Nutrition — Blog — Carolee Walker

Where it began

By last Thursday afternoon I was feeling the effects of the upper body workout I did with Zach Schumaker, my trainer, on Wednesday night. My pecs were so inflamed and sore I wasn't 100 percent convinced I wasn't having a heart attack. In general I welcome delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) because it means I'm placing stress on my muscles, allowing them to adapt.

But then of course I'm forced to change up my training. So on Friday, instead of cross training on the elliptical or swimming, I did walking intervals on the treadmill at a 12 percent incline; no stress on the upper body but I got my heart rate up high enough to feel great getting ready for work and throughout the day.

I was planning to do a long swim Saturday morning but still felt sore. A year ago I would have pushed through but if I've learned anything through all of this it's the value of deloading. So instead, with my head still on my pillow, I smiled.

I'll do an easy run.

It wasn't the run that made me smile, although I enjoy these shakeout runs.

It was the bagel. With peanut butter.

Exercise, Fitness, Health, Nutrition, RunningCarolee WalkerFebruary 12, 2017exercise, Fitness, Health, weight loss, Nutrition, grit Comments

A whole lot of history

I hesitated for a moment but decided I needed to do this. Before my swim on Saturday, I stepped on the scale at Equinox Bethesda.

Down 6 pounds.

I was having lunch with my colleague Sarah Budds the Tuesday after D.C. Rock n Roll when Sarah told me about an article she had just read in the New York Times about a guy who starts every day with a cold shower.

How we do

I was having a conversation with a friend who asked me how I’m able to keep up an exercise regimen 6 days a week.

I exercise before work, setting my alarm for 4:30 and getting to the gym by 5:15 or the track by 6:00 am. So her question is a good one. At least half of the time I am fighting the alarm and trying to talk myself into the benefits of sleeping in just this once.

But I don’t.

Fitness, HealthCarolee WalkerOctober 4, 2015Strength training, Self-image, Health, Training, Aging well, Self-esteem, Running, NutritionComment

Hey wake it up!

My official finish at the Parks Half Marathon on Sunday was 2:43:43.

The morning started out rainy and chilly but by the first mile the sun came out and it was a gorgeous, perfect day for a race. After running 2 miles on Veirs Mill Rd in Rockville we wound our way south along the Rock Creek Stream Valley, passing the Audubon Society sanctuary, and through Dewey Park and Ken-Gar Palisades Park to Connecticut Avenue in Chevy Chase, finishing up on the Georgetown trail into Bethesda.

Fitness, HealthCarolee WalkerSeptember 14, 2015Parks Half Marathon, Triathlon, Bethany Tri, NutritionComment