself in a whole new neighborhood. The easiest way to explain it is the backside of the muni golf course. I'm guessing 50-60 'burbs. Lots of splits, ranches and amazing mid century architecture. When I was a kid I thought it was hideous. Now I think it's beautiful. I was about three blocks away when Lydia buzzed that she was done.

 Hand-painted, with a great view of the golf course.

 In front of an amazing mid-century house.

Multi-color ghosts.


My breathing was not normal during the walk. But I still have two days till the half. I cannot breath deep so pushing it might not be possible. But I breathed thru my nose the whole time. I rarely do that when walking. I'm an open mouth person.

I did promise my sister that I would not be a hero. I would get my ample butt in the sweep car  if I had to. I think if I pick a steady pace I should be okay. I will take two Aleve before I go. Don't want to lose my breakfast on the trail. Who am I kidding? Breakfast will be after the race. No personal records will be broken. I will use the full four and a half full hours if needed and the route is flat as a pancake.


Tomorrow we are walking on the D&L in the area of the marathon. The more familiar you are with a course, the better it is. Then after walking we'll go pick up our race gear. Michelle, the walking coach, is hosting a pre-race dinner on Saturday night.


If with my weak walking totals this month, I am still past 1000 miles for this Tail on the Trail Challenge. That is about six times around. The challenge ends Sunday.

two walks

Last night Lydia and Adonis came over for dinner an a walk. We took Big A out first for his typical 1/2 mile. I was already hot and sweaty and we hadn't even started the main event!

Lyd doesn't like doing hills after work. She's on her feet seeing clients a good portion of the all day. We drove the few blocks to the hospital and parked. The we walked out Jeter avenue towards Salisbury. When we reached Public Road, we played in the park. The swings were nice, and high. The spinning thing was old and made horrible noises.

Then we headed up Public to Graham, and down the long Graham street hill and back to the car. Turns out that loop is 2.5 miles. Not bad for after work.

This morning I headed to Bonnie's to walk in Salisbury. The baby fell asleep so Megan stayed home. We did what she calls the west loop, with all the hills. It's just under 3 miles but I was flop sweating when I returned to her house.

Even with the walk I'm at less than 6K for the day. If it doesn't start to pour, I'm going to need to go out for another walk. I have not chance of catching my friend in the FitBit race, but I at least need to make my goal for the week.

Tomorrow we are doing the two-bridge walk and Veg-Fest. Sunday we'll be doing the Volkssport walk in Valley Forge.

someplace new!

Today we went to the Mariton Wildlife Sanctuary. I'm always looking for someplace new to walk, or in this case hike. I should have taken my stick!

It was hilly. It was rocky. there were signs that said Danger Cliffs. Yep, my kind of place.

Bonnie was still sick (bronchitis) so it was just me and Lydia. This place is near Raubsville, off 611.  We went 412, 212 and then on every back road in the area. When we reached the no outlet sign we kept going. And going. We stopped some pedestrians and asked if there was a nature center. They said at the end of the road. It was.

It was nice. there was a parking lot, a nature center (closed) and bathrooms that could be accessed even when it was closed. The trail maps were in the bathroom.

We decided to do the "river outlook" trail first. I figured there would be a hill. Best get it over with first. Silly me. We went downhill to reach it, holding on to trees and each other. We climbed back up to get out. (Pictures just never show how steep the hill is.) We should not go on trails that feature this sign:

this was out clue to turn around. But no, we didn't take it.

Then we went back to the main trail and went up and up and up. When we reached the top, there was two paths. One going up yet again. Another going down. We went down and eventually returned to the lot.

Sadly we only went about a mile and a half and it took 50 minutes.

light lager jogger, race day

Today was race day. It was a nice day for a race. Remind me never to do a race in Pottsville in July heat. It might kill me.

First off, I forgot my camera. I put it in my purse, not my backpack. Moron. Jillian, had her cell so we used that. But as a consequence, it died on the way home talking to her mom. We used my car, instead of her fancy talking car which I've named Kitt, after the car in Knight Rider. Though hers is a woman's voice. Not Williams Daniels. Clearly, it's not the 80s anymore. We have equal opportunity—at least in car voices.

I arrived at Jillian's at 5:35 am. She was in bed. Or maybe she just got up. Either way her husband was surprised to see me. I thought we were leaving at quarter of. Clearly I was wrong. I packed some Kind Bars and OJ for the trip since there would be no time for breakfast.

We arrived at about 7—no traffic— and parked at the train station. It was a short walk to the brewery. The church next store already had a bake sale up, and they were selling fruit cup. Yeah. Breakfast, part two. The block party was in full swing. People were eating crab fries at 7 am!

We went to Corral Four. The one labeled walkers. We were not lone. All in all about there were 200-250 walkers. Nice turnout. It took a good five minutes till we hit the start line.

