July 31- day of rest

My day off of walking & I went to water aerobics & afterwards into the hot tub to loosen up a bit. I tried to get some things done today, such as bill paying, etc. This whole training thing is really starting to take up a lot of time – which is OK, I just have to adjust. Between the walks/runs (which are gradually increasing in length each week), to getting ready for the walks, to recovering from the walks, to eating before the walks, to eating & drinking after the walks, to planning my routes & mileage, to working on the fundraising aspect – figuring out how else to get us to our goal (talking to places to ask for donations, sending off more emails, etc.). It all occupies a good part of the day – but it’s definitely worth it!



I’m including a photo of my shoes (or one of my shoes)– to show how the toe looks with the stitching out.

It gives my toes a bit of wiggle room & hopefully will prevent further toe nail damage…from those toes consistently pushing against the toe of the shoes. I just figured out that I will need a new pair of shoes before the marathon – so I’ll need to get them 3 or 4 weeks before, to break them in. Each pair of shoes will last for about 400 miles & I’ll pass that by the second week of September.

Also, here’s a picture of my water belt (that I wear whenever I go for a walk/run):

I fill it with water and/or electrolyte powder mixed in the water for longer walks. Even though they have stands along the marathon route, I’ll take my own to have in between miles. I’ll take along some electrolyte tablets or powder to mix along the way, too.

I went to bed a bit early tonight to be rested for my Saturday morning team walk tomorrow…it will be 14 miles. We’re meeting at Pioneers Park early tomorrow to get a jump on the heat so I got my things ready tonight…that means mixing up my water bottles with electrolyte powder, packing my “snot” gels and Cliff bar, mixing a recovery drink for afterwards when I finish the walk/run ( I need to have it in the car to drink right away…it really helps the muscles recover better), mixing a protein drink for afterwards…again, it’s important to have protein within ½ hour of completing a run…it helps repair torn tissue from the run. I keep the recovery drink and the protein drink in a small cooler in the car to drink after I finish the run and after I stretch before heading home.

Here’s a picture of getting ready for my morning run:

Left to right: electrolyte drink, recovery drink,4 "snot" gels (carbs) & (long package) of shot blocks (chewable carbs), cliff bar (missing: protein drink mix). Like I say, this walking/running business is a science!!
Went to bed listening to rolling thunder and rain and lightning…a wonderful Nebraska summer storm…great sleeping weather!