Motivation! (02/27/10)

A friend of mine posted on Facebook today that she was having trouble staying motivated to keep going on a new walking regimen that she's started. I sort of tongue in cheek mentioned that I find it hard to stay motivated to do exercise normally, but that ever since I signed up for the 3-day walk, I've been hyper-motivated to get my walking and cross-training in. I feel badly on days when I don't get around to doing it if it's not my regularly scheduled "off" day. I suggested to her that she join me and sign up for the 3-day and she would find incredible motivation to keep going. I didn't expect her to say what she did in her reply. She said that she has actually been thinking about it. She may see if her sister wants to join us too. I of course mentioned to her that from now until March 9 there is a $25 discount on the registration fee for the walk. This is the third person I've got thinking about joining me. I love that this is infectious! I'd love to be able to take my friends on this journey with me, but whether they join me or not, they are thinking about it. If not this year, then perhaps next year.

There is something about this event that really is so incredibly motivating. I'm motivated to raise the funds. I'm motivated to keep walking. I'm motivated to talk to people about breast cancer and keep this cause out in the open. Somehow it's the bigness of the event. It's the feeling like you're making more than a little difference. It's not wanting to let your supporters down. It's realizing that walking 60-miles in three days is nothing compared to what those who face breast cancer and their families go through. The motivation is incredible. The feeling of accomplishment you get with each mile logged (and clearly I'm one of these people who tracks every mile) is amazing.

I walked in pouring rain again today. It was literally raining so hard for one five minute stretch at the beginning of my walk that it felt like tiny rocks were falling on my head. The parts of me not covered by my rain poncho (legs and feet) were soaked through in seconds. It was cold. It was startling how quickly it came on and I briefly thought about turning around, heading home, and waiting for it to pass. Then that motivation kicked in. It changes your mindset. Two month ago, if someone had told me I'd be happily walking in pouring rain while my feet got soaked, I'd have looked at them like they were nuts. When you view it as a challenge to rise above, rather than an uncomfortable annoyance, it becomes easy to keep going. A few minutes after it started pouring, my cell phone started ringing. I stopped walking and answered. It was my loving husband checking on me to see if I wanted him to come pick me up. Luckily, by then, that motivation was there and I happily thanked him for his offer and told him as I was already as wet as I was going to get, that I would keep going. I quite enjoyed my walk this morning.

Thank you for this motivation, 3-day!

Fundraising: Total: $2,440.00
Training: 4.5 miles in 1 hour 40 min
Total miles to date: 95.7

Status Updates

(02/26/10)
Fundraising: Total: $2,440.00
Training: cross training 30 min of step aerobics
Total miles to date: 91.2

(02/25/10)
Fundraising: Total: $2,440.00
Training: 3.2 miles in 1 hour 5 min
Total miles to date: 91.2

(02/24/10)
Fundraising: $35.00 Total: $2,440.00
Training: Day Off
Total miles to date: 88.0

It's Official!!! (02/23/10)

So it's official!!! I have, as of today, raised enough to walk in the Susan G. Komen 3-day walk for the cure in November. All of you made that possible! I am not stopping at this minimum though. I'm not a "do the minimum" type of person, so I'm aiming for $5,000.00. If I reach that and have time left, I will keep going. I want to make a difference and I want to do it big!

Fundraising: $150.00 Total: $2,405.00
Training: 3.3 miles in 1 hour 20 min, 1 hour of tap class
Total miles to date: 88.0

(02/22/10)
Fundraising: $50.00 Total: $2,255.00
Training: Day Off
Total miles to date: 84.7

Hallmark of a 3-day Walker (02/21/10)

I looked at the sky this morning before I headed out for my walk and I thought, "It could rain," but I decided not to take the rain poncho with me because I didn't think rain was that likely. I watched the clouds as I walked my longest walk yet. Some were dark and foreboding, parts of the sky were blue and the sun peeked through on occasion. I couldn't really predict what might happen while I was out. Did the threat of a little rain deter me? Most definitely not. I think this is one of the hallmarks of 3-day walkers. The unknown, the uncomfortable, the untried or the unusual don't deter us. We do not back down from a challenge. I want to reach this goal. I want to stop this disease. I'm not going to let a little rain stop me.

