Last training run...

I am almost done writing a Thank you note to all my friends and family who have been supporting me and its off to the gym. Its Friday before the race, before the holiday, before the weekend. No one is at the office anymore and all my work is done.

It so strange to think this is the last training run? I had dinner with Hirono last night. She is so amazing. She is going to come with me to the Runner's expo on Sunday to pick up our bibs. She even mentioned that she might meet me along the race route and go a mile with me to encourage me. How could I be so blessed!!

On top of the fact that she bought dinner last night, she also got me a "post race" kit, replete with a full Bath & Body works splurge! Shea butter foot cream, foot scrub, loofah, mint spritz, sanitizing gel. Plus some great warnings about port-a-potties on the race track, what to bring with and what to leave behind and other awesome tidbits that were worrying me for not knowing.

I am recognizing so much of what these last 5 months has meant to me. I have made a lot of tough decisions. I haven't been as perfect as I would have liked to have been, but I am perfectly human. And this time, I am giving myself the grace to be just that- instead of punishing myself for not being SUPER human.

I am getting excited about Sunday. Still a little nervous, but I have had such an overwhelming amount of support its been so incredible. I think it has helped me get some perspective on what really matters. I am planning to stop by a fellow's house tonight. I am essentially saying good-bye.

He has been fighting a disease the entire time I have known him (almost 18 months) and he is not doing well. Liver transplant fell through and now he's dying. I wasn't best friend's with him or anything, but I have a real respect and love for him and I know now is the time, the last chance, to share that with him. I will definitely be thinking of him on Monday as I put one foot in front of the other and take the journey bravely, as he has.

God Bless you, Mark G!

Better than Ever!

This is the last week. That's it. This week's training is three days of 3 miles and rest on Sat & Sun. Then Monday IS IT!

I already wrote about nerves in some of the previous entries. Today I am going to talk about accomplishments! First off, I am SO GLAD I bought the Nike+ and iPod at the start of this. If I hadn't had some outside system, tracking my initial start into this and where I am today, I don't think I would have believed it.

From when I began in January till today, I have accomplished:

• 50 workouts
  
• 248.76 miles
• Average pace of 17.29 min/ mile

Today I did 3 miles in the gym. I looked back at the first time I attempted 3 miles in the gym and this is the difference.

Jan 14th: Total 3 .15 miles, Average Pace 17.5 min/ mile, Time approx 1 hr.- Mostly walking
May 20: Total 3.02 miles, Average Pace 14.43 min/ mile. Time 44 1/2 mins- Walking/jogging

Its quite incredible to see my improvements in a completely objective tool. I am really proud of myself. I have been through the agonizing over whether I would walk this, run this or what my time would be and all that stuff and what I know in my heart of hearts is that I JUST NEED TO FINISH. I CAN FINISH. I WILL FINISH.

I have let go of the limitations and know that if I can run, that's great! If I can't that's ok too. I am trying to not think about time- but I am only human. Right now, I am so satisfied it makes all the work feel worthwhile. Its the start of a whole new thing! Plus I found a local swimming pool, so I think that is next! I already got my waterproof ipod box!

"I can't lie... you got some nice curves"

