Fitness Walking: Overcoming Fear in Your Neighborhood

7:51

7/20/17

I remember back in January when I promised myself that I would get in shape so that I could work on making my dreams come true.  I wanted to become a backpacker so badly and I wasn't about to let my size, fitness, gender, age, or lack of a training partner to be an obstacle.  I was ready to start fitness walking.

There was different kind of issue that I hadn't considered until I got myself ready to go outdoors and start training...and that was my city.  I live in an area that has made #1 on some really bad lists...like "murder capital of the US" and "#2 poorest city in the nation." Now, I don't normally feel nervous about living here, but when I started to go out walking on my own I have to admit that this bit of information more than crossed my mind.  As a matter of fact, I had to take some steps to make sure I felt ok about the following things: 

• Trekking through neighborhoods where there might be people who didn't have fences strong enough to keep their dogs from eating me, in a city where so many pit bulls are abandoned that we need special fostering and adoptions to make sure they aren't all put down.  I worried that people might not be careful about not letting their dogs out to roam on their own.
• Venturing out when it was possible the only others walking around were homeless people with serious drug addictions or mental illness.
• Walking on a local fitness trail that gangs had taken over at night.

So I began by walking with a few things that I though might help me.  The first thing was a stick that I had taken with me on several hikes already, like the Grand Canyon, the Narrows in Utah, etc.  The stick was hollow, so it really didn't offer that much protection but I figured I might be able to scare off or push away any attackers...human or not.

I'm pretty sure I looked like a crazy lady walking around with a staff like Moses', but it got me outside.  I hoped that if people saw the pins I had on the stick, pins I bought at National Park gift shops, that they would realize that I was just someone out walking...and not someone who had delusions of parting the Red Sea.










I also found these "kitty" type knuckles that are made out of a hard plastic.  That, with a container of pepper spray that fit on a key ring...and I had found my confidence.  So, I started walking...for miles.
As I started to walk month after month, further and further as each week passed, I began to meet people... really nice people.  I discovered that I had neighbors that were really nice, really responsible, and really interested in what I was doing.  This is not to say that I couldn't have chosen a bad neighborhood to walk in and found that I was less welcome, but I did purposefully choose a route that would be the best one available.



It wasn't long before I started leaving the stick home.  I started leaving the "kitty knuckles" at the house too.

• On this route I have not encountered one loose dog in the almost 7 months I've been out there.  
• I have not even seen one gang member (I don't know, maybe they don't do mornings!) 
• There has not been any negative encounters with homeless people.  The biggest issue I had was being mistaken for a homeless person...and realizing out how badly they are treated...but that's a story for another day.

It turns out that most of my fears were exaggerations of reality, at least where I live, at least so far.

 I felt a bit embarrassed about being so extra careful when I started...but I'll never regret that I did what I had to, to get myself on track with accomplishing my goals.  It got me started. I feel that not only am I closer to hitting those longer trails, like the Camino de Santiago, but I know more people around me in my immediate community.  I feel like I know my neighborhood up close and personal.  Most importantly, I learned that when I'm afraid, I need to find a creative solution that will allow me to get around my fear..until I am no longer afraid.

I feel one huge step closer to my dream of being a vegan, hiker badass.

I noticed after awhile that other women started walking around in the mornings...I don't know, maybe they were out there before... but some of them had walking sticks too.  It made me wonder how many other people want to get out and do fitness walking but have some of the same fears I started out with.  That is why I decided to write this blog on this day.  If you've ever been nervous about roaming your neighborhood...keep theses tips in mind.

1.  Get out to train early.  There are other fitness walkers/runners and they are usually out their early with you.
2.  Carry what you need to feel safe when you're getting started (I am not talking guns here, please!)
3.  Choose the best route for yourself...look for safety, beauty, variety, and the appropriate challenge.
4.  Get to know your neighbors.  They start looking out for you and help you feel safe.  Smile and make their day better as well!
5.  Know the mileage points along the route you've chosen so you don't have to pull out your cellphone, or try using an app that tracks your miles.  Turn up the volume so you can hear your progress while the phone stays in your bag or pocket.  I use MapMyWalk and crank it up so I can hear it announce my mileage and pace.
6.  Stay alert.  It is always appropriate to be mindful of your surroundings...whether you are making sure you know what is happening around you, watching out for traffic, or if you are simply taking in any beauty along your walk.
7.  Consider letting a family member track your phone while you are out.  They will know where you are at any given time and may notice if something doesn't look right.
8.  Walk strong, look confident.
9.  Change up your routine from time to time by driving to an established trail or going to a gym.

