My favorite day (up to my favorite part), Day 3

One day some friends asked my favorite part of the whole 3 Day. I knew I'd start crying as soon as I started talking about it. In fact, I tear up now.

The last day was the hardest physically, but also my favorite.

I had spent most of the morning in line at the medical tent. My feet were covered in blisters. Covered. (The woman lancing them even said, "we got a gusher!" Yesss!)Out of pained or happy, Cristina said I should make a pained face.

Wink for Pink walked with me and Barbra for the first few miles, then most of them were going to walk it pretty fast. (Of course Vera dragged Debbie pretty quickly so she could be back in time for the Closing Ceremonies of which she was a part of).

We walked slowly to the first Cheering Station. We saw some of our other cheer-leaders and talked a bit. Toward the end of the line, I saw Dad and Cindy.

Suddenly I was able to run a few steps into Dad's arms. It was so good to see him and Cindy and Amanda and Karen. All there waiting for me.
As I walked a bit further, I saw a couple with Twizzler's and those soft mints. ... The woman behind me in line at the medical tent said her parents asked her what they should bring to the Cheering Stations (to give out to people). She said Twizzlers (NOT Red Vines!) and those soft mints. I was excited to meet them. She was a great person to have in line behind me. Even held my spot when I went to get breakfast.

Barbra and I continued to walk pretty slowly. But it was a good pace for us both. The curbs just killed to step off and on. I groaned. I hurt. My left shin started to hurt. We went loopy:
It was still my favorite day. I talked to more people. I ate lunch with Dad and Cindy--and we were determined NOT to be whisked away in the sweep vans which would take us to the next stop if we didn't finish lunch in the next 8 minutes.

As we crossed one of the last streets, I heard my name and Ryan was standing there--I had not seen him standing there, nor taking several pictures. I knew I was nearing the end. Ryan walked with us for a bit, and snapped a few pictures.

He went on ahead. Soon we saw Yvonne and she walked with us in to the finish.

Here's where we get to my favorite part. The part that still makes me cry every time.

That pained face of mine is full of emotions. I'm crying, but trying not to, but at the same time letting the tears fall.

I saw the crowds, heard the yelling. The tears started. We grabbed each other's hands. We walked together. I couldn't stop crying. We crossed through, hand in hand. People cheered. I cried. They cheered louder. They cheered as loud for me as they did for the first person. Hundreds of people were there, screaming and yelling on either side of me.

I saw some of my team-mates. They screamed, they took pictures. They smiled big. I smiled and cried.

Just before I got to the tent where I would pick up my much-coveted shirt, I felt a huge sense of relief. All this pain and exhaustion just left. A huge relief to be done, to be done with the training, to be done with the walk.


Those minutes (I have no idea how long they were) as I crossed the finish line, up until I got my shirt....That was my favorite moment.

Reunion

Had a nice little reunion at Vera's house today. We laughed, teared up some, laughed some more. I personally am still debating doing it again or not.

Cris gave me a copy of her pictures, and I'm getting more later. I'll post some of those to my picassa.

However, here I will post the infamous "Boobie Cakes." Don't scroll down if you're offended by boobs made of flour, sugar and cream cheese icing!






And, Vera, about to start the surgical cutting:

Food

I think I'd do the walk again for the amount of food I got to eat. The week before, the weekend and the week after, I didn't have much reason to care what I ate. The carb load still wafts into my dreams...

We got to the first Pit Stop about an hour or so into the walk. There was some sort of stop every 3 or so miles, which is about an hour. A Pit Stop has Port a Potties, water and gatorade, and food. Chips, pretzels, coveted string cheese, coveted grahm cracker-pb-and-j-sandwhiches, cookies, orange, apples, bananas.

Grab and Go's were just that. Grab water or gatorade and go. And "go." That was it.

Cheer Stations were the places friends, families and neighbors would come out to support us. They'd have candy and granola bars and water and treats. Target gave us bags of goodies, including granola bars and fruit chews. It was hard not to take candy from the little kids who stood there, anxious to pass out candy.

I think I cried at and after every cheer station.

One time we were even told to "come hungry" to the cheer station, by Karla's friends. The Krispey Kremes were delicious.

Then there was meal time.

Chicken, pasta, salad, dessert, fruit, cokes, waters....
Big coffee stands for breakfast--coffee, milk, soy milk, hot chocolate mix, tea...
Lunch was usually a sandwich of sorts, fruit cup, potato salad, chips, cookies...

We were never at a loss for food.
I was actually excited when I got hungry for dinner!

Lots

Maybe writing bit by bit will take too long. I mean, it's several weeks past the ending...

Last night I had huge chunks of skin come off my feet. I mean, I had to pull and cut some, but they were there. Nice and crusty...

I didn't tell many students, if any, that I was doing the walk. Some have heard about it. I didn't think they'd "get" how far it was...i think some of them have.

Day 1, part one

We all woke up far before the alarms rang. Well, one of my two roommates did, and then I was rustled awake. I groggily found my clothes. Turned on the TV to see what the weather was going to be. I guess I didn't pay much attention to the temperature, only to see if it was going to rain or not. On the national map, there were clouds almost everywhere--except over Texas!

We had to be on the buses with all our stuff at 5:30 a.m. ! We made it, with time to spare. We ate some kolaches from the day before. Sort of. I knew I had to eat. I was also too excited and too nervous to eat. The people coordinating the buses had tons of food ordered. It looked good. Not much of it could I actually imagine eating.

Found some of our walking pals and loaded the buses.

That's when I called mom. At that time, she was 13 hours ahead of us, so she was just on her way to dinner or something. There was tons going on around me, so it was a little hard to focus on what she was saying, but I was trying to tell her of all the things going on around me. I knew I was going to cry this weekend, but I didn't know it'd start that early! Good tears, though. Nervous, excited, I miss mom tears.

Once we got to Southfork, we had to take our bags to one of the luggage trucks. We huddled close, looked for friends, stood around, tried to get warm. It was 36 degrees the morning we started!! (Luckily we didn't know that till that night!)

They called us over to the opening ceremonies, and we all corralled in that direction, anticipating what was going to happen next....

The leaders of this whole big shebang talked to us, told us how great we were, all the things we needed to hear. We itched to get going. We stretched. We Screamed. We yelled. We cried as a few survivors walked up a platform. They held hands, tears fell from their cheeks.

Eventually, finally, the let us go.

The sun was finally coming up, we walked by several places famous to South Fork. We finally made it to the edge of the gates, and to the road. And started. Really and truly started walking down the street. All 2400 of us.

Day 1, minus a few hours

Lisa picked me up around 1:00. We made our way to Cris's house, where Erin would meet us.

The drive up was easy, and even a little comical when Erin and Cris started following the wrong truck--into someone's driveway!! We caught up again in West at the, you guessed it, the Kolache Factory. Oh, sweet kolaches, how I do love thee!

We made it to our hotel and immediately saw people we knew were in The Walk. Groups of ladies cackling in the lobby, pink hats, posters and wigs all over the place... Signs of where to meet, what time to be in what places. We took over that hotel!

