Walking with Walkoffs

It's Spring Time, Baby!

2010-04-13T17:17:00.000-07:00

I just re-read my last post from 2009. It said something the the effect of not wanting to get out of shape for the winter, blah, blah, blah. Well, if I were a betting sort of gal and there was money on the table over whether or not I'd managed to keep myself moving throughout the cold months, I'd bet against myself.

The good thing, however, is that it's in the past. Out with 2009, in with a new year... even if it is April already. It's not as bad as it sounds though. Wen and I successfully ran our first 1/2 marathon, "the Big Sur 1/2" last November. We fell out of our routine, but not before completing the race. So far this year, we're gearing up to run the Alameda 1/2 in early June and I plan to complete the SF Marathon in July.

We decided to get back running last week, just in time for the rain. Hamster wheel, here we come! The nice thing is that it's not too hard to knock off a few miles on the treadmill... the issues comes on longer training runs, which we've not yet approached.

Wen took off on a camping trip a couple of weeks ago to Pinnacles. I decided to stay home because the evening temps are still WAY too chilly for me. It was the same weekend as the Oakland Marathon, but unfortunately, I've not been training. Still, the race kept trying to suck me in, until finally, I went on their website Friday before the race and decided that I would go register in person the next day (Saturday for a Sunday morning run). If I couldn't finish, nothing big lost.

I was excited about this race because Oakland hasn't had a marathon in more than 25 years. It was great to see the return of an organized running festival, travelling though so many different parts of the city. No one expected it to sell out, but that's exactly what happened. People lined up in the morning and soon, the 1/2 marathon was sold out followed by the full. By the time I got to the front of the line, there were no bibs left for sale. I whined a little, but to no avail.

As I got home, I decided that I still wanted to run the race as an unofficial entrant. This meant no bib, no time chip, no t-shirt, slight deviations off-course, running on lots of sidewalks, carrying my own water/food, etc. But really, I reasoned that as long as I wasn't actually freeloading anything away from the race, I would attempt to run as much of the course as I could. I started off planning to finish 13.1 miles and ended with a 26.2 mile completion (per my gps). Albeit slow, I was thrilled. I didn't barf, collapse or hurt myself, so I can only imagine that the next race (which I/we will train for) is going to be so much easier.

I told Wen the news when she arrived home from her campout and she laughed. She seemed entertained, but not completely surprised.

A Mac 'n Cheese Day

2009-10-13T17:50:00.000-07:00

Today came the first big storm of the season. Hurricane winds, black clouds and official weather warnings. For us, it's been a day of working at home, trying to keep the house dry (we discovered a couple of new leaks) and indulging in comfort food. Why does cold weather make me want to eat an elephant smothered in macaroni and cheese?

Okay, so my wife has already informed me that I shall not go to the gym today. There were in excess of 200 traffic accidents in Oakland by noon time and I'm not allowed to drive amongst the crazies. This fact makes all of the chips, chocolate and unmentionables I've consumed today feel all the more sinful, but I'll try not to dwell on it tonight as we watch our Tuesday programing, The Biggest Loser.

All said, however, I am now running an average of 30-40 miles per week now and I've lost 22 pounds since April! I know that I'm entitled to a "bad" day every now and then... as long as the trend doesn't carry through the winter (as it did last year).

Wen impresses me every day. Together, we're doing well. Getting stronger, more fit, more active and proud of what we've accomplished. We have 1 month until our first half-marathon and it's going to be great!

Still running...

2009-09-28T13:23:00.000-07:00

This weekend, Tara and I logged around 24 miles, between running and walking. We were lucky enough to spend Saturday and Sunday in SF, which meant 7-8 miles Saturday (walked most, but ran about 2- 2.5) and around 16-17 on Sunday (about 2-3 walking). I know that over the course of Sunday I ran a half-marathon distance, although that was broken up by a little walking and about a half hour of browsing in a vintage clothes store in the Haight...

It's good to be able to just run 10+ miles without any planning. That's exactly what we did; we'd planned to run 5-6 and then Tara asked, "How would you feel about running 10?" I answered, "I feel like I would have eaten a lot more!" The night before was "running as transportation"; the fact that we were going to be late to a dance performance if we didn't get back and showered made footracing the vehicle of choice. Again, it was nice that we could run a couple of miles without thinking much about it.

Running: Now with new & improved goal!

2009-09-01T12:13:00.000-07:00

My running journey continues, and now there is an official goal: the Big Sur Half Marathon on Monterey Bay. (That's 13.1 miles, or 1.87 miles per word in the title of the event.)

Being officially registered was enough to scare my butt right out of the bed this morning for a 3.31 mile run around Lake Merritt before work. It wasn't a long run, but I was proud of myself for getting up, getting out into the 50-something degree fog, and running.

I keep waiting for this to get easier. I managed to do 10 miles relatively well a couple of weeks ago. I slapped myself on the back (or would have, could I have reached) and vowed to train for a full marathon! [Note to self: endorphins cloud judgement. Reserve big decisions for later.]

But last Sunday? It was, in a word, difficult. We aimed to go 16 miles: 12 miles of running with 4 miles of walking interspersed. We ended up doing a "1 mile walk/4 mile run & repeat" until we'd done 12 miles of running and 5 miles of walking--yes we did an extra 1 mile walk--for a total of 17 miles.

That might sound pretty good, but man, I was very close to the wall. As in centimeters from it. I hadn't eaten particularly well or enough (as it turns out) the week before, and so after the first decent hill in, oh, mile 2, my muscles started to go. First the left quad. Ouch. Then the right. Ouch ouch. Then the left calf. Ouch ouch ouch. Tara explained that because of the lack of glycogen in my muscles--it seems my body ate it because my blood sugar wasn't enough--I was having lactic acid buildup. As my muscles got depleted, they were recruiting other muscles to help out, hence the seeming "spread" of the discomfort. That's the somewhat technical explanation. Mine? Well, let's just say at one point, I said to Tara, "We have to stop and stretch for a second. My butt is made of concrete." So the quads? Tiny razors in soft, Jello-like tissue. The buns of steel? Concrete that hardened into an unfortunate shape. The good news? I pushed through it (with help from Tara, a bit of food, and some water/accelerade).

Next long run is a do-over with a twist: 12 miles straight, no walking.

Hiking Loon Lake...