Now, go train for a hike!
Peace!

June 27th, 2017

I'm so excited! It's official...I am going to walk the Camino de Santiago, a 480 mile trek, this September.  I booked my flight to Madrid two days ago and now I'm obsessed with the details of making this adventure happen!




For those of you who may be hearing of the Camino de Santiago for the first time, this walk is actually considered a pilgrimage by many participants...as it has been for hundreds of years.  Some people walk the camino for religious or spiritual reasons.  Others approach the hike as an athletic endeavor, as a way to memorialize someone special...or even as a vacation!




Just as it has multiple purposes, it also has multiple beginning and ending points.  Actually, there are beginning points all over Europe but most walkers stick to a few of the more popular ones. People coming into Europe from the US or other countries have to fly in to one of the European hub airports and make their way by train, bus, or taxi to their chosen starting point. Although not everyone chooses to go to the very end, a common endpoint is in Santiago, Spain. This is close to the western coast of Spain, and I think I read that St. Jame's body was rumored to have washed ashore there after having previously been placed in a boat and left to float on its own.  This is what has made many consider the endpoint a holy destination.

This backpack is too big!

My goal is to walk the entire length of one trail called The Camino Frances. It begins in the south of France, takes you over the Pyrenees Mountains, and then continues along the northern border of Spain.  This is the camino most people pick so it is well marked and has a lot of hotels, hostels, or Bed-and-Breakfasts available for staying in overnight.  That sounds really good to me and it's not even cheating!  This is part of the plan.  Everyone walks during the day (an average of 15 miles per day) and then dines and sleeps at one of the many places in the village you end up in.  Many pilgrims stay in alburgues, dormitory style rooms that are reserved exclusively for those making the journey.  Walkers (or bicyclists) are identified by a necklace they wear that has a shell on it as well as by a Pilgrim Passport they are provided with at their starting place.                        

                                                                                                                       

This is from a hike I took in the Sierra Nevadas 

My mission is to walk the full Camino Frances powered by a plant based diet and to carry a backpack that is equipped with cruelty free supplies.  Others have done this before me...there are vegetarian/vegan Facebook pages that cater to those who have had the same dream as I am working on right now.  So I'm not original in this quest, but I am filled with curiosity about it.  I am not a young woman and I am by all standards chubby and outright fat by others.  I want to know if I can walk almost 500 miles, by my chubby self, powered by plants.  I also want to see if God will talk to me.  I haven't been a big fan for the last 30 years...and I am hoping that if I am making a big mistake with that, that he will help me to see that somewhere on my journey.  So it will be an athletic challenge with a chance of spirituality.


Some friends have already said I'm nuts. I know, I probably am...but I am more determined than I am nuts, so off I will go.  I am going to journal my attempts at getting fit before I go and the way I am able to plan out my trip here on this blog.  Maybe it will help someone someday because it is not simple to put this itinerary together! That's assuming that there are some other nuts out there! LOL.




Well, where ever you plan to walk today, make it a good walk.  Be kind to those you encounter. And as they say on the pilgrimage...buen camino!        

Peace!

Stars of Hope

July 2nd, 2017

Patti Doyle, Bonnie Croker, Lynn Hildebrand, Celia Asbedo

On June 30th, I finished volunteering at the Humane Society with these ladies.  I am part of a group that advocates for animals called SARACA.  The green shirts are our SARACA uniforms...pretty much.  We're new and will probably get some other shirts eventually, but for now, this is how we identify as a group.

We volunteered for a week, participating in the Critter Camp Event that is held by Lynn Hildebrand every year right at the San Bernardino Valley Humane Society.  Lynn is always working hard to share the concept of being kind with children from the area. To do this she brings in animals and guest speakers...as well as conducting many activities.  Local families sign their children up to come for four hours a day for a week.  Snacks are served...and it's generally just a great time for everyone.