We met up with Karla and her friends and family and all ventured over to Fuddruckers. Forgot how good (and greasy) that place is!

I slept horrible that night. The paranoia of over-sleeping, the heat of the room, the no circulation, the thoughts, the concerns, the joys, the excitements.... did I eat too much tonight? What if I don't get enough sleep tonight and I'm too tired tomorrow? What if I accidentally kick Cris while we sleep? Oh my gosh, what time is it?! Why am I still awake?

PS

More pictures.

Enjoy.

Thanks to Ryan for snapping the shots!

One of my favorites...

I know you're anxious to read more...

... but when I come home from school, I'm tired. And especially today...I went for my fancy pedicure. Even drank a glass of wine while there. So nice. So tonight especially I'm pretty darn sleepy.

I blame the massage portion of the delicious pedicure. Sugar scrub, mint mud wrap, fancy lotion (more like thick cream). My feet were and are happy.

So, patience, my readers. The weekend is on the horizon.
sort of.

Reverse Culture Shock

I'm having a hard time getting back to reality. Since Thursday, I've been finding myself saying, "last week at this time..." That's sort of died off by now (Sunday), but I do find myself thinking of last weekend a lot.

I want to tell everyone I see. I want everyone to continue to ask me about it. I want people to wonder why I still tear up when I tell my favorite parts of the weekend.

I look at pictures a lot. I think of the feelings. I remember the pain, the joy. I play with the flappy skin on my rubbed-off blisters. I push on the hardened callouses on the balls of my feet. I think about what my pedicurist will think when I finally get to meet him or her.

It's still there. All of it is still with me. Sometimes I wonder how I can't do it again.

So glad to have Dad there

Woo-hoo!

Film isn't the only thing that needs processing

Most of my women readers understand the need for "processing." Processing is a period of time needed to--well, process--the preceding events of which will eventually need discussion.

There is so much to the weekend, it's hard to let it all out at once. It's hard to get it all out. I've told friends, sometimes though tears, that it will have to come out piece by piece. I find it's very easy to start crying. Over seemingly little things. Little to others, meaningful to me.

So continue to come back here in the next few days or weeks. I will tell you all about the weekend. From the logistics to the tears.

And since you will ask, no, I'm really not all that tired. Seriously.

Pictures

Lots of work to be done on these pictures, and lots more to come, but you can click here for a small preview. Feel free to add comments!

I'm home.

I'm home. It's 11:06 a.m. and I'm still in my p.j.'s, having hobbled down to get some breakfast. Or brunch. Whatever that is.

I have so much to write about, to say, to show. I have my own pictures, and will get pictures from my team mates soon, too. I just don't know if I have it in me yet.

I will say I have some killer blisters and a very painful shin splint. I am quite the hobbler. I've applied Icy Hot, taken some Advil and will take a cold bath with epsom salts soon. I'm hoping I'm at least able to walk for school tomorrow!

I canceled my pedicure for this afternoon. And I have a massage tomorrow night that I will NOT be canceling!

I promise to write more throughout the week, and will put pictures up.
I just need a bit of breathing room first.

PS

O.M.G.

I leave tomorrow!!!

13 hours from now!

Fun Baskets

I received two baskets today. Both were fabulous.

One was from a group of people from school. An orange Halloween basket, filled with pink stuff so appropriate for the walk--blister rub, powder, band-aids, Advil, certificate for massage, certificate for pedicure, a hat, pj's, a coffee mug, tic-tacs, socks....all sorts of fun stuff. Also a very nice card that several ladies had signed. I'll carry that card with me.

At dinner, Amanda and Kimberly gave me an edible bouquet. And boy was it yummy! Or at least the pieces I ate. These strawberry-covered strawberries (like chocolate covered, but a strawberry coating of sorts) and tons of fruit. They both know I'd prefer the "healthier" option. Pretty flowers out of pineapples and cantaloupe balls, stars out of honey dew. So pretty. So tasty.


Hmm...I think I'll have some fruit with breakfast tomorrow. :)

Take that, Atkins!

As you may know, they (as in the 3 Day people) have been sending me a weekly email about training. The walks I should do that week, as well as some tid-bits of information, like how to deal with blisters or what kinds of sports drinks to drink.

Well, last week they sent a very important email about carb-loading about 3 days before the walk. Well, I'm not one not to follow rules, so I just HAD to go eat a bunch of carbs. I mean, I don't want them to come track me down or something!

On one of our walks, several women had talked about Mandola's. What a great place to load up on said carbs.

You know I try to watch what I eat. You know I try to be a little careful. Most of the time. Well, not tonight. Tonight I ate until I about burst. It was fun. I haven't eaten that much in a long time. I didn't eat my normal snacks after school, I made myself hungry (even though I was slightly nauseas, thinking about things).

Dinner was delicious. We all ate lots. We also got this antipasto plate thing, filled with meats and cheeses and tapanades and such yumminess. Desserts were all good, although I think we actually enjoyed the dinner more than the desserts--I know, I know!

Some of my most favorite people in the world were there and I couldn't have asked for a better night. What a great way to load up on carbs!!

Free Will Astrology--emphasis added

Gemini Horoscope for week of October 25, 2007

My writer friend Jeff Greenwald is looking for a publisher for his book Fifty Ways to Leave Your Comfort Zone. I think it's a great concept, which is why I'm surprised that some of Jeff's colleagues discouraged him from using that title. "At this tormented moment in history," said one person, "the last thing anyone wants to hear is how to do what's inconvenient and nerve-wracking." To be true to your current omens, however, that's exactly the advice I'm duty-bound to offer you, Gemini. The most interesting pleasures you can generate in the next few weeks will come from leaving your comfort zone. Halloween costume suggestion: whoever is least like you in the whole world.

I have PWS!!

Thanks to Barb for sending this to us. Very true....

I found this on a walker's myspace account who said she found it somewhere on here. I figured I would repost it because it was cute!

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) announced today an unusual outbreak of Pre-Walk Syndrome (PWS) in the State of Michigan. Although residents have been cautioned, PWS is communicable, it is not terminal, though it certainly constitutes a nuisance, not only to its victims, but to the families who care for PWS sufferers.

Symptoms of PWS are as follows: anxiety, nervousness, obsessive packing, unpacking and repacking of duffle bags and suitcases, repeated inflating and deflating of various mattresses, excessive chatter on message boards, a tendency to worry and obsess over small things and excessive fluid intake (only Gatorade will do).

Sufferers of PWS often eat large quantities of ice cream, pasta and meat products, have strange dreams, usually involving various brands of athletic shoes, socks and electrolyte replacements.

PWS sufferers also "lurk" in running stores, examining various water bottles, fanny packs, camel packs, socks and other sports paraphernalia, and are often heard to mutter "Did I get the right brand? Is this right? Should I try this now? No. No. Too late to switch."

Dr. Wal King, of the CDC, states the only known cure for PWS is physical activity. He advises PWS sufferers to take a long walk, preferably 60 miles or more in length.



