Six Miles By 1 (Almost)

First, I want to remind you that each of us, you and I, are competing against ourselves. I'm competing against my past performance (no guarantee of future results?). So, when I get home from completing a 2 1/2 mile walk and today's total so far of six miles, I must remember that I'm not competing against Tommy Daly.

Who's Tommy Daly? I was thinking the same thing when I saw the giant poster on his garage. Apparently, a guy in the neighborhood ran in the H.U.R.T. 100 mile trail race over the weekend and did 100 miles in 35 hours and 18 minutes. I did my 100 miles in 21 days...

H.U.R.T. stands for Hawaii Ultra Running Team. I don't think I even qualify for the Ultra WALKING team yet. You just can't compare yourself to the super athletes if you're not part of that group. And everyone is different, so stick with comparing you to you.

As for me, I was walking at Palomar College while my son, Stuart, was in Calculus class. I got a nice surprise. I walked the track five times and found that my quarter mile is around 498 steps now as opposed to 575 when I measured last summer. If I have improved, that's great. If the shoes make a difference, if I walked the middle of the track this time, if I was overly careful in the steps I took last summer, whatever...I don't really mind the reason. It's good to know that only 498 steps are a quarter mile for me, which means a mile is 1992 steps. I guess I'll keep measuring to stay on top of it in the future.

That brings me to my six miles before 1 pm (almost). My pedometer said 12063 steps when I got inside the door, so the six miles is correct because 11952 (less than 12063!) steps is 6 times 1992. But, it was a couple minutes past 1. Still a great achievement for me, Charlie Hicks-Moore.

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Click on the title of this post to see the H.U.R.T. blog.

100 Miles In 21 Days

From January 1, 2008 through 9:00 pm January 21, 2008 my pedometer has counted over 230,000 steps which for me translates into 100 miles! Yes!

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

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Click on the title of this post to see my daily numbers recorded at Lime.com.

Walking As A Value

I arrived at Rubio's in Mira Mesa a little early and while I was waiting I walked up and down the food court. I used to be bugged a little (or more than a little) when I had to wait. I remember when I was in life insurance almost ten years ago I told a coworker that I almost left for an appointment without him when he was eight minutes late. While he did have a tendency to overschedule so as to value his time over the client's, I did not realize then how out of balance I was.

I was meeting a church friend for noon lunch to introduce him to the Fiesta Salad because it's such a good fit for the South Beach diet that he's on to improve his triglycerides. Because I am paying attention to when and where I can walk (almost anywhere) I noticed that I could simply get some walking in while I waited. I value walking. I hope you do, too. Even those of you who get so much other exercise can benefit by walking while you wait. A fair skinned animated beauty once sang "Whistle while you work," but I say "Walk while you wait". My pedometer said I walked 1/2 mile right before lunch at Rubio's. When you value walking, you won't see all the waiting time as wasted and maybe, like me, you'll find yourself in a good enough mood that you'll be more gracious than I was when I was in life insurance.

Now the dog is waiting...

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

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I googled Big Man Walking and found that my recent post came up in 13th position. Click on the title of this post to see that search result for Big Man Walking.

Make Hay While The Sun Shines

While the Packers were struggling in the snow Sunday, the sun was shining in North San Diego County. If you read my post from yesterday, you'll see that as far as walking goes, I didn't take advantage of the good weather. This morning it was raining steadily when I woke up and I decided to wait 10 minutes or so to see if the rain eased up. The dog was very happy to see me when I went to get him and we ventured out in the light rain enthusiastically. He was simply happy to get out and find a tree and I was glad it wasn't raining so hard. I wore a cap to keep my glasses from getting rained on and off we went.

Just a little tip for walking in the rain. Remember the joke about the guy who tells his friend he's gonna walk ten miles a day? His friend calls him up ten days later and asks how he's holding up with all the walking. He replies, "Great, but now I'm a hundred miles from home." I like to stay closer to home in the rain just in case it starts to come down hard. I definitely do not want to be a mile away from home and get caught in a serious downpour. I walked what I think of as our inner neighborhood this morning and Mellow and I still got in over two miles while staying close to home. It's just that I would have preferred the weather we had yesterday. Oh...almost forgot. The scale says 121.9 kilos which means I lost .7 kilos this week which converts to 1.54 pounds! This result is due to walking. I haven't started South Beach yet.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

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If you read the previous post, you may wonder what they heck I'm talking about. Mistakes happen. I accidentally posted information intended for another blog because I had so many windows open. C'est la vie. (Our son starts French this week.)

Click on the title of this post to visit The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy at Bartleby.com for the meaning of "make hay while the suns shines".

Let's Start With Wiley

I am amazed by companies that have been around 200 years or more - even 100. Wiley publishes For Dummies (as in, Poker For Dummies, Green Living For Dummies, Calculus For Dummies) as well as Cliffs Notes and books like The Work of Writing. Did you know many Cliffs Notes like we used in school are free online now?

