Thursday, July 3, 2014 8:12 am

6.43 miles

77°/Feels Like 77°
82% Humidity

 

Today we had a different starting place. We parked at Government and Catherine Streets and walked downtown. 

 

We had already decided that this would be the day this week we tackled the steps at the Convention Center.  We have learned from experience not to do a ten-mile walk and those steps in the same day. We are trying to do the steps once a week, but the distance means we must plan ahead to do it.

 

We had a pleasant beginning to our walk with the lower temperature and as always, I love walking downtown.  Then we reached the steps.  Our plan is to add two repetitions every time we do the steps.  That means we add 100 steps up each time.  Today we did 8 repetions of up one side, down the other, which means we climbed up 400 steps.  We decided today that our goal should be 1000 steps.

 

The first three repetitions I kept pace with Glen pretty well (although I remember thinking after completing #3, that we hadn't even gone halfway yet.)  On number 4 and 5, I was definitely slowing, but only just behind him.  By the time we reached 6 or 7, he decided he would walk in front of me going down.  I know he was just being gentlemanly (after all, he is) but I couldn't help but wonder if he did that because he was afraid my legs would give out and I would fall.

 

The last rep was really hard and I was pouring sweat when we finished.  We sat on the steps, had some water and ate some nuts.  It wasn't long before we were on our way home.  As we walked toward home, my legs felt like jelly, the muscles were just quivering.  I told Glen he had to slow down because there way no way I could keep up with him.  A short while later, my whole body felt like it was quivering...I felt really bad.  Then it dawned on me, the small bit of pineapple I had for breakfast was not enough fuel for the work I had just done and it would take a while for those nuts to kick in.  I always keep an "emergency" starlight mint or two in our pack.  I gratefully chewed one (thanks to Bubba for keeping me in good supply,) and a few minutes later  I felt back to normal.  It was amazing how much better I felt with a little sugar in my system.

 

The walk back was pretty good after that, although the temperature did seem to rise significantly. 

 

Whenever we park at Catherine Street to begin our walk, I have this happy feeling when I realize we don't have to walk all the way home, after all.