I'm taking Wednesdays off during the summer to care for the kids and get them to swim meets. So this morning I slept in a little and went out for a walk. Today we'll be crazy busy getting ready for the swim meet and preparing for the team breakfast tomorrow, so I knew I couldn't have time to walk later.
I walked 4 miles in 59:30. The 5K was 45:42 and miles were 14:55, 14:31, 14:41, and 15:20.
While walking, I listened to Geek Girl Runner and was surprised to hear that she read an email from me on the podcast and followed up by giving me lots of kudos and encouragement. I was tearing up from the support and it really was great and helped me re-commit to keeping active. I need all the motivation I can get because it's so easy to let exercising fall prey to all the other demands of life. If you want to hear Geek Girl's shoutout, open this link and listen to the section at about 18:30 to about 21:30. Or better yet, listen to it all, she's a great new podcaster.
I also saw that Steverunner read an email question I sent him on his Intervals podcast. I had asked about whether fast walking will increase my endurance. Steve said that to prove whether it is doing so, I'd have to do a bit of heart rate analysis. My max heart rate is 177 (220-age) and 60% of that is 106.2. I don't know what my resting rate is. A doctor's office clocked it at 69 bpm recently.
Steve's explanation prompted me to read a little about it and I found the American Heart Association has some info online. I'm not sure what my heart rate is while I'm walking. I've only really measured it when on a bike at the gym and I had a pretty high heart rate then - like 160 to 170.
A heart rate monitor came with my Garmin 305, but I've never used it. Maybe I should figure it out one of these days. Steve also suggested that walking fast uses different muscles than running (I certainly agree as my experience proves) and that going out too fast or too long might actually cause injury. He wonders if I might get the same endurance benefit from walking less quickly. He may have a point. I'd need to do the heart rate analysis to be sure though.
The lymphedema is doing pretty well today. I just wore little finger sleeves on two fingers when I walked and that really did the trick. The swelling is very slight today after my walk. This is all very good news.
Day 19 of South Beach Diet
Breakfast: one egg over medium
Lunch: half cup of tuna mixed with a little miracle whip, half a small cucumber, string cheese
Snack: hard boiled egg
Dinner: hotdog with no bun at the swim meet, cocoa roasted almonds, soy nuts, salad at the "after the meet" party at DiVincis.
Drink: water all day
Great advice from Steverunner on walking. He sounds like a resource with lots of technical help and motivation. With Steve and Geek Girl Runner you are way ahead on tech support and motivation for your running....go get'em Kelly.
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