Panda's Journey: The Road to Huston.

[windwalker]

As most people know I'm a fifty something racewalker with dreams of being a great fifty something racewalker. The next major competition I'm shooting at is the 2011 National Senior Olympics. Should I medal there I would get a ticket to the first ever World Senior Olympics. The medal winners of the European Senior Olympics and our winners would meet for the first combined games.

There are going to be lots of smaller races between now and then. This log will be my journal of training, leading up to taking my shot at Huston. Each post will be a weekly log.

Walking Panda

 

[windwalker]

Monday, 16 June 2008:

I had a nice LSD, 6 miles with my princess Erica. The pace was slow but it was a good change of pace.

I push mowed the .5 acre yard. My achillies hates this since it's like an hour of calf raises.



Tuesday, 17 June 2008:

Guys I had one of those workouts that make you just tingle all over it was so good. I did my 4 mile hills route, 1st mile was warm up at 13:42, last three miles 36:03 for a pace of 12:03. I was doing a comfortable cruise, when I stopped I almost kept going to do the route again, I felt so good.

I finished up with some stretching and weights.



Wed, 18 June 2008

Today was one of my normal treadmill routines:

.25 mile at 3.0
.25 mile at 3.5
.5 mile at 4.0
1 mile at 4.5
1 mile at 5.0
.25 mile at 6.0
.25 mile at 3.0

Then an hour of calistetics, stretching and pilaties moves.

I was feeling a tad tired so tomorrow I'll do less walking, upper body weights and then pool fun.


Thursday 19 June 2008

Ended up doing a 3.5 mile walk just like yesterday on the treadmill, but last quarter at 5.5. Then a good upper body weight workout. Finished up with my regular calistetics, stretching and pilaties routine.


Friday 20 June 2008

Today was easy pool/theapy day. I did 20 laps of sprints with high knee raises. This helps strengthen the quads, lower back and gives aq good stretch to the hip flexers and glutes. The water is 300 times the resistance of air so the whole range of running/walking muscles get a good workout from a different angle than from running/walking in air.

After the sprints, dynamic stretches in the pool and some upper body strengthening exercises. Basicly what you would do with weights but using the resistance of the water instead.


Saturday 21 June 2008 First day of summer

Today was a fast non stop hour so I could meet Erica after she got off work:

30 min treadmill with walk speed up to 12 mpm pace

30 min of weight training, upper body.

As soon as I finish this post I need to do my stretching and rolling pin exercise. I use a rubber rolling pin instead of a stick to massage my leg muscles.


Walking Panda

 

[postesf]

Welcome to the Journals Panda!!!

I'm so glad you had a great workout!

Stacie

 

[windwalker]

Welcome to the Journals Panda!!!

I'm so glad you had a great workout!

Stacie

Thank you for the welcome princess.

Walking Panda

 

[larry's girl]

Hi, Panda. I am Stacie's sister, Susan. She inspired me to do my first ever 5K last month at Disney. I have been following your posts on the Events board and I am so impressed with how consistent you and your wife are in your training! Gives me hope that I can keep going with this exercise thing.

I am looking forward to reading about your journey to the Senior Olympics. Welcome to the Journals board - have a good day!

Susan

 

[windwalker]

Hi, Panda. I am Stacie's sister, Susan. She inspired me to do my first ever 5K last month at Disney. I have been following your posts on the Events board and I am so impressed with how consistent you and your wife are in your training! Gives me hope that I can keep going with this exercise thing.

I am looking forward to reading about your journey to the Senior Olympics. Welcome to the Journals board - have a good day!

Susan

Susan, thank you. Your sister and I have been buds for a long time. She is good people and a super role model.

Walking Panda

 

[windwalker]

I'm logging my workouts by the week, but I had a moment during my walk worth remembering:

As I was getting ready to crank the tready speed up to 10:54 per mile pace, Hank Williams Jr came on the CMT channel I was watching and sang "A country boy can survive". That is a great 'push the pace' song for a Ky fellow.

Walking Panda

 

[postesf]

Glad all is going well Dave! Thanks for the nice comment!

You are such a great example to really keep pushing! Your routine is really to be admired!

Stacie

 

[windwalker]

Glad all is going well Dave! Thanks for the nice comment!

You are such a great example to really keep pushing! Your routine is really to be admired!

Stacie

You have come a long way yourself princess. During the last year you have even done a 15K.

Impressed Panda

 

[bubba73]

Panda Dave

You are a role model and an inspiration to everyone on the events board, the competition's threads and anyone here that has given thought to doing any type of race. Just going off the tutorials that I have been able to get from you from these threads, you have already taken my down from a 20 minute pace to a PR of 13:45. Knowing that I have been able to do that this fast gives me hope and encouragement that I will be able to get down to the 12 minute pace before January. I usually can do better if I am training with someone who is going at the same pace with the same goals that I have. Well, here in my "hicktown", I don't have that so I use the "Panda Spirit" to keep me going during my walks.