Many of these symptoms are very true!! I have been to Academy twice in as many days. Been to Run Tex several times--even asked about electrolytes. I've said that it's too late to buy stuff. I've opened and deflated my thermarest. I have stuff ALL over my room. I have baggies everywhere. Obsess over small things. Who, me?! Never! Eating lots of carbs and cookies?! Of course!

I must take the proper precautions and walk 60 miles! O. M. G. I can't believe it's this week!


More (procrastinatory) blogs to come, for sure!

We made the news

Although the story was not what we were expecting, it is a start. And you can see some of the crazies I walk with :)

Click on the "Watch the Video" link, near the right side, toward the bottom to watch the coverage.

Enjoy.

Thanks, News 8 Austin. (click this link)

PS I'm wearing a blue bandana, white boa, a pink shirt (close up) and a big smile.

And some more...

Barb was nice enough to bring us some accoutrement...




We left brunch and realized we needed to synchronize our cell phones...

A few pictures of our last training walk together....

Lisa and I have matching shirts. A quote from Uncle Walt: "Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing. ... Strong and content I travel the open road."

The Pink Ladies is another group here in Austin. They walked the same way we did, but were not able to stick around for the media.


Even Stevie Ray Vaughn is proud of our efforts!

Pictures to come

Took lots of pictures today. Today was good. I have a new found energy today.

More on all that later. I'm just excited it's so close!! I can't believe it!

Maybe tomorrow I'll have the time to upload a few pictures and write some.

Kisses to all....

For you, mom

I could have also walked the perimeter of Singapore (if we're saying it's 269 sq. miles).

Twice. (By the time I'm done with all this)




More stats to come later.

Don't worry...

....I went to bed at 8:15 last night.

I haven't done any sort of exercise, but the going to bed at 8:15 sure was nice!

Eye Twitches

There are several possible causes for eye twitches. Some of which are: fatigue, lack of sleep and stress.

Hmm...I wonder if those are the possible reasons I've had an eye twitch off and on for the past few weeks. Comes and goes.

Here today (gone tomorrow, I hope!)

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'm so excited (duh) about this, but I'll be so glad when it's over. To have my weekends back, to sleep in, not to worry about it. I am really looking forward to the amazing experience and after this past weekend have full confidence that I can do it (well, full confidence right now...that could change again). But I am also looking forward to it being done!

And for this stupid eye twitch to go away!

Putting things in perspective for myself

I've been tracking my miles since I've stared this whole training thing. There have been some times that I haven't been able to track my walking--like while in Singapore or walks where I don't know for sure the mileage. I've estimated here and there. I've guessed according to the time walked.

I figure I've walked almost 400 miles since I've started this.
That means (so far):

• I could walk from my house to Oklahoma City.
• I could walk from my aunt's house in Sioux Falls, SD to Dubuque, Iowa.
• I've almost walked the distance from Washington, DC to New York City. And back! (almost)
• I've basically walked from the Grand Canyon to Los Angeles!
  

That's already some pretty awesome mileage. And I've still got more to go!

"You did one day's worth!"

Today when I talked to Kimberly about our plans for tonight--when I couldn't even decide if I wanted to do dinner or not--she reminded me I did one day's worth today. And we did! We walked about 19.4 today.

Yes, it was rough, but it was do-able. I went through different phases. I actually started with much higher energy than I usually start with, so I was glad about that.

My legs didn't hurt that much, really. It was my feet. The bottoms of my feet. At times my shoulder hurt because of my camelbak. At other times, my head hurt...because of the hat? Because of the sweat? I don't know. I had a couple moment of "OH..... MY .... GOSH....." Toward the end, I was In The Zone and I trudged forward, sometimes in front of the rest of the gang. I knew I had to just do it and get to the end.

We took lots of breaks. We changed our socks. We told stories. Got to meet a new person, Gwen, too. She told me that if I needed inspiration about running a 5K, that she ran her first (of 5) marathons the year she turned 50. She's going for her 6th in her 60th year.

We talked about The Walk, and what it would be like. Our fears, our excitement, our nervousness, our joy, our disbelief that it's just around the corner. Lisa and I shared how we feel so emotional all the time. (Luckily for me, it sounds, I don't have a husband who has to deal with it!)

We talked about how today was "fine," but we have the rest of our lives going on. We have to go home and do laundry and buy groceries (and go play Bingo!) and stuff. And when we're doing The Walk, that's all we're doing, which makes things seem more achievable.

I am tired now, yes. And my legs do hurt now. Actually, my feet more than anything. But I do feel like if I had to get up and walk the same amount again tomorrow, I could.

And that makes me proud of me. Of all of us.

"You're probably walking right now...."

I can't tell you how many phone messages I've gotten with that phrase in it.

Hey, what's up? You're probably out walking right now.

Hey, how are you? I bet you're walking. ... Cuz you just told me you were going to go walking.

You're probably walking, but wanted to talk to you about tonight. You're awesome.

Got another one of those today. Well, it's hard not to, when you walk for 6 hours and 40 minutes!! That's how long we walked today. I stopped my watch during a few of our rests. I figure we were out more than seven hours.

That's a lot of walking!


We stopped at every bathroom, rested several times, even went into the Holiday Inn for a bathroom pit stop. We were very tempted to stop for some "Power Pancakes," but kept on trucking. It's always nice to stop at the hotels. They have running water in the sinks and soap and towels and everything!

Was a good and very long walk today.

I could walk to the World's Largest Pecan!

In a moment of panic, I emailed The Group my last blog....about being nervous. Nervousness loves company and I'm "glad" to hear that others are nervous. Erin reminded us how far 60 miles is.

I went to school in Seguin. According to her calculations, that's about 60 miles away. Of course I never would have thought I would ever do that.... the thought never even crossed my mind. But, if I wanted to, as of The Walk, I could walk to see The World's Largest Pecan.

I have yet to add it up, but it's been pretty amazing how far we've walked in our trainings. I'll post that after I figure it out.

And even if we don't make it, we've already done amazing things!

I think I can; I'm nervous I can't

Part of me feels like I could do the walk tomorrow. That I'd be ready to go.

Another part of me feels like I haven't done enough lately.

I know I can.

I'm still nervous, though.

And super excited, too.

Are you gonna write about us??!!

Jan was the one who asked that. I think she needed to be sure that I'd mention the walking we did this weekend.

Friday night I flew up to Sioux Falls, SD. And since this entry is part-way in honor of Jan, I'll say she was just about the best hostess ever!! I hadn't had a real dinner, and had my fill of granola bars and gum-chewing. When I got to her house, she made me soup, a sandwich, a brownie, milk and the best wine! I felt so much better after that!

We got up Saturday morning--delicious poppy seed muffins in the making--and left to go get mom. Grandpa (who's birthday we were celebrating that weekend) made a joke, in the way he does, about me not being able to do the walk. I laughed it off, knowing he wasn't serious.

The three of us drove to a nearby park and walked about 5 miles total (if i go by time). There was a big band competition going on and we got to hear some of them playing and marching. The walk was beautiful. Birds sang, the wind blew (slightly), conversation flowed. It was very nice.