About an hour and a half into my walk it began to sprinkle. Then it really began to rain. I was at a point in my walk where I could have been at home in 5 minutes, and I chose to keep going instead. I actually kind of enjoyed walking in the rain. The only uncomfortable part was that my shoes were getting wet. The rest of it didn't bug me. There's something refreshing and wonderful about the rain falling on you when you are not "worried" about being wet.

So for all you 3-day walkers out there, don't let things deter you. It's not always easy. It's definitely not always comfortable. The walking, the fundraising, the weather are all challenging in their own ways --- for instance, I'm NOT looking forward to walking during the hot summer days in Sunny S. CA. I won't let it stop me though. Keep going, find ways to make it more comfortable for yourself and keep your eyes on why you are doing this. We are all "being the change we want to see in the world", and that is an amazingly wonderful thing.

Fundraising: Total: $2,205.00
Training: 5.8 miles in 2 hours
Total miles to date: 84.7

Broke the 5 mile mark! (02/20/10)

This morning, I finally walked more than 5 miles in a single walk! It felt good and seemed kind of like the 3 mile walk did when I first started. I guess I'm getting better at this. It's nice to feel the progress.

Fundraising: Total: $2,205.00
Training: 5.3 miles in 1 hour 45 min
Total miles to date: 78.9

Status Update (02/19/10)

Just a post to update my stats for the last couple days!

(02/19/10)
Fundraising: $100.00 Total: $2,205.00
Training: 4.5 miles in 1 hour 40 min
Total miles to date: 73.6


(02/17/10)
Fundraising: Total: $2,105.00
Training: 2.2 miles in 55 min
Total miles to date: 69.1

Support (02/16/10)

I am not making this journey alone. Not by a long shot. I remember when I first seriously considered doing this walk, I wasn't sure how my husband was going to react. Let's face it. It's a commitment for me, but it's also a commitment for him. He ends up watching the kids a lot when I walk, and that will be worse as I do longer walks on the weekends. He puts up with me spending time on projects related to this walk instead of getting as much done around the house as I might. Luckily, he was excited that I wanted to do this, and has been nothing but supportive and I truly appreciate it. He is the best husband a girl could want! I couldn't do this without his support.

But he is not the only one supporting my adventure. I have a couple babysitters lined up who are ready to watch my kids (free) if I need to walk during the day when my husband is at work. Of course, everyone who has donated to me is supporting this journey in a way that fills me with amazement, and lots of people are just providing encouragement, kind words, asking me how it's going --- all of that is support that keeps me doing my training walks and aiming to raise more for this cause. Those words make a huge difference and knowing people are out there following my journey on this blog keeps me wanting to do more, to train harder, and to keep going on my fundraising.

I'm just getting my feet wet on the message boards, and I've only had to talk to coaches once so far, but the community that makes up those who are involved in the 3-day walk is outrageously supportive as well. I look forward to tapping thier knowledge and experience as I get further into this process.

I was talking with a good friend today about the walk and she commented on how amazingly I am doing on my fundraising. Once again, I was reminded how in awe of my friends and family I am. We are in a recession. Times are tough, and it has taken me only a month to almost have the amount needed to participate in this walk. I wish I could express better how this makes me feel. It's an incredible feeling.

You all are my support. You all are helping me take each step I take. You all are fighting to see an end to this disease. Thank you so much for being there for me. YOU are amazing!

Fundraising: Total: $2,105.00
Training: 3.6 miles in 1 hour 12 min
Total miles to date: 66.9

(02/15/10) Day off

60 Miles!!! (02/14/10)

Today, I passed 60 miles in my training. I have trained on 24 days since I signed up. I have spent just shy of 29 hours walking or using the elliptical to get 63.3 miles under my belt. 60 miles is a long way and it's a bit daunting to think about doing that kind of mileage in 3 days. But I wouldn't have signed up to do this if I were easily daunted. I have noticed that as I have gradually increased my walking distance, it is getting easier to do the longer distance. My recovery is faster. I don't get as tired doing it.

