Had to give in to MySQL limits. Since the database exceeded the pre-set limit, the continuation of the diary resides here now. Link to the first and second parts of the diary are just below.

Results, so far - with no dieting, after 3,685 miles - lost 30 pounds and 5.5% body fat since May 16, 2005, when this diary was started. Just think what kind of results YOU could achieve with Nordic Walking and a rational diet! Have also gotten faster, as proven by steadily tumbling personal records.

The main advantage of this diary is that it helps me maintain my goal of Nordic Walking 15 miles per week as a minimum and preferably 25 - plus miles as my optimum weekly total.

The 1st part of The Nordic Walking Diary

The 2nd part of The Nordic Walking Diary

This is a nice, varied park and street loop, close to my house. Several hill climbs provide for a good workout.

Tested the big, fat LEKI Rubber Fitness Walking Tips on my LEKI Speed Pacer Varios. Good grip, not much visible wear, after 7 miles on pavement.

The Potomac is really low. At this water level it is very much easier to run the rapids. Saw three kayakers descending Great Falls. At about this same water level (2.56 at Little Falls gauge) I had little difficulty exploring the Mather Gorge in a sea kayak, which at higher water levels could have been suicidal.

28 miles for the week

65F, sunny, with a noticeable breeze.

26.5 miles for the week

Beautiful, sunny day, around 60F.

74F, humid and drizzly. Finally some rain and maybe t-storms expected for later in the day.

Although on this largely dirt route I don't use rubber tips, have been testing the Exerstrider, LEKI Fitness and the large Swix rubber tips extensively. The conclusion? They perform about the same on a variety of surfaces. The Swix and LEKI tips have two advantages, though. First: They last a bit longer, as they have more rubber and second: They are cheaper, thanks to our policy of free shipping to the lower 48 U.S. states.

70F, less humid, partly sunny.

28.5 miles for the week

67F, sunny and dry. Take this skeptics! We have serious global warming and drought to boot!!!

57F. Light, but steady rain, for the third day in a row. We really need it.

LEKI Speed Pacer Varios, Springboost B-Nordic shoes (waterproof, but breathable), rain jacket, Tilley hat (to protect not only my face and head, but also the over-the-ears headphones for the mp3 player, and - for the first time in months - tights.

68F and mostly sunny. Wet leaves left after the recent rains made our pole tips slide quite a bit.

26 miles for the week

About 56 F. Sunny and gorgeous.

In the afternoon, Great Falls Park, Virginia, with Ania. About 5 miles. 1:22. Warmer, it got to about 56F. Very nice day, overall.

21.5 miles for the week

Found some new wooded trails, streams and a pond, I wasn't aware existed :)

41F, blustery, with a light drizzle.

43F. Mostly cloudy. Yesterday's drizzle has softened the ground somewhat, so its not baked hard as a rock any more.

27 miles for the week

47F and Sunny.

58F, after a rain. Deceptively warm.

30.5 miles for the week

The forecast calls for a 40-degree drop in temperature tonight.

28.5 miles for the week

50F, sunny. Not many people in the park itself, but quite a few walkers, runners and mountain bikers on the trail.

In the afternoon, W&OD Trail, from Vienna, to Piney Branch bridge and return. 3 miles. 0:46. With Ania. 40F, sunny and less windy.

28 miles for the week

40F and cloudy. Just missed the rain.

Walked through the middle of the Mall, towards the National Gallery of Art skating rink, then east, to The Capitol, admired the Christmas tree, around the Capitol, by the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress and back towards the Air and Space Museum.

The weather turned out to be much better than expected. Sunny and pleasant. About 49F.

In the afternoon W&OD Trail, from Vienna, to Piney Branch bridge and return. 3 miles. 0:42. With Ania.

26 miles for the week

20 miles for the week

22 miles for the week

40F. Despite the above-freezing temperatures and heavy rain yesterday, there is still close to a foot of snow on the ground. The two miles through the often crumbling snow were really more like four, effort-wise.

Only 8 miles for the week. Traveling to Boston for Christmas was nice, but did not do very much for my mileage.

40F and cloudy.

22 miles for the week

65F and not a cloud in the sky. Should have worn shorts.