We got back to the cars and mom and Jan left; I kept walking. I walked about 2 miles alone back to Jan's. It was a nice walk. An easy walk (i.e. not many hills). Although I was supposed to do 10, I did about 7 I figure.

I called grandpa when I got back to ask if I could ride with him to the party. He said to me, after I told him I just got back, "you must really be serious about this." I said I was. Of course!

I was supposed to walk 8 on Sunday, but because of church, the necessity of The Original Pancake House, and seeing a friend I hadn't seen in 6 years, there just wasn't time for walking. I figure the trucking it down the Denver airport corridor covered some of it. Like maybe a tenth of a mile or something.

Anyway, all this to say, it was a an awesome weekend. Jan sent me a very sweet email saying that I'm showing with my feet how much I love and support mom. Of course I can't remember the exact words now, but it was very sweet.

So, yes. I am showing with me feet all that I am capable of! (and you should see the callouses these feets are getting!)

Whew!

Okay, so I totally enjoyed my week(end) off. Literally did NOTHING in the way of working out last week (minus the approx. 2 miles I did before crapping out).

Two weeks ago or so, I went to TCBY after not having been there for a long time. It was the best ever! Went again last week. It was pretty good, but not as good. Something about not having it for awhile makes it good.

Today I did Body Combat, which I obviously had not done in over a week. It was great. Not my best "performance" ever, but it felt good to be back. I actually looked forward to it today! Something about not having it for awhile makes it good.

I feel better about things. I've calmed myself down, made myself realize (thanks to lots of great emails and comments) that I really will be fine. Really. And even though I know that, I had to know it!

I think after a week off, I'm mentally and physically prepared for the next step (pun intended). I'll be out of town this weekend, but plan to walk while in South Dakota. I may have to modify my walk, but I do plan on walking at least some. The schedule says 10/8, I think. Week after that is another 18-miler, I think. (I think maybe I won't listen to Kim who over-walked her group by 3 or more miles!). I do plan on joining the group again the following week.

Thanks, everyone, for your continued support.

Not gunna do it: A long-winded rant

Okay, so I've resigned to the fact that I'm not going to walk this week. Or not like the big huge walks. And that crushes me. ... it really does.

I went back to RunTex b/c they called and said my shoes were in. They weren't at the store they were "supposed" to be at, but the guy who helped me before was. I told him of my ails and he seemed pretty perplexed as well. Shouldn't be that new shoes could cause shin splints, and maybe it was something else?

I told him it was new shoes, old route, familiar street surface...What's wrong with me?

I had to walk up and back in a bunch of different shoes, with inserts, without... Up and back...New shoes, no shoes, pants rolled up. (He said my left was definitely stronger, so it was odd my left was bothering me.)

So he made me return the other shoes--even though they were so cute. And the second pair was the same kind, which I already paid for and crap! I have to find that receipt. So what a mess. I hope I can get the right shoes! I'm down to like 5 weeks.

Anyway, all that to say I'm going to take it easy this weekend. And, really, it does kill me not to be able to walk. But I know in the long run, that's all for the better. I've gotten lots of emails from other walkers (yes, friends and parents have said it, too, but coming from my cohorts who Get It seems different). Really sweet, nice, supportive emails.

I figure if I can rest this week, as I have (only like 2 miles the whole week), tomorrow and maybe even Sunday, I'll be good. Or maybe a light walk Sunday. Or something.

I know it'll all be fine. Really, it will be. It's just tough. And great. And life-learning experiences.

Mom told me how proud she was of me--made me cry--and then said that if I didn't walk, that if I only made it 10 miles, that would still be okay--cried harder. Because, as someone in an email said, it would be a bit disappointing not being able to walk the whole thing. I know it's okay not to, but it would be disappointing. Mom did say, though, that if I needed to, I could be like Rosie Ruiz and get on the sag wagon up until a mile before the end.

Anyway, although slightly disappointed not to walk a bajillion miles this weekend, I am looking forward to sleeping in. No alarm. For the first time in a long time.

Shin splints

Last Sunday, I had to do 6 miles. I did it in my neighborhood, since it was such a small amount. Part way through, though, my shins started hurting.

Yeah, I think I got the shin splints. Just in one leg, though. And not that bad...

Couple thing against me--new shoes and lots of hills. Two things people asked me about when I told them of the shins. I really hope it's not the shoes. I just got two pairs of the same shoe. Almost out of desperation. I need to break in my new shoes, and there's a HUGE walk this weekend, so I felt like I had to get the shoes this past weekend.

I've been icing it some, and wore an ACE bandage for about 2 days. I feel better now. Will do lots of stretching before my 6 miles this evening. I want to gear up for Saturday, but I also know to take it easy.

I really do think I am lucky enough to have a mild case...especially after some of the horror stories I've heard about.

Hopefully next time I write about my new shoes, it will be with praise and adoration and not of "These stupid shoes ruined me!"

Wish me luck!

Words of Wisdom....

If you think about it twice, you better go.


Truer words have not been spoken.

What a relief!

Today we walked 10 miles. Met at the Randall's and walked to Town Lake, did a short loop and walked back. We were relieved--relieved!!--to only have to do 10.

Last week was tough; next week will be even harder. I'm nervous about it. But, the thing is, I know I can do it. I can't use the excuse of "I can't," since I already have. (Next week is 18 and 15).

But that means a new sticker! I'll just keep that silly little sticker in my mind!

It was a nice walk today. It started cool, and stayed relatively cool most of the walk. We were also in a lot of shade. And the non-shaded parts were under 9:30 sun, not 1:30 sun. Also, it was less than 4 hours, not just under 7.

Today was good. Hopefully enough of a boost to keep me going for next week!

Accountability

These days, now that school has started and the miles go up (on weekdays, too), it's sometimes hard to get out and get going. .... I've found myself calling or instant messaging people, basically telling them to tell me to go.

I know I need to, I know I'll feel better if I do. (Even though I sometimes get discouraged with the hour and a half to two hours of my precious weeknight gone.) But sometimes I need that extra little push.

So, thank you to my friends who know when I need you to say "Go! You'll be glad you did!" and when to say, "It's okay to take a break this time."

Some of my friends....

A little far away, but the 8 that did the 18 on Saturday....
Left to right: Barbara W., Karla, Barb, Gina, Erin A., Jessica, Maria, and Kim is "the lone shortie in the front"

Check this out!

This looks much worse than it really is. ... It's really my only one, too, which is a really good thing at this point. If you want a closer look, I'll gladly take you up on a foot massage! (I think it's basically a blister under a callous.)

I heard ACL! .... or at least a sound check

Today was tough, yes, but not as tough as yesterday. Today was a mere 12. (Supposed to do 13, but we were all more than okay with only doing 12). Started with 8 of us. We stopped for a bathroom break (I think there was one bathroom I didn't stop at. ... That's what I get for drinking more than 100 oz of water!), and some who had to get to getting went on.