I came into this run with some major doubts. I was getting anxious about the race and telling myself I wasn't prepared enough. I hadn't RUN enough (of what I decided to walk). I was going to let myself down. I wouldn't finish. I hadn't even lost any weight during this!
That last one was when I stopped myself and recognized the irrationality of it all. I wrote about it. I reached out to a friend and I prayed that I would have the strength to put one foot in front of the other and just DO IT.
And that is exactly what I did. I took a trek down Huntington into El Sereno proper and explored part of the city I live in that I had never walked. And for the first time in two months- I ran. I probably ran a good 2/5ths of the whole 8.55 miles which was great. My knees aren't swollen now and I didn't overdo it- but I DID it. I tried.
I went up some hills I didn't expect, having never been in this side of the city, saw a run over kitty (poor kitty, god bless) and got hit on by someone who scared the crap out of me.
My primary goal was to find out where a neighborhood pool that a friend swims at, was located. I found a path online that would take this round trip (which could have been 3 miles) to 8miles (and ended up 8.55). It took me down Huntington to Eastern, then I went right and left again and cut down a little street parallel to Huntington called Navarro. I took that street as it wound around and ended up on Poplar, cutting into Alhambra. I alternated walking an running as I went and listened to NPR- Wait Wait Don't tell me. It was between 11am- 12pm.
I made a right on Orange Grove (not the one in Pasadena, but in Emery Park Track, in Alhambra) till it dead ended at Concord Ave. I turned right on Concord Ave and followed it to Alhambra Rd. That turn to Alhambra road is where I saw the kitty. It was orange like my Kiki but still and sadly killed in the cross walk.
This part of Alhambra is very industrial, lots of big warehouses, muffler shops and auto body/ paint places. The traffic was flowing fast. I took every opportunity going downhill to jog. I saw the sign for Lombardy and knew I would be taking a right on that street. I had never been here before- not even driving. I turned the corner and started going up a hill I didn't expect. I guess I should have expected hills- I mean it is my neighborhood- even if its a part I have never visited. I slowed down a little going up the hill, but made it to the top and continued on Lombardy as it went back down on the other side. I looked up and saw the back of the hillside I normally see across the Huntington Dr. valley from my house. I had never seen the back of it before!
The road curved around and ended at Eastern. I realized if I went to the right, I could come right back to Huntington where I first turned. If I went to the left, I could find the El Sereno Recreation Center where the pool was at. I went to the left and crossed the street. There was a big Elementary School there on Eastern and a a large baseball field with about 4-5 diamonds next to it. That was part of the Rec Center. I have a friend who lives in El Sereno and goes to Wilson High who is an Umpire. I bet that is where he works! I kept looking out at all the games to see if he was there- but it was mostly girls softball and no sign of my friend.
At the corner of the fields I made a right and started going up (yes- uphill again) Klamath Place. Right above the fields was the center. I guess I expected something different. I didnt see a swimming pool, so I walked up and found the doors, and grabbed a schedule of hours. Then I walked around the building and realized it was an indoor pool with sliding panels that can be opened to the outside. I guess that's a good thing for laps- to not be outside- though I guess I wont get a tan as a byproduct of laps there. Ha!
I left the pool and continued up Klamath Place to Richlieu and took a left. At this point its getting really hot. I keep expecting there to be more shade on the streets, but its like there are no trees? At least none that are giving off shade. I make it to the end of the street and turn left on Druid. This whole time I have been consulting a little piece of paper which I wrote some brief directions on. Its a strange feeling not knowing where I am going or what the terrain is like- but nice to know that the directions have all been accurate.
Druid ends up being a big hill too. I am huffing and puffing as I go up, slowing down a little and breathing out loud. I keep saying- and start saying it out loud- "I can do this, I am doing this, I did it." I had my hands on my hips and felt the pull in my right hip as I went up, but I kept going. I reached the top and the street became Multnomah. I looked to the left and there was a beautiful High School that was reminiscent of LA in the 60's. Had a very "modern" feel for that era. Was probably 3-4 stories tall and lots of trees. I think this is where my friend goes to school and i have another friend who subs there. I know this street connects to Soto and I have driven by it a bunch in the past but never taken it.
I start going back down Multnomah and take turns jogging and walking. I notice "Ascot Hills" entrance and think that must have been where the Asoct Raceway used to be. Where Cary Grant used to race cars in the El Sereno Valley back in the 40's. I keep going down the hill and see the big warehouses on Soto ahead. I see the three radio towers that sit on the back of the hill across the valley from my house. They seem so much lower up close. I thought they were on the top of the mountain!
I get to Soto and instead of going to the right and heading home, I decide to go left and cut over to Lincoln Park. After all, I am only at 6.5 miles right now and need to be at 8miles to finish my workout. Its about 1pm now and Offramp has just finished on NPR. This American Life is just beginning.
I am walking on the left side of Soto, on a tiny piece of sidewalk along an arid hillside of dirt. there not much room on the sidewalk and I think I hear (out of the left ear without the headphone in) someone behind me. I take a quick look when I hear the crackling of dry brush and notice someone. I figure he wants to walk past me, so I go to the right side of the sidewalk and start walking faster. My head is bouncing a little between fear of having someone attack me- that "dark-alley-someone-following-you" feeling and the feeling of some lone runner passing you on the road.