Bonnie Croker, our SARACA leader  

One of the activities in particular really moved me.  It is an art project which involves the children who came to Critter Camp creating Stars of Hope, painted wooden stars with messages of inspiration on them.  The concept of Stars of Hope began with the attacks on the Twin Towers of 9/11.  A young man decided that the people of New York needed to be uplifted during the days and weeks after the terrorist's attack and had some stars sent to the location to inspire hope.  It didn't stop there.  I read a story about a town that was devastated by Hurricane Sandy...also in New York.  A woman who lived in the town that was utterly destroyed said that she came outside one day and saw several Stars of Hope hanging from a tree that survived the storm.  The words on the stars actually helped...being seen over and over.  When all of the good people who had helped the people who had come to help the town had gone home, the stars remained to remind the town that people were still thinking of them, they hadn't been forgotten.  It turns out that the Stars had been created by Japanese school children who had just experienced a Tsunami that tore their home town to pieces and knew how the townspeople in New York were feeling.

The idea is that when anyone or any town suffers through a tragedy, people will send messages of encouragement on these stars to let the victims know that they are being thought of, prayed for, encouraged, remembered, and loved.  A group of high school students created stars that read "Faith", "Keep Your Head Up", etc. for a town in Missouri that went through its own natural disaster.  I just fell in love with this act of kindness...acts that are so necessary today more than ever. 

So when the children began to make their stars, I really felt hopeful myself.  Not only were their stars destined to help someone who was feeling sad, lost, or hopeless...but these youngsters were learning that they possessed the power to be kind, and could use that kindness to make a difference.  I'm really glad I volunteered that week.  I liked being in the middle of all that kindness.

Go take a nice hike,

Patt!

Peace!

Hiking Practice: Bertha's Peak in Big Bear

9:18
7-16-2017

My muscles are sore and I'm tired.  I know that I've been working my body out more, and I'm happy that I'm doing enough for my body to notice...but it sucks that my muscles are so tight that I walk like I'm 80. But I know that I have to embrace the suck.  : |

I completed my first full arm weight and ab workout this past Friday...and Saturday I went for a hike up in Big Bear.  My iphone says that I walked 8.8 miles! This was especially great because I walked up a mountain (via Cougar Crest trail) and then on the Pacific Crest Trail itself, and then summited Bertha's Peak.  This wasn't exactly easy so I'm jazzed that I accomplished it.  The first day of walking the Camino will be hiking out of France, over the Pyrenees Mountains, and into Spain.  I needed to get in some practice walking at an altitude higher than home, and hiking uphill.  I certainly got both in with this hike.  And I just  want to mention, I increased my mileage!

We had such a great hike!  It was sooo pretty...seeing the lake from that high.  I've seen it from Cougar Crest before, but never have I gone higher and experienced the complete view of the lake.  It was worth the struggle it took to get up those hills covered in white, loose rocks.



We met great people...some of them were really different!  One guy was wearing a ranger shirt and a pair of shorts.  He was standing on top of a broken branch, dancing, and smoking a cigarette.  When he saw us approaching from around the corner, he immediately asked if we had our wilderness permits on us.  He took me off guard and it took me a moment to remember that we didn't need a permit.  He was just joking around with everyone who walked to the junctions were people traditionally stop to rest.



He called himself Ranger Brian.  RB had a speaker hanging from a belt loop and was playing 80's and 90's music.  His dancing was contagious...some of us started dancing with him.  Now, I've hiked many times, but that's the first time I danced on the top of a mountain.  It was a really random, ridiculous scene...but it was fun!  I tried to post a video I took of him...it wouldn't work.  If I get it working I will repost it.

I feel even more inspired to keep going with my training now.  I can see that I have enough time to get strong enough for the Camino if I just stay with the plan.  I analyzed my walking habits (thank you iPhone Health app) and noted how many days since January 2017 have I walked.  It turns out  that  I walked over 1 mile 72 days out of  that 162 day period. They were usually all at least 2 mile days so I know they were days I actually left the house and hiked in the neighborhood.  The days I didn't were pitiful.  One day I recorded less than .1 mile covered in the day.  I must have been in bed all day. WTH!

