My oldest daughter is on the dance team of her high school. They had a competition a couple weeks ago and I ended up driving one of her teammates and her mom. The mom and I hit it off and she asked me if I wanted to walk in the mall with her two mornings a week. Finally getting my energy back, I said ok.
Now I used to work at Dillard's and remember watching the older people walking in the mall and thought, good for them but get out of my way because I need a super-large orange muffin and a hot chocolate at Barnies. I do miss those muffins, Barnies, not so much!
I head straight to the mall after taking my youngest to school so I have about 20 minutes before it opens to the walkers. Now, I walk around the parking lot and get an extra mile in before meeting my friend but for the first time, I take a seat on the bench outside one of the entrances. I decide to do some stretches since I have not truly done any exercise for the past six months because of my neck injury and then the hysterectomy. I am stretching, thinking I must be close to touching my toes, if I could just see them! A 70ish-year-old man walks by and tells me "looking good". I want to laugh but I am too busy trying to gracefully get out of the squat I am in without having a "mommy accident" (all moms will know exactly what I mean here!). I then hear talking coming from inside the mall and * hand now on my heart * a foursome of mall walkers, with walkers (no kidding here) go hustling by. Game on.
I am going to get in that mall (eventually) and show them who is Queen of Walking the Mall! My friend arrives, our door is eventually unlocked (Sidebar: I did get the mall walking scoop because I am now in the "in-crowd" and am one of them, Food Court doors open at 8:45 a.m.), and we are off. We manage, after some time I must admit, to catch up the "walker posse" (as I now refer to them) and leave them in our mall dust. Man, sadly that felt good, lapping a group of Septuagenarians ( people in their 70s, I totally had to look that up even though I have been feeling really smart since killing it on Teen Jeopardy the other day!).
As we are walking, I notice a couple in their 60s who are booking it. Before I know it, that couple is wishing us well as they leave us to eat their dust! We always skip the Food Court in our loops because it is loud, hot and crowded, so this woman and her husband head towards the Food Court so now we are back ahead (but not really!) and before we pass Forever 21, she passes us again (are you freaking kidding me! She even left her husband, but that I totally understand because none of us need a man slowing us down!!) As she passed us for the second time, and again wished me a good day, I told her I wanted to be her when I grow up - a lean, mean mall walking machine (maybe that have a shirt for that??).
We add enough loops in our walk that it comes in at two miles, plus the one mile I walk outside the mall waiting for my friend, and it's a good start to the day, even though I was lapped by Grandma (guess I am not the Queen of Mall Walking, maybe a Duchess?). Now it's time to reward myself and I head to Auntie Anne's. No way is Grandma going to beat me there! More walking adventures to come, but that is for another post!
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