totallytracy

I did it !  Woo hoo !!  Actually, I’ve done it three times now.  When I first came down to Florida to get moving and get healthy I could barely walk 1/2 mile without being winded.  I was so out of shape from working from home, it was horrible.  Well, last week, I decided to try “walking the bridge”.  Over the 11 months I have been here I have steadily increased my walking and my weight loss and can fairly easily walk a mile on any given day, probably more.

Well, there is a bridge here called the Peace River Bridge.  It has a walking path on both sides and people walk it every day.  It is approximately 1.5 miles each way.  Well, last Monday, I think, I got up and decided I was going to walk it.  I put my shoes on, grabbed my iPod and a bottle of juice and drove up to the Best Western parking lot, where I was going to start.  I wasn’t sure if I would go all the way over and back or half way and back or what but I felt it was time to give it a try.  I checked my watch and headed off.  One hour later I was back at my car and I had walked all the way over and back.  Woo hoo !!  3 miles with ups and downs.

This week I made a plan to start walking it on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.  On Tuesday, I took the following pictures with my mobile phone as I walked….so here is picture narrative on “walking the bridge” :

This is the starting point – my car is parked to the left in the Best Western parking lot and you can see the hill in the distance that I am headed toward.

Up on to the main part of the bridge now.  The upcoming hill isn’t too bad on the way over.  I start out on the flatter part setting a pace and although I am sure I slow down a bit when I get to the incline, I keep a pretty steady pace.

Now I can see the incline ahead on this straight away.  I’ve got my pace set.  No listening to the iPod on the way over, I just watch the water and traffic and enjoy getting the walk pace going.

Whew !  made it to the top.  Now, any thoughts I have at turning around at this point are squashed when I head down the decline.  It seems as if all the muscles that were protesting only a few minutes before are now relaxed and enjoying the walk down to the other end.

Now, I have reached the other side.  One and a half miles done.  I stop here for a juice break for about 3-5 minutes.  Then I head out.  The incline in this direction is much harder.  I pop in the headset for the iPod, this morning it was Michael Jackson’s Number Ones, and I head off.

I have reached the top of the incline again on the way back and I am now headed to the end.  There are definitely thoughts of turning back on this leg, but they are pointless because I am already heading back.  My legs are feeling the burn on the last mile.

At the end of the bridge again.  I can see my car to the right in the parking lot and that last hundred yards or so have been like a cool down.  It’s hot and not as windy once you are away from the water, so I am ready for the car A/C and the shower at home.

Yay !