2009-08-24T13:14:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went to Loon Lake with a few friends, and ended up doing a 14 mile (okay, 13.92 mile) hike to Spider Lake and Buck Island Lake. Aside from the "rocky road" of potentially ankle-eating fist-sized rocks, it wasn't a challenging hike for me, which means all the walking and running has helped. I didn't walk terribly fast, but I also wasn't thrashed at the end. Victory!

The gorgeous trees, blue waters, and stark granite, a lakeside lunch with Tara and Cathy, and a swim made the hike a fantastic way to spend a Saturday...

Addicted

2009-08-16T23:14:00.000-07:00

Today was great! Wen and I completed a 10 mile run together and had a great time on our urban exploration. We had planned to run 5 miles together, I'd then dump her off at a bookstore or coffee shop, complete a few more miles and go back to meet her afterward. We got to the end of our 5 miles, grabbed a water at Starbucks and just as I was ready to head out the door flying solo, she stood up, fastened her new running (fuel) belt and decided that she wasn't done yet. Woohoo!

This was great news. Great, because we finished the full 10 miles together, great because Wen had never run 10 miles before, and really cool that she finished feeling good and even commented of her own free-will that it was "fun". Yep, I heard it right!

This is in sharp contrast to the attitude of days-gone-by (by this, I mean yesterday). I guess she's finally decided that the only way to be a runner is to run - and she ran damn good today! I've always believed that people (in general) are the first to get in their own way, but they possess every ability to remove the road blocks they've erected. Something clicked today. I woke up to calming nerves over completing today's 5-miler, and I'm preparing to sleep next to a woman who's exhausted, but simultaneously on top of the world. She's an athlete in every sense of the word and I admire her determination and strength. We all need a little push every now and then, and I'm glad that we can look to eachother for inspiration. It's fun to hear her talk about how she's going to complete 26.2:) Wen might not consider herself a runner yet, but I will say that she's determined (and quite capable).

And anyway, we are never short of entertainment along the route. There's always something to keep our minds off of the fatigue or legs cramps. Today, we ventured just a little too far into the Tenderloin on our way to Civic Center, but we enjoyed animated conversations about sweet potatoe pie, met a man who thought he was on Haight street ("Hey Ladies! Welcome to the Haight!"), and compared professional signage for Asian massage parlors. We also happened upon a man talking to his previous love-interest, saying, "I know you think I still harbor some deep-seeded attraction for you, but all of that died when I found out you were a coked-up alcoholic mess". Smart man.

Last week was a fun experience too. We decided to take a long walk through part of San Francisco. As we ascended a block-long staircase carved into the concrete, Wen became increasingly convinced that I was trying to kill her, but she quickly changed her tune when we found ourselves standing on top of Telegraph Hill facing Coit Tower. Not only is the city view amazing from there, but once inside the 1933 structure, there are numerous murals on the inner walls to amuse, and displays rich with the city's history. The long elevator ride to the top wasn't great for either of us, but was well worth the experience of standing inside and marveling at this piece of the skyline that we so often admire from afar.

Afterward, we explored many of the homes overlooking the bay that are only accessible by staircase. Great for the legs, but a great deal of fun too. How do these people bring groceries home? What is the average age of the homeowner? Do any have knee replacements?

We pondered all of these things, then decended the hill and rewarded ourselves with a delicious lunch (pizza with tomato, feta and arugala) in North Beach at Decadent Cafe. It was a warm sunny day with dogs on walks, and many a newspaper lying upon table-tops at streetside cafes. We basked in our good fortune and finally pulled ourselves up from the table and on to our next adventure... which just happened to be hand-made peanut butter cups in the Castro. I promise they're the best you'll ever have.

For all of the physical pain we've embraced for "getting in shape", the time spent doing it together, the experiences, smells, smiles and sunshine have been pretty much priceless. We're addicted. Next stop: Half Marathon.

Running with Walkoffs?

2009-08-14T10:34:00.000-07:00

I'm giving running what is typically called "the old college try." The verdict is out on whether it will become easier for me, but I am committed to trying. I can walk 16 miles with little or no problems--maybe a bit of Achilles pain or metatarsal issues, but overall, it's a walk in the park, so to speak.

Running, not so much.

From the first few steps until (if we are being honest here) the next day, it's not the most comfortable endeavor. I'm only running around 3 miles at a time--with a "long" run of 5ish miles thrown in here and there. And if I harbored any illusions that I was going fast, all I need is one "At least we are going really slowly" comment from Tara to disabuse me of that notion.

Tara is all about figuring out nutrition, turing on and off enzyme switches in her body (yeah, I'm not sure what that means, either) and how to maximize negative splits. Me, I spend most of the time thinking,"Wow, this is way harder than walking. My [insert body part] feels like hell and I can't breathe."

The takeaway? If I can get up to a marathon distance eventually, so can you.

Food, Food Everywhere!

2009-07-28T17:34:00.000-07:00

Today, I'm thinking that owning a bib might not be a bad thing, seeing that I'm having trouble keeping my food where it belongs. I've known people in my life who've routinely "worn" their food and you'd come to expect it from them. Fortunately, this has not been the case with me up to this point.

The trouble began this morning during my run when I managed to vomit twice before mile #2. I picked up a book on nutrition for marathoners last week and began reading. As I got into the meat of the book, I felt pretty good because most of what was recommended is just sound sports nutrition advice that I've already been adhering to. It seems that my one downfall, however, is failing to eat enough calories for breakfast. That said, I decided upon a homemade breakfast burrito and orange juice this morning. I waited more than an hour for it to digest and off I went. I've always been so proud of my iron stomach. Oops.

Food failure #2 happened after my run today, as I was sitting in my office trying to refuel. I mixed milk with protein powder (aka WeightGain 5000, nick-named after Cartman's energy drink on Southpark) and didn't get the lid sealed. I shook and shook the container... and soon looked like I belonged in a wet t-shirt contest sponsored by the milk board. If that weren't enough, I leaned over to try and wipe up some of the fluid and managed to spill the rest of the drink all over my desk. What remained in the cup was only WeightGain 5, or maybe WeightGain 50. Delicious! It's all a learning experience.

