Ok, So It's On Like Donkey Kong!

So, looks like we may have a team to compete against in next year's Exepdition: Everest Challenge.....provided dates and stuff work out....

Bring it, ladies....

(In the meantime, listen to their podcast - it's fun and stuff!)

Ok, So I Think I Have The Bug

Re: Expedition Everest Challenge.

So, that happened.

Now what?

While I've heard the phrase "runner's high" before, I was surprised to find myself actually kinda depressed on Sunday, and particularly Monday after the video of the race had been completed. Here I was, working at this goal for 2-3 months, picturing myself at that race surrounded by people running and walking, and now that the goal had been obtained, I didn't have a set goal to work towards. I found myself peering around the Disney Endurance website and imagining myself competing in future races, like the Wine and Dine Half Marathon and Mickey's Family Halloween 5k, both in October. Only I see myself being able to work harder, faster, more efficiently.

I feel that the Expedition Everest Challenge was a great experience for me, and I hope it was for Taffy as well. I can see where my hard work paid off. I can also see where I have miles to go before I can call myself a runner of any kind. While I saw my endurance and speed improve over the 2.5 months I trained, strength is where I need to work the hardest. It makes sense when you think about it. The strain on my body of lifting this rather sizable human being off the ground in rapid fashion is going to take its toll pretty quickly. My hope is that as the weight comes off, the strength and running ability increases. Makes sense, no?

Expedition: Everest was a baseline for me. I saw what I can do, I know I can do better, and I plan on formulating a strategy to improve. Weight loss, continued cardio and the inclusion of weight training (particularly in my legs) should help me in my endeavor. I also would like to invest in a pair of quality running shoes. I currently wear cross trainers (I have for years), but from what I'm seeing online, I should probably get a pair of sneaks that are made specifically for running and will give me that extra support I need.

Now, never fear listeners and readers of this blog. It's not going to become a running blog, and I don't plan on turning into Julia Sugarbaker when she took up running (I tried to find video online, but all you good homosexuals out there know exactly what episode of the show I'm talking about.) However, I truly enjoyed working towards my goal last time, and am looking forward to beginning a new goal very shortly. So watch this space! :)

vPiMC: Episode 50 - Expedition: Everest, or Revenge Of The Killer Limes!!!

A very special milestone episode! Taffy and Taylor trek through Disney's Animal Kingdom at the Expedition: Everest Challenge this last weekend. We've been holding out on releasing an episode 50 til something special came along, and we think you'll agree this is a fun one to watch. Need a little more incentive? Taylor on a balance beam. 'Nuff said.

Be sure to look for PiMC Episode 150 coming very soon to a feed near you!

Blog: www.podismycopilot.com, phone: 206-350-1287, email: podismycopilot@gmail.com facebook: Pod Is My Copilot, twitter: PiMCTaylor

Ok, So Headed To The Gym In A Few....

You all may have noticed that the updates on my walks stopped a few weeks ago. Between Babaloo's health issues, my mother's visit (of which we will talk on tonight's taping, believe THAT!) and general laziness, I haven't been training for the walk like I said I was going to. With less than a month to go, and temperatures here in Florida having increased to, well, the surface of the sun, I am quickly feeling unprepared and need to kick things up in high gear.

Also, hoping to see Iron Man 2 this afternoon after my walk...and I have charting to finish up (womp womp wooooomp.)

Ok, So What The Hell?

So this is my walk from this morning - I almost did the whole 5k. But while my time is not all that thrilling, I am more concerned with my speed, or rather, the ups and downs of my pace, according to the Nike+ software. While I may occasionally slow down and speed up a LITTLE bit, I think I would remember slowing down THIS much, and at such a high frequency.

That being said, the majority of my workout was to Janet Jackson, and if I had to guess, that really low dip would have come around the time "That's The Way Love Goes" showed up on my workout playlist. A Great song, but not really one that gets you pumped up...well, not in that way, anyway....

Ok, So Patting Myself On My Sweaty Back

Finally back to working out after a week and two days off due to camp and laziness, I 65 minutes on the elliptical at the gym, 821 calories, 4.26 miles. Yeah, bitches! :)

Taffy's going to be so pissed...she had difficulty with the elliptical...because, you know, she's a cyborg.

