Four weeks in. Three weeks out...

This week starts week four of marathon training.

I'm feeling good.  

My foot feels good.

I think I am handling the new distances and the speeds rather well.

I'm delighted to already be within reach of my goal pace... but... experience has shown that shaving that last minute off your mile can be a difficult thing.

Kinda like those last few pounds.

But I don't even want to talk about pounds.  

Last week I gained four.

Needless to say (even though I'm going to say it anyway) I was not a happy camper.

But.

After spending several hours with tears threatening to brim over and a constant threat of that quivering bottom lip I have run through all the rationalization, all the reason, all the possibilities.  

I have hit the "I quit" point and the "What's the point? milestone and have kept on walking.

Now on the other side of that I'm still not happy.  

But.

I think I can safely say that I'm not going to let it get to me.

I have decided I am not going to get on the scale again until my next dietitian appointment on the 11th of June.

I am, instead, am going to  continue to work on changing my thoughts about food.  

I am going to continue to work on portions and contents.  

I am going to keep walking.

Because, bottom line...

I.  Feel.  Better.

I look better already, I smile more, I am more confidant, I have more energy.

So even if I'm not losing weight right now I'm still doing something about my health.

This week sees a change!  Rest/3 miles/2 miles/4 miles/cross train/SIX miles.

Five wasn't horrible, so I'm hoping six won't be either... I remember a time when I walked 6 miles daily...

I can do this!

On the home front I continue to stitch!

Lots of ideas running around in my head and I find I have to take time to sketch them out and tuck them away in my idea book or they get all jumbled up inside my head.  

The only problem is the ideas in the book keep getting pushed aside for new ideas.  

GAAAAHHHH!

::ahem::

Anyway.

I have decided to do it.

Crown Street Cottage will open its doors on June 19th.

Watch this space for new goodies and grand opening offers!

Now to stay on track to have stock to put in that lovely little shop front on Etsy!  

Here is a sneak peak of some of the things I have been working on...

GAAAAAAHHHHHH!
Again.
This blog entry has been sitting here for days... waiting for photos...
But I have been totally lost in the throes of creative madness...
No photos.
Just gonna put this up to let you all know I'm still hanging in there.
Photos to come.  Promise!

Marathon training! Week One

So!  

Last couple of posts were a little... well... down.

However.

Have no fear.

I have gotten my big butt in gear and have had the best week evah!

(well... okay maybe not the best week evah, but a really good one, perhaps the best in a good long while)

I have found my marathon! 

 On August 26th, Spunky and I will be walking the

16th Pathfinder Walk

 sponsored by the 73rd Squadron Walking Club!

It is relatively local.  The chap I spoke to was very positive and welcomed Spunky (so long as he was friendly and was well heeled around livestock).  It is right around the time my marathon training will be peaking to race day.  I'm chuffed. 

 My registration form and fees go in the post today.

Also.  To keep me even more accountable I have signed up to fund raise for two charities.

Well.  I signed up for one, Spunky signed up for the other... but since we walk together, and he doesn't have opposable  thumbs...

Anyway!

Those charities would be

Canines for Service

Specifically Canines for Veterans

(Spunky's choice)

and

Help for Heroes

If you are so inclined you can donate via

Spunky's Pathfinder Walk

or

April's Walk for Heroes

Last week was my first week of training.

Training you ask?  How does one train to walk a marathon?

By walking of course!

If you are curious and would like to see the schedule I will be keeping check this website out.

Marathon Walking

Specifically this plan...

Beginner Marathon Training

Now, some people might argue that I'm not a beginner... and they would be right... but since I have been out of real walking for so long, and I am rehabilitating an injured foot I decided to take it slow and easy.  

(for which I am already glad... goodness how out of shape I didn't know I was!)

But... back to the first week of training!

It looks something like this...

Monday - 3 miles concentrating on pace

Tuesday - 2 miles concentrating on technique... I totally spazzed my strength training...

Wednesday - 3 miles concentrating on pace (which increase from a 21 minute mile to a 19 minute mile)

Thursday - is a cross train day so dog park for a wander... should have been bike and resistance bands... but I spent it house cleaning instead (a valid cross training exercise if I do say so myself)

 .Friday was off schedule as it was supposed to be distance day, but it was spent travelling to Yorkshire and having a short wander.

Saturday - 4 miles concentrating on simply going the distance.... and walking the hills and finding a geocache.

Sunday- easy walk or cross train, we did just short of 3.5  miles on Yorkshire hills looking for geocaches again.. woof!

Today.... REST!  

The weekend put me slightly off my own schedule, which is actually slipped a day from the posted online one as I would rather my rest day came on Sunday.

Anyway!  

Official cumulative distance for the week is 17. 52 miles.

Official weight?... Down by 5 pounds.

Official observance?  My mental state for eating has changed drastically.  I found it easy to make better choices.  It was easy to choose to not eat... easy to put food out of my mind, in fact, I didn't find myself thinking about eating at all.  Which is fab.  I love not having my brain working on what it will be eating next.  

A couple of things are helping me with all of this. 