I've had a couple people ask me "How are you ever going to walk 60-miles in three days?" My answer has always been, "One step at a time." I am feeling rather ecstatic about reaching this 60-mile mark in my training. I now have empirical experience of just how far 60-miles is, and instead of feeling daunted, it feels more doable than ever! Every step that I take in my training gets me closer to my goal.

Fundraising: Total: $2,105.00
Training: 4.7 miles in 1 hour 45 min
Total miles to date: 63.3

(02/13/10)
Fundraising: Total: $2,105.00
Training: 4.2 miles in 1 hour 30 min
Total miles to date: 58.6

Just Progress Updates (02/12/10)

Crazy busy, so here's just a progress update for the last couple days.

Fundraising: Total: $2,105.00
Training: 1.0 miles in 35 minutes on the elliptical
Total miles to date: 54.4

(02/11/10)
Fundraising: Total: $2,105.00
Training: 2.4 miles in 55 minutes
Total miles to date: 53.4

One Month and Above and Beyond (02/10/10)

One month ago today, I made a huge commitment. I signed up to do this 60-mile walk. I never in my wildest dreams believed that I would be within $95 of the $2,300.00 I needed to be able to participate in the walk in just a single month. (I got an email from a friend that a paper check for $100 has been sent in, which will put me at $2,205.00 once it hits my account). I am humbled by all of my supporters. All I'm doing is walking. It brings tears to my eyes how easy the first part of this fundraising has been.

I am not stopping at the minimum, however. Anyone who knows me, knows that I rarely, if ever, do anything without going above and beyond the minimum requirement. I'm looking at business sponsorship, maybe a giant yard-sale, perhaps some jewelry making and a few other things to continue to raise as much as I possibly can for this cause.

I started gently back into walking today after having taken off 3 days (although yesterday, I did go to my tap class, so that can count as a cross-training day). I walked to and from my son's school when picking him up. My foot did not give me more than a single twinge during the entire walk, so I'm pretty pleased about that. I didn't go far, but it felt good to be back out there and walking again.

Fundraising: $50.00 Total: $2,105.00
Training: 2.4 miles in 55 minutes
Total miles to date: 51.0

School of Feet (02/07/10)

Have you ever spent a lot of time thinking about your feet? About your shoes? About walking in general? I know I certainly hadn't until I started training for this walk. I got more of an education this weekend as well. After yesterday's walk in the rain, I was actually feeling a little bit of a stabbing pain in my right foot. I soaked them in the foot spa. It wasn't persistent after that, but every once in a while it would hurt when I stepped on it. I started worrying about a possible injury and got online to see if I should be concerned about the symptoms. They fit pretty well with a stress fracture and the description of how you generally get a stress fracture in your foot fit with my increased walking and/or tap class. If this is what my problem was, I would have to stop both tap and my walking for 6-8 weeks to allow it to heal.

I got a bit stressed out at that point. I feel such a drive to do this and I couldn't imagine stopping my training. I got momentarily depressed. Then I started trying to figure out what I COULD do if I wasn't allowed to walk distances on my foot? Swimming! One of my first loves, as far as exercise is concerned. I quickly looked up our local YMCA and found out that for a pretty reasonable fee, I could start swimming laps to keep up with at least a cardio workout AND they have child care that is part of the membership. Phew, at least I could keep going with something.

So this morning I headed in to urgent care to get my foot checked out. The doctor took a look at my foot, poked around, checked for pain in other places on my foot and then taught me something new about my feet. One of my toes is what they call a "hammer toe". The first "knuckle" pokes up instead of lying relatively flat. It's only slight, but it is enough to cause stress in the rest of my foot and he believes that this is what is causing my problem. He said I should rest it and take an anti-inflammatory, but that it shouldn't take long for the pain to subside and I can (gently) resume training once the pain is gone. He reiterated that I need to make sure I'm walking in supportive and well fitted shoes. If it gets worse or doesn't go away, I need to see my regular doctor.