All of a sudden I head someone say "Hi" on my right side (the side with the earphone) and I just about jump out of my skin. "ARGH!- You scared the hell out of me. I have in an earphone."
"Oh sorry. Hi- how are you doing?", he says.
"I'm fine", I say- wondering what this person wants and still not sure I WON'T get attacked. He's not the most unassuming person. He is about 5'11, heavy-ish, wearing a MISFITS t-shirt and shorts that don't look like they are intended for jogging, since he is pulling them up as he walks. He has a little bit of a moustache coming in and black hair with acne scars. He looks like he could eaither be nice or menacing. I am nervous because there are no other people walking on this street and only the occasional car. And I don't know what he wants. My initial thought when he said "hi" was to scream "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO"- kick him in the balls and run. But I wasn't even sure if I had that energy.
"I saw you walking and I was walking too, so I thought we could walk together." He says
"Oh. A... Ok" I am still feeling uncomfortable. The whole scene doesn't really add up.
"What's your name?"
I debate whether I should tell him my real name. I remind myself I am supposed to be honest and that will protect me, so I say "Noelle. What's yours?"
"Eric. Do you stay around here?" There it is, feels like he's trying to pick up on me.
"Sort of. I'm training for the LA Marathon so I am getting miles in." I say shortly.
"Yea- I am gonna do one of those sometime."
"Do you live nearby?" I am not sure if I should even be asking anything or carrying on a conversation. Part of me thinks I should just ignore him and be a bitch. The other part of me is afraid if I do that, it might set him off an he might attack me.
"Yea I live close by. Do you do this often?" Starts to feel like he's picking up on me again.
"About 3-4 times during this training. You?"
"Yea- like 2-3x a week. But sometimes I get lazy and don't do it. You know."
I am still feeling uncomfortable so I take a shot at a different tactic. "This is the part where I run." I take off running down the side of Soto toward Valley. A bit to my surprise, he is running alongside me. I have a flash in my head that if only I hadn't done 6.5 miles already I would have more energy to run faster and out run him, instead of him staying close. I slow down as I reach Valley. I just can't run anymore and I say "I'm going this way to the park" He slows down and follows along.
The he continues, "So what do you do?"
"I work in Burbank. So I drive a lot. What about you?"
"I work at UPS close by." he says
"Sounds like a good job. How long have you done that?" I say. Thinking, maybe there's an opening coming to tell him I am not interested?
"Yea its good. I've been there 7 years. Even with the economy, we haven't really lost jobs. I mean, just some new people got laid off. but everyone is still shipping things."
"Yeah- my husband applied for a job there. It was during the holidays, but i guess they had enough people at the time. Seems like a good job." THERE IT IS. I got my in to drop the whole 'I'm married' thing. I could see he was looking a little disappointed. But it didn't seem to stop him entirely. It was like shooting a bear in the shoulder. It wasn't a kill shot, he was just slowed down.
"So do you have kids at home?"
"Nope. Just kitties. But I like watching all the parties here in the park." We had finally arrived at Lincoln Park and there were lots of people/ witnesses. At this point, I was less concerned that I would be attacked- but still had my sensors up.
"Look, I can't lie. I like you. You got some nice curves. That's why I came up to you."
"Thank you. That's very nice."
"No I'm serious. I mean it."
"Thank you. I appreciate it. But I am happily married."
"Yeah. Ok." The kill shot.
"Listen. I am going to cut through the park now." I looked at him and made sure he knew that wasn't an invitation, but that i was going to leave. I wasn't interested.
He says "Ok".
"Have a nice day, Eric"
And I started to run. I knew I had made it out of that. I didn't have enough energy to run for a long time, but still had some adrenaline. So I went for as long as I could with my head reeling. This situation brought up so many feeling I have about my body. While it was nice to get the compliment. And even nicer that it was from someone who, looking back, I could imagine being a guy in High School who was not a serial rapist, but probably stayed home playing video games. He was probably kind of shy. I am glad I didn't try the "bitch" mode- he didn't deserve that. instead I was honest and nice. That was good. I walked through the fear and think I was successful in the end.
I went through the park and over to Mission. I walked the usual route back up Mission, past Broadway and to Turquoise. Up the street till it became Pyrites and to my doorstep. I stopped the Nike+ workout and saw I had actually gone 8.55 miles. By running a little bit at a time, I had increased my overall average pace from 17.3min mile to a 16.25 min mile. I peeled off my gear and ran a cold bath and cleaned up, tried to "de-swell" my hands, and checked my knees. A little swelling there- but no real heat rash to speak of. I think that only happens when I go 9 miles or more. The powder def helped again.
After my shower, I started thinking about this run and the interaction with Eric. It made me realize some of the fear I have with my body. I want attention, but I don't want the "unwanted attention". And now that I am married, what is the difference between that wanted/ unwanted attention? The fact that I don't wear tight shirts, because I am afraid someone will stare at me and maybe attack me, is real. Its part of the reason I have never been able to loose the weight I need to. Because I am afraid to do it. Afraid to loose my "armour". My "fat suit".
Maybe dealing with this today- walking/ jogging out unscathed- not being the jerk and getting a nice compliment in the end, is a sign that I might be ready to make the change. To loose weight and be the woman I know I am inside. To not be afraid of how beautiful I might be inside. To not be afraid of the reaction I will get. I am feeling like, if I can finish this marathon, anything is possible and the world is just opening for me.

