So yesterday I promised you a Wine Wednesday post… But it didn’t happen. First, I realized that I LOST my notes on the wines Jared and I tasted at our most recent wine dinner. 😦 {He has since promised to be my secretary from now on.} Then, after an extra long day {read: busy/hectic} at work, I spent the evening drinking the stuff with my friend Stacy who made last minute plans to come up and visit for the evening! Therefore, life trumps blog posting. I sure you all can understand. 😉

On Tuesday, I posted about a Walking Program I have put into place until I am cleared to run again after my back surgery. I needed something to keep me on a schedule and help show progress. And while this program provides the schedule of increasing the amount of time each week, it doesn’t really do anything to hold me accountable for how fast or how far I go.

That’s when I got LOST.

Thanks to Megan from I Run for Wine {Gotta love that!}, I learned about the Get LOST in Running virtual race series. It’s based on the TV series LOST! No Kidding! Do you know what a LOSTie I am?! I’ve been wanting to re-watch the series for ages!

I was intrigued by the race series because:

1) Each race is based and focused around a Dharma Initiative “Station” on the LOST island.

2) When you sign up for and complete each race, you receive a race medal with that station’s emblem!

3) Each race distance is based on Hurley’s winning lottery numbers that reoccur often in the series: 4 – 8 – 15 – 16 – 32 – 42.

4) Therefore the first race is 4k, the second is 8k, the third is 15k and so on…

5) As the distances get bigger, you can spread your “mileage” throughout the week.

6) There is no specific date to do the runs. You can sign up until spots are sold out!

7) They are meant to be beach and trail runs {I mean, they were on an island, duh!}, but you can do whatever you want.

8) There is a final medal for completing the entire series!

Despite the fact that I cannot currently run, I signed up anyway. I thought it would be a great way to increase my distances and track my progress. My current plan is to do one station per week. However, I am going to be flexible about that and listen to my body.

I even downloaded the soundtrack to Season 1 of LOST and listened to it on a few of my walks. It’s amazing how such music can just clear your head!

~

Station 1 – Hydra 4k

At the end of the second week of my walking schedule, when I was just starting to do more than a walk around the block, I decided to do my first LOST Virtual Race – Station 1 – Hydra 4k. My mom was in town, so we completed it together, just walking around my neighborhood.

I posted this to the Get LOST in Running! Facebook group and despite my slooooowww tpace for a running group, I got great support. I indicated that I would really love to run these, but I’m going to be walking to increase my back strength and show progress before I am cleared to run again. Joe, the series organizer, was highly encouraging. In fact, I’ve recently seen that he’s updated the informational part of the Get LOST in Running website:

As the distances get bigger, they can be split in any way you would like and then combined.  Please feel free to run, walk or even crawl if need be.​​

Love that! Thank you, Joe, for getting me out and moving and motivating me in a fun way. Thank you, Megan, for introducing me!

Station 2 – Arrow 8k

Last week, my walking schedule had me doing 25-minute walks with a long walk at the end of the week. I decided to make the long walk my Station 2 – Arrow 8k Virtual Race. I mapped out an 8k that included Lake Calhoun and a bit of Lake of the Isles – two lakeswhich comprise the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes. {Hey, it’s the closest thing I’m going to get to a beach in Minneapolis!} I decided to go on a Sunday afternoon. Rob asked if he could join me! So, off we went.

Here’s the thing…

We actually got LOST!

I thought I had mapped out a good starting point. But with construction and crowds we ended up parking elsewhere. Then I couldn’t figure out where the trail that connected Lake Calhoun connected with Lake of the Isles. And Rob was fast. He kept me moving. As we neared the end, I decided we’d just do the 5k around the lake and I’d do the 8k another time.

But after a while, the crowds thinned, the lake seemed calmer… and we could no longer see across it. Something felt wrong. I checked my Google map on my phone. Somehow we got on the path and ended up on Lake of the Isles! We tried to follow the map to find a way back to Lake Calhoun and our original parking lot. We slowed down a bit. I was tired! This is the furthest I’ve walked in a long time. But we actually finished a full 8k just about a half mile shy of where we parked!

~

This week, I’m up to 30-minute walks during the week. We are also doing the Dog Day 5k again on Saturday! Of course, I won’t be running it this year, but we have another dog to walk anyway… 😉

The plan, right now, is to do the Station 3 – Swan 15k this Sunday, weather permitting. Rob said he wants to join me again. We mapped out doing three of the lakes in The Chain. It’ll be a long one… But now that I think about it, I’ve always wanted to measure how far I walk when I travel. I bet a 15k would be just about right for a day of sight-seeing.

The stations are still open, if you want to join me in the LOST Virtual Races!

Are you/were you a LOST fan?

If so, tell me about your favorite character, episode or something you liked about it!

Cheers~
Carrie