Gunpowder Fall Hike -- 3/27/2010

Good evening and happy Palm Sunday!

I know I’ve been silent for the last few weeks, but they have been quite busy! Our hike on 3/13 to Gunpowder Falls was cancelled due to inclement weather. That was good because my knee was really sore and I spent the day icing it! On 3/20 I missed the hike because we had our annual Women’s Conference at my church. So instead, I took a walk and did some extra exercising to make up for it.
That brings us to 3/27, yesterday. Yesterday was a ‘mentor weekend’ day. That means that our mentors lead a hike instead of the coaches. So Arden and Kathy, our mentors, took us back to catch up on the Gunpowder Falls hike that we missed. First let me say, hiking is a MUCH different experience when its not in the snow! And I am so THANKFUL that we did not hike there while there was still snow on the ground! Yesterday’s hike included some stream crossings and LOTS of up and down hills. I did a little bit of scrambling over rocks and trees. I even crawled underneath a tree that had fallen across the path. (My cousin says she would pay to see a picture of that!) Oh and did I mention the up and down over hills?! We ended up going about 6 miles yesterday. And I have to say, that I was more wiped out than when I finished my first 10 mile walk. I started out pretty good, but man I faded toward the end. I offer my thanks to Kathy who pulled me up those last few hills to the ‘finish’ line. She knew I was beat and kept giving me small goals to keep me going! I was never so happy to see my sister in the parking lot waiting for me. Man sitting down felt SO GOOD! But there was no rest for the weary. I went home, took a shower, and then headed to church to host our Hopekeepers Wellness event kickoff. I was there getting people to sign up for the stairclimbing event and our walking for wellness event. I was there also showing folks how to play different games on the wii fit and wii active. I didn’t get back home until after 10 pm last night. You can imagine I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.
So today, on Palm Sunday, I am sore and achy. I have rubbed my calves down with tiger balm. I am plotting my weekly exercise regime to help me have a bit more stamina to make it through a 7 mile hike next Saturday. I am also trying to regroup on my fundraising – It is time to recommit and I am going ALL IN, hoping that my friends and family will follow me and make those contributions that will make a difference in the fight to cure blood cancers!

YAY I GOT MY POLES!!

So I had to just share today. I about 1/2 of my gear today! I now am the proud owner of a pair of hiking poles and a new sports watch. I got a few other things today too but I figure that I don't need to share that with those men that may be reading :-) Now I need to get some hiking pants a few short sleeve shirts and a waterproof raincoat and I should be all set!!

Took yesterday as a rest day, only did the stairs at work. Today I was with my dad, but the plan is to start doing these exercises that Coach Greg recommended and maybe some dance dance revolution to get in a little cardio!

You all can see that I am dedicated to this!! Now I need to see yours! For those of you who love March madness, boy do I have a deal for you:

Get swept up in March Madness, take a chance on winning a piece of the jackpot worth $500 and help to cure cancer -- all at the same time! For a $10 donation, you get to complete 1 bracket. For a $25 donation, you get to complete 3 brackets. Be sure to enter a correct email address when you make your donation so we know how to get in touch with you! The tournament is starting soon so you must make your donation no later than Tuesday, March 16th by midnight to play in the bracket competition. You will be able to pick your teams between Sunday March 14th and Thursday March 18th at noon when the first games kick off. If you guys haven't done so, please take a few minutes to make your contributions via the website: http://pages.teamintraining.org/md/Yosemit110/WinForOthers.

TTYL

Is it Time for Pancakes Yet?

Apologies
All right team members, sorry I didn't post yesterday, but it was a busy day. After our training hike I went over to see my parents and we ended staying until the late evening. And before you ask, "Nope I didn't have a set of clothes to change into" so I was nice and sweaty until I got home. And the fam couldn't understand why I didn't want to go out to dinner :-)

Saturday's Training Hike
OK -- so now that I've made my excuses for posting late, lets talk about yesterday's training session. We headed out to Oregon Ridge Park for a 4 mile walk in the park and then the annual pancake breakfast. It was a GLORIOUS day for a hike, bright and sunny! And we had a big melt this week so while there was still snow, there were lots of patches of muddy ground too. Oregon Ridge Park is really nice, and at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I have NEVER been there either.

Uphills, downhills, and stream crossings were the order of the day. I'd like to think I did a little better than last Saturday, but I am still bringing up the rear :-( I have a new name -- "The Sweeper". That's a polite athletic term that means 'the slow one' :-) Thanks to Coach Melissa who kept me company and encouraged me along the way Saturday as on one particular hill I was contemplating that I could still switch back to the marathon program and go back to my comfort zone:-P

So, other than figuring out how to pick up the pace, my big challenges for the day were climbing over logs and the steeper inclines and declines, especially in the ice and snow. Again, thank God for the hiking poles -- a great way to get assistance especially for me as I'm vertically challenged -- they helped me out as I swung my legs over logs and looked for ways to cross streams. Also gotta love the yaks -- they are grippy things that go over your boots to give you more traction in the ice and snow. Toward the end of the hike, my left knee decided to make its displeasure known, but again we managed to complete the day and get in for pancakes JUST at the bell!

And man were those pancakes and sausage good! And we had real maple syrup bottled right there at Oregon Ridge! After that we headed over to REI for a nutrition clinic. We got to try out a lot of different protein/nutrition bars and some electrolyte candies that looked and tasted like gummy bears. My original thought had been to try on some of the pants and make a purchase, but um.. I was way too hot, sweaty, and smelly for that. So it'll probably be an online purchase for me :-)

Overall it was a good day! I'm glad I stuck to it. And I will take Melissa's words to heart -- its only week 2, I have plenty of time to build up and get better at this. And I got some words of encouragement from some of the older members of my church congregation today when I whined about being the slowest one again. "At least you were there and at least you finished, and that's what counts."