10K!

10K what? Certainly not 10K pounds. Not even 10K ounces (625 pounds).

Nope. I walked a 10K last weekend, the Dempsey Challenge. That's 10,000 meters (or metres) -- 6.2 miles.

It's been a week and I'm still having a hard time believing I did it. Of course, I bragged at my Weight Watchers meeting this morning. And my leader, Carrie, let me talk about it a bit. I was able to tell the group that I walked the 10K despite chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia and assorted other chronic illnesses (Lyme disease for one). It felt so good to be able to tell people I'd walked a 10K despite my physical challenges.

And Carrie, who I like more with each meeting, asked if training for the 10K and walking it helped with my chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. The honest answer is no. I was extremely fatigued for two days after the 10K. I ached all over for three days (that's the fibromyalgia). But mentally, I feel great after I've walked.

Today I walked 4.5 miles and while I'm tired, I think I'm not fatigued (I often don't feel the fatigue until a day later). Fingers crossed, but I think I might be slowly (very slowly) reducing my fatigue.

My weight is up from my last post, but it's coming down. I actually gained .2 pounds this past week, probably because I walked only once after the 10K. I've been down this road before, however, and I know that I just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other as often as I can. I have no timetable.

Every time I've begun walking again after one physical challenge or another, I've used "walking music" to help me get going. I've been doing this since the days of Jane Fonda's cassette tapes. It wasn't too long before I found Sports Music, which sold tapes (and now CDs; how come no MP3s?); it now has a variety of names but you'll find it as Workout Music Video.

There are now many sites that offer workout music. If you look around, you can find some free MP3s, although they're typically offered as a sample of what they want you to pay for. A site that has given me a giggle while I walk is Marina's High-nrg Fitness. Marina sings on her MP3s and offers encouragement that always makes me smile.

Walk on!