Four of us had a nice walk. We took it easy, walked slower at times, rested lots. Walked a bit more speedily toward the end. We all hurt. We empathized and sympathized with one another. We talked. But not nearly as much as we did yesterday. We just didn't have it in us.

I think I realized we had truly lost it when Karla and I about bust a gut at our shadow puppets. The sun was bright behind us. We had super long fingers, which soon turned to dogs and butterflies and swans.

My blister/callous thing is better. Still pretty gross looking, but not as bad as it could be (knock on wood). I started with a sore ankle. It's a weak ankle anyway. When my toes were going numb, I decided it was okay not to wear the brace anymore.

As we neared the end, we could hear some of the ACL stages prepping. First we heard the Star Wars theme, followed by the Chariots of Fire theme. We got a burst of .... something ... and were able to make it a few more feet without collapsing. Our dogs truly were barking.

I'm pretty wiped today. It's 7:00 and I think I could go to bed for the night. ...

So, I've done the hardest part. Our longest training is 18 miles. I've done that. Now I know I can do that. There's no turning back now. ... Here we go!

Today was hard.

I'm gonna go ahead and say it. Today was hard. Today it was suggested we walk 17. Because of where we met, we either had to do 18, or less than 17. I feel like once you get that high in numbers, why not walk 18?? We did.

It was tough.

I hurt.

Something's going on with my toe. It's like a callous over a blister. After the walk tomorrow (13), I'll work on doctoring it up. Maria gave me a pumice-pop-vinegar-Neosporin trick to try. It's mainly bothersome right now.

10 people and 1 dog started the walk. The dog wasn't going to go the whole walk (which I'm glad that poor thing didn't have to!) and his owner and her friend stopped at some point.

It was a good group. There was awhile that I was the slowest one in the gang. There were times, fairly early on in our 6 hour walk that I didn't know how the hell my body was going to go on.

There were times I was closer to the front--never as far up as the power-walkers Karla and Barb, but they had stuff to do. There were times that I felt pretty good.

There were times it was super hot, sun beating down.

Today was the first day in a while that I really felt like I was training on a different level. Even when I bumped up to 11 or 12 miles, that didn't feel awful. It was tougher, yes, but not like this. This really felt like something different.

But, if I've done this, I can do it all. During The Walk, we may or may not walk 20 in a particular day. Eighteen is the highest we go during training. I can't go back now. I've done it all.

Course the trick now is doing this three days in a row.

Not that that will be a problem.

Today was hard, but I'm proud. I'm proud that the 8 of us did it, all at our own paces. We cheered each other on, we encouraged each other, we walked side by side.

And the migas tacos and black beans and avocado and fruit and coffee and hibiscus mint tea sure were delicious. Thank you, Kerbey. I ate every single bite.

The Car

I really need to blog about today. There's stuff to process. But before I take my nap, have you seen how close to the end that car is? (That little ticker thing at the top?!)

How awesome is that?!

Sick....

I must be sick...in a weird sort of way I'm looking forward to walking 17 miles on Saturday!! Is that crazy or what?!

I talked to Jody today and we talked about how we may not always enjoy the working out part, but it's the being done part that makes us feel so good. I think that's part of why I'm looking forward to Saturday's walk. To say, "hey, I walked 17 miles today!" (Now give me that second bowl of queso).

And I'll be walking with these women I've really gotten to know and like, which always makes the morning go better.

And the funny thing? I'm not worried that I can't do it. I know I can.

What a change of attitude from a few weeks ago. Even Debbie said something about my short email about how great my attitude was. I'm glad it showed through in even an email. I'm so glad I took that Saturday off not long ago. I've also been a bit softer on myself when missing a work out. I try not to miss a walk day (hence making myself go today), but I've realized it really will be okay if I miss a workout. And, well, really it's fine if I miss a walk day, too.

Mama didn't raise no quitter!

That time I had to walk my mileage on the treadmill, while Kimberly was getting harassed by her trainer, I wanted to give up. She got next to me--it was only like 5 miles I had to do--and wouldn't let me quit. "Mama didn't raise no quitter!" she told me. Not that it was hard. It wasn't. I was just bored. I was sick of the treadmill... It was the middle of the afternoon, there wasn't much people-watching and only court shows with people yelling at each other were on the TVs I could see.

Well, I had that mantra in the back of my head today as I wanted to give up. It wasn't too hot (in fact it was nearing cool), I wasn't bored (I had my talk radio on), I just wanted to be done. ... Also, I thought my bladder was going to explode. I had already mapped out my 6 miles. I thought about fudging.... but knew I couldn't.

So I didn't.

So, there. I did my "requisite" 6 miles today. Whew. And, honestly, 6 miles isn't that bad. I just wanted to be home. And now I am...

Oh, and PS

One of the most delicous things about walking so much is the amount of food I can eat on those days I walk so much....and still be hungry! It's kinda fun, knowing that I really can justify the amount of food I eat on those days.



Oh, and for those who care, I have managed to empty my Camelbak bladder on a few separate occasions. My Camelbak holds 100 oz.

An easy 8

Saturday was an easy 8. Eight is easy?! Yes!! It's so funny to me how 8 miles now seems easy. That walking 8 miles--almost 3 hours--is a relief to me.

Of course it was hard to get up Saturday morning, but I'm so glad I did. Walked with a great group--including a few power walkers who I gladly let speed on ahead of us. I stayed among the same few people during the walk. Laughed a lot. I think we're pretty damn funny.

We passed a large group of walkers. Although I never played soccer, I know the tradition at the end of passing each other, slapping hands, saying "good game, good game." ... Only a few joined in with me.

There were also lots and lots of runners, obviously training for something. We were able to ask a few different groups what they were doing. They were training with Austin Fit, all walking different mileages. We encouraged them along.

Carla, who has been on the Crew before gave us lots of tips and suggestions. We're all talking about what we still need to buy and what we still need to do. Carla said she bought a big huge ziploc type bag at Wal-Mart. I'm sure I need one, but secretly the only reason I want one is to be able to zip-lock the HUGE baggie-zipper thing. My fingers are literally itching to zip it!


Lisa is one of the women I frequently walk with. She's on the team, Candy's Canes. Her good friend, Candy, has been cancer-free about a year now. She lives in Dallas, and was down for the weekend. At the end of our walk (and before a few others had to do another 9 miles), she stopped us and said some very nice things. She said something like, "I know that all of you have your different reasons for doing this, but thank you for doing this. It really means a lot that you are walking, no matter what the reason is. I know we all have our own reasons, and you need to know you are doing a good thing. .... " Something along those lines. It was a very nice thing to hear. I'm so glad she said it.



Today Amanda and I walked/hiked at the Greenbelt. Didn't do the 6 I was "supposed" to do, but it was a nice walk. It was nice to see some new scenery, including a nice stream and some small hills and lots of trees and a bit of seclusion.

Next week things get really rough. We're slated to walk 17 miles on Saturday and 13 on Sunday. We're trying a new route on Saturday. I think it'll be a bit rough, but we're meeting at a grocery store--a good place to stock up on electrolytes. I also bought some Clif bars at Costco today.