PS - my gym has some SUPER hot guys. Lots to look at, while, you know, I was imitating Janet Jackson's "If" video in my head.

Ok, So A New Personal Best. Yay Me.

Taylor walked 2.75 mi on 4/5/2010 at 8:54 AM with a pace of 17'20"/mi

I have to say I'm really pleased with myself here namely because this time was done with NO running. I usually run the last 1/4 of the last 1/4 of each mile, but, thinking that I won't be running during the 5k because I don't want to take the chance of Taffy trying to run, and possibly injuring herself, plus I figure other participants would be angry when I knock them down with my fifth grader.

Oh, and today, Lance Armstrong congratulated me on my new personal best.

My goal is to get a 16 in my pace by the end of the month.

Ok, So Who Is Paula Radcliffe?

Taylor walked 2.75 mi on 4/2/2010 at 5:30 PM with a pace of 17'39"/mi.

So, I think I have the calibration thing figured out, but tonight was a surprise. Apparently, if you improve your time, a Nike endorsement person comes on the speakers and congratulates me. Tonight, it was British Long Distance Runner Paula Radcliffe. Unfortunately, I was not expecting to hear someone talking to me after I finished my walk, and she may have scared the hell out of me. And I may have yelped.

Also, I may occasionally pretend the sidewalk is a runway...I probably shouldn't think about Project: Runway while I'm walking....but at least I look fabulous while I'm thinking about it.

Ok, So A Small Step For Success

So, I FINALLY figured out how to calibrate the sensor to read my distance correctly! Yay!

I only walked around the block, and at a kinda sorta leisurely pace, so

Taylor walked .34 miles for 6 minutes, 32 seconds for a pace of 19 minutes, 12 seconds per mile.

Ok, So If I Never Hear Deborah Cox Again.....

Taylor walked 2.75 miles (you read that right) for 47.8 minutes, giving him a pace of 17 minutes, 38 seconds per mile. (WHAT!?)

So I upped my distance tonight, and while I was giving myself a little leeway with an extra 5 minutes for .25 miles from my last walk, I was pleasantly surprised at my number tonight! I did listen to the majority of late 90s RnB/Dance Diva Deborah Cox's Remixed on the iPod, and quite frankly, the only one who's not supposed to be here is her...on my iPod anytime soon...Apparently, Miss Cox is the new Cher, as far as my workouts are concerned.

Something of note is I think I may have found a reason AND a solution for the whole distance recorded on the Nike+ app. In looking at some message boards and forums, it appears I may have had the sensor in upside down (It needs to be orange side up), and also, if I know the distance of my walk, I think I can hit a calibration button on the workout after I am done (but BEFORE it is recorded in the log) where I can put in the right distance. I haven't tried this out, but I know that I will following my next workout with the sensor on Friday night after work. Try and get some sleep until then...I know so many of you will have restless nights worrying about my little sensor (shut up, Taffy.)

Either way, I'm pleased with my progress thus far.

My apologies should you not give a shit.

Ok, So Just A Hair Below...

Taylor walked 2.5 miles in 44 min, 18 seconds on 3/29/10 at 6:23PM with a pace of just under 18 minutes a mile...

(note: I'm not using the stats from the Nike+ stats for reasons stated below...)

Tonight, I decided to stroll around the neighborhood, walking out my front door, turning right and walking approximately 13 blocks, then going BACK down the street, walking 15 blocks, then turning back around and walking the two blocks back to my house.

I think I have my official least favorite route.

For one thing, the street only has sidewalks some of the time. Otherwise, you're walking in/on grass or the street. And when there ARE sidewalks, sometimes the pavement is cracked or crooked, or, in one case, coming up off the ground (due to a HUGE root in front of someone's house.)

I changed my settings for the Nike+ tonight to time instead of distance (yeah, the 2.5 I walked is only really reading on the iPod as like 1.78 or something like that. Whatev.) So I will be focusing on getting my time down even more, by including another .25 miles to my time over the next week. It probably means heading back to that little block park I talked about on Saturday, but it's important to me to slowly distance to my time. I would like to try and allow myself to have 2.75 miles in 47.50 minutes. My ultimate goal will be to do the 3.1 miles in about 50 minutes. But I have til June to do that. (16.1 minutes a mile)

Ok, So How The Fuck Did I Lose A MILE!?!?