Doubts creeping in...

i had decided back at the end of march I was gonna train to walk this thing. i know there must be other people walking as well for their own reasons. but as I draw closer to the date of the event, I am getting nervous. i don't know if I am self sabotaging or what- but without having ever done an event like this (or any running event) i am starting to feel unprepared? I am so glad i had the Nike + stats showing me that I have accrued 237 miles leading up to this so far and I am on my way out to do 8 right now. But its getting scary.
i was reading the la marathon instructions and they are talking about the 13+ min pacers- and my fastest average pace is 17 min mile. i guess I just don't want to miss out, or not get my time recorded or something . i want to make sure it feels like it was worth all the work i did or something. i am trying to be brave- but have to admit- as it gets closer i am having those negative feelings creep in, like i might not make it and it will be all for nothing... and i know this has been about the journey and not the end- but now as I reach the end- it feels like it is about the end. and I know i am not mad that Hirono wont be there with me- but today I am feeling very alone in this. i don't even know what to tell people who want to be there for me on the track! I am afraid i wont be part of the whole excitement at all! and even though i feel like i want the whole world cheering for me, there is a part of me that wants to isolate and tell no one to come, in case i fail. or because i don't want them to be bothered since i will take forever to finish. i guess i am just feeling less than... is this normal?
i guess i need to just put one foot in front of the other and get out there today. "i am a marathoner" i know where i am right now. that is the only place i can be. hopefully by the end of my 8 miles today I will really feel that way.

What would you do for a Pinkberry Green Tea frozen yogurt?

... walk to Little Tokyo, of course!

We recently discovered the Pinkberry in Little Tokyo following sushi at Tenno. This is part of the recently re-instated Date Night Friday's. Turns out Pinkberry (which I had been hearing about for a couple years now, but was waiting for the hype to die down) is situated on 2nd street around the corner from Tenno. I figured the green tea yogurt there was going to be about average- but to my surprise it is worth the hype! So now I am a fan. It only figures that when planning my walk for today- which was 9 miles- Pinkberry would cross my mind! I had been wondering how far downtown really was from where I lived now, in El Sereno, so I decided to map it out and then walk it.

My training is starting to wind down as I approach the final 2 weeks before the marathon. Gone are the LONG ASS walks that exceed 16 miles and in are the smaller jaunts that I tell ya- feel SO MUCH easier than they did at the start of this whole escapade. I was shocked that 9 miles felt as good as it did!