It's September. That means the walk is next month. That's scary and exciting. Yes, I'm a bit nervous. ... But also so way like totally excited.

Only 9 miles

This weekend, the miles go down. I think it's 9 and 8. Two weeks ago, I did 15 and 10.

Funny how now, as opposed to long ago, that 9 seems easy! Especially on the tracks we do. The hills around my house are hard. Makes the long, flat trails (even of 9 miles) seem easy!

I hit the wall...

Since the end of May, I have walked some sort of mileage many days. While in Singapore, I didn't do tons of walking. Some days I slacked a bit. Most days, though, I was "on."

Sometime last week, I hit the wall. I was already feeling like I couldn't do it. Even Saturday, I asked MJ how to deal with the mental frustrations. She didn't have much to offer on that, as we started discussing what to do when you get home. The cold bath was helpful.

I was tired and sore after the 24 miles in two days, but I was surprised by my recovery.

Sometime early last week, VM emailed to say that the new meeting time would be at 6:00 a.m. 6:00!! I almost freaked. I hit that point of, "oh, my, gosh, I can't do that!" I didn't want to not walk, but I almost felt like I just couldn't. I have a long-ish commute to get there anyway. And that time after the first week of school just was not going to be any fun.

I talked and talked with people. I think I needed to hear it was okay not to go. One day. One day, people. That's it.

J from work is doing the MS150. The first time he trained, he said he was going to follow the schedule. His friends laughed and said 'have fun.' He didn't follow the suggested schedule.

I've realized I don't have to, either.

I woke up at 7:00 on Saturday, said a "thank goodness I haven't been walking for an hour," and went back to sleep.

I did get up on Sunday to walk. We met at 7:00 at Town Lake. It was a nice walk. An easy 11 (how funny that now 11 can be easy!).

I did walk yesterday, I did my cardio today, and I may or may not get to walk tomorrow.

And I'm okay with that.

Ketchup

I've got a lot to catch up on here... And I will.

I created this blog to have a venue to talk a bit about the emotional stuff that goes along with this walking business.

I need to do that a lot.

(just don't have the time right now!) I've got important thing to do like get ready to go play BINGO!!!

What I was supposed to do!

Yes, an hour is a long time on the treadmill. And, yes that long does get boring.

But I should have done about 3 hours worth of walking, if I wanted to do my 10-miler.

And there is no way I would do 3 hours on the treadmill!!

Walking in Singapore

I'm not going to deny that the thought of walking here has made me a bit nervous. The hows and whys and whens... I've gotten confirmation from a few sources that it is in fact okay to skip out some.

I brought my Turbo Jam DVD (disc 1 didn't work at home, but it worked here. I hope that means the bad ju-ju is gone and it will work at home now) and did one of the workouts yesterday. That made me feel a bit better.

Today I got up, feeling better about the jet lag thing. I checked the outside temp, and it felt very humid. Since I was so off yesterday, I decided not to risk walking 3 hours in such conditions.

I went down to the workout facility in the building. I had the small room to myself at first. I walked quite a bit, then walked the perimiter of the pool area. I came back in, did a bit on the stairmaster, then back on to the treadmill. There's a 20 minute time limit. Mom and Greg said there was never anyone down there. Well, of course 2 people came in...

Oh, well. I managed to walk about an hour total. I feel better that at least it's something! And I know we do a lot of walking anyway. I figure as long as I'm not totally sedentary, I'll be fine. And I think I'll be able to get back in the groove pretty easily.

Few random things that are different here:
You have to turn on the switch for the outlets. So, when I made my toasted English Muffin today, I had to flip the switch by the plug to turn it on. Glad I knew that... but it did take me a minute or two to realize the same went for the treadmill!

I didn't know my kilogram and kilometer conversions. You know you have to put in your weight on the treadmill? I had NO clue what to even guestimate on... I knew 5 kilometers was about 3 miles. So I kinda had to guess on that when it asked how far I wanted to go.

Just the little things...

My Beach Blog from awhile ago

Although it was only a week or so ago that I was at the beach, I feel like it was a million years ago. Since then the Six Feet Under marathon has ended, and I have flown literally half-way across the world to see my mom and Greg. I'll write about those walks in a separate blog.

But first, the beach.

I was supposed to walk 10 on Saturday and then 6 on Sunday. Since there are no mile-markers on the beach, I just walked by time. I went 45 minutes in one direction, Kimberly with me for most of it, then back up to her house for a pit stop, then quickly back down for the next 5 miles. I knew if I stopped, I wouldn't be able to go again.

So, in total, I walked about 3 hours. Straight.

It was good. Made for a good nap not long after I got back and showered and ate. Walking on the sand wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be as it was pretty compacted from all the cars. And I found a cool shell to take home. There seemed to be enough that I could take just one.

Once again, the time with the people (i.e. the almost 1.5 hours with Kimberly) went by much faster. I've learned that it's better, for me, to listen to people. Like talk radio or morning shows or my new fave on Saturday mornings, Car Talk. If I listen to music, the music doesn't drown out my thoughts.

I know that all that walking could be a good time to reflect and think and plan and stuff.... but it's like it's too much. I can't get away from my thoughts. And that's not always a good thing. I'm sure some sensai would tell me that's the best time, but I just don't want to be stuck with my thoughts for so long. And not that I even have all that much to think on right now, anyway. But I'm sure once school starts again, I will.

Anyway, all that to say that I have learned I liked the spoken word more than the singing word during my long walks. That's not to say if I walked with someone and they wanted to sing that I would stop them...

But walking on the beach was nice. I did walk close to the water a few times, and even stuck my hand in it. (I tried not to let the thougt of the news reports of the flesh-eating virus get to me).

It was my first 10 mile walk, which meant I got to put another sticker on my lanyard.

Okay, maybe not....

I was supposed to walk 5 miles today. It was sprinkling a bit when I stepped outside. Decided to go. I made it about 3 houses and it started to rain a bit more. I have an old jacket in my camelbak; I could have put that on.

But I just didn't. For whatever reason, I just didn't have it in me to walk in the rain today. It's supposed to rain most of the day. Five miles on the treadmill isn't all that fun, but I may have to go to the gym to get that taken care of. Especially since I'll be on the plane (literally) ALL day tomorrow.

I will say, it's coming down pretty hard right now. I'd still be on my walk. I'm glad I'm inside.

An email from a fellow walker....

Congratulations to Debbie on the 10 year survivor anniversary and doing 10 miles to celebrate it.

Hopefully the rain will hold off this weekend. We were pretty drenched after this walk, I wasn't sure my sneakers would dry in time for the Sunday morning walk.

HillS of Terror!

As promised, my report on today's walk....


I survived the in-famous Hill of Terror. And what a terror they were. "They?" you ask? Yes, there were several.

We met at Murchison Middle School and started walking. Nice neighborhood. Then we got to the sign that said something about "steep grades" the next few miles. That'd be what we were to walk!


