Of course like everyone on the planet I’ve been watching the Olympics. It does encourage me with my challenge to walk, get in shape for this marathon. But at times the task seems overwhelming, but I’m actually doing it.

I weighed myself last Sunday, and found I hadn’t lost a pound, or an inch. I felt like I crashed and burned into a deep pit. I couldn’t believe it. Of course I made up excuses mentally for my bodies failure to cooperate with me and dump fat. I really crashed, because I thought I had been working very hard. I guess not hard enough.

I know part of the problem; no all of the problem is me. I’m not watching as closely as I should what I’m eating. My exercise program makes me hungry, so I tell myself I can be a Michael Phelps and eat what I want because I’m exercising, although I’m not spending five hours a day in the pool swimming endless laps. I was eating too much, and have decided to really cut back and add more to my already growing routine. I’m swimming, three times a week, biking those days too, at night. I’ve added weights, or weight machines, and am walking or doing something every day. The first day off I took was Thursday, and that was because I had Jury Duty, but the gym has a spinning class at 5a.m in the morning I might try. Okay, that’s nuts, but I want to lose thirty pounds and it’s sticking to me like glue, with no signs of going away.

With all this, I’m stiff, I’m sore, but I feel great. Tomorrow is weigh in; we’ll see what has happened over the week. I’m hoping for one pound.

Wow, it has been months since I’ve blogged. I’ve been busy with my other Chasing Heroes blog. (check it out at www.chasingheroes.com), my daughter had a baby recently, and I’ve just been busy with life.

I had opened my blog, thinking I was going to close it down forever, but decided against it.

Why am I continuing with it? I’ve missed it.

What I’m going to use it for is my walking journal. I’ve signed up for a marathon. 13 miles of walking….YIKES!!! I did it to get my butt out of the chair, and honor three friends I’ve lost to cancer, and two more who have diagnosed with it.

At first the training was horrible. I hated it. I didn’t want to do it, but forced myself out of bed to walk. It was a slow start, but it picked up pace as I learned to love being out early in the morning, getting it done, and over with for the day.

Walking the first mile was a killer. I was out of shape.

Then I built up to 2, then 3. Now I walk on an average day four miles.

The last two weeks I haven’t walked much, maybe twice in 2 weeks because of the birth of my granddaughter. I wasn’t home, and I was exhausted helping my daughter through her C-section. Surprisingly, I missed it.

Walking has helped me lose a little weight, the past two weeks, eating out a lot and at the hospital, caused me to gain back some. But now I have that behind me and I’m on a roll. I feel so much better getting my walks in everyday. It was amazing. My mental attitude, I eat healthier, and I just started this early in July. I have until Oct. to build up. I think I’m going to make it…

So join me in tracking my progress now that life has settled down and can roll out of bed in the morning to achieve at least 3 miles. Wednesday the plan is 7….

Lee

I’m still training…Before I leave to visit my dad, I’ll walk for 3 miles. This week was tough, with training. California is on fire, and the area is extremely smoky. There are days you can taste the smoke it’s so thick. Walking out doors was unadvisable.  I didn’t get to the gym because I had my grandkids and my daughter was visiting. So it was a struggle to exercise. Next week I have nothing planned, no visitors, so it has to be the week I really get into this. Yes, I have until October, but I want to be in the best shape I can for this. And my partners are relying on me.

I’m training for a marathon. Yes a marathon! Not to run it, but walk it. I’m with a team of friends who I use to work with. So I’ve got to get my butt in gear and train to be able to walk 13 miles. Yes, I said 13….A half marathon I’m told.

I’ve never done this before, so this is a really new experience for me. So far, I can walk 4 miles, before my feet and legs start to hurt. So I’m on the right track. The marathon is in the fall.

I’m doing this for two reasons, 1. To lose weight. I’m still battling that. 2. For three friends who died of cancer, and for two more who have been diagnosed with it.

When I went through my police academy many moons ago, I graduated with 8 other females. We’ve remained close since those days so long ago, when we encouraged each other to get over the fence in record time as our Training Officer called us failures. Since then three of us have died of female related cancers. The fourth has been going through treatment for the past few months. The fifth has been diagnosed just recently with breast cancer.

There is only 3 of us left who are healthy enough to do this. So for them, I’m getting up early and walking. I’m riding my bike at night, when it cools down for endurance. Next week I’ll hit the weights.

I’m not afraid of failing. I’m afraid of cancer.

Wow, last night I was watching television and add came on about a radio station I use to listen too when I was a teenager, (which was many moons ago) and it’s playing classic music again! It was like being dragged by a rope right back in time. When I was a teenager, with my tiny transistor radio, my friends and I would move our radios around to get the station coming out of San Francisco. We lived in the mountains so if the wind blew the wrong way we couldn’t catch the signal.

Both my husband and I looked at each other as the memories swirled around. He grew up in the bay area, and listened to the station. I think we both had that ‘wow’ moment.

I don’t know why this is important why anyone would care, but it was a thrill for both of us realize we found a great oldies station with an old call sign from the sixties. It was fun.

First things this morning I went on line and found the stations website. Oh, the beauty of modern life and the internet, which meant I could listen to it as I wrote this. And I haven’t been disappointed. The station is actually doing a Top 40 count down. I’m really in pig heaven now. Oh, the simplest things that can please the soul.