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So this is what I’m learning:

Health and wellness take focus.  With the addition of a part time job to my already hectic schedule, I am feeling overwhelmed and a little stressed.  The first thing to go are my health goals.  Silly.  I actually need my health to deal with the stress!

Most importantly I’m needing to find a way to create better structure to contain all the “bits” flying around in my life.  This will help both with the stress, and the attainment of my goals.

So while I’ve been doing less than stellar at reaching my goals lately, I am still committed, and looking for a way to make this happen.  I will NOT allow these setbacks to throw me off permanently.  I do my best each day with the energy and focus I do have, and give myself some grace for where I fall.

Life is all about grace, after all!

Happy walking!

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Who is Darlene Hull? Click here: www.darlenehull.com to find out!

I completed level 2 in my training on Saturday by participating in a 10k race for a local church here. Even without the 1˚C (33.8˚F) temperature and brisk winter wind, it was an interesting experience.

I warmed up well, started out by climbing up a reasonably steep but short hill, and proceeded through what was a beautiful, not-terribly-strenuous walk to complete the first 5k loop. I found that although I wasn’t breathing hard or feeling like I was exerting myself beyond my comfort zone (keeping up with about a 7 on the RPE in my estimation), I was pushing myself beyond my ideal heart rate, and my muscles got very tired, very quickly – which is unusual, as I walk a 10k or more almost every week with no issues whatsoever.

I have been training using the Maffetone method which I love, but I’ve not been using it long enough to get a good speed result from a 10k race, so I decided to ignore all his good advice about keeping within your (much lower than conventional) ideal training heart rate level, and just walk as quickly as I could without getting winded. By the end of the first 5k my feet were numb from the cold and felt like bricks, I was demotivated, tired, frustrated, and feeling generally like quitting. I couldn’t believe it. I warm up with a 5k. This was ridiculous.

The second half was better because I hooked up with the woman who owns Distinctive Catering and we got into a great discussion about my funky shoes (they were quite the hit at this walk) and walking in general and I slowed my pace a little to keep together with her and engage in conversation. This moved me back into a better pace within my ideal heart rate. My pace had moved to about a 5.5-6 on the RPE, and with my feet now having some warm blood circulating through them, engaging myself in interesting conversation, and staying within my hear rate, I felt much better on the second lap – but was still feeling quite tired. Much more tired than my long walks (i.e. 21k) feel. This was odd.

The race ended in the middle of a pretty good downfall of snow, so I didn’t want to hang around much outside when it was over (though I did snag a bagel and had a brief chat with some walkers around the coffee urn…) Because of this I didn’t really stretch properly (what is WRONG with me?) and so for the rest of the day I was tired, achy, and quite uncomfortable.

So, lesson learned. I will take longer to prepare for my 21k so that my aerobic level is at place where I can complete it within my proper heart rate level at an 8 minute/kilometer speed (2.8hr finish time – I’m not too far off). And I will take the time to stretch properly when I’m done.

Live and learn….

Happy walking!

Darlene

(PS – sorry I don’t have any pics. My hubby had a meeting on in the morning and couldn’t be there to take pictures of my crossing the finish line in the snow… Too bad)

I’ve been spending a LOT of time researching nutrition. In addition to reading dozens of books from the library, I’m reading lots of magazine articles, and actually taking some nutrition courses.

It’s a very confusing topic!

I think that part of the problem seems to be that most people who create weigh loss plans have only half the info, and build whole principles out of misunderstood facts. I also think that nourishment as God planned it, is much more complicated than we like to think. An apple isn’t just an apple. Everything works together in synergy, and if we remove bits from the apple (the parts we think are beneficial) we aren’t getting the whole synergy.

As I study books by actual, trained nutritionists – folks with at least a couple of doctorates in nutritional research – I am continually stumbling upon some interesting things. One of them is the idea that we need to eat fat to lose fat.

Now, I knew that we were on dangerous ground when we started feeding our kids skimmed milk and low-fat products because research has shown the importance of saturated fat for developing brains. However, I didn’t know that saturated fat was important for weight loss!

Some of the books I’ve been studying that advocate this are “The Maker’s Diet” by Jordan Rubin, books by Drs. Michael and Mary Dan Eades, and the “The Slow Burn Fitness Revolution” by Frederick Hahn.

Interesting.

Now this morning I find a new post about it on Tim Ferriss’ fascinating blog.

Not sure where I am on all this, but it’s very interesting, and they seem to have some rather compelling research to back it up.

Check it out, and let me know what you think!

Happy walking!

Darlene

On Friday I came across this excellent article that talks about the importance of balance: “Overtraining: A Good Thing Gone Bad”

When I was in training for my marathon last October I learned first hand about the joys of overtraining, and it was during that time that I learned about the “Maffetone Method”. This method of training pretty much guarantees you’re not going to over do things, and it’s the system I’m using this time around. What I like about it is that Dr. Maffetone (a world recognized endurance trainer) says it’s important to listen to your body, and if you’re not up to par, stay home.