So disaster averted, but needless to say, I didn't train at all today. I won't be pushing myself too hard in the near future and I won't train again in my old shoes at all.

Fundraising: Total: $2,055.00
Training: Day off
Total miles to date: 48.6

Walking in the Rain (02/06/10)

Took my first walk in the rain today. When I woke up it was pouring, but by the time I had eaten and gotten dressed for my walk, the rain had slowed quite a bit. I debated as to whether I should go out in it or go to the local mall to do my walk, and eventually decided the rain couldn't be that bad. I put on my old shoes (I'm not ready to subject my brand new expensive shoes to the wet just yet) and a thin plastic rain poncho and headed out. Most of the time I was out there, it was just sprinkling and spitting. There was a 10 minute downpour, complete with pretty strong wind and I loved every minute of it. As a matter of fact, when it stopped and went back to mild sprinkles I was a bit disappointed.

I don't know why I hesitated to go out in the rain. I had forgotten that when I did a study abroad in Glasgow, Scotland when I was in college that it rained most days there. I walked to the university every day, and umbrellas are pretty useless because of the wind. So I had gotten quite used to bundling up, having good shoes that kept my feet dry and just walking there no matter what the weather was like. I found today's walk invigorating and refreshing. It made me think about the fact that we drive everywhere in our culture. We don't walk. We don't experience the rain or the trees or the ground or the clouds or the mountains in our everyday life. There's something not quite right about that. I'm grateful to have had the opportunity today to have been reminded how nice it can be to experience the elements on an ordinary day.

Fundraising: Total: $2,055.00
Training: 3.9 miles in 1 hour 40 minutes
Total miles to date: 48.6

(02/05/10)

Fundraising: Total: $2,055.00
Training: 0.9 miles on the elliptical in 30 minutes
Total miles to date: 44.7

Empowerment (02/04/10)

I split my walk up again today. I put the kids in the stroller and walked to my son's school and then took the "long way" home with my daughter. After my husband got home from work, I did another half hour walk to finish my workout. I'm tired, but it doesn't feel like I did a 4 mile walk all at once. There really is something to this stopping and taking a break.

I'm still tossing fundraising ideas around in my head and need to decide on a few to get things moving again on that front. I am in awe that I'm as far along as I am less than a month after signing up to do the walk. My friends and family are truly amazing!

I am also marveling at how internally "driven" about this event I've become. There is a sense of empowerment you get when you take something like this on. There's a small part of me that says, *I* am finding a cure for this disease. I don't quite understand it, because of course, logically, I'm not the one stopping this disease, and I don't even know how long it might take for anyone to get to that point. The skeptic in me asks, is it even possible to find a cure? All I'm doing is walking, raising awareness, and raising funds that will go to the folks who are most likely to help find better treatments/prevention and some day a cure.

I think it's the Hope that doing something like this gives you though that makes you feel a little like a super hero. Being part of something so much bigger than yourself. Having a belief that we CAN beat this. Having a belief that a solution is out there. Seeing other people around you who also have that vision and that Hope and that commitment.

I knew when I took this on that I had signed up for something amazing. It's impossible for me to express in words just how amazing a process this has been so far, and I've only barely started down this road.

Fundraising: Total: $2,055.00
Training: 4.1 miles in 1 hour 25 minutes
Total miles to date: 43.8

Cross Training (02/03/10)

I like cross-training days. The time committment isn't as harsh and the physical committment isn't as harsh either. There are some of these days when I think, but I WANT to go do a walk today! I know the cross-training days and the days off are important; as important as the walk days really. Like most things in life, you have to pace yourself. This is not always my strong suit. I have a tendency to want to get to the end, and get things done. This is really a great excersize for me to BE more in the process. To have the process be the goal. To be patient and enjoy the down days and know that they will get me to the end of this journey as surely as the walking will.