It was great to see the data and really look at what it meant and how it made me want to change my walking routine.  I ended up with this:  I am going to walk 6 days out of the week.  On 3 of those days I will only walk 2-3 miles, come home and begin my arm/ab workout.  On the other 3 days I will go on a more serious hike...like to Mt. Baldy, Mt. Waterman...etc.  I will keep monitoring my miles as I have been, and continue to increase my miles every week.  On the 3rd day of serious hiking, I will carry a bag with increasing amounts of weight. (BTW: I carried 6.5 lbs. on Saturday. I'm planning to carry about 17 on the Camino.

I have also started using a serious meal planner from Forks Over Knives.  The planner is really easy to use and I hoping it will help me drop some weight before the Camino.  I had one of the snacks they include as a breakfast today.  It was really good...but then, when is avocado NOT good?

I still have about 60 days left to train. I figure that if I use those 60 days right, I might have a shot at this thing.




Take a great hike,
Patt!

Peace

Finding a Workout That Works

10:08
July 14, 2017

My training just got better.

I have been trying to find a workout routine that felt right for me for most of my life. Now, I know better...I know there have been plenty of great sets of exercises in books, online, on Pinterest, YouTube, on DVD and at the gym.  I know because I've seen most of them.  So I know better than to suggest that finding the workout routine itself was actually what was hard before.  It was totally about me not knowing what the hell to do with the routine once I found one.

Some I came across were definitely too hard. None of them seemed too easy.  I couldn't tell if the routine I found was going to be right for my goals, if the weights were too heavy, if I was ready for the run, if I should quit if half of them were too difficult for me, or if I was actually hurting myself instead of doing myself any good.  So I let all of these questions become an excuse for not doing any of them.

It didn't stop me from buying stuff for exercising, though.  I have Bollywood Dance DVD's, an exercise mat, a small trampoline, a tread mill, a stationary bike, resistance bands, a Richard Simmon's Sweating to the Oldies cassette tape, kettle bells, free weights, and a few other gadgets for getting in shape.  I could probably open a gym with the things I have...but would not know how to tell anybody how to use any of it effectively.  Shoot, I can't even lift the box everything is stuffed in...yet.

Training for the Camino has given me the motivation to push through the BS excuses I'd used for so long.  I realized that if I am set to go in just a few months to climb over the Pyrenees and walk 500 miles, I had better find whatever routines I can and just start doing them.  Robert Schuller (I guess it's the guy who built the Crystal Cathedral...but I'm not sure) , well, he said that it's "better to doing something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly."  He's right...and I needed to take the flawed routine I had put together and try it out.

Today I did "my" workout.  I found six free weight routines for my arms and seven exercises that are supposed to give me abs and make my core strong.  That's gotta be helpful when you're carrying a backpack for a month.  I decided to do ten of each exercise and then repeat that routine three times. I know some of you may think that this is a sissy-la-la workout, but I broke into a sweat doing them and actually felt my muscles getting worked.  Most importantly, I started.  I did what I set out to do.  The routine may evolve over time as I learn more...but for now I'm super proud of myself.  I know I will keep it up now too, just like I've kept up with my walking schedule.

I love feeling like I'm getting stronger.  I can be as prepared as possible for the trail...and even defend myself if I need to as a solo traveler.  I'm going to keep a record of my progress here in the blog because I really want to have an account of how my body changes and what I learn.

Today was a good day,
Peace!

64 Days Left: How I Pushed Through and Trained/Hiked Longer

July 11th, 2017

WHAT WAS I THINKING?

I can't believe I didn't think of this before as I was planning to walk the Camino de Santiago. Why did I pick September to go to Spain when it meant I would have to train for my hike in one of the hottest cities at its hottest time of year?  Summertime in San Bernardino is no joke! The temperature for both Saturday and Sunday was 108 F, and I don't have functioning air conditioner in my home.  Once it hits 104 and over, and I just want to lay down all afternoon...and not move...and pant.