Before I get into how I managed to not only survive, but enjoy a 9 mile walk, let me tell you my route. I walked down the hill from from house to Mission. I took a right on Broadway and went over the hill into Lincoln Heights, passing Lincoln High School and all the small shops on Broadway. I drive past these shops everyday, but there is a different feel to walking it. I feel more a part of it on foot. Especially walking past the Korean/ Chinese Temples - since it was Sat and that is their "Farmer's Market" day. The smells of fish and over ripe fruit, was intense and the language was disorienting, but exciting. Less than a block from there I was walking past a Latino record store pumping Ranchero music and advertising "discos mas barato"! Its a common culture class in my neighborhood.

I kept walking down Broadway- past the 5 fwy and jaunted across Pasadena Ave to the upper section of Broadway. The view of downtown from this little bridge is awesome. I was above the Metro tracks and the Cornfield Park. The backside of Elysian Park was on my right and I was headed into Chinatown.

I started to hear drums as I walked closer to the Cornfields. This is a park that became a park in the last 8 years. It used to be a big open field that houses several homeless people who squeezed through, over or under the fence that locked other people out. It used to be that there were more shopping carts in that field than at the closest grocery store. I guess back in the 20's or 40's the land was dedicated to growing corn- hence its name. Well in the last 8 years they "cleaned it up" and put a few patches or grass, some benches and a sign in front of it that said it was a CA State park. They also started having events, security and paying people come to the park. I have seen an adult circus (Cirque Beserk) perform there myself.

Today was no different. There were big tented booths out, ready to make a buck and a cool looking tee pee. As I got closer, the drums got louder and I started to notice the people playing the drums were also chanting and in traditional Native American Garb. I walked past a painted sign that said POW WOW. I tried to record some of the drums on my phone- but the quality was bad- oh well. My memory recorded it.

I kept walking on Broadway and entered Chinatown. I walked through Chinatown, past all types of people who were there for Dim Sum, good deals on Chinese imports or just grabbing things from the Fish markets. The street was more crowded than I expected, with store owners hanging their wares outside for people to check out. There was one store I walked by the glistened in the light- radiating gold from ever item. It was like a magic store.

I saw a marker for "Little Italy" but nothing there that was still open or working to represent it. It was all Chinatown now.

I kept walking till I reached the gates of Chinatown, with the two dragons. A symbol I had driven under several times in my life. I cut down Cesar Chavez to Spring street and walked across the 101 Fwy. This overpass has been used when photographing the LA Fwys in almost every movie you see it in. I think my impression of what LA fwys would be like was created from that overpass. The traffic was unusually light for a Sat mid-day. I could see the new Cathedral to the right and the cool mural art on the fwy to my left. I kept going down Spring street and passed City Hall and the Courthouse where everyone goes for Jury Duty. Then I passed the new Police Station and turned left on 2nd street. I was in Little Tokyo.

I took a look at my Nike+ to see how many miles I actually went to arrive at the door of Pinkberry before I paused the workout. 4.88 miles/ 1hr and 17mins. Woo hoo! Half way done and at my half way point!

I paused my workout and walked into the cool storefront. I ordered a small green team yogurt to go. The guy behind the counter must have seen my power pack with Gatorade and my sweaty brow when he said "to go huh? do you want an ice pack?" I was like "you can do that? SURE! I have a long walk back still!"

I quickly took this break to update my Facebook status: "Noelle walked 4.88 miles to Pinkberry in Little Tokyo. Yes... Its that good." Moments later my name was called and I was handed a little bag which included a big ziploc filled with ice! Yes! The stop was less than 5 mins and I was back on the road.

I continued down 2nd street to San Pedro and cut over to 1st street- right in front of the Japanese American Museum. I crossed Alameda and went up and over the 1st street bridge. This bridge means a lot to me. I used to live in a loft right next to the bridge from 1998-2000 with my husband before we got married. We've taken band photos on this bridge. The train station under the bridge was where two of our cats were born and rescued from. I have a lot of history here. And now that history is changing. The loft we lived in has been demolished. The loft building itself has been cut in half. The band is not together anymore and the cats are happily El Sereno cats now. Plus they are expanding the bridge so that the Metro train can run from East LA into downtown. This is a whole new bridge and a whole new experience with it.

I walked on the tracks on the bridge- because I knew this might be the only time I would get to do it. Once construction is done, there will be a train on those tracks!