Fundraising: $50.00 Total: $2,055.00
Training: 0.9 miles on the elliptical in 30 minutes
Total miles to date: 39.7

Socks Make a Difference (02/02/10)

I tried something new for my walk today. I walked the mile to my son's school to pick him up, had to stop and sit for about 5 minutes and then walked the mile back. Once I was home, I left the kids with my hubby and then headed out again. I found that having those two small breaks made a very large difference in how I felt by the end. I probably would have tried to break the 5 mile barrier today, except for two things. 1) I forgot to put on my "walking socks" and wore regular cotton ones. By the time I got home, I was feeling like there was a blister waiting to form on my right baby toe. 2) I remembered that I have tap class tonight and decided to try to save some of my energy for that. I will not forget my walking socks again!

Fundraising: Total: $2,005.00
Training: 4.3 miles, 1 hour 30 minutes, 1 hour of tap class
Total miles to date: 38.8

One Step At A Time (02/01/10)

How can a day of rest feel so full? I volunteered in my son's class, ran an errand or two, had lunch with my husband, who is on Jury Duty, helped my son with homework, took my daughter to dance class and then cooked dinner for everyone. I guess it's that on the days I don't work out, I try to jam even more of the everyday stuff into it to make up for the time I'm giving over to training on those other days. I'm still not into a "groove" with my training and I'm sure it will take even more time to get to that point. I'm trying to fit everything in while stealing an hour to an hour and half to get me into shape. I don't begrudge the time at all, and as a matter of fact, I quite enjoy the time spent by myself focusing on getting myself healthier and trying to help the world be a better place at the same time. It's a juggling act though. I know as my weekend walks get longer later on, that I will find this even more difficult. It all just happens one step at a time though, much like finding the cure for this disease. Nothing worth while happens overnight or is without sacrafice.

Fundraising: $40.00, Total: $2,005.00
Training: Day off
Total miles to date: 34.5

New Shoes, Attempt 2 and Thoughts on Training (01/31/10)

Yesterday, I bought a new pair of running shoes. I went to a specialty store where they know all about feet and shoes and walking and running. Apparently I am not one of the 15% of the population who are blessed with a neutral gait and I slightly overpronate, so my shoe corrects for that. I was amazed at how differently each of the shoes felt. She brought out 6 pairs in my size and I tried each of them on. Initially 3 of them just didn't feel right so I put them away. The other three, I had to really try on one of each and walk around doing a "Pepsi Challenge" sort of comparison. The interesting thing about that was that my right and left foot felt really different in each shoe. I narrowed it down to two pair and then kept going back and forth between them before deciding on the pair I got. I have just never paid so much attention to the fit and feel of what I put on my feet before. The shoes seemed to do great on this first walk, although I did find myself adjusting them a lot as the walk went on. I don't know if that's normal or not.

The people at the shoe shop were great to work with, but as I was walking today I was stunned anew by the idea that the woman helping me mentioned. She commended me for starting my training early, and said that there are some folks who do the 60-mile walk WITH NO TRAINING at all. This concept boggles my mind. I'm out of shape and I know it. I am VERY glad that there are many more months to go before I have to attempt this and that I can spend some time at these lower mileage walks to get used to it all before trying to go the longer distances. I can't even imagine what is going through the head of someone who thinks, "Well, I'll just force myself to do it... 60-miles can't be that bad!" I mean, I think it's wonderful that they want to help support this cause, but they need a reality check. My longest walk so far (4.8 miles) really kicked my butt and I took two days off after it to recover before going back to my 3 mile walk.

Anyway, my point is, if you're reading this and planning on going on this walk, let me be one more voice who says to you, don't think that you have to stick to the training schedule to the letter (we all know life is going to get in the way), but do train seriously and attempt to follow the plan as closely as possible. 60-miles is a LONG distance and you have to prepare your body to be able to do it. Just as I have spent a LOT of time trying to find the right shoes and the right socks, I need to spend a lot of time prepping myself to be able to make it through the 3 days without feeling like I've been through the wringer. I don't expect to avoid ending up tired and sore at the end of the three days, but I do hope to be able to make it through all 60 miles without feeling like it was more than I was really capable of.