PUSHING PAST EXCUSES

Beautiful drive up Waterman Canyon 

Fortunately it only got to about 100 F yesterday because I had to go out and train.  Weather cannot be an excuse for not getting out there and practicing because it could hold me back for the entire next 9 weeks that I have left to prepare.  When the excuses start flooding my mind and I begin to rationalize why I shouldn't train, it's actually time for me to get creative and find a solution instead of caving in.  So, if I'm going to train on schedule and for as many hours as I need to this summer, I need to get up early and go high.  Today I headed out for Crestline to hike at Lake Gregory.  At 4,500 ft. up the local mountains, it gave me some much needed altitude practice, a change of scenery, and some variety on the trail...all at cooler temps.

One loop directly around the lake is about 2.5 miles. There is a road that goes around the lake also, which is a little longer. I went twice directly around the lake and used the road path once.  I also walked to a little store, Goodwin's, across the street which brought my mileage total to 8.6m.  

For the entire hike the temperature stayed in the 70s. Lake Gregory is shaped like a butternut squash...and the hike around the north bump always has a fabulous breeze.  I felt cooler hiking there than I did lying down in my hot house down the hill. The best part was that the cooler temps allowed me to hike longer.  The MapMyWalk app on my phone recorded 8.6 miles, which is great because my neighborhood hike on Friday was only 5.71 miles. I needed to push my mileage and I did. Yay me!




EMBRACE THE SUCK!

There is some up and down to the Lake Gregory hike. It ISN'T intense by any means, but I found that by the final quarter of my workout I was feeling the climbs a little bit.  I let something I learned on a YouTube video by "Darwin onthetrail" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekP92ksyIP0&feature=share)  help me out when it started feeling kinda hard.  He had a video that gave tips about becoming a distance walker/hiker that I really liked.  One tip was called "embrace the suck."  He reminds everyone that there will be times you are hiking that will just suck, period.  It will be too cold, it will be too hot, it will be to hard, too painful, and you will be too tired.  But if you learn to embrace what sucks...and just get over it, you will make it through to the reward of your view, your peak, your terminus.  So yesterday I used this idea as my mantra.  As I huffed up a climb and felt my legs burning, I just mentally repeated "Embrace the suck, Patti, embrace the suck."  Other times I just reminded myself "this is what it feels like to get stronger."  Both of those really seemed to help. Thanks for the tip, Darwin!

I stopped at the market across from the lake after the second time around and bought some coconut water to fill my water flask with.  I also bought a piece of fruit.  I felt like this might be how it will be when I'm actually hiking the camino...stopping after a few miles to possibly get some fruit or coffee.








THE NEXT BREAKTHROUGH THAT HAS TO HAPPEN

Today I will do my weight lifting routine, a sketchy set of arm exercises I found on YouTube the other day.  I want to refine that workout and add some core work to it.  Tomorrow's post should let you know if that went as planned. I will be so proud of myself if I get that figured out because I have put off this kind of exercising for years because I was never quite happy with...or sure about...a workout plan, and I let that be why I didn't follow through with that workout goal.  I know it was weak, weak, weak excuses...I'm not gonna lie. If I make that breakthrough, I am going to be so jazzed.  

PEACE!

Training for the Camino 2017

July 5th, 2017

I have hit a tough spot with my training for the Camino de Santiago.

I have been walking regularly since January and actually loved it.  I've walked in the rain, I've walked 4 miles every morning for 6 days out of the week, I've done some uphill, some in other countries, some in the mountains...but now it's different.
         (Big Bear)

  (Costa Rica 2017)

For one thing, 4 miles a day isn't enough anymore.  I need to be up to 15 miles a day, with a full backpack by September.  So today I pushed myself to walk 6 miles and I'm feeling it a little.  My calves are tight and my heel feels bruised.  I have only 10 weeks to more than double that mileage.

(Puerto Vallarta 2017)

The other thing, the worst thing, is trying to train in my hometown.  Here in San Bernardino it gets so hot in the summer...today it was 104 and it should be 107 by Friday.  You don't want to walk around here at night, so that leaves getting up really early to hit the street.  I'm not sure I can get up early enough to fit in 15 miles before it starts getting hot. Of course, I've got to try.