Here is the elevation map of what we did today:


See how it starts out at a nice small grade? Then it goes waaay down and then waaay up? Yeah, that's what we did. It was rough. It was steep. A lot of panting. A lot of heavy breathing. But such a sense of accomplishment.

So, I've done the "Hill of Terror." Felt good to do it. It was only 5 miles. Sometimes the group will do it back the other way. Yikes!

I'll be sure to feel it tomorrow (as if I'm not feeling it already today!).!

Yes, even in the rain!

Today the training schedule told me to walk 8 miles. A group of women were meeting at Brushy Creek, and I decided to meet them again, despite the early wake-up time on a Saturday. (Whatever, it's summer!). I had met them there before. It's an easy walk. It's a pretty walk. And the women I walk with are fun.

Rain was predicted. I don't have my perfect jacket yet, but did stick one in my camelbak at the last minute. By the by, I never used it. I was glad to have the hat Adrienne gave me for my birthday, though. Although not waterproof, it kept the rain out of my face.

The rain felt good. It was a steady rain. Not too hard, but not a sprinkle, either. Just a nice solid, steady rain. There were a few patches of trees and a few patches of dry-ness, but overall, I got back to my car pretty wet. Not soaked to the bone, but pretty wet.

They say you should train in all conditions. So, there was my rain. And no jacket yet to test out.

To be honest, I walked slightly less than 8 miles. But who's counting?

Tomorrow I'll be walking the "Far West Hill of Terror." It's "only" 5 miles, but I'll be sure to let you know how it goes. I hear it's tough.

Ah, the honest inocence of kids....

A few days ago, I had a "shorter" walk of 5 miles. It started getting dark (I went at night this time), so I trucked it a bit faster than normal. As I walked down one of the hills, I swung my arms pretty mightely.

I saw a young girl of about 8 and (what I assume to be her) grandmother approaching me. The girl swung her arms in a funny way, looked up at grandma, sort of pointed, then looked back at me and swung her arms some more.

It was obvious she was making fun of me. As I got closer, I took out my ear buds. As I passed, I asked, "Are you laughing at how I walk?" Without a pause, the girl said "Yeah." I kinda giggled. Grandma, trying to cover, said, "No, we're laughing at the deer." (Now, the deer really are all around the neighborhood. But really...)

Had I been wearing my quick-witted hat (which I apparently was not), I would have said "That's okay, I would have laughed at myself, too."

Just another day in the walking world.

This week's walking

Last week (well, the weekend) was pretty rough. Although I was very deep into the marathon of Six Feet Under at Kimberly's house, I couldn't help but nap through one of the episodes.

Today is a rest day. Whew....

Here's the schedule for this week. I'm looking forward to the easier walking this go-round.

Countdown: 17 Weeks
Your Training Schedule for This Week:
Monday	Rest
Tuesday	3 miles	Easy walking
Wednesday	15 minutes	Moderate crosstraining
Thursday	5 miles	Moderate walking
Friday	30 minutes	Easy crosstraining
Saturday	4 miles	Easy walking
Sunday	3 miles	Easy walking

Let's get some shoes

Last week, after my 7 mile walk, and a large brunch (of which I felt no guilt eating all of), I went to RunTex, since I had heard they were good with helping you figure out your perfect shoe. I took in my current pair and the salesman said it looked like my walk was pretty even. That's a good sign.

He asked if I had been on my feet much yet, as your feet swell during the day, and you should buy shoes later in the day. Um, yeah....been on my feet for 7 miles already. :)

I tried on about 10 different pairs. Normally I wouldn't care so much about the perfect shoe, but knowing the miles that I'd be clocking on these shoes, I knew they had to be just right.

I did find a good pair. I'm getting a bit of a blister on the bottom of my pinky toe on the my right foot, though. I don't know if it will just "go away," or if I'll wear down what I need to, or if I'll need to start over. They do seem to be good shoes for now.

7 + 6

This weekend was pretty difficult. For the same reason that last week's walks were easy. I was alone, and on the hills of my neighborhood.

Luckily I had some good radio going and I even got to hear all of Click and Clack. For some reason, on the longer walks, I like hearing the voices. When I have music, I can go along with the beat. But for the longer walks, I like the company.

Yesterday (Saturday), I walked a pretty hard 7 miles. (Not nearly as rough as the 5 I did a week or so ago--I won't be doing that walk again!) It took just over 2 hours.

Today I walked 6. About the same as yesterday. Pretty hard. Pretty lonely.

It's hard to get started. Usually the first 1/2 mile or so, I hate it. I think of how much more I have to go and that I just don't want to do it. Then I kind of get in the zone and I'm fine. Today, though, during the end, I hit a frustrated point. I just wanted to be done. But I trudged through. And it's 10:45 a.m. right now and I've already walked 6 miles. I am proud of that, I will say!

What a difference flat ground makes! .... And people

Last week I met some of the ladies in the Round Rock area for a 6 mile walk. It was so much easier than the walks I've done around my neighborhood for several reasons... It was on flat ground, and it was with people.

Two of the women I had met before, two I had not. We walked and talked. And talked and walked. And listened and walked. We were slated to do 6 miles, but Debbie said she usually did the last 1 mile loop, so I did that, too. Those were the easiest 7 miles. I even emailed her later in the day to make sure we really did do 7.

It was a nice trail (Brushy Creek). It was early enough that it wasn't so hot (let's just say my alarm went off at some point in the 5 o'clock hour, knowing I'd be left behind if I wasn't there on time). There were people on the trail (you know I love people-watching), but not tons; it wasn't crowded like Town Lake can get. It was a very beautiful trail and I hope to make it back there again some time. Especially with those folks.

6 plus 4

Last week I was in San Antonio for Chad's wedding. Ever the work-out-enabler, Amanda went with me on my scheduled 6 mile walk. Few things--6 miles is MUCH more fun with a friend. Even the minutes we didn't talk seemed to fly by, just having a friend near by. Second, 6 miles is MUCH easier on flat ground.

We made two pit-stops. (Let me add "pit stops" to the list of things that made the walk better). One at McDonald's for the bathroom and a second at a peach stand.

I had to do 4 the next day (Sunday), but that I had to do alone. I made the 2 mile jaunt to a coffee shop, went in and had coffee and skimmed the paper before making the return walk. Muy facil.

Makes me want to find some more flat ground around here.

I was clocked today!

Today was an "easy" 3 mile walk. I've found I really enjoy the 3 mile walks because they really are getting easy. I've been doing the same route, so it's familiar. And, well, when you've moved up to 5 (I do 6 this week), 3 seems easy.

I walked up my main street to see 2 cops pointing thier radar guns at cars as they passed. Of course everyone was moving super slow. I smiled and said hi to one of them. I saw the other, but didn't see what he was doing.

Made my way up the hill--once I get up that hill, all is good, I've decided. I got into my zone, and think I walked a bit slower than normal. I've realized it's stamina, not speed. I'm not training for a race, I'm training for a 60-mile walk.