Keep it up, Sir Panda! I know you will medal!!

Bryan

 

[windwalker]

Panda Dave

You are a role model and an inspiration to everyone on the events board, the competition's threads and anyone here that has given thought to doing any type of race. Just going off the tutorials that I have been able to get from you from these threads, you have already taken my down from a 20 minute pace to a PR of 13:45. Knowing that I have been able to do that this fast gives me hope and encouragement that I will be able to get down to the 12 minute pace before January. I usually can do better if I am training with someone who is going at the same pace with the same goals that I have. Well, here in my "hicktown", I don't have that so I use the "Panda Spirit" to keep me going during my walks.

Keep it up, Sir Panda! I know you will medal!!

Bryan

Bryan, that was a very nice thing to say, it means more than you know when I hear stuff like that.

There are a lot of things in our lives we can't control, but we can take responsibility for our own health and fitness. I'm older than you so I can say this without reservation; A strong healthy body is far more precious than anything else than you possess.

When I went to ToT last year I had the opportunity to walk part of the race with several different wish walkers. Erica and I started in the back so we could go from group to group as the race progressed. That was easily the most fun I've ever had in a race.

Your coming along strong and your decision that you can do it is awesome. A good doctor will realize that you can acomplish way more for yourself than they could ever do for you. There is an old medical saying that a Doctor can treat but you and God do the healing.

Happy Panda

 

[larry's girl]

Good morning, Panda.

First off, I LOVE Hank Williams music and "A Country Boy Can Survive" is one of my favorite songs that he performs. That's great workout music, for sure! And what an awesome pace you set - whew, makes me tired just to think about it!

Second, I totally agree with Bryan's thoughts. I have been on the WISH journals board for several months, but have just started reading some threads on the events board in the last few weeks. You were one of the first people who stood out to me as someone who is serious about good health and fitness, and just as serious about encouraging and supporting other people to start the journey towards those goals. It is amazing to see how much time and energy you devote to helping total strangers on these boards - I am in awe of that, truly.

So thank you for your kind and compassionate interest in those of us who are battling for better health and longer, more joyful lives. You rock!

Susan

 

[windwalker]

Wow Susan, that was so nice, but ya know what I get a lot more back than I could ever give. I draw strength and motivation for you guys to.

The payoff for all of us is the wonderfull time we actually get to spend together at our Disney meets. It raises the fun and excitement of our vacations to a whole new level.

Happy Panda

 

[windwalker]

First week of Journal:

19 miles and 10 hours of exercise.

Made some new friends

Happy first day of summer

Walking Panda

 

[bubba73]

First week of Journal:

19 miles and 10 hours of exercise.

Made some new friends

Happy first day of summer

Walking Panda

Way to go Panda Master! Sounds like you have had a very successful week.

 

[windwalker]

Week 2 of Journal:

Strange start to this week. Up at 4am for drive to Loiusville for continuation education classes. So 6 hours of sitting in little chairs listening to very dy lectures on optics and refraction.

When I got home I got about 2 hours o exercise push mowing my .6 acre yard. Then tons of water since it was hot and humid out.

Journaling Panda

 

[larry's girl]

Wow, I'm impressed that you had the energy to mow your lawn for two hours after such an early start and all-day lectures. That type of thing exhausts me, so I think you did an awesome job getting in that much activity at the end of your very long day.

Thank you again for your kind words and great ideas in my journal. I SO appreciate it!

Hope you have a great day!

Susan

 

[windwalker]

Today was a great day. It was raining so it was a treadmill day.

Nice 3.5 mile walk with last part at 10:54 pace. Then weights, working on sides, biceps and chest today. After the weights I did my mandatory stretching and calistetics routine.

A thought I had while I was in the aerobics room doing my stretching and calistetics, I thought how no one else here works out the same way I do. They do the weights or they do the treadmills or elipticl or they will do the machines. Very few even combine the cardio and the strength training in the same workout. No one else is combining all three, cardio, strength and flexibility.

Walking Panda

 

[windwalker]

My lady had to get a few well princess checks including an upper and lower endoscopey. So we just got done not long ago and we are both bushed. So today is a rest day.

Tests were all good so that was nice.

Tomorrow the journey will continue. I did trim a tree and edge along the sidewalk today after we came home.

Journaling Panda

 

[windwalker]

Awesome walk today. I was stiff and a little sore from so much sitting yesterday so first mile was an easy 14:00 to warm up. Then I shifted into Power Panda for the last 3 miles on the hills. Time for the 3 miles was 35:19, that was an 11:46 pace. Felt great and could have kept going.

Weights and calistetics for upper body and finished up with stretching.

Power Panda