I made it across and hung a left onto Mission, pass the "Projects of Beverly Hills" the El Pato Hot Sauce plant and under the 101 Fwy this time. I continued on Mission past the glass repair places (where we took my old Toyota when the back windshield was broken back in '99. Someone had thrown a big rock from the bridge into the car- we suspected it was someone from the glass repair shops), past the USC County General Hospital (where my husband once went for a cancer biopsy when we were broke back in '00) and past Lincoln Heights DMV and Park. I was in the home stretch. I was starting to feel more fatigues, so I chewed on some Powerbar gummies and drank the rest of my Gatorade.

I started carrying my Pinkberry from the bottom of the bag so my swollen hands had the ice right on them. That felt really good. My feet weren't feeling numb like they had on the long runs and my knees weren't hurting too much either. I could tell I had some rash starting- but was excited that I was almost home.

I passed by the Macy's furniture showroom, then by Broadway and finally to Turquoise street where I ascended my last hill (which is always the hardest) and finally arrived at home. I think I had gotten concerned about my pace along the 2nd half of the walk. There was part of me that was thinking about past walks and how long they had taken. I wanted to make sure this didn't take me 3 hrs- because then my pace would have dropped. But overall I kept my pace pretty steady- 17.10 min/ mile and finished 9.11 miles in 2hrs & 36 mins. I walked in at 3pm.

I chugged a bunch of cold water, put the Pinkberry in the freezer, climbed in the showed, was pleasantly surprised that i barely had a rash on the back of my right knee and then I sat around in a towel after the shower for about an hour, enjoying the breeze from the back door of the house and watching the cats. I didn't even dig into the Pinkberry till 4:30p because the walk itself was satisfying enough.

Walking Blind & Seeing More than I Expected

Last night when I was thinking about this walk and where I should be going I was stumped! I have been walking around so many parts of my neighborhood, Alhambra, Pasadena, etc- I felt like I had covered a lot of ground in the 200+ miles I have done since the start of this training. Trying to plot out 18 miles without a lot of repeat was getting tough! So when I went out there today, I kind of winged it.

So I tried tabulating it in my head: I knew there was a part of the Ernest E. Debbs park that I hadn't walked yet and its right by my house- that might be an extra mile, and if I walked over to the Rose bowl that might be 4 miles and maybe I could walk across Colorado and down to Huntington. That should get me to about 9 miles and then I could head home.

It was a nice morning, not too hot, with some cloud cover. It was the perfect day for a long walk. I had bought some "Body Glide" at the store per a friend's suggestion. I have been trying all kinds of things to combat the rash I seem to keep getting under my knee braces. So I rubbed that stuff all over my knees and calves, then slid on my clean lycra capris and the knee braces over that. I velcroed them in and grabbed my "power pack" and loaded the usual- including Power Bar gels, Power bar gummies, Thirst Quench gum and a couple of frozen Gatorades (20 oz). I put my phone, iPod, money, ID and ATM card in there with my handkerchief.

I had been getting a little bored with the same play list for the last three weekend long walks so I tried to find Podcasts of This American Life - one of my favorite NPR shows to hear on the walk. Unfortunately, my iTunes was having trouble connecting to the store. I remembered that my husband's Sony mp3 player had an FM tuner, so I asked him before he headed to Camarillo if I could borrow it. Now I had an extra electric device in my power pack- you'd think I was headed to a desert island!

I felt the house at 10:30am and headed toward the park. It has been a while since I walked the neighborhood hills. I normally go straight to Huntington, this time is was uphill for more than 1.5 miles and I was already hurting by the time I got to the hiking path into the park. It was beautiful, though. This was the start of my walk feeling like a hike. I really like hikes!

I walked up the hill into the park and onto the first plateau. Then across the parking lot to the section of the park I had never been. I had attempted it once a couple years before- but when I realized it was all uphill I had quit before. This time I found myself chanting- I can do this, I am doing this, I will do this. I knew the only way I wouldn't make it up the steep hill is if I stopped. And as long as I could put one foot in front of the other- no matter how slow it was- I could make it up. I counted about 10 lizards as I made it across the park and up this slope. I finally reached a plateau and saw two different directions, so I started one way and realized they connected around a little mound. Behind the mound was a LAKE!

