1/9/2010 Washington Park, Anacortes

Today I decided to drive back out to Anacortes and try the Loop Road at Washington Park. 2.3 miles the literature said. What it didn't say was how hilly it was for someone who has only been walking on a regular basis for 9 days...whew! Tomorrow I think I'll stay on flat ground, and maybe just walk for 1/2 hour or so--give my knee a bit of a break. It was sort of sore today, but then I have walked over 20 miles in the past 9 days.

This trail is shared with cars, and I actually found that a bit bothersome after the past several days of being on pedestrian trails. The road is one lane, so it's pretty narrow for even a car and a pedestrian. Although I found the walk to be quite a bit more up and down than I expected, the scenery from the walk can't be more beautiful: views of the San Juans, ferries, old growth timber, ferns, and Cyprus trees.

I didn't have as fast of pace today, only 2.3 MPH compared to about 2.7 normally, but there was an elevation gain of 250 feet, which to me, at this point was like climbing a mountain. Again, it will be interesting to do this walk every few months and see my improvement.  I do know that a man jogging with his dog passed me THREE times today in my 2.2 mile walk...a bit embarrassing.  I had to look at him each time, too, because we were going in opposite directions. Lots of people out today--many with their dogs, some walking, some running, some just sitting and enjoying the views.  You can see the route here: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/597506

1/8/2010 Skagit Golf and Country Club Loop

Today is gray and rainy, and I really wasn't too motivated to get outside, but once again, when I did, it was actually pretty nice. It really feels good to get out and walk every day, very cleansing for the soul. Today was fairly mild, although I dressed myself for the dead of winter, and except for the first 1/4 mile or so, I didn't get rained on. I chose to stay close to home and walk a route that circles the country club where I live. I decided to go the entire distance to see both how far it was and how long it would take me; now I have some numbers to compare throughout the year. It was 2.5 miles from doorstep to doorstep--perfect amount and it took me 55 minutes. Although it doesn't look like it on a map, there are quite a few steep hills to climb---anyway steep to me right now. Elevation gains are between 40-55 feet, but within less than a tenth of a mile--definitely got my heart pumping; another reason this route will be good for me to use frequently. Maybe once a week, just to get my heart pumping more and vary the muscles I am using. (My friend Jeff is probably rolling on the floor laughing right now--he attempted Mt. Rainier last summer--we are REALLY talking elevation gain there!) You can view the route and all the data here: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/596798

It's a bit different walking around a neighborhood, but over time I can watch the now-covered trailers become uncovered; the houses for sale and rent fill back up; and flowers start to bloom as spring arrives. I noticed today that some daffodils at my house are peeking up through the dirt.

Today I am going to measure my hips, thighs, waist, and arms so I will have body measurements to compare each month. Don't expect me to share those here, but I will share the result totals each month. I really am curious to see how my body changes over the year.

1/7/2010 In Memory of my friend Linda

Today was my 7th walk. My friend Christie went with me again today, and I was glad, because yesterday a long time friend of mine in Little Rock, Arkansas, passed away after a short bout with breast cancer, and it would have been so easy to not go for a walk and instead stay home and feel sad. But I knew Christie was waiting for me. We sort of created our own trail today, starting out near the marina in Anacortes. We walked around the marina area, then went to Cap Sante Park, then back out to parallel the street on a portion of the Tommy Thompson Trail. In all we went about 2.5 miles today, but my average speed is increasing; we averaged 2.9 miles an hour today compared with about 2.7 normally.  My route and data are here: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/596163

The route was paved all the way, so no worries about water on the trail, and it was a very nice day. A bit overcast, and chilly, but it felt refreshing, and emotionally was a great thing to do. As we walked, I remembered a walk I done in Little Rock with my friend Linda and her son a couple of years ago. We walked across The Big Dam Bridge there, the longest bridge (4226 feet long) in the United States that was built just for pedestrians. (http://bigdambridge.com/index.htm)  Below the bridge are some locks, and we watched as barges made their way through.  It was early November, the leaves were just starting to turn in the South, and it was a beautiful evening. I'm glad I had the opportunity to walk that bridge with my friend, and she'll be walking in spirit with me this year.

1/6/2010 Lake Padden Trail

Today my friend Christie and I were in Bellingham visiting REI, se we decided to walk the Lake Padden Trail which was somewhat on our way home. The gravel/dirt trail is a little over 2.5 miles long around the lake. There are also several offshoot trails where one can even go horseback riding. This was my longest walk, both in terms of distance and time, so far this year.

