June 18: Jalking

* For the purposes of my blog, I've decided to use a new term: jalking.  Jalking is what I do on the track.  I thought about calling it wogging, but there were just too many gs to type and, frankly, I do much more of the alk than the j so it's only fitting that I use the appropriate portion of letters.

 

  Saturday morning: my stomach came undone last night & this morning; still dizzy from ear problems; knee hurting like it wanted ice and rest.  So I ate raisin bran with milk, waited a while, biked to the track, and jalked 13 laps.

 

  My legs felt like they were made of lead and wrapped in concrete, and I was short of breath pretty quickly.  I kept mentally berating myself for not losing weight (again!), wincing at my pear-shaped shadow on the ground, and thinking about being the slowest person in The Upcoming Event.  But I kept going.  I may be slow and fat, but there's more to me than that.

 

  Eventually I completed the second mile (the second mile is always the hardest for me).  The track became a little cozy with people, so my mind wandered from worrying about my slowness to worrying about weaving in and out of people (since everyone else was walking and I was jalking, I did have to pass people).

 

  I stopped thinking about books' description of good stride, and just went with what felt reasonably comfortable.  However, I didn't let myself get too comfy in the alks between js.  I began doing little bursts a little faster.  My 5K jalk still took forever, but I kept it interesting for myself.  (I'll do my best on July 24, but I sincerely hope that the volunteers working the event don't have grand plans they're itching to get to by early afternoon – I'll still be jalking my way along the course for quite some time.)

 

  Here are questions I came away with today:

1.   When describing the bike portion of the race, why do books say to pedal along rapidly in low gear to conserve leg strength?  Pumping my legs fast and 'easily' is way harder than pushing slowly and with strength.  Am I doing this all wrong?

2.   What's track etiquette?  Pass toward the inside or outside of the track?

 

  Now to find the ice pack.

 

~Karin