In other news, the Wharf to Wharf run went well (last Sunday). Our friends Jeremy and Randy made a fabulous brunch at their new house afterwards, complete with champagne and, get this, a massage therapist outside on the sundeck. LOL. Gay men are great! That's the way to complete a run:)

The Accidental Athlete--Will race for tee shirts

2009-07-27T13:05:00.000-07:00

Well, I did a 10K this weekend. Just as well I didn't know it was a 10K before I did it or I would have balked. I thought it was 6 miles, which, if I would have thought about it, works out to just under 10K. Alas, Tara's fancy GPS watch thing clocked us at 6.19, which is .01 short of a 10K. Add to that we walked another couple of miles after the race and I think it's fair to say 10k.

It was the perfect race for me for a few reasons, not the least of which is that is was short and mostly flat. It was in Santa Cruz, which was my home for over a decade, and it was great to run past my old neighborhood, by the water I saw every day. The starting line was near my old 'hood, and the finish line was close to where I used to work. In fact, I saw the benches I sat on to have lunch. They face the beach and I would always joke that I was going to lunch at my "beachfront property."

Another thing that made this race great is the music. It's the most bands per mile of any race I know--40 official musical acts, plus all the DYI folks who stand around outside on stilts, or blow gigantic bubbles, spray you with water or drag their drum set from the garage for an extended solo. Ah, gotta love Santa Cruz. Like Hawaiian music? Great, because you're about to pass a 20-person group complete with Aloha shirts and ukeleles. Need a bagpipe fix? Round the corner and there they are, high on a bluff in the fog, kilts and all. Taiko drummers, surf bands, heavy metal groups consisting of kids not yet old enough to drive, a barbershop quartet, and a college band...Welcome to Wharf to Wharf.

After the race we walked back to our friend's place, showered, and then went to brunch at our friends' house. There was delicious food and even a massage therapist. Now that's the way to end a race!

Running with Walkoffs

2009-07-24T15:09:00.000-07:00

Now that the Avon Walk is over, I've considered saying goodbye to our walking blog. Afterall, we will probably continue to stretch our legs during some long walks now and then, but without tremendous fanfare or blogworthy news. That said, we do plan to seek out additional physical challenges this year (and hopefully we will complete them!), so rather than disappoint all 3 of our devoted readers by abruptly ending this literary masterpiece, I've decided to morph it into "Wen and Tara's Activity Blog" effective immediately. Same catchy URL, bigger horizons. So read on folks!

Sunday is the "Wharf to Wharf" run, a 6 mile course from Santa Cruz to Capitola. Wen entered us when we were training for the Avon walk, logically reasoning that we were already covering so much mileage that it'd be a piece of cake. Now, since I already like to run and feel comforatable doing the exercise - no big deal. Due to 2 camping trips in the past 2 weeks, however, Wen did not really have a chance to try out her running skills until lastnight when we went to the lake. I was totally impressed! We ran about 6.5 miles together and other than some fatigue, she rocked it! When I first began running, there way no way I could have completed that distance at the drop of a hat. Obviously our Avon training has been a huge help.

So we're off to Santa Cruz in the morning. We'll hang out on Sat, do the race Sun morning and then head over to a friend's house for brunch. Perfect!

Our next goal is to complete a half-marathon together. We're eyeing the Monterey race in Nov. and possibly San Jose in October, though Oct. may turn out to be too soon. Ultimately, my personal goal is to run a marathon during the next 12 months and I would love to see Wen join me if she catches the running bug. We're thinking that the New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon in Feb. sounds like a lot of fun!

We Survived!

2009-07-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

We Survived the Avon Walk! (It reminds me of the bumper sticker my family had our big blue station wagon when I was a kid that read, "I survived the Tidal Wave", a roller coaster at Paramount's Great America that was born in the days long before the new death-coasters of today.)

It was a fun weekend and I'm happy to report that we're both feeling well and there's hardly a blister to whine about. We arrived on Friday evening at the Westin for the official Avon check-in process when we realized that Wen had been given a pink wristband and I was sporting a green one. "What does the green one mean?", we wondered. Well, it turns out that pink stands for delicious meaty goodness served at each meal throughout the weekend and fortunately we figured it out in enough time! Green = good:)

The first morning of the walk was a bit rough. We aren't early risers by any stretch, but had prepared to arrive in plenty of time for step-off. What we didn't realize is that there are people who actually start lining up for the buses at the unGodly hour of 3:30 (yes, a.m.). Wow. Well, I'm thinking, "if the last shuttle is at 5:30, that sounds like a better bet". It turns out that even the 5:30 shuttle gets you to Golden Gate park way earlier than you would actually want to be there though. In the cold. In the fog. Eating a frozen bagel and shivering your way to the front of a coffee line. It honestly felt a bit miserable for a time (especially after having pulled teeth to get Wen out of the bed and out the door of the hotel that morning in enough time not to miss the shuttle). Then I stood in the crowd (frozen bagel digesting) and I started looking around. The woman in front of us was wearing a shirt with a picture of her mom and her best friend on the back of it. Both women had been diagnosed with breast cancer; her mom died in 2006 and the friend had passed a mere 10 days ago. That moment really set the scene for the entire weekend. We met numerous survivors, supporters, friends and family throughout the weekend, all touched personally by the reality of breast cancer.

As we left the gates and started down the course, the "entertainment" made me forget the chill in my bones. There were folks who did everything from dance around in their pink pajamas (to "I Will Survive" - an LGBT classic) to the folks who set up a mimosa stand. Project Open Hand stood at various points along the route offering up pots and pans filled with chocolates and even the Tibetan Monks came out to cheer us on. But back to the fog.... Now Wen and I had trained for the walk in SF and since she works in the city (and I've lived here my whole life), we're quite well acquainted with the unpredictable nature of SF weather. That said, we somehow managed to train with very minimal fog, cold or wind, so the actual Avon Walk was a big shock to the system. My body kept saying, "Let's just move faster to warm up" (i.e. jogging), but there is no jogging allowed during the Avon Walk. Or Ipods. Or many other things, I'm sure:) It's very well organized and such, but well... let's just say that it's very well organized and such. And pink.

We kept on thinking of how much all of the money from the walk is helping those who truly need it. From serving the underprivileged at SF General to funding research at Stanford and everything in between. We all raised $6 million this year - AWESOME! That was truly the reason we came, which made the little things seem truly little. Minor. Nada.

