Quote du jour: The sovereign invigorator of the body is exercise, and of all the exercises walking is the best. - Thomas Jefferson
So, I did it. Signed up for the
Great Columbia Crossing with my exercise partner. It's a 10k walk/run across the mouth of the Columbia river, on a bridge that shuts down one of its traffic lanes for the event. I think it's the only time in the year you have a chance to walk this bridge.
It's also got a time limit of two hours. At walking pace, 20 minute miles for six miles. I can do this. I've been walking to and from the Max station as part of my commute to work, which means three to five miles of walking a day, depending on which station I walk to. Plus, I've persuaded my exercise friend to walk with me at lunch a few times during the week. I don't think I'll even need the inhaler (but I'll take it anyway).
It does have some aerobic challenges to it. The Astoria bridge has a steep hill part, where the bridge angles up so that ships can pass underneath.
To train, I'll try to work in a couple of hill walks at lunch. And I could be misjudging my abilities. Who knows, maybe we'll both sprain an ankle and need to be picked up by the slug van. Whatever happens, it should be interesting.
Exercise du jour: Walking. With intervals of speed walking. Trying to increase the average pace. Following the
Somewhat High Intensity Interval Training method.
No star. No excuses either, not really. For some reason my legs felt really swollen after yesterday's exercise, and my lungs kept verging on needing the damn inhaler, which makes no sense since I wasn't exercising but still I kept coughing and wheezing and... okay, who's the wise guy who put on that sad violin music in the background? I
admit that I was a wuss today; I'm just trying to figure out
why. I think I'll just count today as the day of rest, since I did (inadvertently) work out yesterday. Cut the violin music already.
Photos:
Done! Definitely earned that star.