This past week I felt stressed, tired and frustrated for no real reason – perhaps the cloudy days, I don’t do well under overcast skies – and so I took a couple of days off of training (I even took the week off of posting my blog). I got back on the road on Friday, but the results shown to me on my heart rate monitor proved that I was still not in a great place for training. After a week of struggling to get my heart rate high enough last week due to very quick improvement, I found myself on Friday barely able to get it below my maximum. Every hill pushed my heart beyond my ideal training point.

Most training programs encourage you to push through those kinds of days, but I know that I have been pushing pretty hard in other areas of my life these past couple of weeks, and so my heart already gets a workout just dealing with that. It’s important to give the body what it needs to be fit AND healthy!

You don’t want to abuse this system with laziness and lack of motivation, but you do have to know your body well enough to know when to say stop.

I did manage a slow 3 hr walk on Saturday with minimal stress, and I also did a one-hour on Sunday and a 1.5 hour walk today.

Darlene

Well, I had a good week off to rest from the race and plan my next move. First of all, let me update you on my weightloss results from “The Lord’s Table”

It has been a challenging course, but it’s working out many of the core issues for why I can’t seem to get rid of these last 30 pounds or so. My mentor is just about the most encouraging person on the planet, so it’s a joy to work through this with her. And it’s free. If you’re looking to lose weight, start here!

I also spent the weekend getting my training all set up for the next leg of my walking journey – a 10 k in October. I’m using a heart rate monitor for this set of training to make sure I stay in the place of fastest possible advancement. I’m using Dr. Phil Maffetone’s training techniques based on his 180-age formula instead of the standard 220-age, which feels way too slow to just about anyone who want’s to get fit fast. However, he specializes in Endurance Training, and has trained people to break records on 1,000 mile races (completed in about 16 days!) and he’s also trained world champion Triathletes, usually without injury. He teaches you to teach your body to fuel itself using fat instead of sugar, and so your body can go much farther much faster with much less stress and also lowers the level of production of free radicals. His training lowers the stress on your body while improving your results much more quickly. You just have to have the necessary patience to get through the slow times!

I plotted out my complete training schedule between now and the Marathon in October 2010 in a general fashion, and am working on plotting the details one month in advance. It’s rather complicated to work everything in properly and to set up my iPod music to guide me through while keeping a close eye on my heart rate monitor. Ach, it will keep me out of trouble! LOL!

Anyway, if you want to join me, let me know, and I’ll send my training schedule to you as it gets done. If you have an iPod, I’ll also send you my playlists.

Happy walking!

Darlene

Apparently it’s possible to complete a walking marathon with no training whatsoever, if you’re even moderately fit. The question is not so much that you complete it, it’s what kind of shape you’re in when you’re done.

Walking a marathon with no training will probably cause serious blisters, chafing, seized-up muscles, dehydration, possibly serious injury, and the inability to move with any level of grace for about a week afterward.

The purpose of training is to make sure all the kinks are worked out before the day of the race. You learn about pace, clothing, shoes, posture, nutrition, water, energy – all those important things you need to keep you going strong when “rubber hits the road”, literally. It’s about trying, tweaking, observing, learning, growing, and getting strong – stronger than you’ve ever been in your life. And it’s about finishing with strength, dignity, and enthusiasm!

Many people “try” fitness and nutrition. They wake up January 2, head to the gym and work out for two hours on equipment they’ve never seen before, working up a great sweat, and then they come home and eat lettuce all day. By day three they’re sore, angry, tired, overwhelmed, starving, and eating Ben and Gerry’s with a spoon.

Training takes into consideration who I am, what my lifestyle is, what my personality quirks are, where I am at now, and – hopefully – some good advice from a doctor or fitness professional. With all of that in hand, a training program is set in place that is manageable, enjoyable, and effective. It goes slowly, creating habits instead of hang-ups, and moves you incrementally towards your goal.

The result is fitness, strength, enthusiasm, discipline, and joy. Even the sore muscles or occasional blister don’t deter you from your goals, because they are on a much more manageable scale, and become the wounds of victory, not defeat.

So, stop trying to be fit, and get some good training under your belt! You’ll love the results. Check my “Great Resources“, “Great Books“, and “Links” pages and get inspired!

Happy Walking!

Darlene

So, hopefully you have your cool little pedometer. Now you just need to get out and walk! Here’s a fun bit of motivation – though perhaps a little “off-season”!

That should put a bit of a spring in your step! LOL!

I would recommend just working this week on “getting more active”. No need to try to schedule a regular 10k walk into your life just yet.  Remember, this first week is mostly about awareness!

Here are some links with great ideas for increasing the number of steps you walk each day without having to schedule a walk into what is already – no doubt – a very full day:

1. Twenty Simple Ways To Increase Your Exercise As Part Of Your Daily Routine
2. How to Increase Your Step Count to 10,000 Steps per Day
3. The 10,000 steps challenge

And to add a whole new dimension to the challenge, look up “Walking With Attitude” and for a small fee you can pick a “steps challenge” from the list. Who knows, maybe you’ll decide to walk across Egypt, or tour London from your own front porch. VERY cool stuff!

Happy Stepping!

Darlene