15 down, 11 to go

Well, I’ve now walked further than ever before—15.4 miles to be exact. It’s also the slowest I’ve ever walked, averaging just over 15. I walked from AT&T Park to the north side of the Golden Gate bridge and back. You couldn’t have asked for a better day to walk or run, though the bridge was packed with tourists. My lungs were functioning at their best and I only used the inhaler 4 times.

So far I haven’t had any leg cramp problems, but boy..is the rest of me sore and sun burnt !!!! I took those “Salt Stick” caps every hour as recommended and chased them with tons of water and gatorade. It’s’ a good thing too because its was hot as heck out there, even on the bridge which is rare. I also used the “Blister Shield” powder which someone turned me onto. The stuff works great! Thanks everyone for the tips!

I ended up wearing my old running shoes with the high profile heels ( Asics Kayano XIIs) , so that I wouldn’t be tempted to racewalk and therefore possibly burn myself out (lung wise) early in the walk I know it sounds silly, but you see, it’s very uncomfortable to racewalk in high profile shoes . The added height of the heel puts extra stress on your calve muscles which in turn causes leg fatigue– It’s a great racewalking deterrent.
Well anyway, they worked in that regard…I wasn’t tempted to racewalk at all. The problem was , they were just plain too bulky and really made my feet sore. The extra cushioning didn’t seem to help either. Next time I’ll wear my racing flats, they have virtually no padding , but they fit like a glove. ( notice the difference in heel thickness) So with my first long LSD out of the way and no significant leg cramps, How do I feel about walking a whole 26? If you had asked me that question yesterday, I would have said NO Way Jose! I was really sore and totally exhausted. But, that was yesterday. Today I’m saying…..lets wait to see how the 18 miler goes , two weeks from now…………………

15.4 miles
avg pace 15:something
calories burned 2855
total time 3:35:10