Okay... so we did break some rules, it's true. I started out Saturday by mile 1, not being able to wear my water pack around my waist due to the pain in my bladder (my lovely autoimmune thing which gets harder for me with extended time on my feet). No rhyme or reason and no way to predict when it will flare. By mile 20, I really needed to get back to the Wellness Village (finish point) and just be done, so we downed a venti Starbucks in Marin, gave a "you-can-do-it" hug to Mama-Deb with a promise to see her at the finish, and we proceeded to jog our way back across the Golden Gate Bridge. Pure Bliss. The muscles started moving, my body finally warmed, I felt less achy than I had all day (with the adrenaline that soon kicked in from the run) and the best part was watching my sweetie run next to me, keeping a steady pace for 6.2 miles after she'd already walked a long 20. I've asked Wen before if she'd like to try and run with me and she has always been really hesitant to try. She doubts herself too much... but here we were, running in one of the most beautiful places on earth, feeling completely confident and strong together, and all we had to do was watch for the pink vests and slow the pace to a shuffle before we approached the Avon Police. And the Avon Police doesn't police the bridge 'cuz it's too windy:)

We got back to the Wellness Village and found my dad there waiting for us. (He had cheered us all on during the day!) He came with chairs for us to sit in and we felt really happy to have completed the first leg. After a little food (which was surprisingly good if you had a green wristband!), we stayed to welcome the other walkers as they passed the finish line of day 1. Some were jumping and laughing, others were limping with assistance across the finish, and others still, were dropped off by a van just before the finish line so they too could experience their own personal victory (whatever distance that may be). We were tired and had planned to return to the hotel after dinner, but we realized that we actually gained more satisfaction from cheering those on who needed the inspiration and support than the satisfaction we felt from crossing the finish line ourselves. The last walker arrived (unsteady) at nearly 8 o'clock... 13 hours after the walk began. In my mind, that kind of determination, perseverance and endurance is a huge accomplishment!

We got back to the Westin and felt elated that we were not amongst those camping in Crissy Field. Crissy Field was a little bubble-of-a-tent-community covered in wet fog that night, where the showers were an estimated 1/2 mile away from the tents (those tents that were still standing after the wind gusts). We also noted raindrops on the windshield as we pulled out of the lot. Even if money is tight (as it is for many of us right now), unless you're on a strapped student's budget, the one recommendation I'd make is never to sleep at Crissy Field! The "8-ball" motel with an hourly rate in the middle of the Tenderloin would still win out in my mind, so that ought to tell you something.

At the Westin, the only thing that didn't work was room service. We ordered some grilled cheese for our 2nd dinner at 9:30, and when the order hadn't arrived an hour later, I cancelled and we promptly succumbed to slumber. We woke up ravenous, like beasts the next morning, though this wasn't half bad as it actually prompted Wen to emerge from her cocoon in enough time to catch the bus AND get breakfast from the hotel kiosk. She was motivated:)

By day #2, we'd learned a few things. First, it doesn't pay to arrive to the cold destination any earlier than you have to. By staying in the hotel or a warm bus, you lessen your chances of fingers and toes going numb before the walk, plus the hotel kiosk has bagels that are not only defrosted, but toasted and delicious. In other words, having the "full experience" is not all that it's necessarily cracked up to be.

That said, we decided that we'd had a great experience on the first day and we didn't really need to stretch it out for a second. Day #2 was the half-marathon distance, and we began as we had on day #1 (chatting with other walkers, stopping for Starbucks, bathroom, etc.), but by about mile #3 though, we realized that our approach was plain old inefficient. Our feet, etc. were sore because we had been standing on them for a damn long time and we'd no longer be missing the "experience" by just walking our pace. From this point, we broke off from the pack and just walked. We walked, and walked and walked (and huffed up a couple of good hills). In fact, we walked so deliberately, that the volunteer in the Mission district didn't know which way to direct us because the route hadn't been marked yet and the vegetarian sandwiches hadn't arrived at the lunch stop. We'd managed to pass all other walkers along the route (about 2800 of them) and decided to complete the last several miles with a few folks who we met up with earlier that day. Some were catching an early plane and one was training for the SF marathon, but we all seemed to to have a similar ability. We decided to be "Nine Across the Line", since the Avon Walk isn't exactly a race for first. LOL.

The nice thing about finishing the walk about 45 minutes ahead of the early pack is that there's plenty of time to have snacks, go to the bathroom, pull up chairs and then welcome the rest of the walkers as each crosses the finish line. We're just about the only people who can say that they got to welcome every single person who arrived back at Golden Gate Park that day. The Avon "Welcome Crew" had just pulled up on the bus as we crossed the finish, and they apologized for missing us (as did my dad), but that was not a big deal. We welcomed my mom to Golden Gate Park a little bit later and the three of us held hands so we could walk the finish together.

The closing ceremonies were cool. It was a chance to see just how many of the walkers are actually survivors themselves, and to see how all of the money was disperses to various organizations. We watched the ceremonies, my folks dropped us off near our hotel, we got a slice of pizza, picked up luggage, walked back to our car SOMA and (at Wen's request) had dinner at Hana Japan (or Hibotchulism Grill as I call it, after having a case of severe food poisoning earlier this year). Sad thing is that we ordered a big dinner and it turns out that all we really wanted was the shrimp and salad. Smart to listen to the body though.

I really enjoyed doing the Avon Walk. I loved raising money for such an important cause and meeting those who have been affected by breast cancer. I loved getting my body back in shape and I really enjoyed doing this together with my amazing wife. Would I do it again? I'm not sure if I'd do it anytime soon, but never say never. I will absolutely give money to combat breast cancer. I would love to support those who are doing the walk and to cheer them on in their efforts! For us though, the most difficult part of this event was not the walk, it was the fundraising. We came up $2.50 over what we actually needed to raise in order to participate in the walk (so EVERY dollar that our friends/family donated was essential! THANK YOU!!) We found it really difficult to do this event as a couple, especially since we generally know the same people, the economy is hard, and we've raised approx. $15K this year for various charitable causes. We really want to thank those of you who supported us in this journey and helped to make a real difference in the lives of women with breast cancer.

What might be next then? A bigger physical challenge. We'll continue to give to charities (and of course, breast cancer) as we can, but for the rest of 2009/2010, we may be seeking a physical challenge to build upon the strengths we've developed as we've trained for the Avon Walk. I lost a whopping 17 pounds in my training and have kept off about 15 so far! We're both healthier now and much more capable than we'd have given ourselves credit for, and it turns out that Wen is an amazing running/jogging partner. It's time to push ourselves a little further now and to find a course that we can run at our own pace. If Avon ever decides to loosen the rules a bit in this regard, we would reconsider. In the meantime, we will be sponsors for the Cure and help other people reach the finish line!