Fundraising: Total: $1,965.00
Training: 3.5 miles, 1 hour 30 min
Total miles to date: 34.5

Officially Walked 30 Miles in My Training (01/30/10)

So today marks a milestone that I have passed the 30 mile mark in my training walks. Those small walks add up quickly. I'm kind of afraid to estimate how many miles I will have logged by the time I do the walk. It's kind of cool though to watch those numbers get bigger!

Fundraising: Total: $1,965.00
Training: 2.8 miles, 1 hour
Total miles to date: 31.0

May Have Over Done It (01/27/10)

Went out and did 4.8 miles. It felt good while I was walking, but when I got home and as the day progressed I was in pain. I'm taking the next couple days off of training to recover. Hope to do a walk on Saturday.

Fundraising: no new donations, Total: $1,965.00
Training: 4.8 miles, 1 hour 38 minutes
Total miles to date: 28.2

(01/26/10)

Fundraising: no new donations, Total: $1,965.00
Training: 1 hour of yard work, 1 hour of tap class
Total miles to date: 23.4

Sick kids and Raising the Bar (01/25/10)

Sick kids, not feeling so hot myself and technically today should be a day off of training. However, I felt like I should at least do some cross training since I took last Thursday off. I got on the elliptical for 20 minutes and did 1/2 mile. Not much, but at least I did something. I've been thinking a lot about what I might want to do to raise more than the minimum $2,300 to go on the walk. You might notice that my goal has been raised from my original $3,000 to $5,000 a couple days ago. I feel so inspired by the donations I've received so far, that I feel like I should most definitely aim higher than I had, given I still have until November to raise money.

Fundraising: no new donations, Total: $1,965.00
Training: 0.5 miles on the elliptical in 20 minutes
Total miles to date: 23.4

4 Miles! (01/24/10)

I did my first walk over 4 miles today. I think I need to take a snack with me if I'm going to be walking for more than an hour. During the last 15 minutes of this walk, I started feeling really hungry, even though I had breakfast right before I left. Ate some almonds when I got back and felt better. 4 miles was definitely harder than the 3 I've been doing. I'm so incredibly glad I'm starting this training so far in advance!

Fundraising: $100.00 Total: $1,965.00
Training: 4.3 miles in 1 hour 35 min
Total miles to date: 22.9

Walking and A Theme Song (01/23/10)

Yesterday I felt super tired and started having a sore throat, so I didn't work out. It could have been allergy related. This morning I felt better after I ate and decided I was up to at least trying to do a walk. I'm glad I did. It felt good and that feeling that I am coming down with a cold is almost completely gone. The walk wasn't difficult and I really enjoyed it.

I took my iPod with me this time and had an interesting thing happen. About half way through my walk, I decided to put on some swing music. As some of you may know, I am big into Lindy Hop (swing dancing) and have been for a long time. For me, swing music is very motivating. I choose my favorite modern swing band, The Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra. The very first song on the album I chose, was by coincidence, titled "Struttin' With Kate". Bill wrote it for his daughter, Kate. As I saw the title of the song, it made me smile. Here I am walking for my mom, Kate, and I think I just found my theme song for this journey. So for my mom, for all of the people I am walking for, for all my swing dance friends, here is a youtube clip of a "swing jam" circle set to "Struttin' With Kate". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbPLxSpm9-Q

Fundraising: $15.00, Total: $1,865.00
Training: 3.4 miles in 1 hour 13 min
Total miles to date: 18.6

Elliptical vs. Walking and More about Shoes (01/21/10)

I took yesterday off. Just trying to listen to my body and also trying to figure out the best way to incorporate my training into my schedule.