Today I walked in neighborhoods that I've only driven through before.  It's the north end of town and some areas are surprisingly gorgeous.  It feels like the temperature is different there, it's cooler and feels fresh when I walk under the huge trees that line the curvy road.  I mean, if I get to choose where I'm going to walk, I'd might as well pick the prettiest and safest blocks in town.  There, on these nice lots at the base of the foothills,  the dew actually survives a bit longer, squirrels run around, and people walk their dogs wearing LuLuLemon gear.

No one shows you this part of town when they take photos in San Bernardino...when they are highlighting the blight we definitely have in most areas here.

 

My neighborhood is like the gateway to gorgeous.  My house is small and plain, with dry dirt out front...and a few tall dandelions sticking up like whiskers that got missed in an otherwise close shave.  I had a nice green lawn before the drought. When the rain stopped showing up on schedule, some of the weeping willows that grew on the median in front of my place got way too dry.  Their roots run real shallow, and soon, one of the massive trees that I had always taken for granted just fell over.  I guess I had always taken the shade if offered for granted as well because I had no idea that my lawn, the ivy on my porch, and the ornamental tree by the driveway would just burn up without it being there to block the sun for a large part of the day.  My house gets hotter now too. I'm working on bringing the shade back, but for now it looks pretty depressing.  Walk just a few blocks north though, and soon there are big, Spanish style homes with green shag lawns, stone walkways, and clay colored walls that arch like Moorish temples.

 

I did pass some small, older apartment buildings on my walk today.  I remember these apartments because years ago I tried to ride my bike on the sidewalk out in front of them as I made my way across town.  A huge pit bull ran out of an open apartment door  and came straight at me.
   
🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕

Maybe you can imagine how tight my calves felt that night after pedaling faster than ever before in my lie.
🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲

Today, the apartments look better...like maybe there is a new owner.  I couldn't help but notice the chalk drawings that were on the side walk out front, evidence that there had been a celebration yesterday for the 4th of July.  I took ballerina steps over them and then decided to take a few pictures. Cute. Cheerful. Hopeful.

                   

Anyways, tomorrow I need to lift weights. At least I don't have to jump up and get out of here so early in the morning.  But I will when I do need to.  Even though I've had a few moments of doubt over my decision to commit to the Camino de Santiago...such a long walk, so far from home, I ultimately concluded that I would complete this tough thing just like I've completed so many other tough things.  When all is said and done, I have always discovered that I, too, am tough.

Time to Get Real

July 2nd, 2017

Tomorrow is the day!



I need to get into a full blown workout routine so that I will be ready to take my 500 mile walk in September.  I have wanted to get re-started but have rationalized that I was too busy helping with Critter Camp at the Humane Society...and that it was too freakin' hot outside.  Both of those things are true...but winners don't let "busi-ness" stop them from achieving goals, right?

I volunteered to work with the Humane Society of San BernardinoValley, as they offered a summer Critter Camp for 50 young children.  The camp was held from 8:30 to 12:30, but as volunteers we usually hung around and helped clean up for a while after the children left.  By then, it was around 103 to 108 degrees outside. It was hard enough to sit on my scorching car seat let alone go home and start working out. I don't have regular air conditioning in my house, just two window fans.  So, it really wasn't me just using random fake excuses, they were real...but they shouldn't have stopped me none-the-less.  When times get tough, the tough find creative ways around it.  Grrrrr.....

                                            (A cactus I see on my morning walks in the summer)


It's time for me to get creative.  I have 74 days to start getting used to walking all day.  I need to be strong. It's time to get real.  My plane ticket to Spain is non-refundable!



                                                       




    I have been walking here in town and up in the local mountains since January. I had made a New Year's resolution to walk 6 days a week and kept it up fairly well until recently, but I still haven't walked further than 5.2 miles a day. I need to get used to walking 15 miles a day, day after day, with a 20 lb. backpack strapped on me! The most I've had on my back since January was 11 lbs.  I think I'd better pack up some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and hit the road in the morning.

                                                                                                     (walking in the rain, 2017)       

                 


                                     
                                                                                                                               

        

(Cougar Crest Trail, Big Bear California)


I am going to blog about any obstacles I came across.  I'm hoping to report about the solutions I found instead of how the obstacles stayed obstacles.

Wish me luck
Peace!