Thanks again to everyone who supported us and supported this important cause!

Back On Track

2009-06-07T22:50:00.001-07:00

I think we're back on track. After our little getaway to Disney a couple of weeks ago, I suffered a brief relapse of my autoimmune disorder, leaving me unable to do anything physical for several days. That sort of thing always makes me nervous because a flare-up can last a couple of days, weeks or even months and I just never know exactly what to expect.

My period of recouperation opened the door for Wen to get a little more rest for herself and by yesterday we decided that we were ready to get out and stretch our legs. We had the most beautiful day you could imagine! It was warm and sunny in SF, so we embraced our good fortune and walked across the Golden Gate, took a stroll along the beach and just kept on going. We went and we went further, for a total of 22.5 miles.

It took us a long time (our poor feet weren't quite prepared for the distance), but we expect that we'll be much quicker by the date of the actual walk. The good news is that I'm feeling good today except for some minor fatigue, and Wen's feet are sore but she was well enough to take part in 3 hours of salsa class this afternoon. Victory!

This weekend, we're planning a women's picnic in Tilden park to help us raise some more money. The on-line donations plus some checks we will bring with us to the event, leave us with about another $1,000 that we still need to raise during the next month. Whew! Send us some good fundraising vibes and if you haven't already, a few dollars for a good cause would really help us out too! And by all means, if you like a great picnic, please drop us a note because we'd love to have you join us this weekend!

Achilles, and Injuries, and More! Oh my!

2009-06-03T13:48:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a bit since I've posted, largely because reporting "My Achilles is still sore" doesn't make for the best blogging. In fact, I am heartily trying not to become one of those folks who continually provides a litany of aches and pains when asked an innocuous, "How are you?" ;)

I am hoping to do 10 miles this Saturday (down from the 22 or so that thought I'd be doing). Right now, it's an exercise in "how much can I do before I am at a point where things could get damaged?" I'm not an expert, but luckily Tara is, so I've been relying on her to help me figure out how much is too much. Last night, I headed to the gym and did 4 miles on the treadmill. It hurt, but not as bad as it would have a few weeks back. It's still not 20 miles, and I'm painfully aware of that.

The training and the fundraising are both pretty taxing, but that's okay. We can't quite figure out what we are capable of if we don't ever push our limits.

Walkin' with the Mouse

2009-05-26T00:12:00.000-07:00

This past week was Wen's birthday. It's also the week that the Supreme Court is going to rule on the status of same-sex marriage (our marriage). They will rule today at 10 a.m. to be exact.

The stress has been killing us. We've been training every weekend for the past couple of months in preparation for our grand walking adventure, but decided that Wen's birthday weekend would be better spent taking a chill pill at The Happiest Place On Earth so we packed up a few clothes and flew to Disneyland. Three days of Disney was fun and the best part was "getting away from it all". Mainly, this means getting away from the court case and taking time to ride the Matterhorn and eat Mickey ice cream sandwiches.

We did a little walking in the park (as well as to and from the park), but mainly we enjoyed our time doing things like sampling beignet, dancing to the music of Doc Anello and his magical swing band, and laughing when someone actually fell out of their boat on Pirates of the Caribbean and an official Disney rescue had to be made (stopping the ride for quite some time but still subjecting us to that song!) We also watched beautiful fireworks, hung out poolside at the tiki bar at our hotel, and enjoyed yummy wine & cheese amidst the vineyards of California Adventure. The lines were even short and thankfully, Wen's achilles was well enough to walk the park with little (it's all relative) pain. Me, on the other hand... well, I traded 20 miles for much less distance and still managed to come home with plantar fascitis and a cramped up hamstring. God knows. I literally woke up that way this morning and it's not as though I really DID anything!

We're home now and I hope that I've managed to bring back enough magic to last us through the morning when the court reveals it's decision. We hope that we'll still be married after today, but if not, we enjoyed our last hoorah this weekend and throughout all of the legal uncertainty, we've shared laughs, love and much joy as lawfully married wives during this past year. It's what family should be.

Much thanks to Mickey for giving us a shoulder to cry on. We'll get back to the serious walking next week:)

New Injury Won't Stop Team Walkoff!

2009-05-19T11:56:00.000-07:00

The walk is just around the corner. Only 54 days left to go!

This is both good and bad. Good because it's going to be a blast and the money will benefit so many people who need it. Bad because we only have 54 more days for Wen's body to heal and to finish up our training and fundraising. Whew!

Wen developed a wicked case of bilateral achilles tendonitis after our 20 mile walk a week and a half ago. She did great on the actual walk, but they blew up like little balloons shortly thereafter and have been wreaking havoc ever since.

I've got her wearing achilles braces which do help the healing but also manage to make her sore sometimes. And she's understandably unhappy about the necessary break from her training. I know it's really hard for her to watch as I continue to train and she isn't able to join me. I'm still really proud of her for getting to the gym though, hopping in the pool for a bit and working her upper body with weights. There's really nothing more she can do aside from the RICE protocol until the swelling goes down and we're hoping for sooner rather than later!

We had another scorching hot weekend here. In fact, it was so hot that we could barely stay outside for any duration. Luckily, I was able to take the day off work last Friday before the heat struck the bay area and I completed a 21 mile run/walk. I took the run-a-mile/walk-a-mile approach and it served me pretty well. Heart rate is getting lower, speed is getting faster and I'm down a whopping 12 pounds now. It's still hard sometimes to find the motivation to exercise after working all day, but I love the feeling of getting in shape and knowing that we're developing new habits together. Wen might be limited in her physical activities right now, but she's maintained her commitment of getting to the gym - and sometimes getting out of the house is half of the battle!

On the fundraising front, we've reached approximately 55% of our goal - not too shabby! We have a few donations that haven't been listed on our webpage yet, but that's essentially where we're at with it. Some of you lovely people have promised donations forthcoming (thank you!!), but we realize that it's still going to be a challenge to raise $3600 by July without some "creative thinking". Along those lines, we're conjuring up a few plans that might help us raise some extra cash:) We realize now that it's difficult to raise so much money as a couple because we both know most of the same people. LOL. That, plus the fact that we did so much fundraising for other causes last year and our friends have already been very supportive of those efforts. No matter, we're going to make it work... we've got 54 more days!