Then it was up that long one mile hill. Jillian blazed out ahead. I always get left behind on hills. Yesterday when I walked it, I didn't do the little jug handle. That was a mistake. There was a surprise on that handle. At one mile there was water and we went down a hill for just one block. It wasn't horrible. Then it was level for about three blocks around a park. I caught up with Jillian for those three blocks. Then we turned and went to go up 22nd Street. OMG. It was a steep as Federick Street. Jillian plowed up it, not to be seen again till the finish line. I struggled up it and made it to the top without stopping. The rest was downhill. My goal was to catch up with my walking buddy. It never happened. The gap was two, maybe three blocks. But I did finish only about 10 or 15 seconds behind. What I lack in uphill, I more than make up for in downhill.

After the race we walked down Centre Street and took pixs. One was this groovy art at a hair salon.

I thought I was walking with Lyd this afternoon. But she hasn't shown. Guess this whole being in love nonsense is making a dent into her walking time. Oh well. I'm sure he's better company.

Tomorrow we're walking in Slatington. Four miles on a rail trail.

light lager jogger, day one

Tomorrow is the Light Lager Jogger 5k at the Yuengling Brewery in Pottsville. Today was packet pickup day. Glad we went today. Six thousand people are registered. The lines were long today. Can you image what they'd be like tomorrow?

Pickup started at 11, and it takes a generous hour to get there. We headed up to Pottsville around 11:15. I had a mini school crises, and we wanted to take the brewery tour at 3 and eat lunch.

Packet pickup was at a pub. It took about twenty minutes to get thru the line. Before heading up to the pick up, we put our name in at the pub for lunch. They were busy. Captive audience. With doing that, we still had to wait a few minutes when we were done.

After lunch, we headed to the brewery. All the streets were blocked already (there's a block party after the race.) and the meters closed. It proably took a good ten, maybe fifteen minutes, to find a parking space. (Let me assure you that Pottsville is a hill. It makes Bethlehem look flat.We discovered that quite quickly.)

I like when I can walk a route ahead of time. I think the race goes more quickly. I'm familiar with my surroundings, and I'm not stopping to take pixs of art. I'm so happy I did that this time because this race is all up hill for the first mile. But what goes up must come down, and the second half is downhill!

The walk took longer than anticipated, so we had to wait for the 3:30 tour. It took an hour. Lots of walking. Lots of stairs. Even a hill.

Who says being a tourist isn't exercise!

Tomorrow Jillian and I leave at 5:45 for the race. We need to be there at 7! Race kicks off at 8.

Ghost mural on the side of the pub. I took a lot of pixs of type. I will take even more tomorrow. Pottsville is a typofile's paradise. I need at least a week there to capture it all.

$145

Today Bonnie and I walked after my dino adventure.  Lyd had other plans.

Bonnie arrived at about 1:30 and off we went thru south Bethlehem. We left my house, out Sioux and Summit, and thru Lehigh to Packer. Then we went up Hillside.

We weren't very far on Hillside when we saw some money on the ground. Bonnie stooped to get it. I thought it looked like a twenty. It was. Wrapped around two fifties. It was near the drivers door of a car. Bonnie decided to knock on a couple doors to find the owner of the car. While she was knocking on doors I found another $20 and a $5 under the tire. It's all Lehigh housing and she had no luck.

I suggested leaving it on the windshield of the car we found it by. Bonnie thought a random person would take it. So we took a pix of the license plate and I'm going on Lehigh's site to find if there is a Craig's List-type discussion board.  If I lost that kind of cash I'd be ripping everything apart looking for it. If the owner can't be found, we are going to give it to charity.

We continued all the way up hillside, past Hayes, and when it ended at St. Michael's cemetery we came down. Then finished coming down Hayes to the Greenway. Back the Greenway  to the bridge, up the ramp and out Ostrum and home. In all we were out about 90 minutes and went just under 5 miles with lots of large hills.

Keeping track of minutes is important. I have to log them into the Idita-walk!

college hill

Today I walked college hill twice.  From my office to centre square it's .8 miles, one way.

There are some pretty scary holes in the sidewalks. You could loose a small child, or trap a leg in them. This is the rich neighborhood, you''d think the sidewalks would reflect that.

My first trip was to WGraphics at 4th and Northampton, with a stop at the Williams Visual Arts Building. I didn't come straight back, I went up the Lafayette Stairs and thru campu. Then over to Markle, GIlberts and back to the office. I bet that trip exceeded two miles.

The second trip was down to Connexions Gallery off the square and back. i 'm waiting for the carpool and needed to pick up a petrie dish for an art installation project I'm participating in. THought it was a good use of my time.

So I've gotten about four miles in today. Pretty good for a long workday. Faculty meeting tonight. It's not over yet!

snacks!

Today I posted a walk for 3 or 6 miles of hills. Nobody came. Shocking, huh? So I went alone.

I headed up Benner to Moravia, where there is a large stand of wine berry bushes. Nice and ripe. Maybe I should have advertised free, wild, organic snacks. (I'm fairly sure that they don't spray them. It's at the edge of the forest.) Yesterday there were many more berries. Let's just say the animals ate well last night.

