21 July 2016

Something I'd forgotten about when training for a long walk...once you start to ratchet up your distance, getting over 5 miles, for a while you're hungry. I mean, you're hungry. You want to eat things as big as your head, and then an hour later, you want to do it again.

I had the same issue when I started swimming; for the first 2 weeks, all I wanted to do was eat.

Now, the first time I trained for this, IIRC, that kind of hunger didn't hit until I was walking over 8-10 miles. And then, it made sense; I'd burned 1000 calories, I was going to want to eat.

Today I did 4 easy miles (and I still have a hard time believing 4-6 miles is easy now, given how hard it was a few years ago) and would have done a couple more if not for the heat (which wasn't even 80 degrees...I am not adjusted to summer yet.) I stopped at Starbucks halfway for some iced tea, thinking that I would head for a place where I knew there was a restroom, because...tea...but wound up at home instead because I are a wimp.

An hour later, I wanted to eat everything in sight. I still do. I've restrained myself, but there's a gallon of ice cream in the freezer, and I've heard it calling my name since I got home.

This does not bode well for me. By the time I hit 10 miles, I'm going to be eating things the size of small children. If it keeps up, by the time the 3 Day rolls around I will have gained 75 pounds.

Really hoping next week to get into San Francisco again, but this time we'll park near Pier 39 and walk toward the Golden Gate Bridge. We can get 8 miles in without worrying about heat, and then the Spouse Thingy can have fresh seafood, and I will have popcorn or a pretzel, because, ew, seafood.

Really glad the doc said I could walk this year. I've missed this.

19 July 2016

There are 122 days until the San Diego 2016 3 Day; our high mileage days should have us doing 7 miles one day and 6 the next, so we're right on track. By the week after next, we need to hit 8/6, which seems easy enough...we might push for that next week, picking a day to go to San Francisco to walk between Pier 39 and the Golden Gate Bridge, which beats the heck out of walking around Dixon all the time.

Remember this? LOL

I love this little town, but it's about 5 square miles of flat sameness, and after a while it's kind of mind numbing. The bonus of training with the Spouse Thingy this time is that I'm not trying to wedge my long walks in on days he's working or sleeping--which would put me walking alone on weekend days around town--but we're going out and getting the walks in while we do other things. Last week we went to SF for a few hours just to walk around downtown; it's a slower pace because of all the people-dodging, but face it, we'll be people-dodging in San Diego, too.

Also...so far no blisters. Anyone who was around for my first walk might remember the fun I had with those, pretty much right from the start.

Now...I'm at my goal, my fundraising is essentially done. The Spouse Thingy still needs to raise $1560, so if you're of a mind to donate, please donate to his walk. There are still prizes to be had--on August 1st someone will win a Samsung Galaxy Tab E tablet, and someone will win an 11" Dell laptop computer.

After that, the next drawing will be on September 15th, for a 13" Dell laptop. And if the Spouse Thingy makes it to $2300 by that date, a very generous donor who has already provided the spendy prizes is offering one more, a $500 Amazon gift card.

And as always...I can be bought. For the right donation to the Spouse Thingy, I will do things. Embarrassing things. Legal, but embarrassing.

Now, off to look at Google Maps, to decide where I want to walk tomorrow...

14 July 2016

For reals. I don't play, I don't get it, and Pokemon in general was one of those things that flew right by me when it first started, but cripes...I've been unhappily surprised at the volume of posts I'm seeing online making fun of other people for going outside and having a good time.

 

It feels a lot like people whining YOU'RE NOT HAVING FUN THE RIGHT WAY. 

I did see one post last night, someone who was quite happy that their kid walked a total of 5 miles yesterday. He and his friends had so much fun, they're going to do it again. They met up at a local park and found half a dozen other kids doing the same thing, and had a ton of fun hanging out and getting to know each other. 

 

And yet...the same people who I've seen complaining about how our kids all sit inside in front of TVs and computers are now making fun of them for going outside and doing something.

No, they don't play the way we did when we were kids. We didn't play the same way our parents did. Our grandkids won't play the same way our kids do.

 

That's not a bad thing.

 

And yes, there are some very inattentive player walking into parked cars and trees, and the company that made the app has some work to do on placement, but overall? I tend to be in favor of anything that gets kids (and adults, be honest) excited and moving.

#yesthisisalreadyasoapboxissueforme

8 July 2016

From the Discussions With Friends and Acquaintances Files

"I'm tired of all of it right now. What gets me is that I've had a hard life, too. Minimum wage jobs. Food stamps. I was homeless for 3 years. I drove a shit car and I got pulled over a couple times a month for fix-it tickets. I struggled for half my adult life. Why is my hard life less important just because I'm white?"

It's not less important. Yes, everyone suffers at some point in their life. Statistically (the last time I checked, but it's been a while), there are more white people than black people on welfare. I wandered around San Francisco a bit this week, and the obvious homeless I saw were overwhelmingly white.

But here's the thing.

You and I?

Our struggles will never be because we are white.

It really is that simple. Everyone will experience hard times. Everyone struggles. Everyone has a moment in their life when they hit their knees because it doesn't seem like they can take one more thing going wrong. But you and I will never face those struggles with the reason being the color of our skin.

I will never be pulled over for driving while white.
I will never be tracked around a store because I am white.
I will never have to fear for my life when engaging someone in authority because I am white. 

"All lives matter, plain and simple."

Well yeah, all lives matter. But the truth is that right now, we all just seem to accept that white lives matter, and the divide is becoming so strong that a whole lot of people are rightly standing up to remind us all that black lives matter, too.

It sucks that we need reminding.

It's shameful that the message has to be shouted to be heard.

It's horrible that we didn't move past this need decades ago.

But here we are.