SSSS (Short Sleeve, Shorts, Sunglasses) It could have easily be SSSSS (Short Sleeve, Shorts, Sunglasses, Swix) if I used Swix poles :) but since I had my LEKI Speed Pacer Varios today, let's stick to SSSS.

26 miles for the week

42F (6c) and partly sunny. Rain,sleet and/or snow predicted for tonight. I certainly hope that it will be the real, white stuff!

39F (4C) a few errant snow flurries in the air.

29F (-2C). For the first 15 minutes had a strong headwind, with thick snow blowing in my face. Wish I wore a nylon jacket and warmer gloves, maybe even a face mask. The front of my fleece pullover was covered by a layer of snow. Soon, the wind died down, the snow stopped and the sun came out. Unfortunately, there was only minimal snow accumulation.

Met a group of backpacking boy scouts, all with trekking poles, training for a New Mexico trip.

20.5 miles for the week

19F (-13C). Sunny. It would actually be very nice, if it wasn't for the 25mph wind gusts from the west blowing the frigid air right into the face. Some slick, icy spots in shaded areas.

20F (-7C), sunny, less wind than yesterday. Some icy spots.

32F (0C), sunny with some wind. Snow alongside the trail added some color, to the largely brown landscape.

24 miles for the week

Took a break for a few days, because managed to catch a nasty flu.

Only 12.5 miles for the week, because of the flu

12 miles for the week

Quite a difference from the recent ice storm, with accidents, broken bones and power outages.

42F with cloudless skies. Quite muddy in some sections.

15.5 miles for the week

34F and with an intermittent and very light drizzle. Fairly muddy in parts.

21.5 miles for the week

43F (6C). Sunny. Very good time :)

20.5 miles for the week

60F (16C). Cloudless skies, noticeable breeze.

29 miles for the week My best weekly total in a while -:)

43F (6C). Sunny and nice.

65F and sunny. Shorts and sunglasses. Warm enough to sweat heavily, at speed. Emptied a 3/4 -liter SIGG water bottle.

25 miles for the week

47F and partly sunny.

53F (13C). Beautiful, sunny day. This is a very varied route, mainly along the Difficult Run, with a number of small hills.

48F, mostly sunny, but with several brief periods of hail. Only about 1.5 mm in diameter, but noisy.

27 miles for the week

Beautiful, sunny day, 42F.

In the afternoon 2.5 miles west of Herndon, Virginia, on the W&OD Trail. 0:35. With Ania.

In the evening: Streets and parks of Vienna. 3 miles. 0:38. 40F at dusk.

In the afternoon, about 4 miles in and around Harvard Square, in Cambridge.

58F and cloudy.

50F and mostly sunny. Lots of walkers, runners, and cyclists. Burke Lake is just a few miles from George Mason University, hence a lot of student runners train there.

35 miles for the week

18 miles for the week

In the evening, with a headlamp. Residential streets of Vienna. About 2.5 miles. 0:35. With Ania. 59F. Getting warm!

A lot of walkers, runners, cyclists and roller skaters.

26 miles for the week

With Ania. 51F (11C) and cloudy.

61F, gorgeous, sunny day.

Not a cloud in the sky and 68F (20C).

With Ania. About 78F and sunny. Many hikers, including a huge Boy Scout troop.

26 miles for the week

72F (23C). Mostly sunny.

81F (27C) and sunny.

In the afternoon: Great Falls Park, Virginia. Swamp, Difficult Run, Ridge and Matildaville trails. With Ania. About 6 miles. 1:30. About 83F.

26 miles for the week

In the evening, with a headlamp - streets and parks of Vienna, including a section of the W&OD Trail. 4 miles. 0:54. 55F and quite nice.

52F and a light drizzle.

With Ania. Blue Herons, catching fish and lots and lots of snapping turtles, sunning themselves on logs. Quite a few runners, hikers and cyclists.

25.5 miles for the week

68F (20C). Sunny and beautiful.

In addition to the usual fauna (cyclists, runners, walkers, birds, squirrels, groundhogs and deer), saw a four-foot snake, laying in the shaded part of the pavement, calmly watching the traffic go by.

Stopped at Shenandoah, on the way from our daughter Monika's graduation from Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg. It is a large school and over 5,000 students have graduated this year. Congratulations, Monika!