Cliff's Notes

Wiley

Green Living For Dummies

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The Work of Writing

Move These Refrigerators

Today we moved a couple refrigerators at my brother's house. (Remember that Dire Straits lyric? "We gotta move these refrigerators. We gotta move these color TVs... I shoulda learned to play the guitar. I shoulda learned to play them drums.") We moved one out and we went and got another and moved it in. That, combined with the Chargers and the Packers both losing and a couple more errands here and there meant I didn't walk as much as I have been averaging recently. However, 67 minutes is considerably more than 27 minutes. My off day is getting better just like my top days - a good sign. When this happens to you, just get back to it the very next day, which is what I plan to do tomorrow. I'm [STILL] walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

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Click to visit Dire Straits. That "Move These Refrigerators" song is titled Money For Nothing and it's on the Brothers In Arms album. When I looked this up I remembered a great site where you enter your favorite artist and they play music that's similar. Click on the title of this post to visit that site - Last.FM. I entered Dire Straits there a few minutes ago and Last.FM played The Rolling Stones' Honky Tonk Women and Eric Clapton's Crossroads along with another Dire Straits tune - Lion and the Eagles' Peaceful, Easy Feeling.

Are You Keeping Track?

Tomorrow is the start of the third week of the Big Man Walking blog. If you haven't done so yet, start writing down/keeping track of the distance you walk. Don't estimate. Get a pedometer that works and wear it. My pedometer is electronic and counts steps. I know that 2300 of my steps is a mile. I happen to have a Sportline, but I'll bet most electronic step counter pedometers will work. I wear it on my belt or clip it on my shorts or sweatpants above my right leg.

You don't even have to buy a notebook if you would rather type in your information. You don't have to start a blog but you can use Lime.com's Live the Change and Walk Out program for free. Check out my information and sign up here or by clicking on the title of this post. After you join, let a friend know you're walking. Then post a message to my blog and let me know. You might find others who are doing the same and that can be encouraging. My hope is that you're encouraged and that you're taking action to achieve your desired weight and fitness level.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

Don't Overdo It

I took the dog for a walk after a late lunch and we did just under three miles. When you've been walking for a couple weeks, you start to get used to the distances and you can push yourself a little bit more. Now that I've done more than three miles a few times, I decided to push for an extra half mile or so this afternoon. I know I can do it because I've done it recently.

I remember running when I was in my twenties and I definitely wasn't careful. I might do nothing for months and then decide to run on the beach from Encinitas to Del Mar (several miles) and back and that would wipe me out for a few days, even walking the last bit back to Moonlight Beach. The only things I had going for me were my youth and the soft surface I was running on and youth can't always make up for being out of shape.

You know what you've been doing lately so you know if you're pushing yourself to do something you've done in the last week or so or if you're pushing yourself a little beyond what you've done recently or [danger] WAY beyond. Stick with the first two if you want to minimize potential injury that could set you back days or weeks depending on the shape you're in.

A buddy that I haven't spoken with for a while told me he stopped walking as much from the time the fires hit San Diego in late 2007 and he walked even less during the holidays and today he twisted his ankle. Now he's out for a day or so, but we'll get together and walk this week. Sometimes you just twist your ankle, but other times you can avoid problems if you simply don't over do it. Still, use that pedometer and...Please walk today. No matter what. I am walking. You can walk.

Dog Owners Have Extra Incentive

We love our dog, Mellow. I've noticed over the last 20 years or so that more and more people in the U.S. seem to spoil their animals. I'm not going to go into all the stuff that I classify as spoiled behavior right now. I'm just going to say that because we care about our dog, we care FOR our dog, but I wouldn't call what we do "spoiling" our dog. I know Mellow needs exercise and we definitely want him to do his business OUTside, so in a very practical way, we need to walk him. That's why I say that dog owners have extra incentive to get out and walk. Sometimes our dog is ready to go fairly quickly and other times one of us will walk him between half a mile and a mile before he does his dance. Once in a while it takes a couple miles to get him going. Mandatory exercise. My pedometer says I've already had almost a mile of mandatory exercise this morning.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

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I've included the link to the Dog Whisperer "underneath" the title of this post (click it!). In a little while my son and I are going to check out a nickel arcade in San Diego and I'll check my pedometer to see how much walking I do when I'm there. Here's that site:

NickelCitySanDiego.com

Seven And A Half Miles In One Day

Seven and a half miles. One day. That's what my pedometer said...and only 18 days into 2008! Yes. I can. You can, too.

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Click on the title of this post to see my minutes/miles logged at Lime.com. I'm a little tired right now, but I want to share Mustard Seed Associates for those of you who have an affinity for the mustard seed metaphor.

Four Mile Walk!