Can't touch Team Walkoff:)

The Gear We Care About: Socks, Shoes and Garmy

2009-05-08T22:27:00.000-07:00

So I was trying to think about what I'd want to know if I was reading someone's training blog. I'm naturally nosy, and enjoy a good conversation about gear probably more than the average person, so I'd like to know what one actually needs to train for a marathon and a half.

I am hard to fit, just in general. Let's look at what a 5' 11" woman wears to work out, shall we?

Women's excercise shirts are, for the most part, too short on me. I am constantly tugging them down to meet my pants. ("Pants, this is my shirt. Why don't you cozy up and overlap for a while? Thanks.") I feel like one of those middle-aged guys with the big pregnant-looking belly and the overly-hopeful medium-sized tee shirt from senior year of high school.

Luckily, I found inexpensive LONG tank tops made of some kind of petrochemical polyester blend that will never, ever return to nature on its own. That's okay, though, because I intend to wear them until they look like a collection of somewhat-releated high-tech threads. Aside from the underarm seams (which cause some issues on longer hikes), they are perfect. Tara likes the way the cheap-o tanks show off my arms and back, and I like the fact that I don't look like I'm wearing Britney Spears' spare crop tops.

On to pants. Because really, you should aways wear pants when exercising in public. But my pants? Even the "long" ones that come from The Active Woman's Boutique of Expensiveness typically have a 32" inseam, which means they are still a few inches into the floodwater zone. I've pretty much given up and just wear nice socks.

Speaking of socks, I love me some good socks. My feet are sensitive wee things, or rather shoes don't fit me so well, so I need to make sure that there's no excess rubbin' going on. Because rubbing? It translates into blisters that make my feet look like I was running barefoot over glass. I eschew cotton socks (too rough and blistery), most women's socks (too small) and anything that doesn't have some version of the words "the most comfortable/blister-resistant sock you'll ever wear" on the packaging. Currently, my magic socks include: the Thorlo low light hiking/running/walking socks; the deluxe version of the Wright double-layer anti-blister socks, which have the added bonus of saying "LARGE" on them, so I don't steal T's, which are smaller; and a random pair here or there I pick up to try out. Now I just need to keep up with laundry so I have some clean. We like to start out fresh as a daisy here in the Walkoff household.

As for Tara, I got her to give up her free cotton bowling socks (You run 15 miles in free bowling-alley socks? Really?) but she was still getting blisters between her toes. I suggested high-performance "toe socks" and now she has little rainbow-striped foot gloves. You can see a photo of her modeling the white ones on our flickr page: www.flickr.com/wenandtara.

Of course, no walking ensemble is complete without shoes. As with pants, it's not uncommon for me to try thirty pairs and end up with, well, having tried on thirty pairs. Women's just don't come large enough for the most part (the stores usually top out at size 11) and the men's are usually too wide. Dear "average width" manufacturers: I don't really need to store extra Clif Bars in the side of my shoe, but thanks for that extra room nonetheless. When I find shoes that fit, I tend to buy consecutive pairs of them until they get discontinued. Then I cry.

Right now, I've got an eco-friendly trail runner that I'm busy beating into the ground. I could use more forefront cushioning, but no blisters makes it an okay trade-off for now. I got the men's END Stumptown 12 oz in a guy's size 10.5 at REI in SF. I realized END is an Extremely Crunchy Brand (yep, my shoes include recycled soda bottles and sustainably-grown bamboo...) when the people at the Berkeley REI store (land of tie-dye fleece and 20 types of hiking clogs) had never heard of it. Luckily Zappos.com has them. So two pair of those, plus a pair of unattractive (the color is called something like "electric lime") size-12 women's running shoes that I'm going to try, are en route to me now.

What else do we bring with us for a walk? Usually a fleece or other long-sleeved shirt for wind/cold because the Bay Area is notoriously unpredictable in terms of weather. Some days, I find myself chatting about the weather thusly: "Ah, yesterday! Started out at about 43 and was 90 by noon, then back down to 55 by 8PM. Good stuff." And that conversation? It can be had in March or September. So, best to be prepared.

We also have these little athletic packs (we refuse to call them "fanny packs") that hold a phone, money, inhaler (wen), snacks, meds and not much else. Sometimes due to space constraints, certain snacks end up on the outside, like the day Tara hiked 15 miles with Cheez-Its on the back. (We do have photo evidence of this. I direct you again to our flickr page.) I usually bring a small camera, too. And we each have two water bottles that we refill. We love those little REI packs, not enough to kiss them goodnight, but close. We slather on the sunblock, and wear ball caps, for that sporty, sassy look. Ahem.

One of our most prized possessions is Garmy, the Garmin something-or-other. He makes sure Tara's heart is at the right rate, and also tracks how far we've gone and how fast. He even beeps when there's an obstacle and the path turns--it flashes "turn ahead!" We haven't figured out the utility of this feature--it's not a turn-by-turn, amd not really good for the low-vision crowd as it doesn't pick up, say, trees, construction cones, etc. We love Garmy, though, because he keeps us honest. No 16.99 miles on those 17-mile days. Nope, loop around that lightpost, roll it over to 17 miles, and THEN you can go get that bubble tea.

While this was a long post, there's really not a lot of gear you actually need to get going when training for a marathon and a half. You probably have most of it in your closet. So, what are you waiting for?

Habitrail

2009-05-07T23:54:00.001-07:00

The weather has been difficult to predict during the past couple of weeks. It went from the 90s to the 60s in a matter of days and we've also seen bits of rain in the mix. This has led us to refamiliarize ourselves with the gym, or as we like to call it, the "habitrail". The habitrail is where we visit when we want to move from one "hamster wheel" to another, exert a lot of energy and never really go anywhere.

Last weekend was a bit brutal. We'd planned an 18 mile walk on Sat, followed by 8 miles on Sunday. It rained both mornings so we began in the habitrail. I scanned the television in search of something to make my brain forget that I was staring at the same brick building for what seemed like eons. I settled upon 2 cooking shows: one on fried chicken and one on chicken-fried steak. We are vegetarians, yet it was much more inviting than that brick building.

Meanwhile, Wen was struggling to stay on the hamster wheel. She was still recovering from a cold and was fighting the congestion with medicine which left the poor girl without much balance or proprioception. Every so often I'd see her weave to one side of the bars and catch herself. Good thing there are bars:)

By mile 7, we decided that we'd rather be soaking wet in the rain than stay in the gym any longer so we ventured out... and guess what? The skies dried up!

