I’m not an athlete. I've never participated in any team sport (unless forced to, and basically the “being forced to” went away after mandatory gym class ended over 30 years ago). I've never participated in any significant athletic endeavor. But last Saturday, I took a 17-mile walk.
What’s it like to walk 17 miles? Well, it’s a really
long way--the distance from the south side of Madison to Stoughton, my
hometown. I walked it in 4½ hours last Saturday as part of Stoughton’s annual
Syttende Mai celebration, the city’s celebration of Norwegian independence.
I’ve lived in Stoughton for almost 17 years and I’ve
never felt the need before to participate in this annual insanity. But that was
before I lost 110 lbs. on Weight Watchers at Work in 2012. I kept my weight
stable through most of 2013 but then started having some struggles controlling
my eating in late 2013. I was committed to retaining my Lifetime membership
status with WW. So I added more time to my exercise routine.
(Almost) my sole exercise activity? Walking. Mostly
on my treadmill in the evening but also outside on my morning and afternoon
breaks at work. There were several days this past winter where I walked morning
and afternoon when it was 2 degrees outside. Yep, I’m that dedicated. And to be
honest, I do a little time on my recumbent bike in addition to walking. But
it’s mostly walking—about 50 miles per week. I work, eat dinner, spend some
time with my kids and husband, and then get on my treadmill. I read on my
Kindle while walking to make it more palatable.
So I started thinking—if I was going to spend almost
three hours on my treadmill on Saturday, May 17 anyway, why not do the Syttende
Mai walk. And $45 later, I was committed. Yep, I waited until the last minute
to be sure it wasn’t going to rain and then paid the registration fee. I was
pumped! I read lots of advice online about doing long walks and I debated what
my pace goal should be.
Finally the day came.
My oh-so-patient husband dropped me off at the
finish line to catch a bus to the start. I’ll be honest here—he volunteered to
walk with the route with me. But he’s not a dedicated walker and I felt
committed to walking at the same pace or better that I maintain on the
treadmill. And I know from experience that that’s a fast pace unless you walk
all the time.
After some delay, the group of us walkers proceeded
to the rolling start. I was a bit frustrated when we neared the registration
area to see that some people were already walking. I had wanted to start at 6
a.m. too but it was 6:20 when I began. The walk was not timed and not
competitive, though there are also 20-mile and 10-mile competitive races on the
same course that you could choose to do. I quickly got my bib, used the
port-a-potty, and started out.
Immediately, a woman and man who had been on the bus
with me joined me and asked if they could pace with me for a bit. Michelle and
Mark said they’d done the walk twice before and because it felt so good to be
moving, we started out pretty fast. I normally walk on my treadmill at 3.2 MPH
with a 6% incline and I walk at about 3.8 MPH outside. I found out later we
were going at about 4.0 MPH. We quickly passed the 3 mile point and they
decided they wanted to jog for a bit. I’m not a runner so I wished them well
and off they went.
Once I was alone, I kept up the same pace and I was
passing people left and right, especially on hills. By 7:50, 90 minutes in, I
had reached the 6 mile point. I felt great—no pain anywhere though I was
definitely sweating. And the temperature was only 41 degrees at the start, so
even at the finish, I don’t think the temperature was more than 50.
At 7 miles, I stopped to use a port-a-potty and
caught a glimpse of my face in the little mirror on the door. Despite light
sweating, I looked great and I grinned at myself. Back when I weighed 256, my
face got red and unhealthily sweaty anytime I exerted myself. Now, I was
beginning to feel like a competitor.
At 9 miles, there was an amazing sight on the side
of the road. A group of vehicles playing loud rowdy music, men wearing
elaborate red dresses with big puffy skirts, and a keg of beer. I’m not a big
drinker but how could I pass this up? I later realized it wasn’t even 9 a.m.
yet but oh, well.
At about 10½ miles, runners started passing me.
They’d left from the Capitol Square in Madison at 7:30 a.m. Now those people
are athletes!
By 9:20, I sent a text to my husband to tell him I
had 5 miles to go. I was still passing walkers and there started to be
spectators on the side of the road waiting for family and encouraging everyone.
That was fun. At about 4 miles to go, there was an amazing private stand on the
side of the road. These people had goldfish crackers and other snacks, water,
and once again, beer—this time in big cups! It was so appreciated.
At about the 14 mile mark (3 miles to go), my husband
and oldest daughter met me to take my outer coat, which I’d had tied around my
waist since mile 5. Such a relief! Now I was wearing yoga pants, a long-sleeved
shirt, and a track jacket. I kept trekking.
When you get into the city of Stoughton, the walking
route takes you way to the south before it comes back to Main Street. Those
were the toughest miles, when I had 3 and then 2 miles to go and there weren’t
many spectators. Several people had homemade support stands in their driveways
though, which was wonderful.
Finally I turned onto Main Street and there were
spectators everywhere. God bless the route officials and police because they
stopped traffic for the runners and walkers so we could keep moving. I told one
that I didn’t think I’d keep going if I had to stop. I still felt pretty
good—my feet didn’t hurt at all but I was just physically tired. I crossed the
finish line at 10:50, 4:30 after I started. I was very happy with that pace.
When I could finally stop, it felt amazing. I felt a
little, well, creaky. Like every one of my 48 years. We went home, we ate
lunch, and I took an hour nap and a Motrin. Later that night, I felt pretty
good! The next morning, I was a little stiff, especially if I tried to extend
my legs and walk faster, but I went to the last day of the festival downtown
with my kids and walked around a bunch. By Tuesday, I felt completely back to
normal.
On Tuesday afternoon, I started researching online
for half marathons that are walk-friendly. I think I might be hooked.
Me,
becoming an athlete.
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| None of these people is our Guest Blogger. I'm guessing her smile was WAAAAAY bigger than any of these. But this is a shot of the walk between Madison and Stoughton. Thank you for sharing your experience with us! |
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