I had walked about a mile through the normal routine of life earlier today and decided to go for a good walk with the dog. I went down Cacatua St. I like the neighborhood and was daydreaming about moving a few blocks to this semi-hidden group of homes. I had a jacket and walked about a mile and started to get hot, so I headed for home and as I did so, I took off my jacket and carried it.

The thought occurred to me that I could simply open the door and put my jacket on the stairs and continue on my way instead of calling it quits. By the time I reached home I had walked about a mile and a half and as I left the doorstep without a jacket in the cool January air for round two, my stamina kicked in. I walked out to the main drag in our neighborhood and then down to the school my son attended through 2nd grade and all the way back around to the main drag again, further west than I had been 20 minutes earlier and then back home for an additional 2 1/2 miles. I walked four miles during a single walk [!] and now have walked over 5 miles on the day with probably a mile or two more between now and 9:30.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

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Almost forgot...use a pedometer!

Click on the title of this post for Dr. Positano's advice - Don't Self-Diagnose Colds And Flus.

Gee, You're A Positive Lady

Sometimes people can't believe motivational or inspirational speakers because they seem to be positive 100% of the time and that seems unrealistic to most people. Nothing wrong with being positive. It sure beats the opposite. (Though I know a guy who would argue against that.) I am basically a positive person, but I can see how some people could get annoyed with that at times. Plus, you might want to ask a person's family how they are at home...But, I'm not going to go there right now!

Thinking about this idea I thought of the Bill Murray movie quote in the title of this post. I love that movie. Bill Murray is a weatherman and Andie McDowell plays his producer, who tries to be a glass half-full remedy to the shallow, egotistical, negative weatherman. When she hears about his same day over and over again plight, she tells him that maybe this isn't a curse, but an opportunity and that's when he says with false - thanks for the support - enthusiasm, "Gee, you're a positive lady."

Right now it's 6:30 and it's cold and I'm not going outside to walk. I will later, but right now, on this day, I'm going to get a little more rest in my nice warm bed by myself while my honey's in Florida. Please keep in mind that I will walk later this morning, so if it's too cold where you are when you read this, you have permission to wait a couple hours until it gets warmer.

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Here are more quotes from Groundhog Day, one of my favorite movies. Click on the title of this post to see more.

First D.J.: Okay, campers, rise and shine, and don't forget your booties 'cause it's cooooold out there today.
Second D.J.: It's coooold out there every day. What is this, Miami Beach?
First D.J.: Not hardly. And you know, you can expect hazardous travel later today with that, you know, that, uh, that blizzard thing.
Second D.J.: [mockingly] That blizzard - thing. That blizzard - thing. Oh, well, here's the report! The National Weather Service is calling for a "big blizzard thing!"
First D.J.: Yessss, they are. But you know, there's another reason why today is especially exciting.
Second D.J.: Especially cold!
First D.J.: Especially cold, okay, but the big question on everybody's lips...
Second D.J.: - On their chapped lips...
First D.J.: - On their chapped lips, right: Do ya think Phil is gonna come out and see his shadow?
Second D.J.: Punxsutawney Phil!
First D.J.: Thats right, woodchuck-chuckers - it's
[in unison]
First D.J.: GROUNDHOG DAY!
Second D.J.: GROUNDHOG DAY!


Rita: I like to see a man of advancing years throwing caution to the wind. It's inspiring in a way.
Phil: My years are not advancing as fast as you might think.

Ned: Phil? Phil Connors? Phil Connors, I thought that was you!
Phil: Hi, thanks for watching.

Phil: You wanna throw up here, or you wanna throw up in the car?
Ralph: I think... both.

Phil: Well, what if there is no tomorrow? There wasn't one today.

Elderly Lady whose flat tire Phil fixed: He's the fastest jack in Jefferson County!

Mrs. Lancaster: Did you sleep well, Mr. Connors?
Phil: I slept alone, Mrs. Lancaster.

Phil Connors: Excuse me, where is everyone going?
Fan on Street: To Gobbler's Knob. It's Groundhog Day.
Phil Connors: It's still just once a year, right?

[Driving down the railroad tracks toward an approaching train]
Phil: I'm betting he's going to swerve first.

Phil: You want a prediction about the weather, you're asking the wrong Phil. I'll give you a winter prediction: It's gonna be cold, it's gonna be grey, and it's gonna last you for the rest of your life.


Phil: I was in the Virgin Islands once. I met a girl. We ate lobster and drank pina coladas. At sunset we made love like sea otters. *That* was a pretty good day. Why couldn't I get that day over and over and over...

Phil: It's the same things your whole life. "Clean up your room.", "Stand up straight.", "Pick up your feet.", "Take it like a man.", "Be nice to your sister.", "Don't mix beer and wine, ever.". Oh yeah, "Don't drive on the railroad track."
Gus: Eh, Phil. That's one I happen to agree with.

Rita: [as Phil kisses Rita over and over discovering that he has finally passed Groundhog Day] Phil, why weren't you like this last night? You just fell asleep.
Phil: It was the end of a VERY long day.