We've completed 40+ miles in the last 6 days. Some in the habitrail, but most of the miles were walked in fresh air and sunshine!

The Land of Sloth

2009-04-23T13:45:00.000-07:00

We're feeling heartier than we were a few weeks ago and I'm really enjoying the transformation.

For the 6 months spanning Aug. 08-Jan.09, we ate a lot of bon-bons. Wen hurt her foot, we stopped dancing, I stopped running, we didn't go to the gym, we felt horribly depressed over Prop 8 and I gained 17 pounds. And if you want to get technical, the actual weight gain took place just before the November election and the end of January, so I suppose it's safe to say that I realistically packed on 17 pounds in about 3 1/2 months. Wow.

I went from a size 4 to a size 8 practically overnight, and while some people insisted that I really needed to gain some weight anyway or they'd shrug and say, "17 pounds, where?"... I knew the truth. My clothes didn't fit and I'd come to enjoy eating pizza and drinking cocktails in front of the television. I wasn't "big" by any means (I am very average size), but I'd developed some really horrible habits and I could see myself on a path to having more serious weight issues down the road. 17 pounds this year could easily translate to 30 pounds by next year and so on.

My wife also enjoys pizza and cocktails, but I think she has a better genetic make-up than mine and is not quite as prone to gaining sudden weight. Nomatter though, because we both found ourselves out of shape and rather unhealthy. This truth made signing up for the Avon Walk a rather scary proposition because I knew that we'd suddenly be forced to emerge from our cave of comfortable sloth-like contentment.

Less than 2 years ago, I was running 20-some-odd miles in a pop. In February, I decided to test my physical skill by going for a slow jog. I found that I couldn't run a half mile without chest pain and I had to stop (I've had a history of mitral value issues and tend to loose my cardiac conditioning very rapidly). In fact, I found myself feeling dizzy and a little ill, so I bought a heart monitor. My monitor revealed that I was reaching my maximum heart rate (182 bpm) after about 1 minute in a slow jog and I felt totally defeated.

From that point, we started walking a couple of miles and then a few. We've gradually increased our distance and I'm back to running again. I'm still moving at a slower pace and I have to wear my monitor, but things are getting easier. We still get fatigued and sore after our training walks, but the soreness is "ordinary" now... almost as though we're used to it and there's a lot less moaning and groaning.

I've lost 6 pounds since we've been training and we've traded the late-night chocolate bars and cookies for veggies and popcorn. The nice thing is that the exercise actually makes me crave healthier foods, so it's not the same struggle to try and eat right that I experienced during the inactivity phase. When we were sitting on the couch all of the time, I didn't crave vegetables. LOL.

We're thrilled to be raising money for a great cause (breast cancer) and I'm happy to be getting my health back in the process. It's a win-win. And great for me to watch Wen make the transformation right along with me! She still eats some cookies, but she hides them well enough that they are absent from my sight.

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to San Francisco we go...

2009-04-18T21:49:00.000-07:00

My feet are on ice...kind of like a bottle of Champagne or white wine, only not. (Anyone else remember that horrible commercial from the 70s, "Riunite on ice, that's nice..."?)

Our training walk found us in SF once again. We hit most of the tourist spots: Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, Crissy Field, Fort Mason, Lombard Street, North Beach, Chinatown. Today, in our sneakers, ball caps and butt packs we looked like tourists, albeit tourists with a penchant for speed. ("Geez Martha, those girls are not gonna see anything if they don't slow down!") We're getting quite good at the Tourist Slalom and Obstacle Course. Sometimes it's more challenging than others, such as when visitors on tandem bikes they haven't yet mastered come careening down the sidewalk unable to stop, screaming "oh no, oh no, hold on!"

Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf held the usual attractions: Guys from Nebraska and Japan posing with the souvenir shops in the background, bellowing sea lions, musicians we hope have kept their day jobs, and clam chowder in bread bowls. Still, there's something sweet about it. Alcatraz floats in the distance, people are happy, and the air smells like every other waterfront tourist spot: a mix of seafood, garlic fries and hot waffle cones. There's even a carousel.

Crissy Field played host not only to the usual views of the water and the Golden Gate Bridge, but also to some kind of Earth Stroll consisting of booths and activities, things like the "Make your Own Kite Out of Newspaper" table and a yoga/martial arts section with mats on the grass, and a volunteer holding a large red kick pad. I never tire of seeing the Golden Gate, of guessing how thick the fog will be, and marveling at how it looks like a fast-motion special effect as it rolls in. We were planning on traversing the bridge today--it's been on my "life list" for ages to actually walk across it--but that fog? Very thick. We were aiming for something above a visibility level of zero, and so we'll try again another day.

Instead, we climbed a 20% grade to the top of Lombard Street, the "crookedest street in the world." 20% isn't that much if it's a discount, and it's truly tiny if it's a test score. But in terms of a hill, 20% indicates "just a little steeper, and I'd be a flight of stairs." The view at the top was great, although the best view of Lombard is from the bottom of the other side from where we arrived. So we went down the stairs (see, the other side *is* stairs) and watched the cars wind their way through the S curves.

We stopped in North Beach for a bite to eat, and, as Tara mentioned, had a bit of a Snack Miscalculation. When you walk for distance, you want to refuel some as you go. But you do not want to eat an entire basket of bread, a big salad and a giant bowl of pasta if you want to keep it down. Oops. Luckily, we're the resourceful types. We explained to our server that we needed the most leakproof to-go container she could find, and we shoveled half our entrees into it. Into a plastic bag it went, and we tied it to Tara's pack for our next snacking opportunity. Carrying it around went smoothly except for one thing: Tara said that every time she stepped off a curb, she thought someone was slapping her on the butt, and just before she was about to turn around and yell at the person behind her, she'd realize it was the leftovers.

Chinatown was next: lots of shops with badly-translated names, like "Okay Gift Shop" and of course the ubiquitous Buddha Bar. It's a vibrant place with lots of souvenir shops ("luggages" anyone?) and restaurants.

Today was also an historic day in San Francisco: the 103rd anniversary of the great SF quake and fire. We passed by Lotta's fountain--painted gold and bedecked with a wreath for the occasion. It was at Lotta's fountain that the quake survivors met to find their families; they meet again every year. This year there were two, a 106 year old woman and a 103 year old man. This was twice as many as last year. They enjoyed a ceremony at the fountain and then moved over to 20th and Church to spray a little gold paint on the fire hydrant that was said to have saved the Mission. (It's tradition to repaint it gold every year.) There's a good article about the festivities here. Our Flickr page (www.flickr.com/wenandtara) has a photo or two I took of the fountain today.