On my return route, the officers were still there. One was to the side of the road, issuing a ticket. The other was clocking cars as they drove past. I watched as he followed the cars with his radar. I thought he was pointing his radar gun on cars behind me. He held up three fingers.

"Is that what I'm going? Three?"
"Yeah... You were going faster uphill than down"
(I admit, I had slowed considerably going down hill)
"I'm on mile three."
"Well, you're doing better than I am."
I just can't not let people know what it is I'm doing.
"I'm training for the Susan G. Komen 3 Day. ... It's 60 miles."
"Is that down town?"
"No, there's several around the nation. This one is in Dallas in October."
"After the hill country, that will seem like a breeze."
"Yeah, this is a hard neighborhood. .... Thanks... Have a good day."

New Cross-training

Wednesday is supposed to be a cross-training day. The first few weeks, Wednesday is a "rest" day. Me? Rest? Never!

Today I did Body Flow, which is a combination of Tai Chi, Yoga, Pilates and a few other exercises as such.

It's very low-key, low impact, not much of a sweat is broken.

I've done the class a few times before. Not a whole lot.

But.
Man...

I. Am. Sore.

I know that's good. And it's good to get different exercises, but seriously... I'm sore!

The stretching did feel really good, though, I will say.

Movin' on up

Countdown: 22 Weeks
Your Training Schedule for This Week:
Monday	Rest
Tuesday	3 miles	Easy walking
Wednesday	Rest
Thursday	4 miles	Moderate walking
Friday	30 minutes	Easy crosstraining
Saturday	5 miles	Easy walking
Sunday	3 miles	Easy walking

So there's the training schedule for this week coming up. I guess each week moves up and up in the mileage. I suppose I'll have to move to a new place--not move-move, but move my walking--so I can do some of these other walks, especially in a flatter area. (Those hills were killer on Saturday).

I've got 3 miles again today, and then I'm sure I'll appreciate the rest day tomorrow.

Tough day

Today I did my first increase. I walked 4 miles. It was tough. It wasn't the length that was touogh--it was the hills. I didn't realize how many hills or how big they were would be on this walk. It was still in my neighborhood, but it's a hilly neighborhood.

Walked for a bit over an hour. I can feel my muscles twitching now and I'm sweating a lot, but it was a good walk. A tough walk, but a good one.

I think I may have to find a different route for my "4 mile easy walk," becuase although it was 4 miles, it was not easy!

Week 23 Training

For those of you trying to keep up with me...

Here's my training for week 23 (we're counting backwards)

Countdown: 23 Weeks
Your Training Schedule for This Week:
Monday	Rest
Tuesday	3 miles	Easy walking
Wednesday	Rest
Thursday	3 miles	Moderate walking
Friday	30 minutes	Easy crosstraining
Saturday	4 miles	Easy walking
Sunday	3 miles	Easy walking

I am so glad that tomorrow is a rest day! I've never followed a "plan" like this before--I just exercise when I can, when I feel like it, when and what I'm up to. And I'm a little glad tomorrow's a rest. And really, I haven't even done all that much yet!

Looks like a few more 3-milers, with a 4-miler on Saturday.

12 Miles

I've walked 12 miles this week. The week of The Walk I walk 65.

Somedays it was a little harder to get out and going. So far I've done the "out and back" walks, meaning I walk half my miles and turn around. I like that. If I can make it to my turn around point, I have to make it back, right?!

For some reason today was a hard day to get motivated--sort of. I think I wanted a lazy Sunday, but am also far from flat out not doing a walk. I also realized today why they say it's is important to have and to know where "rest stops" are along the way. I have my camelbak with water, pockets of snacks...but no bathroom breaks along the way. At least not this route, so far. Yes, I realize the importance of that now.

Been good so far.

I'll keep ya posted!

6 miles so far

I've done 6 miles this week. 3 on Tuesday, 3 today. I did the same route.

Today was much easier, but I think for several reasons. Tuesday, I hadn't worked out since Saturday morning. Today, I worked out (walking) 2 days ago. And yesterday I was on my feet a lot. And it was much cooler today. And it was a familiar (repeat) route.

Been good so far.

Tomorrow is "light crosstraining" for at least 30 minutes. Saturday and Sunday are both 3 miles.

It's been fun to have my Camelbak. I like having the water right there. And lots of it. For those who don't know, a Camelbak is a backpack that has a big water supply in it. There's a straw (basically) on it, that allows you to get water as you need it. There's also pockets for my phone; for snacks; and later on down the road, for jackets or rain gear.

When I do my longer walks, I need to be sure to go to places that have bathrooms somewhere along the way.

We're not "supposed" to train with headphones, for safety reasons. But I can't imagine the longe walks (alone), not having the company. I'm thinking of getting an MP3 of sorts that I can put books on.

Google Pedometer

Google has a new pedometer type of thing. You plug in a route (that's the hardest part) and it will calculate how many miles you've walked. It also measures elevation and even calories burned (one of my 3 mile walks will burn 356.7408582860328 calories!).

I've been playing with it this morning, mapping routes in my neighborhood. I've mapped one 3-mile walk, but will need to find a few more so I don't get bored!

Monday (tomorrow) is a rest day, Tuesday will be my first 3-miler. That will be easy. We'll just see how it goes after having several in one week.

Raising Money

Raising money was easy. There are special rewards (like a pink lanyard) if you raise X amount of dollars in the first X amount of days. I did that. Easily. I woudly wear my pink lanyard!

Walkers must raise $2200 in order to walk. That was easy for me, too. I set that as my original goal, and hit it. Pretty quickly. So I changed my goal to $3000. And then I hit that (thanks, mom!)


I've met some of the other Austin walkers. Some said they've barely started thier fundraising. One woman is walking, partly to work on her fundraising skills (there's more to it than that, yes). I sort of want to brag how easy it was for me to raise money, but I also want to be a bit humble about it. But, I'll yell it out, it was easy! I sent three (I think) varieties of emails to different groups. And the rest, as they say, is history.

I knew it would be easy. I just didn't know how easy!

I hope the walking training will be just as easy!

Training starts this week

May 14th. That's the day I've had in my mind for awhile now. May 14th. The day my "official" (suggested) training starts.

Part of an email I got today, courtesy of The 3 Day:

Countdown: 24 Weeks
Your Training Schedule for This Week:
Monday	Rest
Tuesday	3 miles	Easy walking
Wednesday	Rest
Thursday	3 miles	Moderate walking
Friday	30 minutes	Easy crosstraining
Saturday	3 miles	Easy walking
Sunday	3 miles	Easy walking

Technically, Monday is a rest day. But Wednesday there will not be much time for the working out stuff, so I may have to switch that around. Three miles all this week. That'll be easy. I have a few routes in the neighborhood that are about 3 miles each.

I'm ready for it.

I think this weekend I'll look for a camelback and pretty soon I'll look for a new pair of shoes. Or two. I also got myfree order of Thorlos socks. They're supposed to be great for the walk. They're really thick and fun. I think I'll try them out and I may order more.

I think this week it will start to sink in how real all this is.

I'm ready for it.