Taylor walked 1.55 mi on 3/27/2010 at 9:44 AM with a pace of 28'34"/mi

...or DID he?

See, I decided to experiment with the trusty little Nike+. I went over to a small park not far from my house that I used to walk the dogs around back when Drum and I lived together. If you walk around the block that the park sits in, it is .25 miles. By the first time I walked around the block, I hit the button to gage my distance on the iPod - according to that, I only walked .16 miles. Over time I was losing distance on the iPod that I was DEFINITELY walking...AND, because I could tell exactly when I walked a mile, I could see what my time was vs. guesstimating my time walking around the lake by my house.

So, the Nike should ACTUALLY read...

Taylor walked 2.50 miles on 3/27/10 at 9:44 AM with a pace of.....wait for it.... 17.5 minutes.

That's right, I'm under 18 minutes a mile, bitches. Yay me.!

Ok, So The Video For The Challenge

Ok, So I Think This Nike+ Thing May Be A "piece d'shit"

Taylor ran 2.46 mi. on 3/25/2010 at 5:16 PM with a pace of 19'56"/mi.

(Yes, this song came on my iPod while walking tonight. Yes, it made me giggle. Yes, I sang all the words (quietly to myself).)

So, let me see if I have this straight....I got from taking 81 minutes to walk 3.15 miles to 48 minutes to walk 2.45. And I go from pacing at 26 minutes a mile to just under 20? In TWO DAYS?!? That doesn't seem right. Also, I know there were times with the device where I would check the gage and it would say I walked, for example, .3 miles, then a little while later, when I walked about the same amount of distance, I would check again, and it was be at like .17, I know it sounds anal to talk about, but you don't know what it's like at times waiting for the Nike+ lady to say, "One mile to go!"

I decided to pace myself a little with the walking and only do 2 miles tonight instead of the 5k/3.1 miles, as I want to gage a little more the whole pacing thing....the idea of the Disney men in the golf carts telling me during the 5k, "Hey fat ass, you're done, get off the course!" scares the hell out of me, and is currently one of about five motivations to keep going and keep trying to get faster.

That being said, I did find that...

Trying to walk with the beat helped keep me pretty regular (surprisingly, Britney Spears' "Gimme More" is actually a pretty good song to walk, no, stomp, to.)

I can run/jog in short bursts, but 'tis neither pretty nor comfortable.

C+C Music Factory still holds up as pretty good music...and I was surprised how well I rapped while walking.

I'm looking forward to trying a couple of other tracks over the next few days, including a possible walk with Miss Huffington.

Ok, So Walking With Cher

Taylor ran (ok, walked) 3.13 mi on 3/23/2010 at 5:11 PM with a pace of 26'04"/mi.

So, I, in theory, did a 5 k tonight. The pace thing listed above threw me off my game when I got home. I KNOW that I walked faster tonight then I did yesterday, but according to the little chart thing on my Nike+ page, it says I had two times where I stopped walking. Nay, I say! I didn't stop once. But I guess this thing doesn't lie. I need to walk faster. I walked for 81 minutes tonight, and if they were going by km instead I would be in great shape - 16 minutes a km. But the challenge people want you to walk 18 minutes a mile.

(Doing math on notepad)

18 minutes a mile times 3.1 miles equals 54 minutes and change!?? Holy fuck!

In other news, my workout playlist is apparently in alphabetical order by name, and tonight we got to the Cher songs, of which I apparently have 7,349...and I think it played all of them. God help me when I get to Madonna.

Ok, So Walking Is Hard And Junk....

Taylor ran 2.95 mi on 3/22/2010 at 10:17 AM with a pace of 22'02"/mi.

So today is the first day of real training for Expedition: Everest happened today, and while I walked an almost 5 k, my time was horrible! I think I know at least part of the reason for that. About 15 minutes into my walk, I ran into two co-workers, Brigitte and Kathy, who saw me and ran up to me, and we all walked and talked together. Still...if I'm reading my Nike+iPod stuff right, I walked a 22 minute mile...I need to be able to walk an 18 minute mile to even just stay IN the 5k. So, we are chalking today up to distraction and it's the baseline for measuring my walking.

The weather was a beaut today, and this was part of my view as I walked North Shore park.

Ok, So This Is KINDA Training For The 5K in June, Right?

Look what I made tonight - cool website!