15 miles for the week

After a heavy rain, 60F. Cleared up during the walk. (20.5)

26 miles for the week

My new record for this route!

60F and a light drizzle.

60F and sunny.

60F again! Mostly sunny and quite windy. (13.5)

65F (18C), sunny with a just a few wispy clouds. Perfect weather! Trying out the new LEKI Traveller Carbon poles, in the red and yellow configuration. Very nice, indeed! (20.5)

After recharging ourselves at Saxby's Coffee, we did the 4.5-mile Burke Lake trail in 1:21. With Ania.

Beautiful, sunny day, about 75F. Lots of people celebrating the Memorial Day weekend in both parks.

30 miles for the week

68F (20C) Cloudless skies and lots of people along the trail.

60F, sunny and dry - purrfect! (11)

67F and sunny. Very nice.

78F and very humid. Must have sweated out a gallon.

In the afternoon, after several very severe thunderstorms, torrential downpours and tornado warnings went through the streets and parks of Vienna, including a section of the W&OD Trail. 4 miles. 0:53. Only 70F, but still very humid.

26.5 miles for the week

Lots of people on the trail, including a surprising number of cyclists, who either don't know, or ignore even the most basic trail etiquette.

78F, sunny and humid.

84F, sunny and very humid. (19.5)

About 92F and extremely humid.

25.5 miles for the week

90F and still extremely humid. A veritable sauna!.

The mountain bike trail to Lake Fairfax, traverses several streams, has some nice hilly sections, ball fields, etc. Found a small box turtle, flipped over on its back. Put it back in the bushes right side up :)

28 miles for the week

70F (21C), sunny and dry. Nearly perfect weather. Saw several deer, including a very young, spotted fawn alone (?) right on the trail :) Hope his/her mom was nearby. (11.5)

78F (26C), sunny and a bit humid. (21.5)

Ania was sitting around, reading and watching the Potomac, nursing her badly sprained ankle (not a Nordic walking injury). 82F, beautiful and sunny.

28 miles for the week

78F (26C), sunny and quite humid.

78F again, sunny and humid. (8)

This is a varied and convenient route, starting at my house.

After a few hundred meters it enters the Peterson's Lane Park, with a playground and a small hill, which we used for sledding when our daughter was small, then about 200 meters on a quiet street, into Tanglewood Park, along a stream, into Glencannon Community Park, then Garrett Road and Lawyers Road, whose sidewalk is mostly separated by trees and bushes from the traffic and which offers several smallish hills, providing that extra whoomph to the workout. (11)

87F (30C) and humid, Not that many people on the trail itself, but quite a few in the park, which was holding an "Art in the Park"event. (21)

River, Ridge, Difficult Run and Matildaville trails.

Run into a Meetup hiking group on the River Trial and in general felt like a park guide, as several people asked me about trails, directions, etc.

27.5 miles for the week

82F, humid and mostly sunny.

78F and sunny. (10)

75F (24C), low humidity, practically cloudless skies. Wish I had time for a longer walk today. Perfect weather!

In the evening: Streets and parks of Vienna, including a section of the W&OD Trail. 4 miles. 0:55. No need for a headlamp. It was still fairly light when I finished after 9 pm. (17)

River, Ridge, Difficult Run and Matildaville trails. 77F, but damp and humid, with quite a bit of mud on some trails. Had some good, fast hill workouts. Although this was approximately the same distance as yesterday, it was a considerably better and more strenuous workout, and it felt really good. The views at Great Falls are great as well.

30 miles for the week

72F and quite humid. Despite threatening-looking clouds, only encountered very light rain for about 10 minutes.

Since the pavement was wet and slippery for the pole tips, due to an earlier drizzle, went along the parallel dirt horse trail. That proved to be a great idea, as the blackberries are ripening right now along both sides of the trail. Great stuff! (*)The time above includes picking and eating probably half a pound of blackberries :).

In the evening, with still enough light to navigate without a headlamp: Streets and parks of Vienna, including a section of the W&OD Trail. 4 miles. 0:54. About 78F and with humidity figure probably equal to the temperature. Sweaty work! (18)

32.5 miles for the week

The time includes collecting and eating about two pounds of blackberries, half of which I brought home in a stainless steel canteen cup, attached to my drink belt. About 90F, sunny and humid.