I worked my way up and down until I got to Fountain Hills playground, and decided to go up their trail. I've only ever gone down. It's steep. So steep they feel a need for a warning sign at both the top and the bottom. The picture is a very from the top, a little east of the trail. I bet it's a great place for sledding in the winter.

I went back down and attempted Dotson Street. Two years of walking and I can't do that hill without stopping. I bet if "Jillian" was along today, I would have done it. When you're alone, it's easy to cheat.

I went down Graham, and past the cemeteries. The deer had a field day breaking the fence. I have many ancestors there, so it reminded me to send them my annual check. It isn't much, it's like putting a band aid on an artery, but it's why I can do.

I wound my way around the hospital, and ultimately landed on Fiot and came home. I'm guessing 4.5 to 5 miles. Not the six I planned. But that is one of the benefits of walking alone.

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.

sorry for not posting

When I started this blog mys sister Barbara said something like, if you're going to do it, you need to post. So many people send me their link and then nothing for six months. I think I've done well, and actually when walking season came I was hoping to post more often, not less often.

Sometimes life does not work out the way you plan.

I've been very blue from the events of last month, started a term online, and had so many projects to grade from my on-ground class that blogging was the least of my priorities. Throw in a two-day Horses in the Classroom faculty development workshop and free time goes out the window.

But I have to walk. And I've walked a lot.

Tuesday, Thursday and Friday I did two-miles with my friend Mary Liz.  Monday and Wednesday Alison and I walked around College Hill at lunch time, length unknown. Maybe a half hour. Friday afternoon I did about an hour with Betsy. We didn't take the dogs, they moved. ): It was nice and weird, at the same time. Saturday and Sunday I walked with Bonnie. Saturday was three miles. Sunday a little more than two.

Monday I went out at lunchtime. Tuesday I walked with Mary Liz and the hike to the classroom from the remote lot. Today we walked the stairs from campus to town and College Hill back to campus. Plus I made two trips to Markle Hall and one to Farinon.

Plus I signed up for two 5Ks even though I swore them off last year.

And I went took Sharon to the gym twice AND worked out on the equipment. Including Easter Sunday. I still have the trial from Dave to use at 24/7 fitness. I will use it.

The "every two feet" Facebook page is up and running. Search "every two feet" to join. I hope to post one walk a month even in winter. I have 14 "fans", two who are strangers. How fun is that?

Yep, this fat girl is back to walking. It's about time. Now I just need to brush the dust of my pedometer and start to wear it again!

a whim...will I do it?

Friday night Richard Simmons is going to be giving a motivational speech at the Mount Airy Lodge and Casino in the Poconos. Saturday he'll be back to do a Sweating with the Oldies class.

I want to go to the lecture. I have no idea why. I've been thinking about it since I saw the listing in the paper. The man is wild, wacky, inspirational, and weepy ... he can get people from 100 to 1,000 pound moving their butts and eating better. Maybe that's his appeal.

I don't especially want to do the workout. Aerobics has never been my thing. I am so not coordinated.  But I bet my last dollar that every woman (and man too) in the room will be big. Some even bigger than me.

I'm sure he'll be selling his newest program or book or what not...that's why one goes out on tour.

I've been on his website three times in the past two days.  And I just joined his Facebook group. This is not a good sign. More than likely, I will go.

The shoe store where I bought my German walking shoes, Finn Casuals, is having a promotion. Come in, get weighed, and for each pound you lose in a three month period, you get a $5 store credit.  Twenty pounds would make another pair of Finn Casuals possible. Thinking about it. A lot.

Right now, I have to walk. Today I'm climbing Montclair Street from Broadway to 9th Street. The block between Summit and 8th takes my breath away every time. Today. I'm aiming to stop just once.

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update: I made it to 8th Street before I had to stop. It was wonderful. I wonder if I would have pushed myself if I could have made it to 9th without stopping. Maybe next time.
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update 2: I bought tickets. Beth and I are going Friday night. My first trip to a Pennsylvania casino. Hope our Sands starts offering stuff like this. I could walk!

hill training begins with the new year

Mary Liz called about walking today but later backed out. I only have about 60 days to the stair climbs so this fat girl needs to get her butt moving. So I decided on one mile which included Frederick Street. This training is going to be steep hills. Don't have skyscrapers to practice in.

So I went up Bishopthorpe, then Findlay and headed up Federick. The last 1/4  is the hardest. I had to stop once about half way. When I reached the last 1/4, I went slow but didn't stop. I'm not as out of shape as I thought. The first picture is a view of Bethlehem /Fountain Hill from the top.

Coming down Wyandotte I went past the Indian girl that waves over the mountain. She was decked out for Christmas. So I also took her pix.

Tomorrows route will be straight up Wyandotte to the top from the five points. Traffic scares me more that the 8% grade hill.