Today, I did an hour on the elliptical. I went 1.8 miles, but that number is deceiving. 3 miles walking is a MUCH easier workout than the 1.8 miles I did on the elliptical today. I'm not sure why, but there it is. I'm definitely more tired and worked harder tonight than I have on my walks. I feel really good though after the workout.

The shoes I bought the other day went back to the store, so I'm back to my old shoes. I need to find a place that knows about feet, and that knows about what I need for the walk. I've been told by previous walkers that the shoe should be larger than my normal size because walking over such long distances, my feet will swell and the shoe needs to be able to accomodate that. How you can do that and still prevent blisters from the foot moving around in the shoe, I'm not sure. Maybe it's in how you lace it up? So many little things I need to learn.

I "attended" my getting started meeting over the phone two days ago. Got to see some cool pics of what camp life is like and learned a bit more about some of the logistics of the whole process. If any of you out there reading this have ever thought that you might want to do something like this, I encourage you to learn more, attend one of the meetings, talk to folks who have done it. Come join me! We'll form a team and walk to cure breast cancer together!

It's so cool to have such a great motivator to get me moving and working towards being in better shape. I am still amazed that I've taken this on. I'm no longer in the "what have I gotten myself into" stage, but have been thinking more about how I can really bump up the fundraising. If I'm going to walk 60 miles, camp out two nights in a row, and shower in the back of a semi-truck (I've seen photos and the showers actually look pretty nice, but they *are* in the back of a semi-truck) I really want to shoot for a larger goal than I currently have.

Fundraising: No new donations, Total: $1,850.00
Training: 1.8 miles on the elliptical in 1 hour
Total miles to date: 15.2

Shoes, Shmooes (01/19/10)

I did my first walk in my new shoes. The left one was comfy the entire time. The right one started feeling funny from about 5 minutes in. By 1/2 an hour in, I could feel a huge difference between the two shoes. I'm not sure if the problem is in how they were laced, or just a difference in my feet or that these aren't the right shoes for me. Choosing shoes may be a more complicated process than I want it to be! Darn! I want to get it right, but am not a shoe person and don't like spending this much time on it. Small beans I guess and I hope I can find something that will work.

Did my walk at the local mall today due to torrential rain. Had Jenna with me, so I think my pace was not as strong as it normally is. Looks like I probably went about 2 1/2 miles in about 65 minutes. I also did my tap class tonight. Jenna is sick and I'm really hoping I don't get it.

Fundraising: $100.00 for a total of $1,850.00
Training: 2.5 miles in 65 minutes, 1 hour of tap class
Total miles to date: 13.4

New Shoes and Lots of Rain (01/18/10)

My husband let me know that I could get any shoes I wanted, regardless of cost. Instead of coming home with expensive Italian pumps or a new pair of dance shoes, I've got a mid-range (cost-wise) pair of running/walking shoes. I had never given much thought to my athletic shoes before this, but these seem like they will make a big difference in my comfort level during my walks and workouts. I'm excited to do my first walk in them tomorrow.

I did an easy paced 1/2 hour on the elliptical today. It's been pouring rain all day and this is supposed to last until Friday or so. I may take my training to the mall this week, as I can't see how I can get a walk in with my daughter with me in the pouring rain.

Fundraising: $25.00 for a total of $1,750.00
Training: 0.7 miles in 1/2 hour on the ellpitical
Total miles to date: 10.9

My First Blister (01/17/10)

I went out early this morning to do my walk. I don't know what the temperature was when I started, but when I got back feeling quite cold, I checked and it's only 45 F out there. Hmmm, yes, I live in Southern California, but I should have worn a sweater. I got my first blister today. It had to happen sometime. I think I'm going to bump up the need to get a better pair of walking shoes. The walk went pretty well and I felt good doing it.