80F (26C), sunny, a bit humid, but nice.

In the evening: Streets and parks of Vienna, including a section of the W&OD Trail. 4 miles. 0:51. That's equal to my record for this route! (15)

Took it relatively easy as the temperature was 92F (32C) and it was very humid. It was officially a "code red" air day, but frankly, despite the heat and humidity, there was a nice breeze and the air seemed just fine. (26)

Tried a Timex wireless heart monitor for the first time. Works fine, but the chest strap is uncomfortable and the readings turned out to be pretty much what I thought they would be. I guess, I don't need it after all, so it's going back to the store.

90F and very humid.

32 miles for the week

Magically, after the walk and after some extra hip stretches the hip feels fine now :)

In the evening. No headlamp - just a blinking LED light attached to the rear of my belt pack. 89F and less humid. Experimenting with slightly shorter steps (7).

77F, fairly dry and sunny. A nice respite from the recent heat and humidity. (12)

85F, sunny and hot, but not horribly humid, as it often tends to get around here. (19)

85F and humid.

25 miles for the week

85F (30C), sunny and very humid.

85F (30C), sunny, with a 72% humidity. Felt like I was traveling along in a solar-powered sauna :)

In the evening: Streets and parks of Vienna, including a section of the W&OD Trail. 4.5 miles. 1:03. A couple of degrees cooler, but just as humid as earlier today. (15.5)

85F (30C, sunny and a tad less humid. (21.5)

80F, but still humid. This is a varied, sometimes hilly trail, winding through the woods, crossing several streams and Lake Fairfax Park itself. Quite popular with mountain bikers. I should get back into it, as I got my very first mountain bike way back in 1983, when the sport was in its infancy.

26.5 miles for the week

78F and sunny, with lower humidity.

In the evening: Streets and parks of Vienna, including a section of the W&OD Trail. 4 miles. 0:55.

78F, but still very humid. With a headlamp. Not absolutely essential yet, but useful. (12.5)

My best time, although I wasn't pushing too hard. Must have been the 77F (26C) temperature and the nearly civilized humidity level :) (19)

77F and low humidity for this area. The brisk pace and many hills did manage to squeeze quite a bit of sweat out of me, though :) Good many hikers on the trails, particularly on the first part of the River Trail.

25 miles for the week

Same route as August 3, but a bit slower and more relaxed. 78F. Getting a bit more humid again.

74F (24C), beautiful, sunny day with relatively low humidity. (10)

77F (26C), sunny, a bit humid, but very nice. Quite a few people on the trail and as it is often the case, several deer.

In the evening: Streets and parks of Vienna, including a section of the W&OD Trail. 4 miles. 0:54. Beautiful sky and a nearly full moon. With a headlamp. (19)

This is a very nice area, with wooded paths, waterside houses. The lakes are artificial, but very nice. (23)

The route was so nice, than an hour later I did it with Ania again. A slightly shorter, 2-mile version. Didn't time it.

27.5 miles for the week

80F, sunny and fairly dry. Beautiful day.

In the evening with my trusty LED headlamp - not really that bright, but adequate and with the same set of AAA batteries for tens of hours. (11.5).

75F (24C), beautiful, sunny day and a very nice route. (17.5).

Since the waves, particularly those at Cape Hatteras itself, by the famous lighthouse are pretty damn good, decided to spend my days mostly boogie-boarding. Nordic walking will have to wait until we get back home, especially in view of the fact that I have managed to scrape my feet in just the wrong places. No problem, as far as body surfing, or boogie-boarding, though :)

78F, beautiful and sunny. Almost run into a spotted fawn on one of the sidewalks.

87F, sunny and quite hot.

88F (31C), sunny and humid. (11)

85F, sunny and seemingly less humid. (18.5)

Right, smack in the middle of Tropical Storm Hanna. Admittedly, Northern Virginia was not in the eye of the storm, but you would have to walk through the rain, in order to appreciate the amount water everywhere. Needless to say, I came up a bit short of my optimum goal for the week. Still pretty good.

22.5 miles for the week

In the late afternoon: Reston's "lake district". Complete circuit of both Lake Audubon and Lake Thoreau. About 6 miles. 1:15. Beautiful evening (13.5).