I use Map My Walk

It has an app that tracks my walks and easily allows me to log distance etc... it has a nicely accurate calorie burn calculator as well.  I have been using this website for several years now.  Even without their app it is easy to map your walk.  Don't know how far you went?  No problem!  Just keep track of how much time it took you, go to their maps, and mark out your trek, enter in how long it took and whalah!  You have stats!

If you would like to join me there you can find me by me name!

The other thing I use is My Fitness Pal.

This is a lovely app/website that tracks my food intake.  It is the best one I have found for showing, explaining and keeping track of exactly HOW MUCH you should be eating.  Clean and simple logging food is less exact and less OCD making than Spark People where I used to track everything.  It is also more accurate.  My only complaint is it won't partner with Mapmywalk to share my workout.  I have to manually enter my distance and calories burned.  Not a horrible issue, but one that could be easily repaired as they offer pairing with several other exercise tracking apps.  If you would like to join me there I am Mbroidress!

I love tracking my progress.  

I love being able to go back and see what I have done over the past weeks.

Sometimes it is not pretty...

But an entire calendar month blocked out with the activity you did is an awesome thing to behold! 

So!  

That's how it goes here!

Today is a rest day (yes there will be dog park action)

But tomorrow starts us on 3/2/3/cross train/ 5 week!  

Come on!  Join us!  

One foot in front of the other...  

Just in case 3 miles seems daunting, keep in mind that one mile takes just over 2000 steps.

The average sedentary person takes 1000-3000 steps per day.

Increasing the number of steps you take goes a long way to increasing your health.

Not up to walking miles?

Here's a better way to start.

Grab yourself a cheap old pedometer.

Wear it for a few days.  

See how many steps you average.

Work at adding 500 more to that total over the course of a week.

Each week add another 500 until you reach 10,000...

(and guess what?!  ... when you reach that you are actually walking 5 miles!!!)

This 10,000 steps challenge is outlined here...

10,000 Steps

In fact... if you haven't noticed... I love this website.

Okay!  So!

I would hate for this entire entry to go without any pictures, so here is me and Spunky getting our distance on the Yorkshire Dales!

Notice the look of grim determination on my face and the slightly sad disappointment on Spunky's... I am by god getting up that hill, and he is by god not chasing any sheep!  :-D 

Also!  Chuffed to discover that after a week of stretching I can once again do this!!!!

Why yes.  That is me,, palms flat on the floor... legs straight....

So!  New week!  New challenges!  Off we go!

The Fickle Finger of Fate laughing?... or True Encouragement?

This gorgeous map popped through my letter box today smack dab in the middle of the Norfolk County Council magazine.  It is one quarter of a two page spread about walking trails in Norfolk... two page spread, mocking me and my Frankenboot.  Laughing and pointing and giggling at the gimp getting fatter and more out of shape as each day on the couch goes by.

Or is it?

My first thought was of despair and misery 

(cue that old HeeHaw segment sung in by the words "Gloom, despair and agony on me!")

Then, as I read the little article about a new trail opening to connect the Nar Valley Way to Marriot's Way, I got to remembering the summer (three years ago now) that I walked, one day a week for five weeks (my one weekday off from my little bakery), the whole of Peddar's Way from Knettishall Heath to Holmes Next the Sea.  Remembered how much fun it was.  How some of the days I only did half the miles I had hoped because it was hot, I was tired, or there was just too much to look at to make any good time.  

My tootsies in the North Sea at Holmes Next the Sea 

after 16 miles of hot, wonderful walking.

I cannot begin to describe how good it felt to be sitting here, knowing I'd just walked 46 miles.

I want that feeling again.  I will have that feeling again.  I will also have those photographs of me that I like again... you know... the ones without the butt roll and the round face.  Those.

So I am going to take this as an auspicious occurrence   The fates, fickle fingered or otherwise have sent me this magazine article to cheer me up and show me what is in store for the summer.

Why are we here?... I mean Welcome!

My boysies.

My Beloved Airman.

For 25 years I dedicated my life to their care and feeding.

Now The Man is retired and happily ensconced in a civilian job he loves. 

 Both manchilds have moved away and are busy and happy in their own lives.  

But what becomes of the Momma?  

THAT.  Is the question of the hour.  If you ask her husband, he will tell you she should do anything that makes her happy... a very sweet and lovely sentiment, but not very helpful.  Or is it?

The last boy went off to school the end of summer last year.  Since then I have been sorting books and household goods for storage, finding and moving house, dealing with our first Christmas alone, and suffering/through/enjoying an overdue visit home for Bubba.  Now I find myself with far more time on my hands than I have ever had before.  The little cottage we are in takes a small amount of maintenance, Bubba's suits go to the cleaner and he is actually very self sufficient so I am left with most of a day to do that which I want... which means, I spend a lot of time on the couch, surfing facebook and watching television.

I'm tired of that.  Now is the time for Me.  Now is the time to pull out that project book with pages of ideas that I have been keeping for "when I have the time"... because you know what?  I have the time!

So.  If you are so inclined, follow me on this journey of life after... well... life.  

I currently have two embroidery projects in frames, several illuminations on my slope, two short stories in different steps of completion and a new found love of Artist Trading Cards.  Let's see what I can accomplish and where it will take me next, shall we?

Me and my captain, back to just the two of us again.