That's right, a LAKE! At the top of Monterey Hill in Ernest E. Debbs park is a LAKE that overlooks downtown, Mount Washington, Highland Park and Hermon from different sides. It was like a little oasis! I had no idea there would be a naturally occurring body of water on top of this hill, much less that other people would be there, trying to fish! Its amazing the places people in LA try to fish. I have seen quite a few on these walks, now, too.

It took me about an hour to get to this point and I decided to switch to the radio from my normally music. Luckily I had locked controls on the iPod, so it looked like my Nike+ would cooperate with my and track everything today without pausing or ending the workout. I tuned the radio to KPCC and heard "Wait- Wait Don't Tell Me" as I continued up the mountain side.

The one thing I was afraid of, when listening to talking instead of beats, was that I would slow down. I actually picked up my pace according to the Nike+! It must have been because I because so engaged in what I was hearing. I kept one ear bud in and the other out to hear the world. I felt so curious, walking down paths I would never have taken, just to see where they went. After all, I knew I needed to accumulate miles and so walking up a trail and back down to explore it was a good way to add to the tally.

I took the trail all the way over the mountain and down the other side, which dropped me right next to the 110 FWY by Via Marisol. I crossed the street and walked by the tennis courts and park I normally drive past and under the overpass. The new dog park that I see whenever I get onto the 110 Fwy at Ave 60 was right there! I found out how to get to it by exploring!

I also had been noticing the new bike path along the 110 fwy and was able to get onto it from where I was and walk in the cement waterway that (I think) becomes the Arroyo! Its amazing how fearless I felt walking down paths I had never tread alone. I felt like a great explorer, finding things I have only seen from the road. The path ended at Pasadena Ave- which I crossed and then found a little dirt path behind the bus stop.

Turns out that path took me into the official Arroyo Seco Park in South Pasadena. I walked up and down and noted the signs which had pics of the wildlife and wildflowers as I listened to "Off Ramp" on the radio. I continued down the narrow path as it went into the trees and notices the Arroyo golf course come up on the left side. I passed by a few other walkers and knew it was a safe place to be. Walking next to the golf course I immediately thought back to walking in Nebraska/ Iowa and the golf course there. It was so yellow there and so green and lush here. It was nice to be home.

As I came out in the clearing I notices some rocks on the side of the hill. I walked over to them and realized that they were the rocks on the side of the 110 FWY that say "City of South Pasadena"! This was a major road marker for me! The first time I saw that I was in college and I remember thinking how cool it was. This was the first time I had ever taken the 110FWY and went into Old Town Pasadena with my friend Anel to get our hair done. I always wondered how someone could get to those rocks and here I was!

I continued on the path and it dropped me out at the South Pasadena Little League fields I had walked by on my first 16 miler. There were little kid teams playing and it was adorable. I had forgotten how coaches would pair kids up at certain bases and have them play as buddies. The adult was pitching and the little one at the plate was doing his best to hit to the 4 left fielders. It really took me back to my little league time. What a gorgeous spring day to be playing ball.

At this point I had finished 1.25 Gatorades and so I stopped by the bathroom. I had gotten 7.5 miles in at this point. On the way out I tried to cool my hands in the faucet and fill one of the Gatorade bottles with drinking water. I had been walking for a little more than 2 hrs at this point, so I opened up a powerbar gel and knocked that back too.

I walked up Arroyo Dr. past the stables and onto one of my favorite streets in Pasadena. Walking the tree lined street on the dirt side, I looked down into the Arroyo and noted all the trees growing sideways juxtaposed with the multi-million dollar homes. "This American Life" came on the radio and I was like- YES! I forgot that was on the radio today! This was what I spent an hour trying to download before I left and its actually ON LIVE! What good fortune!

"This American Life" carried me down Arroyo all the way to the Rose Bowl. I walked past the Aquatic Center, where I have spent the majority of my time when here before. This time I walked across the baseball fields and over to the KidSpace Museum. Then I walked to the actual Rose Bowl and saw other runners/ walkers and felt like I was at home. I had never walked around the Rose Bowl before, so I decided to do it now. I was already at 10 miles, but I figured it wasn't that far around, so it would be fine! Besides, I was caught up in the last story on the radio, so I just kept going.