River, Ridge, Difficult Run and Matildaville trails.

The erosion, caused by the torrential rains of Tropical Storm Hanna six days ago is very much in evidence, particularly along the smaller streams, which must have become raging torrents during and after the storm. (19)

With Ania and Ewa. The girls did about 4.5 miles. Walked the first two miles together. Did manage to catch up with them on the return leg. 84F, sunny and humid.

25 miles for the week

With Ania. 85F, sunny and very humid.

67F (19C). Partly sunny, a bit humid, but nice. (7)

In the evening, with a headlamp went through some neighborhoods of Vienna, where I usually don't Nordic walk. Part way with Ania. About 5.5 miles. 1:15. 60F (16C), dry and quite nice. (15.5)

68F (20C), partly cloudy, dry. Gorgeous day! (22)

26 miles for the week

68F (20C). Another beautiful day. Quite a bit of picnicking, game and camping activity in the park. Several mountain bikers and runners on the trail.

75F (24C). Beautiful day. (11)

In the evening, with a headlamp: Streets and parks of Vienna. 4 miles. 0:56. 62F. Listening on my MP3 player to Bush trying to convince us to accept his bailout plan. No comment. (20)

This is a beautiful and varied route, hilly in parts, providing a great workout, along with great views. Reston, Virginia has a very impressive network of paved paths.

73F, partly sunny and quite humid.

27 miles for the week

71F, mostly sunny, but with stormy clouds in evidence everywhere. Very humid.

67F, cloudy and humid. (9)

In the evening: Streets and parks of Vienna, including a section of the W&OD Trail. 4 miles. 1:02. Most of the way with Ania. 55F, cool and damp, after another rainstorm. With a headlamp. (18)

58F, sunny and windy. Beautiful day, but fall is definitely here. (23)

31 miles for the week

In the evening, with a headlamp: Streets and parks of Vienna. 4 miles. 0:55.

60F, with a very slight drizzle. Actually a bit warmer than during the day. (15.5)

68F (20C). Mostly sunny and fairly humid. (19)

The shores of both lakes are lined with electric-powered pontoon boats, which probably can reach no more than three, or four knots, but do not pollute. Also lots of kayaks, canoes and some small sailboats.

72F (23C), gorgeous, sunny fall day. (25)

Beautiful, sunny day. Lots of people of all ages.

30 miles for the week

77F (25C), sunny and fairly humid. (13).

In the evening, with a headlamp, went through the streets and parks of Vienna. Ania came about half way. 4.5 miles. 1:07.

65F and breezy. (19.5)

57F, mostly cloudy. Lots of deer, runners, walkers, cyclists and roller-bladers. (24.5)

With Ania. At the beginning of the Difficult Run Trail we were joined by a big, black dog, who accompanied us all the way back to our car. That took about one hour. Very well-mannered and nice. Needed no leash, despite other people with dogs on the trail. Since my AT&T cell phone wouldn't work in the park, we called the owners with the help of three very nice hikers from Iowa. The old dog's young owners (who live close by, in a really expensive and affluent area of Great Falls) finally arrived in their SUV and we turned Zoe over to them.

They did thank us perfunctorily, but it seemed as if it was THEM, who did US a favor by coming over and picking up THEIR lost dog. I guess that the old adage that money doesn't necessarily bring class applies here in spades...I will leave it at that.

30 miles for the week

52F (12C), gorgeous, sunny day, but there is no doubt now that autumn has arrived.

58F, mostly sunny and quite windy. (9).

43F (8C), sunny and windy. This is a route through suburban, residential neighborhoods, with some hills, along the way. (12)

19 miles for the week Didn't complete my usual 25+ miles, but only 19 this week, since it rained Saturday. Instead, went with Ania to see the very interesting Pompeii exhibition at the National Gallery of Art in Washington.

58F, beautiful day with cloudless skies.

63F (17C). Beautiful, sunny day, with little wind. This route parallels the Difficult Run stream - the biggest stream in the area, which empties directly into the Potomac River. If I walked another 4 miles one-way, would have reached the Potomac, but that would have made it into a 16-mile hike - a bit too much for today, I felt.

Saw a huge, noiselessly flying owl, just ahead of me and a fox, watching me for a while from about 100 meters. (16)