Fundraising: $20.00 for a total of $1,725.00
Training: 2.9 miles in 1 hour
Total miles to date: 10.2

My second walk (01/16/10)

I did a 3.6 mile walk today! It felt good and unlike the last one I didn't get that "I want to stop" feeling this time at all. It was a nice cool morning and there were lots of clouds in the sky. I enjoyed the quiet, seeing the trees, and watching the clouds. I think I need this alone time for my spirit as much as I need the exercise right now. I felt refreshed by it. I've been a bit sore today, but overall feel pretty good.

Fundraising: $100 for a total of $1,705.00
Training: 3.6 miles in 1 hr 18 min
Total miles to date: 7.3

A Day of Rest (01/15/10)

After a terrible night sleep (maybe 5 hours) and a very busy day, I decided to give myself a day off from training today. I know I just started, but that is part of why I decided not to push myself too hard. I'm not in good shape, so I need to go slow here at the beginning and listen to my body. I'm very glad that I have lots of time to train for this. It's not going to be easy. I picked up a hydration pack, so I've got the water issue sorted out for now.

I had my first moment of doubt today. That "what have I signed myself up for?" feeling. I know this walk *is* what I'm supposed to be doing, so I just talked a bit with Frank. He's so awesome and so supportive.

I sent out my first round of fundraising emails today and once again I am amazed by the response I've gotten so far. Today was a true milestone as I met and exceeded the half-way mark to my goal of $3,000. All I can say is that I have the most amazing friends and family. I am humbled by everyone's generosity and I promise to work hard to live up to your support.

Fundraising: $615.00 for a total of $1,605.00
Training: Day off
Total miles to date: 3.7

My First Walk (01/14/10)

Did my first walk today and managed to go 2.7 miles in 1 hour. I also learned a few things.

1) I am out of shape. Oh wait, that isn't news, but I certainly felt it today on this walk.
2) I should have clipped my toenails before I walked.
3) I need a different water bottle. I had to carry mine in my hand the whole time and that got old REALLY fast. I had read in the handbook that you shouldn't carry anything while you walk and I now have first hand experience why.
4) I wanted to quit about 25 minutes into it. I kept going and about 10 minutes later, felt better.
5) I need to put some new walking shoes on my shopping list. The ones I have are already irritating my feet.

My husband is awesome though. I came home and he had dinner almost completely ready for all of us.

Fundraising: $140.00 for a total of $990.00
Training: Walked 2.7 miles in 1 hour
Total miles to date: 3.7

Rain and Stroller Problems (01/13/10)

I had planned to try to do my first 3 mile walk today. However, I woke to mild rain and while they recommend walking in all kinds of weather while you're training, I just honestly wasn't ready to do that for my very first walk, especially since I'd have taken Jenna with me. It started to clear up later in the day, but I discovered that our stroller needs two new inner tubes. So instead of my walk today, I did a mile on the elliptical. I wanted to stop after the first 15 minutes. I kept thinking about all of you who are cheering me on from the sides and that gave me the motivation to keep going. Thank You!

Fundraising: No new donations. $850 total
Training: 1 mile on the elliptical, 33 minutes

My first Day of Fundraising (01/12/10)

Today was an amazing day! With the encouragement of some friends and my husband, I committed to doing the 3-day walk two days ago. Today, I finally finished putting my fundraising page together, and first thing this morning I posted the link to Facebook. I am beyond astounded at the response I've gotten in just a single day. Words cannot describe how amazing it is to be almost 30% of the way to my goal so quickly. I am humbled and awed that my family and friends are rallying together and supporting this amazing journey.

When I signed up, I really did worry that the fundraising part of it would be really difficult and that I might not actually get to do the walk if I couldn't raise the required $2,300. The next 70% will probably be harder than this first day, but boy, do I feel good about my chances of reaching and perhaps exceeding my goal.

As for my workout today, I did an hour in my tap class tonight. I love that dance can be part of my working towards this goal. Tomorrow I'm hoping to start with an easy walk around my neighborhood.

I am amazed and touched and have been moved to tears several times today. What an incredible journey this already is and this is just the first day!!! I may have recruited one of my girlfriends to walk with me as well. Thank you, so much everyone for kicking this off with a bang!