It was a beautiful day for a walk; sun was out, sky was blue. Lots of people on the trails--running, walking, pushing strollers, walking dogs. Many of them were much more industrious than we were. One guy walking his dogs passed us three times during our hour long walk.  This route has a few small hills that the other walks haven't had, and I did find myself breathing a bit hard at times, but that's okay. That will be another great thing to compare as I walk more and more. I'd recommend this trail to everyone.  You can see a map and walk details here:  http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/595621

1/5/2010 Alderwood Mall

Today was a test of my will and commitment. I had meetings in Seattle at 10:30, 12:30, and 2:00. By the time I was out of Seattle enough that I knew I'd miss traffic, it was already 4:00 PM. So I pulled off in Lynwood, put on my walking shoes and headed into Alderwood Mall where Sears welcomed me with their sign: Walk-Ins Welcome!  I ended up walking just over 2 miles in 47 minutes. I found out that my wonderful AllSport Blackberry app that traces my route, won't work indoors, but I had my pedometer, and a watch, and I knew I could go about 2 miles in 45 minutes, so off I went.

The bad thing about walking in malls is that you see things in the stores you’d like to buy. The good thing is, you are walking so no time to stop. I did think about going back to some of them: nice red jacket in the Helly Hansen store; gee, I need some Aveda shampoo; wow, calendars on sale for 50% off…And then there was the walk through the food court—now that was a challenge…do you know how good Mrs. Field’s Cookies smell? I resisted…everything…except I treated myself to a Starbuck’s coffee at the end. It took me about 20 minutes to completely walk a circle of the mall, including all the little side pieces as well. At the end, I walked a bit outside among the new stores they have built; that was actually quite refreshing after being inside.

They have a great children’s play area at Alderwood, and it looked like every 20 something parent was there with children after school. Like they didn’t want to go home? The Mall Cop carrying the Victoria Secret shopping bag made me smile. At the Sleep Comfort store, it was amusing to see a man all stretched out on one of the beds—he was still there 20 minutes later when I made my second loop…not sure if he was testing beds or just taking a nap. He gave me an idea as I left the mall—I could have gone into a fitness store and said I wanted to test treadmills, and just walked on one of those for 40 minutes or so…wonder if they frown on that. At any rate, day 5 is in the books, and I am looking forward to tomorrow.

1/4/2010 Port of Skagit Trails #2

Today my friend Christie walked with me. What a trooper, considering it was raining. Somehow we picked a window of opportunity where it wasn't pouring--but still, I didn't wear rain pants and should have because my pants were wet by the end of the walk.  We took a different trail today. It was a loop that was 2 miles long--perfect! It was very wet; water was pouring through the creeks and waterways, and a couple of times we actually had to get off the trails a bit and walk through the grass because the trail was flooded with large puddles. I am very glad I have my Gortex, waterproof shoes.

The walk was nice though, and time goes by pretty quickly if you have someone to walk with.  The area is a protected wetland. In fact, one part of the 10 miles of trails was actually closed for quite a while because an eagle was nesting in the trees. Didn't want to disturb the little ones! 

Tomorrow will be my first challenge, as I have 3 appointments in Seattle. It might be a mall walk tomorrow. Wednesday Christie will walk with me again, and we are venturing to Bellingham--maybe Lake Padden?  Data for today, including map:  http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/594387

1/3/09 Port of Skagit Trails

Today I stuck close to home and walked one of the Port of Skagit Trails near the Skagit Regional Airport. This is where I walked this past summer and fall as I recovered from my knee replacement, so I thought it would be interesting to see how much farther I can walk now.  It was a gorgeous morning, about 44 degrees and the sun was out for a good part of the walk. Rain was predicted for this afternoon, so I went earlier to miss it--however, no rain yet!

There are over 10 miles of gravel trails here, very nice safe place to walk. I discovered that I am walking 2 miles in the same time it took me to walk 1 mile in October--big improvement! No signs of Spring today. I did see a Flicker though--think I made him nervous.  Tried to get a picture of him, but he flew away too soon.  It really was a nice day, I actually got too hot--glad I was layered. I did a typical out and back route again, but next time I will try a loop.  Here's the trail: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/593808