Wierd week

Yesterday and today were spent at a board retreat (non-university) and tomorrow through Saturday will be spent in Barrow. Friday is the grand opening of the Barrow Global Climate Change Research Facility (BGCCRF). I won't be able to retrieve and relocate Squiggly until Sunday. Getting steps in this week is going to be a challenge.

Long weekend

This afternoon, someone asked me what kind of big plans I had for the weekend. Unfortunately, I had none. I'm sorry to have to admit it but I apparently don't have a life. I read the other blogs and people have these activities that they are passionate about. Everything from cycling to tennis and music. Folks around the office are planning fishing trips, gardening, camping trips, you name it. Me... I hadn't even thought about it let alone planned anything.

Lack of motivation

With the arrival or the bugs (mosquitos and wasps), walking outside is rapidly losing its appeal. And on top of that, it's getting too hot inside to use the treadmill so my average daily step count is coming down. I went on todays WIN walk which meets at the circle of flags on lower campus on Thursdays. I walked down and back so total was just about 10k steps (4.53 miles). The Omron pedometers they are handing out for participation seemed to be very accurate. At the end of the walk, we compared one to the gps and they differed by 0.01 mile. Not too bad...

Another great day to be outside

Unfortunately, I'm not outside. I did walk down to College & University for lunch and went for a short walk this morning to help clear out the cobwebs. Finished the evening with a walk to check on the Squiggly (no additional visitors!) Too many bugs outside and too hot inside. Isn't summer wonderful....

WIN walk

I went on the noon walk sponsored by WIN for Alaska (or something like that) and it was a nice 2.12 mile walk on the West Ridge ski trails with some additional guidance in stretching. Water and pedometers provided to all. I'm not sure of the goals of the program but it was a nice diversion from the normal noon activities. Meeting again on Thursday at the circle of flags on lower campus.

Forced to walk

Several people have been asking me how I have been able to find the time to log so many steps. Since mid-November, I have been on a medication where nausea is one side effect and walking is one of the few ways I've found to get any kind of relief. So I end up walking a lot whether I feel like it or not. Right now, I am at work trying to get some stuff done and feel bad. So whether I want to or not, whether I have time or not, I'm going to go for a walk. I have also discovered that fairly small, healthy meals help a lot so this is getting me to my weight loss goals. 35 lbs so far!

Chris Lott mentioned in his blog that I must be pacing the halls just to get in steps. In reality, I do often walk up and down the halls or a quick loop around west ridge or down to lower campus but it isn't to get in steps, it's to feel well enough to get through the rest of the day.

Exhausted

Yesterday evening, I went for a fairly long walk and this morning I went on a bike ride as well as a walk. Right now, I feel extremely drained. Maybe I've been pushing myself for so long with little down time. Or maybe just too much walking. Today's bike ride made it painfully obvious (literally) the different muscles walking and bicycling use.

Walking the dog

I tried walking the dog again and just went to the end of the road and back before he was exhausted. Since it was so nice outside i.e. cool enough but not cold, I decided to try running/walking outside. I essentially duplicated the intervals that I've been doing on the treadmill (sort of) and only ran on the flat or uphill portions. The cool temperatures were great and not that many bugs out. I ran 200 steps, walked 200 steps, ran 500 steps, walked 500 steps, repeat for 45 minutes. I figured counting steps was easier than looking at the time. No aches or pains this time.

Back to the beginning

Last Tuesday, I started the Orient Express over again since it is permissible to sponsor yourself. Plus, I figured that I needed to at least do a round trip to get back to the starting point again. 21k on the pedometer yesterday plus I did what has become my normal treadmill routine last night but increased the incline to get it aerobic again. Maybe it's time to try jogging again...

I would encourage you to look for the Dashiell Duo Squiggly-cache. It is a great walk in the woods. The GPS coordinates are N 64° 51.817' W147° 50.632'. Hmm, is it "coordiantes are" or "coordinate is"?

I did intervals on the treadmill after a late dinner. Almost in Germany!

More of the same

Yesterday, I took the dog for a walk and ended up not going very far. After about 1/2 a mile or so, he just wanted to turn around and go back home and had to stop several times to rest. At least the trip back was all down hill. I ended the day with 22k on the pedometer and followed up with intervals (50 minutes) and walking (30 minutes) on the treadmill to cool down.

Find Squiggly - May

This is a nice 1.5 mile walk (each way) with 383' of total elevation gain with great views of Fairbanks. Even though it is near a road, try the walk. I moved the pictures and the directions to the right.

5-03-07 1 visitor
5-13-07 2 additional visitors
5-16-07 1 additional visitor
5-23-07 0 additional visitors