The 8-Mile "Mock Walk" & Other Adventures In Santa Barbara

Reposted from http://www.avonwalk.org/goto/Paul_Willett
Originally posted April 20, 2010

The 8-mile "mock walk" in Santa Barbara is history and I'm thrilled to report that I made it with energy to spare! No blisters, no cramps, no agony, and I managed to set a pretty good pace, despite the fact that it was (unexpectedly to me at least!) uphill for over half the course.

There were a couple hundred walkers there for the 8-mile and 4-mile mock walks, more than I expected I guess. After all, the walk itself is still nearly five months away. Ronnie came along with me to cheer me on and we had managed to get out the door early enough to get to Santa Barbara just after 8:00AM. I got registered and then the fun began.

Mile Zero We're all wearing these pink, checkered wrist bands, presumably so that they can identify the bodies as being associated with the Avon Walk if one of us should end up passed out in someone's yard or in a bar. The bands are almost impossible to put on by yourself and in trying to do so I end up with half of the superglue end attached to my arm, ripping out hair every time it touches me. Not a good start, but I make the best of it as I start socializing with my fellow walkers, using the "wristband attachment dexterity test" as an excellent icebreaker to introduce myself and help out. Everyone's also taking photos while milling about, so my usual habit of offering to take group pictures so that everyone's included works well. We get our instructions (lots of legalese that translates into "Don't be stupid") and we're shown the road promptly at 08:30.

Mile One We've walked from the Fess Parker Doubletree Resort along Cabrillo Boulevard, through Chase Palm Park. OK, I can see why people love Santa Barbara, this is stunning. I don't even want to know how expensive it is to live here, but it's undeniably gorgeous. On flat ground along the coast I'm setting a good pace, about a 16:20 mile. (The Avon Walk marathon & a half in September will need to be at an 18:45/mile pace or better and I've been training at about a 17:00 pace.) I know that it's not a race but I'm not "competing" against my fellow walkers, I'm competing against myself and my own times and expectations. It helps with the motivation. (Motivation, delusion, po-TAE-toe, po-Taa-toe...)

Mile Two Uphill on State Street through the shopping district full of little boutiques & stores, most of which are still closed. I'm walking with a group of about eight women and they're playing a window shopping game as we go, which I can't really join in. I don't care how empathetic to the cause I am, I'm not gonna look good in ANY of those dresses! I also find out that the term "walker(s)" is the politically correct unisex term after one lady hollers "Come on, girls!" as we hustle across an intersection with the "Don't Walk" signal just starting to flash, then she apologizes to me for using the term "girls". No apology needed at all, I'm the most non-PC person you'll meet, but I'm glad that I know what the correct term is for when I'm trying to pass in polite company.

Mile Three We're STILL going uphill, now in residential neighborhoods on State Street. I had figured that the walk would all be along the coast with nothing more uphill than a freeway overcrossing. Wrong!! (And thank you for playing!) It might not be like climbing Ascutney or Jay Peak in Vermont, but it's most certainly steadily & relentlessly uphill. My pace has slowed some, down to about 16:50/mile ("It's not a race..."), but given the terrain I'm pretty happy with it. One poor golden retriever is barking his head off as we pass, making sure we don't get any cute ideas about going into his yard. Good luck, puppy, there are an awful lot of walkers behind us -- you're going to be hoarse tonight.

Mile Four We found the Santa Barbara Mission, the first time I've ever seen it. Neat! From up here as we keep climbing on this "scenic route" we get glimpses through the trees of the ocean & city back down below us. It's half way through the course, why are we still going uphill? My time at the nominal halfway point is 64:32.

Mile Five OK, we've finally made the turn downhill, and now I know why it's five up and three down. A couple of these little streets are like that one in San Francisco (Lombard Street?), very steep and narrow. I find that my thighs and back prefer going downhill, but by ankles are not that happy about it at all. Time to pick up some speed (I know, it's not a race!) and make up for the slower pace uphill. Just try not to break an ankle, or you'll be trying to figure out if that wristband has an emergency beacon and a GPS built into it.

Mile Six We're back down on relatively flat ground, sloping down to the beach on Garden Street, and it's the Attack Of The Giant Blue Chickens!!! That's the name that we've given to the couple of peacocks that occasionally show up in our neighborhood at home, based on our dog's response to them. There are peacocks here as well, something I really didn't expect to have yelling at me from the bushes on the hillside. It was a pleasant surprise, if a bit startling at first.

Mile Seven We're back down into the city's downtown area and hitting all of the stop lights and traffic noise, which I find a little bit disconcerting after the quiet walking up at the top of the hill in the parks. But I'm really hitting my stride now and I like what that may portend for the actual walk in September. It may just be the endorphins (or the above-mentioned delusional thinking) but my initial aches & pains today have actually faded and I'm feeling really good. I'm still maintaining a good pace and the average time for the overall walk is dropping steadily.

Mile Eight I'm back at the Fess Parker and feeling great! Total time was 2:06:58 for 7.84 miles, a pace of 16:11/mile, far better than I had expected, especially given the uphill nature of half of the course.

The rest of the morning was spent with seminars hosted by the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer about training, fundraising (thanks again to all of you who have donated for me!!), hydration, equipment, meeting other walkers, and so on. Overall it was a great day I'm now even more confident that the September walk is going to be fantastic!