We ended our walk at another historical site: The Hearst Building on 3rd. It now houses--what else?--a Starbucks. We sat and had a hot drink, then walked to the BART for our ride back. All in all, it was another lovely SF day.

Way to go Walkoffs!

2009-04-18T20:23:00.001-07:00

It's cool. A few weeks ago, setting out on an 8 mile walk felt like a real commitment. Now, 8 miles is just about half of what we walked today.

We woke up this morning and read about the heat wave that is hitting the bay area this weekend. We figured that since SF is typically cooler than where we are, we would go walk along the waterfront, over the Golden Gate bridge, etc. The weather in the city was absolutely fantastic until we reached the end of Crissy Field. There, the wind blew unapologetically and we sat on the grass, gazing up at the bridge all covered in fog. Crossing the Golden Gate today obviously wasn't meant to be, so we headed back toward the Marina and up to Lombard Street. We climbed to the top of Russian Hill to reap the reward of a spectacular view of the bay and to watch tourists decend the "crookedest street in the world".

All of the walking was provoking a serious case of hungry-tummy so we stopped for lunch and quickly forgot the rules of physical training. We were so hungry that we ordered all kinds of things and while the food was tasty, had we eaten all of it, I doubt that we'd have finished the walk. Fortunately, we packed it up to go, I tied the doggy-bag to the pack on my butt... and off we went with snacks for later.

We continued on through North Beach, Chinatown, Union Square, the Castro, the Mission and finally, back to Starbucks on 3rd. Great day. Lots of folks out in the parks and cafes enjoying the weather!

I am currently sitting in bed and don't plan to move too much tonight. Wen is downstairs, lovingly making some dinner and pouring me a glass of wine - oooh, I appreciate her! I had a bright idea to go for a run yesterday after work and plugged along for about 11 miles. It felt great, and while it took me much longer than my runs used to (I've not been running much lately), I finished feeling strong. I even felt good when I woke up this morning, but that combined with our 15 1/2 miles today has definitely left my body aware that "something is up". The quads are burning and I'm so looking forward to that glass of wine! Everything hurts, but it's in a good way. We felt a real sense of accomplishment after our walk today and each week seems to get a little easier. I even asked Wen if she'd like to run a half-marathon with me at some point and she said, "sure". That's not the answer I would have gotten last month, so I'll take that as a good sign! Way to go Walkoffs!

What She Said

2009-04-16T21:23:00.000-07:00

Alas, my fine wife seems to have given the full overview of our last walk.

Here's what I can add about our training journey so far. It's great to get out and explore nearby cities on foot. It's satisfying to experience each house, vacant lot or corner store at a slow pace. And I love spending time with Tara and raising money for a good cause.

Most of our walks so far have been really nice, largely because I conceptualize them more as wandering from one snack stop to the next than any form of training. To wit: On our Oakland-to-Berkeley walk, the almost-16 miler that aggravated my foot, we started out with bagels, enjoyed a bubble tea and a few cups of coffee--all at different locations--and then transitioned to a giant bottle of water and sushi take out from Andronico's grocery for lunch. In true Berkeley style, we took our delicious Andronico's fare out to the median, joining all the other brunchers and lunchers with their various foods and coffees. Many of them were waiting for a table at a nearby (and obviously popular) restaurant. It was a little surreal to be hanging out on a median, albeit a nicely-manicured one. We even got asked to take photos for a visiting couple; it seems that they wanted to remember their time in the grassy strip between lanes. The way home included more coffee, and a cookie.

I'm hoping that next time we can eat our way through the bakeries of North Beach.

Smelling Roses

2009-04-12T23:34:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends!

Yep, we're walking to raise money and awareness for breast cancer this year. Or as we like to think of it, we're walking to keep everyone's boobs healthy.

We chose the Avon Foundation because my mom has done the Avon walk before and as a 5-year breast cancer survivor, basically, we want to support the cause that's most important to her. We'll all walk the distance together and keep one another from tripping over curbs, etc.

My poor wife is having foot problems which is making the training a little harder than it would ordinarily be. She more-or-less bounced back from some painful foot problems she developed last year, only to find that the training walks were triggering inflammation and symptoms all over again. Poor girl... the pain is definitely there for her, but she's plowing through it (and plowing through ice packs at a steady pace too). The good news is that her foot has responded to the treatment we've been giving it and she's made remarkable progress during the last few days.

My plan for the weekend was to get up early and walk by myself in order to give her feet a rest, but Wen wanted to come. We ended up planning our long walk today along the route of public transit, just in case she needed to catch a ride. I figured that was safe and there'd be no pressure to continue past the point of reasonable comfort.

We set out from Castro and Market because we wanted to see the "Hunky Jesus Contest" en route, but much to our disappointment, we realized that the festivities had moved to Dolores Park. So there we were, standing in the Castro on Easter Sunday searching for Jesus... and he was nowhere to be found.

We walked to Ocean Beach via the Sunset and with each passing block, the weather got colder. The Sunset is known for being anything but sunny and Sunday was like most days. Once we actually reached the beach and sat in the warm sand though, it felt like heaven. We were sheltered on the dunes from the wind and our bodies soaked up the sunshine.

Continuing down the Great Highway, we watched as a rescue team searched for a surfer who lost control to the water and was pronounced dead a short time later. A very sad Easter for family and friends.

We left the beach and returned to downtown via the Richmond District, Golden Gate Park, the Haight and Market Street. We tried to determine the origin of certain ethnic delicacies and made yummy noises, as we gazed through windows of the Russian bakeries. We passed by children urinating in the park; one with the help of parents, and the other who ran free from parental eyes, dropped his pants on the walking path and marvelled at the length of his own stream. The flowers bloomed in the park, friends gathered to film a movie, and the hippies (as always) owned the Haight. Sore feet and all, it was the kind of day that made you reflect on just how lucky we are to live in this kind of a place.

We returned to the BART station, 14.5 miles later with a Venti Starbucks in hand. Wen was a total trooper despite the foot and we realized that we could really get used to this walking stuff. It's a great way for us to enjoy the sunshine, get exercise, spend time together without a million distractions and actually stop to smell the roses.