Training Walk

So I didn't do my crosstraining on Friday, and did a very short walk yesterday. I wasn't sure how I would do today, but I started my walk with a bit of a worry because the pain has kept coming back and I've been so unable to go the distance. I'm already 5 miles behind this week due to yesterday's lack of a walk... what would happen if the pain returns today?

I decided before I started the trip that I would go until the pain got intense and then turn around and go home, but I really hoped I could reach the eleventh milepost... the one I've tried to get to for my last few walks but failed to reach.

To encourage myself, I started off my walk by taking a picture of the nine and a half milepost.

Note the lovely rooster guarding the milepost. He wasn't letting anyone get too near. After taking the picture I turned around and went to the first exercise post and do some stretching. The familiar walk to the tenth milepost was mostly fine, except the lower leg pain started again in my right leg as I got close.

I put my hand on the milepost after taking the picture, looked around, and said to myself, "it's sunny, there are hundreds of people on the trail today, and I can get to the next milepost if I really try."

So I tried.

I made it to the bridge, to the trestle, to the tunnel... and then I got to the golf course. I had to sit down. I stretched some more, whimpered a little from the pain, and thought, "it's sunny, there are hundreds of people on the trail today... and I might be able to get to the next milepost."

I looked down the trail. It was a long way. But I felt fantastic except for the pain and had enough energy to go a long way. And darn it, I've only seen that milepost from a bicycle, if I even noticed it. I wanted to see that stupid milepost. I had to see it.

I stood up, got back on the trail, and realized the pain was completely gone. So I walked. And was surprised to find that when the pain returned, it was fairly mild. And then I reached it...

I was grinning like the cheshire cat when I put my hand on the milepost. And right then and there I decided that I was going to go farther. So I walked on. I finally had to sit down again, and found a nice boulder to rest on. I attempted to audio blog from the spot, but I'd forgotten my pin number. I called hubby-Eric to let him know that I'd finally made it to the eleventh milepost.

Eric encouraged me to go a bit farther, so I decided to try to make it about another half mile, so my mile total would be four miles. Then I got on the straightaway in Kenmore and felt like I could go all the way to Seattle with ease. And while I dithered about whether or not I would turn around I kept walking, and suddenly I was here:

That was my limit though. While part of me wanted to go even farther, maybe even visit the comic shop (which was just off the trail a bit further along), I really needed to get home. So I turned around and walked and walked...

And only had to stop once.

I did stop very briefly to snap a couple of pictures, but I felt fine and I could have gone a lot farther.

I took this picture after noticing the pacifier and wondering about it for a brief moment. It's clear that some little one lost it and someone else found it and put it on the tree so it wasn't on the ground.

My last picture was back in the Bothell Landing area, and is of yet another type of fowl:

I didn't think I'd gotten a picture of that particular type yet.

Five Miles. YES!

Energy Bar review: "S'mores" Luna Bar. Extremely difficult to get open while walking (at least this one was) but worth it once I got my teeth into it. Tasted like a Rice Crispie Treat, and gave a good boost of energy.