The field in front of the Rose Bowl had more soccer teams, in their bright uniforms, than I have ever seen in one place. Crossing the street I intercepted 4 balls and sent them back across the busy street to their games/ practices before I got into the Pedestrian lane on the road. I followed the people ahead of me as "The Splendid Table" came on the radio.

I guess I didn't realize the path around the Rose Bowl went around Brookside Golf Course, too? So it was a longer circumference than I had originally planned. By the time I heard the story on vegan soul food, a woman who was reborn at the Farmer's market and the Cheese monger from Brooklyn talk about washed rind cheese, I had already gone 3 miles! I decided it was ok if I didn't go all the way to where I began my trip around and cut back down the road by the Aquatic center and start to head home. I was already at 13.75 miles!

My feet were starting to hurt and I realized after I began walking up along Holly street back to Orange Grove, that I didn't use the bathroom at the Rose Bowl like I should have. I had made it through most of the rest of my Gatorade and some of the water at this point. I had had another powerbar gel and some gummies and some gum. "Prairie Home Companion" had just begun when I hit 14 miles.

I was starting to plot out how I would get home and avoid too many more hills. My legs were starting to hurt and I could tell already I was going to have a rash/burn/hot spot under my knee braces. I tried to just put it out of my head, since there was nothing I could do about it now. I decided the shortest route was going to be the best one, even if I had to take some hills. I went all the way down Orange Grove to Mission, Mission to Indiana and Indiana to Monterey.

I looked at my iPod as I walked on Monterey toward Foremost Liquor, where the Metro tracks cross.- I was at 18 miles. That was supposed to be the whole walk. And here I was- still 2 BIG hills and what I thought would be 2 miles away from my house! The good news was I was at about 5hrs 15mins at this stage- so my pace was working for me. The bad news was no one was there to pick me up! Last week I knew I wasn't going to be a hero and was going to call for a ride when I hit 18 miles. Well I called. But he was still in Camarillo when I called- which is over 1 hr away. So I told him I loved him and thanked him for the loan of the FM player. I told him I'd see him at home, one way or another.

After I hung up, I looked ahead and said to myself, "Time doesn't matter. Just get home. No matter how long it takes. The only way it wont happen is if you stop moving." And so I walked.

I walked over the hill on Monterey (the one that back in Jan I never would have imagined taking by foot) and while I slowed down a bit, I made it! I kept chanting "I can do this, I will do this, I am doing this!"

By the time I got over the 1st hill, the NPR news was coming on. It was 5pm. I was at 20 miles. Still not home. I kept going.

I walked down Monterey and around the corner to Huntington. My feet were feeling numb and my legs heavy. I had to go pee pretty badly and didn't have any more water/ Gatorade. I wanted to drink more, but had nothing. I wanted to eat something, but managed to subside that with the gummies.

I finally made it to little Huntington drive- home was within range- just half a mile. I kept pushing on through the neighborhood to the school by my house. Last big hill. Push Push Push, I made it up and then the rest was cake. My feet kept going. My breath kept going and I arrived home at 5:30pm. Completed 21.5 miles.

When I got home I ran to the bathroom to pee and started peeling off layers. I was right about the rash/burn. It was worse than any previous weeks. Just touching it felt hot and scraped. The one thing the 'Body Glide' did manage to do is let all the dirt I had kicked up stick to my knees. I looked bruised even more than I was because of all the dirt stuck to my feet, knees and calves.

After my shower tonight, I dove into leftover sushi from date night (last night) and some left over chicken soup my husband made. I tried to stretch, as much as I could without touching my burnt calves. I rubbed all kinds of Diaper rash cream on and I felt content. My feet didn't fall off.

Even though I started this trek blind (hence the extra 3.5 miles I ended up doing) I felt like I got to open my eyes to areas I had never seen before. I am loving this quenching of curiosity that I get to do on every walk. I am so proud that I have given myself this time and I am not giving up on myself. Just think! I went 21.5 miles today. That is less than 5 miles away from the whole marathon total!! I CAN DO THIS!! Less than one month to go!